-Rain of Sins-

-Arc Start: A Slippery Slope-

-A Slippery Slope: Ch 1-

The sun was setting, creating a marasma of reds and blues on the horizon, birds sat on the overhanging telephone wires, singing their pretty songs, fluffy clouds drifted overhead, weaving together to form beautiful tapestries. It was a nice evening, but despite this, Izuku's mind was somewhere else entirely. As the green haired boy trudged his way up the stairs to his apartment, his gaze was locked on the small rectangular shape in his hand.

-Izuku Midoriya-

-Lab assistant-

-ID no. 5280-

-3rd level access-

Izuku sighed as he opened the door to his home, the last few hours had been mentally exhausting. First there was the test, then his argument with Ms Yuyara, and then finally his "conversation" with Dr Ujiko, although it wasn't much of a conversation. The good doctor had somehow gotten the idea into his head that Izuku would make a great successor, and was hellbent on seeing this absolutely terrible idea through.

'I don't even know what it is they do at the lab!'

All he knew was, from an off-handed comment by Yuyara when she showed him out, that they were researching something about quirks and how they work on a fundamental level. Now it wasn't that he wasn't interested in quirks, far from it, but he didn't have the time to do something as major as become the successor to an incredibly accomplished scientist. The school year was approaching its end so he had homework galore, and finals coming up. Then there was the UA Entrance exam coming up in a few months, which he needed to get ready for the physical portion of, and not to mention that when he got into the school, he wouldn't have the luxury to take a bus out to the lab everyday.

Unfortunately when he tried to explain this to the Dr Ujiko, he- well the best way to explain it would be "ignored aggressively", although Izuku genuinely wasn’t sure if the doctor was purposefully ignoring him, or if he was just so caught up in the moment that he had tuned everything else out.

This odd bit of Izuku trying to bring up why he couldn't accept, only to be brushed off, continued for almost 20 minutes before he eventually snapped and civilly told the man- He didn't yell and almost start crying, no matter what anyone said.

"I'm going to become a Hero and save people with a smile on my face! I can't do that as your successor, so I'm sorry sir, but- but I can't accept!"

After that, Ujiko had been forced to listen to what Izuku had to say, and they had agreed to a "compromise". No, not a compromise, a "compromise", there's a difference.

A compromise is when multiple sides sit down and agree to something that would benefit everyone involved. The "compromise" Izuku got was Ujiko telling him he could either A) Become his successor, or B) Become a temporary lab assistant, and be convinced to become his successor by the end of his tenure.

Now in a normal compromise, the other side would counter offer, and argue for something more to their goal. But you see- Izuku is- He doesn't like arguing, and he's a bit socially awkward, and, uh… well…

He chose option B.

"Oh, Izuku! I didn't know you were home yet!"

The staring contest Izuku had been having with his new ID card was cut short as he jerked his head up in surprise to see his mother in the living room, who he had completely missed do to being entrenched in thought.

"I know you said that you’d be gone for an hour or two, but you wouldn't tell me where you were going, and I got worried despite you telling me not to, an-" The woman pushed herself off the couch and ran towards her son, only to stop when she spotted what he was holding. "What's that?"

"I-I-I-"

'Think Izuku! Think!' He rattled his head for an idea 'It's a school ID! No! You can't lie, don't be like him !'

"I got a Job!"

She blinked "What?"

'Awesome, it's not a lie, and it's not a half-truth, you're doing good so far!'

"I-I got a job" he continued "I, I-Uh-I wanted tooooo, I-I mean I'm- um…"

His eyes widened as a thought struck him.

"I-I'm a growing young man, and everyday I take another step closer to adulthood. Getting a reliable job is the first step towards the financial independence an adult needs, to succeed in today's economy."

Izuku had his finger pointed up and was semi-mechanically sputtering out his words as if he were reading from a script… which he sort of was, this was almost an exact copy of one of the many (Wildly different and not at all connected) speeches Dr Ujiko had spouted to him to get him to accept the position.

"Housing, clothing, food, water, electricity, the basic necessities for living today all share one thing in common, they all cost money! And what is a man- nay- what is a human who cannot afford access to these things? WHY HE'S-uh, he's, um, is-er- no-not in very good shape!"

Izuku mentally wiped the sweat from his forehead for dodging a bullet, this one being the danger that comes from quoting Ujiko word for word. The doctor's original version had him yell "WHY HE'S DEAD!" at the top of his lungs.

"A-And that's not all! Every successful adult needs to have a measure of responsibility to achieve their goals! By accepting this position you ar- I mean, I am guaranteeing myself an opportunity to not only grow in character, but als-"

His bootleg speech was cut off by his mother placing a finger over his mouth to shush him, a sad smile on her face.

"I understand."

"Y-You're not mad?"

"Izuku, I-" She sighed. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes, both as a parent and in general, and I know that I can't ever undo them, but I-I think…" Her voice hitched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think it's about time I start to at least attempt to fix them."

"M-Mom I-"

Whatever Izuku was going to say was cut off as his mom pulled him into a hug.

"I know I was c-crying a lot at the time, b-but I said I would support you no matter what, right? A-And what mother would I be to go back on my word?"

Tucked into her shoulder, Izuku heard her sniff, and felt drops fall onto his shoulder. Tears he realized.

"I said I would support you 100%, so if you want to get a part time job, then I'm here for you, a-and if you still want to be a Hero…"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Izuku's breath caught.

"Then I'll cheer you on every step of the way, b-because…" She sniffed and took a moment to compose herself "B-Because you are a wonderful, and caring, and brilliant young man, and you can do anything you can dream of!"

"W-What about being a H-Hero?" He choked. "Can- Can I be a good of a hero as A-All Might?"

"Oh Izuku," She squeezed him tighter, "You're a bigger Hero to me, than All Might's ever been"

"M-Mom…" He bit his lip, desperately trying to keep the tears that were welling up in his eyes from spilling. However, this had the unfortunate side effect of making it so he couldn't finish his sentence, so he did something better.

He wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her, conveying his message as clear as crystal without so much as a word.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

And so they hugged until their arms hurt, and cried until they ran out of tears, until all the sadness floated away and all that was left was a filling warmth of content.

"Besides" She chuckled as she drew back, wiping a tear away "Why would I ever be mad at you for getting a part time job? It's not like you're working for a supervillain or anything."

-Rain of Sins-

"I AM A SUPERVILLAIN!"

"No. You're a brat."

Ujiko flipped through several reports on his tablet, calmly ignoring how Tomura raged and ranted in response to his, in his opinion very accurate, observation.

Now ignoring something is a very useful skill, and while it can help deal with quite a few things, it's not exactly an invincible strategy. For instance, it's very hard to ignore someone when they slam their hands on the table you're sitting at, and turn it to dust.

"You will make me a nomu to my specifications!"

"Specifications? Hmmmm…" The doctor glanced down at the pile of dust that was once a table before looking back at the self proclaimed supervillain. "That's a very big word word for you Tomura, over three syllables!" He grinned smugly at Tomura's glare. "I'm very impressed!"

"You bastard!" The rising villain roared. "I am the leader of the League of Villains, I am the one who will kill All Might, how dare you talk down to me!"

"'League of Villains' huh? I think 'small group of two sort-of villains' would fit it much better."

"Ha!" Tomura laughed. "Only two? You must be out of the loop, in just the short time since its conception, the League has gained well over twenty members, with more joining every week!"

"...You're right Tomura, I guess that name was a bit harsh." The doctor sighed. "Your group now has twenty bottom rung thugs who I wouldn't trust with so much as a box of socks, 'Tomura's daycare for the dumb and desperate' fits much better!"

"How dare you insult me! I'm the one who your nomu are for!"

"How dare I?" Ujiko's eyes narrowed dangerously as he pushed himself out of his chair. "How dare you ! My creations are for my master, for the wielder of the all-powerful quirk All for One, not for you. He is a genius of unrivaled potential, a man with power unmatched. You are nothing but a spoiled brat! You have no right to compare yourself to him!"

"I'll kill you!" Tomura spat, his hand twitching. "It'll be easy, like completing a tutorial."

"Go ahead!" The scientist hissed, his words ice cold "Kill me and all you'll never get a single piece of my research!"

"Gentlemen, please." A digitized voice cut into their argument. "We're all on the same side here, there's no reason to be threatening one another."

"No reason?!" Tomura whirled around to the voice. "This piece of low leveled trash insulted me!"

"So he did," The voice agreed, "But you said that you would kill him."

"And I will!"

"So you don't care about his life?"

"Why would I?"

"But if you don't care about his life, why then should you care about his opinion?"

Tomura blinked, raised his hand, stopped, and took a moment to think. "But I- He went and- You know what!?" He struggled before clenching his fists and growling. "I'm done here! I'm done with this meeting, and I'm done with you!" He pointed at Ujiko before turning and storming away.

Ujiko watched All for One's successor storm off, with a completely neutral face. His emotional mask only cracking to reveal a small scowl when Tomura slammed the door behind him like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

"... He's a brat." Ujiko finally said, as he slumped back into his chair. "He's immature, he's petty, he acts like a child, he has no real plan other than disorganized chaos, and he lets his anger override both his logical reasoning and common sense." the doctor concluded with a sigh. "I've told you this before, and I know you won't listen to me, but please-" He looked over to the TV.

"He's not worthy to be your successor, Master."

"Hmmmmm…" All for One mused, an air of amusement floating through the screen. "If you already know the result beforehand, why continue trying to change my mind?"

"Because you deserve the best of the best, and he isn't worthy of that title by a long shot!"

"You're right doctor," All for One admitted with a chuckle "He's far from the most capable candidate right now, but he'll grow beyond your greatest expectations… and that I'm sure of."

...

"...and if he doesn't?"

The television fell silent, and for a moment Ujiko worried he might have angered his master, until finally...

"You've found someone you believe to be a better successor."

"W-What!? No!" Ujiko sputtered, his eyes wide in panic as he hopped to his feet. "I wouldn't! I-I would never suggest to-"

"Easy now doctor," The supervillain chuckled, "I'm not questioning your loyalty, and I know you only have good intentions." He reassured the man "But we're too far into the game to back out now, too many plans would have to be reworked if I replaced Tomura… I would have to be impressed to a level I have seldom been before, to change everything now."

"I wasn't going to say- I wouldn't dare-" Ujiko tried before he sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "Yes Master…"

"I'm sure whoever you have found would be more than qualified to be my successor, but as I've said, I've invested too much into Tomura to abandon him. Besides,” He chuckled, “If you found someone you believe capable enough to outdo Tomura, I'm sure you've already made plans to use them.”

Ujiko didn't verbally answer, but his silence as good as confirmed it.

“Nevertheless, Don't worry about Tomura, if you can't bring yourself to trust him, then trust in my judgment instead, I haven't led you astray yet have I?"

"No Master you haven't… I will trust in your wisdom, but -" He gulped and steeled his resolve, "I will not- no, I refuse to accept Tomura as your successor! Not until he grows into the 'potential' you speak of, and until then I want nothing to do with him or his band of misfits!"

"That's all I ask of you- To trust me and to give Tomura a chance to grow. You and your art will be kept far away from the conflict and heroes, only your finished pieces will be put on display for the world to see. Is that agreeable?”

"Yes Master, very much so."

“Good, I'll leave you to your work.”

As the screen flicked off, Ujiko slumped into his chair and massaged his face with his hand, fighting off the sudden urge for a glass of alcohol- something to stave off the massive headache that was forming. Which could be due to either Tomura or caffeine withdrawal- it was 50/50 at this point.

It had been awhile since he last had to come to one of these meetings, and he had forgotten how headache inducing they could be.

All for One would occasionally call for a meeting between himself, Ujiko, and Tomura, usually about every other month. He had originally called it something along the lines of… Well now that Ujiko thought about it, he couldn't remember what his master had originally said its purpose was, he had tuned it out five minutes into the first meeting, when he realized the real purpose of them.

To make him and Tomura actively not hate each other.

On paper it makes total sense: Ujiko is arguably All for One's most important follower- seeing as how he’s responsible for getting his master to the point of actually being able to walk again after his fight with All Might, as well as the fact he’s growing a giant army of nomu for All for One to do with as he pleases. Meanwhile Tomura is the man's successor, and will continue All for One's work long into the future. Getting them to cooperate is a very worthwhile investment.

In practice however…

Ujiko sent another look down at the used-to-be-table-dust coating his feet, and grimaced.

Now it wasn't as if he wouldn't work with Tomura, he did make the hands for him after all, creepy as they were, but working for Tomura… well…

Considering Tomura's bullshit during the meeting had driven Ujiko to consider bringing up Midoriya of all people to his master, should tell you his opinion on that.

He groaned as his headache worsened. It wasn't like he was actually going to try to get his master to take the kid on as his new successor, it was just one of those thoughts that popped into the back of your head, and floated around.

‘Sure I could go and spend the money I'm saving to replace my broken car on that new TV the commercial is talking about, but I'm not actually going to, because that would be stupid.’

Speaking of the kid, he should be finishing up a tour of the lab right about now. Ujiko had originally planned on showing the kid around the lab himself, but then All for One had called a meeting last second, and he was forced to leave a small recorded message for the kid, and tell Yuyara she was in charge of the tour, as he ran out the door.

“...Wait.”

He blinked.

“Kid, plus Tour, plus Yuyara in charge, plus my luck…”

His brows creased as worry began to gnaw at the back of his mind.

He did tell her to ease the kid into everything slowly right?

Right!?

-Rain of sins-

"And these are the Nomu!" Yuyara concluded with a proud smile on her face, gesturing to the rows of large tubes that were lined up behind her, their bright green glow filling the room and blending almost seamlessly with her toxic green eyes.

"Aren't they great!?"

-Chapter: end-