A few days prior...

Trust.

An affront to one's independence. Paved with many paths to one's own inevitable destruction. Tokoyami once thought that abandoning this mindset would make him stronger. To put his unwavering trust on his closest allies.

But as it was made apparent, he could not trust anyone.

He grabbed a vial from his drawer, and considered to administer the drug on himself once again.

"Coward," a voice came from within his mind; "you would jeopardize our sovereignty by putting me in the backseat once again?"

Tokoyami scoffed. "There is no us."

"The task was accomplished, was it not?" the form of Dark Shadow appeared over his head. "The Wolverine is now but a broken vessel, torn into millions of shards, with no means to put them together once again."

"Yet in doing so, you compromised our trust in each other," Tokoyami glared at the mist. "I trusted you, yet you did not trust me. You took control of my body without my consent because you didn't believe in us."

Dark Shadow's face twisted in a scowl. "My trust in you is of no consequence. The only thing that matters is that our task is done effectively."

Tokoyami slammed the desk in front of him, gritting his teeth as he said, "Do you know why I refrained from applying the drug on myself?"

Tokoyami stood up, looking at Dark Shadow in the eyes defiantly. "It goes beyond the matters of trust. I had our people in mind. If we are to attain independence, we have to force ourselves to not be reliant on this..." he then pointed at the vial of drug as if it was some sort of poison. "this damned narcotic!"

Tokoyami then pointed at Dark Shadow. "I was testing out the waters, and foolishly I believed I was doing well. Until you did that. Have I mentioned yet that we also went our way to inflict pain on one of our own?!"

"Why bother?" Dark Shadow asked.

Tokoyami was caught off guard by that query. "I beg your pardon?"

"Why bother hiding our power?" Dark Shadow clenched its teeth. "Why not unleash them at their fullest? Why don't we show those detestable humans just how genetically superior we are to them? That we are the next step in the evolution of the homo race?"

Tokoyami bared his teeth as he replied, "You're starting to sound like him."

"We have spent most of our lives bending our knees to our Homo-Sapien oppressors," Dark Shadow's smile grew eerily as it continued; "but we are not like them. We are not beneath them. In fact, we are superior to them in every conceivable way."

Dark Shadow's misty form grew thicker as it raved. "Mutantkind is the future. The key to achieving a prosperous civilization. Humans are fallible: their ways are primitive. They're barbaric as they are repulsive, and for that, they must be wiped out from the face of the earth."

Tokoyami's expression contorted unpleasantly as he asked, "Do you know how unhinged you sound right now?"

Dark Shadow gave him a look of resentment. "Am I wrong? Tell me, what good have humanity ever done for you? After all, they did take your father away from you, didn't they?"

Tokoyami looked at his quirk dangerously.

"Erik Lehnsherr," Dark Shadow circled around him; "the mightiest of all mutants."

"Do not invoke his name, Dark Shadow," Tokoyami warned.

Before they could converse even further, the door to their lair opened. The Gambit rushed to Tokoyami's side, appearing to be exhausted. "Sorry to intrude on..whatever is going on between you both, but we've got a problem," he said between labored breaths.

Both Dark Shadow and Tokoyami's attention were averted to the Gambit. "What is it?" Tokoyami replied in a slightly demanding manner.

Before the Gambit could say anything, a new person entered the room: a woman with a blend of white and brown hair.

"Mon amour?!" The Gambit exclaimed in surprise. "I thought I told you that I have this under—"

"You're not putting me in the backseat, darlin'," Aoi put her index finger near his lips, careful enough to not have her quirk affect him. "I am involved in this as much as you are."

Tokoyami crossed his arms, growing more impatient as he said, "Well? Care to share what this is all about?"

"LifeForAll," Aoi's head whipped to Tokoyami's direction. "It'd been kept under wraps for years, and I'm risking everything just by telling you this."

Tokoyami's attention was all reserved for what the woman was going to say.

"They've developed a newer, more lethal version of the quirk exterminator. And worst of it all? They're planning to unleash this substance to the world," Aoi explained in a tone of urgency.

Tokoyami's mouth was left agape. "As in, they're condensing the drug into some sort of vapor?"

"That's one way of putting it," Aoi nodded. "Now I know what you're thinking, 'what does this have to do with us?'. Well, Mutants as we know them are immune to the effects of the quirk exterminator, but this? There's no way of telling how it would affect us."

Tokoyami couldn't deny that. Then, he opted to ask, "What made you come to that conclusion?"

"There is another substance at play. The quirk activator. If this substance is meshed together with the quirk exterminator, they form a gas. This gas is so volatile, that it may be able to annihilate even a mutant. Think of it like Matter and Anti-matter. If these two interact, they would destabilise each other," Aoi explained.

Tokoyami tapped the side of the desk, pacing his legs as he did so.

The Gambit chimed in, "I guess this is where those two deranged idiots come into play."

Tokoyami's eyes sharpened. "You don't mean.."

"Yeah. The ones that we just attacked a day ago."

Tokoyami shook his head. "Would they even trust us?"

"Perhaps not," Aoi interjected; "but we have to try."

"Why them, specifically?" Tokoyami fished for more information.

"They're the only ones who are immune to the effects of the gas," Aoi clarified. "Their regenerative abilities are vastly different from any ordinary healing-based quirks. Their accelerated healing factor are so inhumanely fast that their bodies are continuously producing trillions upon trillions of quirk factors at a frequency that potentially exceeds any attempts at calculating it. The gas that I mentioned annihilates a singular quirk factor. But theirs? It would take a lot more dose to annihilate them completely."

"You're suggesting that we coerce them into throwing their lives away for this," Tokoyami felt oddly conflicted about this. "No matter how much at odds we are with them, they're still mutants. Albeit artificially made, but mutants nonetheless."

Aoi nodded thoughtfully, though her eyes still showed that she was still resolute about this decision. "I understand your concern, but we don't have a lot of choice."

The Gambit added, "And besides, it's not like they have a lot going on with them. One has self-esteem issues that never got addressed and the other, well, you know what he did."

Tokoyami could see where they were coming from. Everything hinged on those two, no matter how much he didn't like it. Dark Shadow was also on board with this. He could feel it. Of course he was. But he needed to hear it from the quirk himself. "What do you think?" Tokoyami's eyes moved to his quirk, which loomed over everyone in the room.

"Proceed with the plan," Dark Shadow replied curtly. "It is better for two unruly souls to die rather than the entire world."

Tokoyami sighed in resignation. There wasn't much that he could do to offer an alternative solution. All he could do was proceed.

"So? Do we have your permission? I figured that a little communication is needed for a decision as big as this one," the Gambit inquired again.

Tokoyami nodded. "You are free to proceed with the plan. However, contingencies should be ready in the instance that they aren't cooperative."

"I'll leave that to you, boss," the Gambit saluted. "I'll bring the other assassins up to speed, see which one of them is best suited to track them down."

Tokoyami simply nodded as the two of them exited his lair.

Present

Izuku didn't know where he was going. The scent of iron passed through his nose, a grim reminder of what had just happened for the past few hours.

He couldn't go back to Weasel. Not with the car in this condition. He also made a call with the resort. Checking out was the best thing to do at the time.

And his mom? As if. Izuku couldn't bear to see them. See the faces of the ones he might lose in the future. The ones that he wouldn't be able to save.

And that thought alone drove Izuku insane. Concocting a tactless plan, Izuku revved up the engine. Izuku still had the address on his notes, and he was going to use it.

The car accelerated at an unnatural pace, and Izuku's heart grew heavy by the minute. Sir Nighteye's never missed with the accuracy of his predictions, yet Izuku couldn't even be bothered to care.

If dying were all it took for him to save them, then so be it. He'd die a thousand times over for his mom. For Weasel. And yes, even for Katsuki.

Izuku's vision blurred. Why? He couldn't even be bothered to check. Be they tears, or his old age finally getting to him (he wasn't even fucking old), none of it mattered.

All that mattered was getting to that address as fast as he could.

While speeding up, the car's tire screeched vehemently against the harsh texture of the asphalt, the rubber desperately clawed against the floor to gain control. Izuku seemed to not notice this. Not long after that, the car's position seemed to tilt to the right side, its balance waning as it proceeded forward. The outer layers of the tires were wearing out due to them losing much of the air inside.

It hadn't occured to Izuku, of course. He was too submerged into his own thoughts.

Well, that was until the car wasn't behaving in a way that Izuku expected it to. "What the fuck?" Izuku said as he tried to steer the vehicle to the right. And he did steer it to the right, just not in the amount that he intended. The car lost control as it made a right turn. Izuku yanked the steering wheel to the left, but the car was fighting against his grip on it.

Soon enough, the car's tires deflated completely, causing it to flip over the road at a rapid pace. Izuku's head hit the car roof as consciousness left him, and everything turned dark.

The last thing he thought before he drifted to unconsciousness was,

'The Honda Odyssey definitely doesn't fuck hard.'

Waking up to a dungeon-like environment was not how he'd imagined his day would go. But unfortunately, here he was, at the mercy of whoever the fuck it was that brought him here.

Izuku couldn't afford to linger around in this place. Not with the fate of the entire world at stake. He'd just leave them a tip and an apology letter, and scurry his way out of the place.

Before he could attempt to find a way out of this place, a clattering sound could be heard from behind the curve of the wall. Izuku rushed to it, hiding behind the wall with his grip on his katana.

Izuku came out of the hiding corner to strike whoever it was that was approaching, but quickly found himself seized as the newcomer intercepted his attack and threw him to the floor.

A girl whose hair was vibrant with the hue of a rose came into frame, pointing her dagger at him.

Oh.

Oh.

That fucking Dora girl again.

Did that mean the others were–

As if on cue, the others in question came out of their hiding. One by one the assassins came into frame, including that raven and Gambit guy.

Great.

Just great.

"I know this might be sudden but—"

Tokoyami was interrupted when Izuku spoke, " At-ta-ta, zip your birdie in your panties, Odin. I'll ask the questions. Which one of you not-so-covert muties brought me here?"

"That would be me," "Dora" answered, sheathing her daggers.

Izuku's eyes squinted. "You?"

"Dora" simply huffed.

"I'll take that as a yes—and just to refresh, you're Dora-"

"Ashido Mina," Mina corrected.

"Right. Ashido. So, what I'm getting from all this is that you happened to be there at the time I crashed my car," Izuku replied incredulously.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Mina raised her brow.

"Have you been tailing me for the past few days?" Izuku slightly demanded.

Mina nodded. "Though I only found you today."

"Motherfucker, and here I thought things couldn't get more obtuse than Kraven the Hunter's writing," Izuku scoffed. "So what now? Is this the part where we do a little game of cat and mouse in which I hopelessly chase after you, and you tell me to fuck off?"

"I don't *run," Mina hissed.

"Sure you don't, sweetheart," Izuku retorted.

The purple-haired insomniac asshole was the second to open his mouth, "Why don't you shut your trap and let us explain ourselves for a bit?"

Izuku pointed at Shinso and spat back, "Pipe down, Five Nights At Freddy. Nobody asked for your input. Actually, why are you even here? You don't serve any tangible purposes in this dump. Unless, of course, that midget is due for another replacement yet again."

"Don't make me blow your head off," Shinso threatened.

Izuku snickered, challenging, "The floor is yours."

Tokoyami decided that they had enough pleasantries, if you could even call it that. "We are in dire need of your assistance."

"Cutting to the chase, I see. I like that. I still haven't forgotten how you ruined my fucking day a few days back by the way," Izuku looked at him accusingly.

Tokoyami's expression deflated. "Hardly relevant, but I apologise regardless."

"Your apology is not accepted and definitely not appreciated either," Izuku curtly said. "And whatever it is you need help with, the answer is no. I'm outta here. Ciao!"

"You little—" Shinso was about to attack Izuku, but Tokoyami held him from moving even further.

Tokoyami spoke again, "Wait! Listen, we might have gotten on the wrong foot, but seeing how things are, we have to put aside our differences for now."

"Mhm, and why is that?" Izuku stopped himself from walking even further.

Tokoyami took a deep breath before answering, "The world as we know it is about to end. Above and below."

Izuku raised his brow at that, turning around to face Tokoyami. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"LifeForAll is planning something that could result in the loss of so many lives. Catastrophic events will ensue, and in the end, their master will assume leadership," Tokoyami explained. "Judging by your tone, I assume that you were already made aware of this?"

Izuku simply nodded. "And you want to enlist me in this little suicide mission of yours why?"

"Because you're one of the only ones who can withstand the effects of all the gas in full force," Tokoyami replied.

"One of the only ones?" Izuku asked. "You can't mean—"

"Yes. The Wolverine," Tokoyami said.

"No," Izuku's voice was full of determination. "You can't rope him into this."

"The combined strength of you both would—"

"And I don't give a shit," Izuku shook his head. "He's been through enough."

"Midoriya," Tokoyami took a step forward. "I understand the reluctance, and we're asking a lot out of you—"

"No. You're not asking me to do anything because I'm gonna stop them, and I'm not gonna be doing it for you," Izuku corrected. "Just don't bring him to this. Don't. Let him be. Besides, I already tried. He doesn't want to be involved."

Tokoyami's expression remained neutral as he rubbed his wrists gently.

"Boss," the Gambit leaned in to whisper. "You sure you want to comply? I don't think the mercenary is enough to repel the effects of the condensed quirk exterminator."

"We'll see how we can accommodate to this," Tokoyami simply replied as he approached Izuku. "Very well. We will refrain from enlisting Katsuki Bakugo in this mission."

"Good," Izuku then walked into the stairs. "I'm out of here."

"Wait," Tokoyami grabbed Izuku by his shoulder; "you can't storm into their headquarters alone."

"The hell I can't," Izuku shot back.

Tokoyami shook his head. "You need backup. People to stave their forces off while you try to find the machine they're using to release the gas."

"Only for you to double-cross me. Sorry amigo, no can do. I'm in this alone. Solo," Izuku waved him away dismissively.

"No," Tokoyami's expression darkened. "I will not let you put the world at risk."

"Like the way you risked Kacchan's mental stability?" Izuku spat back with venom.

Tokoyami remained silent.

"You think I don't know what you said to him?" Izuku stomped forward. "Sure, getting his memories back was all but a step forward to fixing this whole shit, but tearing him down mentally was not on my bucket list. Or anyone else's. Besides you, apparently."

"It was—"

"I don't wanna hear it," Izuku cut him off. "I don't need your help, Tokoyami. And I certainly don't need any of you screwing this up for me," Izuku's attention moved to the other assassins.

The Gambit jumped at the opportunity to speak, "We're the only ones with information regarding LifeForAll's plans. Detailed information. You won't be able to stop them with brute force alone."

Tokoyami's eyes glinted with melancholy as he added, "We can argue about this day and night, but right now, we have to work together."

Izuku's eyes lingered on them thoughtfully. Cautious as he was, he couldn't help but feel like they had a point. Shigaraki had all sorts of demented people at his disposals, and Izuku wouldn't be able to hold them off on his own.

Sighing, Izuku said, "I'll bite."

Tokoyami's lips crossed upwards slightly. "Good. Now we will need you to keep your ears open for this one."

And Izuku listened intently.

Shigaraki paced his legs, tapping his feet against the ground repeatedly as he tried his upmost to calm his nerves. Would the experiment work? Maybe so. This was the perfected version of them all. Mitigating the procedures that inflict physical pain on the unfortunate subject, Shigaraki was able to concoct a way to achieve immortality without the delayed process of having to go through a series of physical torment for months.

After all, he only wanted the best for his master, just as his master only wanted the best for him. As the door to the experimental chamber opened, a figure came out of it with electricity sparking into every direction. Shigaraki's eyes were wide opened.

All for One was born anew.

"Master," Shigaraki was enamored by the sight. "You look...astounding!"

"More than that," All for One spoke. "I feel emboldened. The power that coursed through my veins, it's as if they've been amplified a hundred times!"

"Remarkable work you've done here, Tomura," All for One beamed with pride. "I knew I wasn't having a relapse in judgement when I chose you as my successor."

"It was the least I could do for you, master, after everything you've ever done for me," Shigaraki slightly bowed his head.

"Come now," All for One cupped Shigaraki's head to meet his gaze. "No need for that. Your reverence is appreciated, but not needed."

Shigaraki simply nodded. "Now that we got this out of the way, shall I resume my search for Dynamight?"

"Oh no no no, there's no need for that. Not anymore," All for One declined. "As of now, they are of no use to our cause. You've already segregated them, which is more than enough."

"But—?"

"Come now, Shigaraki," All for One's eyes turned red. "What need could we possibly have for the likes of him? My power is sufficient enough to vanquish this world and devour it like a banquet. This planet will be mine."

Mine.

Not ours.

But mine.

Shigaraki shuddered at the thoughts plaguing his mind.

"Master," Shigaraki's voice came shaky. "You told me that I can go my own way. That I can make my own plans."

"It was true, for a time," All for One replied.

"What—?"

"I believe an acquisition of ownership is in order," All for One dropped the bombshell. "You, my dear Tomura, will no longer be in charge."

Shigaraki was at a loss of words. "What—?!"

"Oh, don't sully your thoughts like that!" All for One haughtily laughed. "You've accomplished the very thing that you sought to do: return the favour for all the good I've done for you."

Shigaraki clenched his teeth. "B- but you promised! Promised that we will—"

"Tomura," All for One's voice came firm. "For all intents and purposes, you were nothing more than a placeholder."

What—

What?

Place—

"Master," Shigaraki's voice was desperate, reaching for any hope that his master was bluffing; "y— you don't mean that, do you? This— I—" he hiccuped. No. Nononono. NO! "You would toss me away?"

All for One smiled. "No. Of course not."

"You're lying! You're removing me from this!"

"Tomura," All for One's frown came apparent. "The board of directors has spoken. They want me back in the position. This isn't my decision to make."

"No! You lied!"

His life had been a lie.

"You deceived me!"

From the very beginning.

"You never—" Shigaraki choked on his tears. "—never cared for me!"

Shimura Nana.

Shimura Kotaro.

And now.

His master.

Shigaraki slammed his fists on the wall, creating a large dent on it. Realising what he had just done, Shigaraki rushed out of the building.

He couldn't hear All for One's calls after him.

Damn them all.

Damn everyone.

He'd wanted nothing more than their deaths.

The ones who he'd let into his heart. Made him vulnerable. Made him care.

Shigaraki lost the track of time as he kept running. His vision was blurred due to the abundance of tears sliding down his cheeks. After a while, he tripped over a rock as he fell onto the floor. He was in front of an abandoned house. Reaching for it, he pressed down on the doorknob, greeted with the ghastly sight of the lightless interior. Cobwebs were on the ceiling, and the floor was dusty.

He reached for one of the empty bedrooms there, and collapsed onto the soiled ground. Everything he'd worked for.

All for nothing.

He curled into himself as he sobbed.

...

Tenko found himself secure in his mother's embrace, her warmth encapsulating him, coiling around him like a tender cloth. He loved her. More than anything. More than his distant sister. More than his crude father.

Over time, he'd learned to resent them.

"Mommy," Tenko looked up to his mother. "Will we ever move out?"

His mother wistfully shook her head. It was the only answer that he could get out of her everytime he brought up the topic.

"I want to live with you alone," Tenko said. "I'm scared. I've seen the way father looks at me. He hates me. He wants me dead."

"He loves you, Tenko," his mother reassured sweetly.

Tenko denied. Even a fool would see the opposite. "He doesn't."

His mother would only look at him apologetically, as if apologising that she couldn't protect him, shelter him from everything.

"I'll tell you what," his mother smiled; "we can go to the park if you want. Just us alone."

"That'd be great," Tenko returned the smile.

However, the door to the house was abruptly slammed. Kotarou had just returned from one of his manic drinking episodes. "TENKOOOOOO!"

Tenko tightened his grip on his mother's shirt, who tucked him under her arms.

Kotarou's lips quivered as he pointed at Tenko. "The audacity.."

His eyes had a streak of crimson. "What are you doing clinging to her!? GET BACK TO YOUR ROOM! Her and I have some business to talk about."

Tenko wasn't about to let her go.

"Sweetie—"

"No!" Tenko asserted. "I'm scared!"

Kotarou stared at them for a moment. Then, a fit of crude laughter forced its way out of his sore throat. "You fucking brat. Think you can have the luxury of having a mother, huh?! I've seen the way you cling to her. It makes me sick."

Kotarou grabbed Tenko, prying him out of his mother's gentle hold, who screamed in turn. "What did you do to ever *deserve* this?!" Kotarou brought his face closer to Tenko's. "My mother abandoned me! ME! MY OWN FUCKING MOTHER!"

"Kotarou, you don't have to—" his mother's words were interrupted.

Kotarou continued regardless, "What did you ever do, huh?! You can have your mother, but I couldn't?! You could cling to her, bask in her comfort, while mine left me to fend for myself like I was a fucking used rag!?"

Tenko jerked himself around, trying to break free, but to no avail.

"You know what?!" Kotarou maniacally laughed as he picked a knife from the cutlery on the dining table. "I'll give you a glimpse of the pain I felt."

"What—?!" Kotarou didn't even give his mother a chance to finish her words. He'd already plunged the knife inside of her chest, and relentlessly persisted, stabbing her multiple times.

Blood seeped out of her battered body, tainting the very couch she was sitting on.

"No!" Tenko screamed. "MOM! NO!"

"Ten...ko..."

Kotarou grabbed the child by his collar. Then, he picked something out of his pockets. A picture of his younger self with his mother.

"She did this," Kotarou said bitterly. "Shimura Nana. Did this. She killed your mother."

Shimura Nana.

That name was engrained to his mind for years to come.

...

Shigaraki found himself sobbing even more uncontrollably at the sudden memory.

Laying on the dirtied floor, he hopelessly stared at the ceiling as the tears constantly slid down his cheeks.

Everything was lost.