Izuku nervously straightened his cloak, feeling incredibly self-conscious as he stood next to Nana at the head of the war table.
It had been two days since his and Momo's conversation with Nana. Izuku still was unpacking all the revelations Nana and Ingen's loosened tongue had dropped on him.
But she had given them a ray of hope, deep in Castle Darthmorr was the source of the simulation, if they destroyed it, those trapped in here would be freed.
The idea was simple, the execution would be much more difficult.
"So, that's the long and short of it." Nana finished. "A decisive preemptive strike on Blackthorn before can set the hordes of alchemical monsters on Restaria as he has done before."
A thin, tall dark-haired man stepped forwards. "The forces required to be focused at this one point, Elvar would be vulnerable to attack."
"We won't need quantity, General Miras." Nana refuted. "Just quality."
Miras snorted derisively. "How many? To take Darthmorr? You'd need thousands."
"Twenty, maybe thirty." Nana answered. "This isn't a siege, or a battle, this is a stealth operation."
"Stealth?" Lord Neavu inquired. "Any previous attempts to employ stealth tactics on Blackthorn have failed dramatically."
"Yes, like he knew they were coming." Nana agreed, before sighing. "My son is a traitor, I had him arrested two days ago, he has admitted to the treachery."
Endeavor's grunted. "Ingen, a traitor, impossible."
Hawke leaned over to Mirka. "Explains why he's not here, doesn't it."
Izuku watched the exchange of a handful of coins.
Betting. Really?
"I'm afraid it's true." Nana admitted. "Koto was a traitor for Blackthorn, in return, I was kept alive."
"The Nomu attack on Elvar last month?" Lord Hawke inquired. "Was that part of the plan?"
"It was not." Nana answered. "It was a punishment, Koto, the former Lord Ingen, was to lead Prince Tenra into an ambush on Blackthorn's orders, he refused."
"Blackthorn intended for you to be killed inside the Nomu." Miras mused. "Psychological warfare, Blackthorn felt wronged."
"Blackthorn is highly vindictive, but he believes that my return, although not his intention, has secured Koto's loyalty." Nana explained. "We will use that, lure Blackthorn's forces into a trap and destroy them, simultaneously with the stealth incursion into Darthmorr."
"This trap, how will it work?" Miras questioned.
Nana smirked. "Simple, you're going to betray me."
A cacophony of shouts and refusals sounded.
Holding up a hand, Nana closed it, silencing her war council.
"Blackthorn wishes to rule this kingdom, but he recognises he cannot take it by brute strength alone." Nana spoke. "Koto spent his time destabilising Restaria and turning the Interregnum Council against each other, he led Tozanori to his death. The end goal was to place Tenra on the throne."
"Prince Tenra is firmly against Blackthorn, the boy practically lives to fight him." Lady Mirka noted.
"Blackthorn wishes to merge with Tenra, to make him a vessel for him to rule in." Nana responded. "We will stage a civil war here in Elvar, Lord Endeavor, you will be the one to 'discover' Ingen's treachery, you will attack and kill me, believing me another of Blackthorn's alchemical creations."
Engir stared at his queen for a few seconds, before nodding. "That is what my most likely course of action would be."
"This will trigger a cold civil war, Ryuka, Hawke, Geneist and Vashe, you will all support Endeavor." Nana explained. "While Neavu, Torino, Mirka and Cruss will believe Endeavor a usurper to the throne, hence, it will seem like civil war is likely to erupt in the streets at any second."
"I assume we use some kind of broad area calming spell to ensure riots do not begin." Neavu hummed thoughtfully. "We leak knowledge of this cold war to Blackthorn's spies outside the walls and he will send his armies to attack Elvar while he believes us divided and incapable of defending ourselves. Ingenious."
"I see, to the vote then." General Miras commanded.
With little pomp or circumstance a vote was held, the gathered war council casting with fervor. Since Tozanori's death and Ingen's regency they had been forced on the defensive, Ingen had vetoed any offensives against the growing threat of Blackthorn.
"Queen Namie, thirty-one in favour, six abstentions and eight against." Miras recited. "The council is in favour of your plan, you may proceed at our leisure."
"Excellent, the first point of order, the strike force that will be infiltrating Darthmorr and destroying the source of Blackthorn's power." Nana spoke. "I have chosen for Prince Izure to lead it, I expect your full cooperation with him."
Izuku felt the weight of the room pressing down on him, judging him, assessing his worth.
He could tell more than a few had found him lacking.
But no-one dared to contradict Nana, in these matters they knew her decision was final.
"Meeting adjourned, General Miras, Lord Neavu, begin the preparations." Nana instructed, as the council started to dissolve. "We will meet again in the morning to plan the details of Elvar's defense."
Izuku released a sigh of relief as the room emptied, leaving him alone with Nana. Not for the first time in the last few days he wished Momo was beside him.
But she had awoken in the real world, it was likely Izuku wouldn't see her again for another fortnight.
"You have two weeks, gather your team and muster in Lars, I will join you once my death has been faked." Nana spoke. "If Momo reappears here, whilst you're gone, would you like me to tell her something for you?"
Izuku shook his head. "No, she knows already."
"Young love, eh?" Nana queried, pinching Izuku's cheek.
The green-haired teen instantly flushed bright red.
"You really are too easy to tease." Nana laughed, before sobering. "I'm so proud of you, if I don't make it, tell Toshi I'm proud of him too."
"Don't talk like that." Izuku chastised. "We're all going to make it out of this simulation!"
"Youthful optimism, try not to lose that, Izu-kun." Nana said wistly, ruffling his hair for good measure.
Three Days Later...
Two roads diverged by a crystal blue river.
Izuku went north, riding with Tenra, Kocha and Sansho at his back. To the east went Katte, heading home for the first time in three years.
With him rode the allies Izuku had gathered in Elvar. Katte's companions, Eii, Mikka, Han'i, Yuryo. Members of Kyojinger, Toka, Rikimu, Meijri and Mashira. From the Bluecoats, Fumu.
The only missing face was that of Mineta's counterpart, Miume, the girl nowhere to be found and no-one missing her.
Like she never existed.
Those Izuku had managed to assemble would wait in Lars, where Katte was to add Hokyo and Denshi to their ranks.
Izuku was bound for Windy Harbour, a port town of water and fowl, where he would find the final members of 1-A's alternates.
Tsuyu and Koda.
Tsuyuiri and Kouva.
And so they travelled, pulling their furs closer around themselves as air grew cold, the skies wetter.
Thunder crashed and rain battered against them as they entered Windy Harbour, finding solace in the covered streets, winding their way to the local tavern.
Horses stabled, Izuku entered the tavern, Tenra and Kocha on one side, Hisame on the other, Hiasobi taking guard, watching for any sign of trouble.
Shedding their sodden furs, they hung them with the others by the fire, revelling as the warmth seeped back into their bones.
Izuku approached the bar, using an air heating charm to dry the hair plastered to his head.
"Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find some friends of mine." Izuku greeted, as the girl at the bar turned to face him.
Short stature, purple hair, Izuku recognised her instantly.
Miume.
"Hello, Izuku."
Izuku took a seat at the table opposite Mineta.
Or was it Miume?
He'd sent the others away, under the guise that he knew Miume, which he obviously did, and was trying to recruit her.
"I'm sure you've got a lot of questions." Mineta spoke. "I'm like Yaomomo, I wake up every day."
"You're one of the other two in here." Izuku murmured. "Momo said you were missing, are you safe? Are you okay? Where are you?"
"Safe, somewhat. Okay, physically yes." Mineta answered. "As for where I am, the same place as that freaky clone of you, Yokohama, specifically my mother's family mansion, which is currently playing host to the terrifying demon that is All For One."
"You're with All For One?" Izuku questioned rhetorically. "That's not good."
"It's fine." Mineta said quickly. "He won't hurt me if I play along for now, he even protected me from my mother."
"Why?"
Mineta took a heavy breath. "Because he's my great-great-grandfather, at least, I think it's great-great, it might be great-great-great."
Izuku stared back at Mineta. "Okay."
"Okay?" Mineta repeated. "I'm related to the First Demon, doesn't that freak you out?"
"All For One's identical clone is my dad." Izuku spoke.
Mineta nodded. "Okay, that's much worse. Geez, I don't feel so bad about my relation to him now. Wait, that means we're related!"
"Yeah, I'm your great-great uncle if I'm not mistaken."
"I'm not calling you that." Mineta denied.
"How about cousins?" Izuku offered with a shrug.
"I can live with that." Mineta acquiesced. "You're probably wondering why I look like this, aren't you?"
Izuku hesitated, before shrugging. "I can guess, everyone here, one thing is different about themselves, one thing they wish was different."
"Yeah."
"You're my friend, Mineta." Izuku assured. "You absolutely have my support."
"Thanks, Midoriya." Mineta replied with a relieved smile, before frowning. "I'm waking up."
Raising a hand, she watched as it began to fade out of existence.
"It was good to talk to someone real." Mineta admitted. "Koda is in the apothecary, Tsu works on a fishing boat, I saw them both earlier. Say hi to Yaomomo for me."
With that, Mineta faded away, leaving Izuku alone.
"Goodbye, Mineta."
Izuku stood, using Summoning to bring his now dry furs to his hand, pulling them on.
The Nomu attacked them six days after leaving Windy Harbor.
Izuku's back slammed into the ground, winding him, as his horse bucked him off and fled. Gasping desperately, Izuku watched as a Nomu beared down upon him.
In his flustered and panicked state Izuku's memory failed him, the magical spells he barely knew slipping through his grasp.
How he wished he had his proper quirks, a power he knew he could rely upon.
Burning fire blazed from Izuku's palm, the explosion ripping the Nomu's head apart, defeating it instantly.
Izuku turned his hand over, staring at it in shock.
Explosion. I used Kacchan's quirk, just for a moment.
But Izuku didn't have time to experiment.
Clambering to his feet, Izuku drew Hinode, analysing the battlefield as he did.
Twenty-six Nomu remained, judging by the scattered rubble the others had already taken a number of them.
Hisame and Hiasobi fought back to back, a whirlwind of fire and ice obliterating any Nomu that got close. Like she had in Lars, Kocha was levitating the Nomu up high before dropping them, some even landing on the other Nomu.
Tenra was a blur, Yuyake in hand, leaving a trail of decapitated Nomu in his wake. Looking to his left Izuku saw their newest additions, fighting in unison.
With a yell that morphed into a roar, Kouva transformed into a massive brown bear, swinging his paw down to crush a Nomu. In the blink of an eye, Kouva became a bird, darting past a Nomu's fist and looping around back at its face.
At the last second Kouva reverted to his human form, his head lacking the rocky crenulation of his real-world self, his fist driven through the Nomu's skull.
A thin whip of water flicked past Kouva, decapticating the Nomu charging at his back. Tsuyuiri recalled her water construct, gathering it around her hand before shooting it at another Nomu.
Loose clay crumbled to the ground.
"Thanks for the save, Tsuyuiri!" Kouva declared with a thumbs up.
"You're welcome, but call me Iri."
Izuku heard a grunt behind him.
Turning, and with all the ability daily sword-fighting lessons with Tenra had given him, Izuku cleaved the Nomu diagonally in two, from navel to shoulder.
The upper half of the Nomu landed in front of Izuku, finished off with a downwards thrust of Hinode through the skull.
Rounding on the next Nomu, Izuku reared back his arm, reaching out to Explosion.
But nothing came.
Whatever crack in the lens over his quirks he'd made before, was now repaired, as seemingly impenetrable as before.
Quashing the disappointment, Izuku changed tactics, quickly casting one of Mikka's spells as his palm brushed the Nomu's beak.
The appendage hissed and seared, the burn spreading to the rest of the Nomu's head in a matter of seconds, the clay dissolving away under Izuku's corrosive touch.
The number of Nomu had thinned out considerably now, leaving only a few stranglers, two of them charging at Izuku in desperation.
Preparing himself, Izuku raised Hinode, charging One For All and Yuryo's laser magic into the blade.
"Photonic Smash!" Izuku yelled, slicing the two Nomu across the chest.
The beast stumbled back, looking down at the glowing line carved into their torso. Slowly at first the line began to shine brighter, until light beams of every colour of the rainbow erupted from it, vaporizing the Nomu.
And with that, the final Nomu had fallen.
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief.
"Izure!"
Turning, Izuku saw the others looking at him in shock and horror. Glancing down he saw why, a claw mark in his size, blood oozing from it.
"Oh." Izuku frowned. "I thought something like that would hurt more."
Pitching forwards, Izuku hit the ground, losing consciousness instantly.
"I am so proud of you. So would your father be if he was here now. Wake up soon. Please."
Mom.
"Deku, wake the fuck up!"
Kacchan.
"Midoriya, I don't deserve this quirk, so wake up, and I can return it to you."
Iida.
"Chapter thirty-eight, the hero who time forgot. Adrien placed his hand over his temples, trying to quell the rising headache. It had been almost two month since what was now being called the Battle of Saronder-"
Momo.
She was reading to him, from the eighth Restaria book.
"I failed you, Midoriya."
Mr. Aizawa.
"Izuku, take as long as you need, I'll be right here for you when you wake up."
All Might, no.
Dad.
Awareness slowly returned to Izuku, his eyes fluttering open to reveal he was lying in a large, plush bed. Moving his attention to the rest of the room Izuku quickly surmised he was in some kind of inn.
Memories returning to him, Izuku scrambled to pull back the covers and peel back the bandages wound around his bare torso.
A thin laceration trailed along his side, from his hip up to the third rib, smaller, jagged scars littered around it.
Running his finger across the misshapen skin, Izuku felt the traces of magic upon it. Kocha's first aid spells, more advanced medical magic from an unknown caster and then Tenra, a spell to accelerate his healing.
"Morning, Izuku."
Yelping with surprise, Izuku pulled the covers over himself and looked for the source of the voice.
A dark-haired woman sat in an armchair by the fireplace, illuminating her olive skin and shoulder length curls.
"My name's M-Midoriya." Izuku stuttered out, his cheeks burning as he remembered he wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Right, the world you're from prefers surnames."
"It's custom." Izuku replied. "Especially with strangers and in formal situations."
"We're not strangers and I wouldn't call this formal." The woman replied. "Remember me, just a ghost in the machine."
"You're the robot woman!" Izuku exclaimed.
"I'm only part robot." The woman refuted, holding up her right hand to reveal it was made of metal. "Name's Rukk. Just Rukk."
"Nana said you were a glitch in the simulation." Izuku breathed, staring at Rukk's hand, the technology looked beyond even the real world.
"I assure you I'm very real, realer than you in fact."
"Realer isn't a word." Izuku noted.
Rukk waved her hand. "Semantics, the point is I'm flesh and blood, mostly, while you're ones and zeros right now."
"This is a simulation, how can you be real?"
"That power the faceless weirdo has creates the simulation and then projects it into a 3D plane." Rukk explained. "Reality is subjective, this world may be a bit simplistic but in effect it's the same as any other quote unquote real world."
"Simulated reality theory." Izuku murmured.
"Spot on, I simplified it a bit, but that's the gist of it." Rukk commended. "See, for a world hopper like myself there is effectively no difference between a real world and a simulated world, so long as the simulation isn't obviously awful."
"Why are you here?" Izuku queried.
Rukk shrugged. "This world? Just passing through. Here specifically, healing you."
"With magic?"
"Yep, my own magic, not this world's." Rukk answered. "Mine isn't bound to one reality, works no matter what world I'm in."
"That's why the residue it left feels so much different." Izuku mused. "Could you teach me?"
Rukk hesitated. "My magic isn't something you can teach. It isn't powered by any world or reality, it's powered by grief and loss."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Thanks." Rukk replied, seemingly on instinct. "I also have a big magitek sword but that's in the shop right now."
Izuku frowned, unsure if she was being honest or just joking, he wasn't certain which one would be weirder.
Rukk pushed herself to her feet, firelight catching the mechanical prosthetic where her right arm should be, meeting flesh at her collarbone.
"I should be going."
"Wait!" Izuku scrambled to his feet. "I have so many more questions about this world."
"I know. Just remember, this world is realer than you know, all it needs is a spark." Rukk snapped her fingers. "Your friends left some armor for you, said you'd know where to meet them."
With that Rukk left the bedroom, Izuku rushed after and into the hallway.
It was empty.
Sighing, Izuku moved back into the bedroom, finding the armor Rukk had described. It was lightweight metal scale armor, painted a forest green, reminding Izuku somewhat of Eii's draconic form.
Without hesitation, Izuku pulled his new armor on, hissing as he pulled his wound, before securing Hinode to his waist, the weight comforting him.
It was odd how quickly he'd gotten used to the weapon. Perhaps it was because it was a part of Izuku in a manner of speaking.
The armor was snug and felt protective, reminding him of how his hero costume had felt the first, and only, time he had put it on.
Leaving the bedroom, Izuku moved into the main area of the tavern. It was empty, with not a stool or tankard out of place.
That immediately put Izuku on edge, considering the dusk light coming through the windows this tavern should have been heaving with patrons.
Exiting the tavern, Izuku halted.
He was in Lars.
Looking up, Izuku saw the sign of the Bellowing Walrus swinging in the late summer breeze. A familiar, oppressive air hung over the town, Izuku had seen it in every town for the last couple of days before his injury.
The news of Queen Namie's death had come almost as soon as that of her return. No-one dawdled in the street too long, regarding their neighbours with suspicion, wondering with whom they sided.
He hated being part of harbouring this distrust and discontent, but hopefully it would trick Blackthorn into sending the majority of his Nomu into a trap.
Izuku made his way towards his home, glancing into his empty classroom as he was passing.
Unlike the other cottages, Izure's childhood home was teeming with a sense of life and excitement.
The door swung open, revealing Eii, dressed in same armor as Izuku, his a burnished red, matching his dragon form.
"Prince Izure!" Eii cheered, practically tackling Izuku in a hug as he approached.
"Oi, Izure."
Izuku turned to see Katte in the doorway, dressed in similar armor to Eii, the metal painted a deep copper colour.
"Took you long enough to get here." Katte growled. "Come on!"
Izuku ducked inside Izure's childhood home, Katte in front and Eii following him.
From what Izuku could tell he had arrived in the middle of mealtime, the kitchen a hive of activity with Rikimu and Yuryo preparing desserts and a cheese platter respectively.
Following Katte and Eii, Izuku passed through Izure's home and into the garden.
Here was the table normally found in the kitchen, laden with food. While the garden was crowded, newly erected walls allowed them privacy.
Izuku scanned the faces, Inza sat at the end of the table, beside her was Nana, in purple armor. Seeing the two of them together allowed him to see the similarities between them. Further down was Sansho and-
Momo.
"Hey."
Izuku felt his face forming a goofy grin at her greeting. "Hi."
Momo and Sansho, like Katte and Eii, were encased in the same armor, with a different colour for both of them, white and ice blue respectively.
Also around the table sat Tenra, Kocha and Denshi, each of them wearing their own set of scale armor, navy blue, pink and yellow.
The rest of the recruits, just missing those in the kitchen, were also sitting strewn around the garden, each in a black set of the scale armor.
Lastly, Izuku's eyes fell on an unfamiliar shock of curly red hair, the owner of which had their back to him.
They turned.
Mikumo. The only alternate Izuku hadn't been able to find in Elvar's census records.
"Greetings, my name is Miichi." The white-haired man spoke, older than his real world self, his equally crimson eyes meeting Izuku's.
"I-Izure."
The green-haired boy held his hand out, his surprise at seeing Mikumo's alternate almost making him say his real name.
Miichi grinned, allowing Izuku to see something he'd never noticed before. Izuku had never realised how little Mikumo smiled until now.
Izuku frowned. "How did you-"
"I recruited him." Nana spoke, standing as she did. "He was one of the other victims of Blackthorn's giant Nomu, like me."
Miichi nodded. "It was rather disconcerting to wake up and find out hundred of years had passed, my whole family-"
The white-haired man stopped, a heavy silence fell over the garden.
"My whole family is gone now, my daughter, I never got to see her grow up." Miichi's eyes burned with anger and loss. "Taking down Blackthorn won't bring them back, but it will stop him inflicting this pain on others."
Black smoke drifted off Miichi's arms, swirling in the air before fading away.
Izuku bowed his head, the guilt hitting him like a freight train. The alternates, no, these people in their own right, were fighting alongside them, risking their own lives.
For a selfish lie.
And Izuku wouldn't continue it any longer.
"I'm not Izure."
You could have heard a pin drop, before the gathered party exploded into shouts and yelled questions.
"I'm from another world, I'm just in this world's body, my real name is Izuku Midoriya." The green-haired teen rattled off quickly, finishing with a bow. "I'm sorry for deceiving you."
Izuku didn't have time to react before a fist was driven into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Don't fucking lie!"
Katte grabbed Izuku and lifted him straight, his eyes ablaze with anger.
"I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen." Izuku spoke weakly, not even bothering to fight back. "I should have been honest from the start, since I remembered who I am."
"Take it back!" Katte roared, punching Izuku again as the others rushed to stop him. "Bring him back!"
Izuku slumped like a puppet with his strings cut as Katte was hauled away from him.
"I can't." Izuku uttered. "I wish I could, I took Izure's body, his life, his memories. I wish I could take it back."
"Give him back!" Katte yelled, Eii and Han'i stopping him from charging again. "Give Izure back!"
Izuku's eyes fell on Inza, and all he saw in hers was pity.
No. She should hate me! It's all my fault!
Izuku was a fraud, he didn't deserve any of this.
Momo. All Might. UA.
One For All.
I'm no hero. I'm a villain, I stole Izure's body, I erased him. I deserve no-one's pity, or kindness, or love. I'm just a worthless freak.
Maybe Bakugo was right.
Take a swan dive off the roof of the building and pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life.
And then, just as Izuku reached terminal velocity of his downward spiral, the burnt orange of sunset washed over him.
Sakura blossoms fluttered past him, landing in his hands.
"Deku."
Izuku looked up, his eyes greeted by the sight of Kacchan, dressed in his UA uniform, tie evermissing, standing over him.
"K-Kacchan." Izuku wiped away his tears.
"The truth is I never hated you because you were quirkless, or that I thought you had All For One." Kacchan paused. "I hated you because you are better than me, you always were."
The breath caught in Izuku's throat.
"Even back then, with no quirk, you were my hero." Kacchan continued. "Even when I demeaned you and put you down, you held out your hand to me when I fell."
Slowly, Kacchan's arm outstretched, his palm out towards Izuku.
"You look like you need saving." Kacchan smiled, the same crooked one Izuku had seen so many times before. "That's what my hero name is, a promise, to reach out my hand to those who've fallen."
Izuku reached out, taking Kacchan's hand in his.
"That's what you taught me, Izuku Midoriya."
Kacchan pulled, Izuku rising to his feet.
"Now, wake up."
The lens shattered.
Energy blasted in every direction from Izuku, the light obscuring him from view.
"Izuku!" Momo rushed forwards, with Nana only a few steps behind her.
His ears were ringing, Izuku blinking rapidly as he slowly came back to reality.
A crater had been dug in the garden, half the wall utterly destroyed.
Izuku looked down, marveling at the sight of his hands.
His own hands.
The UA gym jacket fluttered around his shoulders, his 'shirt' t-shirt visible through the open zip.
Izuku's quirkspace blazed with light, a sky full of stars.
One For All.
Explosion.
Creation.
Slingshot.
Hyper Regeneration.
Quirksmith.
They were back. His quirks were back, and the magic was gone.
"Izuku!" Momo dropped to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm me." Izuku looked up. "I'm fine, those thoughts, they're gone."
The dark, intrusive thoughts Izuku hadn't had since he was thirteen. The same thoughts that pushed him onto that ledge.
But these ones now were not his.
They belonged to Izure.
Izuku rose, turned to gaze through the smoke and dust to where Izure rested on his knees, head bowed.
"You were me." Izure murmured, not looking up. "I was you. All the hardships you faced, being quirkless, being so alone, yet, you're stronger for it. I've had a perfect life, and you're not broken, not like I am."
"Izure, you don't need a reason to feel like this." Izuku spoke, reaching out his hand. "Everyone needs a hand every now and again."
Izure looked up at his alternate's outstretched hand.
"I can't. I don't deserve it."
Within an instant Izure bolted, leaving through the hole in the garden wall.
Izuku's arm dropped to his side.
Of course you deserve it, everyone deserves support.
Izure sat in his darkened classroom, the familiar surroundings allowing him to slowly ground himself.
He hated Izuku. He wished it was because he had taken over his body, or because he assumed his life.
But it wasn't because of that, Izure knew his alternate hadn't had any control over that. No, Izure hated him because he'd been through so much worse and yet he wasn't jaded, wasn't disillusioned with the world.
He wasn't broken like Izure was.
A knock echoed.
Izure turned his head to catch sight of Izuku standing in the doorway, a hint of nervousness in his posture.
"Do you mind if I come in?"
With a shrug, Izure nodded his head.
"Thanks." Izuku replied, moving over to lean against the desk, next to Izure. "You doubt your worth, don't you?"
Izure didn't answer.
"I've been there, you're standing on the edge of a cliff and you're not sure that there's a bottom to it." Izuku spoke calmly, playing with his hands as he did. "I nearly died, I spent the next two years in therapy, in fact, I still have therapy, even now."
Izuku dropped his hands.
"You have worth, Izure. No-one is worthless."
"How? How do you get up every day and continue on going like you haven't seen the prejudice of society that bubbles just below the surface."
"All men are not created equal." Izuku stated, as if reciting something he had read before. "That was the reality I learned about society at the young age of four. Eight years later I stood on the railings of a bridge, ready to jump."
Izuku sighed.
"Life isn't fair, and it certainly isn't kind. That's the truth I know, but I know I can choose something better."
"Life is just meaningless, I'm just going through the motions, feeling like I don't fit in anywhere." Izure responded.
"You're right." Izuku admitted, surprising his alternate. "Life has no meaning, unless we decide to create our own, our own values and our own purpose in life."
"But then aren't you just lying to yourself?"
"I'm not an optimist." Izuku said. "I choose to be an optimist, so maybe I am lying to myself, but I'll save everyone I can, to save their smiles."
"That is illogical."
Izuku shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but it doesn't have to be logical for me to believe in it."
"Then you'll fail." Izure stated. "Tomorrow, you're going to take a loose collection of twenty-odd adventurers, Bluecoats and royalty against the greatest evil this world has ever known."
"Yes, that am I." Izuku answered. "Blackthorn, All For One, they're not gods, no matter how much they think they are. Blackthorn can be beaten, I have to beat them, because I made a promise I don't intend to break."
"And what if you fail?" Izure questioned.
"Then we'll fail together."
"Your sacrifice would be pointless, just more death in a world where the only thing that is guaranteed is death."
Izuku stood. "No. It wouldn't be pointless, a hero is more than a person, a hero is an idea."
"And what's the idea?" Izure queried.
Izuku smiled. "It's okay now, I am here."
Izure had to look away from the pure radiance Izuku seemed to emit, he almost believed him.
Almost.
"No, it's not." Izure unclipped Hinode from his belt. "Take this."
"No, I can't." Izuku refused. "Hinode is your power."
"It isn't. It doesn't belong to me, I'm not worthy of it."
Izure placed Hinode down on his desk.
"You don't have to take it, but I can't keep it."
Staring down, Izure turned and trudged towards the door.
"I'm no hero."
The door opened slowly.
"No." Izuku spoke, before suddenly raising his voice. "No! You're wrong, I was there, I've been in your head for months now, you constantly doubt yourself, you have a complete lack of self-worth. Just like I did."
Izuku stood straighter, his presence suddenly expanding until it filled the room.
"But you too can become a hero.
The dam broke, tears streaming down Izure's face.
Izuku moved forward to comfort his alternate.
"No, I wish I could believe you, but I can't."
Izure ran, leaving Izuku alone.
Izuku sat on the tiled roof of the Lars school, staring down at Hinode, the sheathed blade gripped loosely in his hands.
He should be happy.
His mind was his own again, his quirks were back, at least, most of them were.
But Izure was hanging on by a thread, Izuku was still stuck in Restaria and a large quantity of his quirks were missing, taken by All For One during his imprisonment.
All For One had taken fifty-six of his quirks, mainly from the largely unused quirks copied from USJ villains. However there were a number of notable quirks now gone.
The second Zero Gravity. Wave Motion. Decay. Erasure. Black Hole. One of his Hyper Regeneration quirks. His fused Strength, Speed and Acid quirks.
Not to mention all the quirks All For One had used him to copy and then take for himself. All together the Merchant of Quirks had taken eighty-two quirks.
I'm going to get those quirks back.
Izuku sighed.
But there were a few new additions.
Endurance, Red Wings and of course Quirk Dampening, the very quirk that was inhibiting Izuku's quirk use in his real body.
At least I can use them here, now if only I could use Quirksmith's alteration ability, I could undo All For One's changes to Quirk Dampening.
"Well, that was unexpected."
The green-haired teen looked up, watching as Nana floated up and sat on the roof next to him.
"I wasn't particularly expecting that to happen." Izuku admitted. "The words just kind of came vomiting out and then I blew up."
"Your lens broke." Nana noted. "It was pretty explosive when it happened to me as well, I didn't split into two like you did but I guess that's because of that proficiency you copied."
Izuku set off a small crackle of explosions in his palm. "My quirks, they're back, and the magic is gone. How did the rest of them take it?"
"Confused, very confused, had to explain it in a bit more depth after you went off after Izure." Nana answered. "How is he?"
"Hurting. Scared. Lonely." Izuku spoke. "I'm worried about him, how he's feeling now, that's how I felt before…"
"Before?"
"Before I climbed up on a ledge and got ready to jump." Izuku admitted. "I didn't, in the end, and then I ended up slipping and falling anyway. A hero was passing by, I don't know which one, the nurses wouldn't tell me."
Nana put an arm around Izuku, pulling him in tight.
"I'm sorry."
"There's nothing for you to be sorry about." Izuku denied. "It wasn't your fault."
"It was, I should have been stronger, I should have defeated All For One, it's my fault that I wasn't there for you growing up, that Toshi has one lung and chronic pain. I should have been better."
"No, you didn't injure All Might, you didn't tell those bullies to make my life hell." Izuku stated. "You did the right thing."
"Thanks, kid." Nana smiled, leaning against her grandson. "Isn't the whole support thing supposed to be the other way round?"
Izuku shrugged.
"Katte left, Eii went with him." Nana said eventually. "The rest took it pretty well, especially after Yaoyorozu revealed she was with us.
"They're going after Izure." The green-haired teen noted. "I hope they can get through to him. I couldn't."
"From what I've seen, if anyone can, it's Katte."
Izuku shrugged. "Yeah, probably."
"So, why didn't you say this world isn't real? That they're not real."
"This world is realer than you think." Izuku echoed.
"Realer isn't a word."
"That's what I said." Izuku sighed and leaned back. "The ghost in the machine, Rukk, she was the one who healed me, she's a world hopper."
"But this is a simulation." Nana refuted.
Izuku shook his head. "Not entirely, we're not ones and zeros in a computer, the quirk All For One's using is projecting the simulation into a solid state."
"Oh. Wow." Nana murmured. "I never thought of it like that, no wonder it all feels so real."
Izuku nodded.
A comfortable silence fell over grandmother and grandson, the two staring up at the night sky.
"What was Hisashi like?" Izuku asked. "As a fighter, or I guess, as a hero?"
"First of all, he would absolutely reject that particular label." Nana answered. "And really, he was a vigilante at best. It was more like 'don't ask, don't tell' back then, not explicitly criminalised."
"Oh, I didn't know that."
"Most wouldn't." Nana admitted. "The Commission liked to keep it hush-hush even back then. Actually, Torino started out as a vigilante before I trained him."
"Torino?" Izuku queried.
Nana gave him a strange look. "Tall, grey hair, propulsion quirk, behaved like a crotchety old man in his twenties?"
Izuku shook his head.
"Huh, weird." Nana mused. "I'd have thought Toshi would have introduced you to him by now, he can't still be afraid of him, can he?"
The idea of All Might being afraid of anyone, apart from maybe All For One, seemed ridiculous to Izuku. Least of all a no doubt retired pro hero in his seventies at the youngest.
"Anyway, where was I? Right, yeah, Hisashi, a lot of what he did was planning how to fight All For One." Nana spoke. "And giving me history lessons on One For All, I mean, he was there when it was created."
"But my father is a clone of All For One?" Izuku questioned. "Not the original, isn't he?"
"Hisashi is a perfect clone, he has all the mind and memory of the original." Nana recited, clearly quoting someone or something. "Up until a certain point in time your father is indistinguishable from the original."
Izuku nodded dully. "I guess never thought of it like that, he did all those things, he is All For One, just in a new body."
Nana shook her head. "He shares the original's history, but he is not All For One."
"How?"
"The quirk has always been known as All For One, but the man hasn't." Nana stated. "If the full story was known, some would probably want to call your father a hero for the things he did during the early days of quirks."
"A hero?"
"Your father and brother did not start out on opposite sides." Nana paused. "They fought side by side against the government, against their campaign of quirked genocide, for quirk freedom."
"Quirked Genocide?" Izuku queried. "We've never learnt anything about that in my history class."
"A history class with the curriculum set by the Department of Education?" Nana asked rhetorically. "They're not going to advertise the fact that the government once tried to wipe out quirks."
"What happened?" Izuku questioned. "How did my father, or I suppose the original, you know, turn evil?"
"He became an extremist, he leveled his blame for the government's murder of quirked on all quirkless as well." Nana sighed. "Hisashi became convinced the only way for the quirked to be free was if he ruled over the quirkless."
Izuku felt tears leaking down his face, unable to reconcile the image of his loving father with the monster Nana had described.
"Your father is a better man now, Izuku, he lost his way." Nana assured. "Those were dark times, even those who wielded One For All during those days were not the paragons modern heroes are held in comparison to."
"I thought I was free of this, that my father wasn't a villain, that he never was a villain." Izuku said, wiping away tears.
"Your father isn't a villain." Nana stated. "A villain doesn't fight for anyone but themselves and their own interests."
"How many?" Izuku asked, voice hollow. "How many did he kill?"
"A hundred and sixty-three." Nana answered. "I asked him that once, he told me their names, every single one of them. That's not a villain, a villain does not regret."
"It still doesn't mean he didn't do villainous things."
"Yes, you're right." Nana replied. "But he hasn't been the Merchant of Quirks in over a hundred years. It's why he worked with us, for atonement."
"A hundred years ago, when society began to rebuild?"
"Yes." Nana confirmed, smoothing back her hair. "That was when he, as a clone, betrayed the original and left him for dead halfway around the world."
"That's what All For One said happened, but he said it was the 2130s." Izuku noted.
"He was lying, trying to screw with you no doubt."
"Why did he suddenly decide to do good?" Izuku mused.
Nana shrugged. "Don't know, he'd never said what the catalyst was. But that was when All For One was born, as a true villain, in the embers of the third's days."
"That was when the original took the name All For One, wasn't it?" Izuku queried.
Nana nodded. "All For One laid low at first, never rocking the boat, seeping into every pore of the new hero society as it grew."
"The third user, did All For One not kill him?"
"As far as I'm aware, the first user died because of the strain on his already frail body, the second was killed in a three-way fight between him, Hisashi and government forces." Nana paused. "The third, after Hisashi betrayed All For One, passed the quirk on to one he considered worthy and left Japan, never to be seen again."
"The fourth, he was the first to fight 'All For One' then?" Izuku straightened up, his eyes no longer crying.
"Not at first, he spent twenty years in seclusion, training, strengthening One For All in case the Merchant of Quirks returned." Nana informed. "When All For One finally made his move, the fourth rose to fight him, but was no match, and thus the cycle of death began anew."
"When did Hisashi start helping One For All users?" Izuku questioned.
"Shortly after All For One killed the fifth." Nana finished, before standing and walking over to the edge of the roof.
Wind whistled through the trees.
"Can I ask? Why did you give my father the name Hisashi?"
"I guess he just reminded him of my dad." Nana admitted. "Hisashi Shimura was a hero as well, one of the first, he had a minor telekinesis quirk, died not long after I graduated from UA."
Nana lifted into the air.
"After I got One For All, your father's power and support was the first time I didn't feel like I was all alone. It was the first time since my dad died."
"Why didn't he have a name before you gave him one?"
"He didn't have one." Nana answered. "After he betrayed All For One, some kind of switch activated in him, wiped his memories. He saw the fifth using One For All in a news report years later, jogged enough of his memories that he decided to seek him out."
"You said the fifth was dead before Hisashi joined the cause."
"Your father got there just too late, All For One fatally wounded the fifth, but he was able to hold him off long enough for the fifth to pass the quirk to his apprentice, my master." Nana explained. "By the last time I saw Hisashi, he'd gotten almost all his memories back, never told me his real name, guess he felt like it didn't fit him anymore. That's as much as I know, Hisashi was always a private person."
Izuku nodded, lost in thought. "I see."
"Now, you'd better get to bed, we've got a castle to infiltrate tomorrow, and no doubt everyone is going to have twenty questions for you." Nana spoke. "Sleep well."
With that, Nana stepped off the roof and floated down to the ground, leaving Izuku alone under the starry sky.
Hugging his arms around his legs, Izuku sighed, he'd told them all about him being from another world, but he still felt like it wasn't enough.
How could he tell that when All For One was defeated they might all stop existing.
They would die. And it would be Izuku's fault.
Izuku didn't sleep that night.