-Past Decisions-

Azrael sat on the rooftop's edge, staring out over the city. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was standing on a rain-slicked road; he walked over to the busted guard rail and gently floated down to the crashed vehicle. The man driving had passed and had already gently passed to the beyond; the woman was fighting. He knew why she fought. He could hear the weakening cry of the infant in the back seat.

She saw him and began to struggle more as he came closer—her soul, like so many others, held on so tight, tethered to the broken body. "Please," she begged. He looked at her, his head tilted slightly.

"You ask for your child when they will be with you soon." He knelt, looking into the car.

"Spare them; they have not lived. I want them to have a chance to know this world before they are taken from it." Her soul wept for the child.

"They may not go where you go should I allow that." He wiped a tear from the soul. "I do not know your anguish, but I have taken many who have shared their pain, wept as you have, and pleaded as you do."

"Have you ever answered their call for mercy," she pleaded.

"I am not mercy; I am death." He said simply as the child's cries softened. "Though some may find sweet relief in my arrival, I do not come to grant mercy."

"To be part of the world, but not of the world," she reached towards the child. "Haven't you ever longed to shape this world into something more than before? To do more than watch and collect."

"I have seen what happens to those who stray from their path," Azreal looked to the sky. "I have witnessed what happens, and for those that do, it is not I who comes."

"What comes?" The woman's spectral hand reached and touched the child; it stirred some under her hand.

"Oblivion. Beautiful Oblivion," he whispered. "Much like I, she is inevitable."

"So we you will one day stray, you will one day move and do in a way that must be dealt with. Why can't that day start today." She pleaded. "Why can't you start today?"

Azrael looked at the child and then looked to tomorrow, watching the path unfold, watching the changes as the twists and turns the branches. "It would not be so simple; this one act would require more and more if you wish for me to have your child live. You ask that I undertake this so your child may live. The road will not be without great pain and suffering."

"Yes, but is that not life? Will there not be joy, and if Oblivion will come for you by doing so, why stop there? Why not do more?" she looked at her child. "More children, more changes. Make this something you will be proud to leave behind when your Oblivion comes."

"Pass on, sweet woman, your Toshi will live," Azriel said.

"Thank you, oh thank you!" she cried as she ascended.

"You may thank me now, but from your seat, you may have wished I let him follow you," Azreal tore the door open and removed the child from the car. The child cried for a few more moments before quieting down. Its mother came over, tears passing through the child; she was trying to talk, but her words were spectral like her tears.

Azreal reached and took her hand, "Always try to smile, my precious Toshi. No matter what happens in this world or what the world says, try to smile." The infant did just that and smiled for its mother, who then passed into the beyond.

"Your path will no longer be your own, at least not entirely. Free will is, as some say, a double-edged sword, or, as my sister calls it, a mother fucker." The baby gave him a laugh. "She is fond of the crass parts of this world's vocabulary, but I will tell you more about her again."

-Present Decisions-

-Toshi-

The lack of public reaction, or any reaction, was enough to make even the Number one hero in the country worry. There are no calls or reports of the battle between Izuku and the villain Overhaul. He had known that his former sidekick and renewed friend Nighteye had been investigating the gangster regarding various illegal activities, including but not limited to drug trafficking. A hazardous drug that had gotten the name Trigger. He was going to Nighteye's agency to talk to him, waiting for the explosion of chaos that never came.

-House Midoriya-

Inko and Hisashi an explosion occurred when Izuku and Himiko came home with Eri. Hitoshi sat quietly in the corner, watching and observing; the little girl was terrified of everyone. When Inko and Hisashi began to argue, she seemed on the verge of passing out.

"MOM, DAD!" he yelled.

"WHAT!" they responded.

"CALM DOWN AND LOOK AT HER!" he commanded, his quirk activated. He knew he would get in trouble for using his quirk on them, but he felt it would be worth the punishment.

The parents had no choice but to do so; Hisashi spoke first. "Izuku, come here, please." Izuku walked over, the little girl going from hiding behind him to burying herself in Himiko's arms. "What happened?"

Izuku steadied his breath and gave them the short version of what happened. He began to falter when he got to the fight; Hisashi put his hand on his son's shoulder. "She needs a place to stay, Inko," was all he said, a complete turn from what he was arguing about. "Come on, son." He pulled his son into a hug and led him down the hall.

Eri began to panic, "Is he going to hurt him? Don't let him hurt him, not because of me," the desperation in her voice broke all their hearts.

"I promise, baby, he is not going to hurt him. Izuku's dad loves him very much, and he can tell Izuku needs to talk." Himiko said quickly.

"He isn't going to hurt him?" Eri eyes were wet as she looked up at Himiko.

"No, I swear, now let me introduce you to Mama Inko and Hitoshi; they are super nice. Then you and I are going to take a bath and get clean. What do you want to eat?" Himiko said as she gently wiped Eri's eyes.

"Anything as long as it doesn't have the green stuff on it that doesn't taste good…"Eri panicked again. "But if that is what you give me, I promise to eat it all; please don't send me away!"

Himiko wanted to resurrect Overhaul so she could kill him; Izuku had helped her mind; if the girl was this much of a wreck, how bad would she have been otherwise? "Eri, just breathe, baby, just breathe with me." Eri began to take deep breaths while their eyes remained locked; Eri calmed down again.

"Himiko honey, why don't you take her to bathe? I will get you some clothes we can put her in now." Inko said as gently as possible. "Hitoshi and I will get dinner ready." Once the two girls left to bathe, Inko pulled Hitoshi into a hug, "I am not made. Thank you for helping us see what we needed to focus on."

-Hitoshi-

Hitoshi smiled and snuggled into the hug; his life had been, for lack of a better word, chaotic. He had lived with the stigma of his quirk being called villainous, of being mistrusted and cast out by those who were supposed to support him the most. But that all changed that night in the shelter; this home was chaotic, loud, and slightly insane. Izuku was at the heart of it; he loved his brother, though he was scared for him. He was also scared, especially for Inko and Hisashi; he knew this couldn't be easy because the stress was so oppressive. He worried about them; he loved them dearly, even when they dragged him out of his room and made him participate. In truth, that was his favorite time, but he would never admit that.

He knew that Izuku's circumstances were so bizarre that only a fool would have said otherwise. Factor in Azrael was just downright ludicrous. He knew he wanted to support his brother; while he may not be a front-line fighter like most, he would stand by him. He believed in Izuku and the mission they had undertaken, but also he wanted to make sure that they came home to their parents. He saw the look on their faces when they thought no one was watching, not only them but the Bakugos, Rei Todoroki, and even Endeavor. He had heard what happened to a family when a child didn't come home; Izuku saving Toya was all he needed to see.

It may be seen as stupid, and he knew it was a near-impossible task, but as long as the breath was in his lungs, he would do everything he could to ensure they came home to their parents. He had found those who would support him, and he was not about to let them suffer more than anguish if he could stop it.

-Shoto-

He sat in the corner of the Dojo, panting. It was a tricky balancing act, not overheating or freezing himself out, but it worked out just fine. Today, he had been pushing his fireside; he didn't know why, but he was restless, and when he was restless, he went hard on fire. He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and slowly let the coolness of his icy side wash over him.

He went and checked his phone; he saw a few mixed texts from his friend and some from his siblings. Toya and he had worked hard over the years to build a foundation for their future, his disappearance, the scar that had been healed. It was almost a metaphor; the thing that had once marred his face was a physical mark of the family's breakup—Toya's "death," his mother's breakdown, and his father's withdrawn state.

Fuyumi was the one who relaxed the most once everything fell into this new state. She had been struggling to hold the family together and make it a family. When Toya returned, his scar was healed, Mom came home, and Father committed to change. The change wasn't overnight; neither was forgiveness. You can be ready to do so, but it does not sweep the pain away instantly.

Toya was enrolled in the U.A. and would be in his third year when he enlisted. Fuyumi was getting ready to enroll in college and was going to live in the dorms. If he did well, Natsuo would go into a work-study program that Ketsubutsu would allow him to move from their general studies to their hero course. He had chosen Kesubutsu over U.A. simply because he wanted to go there; while he may be looking to get into the family business, he wanted to do it his way. It was Natsuo, after all. But it was okay.

That was what he had learned; his father had beaten them, and the only way to reach their goal was his way. That any other way was incorrect, and to question that was essentially blasphemy. But now, there was a different way. It could be done differently. Enter his group, friends, training partners, and future teammates. That was his happy spot, being with them and the controlled chaos.

Over the years, he had come to realize he loved them, all of them for their eccentricities and just how different they all were but united around the single concept of being heroes and, of course, seeing if they could keep Izuku out of trouble but that task was nigh impossible. He was comfortable at home and with them; it was an amazing feeling. It took him a little bit to identify it, but with the therapist's help, it was simple: Family.

He wanted to protect his family, and he was going to protect his family, but tonight he was hungry. As he walked into the kitchen, he froze and ducked back; pulling out his phone, his mother was in his father's arms, dancing to a song playing in the kitchen. It was old, like ancient; Shoto knew it was from a record. His mother was fascinated by them.

He watched for a moment till they started kissing. He had seen this before, but his father lifted his mother by her rump this time. That made him freeze, and when she wrapped her hands in his hair, that made him flee. Strangely enough, he didn't see them 15 minutes later when he returned to the kitchen; he hadn't seen them all night.

He did see them in the morning, his father leaning on the counter, smiling while Rei made pancakes and was gliding around the kitchen.

-Toya-

The eldest Todoroki lay in his dorm room staring up at the ceiling while his best friend was droning about the virtues of something or a rather. It would probably be on the test, but Toya couldn't concentrate. Then Nejire came to lean over him, her sizeable chest at eye level, "Toya, are you even listening?"

"Nej!" he nearly screamed as he blushed and rolled to the side to sit up. "I was listening?"

"No, you weren't," she said with a pout. "If I have to quiet while Miro drones on, then you have to pay attention; this will be on the test."

"If I am awake?" Tamaki added.

"Look, if you don't want to be part of the big four, we can be the big 3!" Mirio said, taunting Toya.

"Fine, fine," Toya sighed, defeated. "But this weekend, I get to pick where we go for lunch!"

His three friends' sweat dropped as they learned spice was in their future.

-Hisashi-

Sitting and listening to the story took patience; he wanted to yell at his son. Hug him into oblivion, ground him forever, pat him on the back. Sometimes, being a parent was complicated. Hisashi had spent a lot of time in the background of the insanity that had befallen his family. He had watched as it grew and grew, but tonight, when Izuku and Himiko came home with a little girl, he had begun to unravel.

They had taken in Himiko Hitoshi, and now they were cusp of taking in another child. His son had become the successor to All-Might, adding offense to what was possibly the most potent healing quirk to date. Endeavor, Sir Nighteye, Gran Torino, Recovery Girl, Nezu, it was this absurd level of people coming in and out of his house. Not to mention the other children, Mitsuki, Matsuo, Rei, and his favorite Mizuki. That little girl was simply the best in all that he felt lost.

He wasn't a lawyer like Matsuo to sort out all the legal problems like a hero; he didn't get to train with the ladies as they became Mom Squad. They were there when the children were attacked; they had been able to step in and lend assistance. Hisashi was at work.

His son was being taught and mentored by some of the most capable people on the planet; if not qualified, the argument could be made for influence in the nation. He had to admit he had become a little bitter; it was Inko that the children sought approval from the other mentors and figures in their lives. Not him; it was a bitter pill to swallow, but he did. It was rotting; it was going to erupt at any moment, and it had started to tonight.

It had reared its head before in private, but this time, he was about to cause some damage that probably couldn't be walked back, and then Hitoshi stepped in. When Hisashi saw that little girl, he faltered; when he saw the look on his son's face, he nearly broke. Hearing the words that Izuku had told Inko and him, he knew there was more that Izuku was holding back. In that room, he saw not the successor of All-Might, not the rallying point of change, not the pawn of Azrael, the protégé of Recovery Girl; he saw his son. And his son needed his father.

Hisashi has been so lost and caught up in trying to see where he fit in, not seeing the role he needed to play, that of the children's father. He went to work, put the roof over their heads, and put food in their bellies. Thankfully, on that last part, All-Might helped due to his insane training regimen. He and Matsuo were not there to try and run in and save the children all the time; they were there to be steady hands, guiding hands.

At this moment, it all drifted away; no matter who came into their lives, All-Might, Azrael, or the tooth fairy, he was their father. Izuku, Himiko, and Hitoshi he was there to be that voice of calm, that steady presence, that rock in their lives.

When Izuku finished and was broken, HItashi took him in his arms and squeezed him ever so tight. "I am proud of you, Izuku." He whispered; he felt the boy stiffen and want to protest. "The road that you are going down is going to be hard; it is going to be difficult, and though you can wish you had another way, maybe you did. But that is something that will come with learning and more experience. But that Man would have killed you, killed Himiko, killed whomever he needed to continue on his sick dream. You stopped him; sometimes, you will be called upon to make hard decisions." He could feel Izuku calming down. "You will have those around you who must make that hard decision; you now know what that is like. Never forget, son, I may not be running around like all the others, but I am always here for you."

"Thanks, Dad," Izuku held him for a moment before stepping back and drying his eyes. Izuku pulled out his phone and sent a simple text message to Ibarra. I NEED YOU.

-Eri-

She had been bathed before; it was a simple, if not sometimes harsh, experience, with someone yelling at her to go faster. When Himiko sat behind her and gently washed her hair this time, she was thankful that water hid her shock and tears. The gentle nature of the girl behind her, washing her hair and helping her to wash her body, the dirt and grime just disappearing.

Eri looked at her arms where the scars were, where he would always leave them, only to see them all gone. Izuku had fixed them, though she thought she could still see them. When the cleaning was done, she wasn't plunged into ice-cold water. Instead, she got to sit with Himiko.

Himiko was asking her questions; at first, she was afraid to answer, afraid of answering wrong, but it only took her answering once. That was all it was needed; her fear was muted, and her mind didn't scream at how she was a monster or how she was evil, vile, or sick. It was quiet; here, she felt safe, something she dreamed about and wished for but something she had all but forgotten.

"Can I stay with you?" her little voice rang out. "I can be good, I promise!"

"Of course you can, sweetie," Himiko whispered, hugging Eri. "I know that everything is going to be just fine."

Something in Eri wanted to say no, but it was overshadowed by the feeling that Himiko was right. That as long as she had Himiko and Izuku, then everything would be fine.

-Ibarra-

She arrived after dinner; Himiko had Eri in her room when Ibarra came. She was directed to the back porch, where she saw Izuku sitting in the swing, looking up at the night sky.

"Talk to me my love," she said, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"I killed a man today," he said as his hand came up to hold her.

"Why?" Ibarra whispered.

"He was vile, a monster; his quirk could disassemble and reassemble matter," he felt Ibara stiffen. "He could have been a rival to All-Might, if not even better, due to the versatility of his quirk. He could choose to what state things would be returned. And he used it to torture a little girl, but exploding her and putting her back together, again, again, and again."

"My Lord! WHY?" Ibarra's mind was a ghast at the very thought.

"He felt quirks were a disease and that she was the cure," Izuku let go of her arm and stood up, the swing between them. "When he saw her, I saw what he did; when I healed her, I knew it."

"Was there another way?" Ibarra looked at him, then the barrier he had put between them.

"I don't think so; he wouldn't have let me or Himiko walk away." His gaze finally meets hers. "I understand if…"

"Do not finish that statement, Izuku Midoriya!" the fierceness of her voice stopped him cold. "I can see how these ways on you, and if it didn't, then that would be a whole other conversation. I know that someday, we will all have to choose. I pray that I am wrong, but I am not that naive. Izuku, I love you; God put us together for a reason. He brought you into my life for a reason, and I will not walk away from you. I called for you when you were dead, I will call for you even if you can't hear me! I will make you hear me, and you will come to me! WE HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH TIME! WE WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME!"

He felt lifted and entangled by her vines as she brought him around to face him. She pulled his face towards her and kissed him.

"Do you feel regret?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Do you wish for another way?" she kissed him again.

"Yes," he closed his eyes as a black whip leaked past her vines, and he pulled her into a kiss. "Stay with me tonight; we can do the above the cover below the cover."

"I will; now, where is the girl?"

"With Himiko."

"I would like to meet her," Ibarra released him. As he did her, they took each other's hands and returned to the house. "Do not take this wrong, but how are you not in jail now?"

"To add to an even more bizarre night, it was like no one noticed," Izuku said. "Azrael was there, and I asked him if he had something to do with it, but he said that someone else had interfered."

"And this doesn't bother you?" she replied, surprised.

"It does, but I can only handle what I can now. The big picture is off the radar right now."

"I am glad you called me," Ibarra squeezed his hand.

"I am, too," he returned her squeeze. "Let me introduce you to Eri."