Author's Note: This fic is more of a sequel, but I'm posting it as a continuation since you need to read the first part to understand. On Archive of Our Own I titled this "To Live on Hereafter," a reference to "Dumka" by Taras Shevchenko, a famous Ukrainian poem.
The new sign hanging over the inn said "One for All," and Yoichi felt extremely proud that he could read it. After living with his lover and his new friends for a little over a year, Yoichi could read simple sentences. He'd suggested naming their new inn One for All because he wanted to build a home where travelers from all over the world could feel welcome.
When Yoichi, Kaiji Kudou, and Sanzou Bruce had first moved into town, they'd gotten a job working for the kindly innkeeper Symon Shimura Vovk. Since Symon's wife Nana was a rusalka (also called a water nymph or mermaid) he'd recognized at once they were a bit…unusual. And he'd welcomed them with open arms and an open mind. (Even that time he caught Kaiji drowning a rat in the basement.) Symon ran a very successful business and had been long planning to open a second inn. When he'd started his new inn, he'd allowed his three helpers to primarily take charge of it.
One for All Inn was the first place that had ever truly felt like home for Yoichi. The villagers of his childhood had been cruel to him and his brother for being half-Japanese and albino. After he'd drowned and become a Nyavka, he'd never been able to embrace the transformation as whole-heartedly as his twin. In his lovely new inn with the polished chestnut tables and sweet-smelling barrels, he felt safe.
Yoichi hummed to himself as he made Kolach, a round traditional Ukrainian bread. On a tiny scrap of paper, he wrote I love you. That had been the second thing he'd asked Kaiji to teach him to write, after his own name. Then he tucked the paper into the dough before sticking it in the oven. He couldn't wait for Kaiji to find his surprise.
Kaiji Kudou had a set number of errands to run before heading home to his beloved. First, he stopped by the blacksmith's.
Heat struck him as he pushed open the door. The blacksmith called, "I've got your order of nails ready, Kay."
"Thank you, Daigoro," Kaiji replied.
The blacksmith's real name was Dragoljub. When they'd first met, and Kaiji had introduced himself, the blacksmith had immediately started calling him Kay. Kaiji had taken this as an insult, since it wouldn't be the first time someone in Ukraine had looked down on him for his Japanese heritage. So as revenge, Kaiji had started calling the blacksmith a Japanese name: Daigoro.
To his surprise, Daigoro had loved the nickname and felt flattered at getting his own Japanese name. After getting to know the muscular bald blacksmith better, Kaiji had realized that Daigoro had gone hard of hearing from working all day in his noisy forge and had genuinely misheard his name the first time. Furthermore, Daigoro was a gentle giant of a man who had never offended anyone deliberately in his life. Kaiji felt relieved Daigoro had never realized the nickname had been poorly intended at first. Now their names for each other were a sign of friendship.
When Kaiji reached into his pocket to pay the blacksmith, he found a piece of paper inside. In Yoichi's messy handwriting, the note read I love you. Kaiji beamed sappily. Ever since Yoichi had learned to write those three words, he'd been leaving them everywhere.
Kaiji left carrying the nails in his pack. He stopped by the marketplace on his way back, hoping to run into En Vovk, Symon's younger brother. Sure enough, En sat in a chair, doing magic tricks for the children.
Waving, Kaiji called, "En! Do you have anything from Japan hidden in your coat?"
En, a peddler, wore a dark blue coat with at least two dozen pockets. It was a very strange coat that sometimes turned red and sprouted extra pockets. With a flourish, En held out his hand, and a yen coin appeared as if by magic. "I might have come upon this in my travels."
"Thank you! Yoichi will love it." Kaiji smiled as he paid for the token. Yoichi always adored hearing any tidbits about the distant country of Japan where his father had been born. He would be delighted to have even this tarnished coin.
En inclined his head. The payment vanished into his coat. His left hand sprouted a red rose, to the delighted gasps of the children. It was too early in spring for roses to bloom, but En could materialize flowers in all seasons.
"I'll take the rose too," Kaiji said. "I need to make it up to Yoichi."
En arched an eyebrow. "Did you two quarrel?" Then he glanced at the children, as if wondering how much he should say. In this village, love between two men was tolerated but they had to maintain a veneer of plausible deniability or there would be trouble.
Kaiji rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't an argument. I suggested to Yoichi that we pick a random day to celebrate his birthday, since he doesn't know what day he was born. He started crying, because birthdays reminded him of his twin brother, who he'll never see again. Now in my mind it's no loss to avoid that bast—" Kaiji glanced at the children listening attentively. "Bad man. But Yoichi still loves his brother, in spite of everything that happened between them." Naturally, Kaiji had no sympathy for All for One. But he cared deeply for his lover's pain. Since Kaiji had lost his own parents young, he knew that type of grief. "I just want to cheer Yoichi up."
"Ah." En twirled his hands, and an entire bouquet of roses appeared. He proffered them with a bow. "I hope these may assist you in a small way."
Kaiji eagerly paid for the bouquet. Yoichi deserved nothing but the best, after all. With a spring in his step, he headed home.
Sanzou Bruce trudged through the forest, a little annoyed that he'd drawn the short straw in chores.
A hermit lived in these woods, a wise man said to fear none of spirits lurking within the dark branches. Some people said the man had an uncanny ability to sense danger and hide away from any hostile spirits. Others said that he might be a spirit haunting the woods himself. The mysterious man with white hair, green eyes, and two lines like a crack down his face never had given his name. However, he went by the initials H.S. He was the inn's most valuable customer. In exchange for biweekly deliveries of food and fresh water, he paid them in solid gold bricks. This treasure sustained the inn even when they didn't have customers.
However, it was an enormous pain in the ass to find H.S. in the forest. The man wore green! He blended straight in with the trees and moved around constantly so he never slept in the same spot. Sanzou had repeatedly suggested a regular meeting place, but the hermit had a dim concept of locations and time. For better or for worse, he paid enough for it to be worth chasing him around the forest twice a week.
At the top of his lungs, Sanzou shouted, "Food's here! Come out! If you make me wait too long, I'll eat all the sochniki." The stuffed pastries were H.S.'s favorite.
The hermit seemed to emerge straight from a tree trunk, his ragged clothing blending in with the leaves. Reproachfully, he said, "My sochniki!" and held out his arms.
Sanzou handed over the bag. "Here you go. My payment—" He looked down to see a gold brick had appeared at his feet. "How do you keep doing that? Oh, and you're overpaying again."
The hermit shrugged. "I have no use for gold. It's a worldly distraction. Keep it away from me."
"Uh, thank you then."
"A warning." The hermit narrowed his eyes. "Something new and dark has been lurking in the forest of late."
"Are you in danger?" Sanzou asked. "If you ever need to take shelter, you can come stay at our inn. We always have a room open for our best-paying customer."
"Not me. You three." H.S. sounded impatient. "He'll never find me. But it's not me he's after." With those cryptic words, he blended into the forest again.
"Hey! Can I have a few more details on the danger?" Sanzou shouted. But no matter how he hunted, he could not find the hermit again.
"Beloved!" Kaiji cried, sweeping Yoichi up into a kiss.
"I've missed you so much." Yoichi returned the embrace passionately. They kept trading kisses between murmurs of affirmation.
Sanzou rolled his eyes. "We were gone less than a day." He plunked the gold down on the table, then started picking twigs out of his hair. "H.S. said something about darkness in the forest, but I have no idea what the cryptic weirdo meant. Next time someone else gets to chase the crazy hermit around the forest. I don't care who loses the coin toss—Yoichi cheats."
"Yoichi does not cheat," Kaiji said indignantly. (Yoichi looked away and whistled.) "Besides, he should be exempt because he has forest trauma."
"He does not, he just keeps forgetting he needs to wear shoes now or he'll hurt his feet," Sanzou said.
Turning to Yoichi, Kaiji said, "I got you a gift." He held out the roses with one hand, the coin with the other. "En brought this coin all the way back from Japan."
Yoichi gasped. "It's lovely." He took the coin and held it up to the light. "I wonder what the words mean. Perhaps I can learn to write in Japanese next." He breathed deeply into the bouquet of flowers. "How beautiful. Thank you, love." Yoichi took out a single rose and tucked it into his flower crown. When at home and among friends, Yoichi liked to wear flower crowns, even though he'd become human. They were still pretty. He didn't wear them so much outside because people might think it strange. Although the locals at least were used to a bit of strangeness, with so many unusual people living here, the travelers might get scared off from their inn if they believed it to be run by a spirit.
The two kissed passionately again. Sanzou groaned and averted his eyes. "Must you two act so lovey-dovey in front of me every single day? It's as if you're trying to make me feel like a third wheel."
"Darling, I have a gift for you, too." Yoichi ran to the oven, where his bread had just finished baking. "Fresh out of the oven."
Eyes closed, Kaiji took a bite of Kolach. "Mmmm, amazing." When he bit into the paper, he took it out. "Oh! I love you too."
"You can't see the words," Yoichi said, disappointed and feeling like he should have known the note wouldn't survive.
"I still knew what you wrote. We speak the language of love." Kaiji took Yoichi into his arms and kissed him again. It tasted like sweetbread. "I always know you love me."
Sanzou rolled his eyes, sighed audibly, and left the room.
Yoichi leaned into his lover's shoulder, smiling. Life felt amazing. Finally, Yoichi could see the world outside the forest and river. He could interact with people. He could eat good food and listen to stories. He had a lover and friends. As a small child, his life had been an unending slog of cold, hunger, and misery. His existence as a Nyavka had been static, removed from the world, and lonely. Now he finally had a chance to experience everything he'd never been able to do as a child, with the people he loved at his side. Yoichi had never been so happy before.
Outside the window, a pair of red eyes gleamed in the forest.
Yoichi startled, leaping backward.
"Is something wrong?" Kaiji asked.
Yoichi straightened his hair. "I don't know, I thought I saw something in the forest." He ran over to the window and looked out. There were only the trees swaying in the breeze. "I must have imagined it."
Kaiji walked over and stroked his hair. "Perhaps you're nervous after the hermit's warning. I think you should stay out of the forest for a while. Even if you lose the coin toss, I'll take over your chores instead."
"My hero," Yoichi murmured, leaning back into Kaiji's arms.
For a brief, mad moment, Yoichi had believed he'd seen his brother's eyes in the forest. But that was impossible. Nyavka were bound to the place where they'd drowned and the surrounding forest. The trio had moved several towns over, too far for All for One to be able to follow.
Yoichi did miss his brother: he missed the brave child who had protected him when they'd been human and the spirit who had made flower crowns with him and combed his hair. But Yoichi also remembered how his brother had tricked him in order to rouse his worst urges and provoke him to drown Kaiji. He remembered being locked up in the cave. A part of Yoichi wanted to see his brother again, but his saner part knew Kaiji would be in danger.
Gazing up at his lover, Yoichi steeled his resolve. He would let nothing threaten the man he loved, ever again.
From the moment he arrived in the forest, Gigantomachia could tell his beloved lord was in a bad temper. The very air felt colder. The birds and insects had fled for warmer environs. The trees rattled, shedding their young new leaves out of season. Gigantomachia moved slowly, searching, careful not to make any sudden moves. Briefly, he glimpsed a flash of white hair in the bushes, but when he turned, he found nothing.
"It didn't work." The hissing voice came from above. Gigantomachia looked up. All for One crouched on a tree branch, glaring down as if he blamed Gigantomachia for this failure. "I saw Yoichi! I saw him! My brother! I'm certain if I could just drag him back here, then I could turn him into a spirit again. But I couldn't leave the forest. Then that fool who calls himself All Might passed near, and I had to leave. What bad luck, that these woods have a Chuhaister as a protector. I do not fear a human-loving fool, but I can't risk him tipping off my brother to my presence. If Yoichi flees again, I won't be able to follow. All because I'm stuck here!" His teeth bared. A howling wind ripped up around him. In such moods, the lord could be dangerous.
Gigantomachia knelt and held out a robe. "For you, All for One."
All for One hopped down. He took the black robe, admiring the blood red roses embroidered on the sleeves. Slipping it on, he tested the length, swirling around. "Humph. Acceptable." The fiercest of the wind died down. Despite being a Nyavka who traditionally dressed in white grave clothes, his favorite colors were black and red. The gift had been well-received: acceptable was high praise coming from All for One. Even so, Gigantomachia had a strong feeling that today he would not get any kisses. It was a disappointment, but he would take whatever the lord would give. Gigantomachia never made the first move or tried to touch All for One without explicit permission. He'd probably lose a hand.
During times when they'd lain close, Gigantomachia had often longed for more than a kiss, but only once had he received such a great boon. Afterward All for One had tried to leave the forest, but still he'd been unable to cross the wormwood boundary. Instead they'd had to wait for the next year's Pentecost, when spirits became temporarily human, just to move All for One over to the different forest near where his brother lived. And he still could not leave the bounds of the trees.
All for One craved the return of his brother more than any finery. More than life itself. And Gigantomachia wanted to give All for One what he wanted. If it was merely a matter of grabbing Yoichi and dragging him back, then Gigantomachia would have already done it. All for One didn't like any mere mortal laying hands on his brother, though. According to All for One, he needed to be the one to touch Yoichi to turn him into a spirit again. All for One believed his own love would be stronger than the thief and allow him to take his brother back. Gigantomachia did not know if this was Nyavka lore or optimism, but he did not question his lord.
Often Gigantomachia wondered if it was his fault that his lord could not achieve his greatest desire. Love had transformed Yoichi from a spirit into a human and allowed him to leave the forest. If Gigantomachia had been unable to do the same, did that mean he did not love his lord enough? Yet he'd devoted all his heart and soul. It seemed far more likely that his lord did not love him. But Gigantomachia was also to blame there, for not being worthy. Yet who could possibly be worthy of All for One?
Knowing his own inadequacy, Gigantomachia had come up with a plan. He wet his lips. "Great one, a peddler lives in this village. People say he is also a great wizard. He might be able to help you."
All for One's head shot up. "Humph, I have my doubts that any mere human could help me."
But there was a light of eagerness and perhaps even desperation in the Nyavka's eyes. Gigantomachia had a knack for telling when his lord wanted to be persuaded. "Please, allow me to try. I will apologize a thousand times if this doesn't work."
"If you insist," All for One said coldly, crossing his arms.
Gigantomachia had already visited the peddler to confirm the man could fulfil the task. After all, he couldn't risk disappointing his lord. En waited at the edge of the forest, his hands in his oversized pockets. Gigantomachia escorted the guest to the lord.
Sitting on a low tree branch, bare feet dangling, All for One snorted. "He's very short. He looks so weak I could cut him in half. Are you certain he's useful?"
En looked up cooly. "I'm told that you desire to leave the woods. Do you understand that means becoming human?"
"Yes, temporarily." All for One's nose still wrinkled in distaste at the notion.
"I would not alter you permanently without permission," En said. "I can turn you into a human until you decide your true heart's desire. Ultimately, the choice of what you become will be yours."
"I already know what I want," All for One said impatiently. "I want my brother. And I need to leave the forest to find him. Get on with it. Gigantomachia will pay you."
"No payment is necessary," En said. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my friends. I'm an honest peddler—I don't take payment when I already know the customer won't like the result."
That sounded ominous. Gigantomachia felt nervous. "Lord, maybe—"
"I like gifts for free." All for One flashed a toothy grin. "Do it."
En put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The strange, deep tune sounded like it came from the depths of the earth. All for One stiffened, then fell from the tree branch with a gasp.
Gigantomachia rushed forward to catch his lord. Usually the lord always felt cold, but this time the skin touching his hands seemed warm. Quickly, Gigantomachia set the lord down, afraid of offending with his presumption. Under his astonished eyes, the skin on All for One's back knitted together to cover his previously exposed spine. Red eyes widened, then tears fell from them. Teeth chattering, All for One whispered, "I feel…cold…" His wide eyes held something Gigantomachia had never seen before—fear.
"What have you done to my lord, sorcerer?" Gigantomachia screamed, whirling around. He punched En. But before his fist could touch, En melted away into black mist.
All for One had collapsed into a shivering heap on the ground, his eyes rolled backward. Gigantomachia picked up his now-human lord, planning to bring him home, where there would be fire and blankets and hot soup.
At the boundary of the forest, Gigantomachia hesitated. But he was able to cross over with no trouble. He carried his beloved lord home and tucked him into his own bed, under a pile of six wool blankets.
All for One hated feeling cold.
It kept bringing back painful memories of his childhood. Back then, he'd worn rags soaked through with snow, huddled close to his little brother for meager warmth. He'd only been able to gaze longingly at houses with fires roaring inside, not welcome in. It had been years since these memories had come to the forefront of his mind so vividly and powerfully. He hated feeling like this. It gave him the urge to rend and destroy and drown—except he had no power now. He'd become nothing, just another worthless human.
Feeling miserable, All for One rubbed his hands together for warmth. His teeth chattered. He'd curled up under a pile of blankets on the bed, but he still could not entirely erase the feeling of cold.
How had he gotten into this mess? Because of his stupid little brother, of course. Even now, no matter how much Yoichi deserved it, All for One couldn't abandon his twin.
He'd asked for this transformation. He had no one to blame except himself. Though he'd decided to blame En anyway. When he got his magic back, he would drown that horrible peddler.
Gigantomachia entered holding a hot drink. He knelt down and offered it reverently. "For you, lord."
All for One snatched the drink and took a sip. Ouch! It burned his tongue. He did not make a sound of pain, because he was too embarrassed. He'd told Gigantomachia to make it hotter after the last drink didn't warm him up enough.
At least Gigantomachia still treated him with respect. However, All for One had nothing to give in exchange for the offerings. He was powerless now. He worried what might happen when Gigantomachia realized. What if he got tossed outside to shiver on the streets, just like in his childhood? He did not believe for one second that someone who was not family would stick by his side if he had nothing to offer in return. In fact, even Yoichi had discarded him as soon as a seemingly better option had come along.
More slowly, All for One drank the varenukha. It was too sour in his opinion. By the time he'd finished, he'd started to feel overheated. Human bodies were maddening! He threw all but one of the blankets to the floor.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, lord." Gigantomachia took the empty cup. "Are you going after your brother now?"
"No." All for One shuddered at the notion of his little brother seeing him so weak. Even when they'd both been human, All for One had always been the stronger one. Before, the plan had seemed simple: find Yoichi and bring him back to the forest. All for One had believed his brother would return to his rightful self if he shared his power, but if it didn't work then he would look after the fool in his weak human body anyway. A frail human could not be allowed to wander alone. His cave would be a safe place.
But in All for One's current state, he had no Nyavka power to push into Yoichi. There would be no way to restore his little brother's nature. He also lacked the strength to compel his foolish twin to leave this place. "The wizard said the transformation would be temporary. When I feel my power returning, I can grab Yoichi then."
"A good plan," Gigantomachia said with every appearance of earnestness. "May I brush your hair?"
All for One hesitated. His hair was messy, but he felt uneasy having the stronger, larger man touch him now he was so weak. Before All for One had always known he could easily win any fight with a mere human. Now? Now he wondered how long the worship would last when his worshipper had seen his pitiful side.
As the silence drew out, Gigantomachia bowed his head. "I've overstepped, please pardon me. Here, a comb so you can do it yourself."
All for One accepted the lovely comb with a small row of rubies on the handle. It was perfectly to his tastes, as Gigantomachia knew. He ran the comb through his curls and—"Ow!" The comb had gotten stuck on a knot. It had been so long since All for One had felt pain, he did not know how to handle it. Even stranger, the comb had actually yanked out threads of his beautiful hair!
More memories came rushing back, of the pain of his childhood. A stomach pinched with hunger. Rocks thrown at him, and blood dripping down his forehead. Blows raining down on his body from the baker after he stole a loaf of bread. A kaleidoscope of the past, each memory more horrific than the last. So many things he'd forgotten or suppressed. He clutched his arms, his nails digging into his flesh. Ouch, he'd hurt himself. Tears prickled his eyes. He couldn't cry in front of his only follower, or his image would be completely destroyed.
"Please allow me to help you," Gigantomachia said. When All for One turned his back to hide the tears in his eyes, Gigantomachia took that as permission. Taking the comb, Gigantomachia gently worked through his hair, holding each lock so it didn't tug. For such a giant man, he had amazingly delicate fingers. All for One already started to feel better.
"There," Gigantomachia murmured, setting down the comb. "You look beautiful." He held up a hand mirror.
All for One's reflection looked less pale than usual, with rosy cheeks and a slightly red nose. He did not feel beautiful. His face had too many flaws, from the pores in his skin to his slightly bloodshot eyes. No longer did he possess a perfect, unnatural beauty. He looked human.
His stomach growled. Alarmed, All for One touched his belly. "Am I injured?"
"You're hungry," Gigantomachia said. "Forgive me, lord, I'll prepare food at once."
All for One's cheeks warmed from embarrassment—another unfamiliar feeling. Yes, he remembered hunger. He did not like it one bit.
"This is maddening," All for One hissed. "I'd better be restored to my proper form soon."
"I'll look for the wizard. We'll find a way to speed up the process."
Finally being able to leave the forest had not been worth this, especially because he couldn't even see Yoichi. All for One could not possibly understand why Yoichi would want to live a life of pain and hunger. Why hadn't his silly little brother come home by now? What could the fool possibly enjoy about living like this? "Do you think the humans might be imprisoning Yoichi? Is that why he hasn't returned?"
Gigantomachia hesitated, the look on his face suggesting he was struggling to find words. "Lord, I have observed them together, and I…do not think that likely."
Since Gigantomachia never contradicted All for One, that was a strong no. All for One sank against his pillow, feeling foolish and hating the feeling.
After entirely too long, Gigantomachia returned with a bowl of soup. It looked simple. He even apologized for not having better fare able to be prepared quickly. All for One had been ready to complain, but as soon as the broth hit his tongue, he sighed with contentment. Even a basic soup tasted amazing. He'd forgotten how hunger was the best spice.
In seconds, All for One had drained the bowl. His dignity barely kept him from licking up the last drops. Gigantomachia smiled and said, "I'll bring more."
All for One hoped that wherever Yoichi might be, those stupid humans were feeding him. It worried him. As a human child, his poor little brother had gotten sick so easily when not being fed.
Cheerfully, Yoichi said, "Nana Shimura Vovk, you must be the best cook in all of Ukraine."
"You haven't even tried it yet." Nana laughed as she set down a plate of garlic fritters. She had the ability to turn her tail into legs when she walked on land, but her inhuman nature was still obvious from the glow in her eyes to the bone comb in her hair.
"I can smell the wonderful food." Yoichi inhaled deeply. Steam drifted off the Chicken Kiev. The potato pancakes looked perfectly crispy. The stuffed cabbage rolls alternated with sausage. The babka cake with glaze drizzled on top had a citrus scent. Yoichi's mouth watered. He'd have reached straight for the dessert, if he didn't know Nana would smack his hand with a spoon.
Symon Shimura Vovk leaned back in his chair. "I owe my first inn's success to my beautiful wife's cooking." He winked. "And a little touch of her magical blessing."
"I've been blessing the One for All Inn too," Yoichi said. Some of his power as a Nyavka still lingered, and some strangely had gone into Kaiji. The two of them were still experimenting with how the power moved between them. "I'm not sure if it worked. We don't currently have any guests."
Symon flipped his hand. "It's the wrong time of year. Wait for the next major holiday before you start fretting."
Kaiji said, "You've given us a lot of help. We won't let you down."
Next to him, Sanzou nodded. "It feels good to finally have a place to call home."
Nana said, "Dinner is ready to be served. Symon, where is that brother of yours?"
"Here," En said, materializing in the last empty chair. No one was particularly surprised. En did that.
Nana smiled. "I knew you wouldn't let your favorite cabbage rolls get cold. I made them especially for you."
The group dug into the feast with grateful moans and compliments to the chef. When all the cabbage rolls were gone, En finally unstuffed his mouth long enough to say, "I got you a gift, Yoichi."
"A gift?" Yoichi held out his hand, expecting En to slip something out of his sleeve as usual.
"Or it might end up being a curse. But I thought you two deserved a chance." En shrugged. "The outcome will ultimately be up to your brother."
"All for One?" Kaiji asked with alarm. "What does the Nyavka have to do with this?"
"The human," En corrected. "He's human now." Everyone stared at him. En said, "I couldn't have done it if he hadn't asked for it," as if that had been their question.
Yoichi leapt to his feet. "Where is big brother?"
En said, "In a cabin just outside town, with his lover Gigantomachia."
Sanzou gasped. "The two of them have gotten so close to us? And we never noticed?"
Kaiji grabbed Yoichi's sleeve. "Maybe you shouldn't rush over there. Have you forgotten your brother imprisoning you?"
"He's still my brother," Yoichi said insistently. "You don't understand. He always looked after me when we were children. Now that he's human, he'll need help. His old emotions should come back. I'm sure everything will be different."
Kaiji wheedled, "You haven't even eaten any babka cake yet. It's still nice and hot."
Yoichi paused, weighed his brother against cake, and then grabbed a slice to go as he dashed out the door. As he ran, a singly lily of the valley sprouted under his feet, the largest flower he'd grown since his transformation.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: A Nod to Canon
En: I'm here to help Yoichi redeem his brother.
All for One: You look so weak, I could cut you in half.
En: I feel inexplicably yet deeply annoyed. Turns out I'm also here to torment you.
#
Omake: The Hermit and the Extrovert
Hikage: Ah, finally an AU where I get to live in the forest all day in blissful peace. No quests to destroy ancient villains. Just me and my favorite birds.
Daigoro: Nice to meet you! What a beautiful day to make new friends!
Hikage: Ack, you're in this AU too. Go away, I still hate people.
Daigoro: Except me, because I'm awesome. I can't let you rot away alone.
Hikage: Yes, you can.
Daigoro: Come to the next town festival.
Hikage: No.
Daigoro: If you don't, then I'll hold the festival here in the forest.
Hikage: Be honest. Are you subconsciously angry at me because in canon, I gave you a quirk that got you killed?
Daigoro: Of course not. I just like you.
Hikage: Help, that's even worse.
#
Omake: Third the Third Wheel
Yoichi: I love you more.
Second: No, I love you more.
Third: I'm glad you two are happy, but can you stop rubbing it in my face? The lovefest never ceases around here.
Second: You could leave and give us some time alone.
Third: I live here. Besides, teasing you is fun.
Second: We'll see about that. Darling, come sit in my lap.
Yoichi: All the better to kiss you.
Third: Now you're chasing me off on-purpose!
#
Omake: Canon Averted
All for One: Foolish little brother! Now that you've provoked me into becoming human, aren't you worried that I'll take over the world?
Yoichi: No. Without your powers, you're completely pathetic.
Gigantomachia: Even I must reluctantly agree, but fortunately I'm into that.
Author's Note: The past One for All holders are all here in the sequel! I struggled to justify having so many Japanese characters in a story set in Ukraine, so I made excuses for their names. I hope it was fairly obvious that H.S. is Hikage Shinomori.
Thank you to palebonedry for lending me this AU, brainstorming, and beta reading. Palebonedry is also back with more fun art of all the past One for All holders. Delete the spaces to get the link to the art:
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