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A clanging sound was heard the halls. The place was void of any other sound, even though it was filled with so many people. Then there were the two people who entered the room after crossing the halls. One was tall blond, probably in his older years, wearing a prominent pained expression. The other was a small white creature of unknown species, for all anyone could care, the thing could be a giant rat. The creature was dressed in more formal clothes and wore a sweet smile on its face. They closed the distance to the center of the room, it being split into two part by a thick glass, and sat down on the two chairs, that were prepared beforehand. They proceeded to stare onto what was in front of them and patiently waited for any sign of communication from the other party. Upon finding none, the big rat took the lead and decided to start it himself. "It's been quite a while now, hasn't it? I don't think we talked in decades, but I'm sure you remember me just fine. Now let's get to the reason as to why we came here." the creature motioned his companion to continue. "I don't think we met yet. I go by the name All Might and.... I'm the current bearer of One for All." when the blond didn't get any reaction, he decided to continue. "I heard about it, from my mentor." he tried to keep the eye contact, not sure if the other can see him. "About the day you got caught. About the day he died. I know she said sorry to you. I know you cried." then the blond exhaled loudly "And I know you hate us, heroes. It's only reasonable. But understand that he couldn't be just contained somewhere. It'd be dangerous. He went on a rampage and there was no saving him." the blond finished, feeling as if he had an immense weight on his shoulders that he couldn't just shake off. The white creature, once again, took this as his turn and piped up. "We're here to make a deal with you. Technically, we could just take you out, without your consent, but that wouldn't be right. We want your trust." the white-furred mammal exclaimed with one paw held up, throwing his description of the deal out on the table. "So, do you agree with this trade, Izuku?" ----- It was quiet. It's always been. Why didn't he notice? Why only now? Holding out a hand, a random bird crept its way on it from a branch. He slowly lifted his other hand and patted the small thing. It decided to plant itself in the dark black curls, mixed with some green, making it look like a nest. The only sound now was the soft singing of the bird. And never-ending quiet. He leaned on the tree, in which crown of he was sitting in right now, enjoying the fresh air. He could just fall asleep and no one would know. Except someone would.He heard a not-so-loud shout from underneath the tree and decided to ignore it. He wanted just a little bit more of this quiet. But then the shouts stopped and something curled around his torso, trapping his arms around his body and being dragged down. The bird got scared and flew away, the peaceful melody of it all gone. He felt slightly emptier than he already was, but what can you do? Once he was lowered onto the ground, he just felt even more tired and bored. Dark eyes met green. The former glaring at the latter. "What do you want, Eraser?" the teen asked, more annoyed than angry. "I already completed the four tasks of today. Leave me be." he finished.The so called 'Eraser' didn't find this amusing in the slightest and started dragging the teen from the shadows the tree casted. "Nezu wants to see you. According to the monitor, you haven't had any food today and you haven't even tried drinking any water past three days." NOW the man sounded agitated. The teen kept the uncooperative attitude going, not even trying to respond. "So be it." the man didn't seem to mind dragging the teen. His uneven long black hair dancing on his shoulders with every step he had to take with the additional weight being dragged behind him. Once in the building, it was a quick trip to the principal's office. "Hello there! Welcome, both of you! Please have a seat. Would you like some tea?" asked the ever so happy headmaster. The two of them sat at the two chairs opposite to the principal's desk. The teen being then freed from the scarves, resembling bandages, breathed freely. "Now, I'd like to discuss a thing with you!" the creature pointed at the teen. "How about we change a few things. I might have a task just for you, Izuku."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Big hands reached his face and clasped his small cheeks, pulling him closer until he found himself in a warm embrace. It felt safe, why wouldn’t it?
Then all of the movements stopped and he found himself staring at the display of the store because that was the game he always wanted. All of the other kids in the town had it and loved sharing their experiences and trading the little creatures inside, which made him wonder how it worked.
He found himself closer to the glass and pressed closer to the display, to have a better look on the big TV placed in the middle of the entire mini stage and it was colorful and beautiful, like a whole another world in one small device.
But he shook the feeling of want and turned to his father, because he was a busy man and they simply couldn’t just waste money on some random wants.
Father just smiled and promised he’d try to buy it for him on his birthday, making the small boy smile in joy- “Thank you dad!” he hugged the man and they both departed further to where they were headed.
Izuku woke up from his sleep with a small groan. It was a memory from a log time ago, he noted for himself. He brought his sleeves to his face to wipe up the tears. He never understood what those waterworks meant. He got up from the corner of the room he was sleeping in, throwing the blanket he buried himself in on the bed, and then leaving the room.The teen proceeded to stride the halls, finding himself in the cafeteria after few minutes of walking. Izuku then opted to thank Lunch Rush for the breakfast and sat alone at a table. He ate quietly and once he was finished, he found himself a company in form of a long-maned tabby. The cat wondered onto his lap moments before he finished his food and demanded the scratches and pets. Who was he to not comply? He found himself looking up from the cat suddenly, upon realizing someone was approaching. Looking at the two figures, he immediately wanted to drag himself to his room and never come out ever again. A purple-haired teen followed by the same tired dark-haired man, the damn guy who usually drags him around. It was their cat, to be fair, but that didn’t mean they had to approach him about her escaping the apartment, again. Izuku glared at the two, resuming his scratches under the cat’s chin. The cat purred loudly, showing just how much she loved Izuku. “Um….. I’m sorry to sound rude, man….. But could you give Hime back, please…?” The teen lazily pointed at the purring cat on Izuku’s lap and then was met with the green-haired teen’s deadpan look. “No.” he said. If he was going to be here forever, might as well make it a hell for all of the other people around him. The purple-haired didn’t really expect this answer so he just froze, leaving only the adult next to him to try to get the cat. Aizawa, the tired man with long dark- most likely black hair, unshaved face and almost always wearing only black, stepped closer to Izuku, sighing and lazily motioning with his hands to give the cat to him. Izuku just gave him a displeased look, mixed with amusement, because of course he won’t give him this fluffy sweetheart. He knew Hime was moody around her owners and he loved that she liked him. Usually, if she ran away, he was the first place to look for her. Izuku then, after seeing the more frustrated look from Aizawa decided to pick up the cat in his arms, but instead of giving her to him, he walked past the two and out of the cafeteria.Aizawa had to pinch the bridge of his nose. He knew Izuku wouldn’t hurt Hime, but still…. He decided to leave it be until Izuku’s task of the day comes and he’ll take the cat to their apartment afterwards. Izuku found himself asleep on yet another tree on the campus. They had a lot of trees, which was nice. Some were really high, some were shorter, but he loved the forest at the back of the UA borders. Then, as always, a small sound of “Izuku.” Came from down under the tree, making Izuku crane his neck in the direction. A woman of a smaller stature, bit round but not chubby yet, stood with a small smile gazing at the teen. She had dark green hair, a resemblance to a person he could not remember, probably from a long time ago. “It’s time to go.” she’d always say. There were very few people on the campus, heck, the whole hero industry even, that he trusted, but this person was one he could always find himself relaxing with. He jumped down from the tree, cat still in his arms, little bit startled but used to his stunts. She meowed unhappily, but purred once Izuku started scratching her fondly. The woman overlooked the entire scene and once her and the teen’s eyes met, she smiled a bit brighter and nodded to him. A ghost of a small smile appeared on his lips as they walked down the hallways of UA. Once they stood in front of their destination, she knocked twice, opening the door after she heard the cheerful “Come in!” They both entered the room and found themselves in the principal’s office. Nezu, the damn thing, Izuku thought, was grinning like always. The two of them sat on the couches, taking a notice of the other occupants of the room. There was Izuku, sitting next to the green-haired woman- Inko, then, across the table, sat Nezu, a small boy next to him with a man, who Izuku can only assume was their parent and of course there was the man himself, Aizawa, waiting to get this over with and take the cat back home. “Hello, Izuku.” Nezu called, as if they were some old buddies, which Izuku despised so very much. The small principal then motioned his hand to the small boy with bright red eyes, darker skin and quirk suppressing cuffs on his hands, which looked too big for him. The boy had a bright red mop of hair, sitting uncomfortably next to his dad, probably, who had almost all of the younger boy’s features, with the exception of the cuffs. What caught Izuku’s attention was the man’s hair. It looked exactly like those so called “Lava lamps’ insides”, the bubbles going from his skin and then disappearing after floating a few centimeters. He had quite a nest of those bubbles too. It was an interesting quirk. Sure, not for hero work or any job which required a strong quirk, but it was a nice little thing among many repeated ones. Izuku’s gaze met the principal’s unwillingly after a moment of staring and inspecting the man’s hair. The small rodent took this as a permission to state his ’task’. “This here, is Asahi-san and his son Kai.” Nezu introduced the two new faces. Izuku glanced at the cuffs the kid had, knowing where this was going again. He sighed. “As you know, not all of us are able to handle our quirks, and Asahi-san here, as a longtime friend of mine, asked me if I had any way of easing the burden of the uncontrollable quirk their son had.” The principal smiled cheerly, the rat. “I’d like to ask you, Izuku to take it from him. It’s an elemental quirk, a mutation he got from his parents, making him able to change his hair based on his emotions into any kind of element. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to get a grasp on it, and furthermore, once he’s older, it’ll only prove as a problem if he ever wished to live a full life. Do you agree to this, as the task of the day?” Asked the white devil, as Izuku liked to call him. But honestly? If it meant having only to do one thing today…. It wouldn’t matter to him how stupid it would be. So he nodded, then stood up and placed a hand on the boy’s forehead. The boy then yelped, a tiny small needle-pain appeared, only to disappear in less than a second. Then he retracted his hand, the boy looking extremely confused as to what just happened. And because Izuku was Izuku, instead of sitting on the couch, where he sat before and where he placed Hime before he walked closer to the boy, he left the room without looking back. There was silence.Then the silence was broken with a quiet curse from Aizawa, ready to bolt and go drag the kid back to the room, only for Inko to beat him to it. The woman got up, and hastily apologized and then hastily left the room. She was going to find the boy.
“Dad! You know what day is it today?!” Izuku smiled, a toothy grin plastered on his face.
“Let me guess…..” The man smiled while holding up his chin with a hand comically. “Is it perhaps your 14th birthday?” The man said playfully, adding fuel to the fire, in this case- Izuku’s happiness.
“Daaaaaad!” Izuku cried dramatically, running to the man cheerfully upon seeing the wrapped box with his name on, in the man’s arms.
The present abandoned on the table, the two hugged tightly, prepared to never let go.
-of course it would, as every good thing in Izuku’s life never lasts long.
A crash sounds, a sudden group of people heroes appear in their small home, ready to put down the big old villain. The man hides the child behind himself, an attempt to protect his son. He tells him to leave the place immediately, to go to that old store his grandpa used to work in, that he’ll find him after this is dealt with.
So, the boy runs, he runs and doesn’t look back.
And that was the mistake.
A window is broken and a giant shard flies in the boy’s way, too slow to react.
It pierces through his neck, imbedding itself almost at the near end, making him halt.
Unable to breathe, he uses his last dose of air to scream so loud, almost everyone inside the house stop.
They see the boy from the window, tears in his eyes, bloody neck and then, a fallen body on the ground.
The next thing the boy remembers is his father bending on his knees above him, his entire clothes soaked in blood.
And once his hearing returns to him, he hears his father say:
“For you, whom I’ve given up my immortality.”
He never forgets those words.
Izuku’s hair changes into a burst if steam, a heave of anger washes his system, a memory of his first death forever embedded into his mind. The boy stopped aging after the accident. .
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It wasn't every day that Izuku felt at ease. There was a bare minimum of people he got along with and slightly more of who he could tolerate. One of the people he enjoyed having around was Inko. She was a kind woman, divorced once, but now happily married. She wasn't slim by any chance, but she wasn't outright fat either, she was average and short. What Izuku treasured about her though, was her kindness. Whenever something upset him, she would show up, sooner or later, and try to find a way to comfort him. Sometimes it was just a few words, sometimes his head got pets and his back pats or circles, or sometimes he got hugs from her. They never felt forced, and very genuine. It always reminded him of his own mother. He missed her dearly, as well as his dad. When he found out that she was married to Yagi Toshinori, also known to some as All Might (he knew), their relationship fell and shattered to pieces. He didn't want to be near that man, ever. He distanced himself, not knowing if he felt betrayed for not telling him, or if he should be fine with it. He felt as if though they were using her to get to him, to make him attached, more fragile. His heart fell to pieces and he shut off. It took months to get him to trust her again, she assured him that even though she DID get asked to get closer to him, she didn't spy nor try to make him meeker. She felt her heart jump from her chest and Izuku knew that whatever she'd say, she'd never lie to him. So, he forgave her. Their relationship was never the same, yes, but they worked around it. Yagi Inko lived on the campus together with Toshinori, and they weren't the only family who did. Aizawa Shota, married to another teacher on the campus, Yamada Hizashi, lived together near Inko's house. They also had an adopted son, Hitoshi. Now Hitoshi wasn't exactly the friendly type. When they first met, Hitoshi immediately brainwashed him out of fear of being bullied again. Izuku was pulled out of it later, and was given apologies from the boy. Apparently, he was only ever used to people hurting him, got adopted when he was around 8 or 9, and when he finally got introduced to Izuku, he was 10. They didn't get to talk much, and with Izuku's lack of time awareness, he didn't notice how the purple-haired boy aged and grew up, they didn't meet much, after all.
His hands trembled, 'What have I done? ' he asked himself.
Blood soaking his body, his blood. He died again. Dad told him not to. He didn't listen, got killed again.
The heroes didn't care, they wanted fame or just do their job (that they get paid for).
He knew better now, running to the meeting point with father. Dad would tell him the plans of another moving and they'd be on their way the next morning.
It was 20 years past his first death, but he didn't age, he didn't change. He remained the same and his father aged. He was close to his 60s, and with how All for One worked? He wasn't given much time before.....
He didn't want to think about that. He needed to get to their temporary home and pack with his dad.
But when he got near the house, he felt it. Something was wrong. Something was off.
He came closer to the door and once he was at the arms reach of the doorknob, it was physically unbearable.
He opened the door to the sight of his father standing opposite to a man with a younger female. They were both dressed in capes and he knew... heroes.
He felt as if though he should run and protect his father, he wasn't immortal anymore.
But before he knew it, everything was a blur. He was held from behind with strength he didn't know the female had, his father engaged in a fierce fight with who he could call a mentor to the female behind him.
It all passed in a blur, his father on the ground, few meters away from him, he lost all of his senses. He dislocated his arms- thus making him free- and came running to him. He fell on his knees, tears filling his eyes.
Why was this happening to them?! Why couldn't they just be left alone…..
His father raised one of his hands, bloody and mashed with dirt, placed it on his forehead ever so gently.
He had to close his eyes, a second of pain, and once he opened them, he was met with his father's face, calm and caring, reflecting something he couldn't quite place, as if he was saddled on what was to come.
Then his father's hand was placed on his cheek, a sign of comfort.
It lasted a second. Maybe two.
Then there was only coldness.
In front of him wasn't the person he loved anymore.
There was an abomination of quirks, uncontrollable and destroying everything in its way.
Izuku could only watch, feeling a few new stars inside his belly.
All for One was in him now.