Garaki awoke strapped to a chair. A light flashing throughout his eyes, he had cuffs on, but he knew they weren’t quirk suppressants.
He saw the imposing form of hawks standing before him, the very same hero who had kidnapped him, sitting next to an older unassuming woman.
The woman started “So Doctor Kyudai, or should I call you Garaki? I’ve heard so much about your work.”
He had to get back to AFO, if he wasn’t there to treat him then.. “ You have to let me go, otherwise we are all dead.”
The woman sighed “You know I can’t do that, how about you just cooperate and we can..”
“You don’t understand, He has thousands of Nomu, and without me there he won’t have much time, if he feels cornered he might..”
“Unleash them on major cities across Japan” the woman finished, nonchalantly.
He was getting frustrated. “So you know why I must head back then!”
“No doctor, you see if you help us, we can keep losses to a minimum.”
He felt his soul drop “You can’t be serious.”
“Just hear me out doctor, I do have one question though, these Nomu, could you make them even without All For one?”
“I don’t see how that would matter, It’d require hundreds of corpses, how would you provide that?”
“Plenty of villains die in prison, quite sad how they turn on one another. Not to mention how many people of.. Lesser births disappear nowadays.” we could easily supply you with the bodies necessary if you’d just help us.”
Hawks interjected “Or we could guarantee you’d be on the frontlines of one of the first places hit.” hawks motioned around them “After all I think hitting the HPSC HQ would be quite the juicy target.”
The doctor began to sweat, If he betrayed AFO there would be no going back to him, after all the doctor still had uses for the man. But if that were true, then why did he give up on him so quickly? Surely he could’ve outrun the subpar pro in front of him.
His brain went into overdrive, remembering every long look on AFO’s face, every melancholic sigh. He couldn’t possibly be..
Garaki made up his mind “Alright I’ll help.”
“Perfect, we actually already have a Nomu in stock, could you try reconstructing something similar to that perhaps?”
Mighty High
Bakugou was staring at Kirishima, who stared back at him. “What could we possibly do against them? If this really is all a conspiracy what chance do we have?” Kirishima looked at him, worry and doubt written on his face. As he put his hand on top of Bakugou’s.
But Bakugou shrugged his hands off, putting his hands into his pockets. “I owe it to de.. To the nerd. Exposing these Ass’s is the least I can do.”
Kirishima looked at him “I know you both were close, but He wouldn’t want you to risk yourself like this.”
Bakugou groaned “I know and that pisses me off, damn nerd doesn’t get to act all righteous and play the sacrificial lamb. “
Kirishima looked concerned “You don’t think that’s why he has stayed quiet do you?”
Bakugou nodded “I know that it’s the reason why. He has always had that damn self sacrificing tendency, He’d have given up his life if it meant one person had the chance to live. That’s how he has always been, Even after it all.”
Kirishima sat down “Yea I don’t know how I’d react if I was framed like that. “
Bakugou took a deep breath “That’s not what I meant. “
Kirishima gave a questioning look.
But Bakugou stood up “Well, As long as you promise not to tell anyone, you’re free to go. I have a conspiracy to solve.”
Kirishima stood up as well. “Let me help you. The teachers don’t even suspect me, I can get away with things you wouldn’t.”
Bakugou shook his head “You know that’s a bad idea, you want to be a hero right? Well I’m gonna have to leave this school soon, this is your best chance of becoming a hero. “ He stared at the boy, trying to convince him that this was his best option. He couldn’t ruin his life too.
“You still plan to be a hero right Bakubro, it wouldn’t feel right to leave you behind.”
The boy smiled at him. In a wide toothy grin, his sharp teeth are quite the opposite of the boy’s hopeful eyes.
“Shut up shitty hair, even if I do plan to become a hero, I can’t guarantee it, it’d require a hero to sponsor me for the hero exam, or another school to take me in, which is unlikely after what I plan to do. And no hero in their right mind will risk their license to sponsor me.”
But The boy in front of him wasn’t one to give up so easily. “Please they’d be stupid to not take you. Even if it took a while you know the Bakusquad would sponsor you.” but Bakugou shook his head “Fuck No. They’re not risking their futures just so I can get a third chance. “
“You know that your future matters too, right bro?”
“Heh, actually there’s one way you could become a hero Deku”
Stop
“ just pray for a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof”
Please
“ It means nothing, Just. Like. You”
I..
“Worthless”
“Failure”
“Nothing but a pebble in my path”
Just
“Stop pretending to be something you aren’t Deku”
Stop, he didn’t
He saw his face through green mist, full of fear as he ran towards him, his lungs burning. Before it took out the creature's eyes, freeing him from his prison. But as he looked back up to the boy, coughing he saw the same face, pain mixed in as he held the boy afloat, explosions crackling in his hands, he dropped him in shock, before the felt a searing pain, and convulsed on the floor “I’m not your punching bag anymore”
Why would I deserve another chance, I already wasted them all.
Kirishima stood outside his friend's room as the door slammed behind him, the electronic lock clicking into place. The silence of the halls was near deafening as he stared at the door. The face He had made fresh in his mind. Those eyes that screamed of pain, and a look of pure guilt. An expression he didn’t know Bakugou could make.
Hatsume had been pacing the room. Watching the screen as the baby she had sent out etched to where they had seen Izuku enter. It entered the warehouse, seeing an empty room she did a scan, revealing an underground tunnel. She had the robot open the trap door, crawling in with its payload intact. Shinsou walked in, eyes immediately zeroing in on the screen. “What’d you send?”
They had argued for hours on what to send, after finally deciding they’d at least give Izuku a gift, something to help him, and let him know they were there. “The sonic marbles. 5 sets of earplugs and instructions. Alongside a small note, and 3 capture pellets.”
“5? That seems excessive.”
“What if he needs to give some to others, or if he loses some. He already lost one of my babies.”
Shinsou nodded “Fair enough.Let’s hope he reads the note then.” he knew better than to touch the subject on the boy’s missing staff again. She had nearly lost it.”
They watched as the robot left the gift at the door, before scuttling away. They’d just have to hope that it would help.”
Izuku walked up to the gate of a huge complex, the courtyard filled with Cherry blossoms. The ground is well kept. taking a deep breath before ringing the bell. This is the only way, I can’t beat them normally.
Two guards entered the courtyard, bats in hand. “Who dares to enter the Shie Hassaikai’s turf.”:
“I got a deal to procure with your boss”
The guys looked at each other, before laughing.
“And what makes you think the boss wants to see you?”
“Because, my name is Izuku Midoriya, and I got dirt that can take down the Commission. Of course I’d love to share it, If I could see about getting one of those quirk erasing bullets.”
They opened the gates, ushering him inside.
They sat in a room that screamed fancy.. With banners of the Shie Hassaikai’s logo littering the walls. A humongous Chandelier in the center of the room, centered above two couches that sat face to face, a table with golden legs in the center. Two couches sat across from one another. On one couch was a shorter man, a red scarf hung around their neck, a mask and hoodie disguising their features.
Izuku's hands felt clammy, as he gazed at the small container in his hands.
“That’s all we have as of yet. “
He opened the box to see 4 bullets, each one glistening a bright blue.
“One of these can permanently erase one's quirk if it comes into contact with their skin. The most powerful drug currently on the market. Although you already knew that, seeing as how you had seeked us out.”
Izuku nodded “I heard of a case involving an officer losing their quirk permanently. They had tried to keep it on the down low but, well news gets around. I managed to track it back to Detrenat, and then to you. Kai Chisaki of the Shie Hassakai.”
The man nodded to the man on his left, who wore a gas mask. Izuku felt a strange compulsion enter his system.
“Are you planning to betray the Shie Hassaikai?”
Izuku’s answer spilled out of his mouth “No”
“What is your quirk?”
Once again Izuku felt himself answering, despite not wanting to.
“I Don’t have one.”
“Lastly, are your claims about this dirt on the commission true?”
“Yes.”
Chisaki waved his hand “That’s enough. So then, what exactly is this dirt on the commission?”
Izuku was floored, they had a truth telling quirk in the Yakuza. And they hadn’t used it to get the info. Why not?
“Why didn’t you just get the info with his quirk?”
Chisaki sighed “His quirk is very specific, don't want to risk you only telling a half truth. That, and I would love to help someone so untainted.”
“Untainted?”
“You aren’t tainted with the disease of quirks. Something I wish to spread. Although you could probably deduce that.”
The guy’s eyes screamed with the same level of fanaticism that he saw in those of Stain.
“First thing, I want one eraser bullet, Then I'll tell you what I know.”
A taller man with blonde hair spoke up, not opening his eyes. “And how do we know you won’t run off afterwards?”
Chisaki silenced him “You heard the confession, he doesn’t plan to betray us, go ahead. Take one.”
Izuku picked one of the bullets out of the box. Putting it in a pouch before putting it into his pocket.
“Ok so..”
As Izuku was about to finish selling his secrets, a little girl rushed in, her form covered in bandages, barefoot and a wild look in her eyes. , passing the guards at the door as an older man rushed in after her. She rushed onto the couch, hugging Izuku's arms. “Don’t let them take me back” she whispered, shaking violently.
Chisaki appeared pissed, “Who let her out!”
The man who ran in looked pale. “She got past me when I went to feed her, it won’t happen again boss.”
“It better not” he growled out.
“C’mon Eri, we gotta take you back. Sorry about that, She has an active imagination.”
She hung closer to Izuku, her eyes full of fear.
She seems traumatized, but If I try to get her out now. All I'll do is traumatize her more, and die in the process.
He smiled down on the girl, his mask blocking it, but he hoped she could still feel it at least. “It’s alright”
The man tugged at his gloves, making Eri rush off the couch, and begin to shuffle out the door.
He’s Threatening her.. And I don't like what those bandages imply. Don’t worry Eri, I won’t leave you here.
But Izuku held his smile, hoping it reached his eyes as he turned back to the man. “Will that be all?”
Chisaki nodded, waving a hand as the two guards stepped away from the door. “You’re free to go, but please, if you want to do more business, the door is always open.”
Oh, I’ll be back. But not for you.
Later that night, two men stood in front of the complex. There was the taller one, his face a patchwork of scars, stitched together. . Wearing a blazer and a pair of jeans he looked more ordinary than his partner. Who wore a hoodie with something under it giving the torso a cylindrical shape. A mask that covered a majority of the face, and wore bland pants, attached to a belt was 2 items, one was a bag, attached to his left side. And on the right was what appeared to be a pistol. Something he hadn’t ever seen the boy with before.
“Tell me again why I agreed to do this?” said the scarred man, sounding tired.
“You owed me. And besides you’re about to do some good.” replied the smaller of the two, a cheery tone in his voice.
“I’m not a good person”
The smaller one stifled a laugh “Whatever you say.”
“Let’s just get moving, ok.”
Dabi saw as the brat pulled out a small object, almost like a marble from his bag. “What’s that?”
Izuku just smiled, giving Dabi shivers “A gift.”
They jumped over the gate.
They made their way through the facility, Knocking out the few who were awake for their incursion. The shorter of the two grabbed onto a man, yanking him to the wall, a blade to his throat. “Tell me where Eri is, and you won’t become a stain on the wall”.
Meanwhile in Hosu
The car hummed, it had been a while since he had actually been in one. He felt the soft hum of the engine, every bump on the road. Every follicle of the seat. He sighed, already bored of it all. Tapping his fingers he counted the seconds until he was out. 544 seconds later he stepped out. The surrounding area filled his vision, he could see the vehicle behind him, the three parked to his left (The first one’s front right tire was slightly flat.) the buildings surrounding him. Touching the wall he saw the name. Murada Internet Cafe.
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He grinned stepping in. He saw the counter, with a very familiar shape behind it, he could see every pore on the boy’s face, the way his breath pushed the air around him, every facet of his being down to the most minute detail. But he’d never get to see the colors of his skin, nor that of his eyes nor hair. He had almost forgotten what colors even looked like, more of an idea than an actual image. He had lost that ability a long time ago. Not that it’d matter soon anyways. He felt the boy tense as he recognized him. His heartbeat skyrocketed. He produced an even larger smile.
“Relax Young Tomura, I just want to talk.”
Shie Hassaikai complex.
Izuku left the man tied up in a closet. A marble in his lap, Holding a set of keys he shut the door behind him.
“We got the location, let’s go.”
He barged forward, activating the secret entrance to the underground of the complex. Heading straight down the path that the man had laid out.
“How do you know the man didn’t lie, leading us to a trap?” asked Dabi
But Izuku happily chirped “I don’t, but it’s all we got.”
“Fucking perfect”
They ran through the maze like catacombs, taking out any yakuza thug that got in their way. Izuku dropped small marbles as they went.
They ended up in a wide room, Izuku dropping 3 small marbles as they saw a cell door situated on the other side of the mostly empty room.. “Eri! Are you there, we are here to help you!” not hearing a response they rushed forward, Izuku peaked into the door, peering through to see the girl Staring back at him, shaking like a leaf. He nodded to Dabi who melted a hole through the hinges of the door, Letting Izuku pull the door off, setting it to the side. He knelt, reaching an arm towards the girl “We are here to get you out, we won’t let them hurt you again.”
She stayed away, shaking her head
Dabi chimed in as they heard shouting in the distance “Just grab her, we don’t have the time for this.”
Izuku held up a hand, slowly pulling off his hoodie, before slowly taking off his mask. When it came off all Eri would have been able to see was a blinding smile. “Don’t worry Eri, everything will be ok, because I am here.”
She ran forward, hugging him as he picked her up. Dabi snorted from beside him. “lame.”
Izuku shot a glare at him before beginning to move, Dabi quick to follow.
They heard a roar of shouts approaching them. Their presence was finally known by the entire facility.
DabI turned to him “Any plans now? Or are we just gonna fight our way back up.”
“Reach into my hoodie pocket.”
He pulled out a simple button, and 3 pairs of earplugs.
“What good will these do?”
Izuku grabbed two pairs, “Don’t take these out until I do, ok Eri?”
She nodded as he put one set in Eri’s ears, before doing the same, Dabi having already gotten the picture had put his pair in. They saw 4 men rush in, all about to pounce on them. Izuku took the remote, pressing the button.
Even with the earplugs in Dabi could feel the vibrations. As the facility became filled with an ear piercing shriek. The 4 men falling to the ground, all trying to cover their ears. Izuku began running past them, Dabi following close behind. Running back the way they had come, they make it all the way to the courtyard, jumping back over the fence as they continue to run. Leaving the compound behind.
Tomura stared at his former sensei, the man who had taken him in. Who had berated and punished him for the smallest things, acting the most gentle he had ever seen the man. He felt rage and fear bubble inside him.
“Talk?”
The man sighed “Is that so hard to believe?”
Tomura had shrunk involuntarily, who was he to question.. Something didn’t seem right.
“Where is Kurogiri?”
“He has more important matters, plus I now know that he couldn’t be trusted to not get.. Emotional.” he had almost seemed proud as he mentioned that. “To think he was sentient enough to subvert a command, truly Nomu’s are a wonderful thing.” he smiled, frowning as the boy before him didn’t react.
“Fine then, let’s get down to business. I’m dying.”
He stared at the man, the bulky life support systems beeping and whirring with life. He had known that he was gonna die, he’s known for a long time.
“And I’m dying fast, and despite your little rebellion, I want to give you one last chance, to inherit my throne, to take on my quirk. To rid this world of heroes once and for all.”
Shigaraki stared at him. Seemingly ready for a fight. “No, I won’t.”
He couldn’t understand, why would his project rebel like this, he had made sure to stiffen the boy’s growth. To make him as easy to control as possible. He felt another presence hiding away at the end of the lobby, he could tell it was a child from the size.
Smiling He began to laugh “You think you can just run away, live in the ruins of your making and fraternize with your victims? Please boy you’re the reason this place will never recover to its former glory. You’re the reason most of them won’t see their families again.”
He felt Tomura close in on himself. Backing himself into the corner
He decided to push it more “Sure I had ordered you to, but you seemed all too eager to do it, so tell me, what changed?”
He watched as the boy tried to muster a response, and he couldn’t help but grin. He was back in his element again, and it felt good. But before he could deliver the final blow, and perhaps get the boy to agree to come back, they were rudely interrupted.
Their guest moved out of the shadows “Who the fuck are you to talk to him like that!” rage practically emitted off the boy, he smiled when he detected the faint intoxicating feeling of a new quirk, begging to be taken. He felt around, noticing that no other quirks existed in the building, good that meant he could make this last.
Distracted by the feeling, he didn’t notice his experiment motion for the boy to run, both of them having a silent argument.
He continued “Oh didn’t you know, your dear friend here is the reason your parents are dead, why every unnecessary death happened in this city had even occurred, he had been the one to lead the Nomu’s here, isn’t that right Tomura Shigaraki”
Shigaraki felt sick, he couldn’t even look over at Hayate, his mind racked with guilt, the same guilt that he had fooled himself into forgetting, pretending he was normal. Pretending that none of this would catch up to him.
Hayate “You, You’re evil”
He looked over in shock, expecting to see Hayate staring at him, but instead the boy stared down All For One, tears in his rage filled eyes.
All for One looked at Hayate, his mouth frowning in confusion. But he knew that he only had a bit of time before the man would turn to anger, he’d have to buy time…
“And here I was hoping you’d be the final push, but alas, it seems nothing has gone my way recently." He began lifting an arm towards Hayate, Shigaraki rushed in between the two. "Wait!"
Midoriya rushed to the one place he could trust Eri to, the only place he could guarantee she wouldn't be at risk of abuse again.
He turned to the two, the now sleeping girl still in his arms. "Thank you both for your help, but I need to do this next part alone, if they see one of you, they might freak out."
Stain nodded, already having discussed this with Izuku earlier, but Dabi wasn't amused. "You think I'm gonna leave you and a little girl without help, In this part of town at night? Yea fuck that, you can meet them alone, but I'm definitely escorting you there."
"You don't have to, I'll be fine on my own"
"Normally I'd agree with you, but i know that you defending her" he pointed at the girl in question
"Will end In you taking hits you would normally shrug off, and I don't want to hear you bitching about a broken arm or something later."
Midoriya sighed, clearly not going to get rid of the man "alright, if you care that much, then I guess I'll have to let you."
The man glared at him, but Izuku was already on the move, not letting the man get a comeback.
He really didn't want to freak out the two boys at the cafe anymore than he had to, dropping a little girl off at their door was gonna freak them out more than enough already, he didn't want to bring a serial killer or a patchwork quilt of a man there. He really hoped this worked, he couldn't risk her getting into the hands of the commission, nor could he risk her getting hurt under his care.
Yea this would all work out…
He was nearing the cafe when he heard a loud impact, a dust cloud forming right above where the cafe was meant to be. Thinking fast he handed the girl off to an alert Dabi, still catching his breath from chasing after Izuku. She was now stirring awake, as he rushed towards the smoke.
Shigaraki coughed, his vision blurry, stumbling, he pulled himself up. The ever present grin of AFO staring in his direction, but he ignored the man, pulling off one of his gloves as he looked around. “Hayate!”
AFO sighed “That boy isn’t important, that’s what I was trying to show you, people with quirks like that aren’t going to..” he ignored the man, hearing a muffled voice from his left, thinking quickly he disintegrated the rubble, uncovering the bruised and battered Hayate, pulling him out with his gloved hand, not trusting his trembling fingers to not make full contact with the boy. Looking over the boy it didn’t look good, blood dripped down from his arm, his leg bent the wrong way, with the boy only seemingly able to open one eye.
“Y’know if I hadn’t held back, you’d be dead right now Tomura, defending some, what do you call them, NPC. Tell me, is some side bonus really worth angering your only companion?”
Normally Shigaraki would’ve cringed at the man’s attempt to speak to him like that, but right now all he could feel was a burning hatred, and as he looked over at the boy who had taken him in all those weeks ago, he felt.. Worried.
He really should form a plan, some way to get Hayate and him out of there, he could feel the logical part of his brain try to convince him of this, but a swarm of emotions had already taken over, and they wanted one thing. He walked past AFO to the street, gently putting the boy down as he hit the emergency contact function on the boy’s phone, making it appear as if he had simply been moving the boy’s jacket back into place. Turning back around he stared at the unmoving scarred face of his former mentor. “You never really cared for me, I was nothing more than a restart for you, someone to mold into your image when you couldn’t live forever anymore.”
The man held out his arms in a placating gesture “ please boy, Maybe that had been true at the start but I truly grew to care for you, I was gonna give you everything, my quirk, my empire, the ability to never have to worry about heroes again, and that can still come true, if you come with me now, I can even heal your little friend there, truly I thought he was but a pawn for you, not someone you actually cared for.”
Shigaraki could feel himself calming down, why had he been angry at the man anyway, master always knew what was best for him. He should trust him… Shigaraki was shaken out of his stupor as he heard the sound of sirens, his anger returning to him.. But he had an idea pop into his head. A horrible idea that’d most likely end with him quirkless under the best circumstances. Smiling, he forced himself to appear calm, outstretching his arms “You’re absolutely right, how could I have forgotten all you’ve done for me.” he began walking towards the man, who kept his arms outstretched. He embraced the man, as AFO towered over him. “Now let’s go home boy, I have so much to show you, he let go of the man, who began walking towards the street, he lunged forwards, hands going around the man’s windpipe. As he felt it begin to disintegrate under his finger tips. The man thrashed around, trying to grab him, but Shigaraki held on for dear life, counting down the seconds. But then he felt his hands stop sinking into the man's throat, Fuck A powerful force shove him back, as he landed hard into the rubble, his ears rang as he threw up, he saw the blurry visage of the man getting up, walking towards him. “..Tried… civil.”
“..Fail..” but he never heard the rest of it, as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Izuku finally reached the Cafe, or what was left of it, Hayate was lying outside the building, The sound of Sirens came ever closer to the location. Quietly peering into the cafe he saw a man in a wrecked suit, with blood and sand falling out of his neck, marching towards Takashi. “I tried to be civil Tomura, I was even willing to let your little pet live, but I should’ve already know you were nothing but a failure to be discarded”
Izuku fiddled with his holster, loading the gun before taking aim as every muscle in his body screamed danger as he stared at the man in front of him.. “Hey ugly, leave Takashi alone!”
The man partially turned, “I’m surprised you’re still standing, no matter, how about you watch me kill him. Before I put you out of your misery boy” he had fully turned around with that last word, and Izuku took the shot, aiming right for the man's face. The blue canister exploded in the man’s mouth. Suddenly the blood sand mixture from his neck turned into a flowing fountain of red. The man collapsed mere moments after the shot hit. His mouth agape. He had just killed a man… compartmentalizing this he rushed forward. passing the dying man to check up on Takashi. Who looked outwardly fine, but he could see some blood pooling out from the back of the boy’s head. Cursing he made sure he had no other injuries, checking the man’s pulse. Sighing in relief as he felt a small pulse of life in the man’s wrist. Turning back to check on Hayate he felt a hand grab his leg, the man in question who was lying in a pool of their own blood uttered two words to him, “Too Late.” Before collapsing, Izuku didn’t waste time checking the man’s pulse before rushing to the other boy once more. Who seemed to be suffering from a broken leg, and was bleeding pretty badly from his arm. Izuku took time to patch up the arm, as he heard the sirens getting closer and closer. He just hoped Dabi had the common sense to not stick around. He might get caught. He finally patched the boy up, and began running, dipping into the alley right before the cruisers and ambulances came around the corner, or so he had thought, But there had been two sets of eyes to spot him.