My first story on this site, though not my first story in general. Still, it has been nearly five years since I published my last work (which I shall not think of, for my own peace of mind), and I have no idea what people will think of my writing now.

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Chapter 1: To live again

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'Damn brats always messing with their phones!'

I never felt my age as much as I did when that thought crossed my mind, watching this young woman act like an idiot. I rushed forward, dropping the shopping bag and sprinting as she crossed the road, not having registered the danger, too busy typing on her phone.

It was stupid. Just a little bit of misfortune that had the only car on the road turn the corner at the speed that it did. Too fast to slow down; too dedicated to the turn to swerve and avoid the collision.

I leaped and I pushed, my far larger body weight slamming into the girl the same age as my eldest daughter and pushing her backwards. The phone was knocked from her hands as she tripped backwards over the curb, but she was of the road and out of the car's path.

I, on the other hand, was not. I got launched to the side, rolling along the empty road as pain bloomed along my right side. Every impact with the road seemed to worsen it, but I eventually hit something that stopped me, preventing more rolls.

It was hard to breathe at that point. Each intake of air was shallow, and even that renewed the pain in my chest. I didn't move, only idly aware of the voices and screams coming from outside my body. My vision swam, so I closed my eyes, not caring to make myself more dizzy than I already felt.

In the self-imposed darkness, I recalled the concept of your life flashing before your eyes, and I experienced it for the first time.

[-]

"I am meant to be making dinner for my daughters," I declared, looking over towards the woman sitting in front of me. Or, I thought she was a woman. What features I could make out seemed to shift, looking like different people that I recognised, though most of them were female.

"You intended to return to your home and cook dinner for your daughters," she corrected, looking understanding and pitying at the same time. "You were meant to die before that, saving the life of Astoria Whistral from a car accident on the way home from the shop, which you did."

I blinked at that, repeatedly, as I remembered the pain. I brushed it aside and focused on the here and now, wherever and whenever they may be. "Fate?" I asked. The woman's words seemed to indicate that the car accident was just the end of my thread, so to speak.

That made the woman huff. "Nothing so cut and dry," she denied. "Rather, what happened is what was meant to happen. You put together what was going on and acted before you really thought about the consequences, choosing to do your best to save Ms. Whistral, which you did. No other person, spirit, deity, or anything else made that decision for you, and so that is what was meant to happen, because that is what you chose to happen when faced with your situation."

So, no fate. No destiny. I couldn't tell if I was relieved or not, hearing that. I think there's something about this place muting emotions, because I'd normally be a bit more emotional when talking about my own death... I think. I can't say I've ever had to think of my death in the past tense before.

"Okay. What next then?"

"Well, that depends." Now the description-less (as in, 'I literally couldn't describe this if I tried') area gained a laptop. "Choosing to die in the way that you did, saving another's life, granted you something of a 'Hero' status after that death. You could choose to pass on to rest, waiting for the people that you are close with to join you, but your new status gives you a second option." The laptop opened, turning so I could face the screen. "Reincarnation from one world to another requires a prompt of some kind to act as a bridge. If you select such a prompt, you'll be given a second life to live before entering the afterlife."

On the screen was a list of names, places, people, and more. I noticed something a little odd about them.

"These are all my daughter's," I realised, a little confused as I looked down the list.

My eldest daughter was eighteen. I realised rather quickly that what she liked, both as a girl and a child of today (as opposed to me, a guy who was a child of nearly forty years ago), was very different to what I liked. For that reason, I always made sure to investigate what she liked for Father-Daughter bonding activities.

And it was fun, watching her run up to me with some new topic for us to enjoy (and I often did genuinely enjoy them). One of those topics was Harry Potter when she was nine, which turned into magic and fantasy, which lead her towards anime over the years, and so on. Eventually she wanted to write her own stories, but she didn't have the confidence to make a whole new world, including the plot, characters, and locations, so I investigated and pointed her towards fanfiction.

She got really into writing, and I loved being the first one to read her works before she published them. I'd point out spelling errors, poke at plot holes, and act as a sounding board when she metaphorically ran into a wall with some of her ideas. I recognised the points on the list as some of the writing prompts and challenges she did, or writing ideas that she came up with.

The woman nodded. "People are very small after death, figuratively speaking. All you have left are memories and connections, creating an afterlife where those connections can be happy together. Your daughter is one of your strongest connections, and unknowingly provided plenty of prompts for you to choose from."

I nodded, looking back over the list. I was kind of interested, having seen what my little gemstone has written out of these prompts. I saw some prompts that she came up with but hadn't written about, or hadn't shown me yet, which made me curious about how the story would play out.

Before I chose anything though, I did have one question.

"Connections don't fade with time," she answered. "They can weaken and be broken, should relationships worsen or turn to animosity, but you don't have to worry about losing your last afterlife for this new one."

And with that, I chose.

[-]

Being a child again was strange. I (as in, the me that I was previously) was barely conscious for a lot of my second go at early years, just going through motions as a normal baby as my parents looked after me.

Eventually though, I 'woke up' fully at around five years old, one day in the middle of pre school. One of the children there was the first to have his quirk show up, and therefore was the best of everyone, according to kid logic. The quirk itself was rather cool, being able to teleport any non-living thing he touched a few centimetres, but when his showed up first, the other kids flocked to him and made him top dog of the class.

If you had something he wanted, he'd teleport it out of your grip before taking it himself. If you complained to the teachers, they'd listen to the many other kids that said otherwise. He was a jerk, basically, though in my experience, kids all tend to be a little jerkish at times.

Today wasn't different at first, but by the end of the day, the other kids avoided me like the plague. I woke up, got dropped off at pre school, was going about my day, keeping to myself during break, right up until Mr. Top Dog came over and slapped one of the toys out of my hand, teleporting it into his. He had this annoying smirk on his face while he did it and watched me like he was waiting for something. Then he got annoyed when I didn't react, too busy processing 'waking up' at the time.

He grabbed my chair and teleported it backwards a few times, making me fall to the ground. I actually hit my head on the way down, making me a little mad. Plus, I was processing feeling like a kid while having the memories of an adult, as well as finally processing the fact that I had died without the emotional muting that was between lives, none of which was helping my mood. I got up, got angry, and then got even.

The toy that he took vanished and got dropped on his head. Then another one appeared in the same place, dropping on his head. Then another, and another, and then I was chasing him around with a toy in each hand as he ran screaming that I'd stolen his quirk.

I hadn't, of course. That power was in the hands of All for One and a few other people that my past life's daughter told me about. Instead, I'd copied his quirk with my own, for I am Monoma Neito.

[-]

My parents didn't bother with a quirk doctor. It was clear that I had one, and I could describe exactly what it was to them without issue. My father was excited that he could share his quirk with his son, and he held me back from school for a few days to experiment with it.

His quirk was called Absorption, and it basically made him Kevin Levin from Ben 10. When touching an object, his body could become that material, turning him into a man of steel or rubber. Mum shouted at him when he made a mess of the living room, bouncing around after copying a bouncy ball. I did the same and got my favourite meal for dinner. Dad grumbled about double standards.

My second family was fun, and I enjoyed those days after 'waking up' where we just messed around and hung out together, but that couldn't last forever. I back in school by the next week, and by then, all the students had heard about me 'stealing' Mr. Top Dog's quirk.

Oh, yes, completely ignore the fact that he still has his quirk, people! Beware Monoma, the thief of your super power!

I was avoided like the plague by all of the kids, something that wouldn't change for a long time. I was the outcast in school, not making friends with anyone as they all feared losing their quirks. Then elementary school came. When the new teacher called people up for introductions, I included my quirk to see if that would change any minds. It didn't, because while I was no longer the 'Quirk Thief', I was still the guy who copied a boy's quirk and beat him up with it. Anyone who wasn't in my pre school was quickly informed of that by those who were.

So... no friends for me. That left me with a lot of time during breaks and lunch where I could do what I wanted. After all, it's not like I needed to study, even things like history were easy, thanks to my little gemstone's prompt.

You see, it wasn't just a Monoma insert prompt, but something called Waifu Catalogue. While the person who managed my soul didn't keep everything, they kept most of it, including most of the talents and other perks. Grail Knowledge was something that was kept the same, giving me all the knowledge needed to pass in general schooling, up to and including high school, meaning I could burn through homework and classwork easily. Even on top of that, I had the memories of an adult who'd gone through further education. I could be a studious student if I wished.

But common knowledge isn't the only think I got. I soon figured out the Athletic and Martial talents were going to be really useful to me. They allowed me to rapidly learn and improved any quirkless athletic or combat skills I trained in, which, for a quirk that did nothing by itself, was very useful.

The woman said that I also had Body Tune-Up, but it would be tweaked so that I would grow better instead. I will grow in perfect fitness, immune to minor illnesses. Psychic talent was also modified, working directly with my quirk to make training it better. Also, studying how other people use their quirks will increase the proficiency I have with them, should I copy those quirks. I won't be able to develop my own powers based on them, but that was fine by me. I could still copy them.

Other talents included Covert, Communication, and Administration. Interestingly, the former assists me in a lot of criminal skills, but I focused on the stealth, espionage, and counterintelligence. Administration could be useful, helping me learn how to manage just about anything, and Communication talent helps me learn any language, and how to use language to my benefit.

There were a few other things my daughter selected for the WC build. Mind defence would help me resist things like that boy's quirk - the brainwashing one my daughter liked a little too much for my own peace of mind. She also selected Time Savers, which is basically a self cleaning perk which also removes the need to go to the bathroom, as well as reducing the need to sleep and increasing the ability to go to sleep faster.

She also bought Universal Calibration, which would normally shift things around to help you 'capture' targets for the sake of the writing prompt. I'm not sure yet what it did for me, but I do know that my benefactor removed the capturing parts and limited the Lures perks somewhat. All that means for me, someone with Empty Hand and Faerie Feast, is that I can now cook at a world class level with pretty much any ingredients. I love cooking, so go me!

[-]

I shook my head with a snort, musing that the first day of junior high was far better than my previous years of schooling put together. My parents had gotten report from my previous school, informing them that I had not made any friends over the years, only being acquaintances with a few classmates, at best.

That was part of the reason that we ended up moving house. They were fed up with kids being kids, something that bothered them more than it bothered me, and I was accepted into a school far from those who knew about me and my quirk.

Interestingly enough, I recognised one of my new classmates. I can't say that I remembered a lot about what my past life knew of this world, but I could recognise the characters, at least, especially since the bird head made it easy. I even remembered this one's quirk, which was essentially a stand from Jojo. Tokoyami Fumikage was his name, and during his introduction, he stated that he wished to be a hero. Granted, most of them said that, but he was the only one I recognised.

"Something you find amusing, Monoma?" Tokoyami asked as we walked together.

"Eh, a little," I shrugged. "People have been avoiding me for my quirk since I got it, and now, on the first day I meet you, you do this..." I lifted the black feather he granted me, observing the source of my current copied quirk. "It's a hell of a whiplash."

"Yes, I suppose the ignorant and spiteful can be wilfully blind to the possibilities of those more capable than themselves," the boy with a bird head stated, which I think meant 'kids can be mean when they're jealous'. I wasn't sure how well that fit my situation, but oh well. "I myself had to deal with my share when Dark Shadow emerged from my soul."

"Really?" I looked back, where two Dark Shadows, one with a bird head and one with a human head, were conversing. "What caused that?"

"Those unused to the dark often mistake such for the evil that lurks within," he explained. "Such is part of why I wish to stand as one that protects the good of the world. I will make sure that people need not fear the dark, nor that something may lunge at them from the shadows." I hummed in response, a little amused that Communication talent was trying to help me translate the words of my new friend. "What about you?" I looked at him. "You stated your wish to be a hero, despite the scorn you have garnered from your prior peers."

I nodded. "I did." My mind jumped back, years before now, back before I even arrived in this world. That one moment when I saw the trouble and literally dropped everything in an attempt to help. Despite the time between then and now, I still remember it clearly, and I remember the observation I made back then.

'The same age as my eldest daughter.'

While of course a hero would save anyone, the fact that it could have been my daughter in trouble had me moving before I recognised the danger to myself. A different world this may be, but people are still in danger here, from things far more malicious than reckless driving.

"I want to help," I said aloud, not realising that I did until Tokoyami glanced over at me. "People getting hurt... well, it was bad enough back before quirks. Assault, robbery, murder, or even just accidents like car crashes. Once quirks started showing up, you got the era of vigilantes, villains popping up all over the place only to have the ones trying to stop them being chased by the government."

"Society broke down," Tokoyami noted. Indeed, until some quirk restriction laws were passed and heroes started getting government certification, society had practically died, shattered into a survival of the fittest type scenario, with different groups becoming isolated and fighting each other. After all, the strongest is the one that can fight the best, right? Then they probably learned from experience, fighting others. Hell, I remember reading about someone taking control of an entire city near the south end of Japan.

I sighed. "Yeah." I looked up, noting the sun was going down. "But even with it back in place, the villains haven't gone away. Most are just held back, keeping out of the eyes of the great Symbol of Peace!" I didn't mean to let anything slip into voice, but I must have if the sharp glance I got meant anything. I just shrugged and let loose on the controversial thoughts. "The peace that he made... I'm not sure it was worth it to recover the old society instead of trying to design a new one. I've seen people just stand around a fight between heroes and villains to record a video and post it online."

"So, you are not fond of All Might... of the complacency his presence has instilled in the people?"

"That's definitely a part of it," I agreed. "And the man's been at it for decades already. He has to start slowing down sometime, from age if nothing else. If villains notice that and start pushing their luck..." So many people will get hurt, potentially die, on a regular basis as some of the more deranged villains act, like that muscle guy I saw on the news.

I let my words hang in the air until we came across Tokoyami's house, where we parted ways. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but one that had my thinking that the boy was contemplating what I said.

I made my home as well, thoughts of the previous day on my mind.