Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There had never been a more defining moment in Katsuki’s life than this one. Standing fiercely, on a solid slab of concrete that was encased in the middle giant pile of rubble that had once been UA, dust was clouding the air and coughing could be heard every few seconds from a poor victim getting the particles trapped in their lungs. Katsuki didn’t inhale too deeply, and the dust was nothing more than a distraction which he promptly chose to ignore. He was staring straight ahead, vision narrowed, fingers curled and palms profusely sweating, he was about to mop the floor with these villains. His crimson eyes gleamed with perseverance. 

Yes, something had gone wrong. Katuski wasn’t entirely sure what yet but the plans were changed. People were moving in all directions, hero’s flying and shouting in every direction. There was fighting all around as intense combat battles had begun. It didn't take Katsuki long to recognize they were no longer fighting according to a set of guidelines. No, they were too far gone for those obligations. They were in the heart and war. And there were no rules. 

As Katsuki set his focus on the center of the battlefield, he was currently out of the line of sight of villains and he was waiting for the perfect moment to attack. The fire beneath his skin ignited and his fingers twitched with anticipation. It wouldn’t be much longer before he himself was forced to come out, he could sense the tide was turning. But he was waiting on a particular target, he had survived the fateful hit to his chest, and he now had a score to settle. 

His brow was sweating from the humidity and the dust cloud was trapping the heat down on ground level, making it very rough fighting conditions for most heroes. This was excellent for Katsuki however, the more heat meant the more sweat and that meant more explosions. He couldn’t have asked for better conditions, but he was also still a bloody mess and terribly weak from literally resurrecting, so he patiently awaited at his post for the one person he was willing to combat. 

But it seemed the entire time he was staring in the wrong direction. Behind him loads of gravel and trees suddenly erupted from the remaining forests. Birds shot out of the trees, singing their warning songs, as branches and limbs were falling from the sky. Katsuki turned his attention to the forest set aflame and he watched in horror at flames licking at the trunks of trees before slithering up the bark and engulfing the rich, green leaves in a dark, nightmarish smoke. Katsuki’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, catching himself before he tripped off the ledge of his stone. His held his arms out to steady him, eyes not moving from the wicked sight of wild red, oranges, and yellows dancing freely, and smothering everything insight. “Who the fuck set the forest on fire? What kind of idiot?!” Katsuki swore under his breath, how could someone be so stupid? He had turned his attention away for too long however because moments later another blast sounded and the wall of rubble he had been standing on instantly exploded and Katsuki was launched into the air along with the hundreds of crushed rocks he had called a temporary base. 

When he landed, everything went fuzzy. He had landed directly on his stomach and it was not an easy landing. He made a direct impact with the course dirt  and his spine began curling inwards as the pain palpitations began thumping within his body. He was aching again. He was always aching these days, but he fought the voice in his head telling him to rest for a minute as he raised up on his forearms to get a glimpse of the battlefield before him. He pried open his left eye cautiously, he feared he had a concussion because the light instantly stung his retina, causing a flaring headache to spear his frontal lobe, the right eye had been temporarily sealed with dry blood however so he was forced to rely on partial vision. He saw Shigaraki laughing. He saw Izuku standing before him, arms raised, black whip wrapping his body like a serpent and he knew Izuku was prepared to strike. 

At this point in the dream Katsuki’s brain got glitchy. He saw Shigaraki smirking, his white hair floating in all directions and his eyes were laced and glossy as if in a euphoria. There was Izuku, and then there wasn’t. That was weird. Izuku was hit by impact, he couldn’t tell what had hit him but he was on the ground. Katsuki didn’t remember moving, but he had because he was now standing above Izuku. There were words exchanged, the voices too muffled to understand what had been spoken, and then the scene was open skies and blue waters. Then back to blood and knives and pain and the piercing of skin. And once again sand and trees and sun and green hair and green eyes that once glistened with promises of peace and hope, the eyes were shut. Katsuki was afraid in his dream. Very afraid. Once he noticed this fear he also found it hard to breathe and suddenly he was shoved under water and the tide was pulling him out and there were vines wrapped around his ankles and his neck and they were tugging him down down down… into the depths of the ocean. His vision was getting dark and his chest was going to explode and he needed air. He tried to fight the seaweed but the vines seemed to tighten with every thrash and so he struggled in an attempt to be free only to tether him further to a painful fate. Was this the end? Would he die? But in a moment, he was at ease. 

In the heat of his panic, he caught a glimpse of the green of the seaweed, that tethered him to this endless drowning, flash before his eyes and he knew he had seen that green before… somewhere far away from here. His body was flooded with a sudden sense of comfort more powerful than that of the surrounding waters and he just knew… he was going to live. He was going to live… he was able to convince himself of this for a few peaceful seconds before the seaweed was shoved out of his perception by the ever evading tide. Immediately he went back into his state of endless fear, only to be violently drug once more down into the murky depths of the darkness-

Katsuki awoke abruptly and in a coughing spit.  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” said a gruff voice from Katsuki’s right. Katsuki shook his head to gather his bearings and become accustomed to the light streaming in through the open flap of the tent. He reflexively reached to rub his eyes to screen out the blinding light but was prevented by a forceful resistance from his arm only to look down and be filled with the reminder that he was a prisoner of war. And that intrigued him to take in the presence of the man in the room sitting at the desk farthest from his bed. The man was baked in a warm glow radiating from the wicker candle planted on the desk and he was studying a file of some sort. Katsuki couldn’t see over the man’s hunched figure and even if he could, he doubted he’d be able to read the fine print. Katsuki had the eyes of a hawk, but even he couldn’t read size ten font from ten feet away. 

The man was dressed in a white lab coat and his gray hair was sticking out of all directions. There were goggles resting atop the man’s head that shoved back some of the chaotic strands of stringy hair and gave the image of being somewhat put together. The man still looked psychotic and Katsuki instantly got a weird vibe from the man. He had the same sick feeling he had felt around All For One. It was probably the knowledge that this man worked for All For One, and anyone who worked for that wicked abomination would not take Katsuki’s visitation lightly. In other words, they would do every cruel thing they could think of him, except grant him death. Then again, maybe death would be too merciful. 

 The man abruptly dropped his pen and wheeled around in his chair, studying Katsuki intrusively. “You’re a lot quieter than the Master warned me about. He spoke as if you were a R rated movie, spewing explicites every five seconds.” The man chuckled as he spoke before lazily standing and stretching his arms behind his head. Katsuki’s muscles envied the movement, they were stiff and aching from lack of motion. He tried to speak but his throat was hoarse. After a few attempts he finally managed to get his words out. 

“I just don’t like wasting my breath.” Katsuki met the man’s gaze from across the room and he instantly noted these were the first eye’s he saw here that didn’t appear empty. In fact, he was almost taken aback by the amount of emotion seen in them. Almost sympathy, but not quite. Katsuki couldn’t quite determine what emotion what displayed across the man’s face, but it quickly faded and was replaced with a look of smugness. Smugness for what? Katsuki couldn’t determine. Perhaps for the plain power the man had over Katsuki, but what did this man gain from anything? When it came down to it, this man would be forced to bow before All For One just the same as every other citizen now under his control. He couldn’t be proud of that could he? 

“You should speak while you still have time. Your clock is ticking much faster than it was before.” Katsuki shook his head slowly, dropping the man’s gaze. What was up with everyone warning him about death. It was inevitable for everyone. He’d even experienced it once before. Yeah, he’d been given a second chance and he didn’t want to waste it. But being taken to All For One’s main base was a death sentence itself. Katsuki had come here knowing that, it didn’t take a genius to recognize, but maybe it did take a hero too. 

The average citizen didn’t recognize the ruthlessness of All For One, how he was an evil given form. They simply didn’t know how, nor would they have the ability. Heroes were pros at telling the citizens everyone would work out and no matter how bad things looked, with hope there would always be a chance. And if they happened to be captured by All For One, they would be too overcome by fear to have any stable thoughts. They would rely on the hero’s and their advice to keep themselves sane at the very least. Threats of death would terrify them and they would cling to each day as if it was their last. That was the person All For One’s agents expected. That was the type of person they were trained to work with, trained to frighten, trained to break. Katsuki was not that person and Katsuki would not be frightened by the idea of death. The man before him did not recognize this. Or maybe he did, and he just didn’t care. Katsuki couldn’t tell by the bored expression his face had morphed into. 

“You sound like a damn moron, you know?” Katsuki eventually said, trying to make his voice sound as unbothered as every other human being he’d spoken to in the past few, however long he’d been here. The man smirked at Katsuki’s word choice. 

“So there is some fire left in you? I’m glad they didn’t smolder all of it,” he said before turning around to grab a glass from the crate beside the pitcher in the corner beside the desk, the same one All For One had used prior to Katsuki’s slumber. Katsuki was shut up at those words. Did he just say… he’s glad Katsuki hadn’t lost his spark? What could that even mean? Was it glad for a good or bad reason? Should Katsuki be worried about what the man meant by this? Was he misunderstanding the words? He had to be, he was being too optimistic. Without thinking, Katsuki spoke. 

“What do you mean?” The man simply hummed quietly to himself, a song Katsuki didn’t recognize, if it was even a song at all, and didn’t show any sign he was going to give a response. He looked down at the blankets on his bed in silent determination to get something out of the man. It wasn’t long before Katsuki thought of a new question. “Who are you again?” The man turned the water spout and filled the glass half way and even shut the water off before bothering to answer. He spun around with half-hearted enthusiasm and strolled over to Katsuki, laying the glass on the table beside him before reaching back behind his neck and pulling a chain necklace out from under his shirt, a small key attached to it. 

“My apologies for forgetting introductions,” he said as he unclipped the necklace and slid the key off the chain. He leaned down into Katsuki’s space and the smell of herbs and green tea wafted around him. Instinctively Katsuki shuffled back against the bed frame, not sure what the man was planning on doing. “Calm down, I’m only freeing you.” Katsuki didn’t believe the man for a second and went to deliver a hearty kick with the foot on the opposing side of his body that man stood beside before the man firmly planted his hand on Katsuki’s knee, driving it against the bed. Without hesitation Katsuki used his other knee to deliver a hefty blow to the man’s stomach and he bent over wheezing from impact. 

“Don’t touch me,” Katsuki snarled from the safety of the bed as the man stepped back a couple steps while clutching his stomach to catch his breath. The man raised one of his arms and waved off Katsuki’s words. 

“Do you fight freedom or something?” He asked as he slowly rose to face Katsuki, a single arm still wrapped around his abdomen. That got Katsuki’s attention he dropped his snarl before intently at the man with the key. Could he actually be telling the truth? THe man began his mission again to uncuff Katsuki and Katsuki, silently bewildered, didn’t bother fighting him this time. When both his hands were undone he had never leapt off a bed so fast in his life. He didn’t know where he found this renewed energy but he relished it as he backed as far as he could against the tent wall on the opposite side of the room from the man.  “Oh come on, don’t act like that.” The man held up the glass of water. “I have you a drink, I know you need one.” 

Katsuki narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his raw wrists, looking down at them he saw there were dark red gashes from where the tight bonds had been secured against his skin. They were tender to touch and he massaged them lightly while maintaining eye contact with the slender scientist across the room from him. Katsuki noticed then how wide his eyes were, taking in everything around him, studying everything about Katsuki and he knew somehow he was reading him like a book. Katsuki wasn’t easy to read, he wasn’t open about any parts of his life, not even to his closest friends. He displayed no signs of emotion, except a very few rare times he had let his guard down, and that would never happen here. No one would ever look at him and know what he’s thinking but standing here, in the dim light of the wicker candles decorating the room, Katsuki felt every secret, every fear, every story of his life he kept hidden behind closed doors was visible to the knowing brown eyes of the man. He hated the feeling that every thought that had ever crossed his mind was now in the mind of the man before him so he refocused his gaze slightly above the man’s crazed gray hair, as if the eyes were the peep hole to his memory and if he didn’t allow the man access he wouldn’t have to worry about the intrusions of this stranger. 

“Please just come sit back down, if All For One were to see you right now… well you know what would happen.” Katsuki turned his trembling gaze back down and saw the man had turned his head away from him, he was looking towards the door as if at any moment All For One was going to sense Katsuki’s newfound freedom of being granted permission to stand and burst through to do something about it. That could only mean the man was defying direct orders to not allow Katsuki to do such a thing, and Katsuki couldn’t imagine a world in which workers for All For One would even listen to All For One if he asked them to allow him a bit of freedom now and then. Considering no matter how awful All For One is, to work for him would make you worse. To be able to witness what he was doing and freely support his evil doings, knowing you could be the chance to stop it, to Katsuki that was even worse than doing the deed itself. But this man was doing the opposite. And Katsuki almost had half a heart to listen, because the man truly did seem slightly more nervous than he had been before. The man turned back towards Katsuki and once again Katsuki felt those large eyes sucking all the life out of him. 

“Who are you?” Katsuki asked, his voice much more hushed than it had been before. As if the two were exchanging elementary school secrets and not conversing about the dangers of what the man had just allowed to happen. The man looked at him a moment longer before sighing. 

“Call me Ash. I’m not supposed to give you personal information , but what harm can it do?” Ash shrugged and laid the water back on the night stand before walking back towards his desk. Katsuki’s eyes followed Ash’s trail until Ash took a seat where he had been sitting before and went back to work. Katsuki hesitated for a moment longer, debating whether it was actually safe to move from his secure spot against the wall. He came to the conclusion that if it was a trap it would’ve been kind of pointless letting him free only to give him water to trap him again. It would be cruel, and would probably be the kind of torture All For One would enjoy, but it was worth the risk. Katsuki cautiously shuffled back towards the bed, not taking his eyes away from the sitting figure who was once again jotting down something. “If you have a question you can ask,” said Ash, “If you’re going to ask them, I would suggest asking me out of all people here.” Katsuki, who had been climbing back onto the bed to reach over and grab the water glass, paused his actions and shot a look at the mysterious man. 

“… hah?” He sputtered out as confusion warped his mind. The man kept writing. Katsuki quickly grabbed the jar and practically inhaled the drink before turning his attention back to Ash. He scooted to the end of the bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge and he sat in his usual laid back position, arms stretched out behind him holding him up.  “What do you mean by that?” He asked, a little more aggressively than he intended. 

“I mean what I said,” said the man simply, “I would dumb it down more for you, but I don’t think I can,” Katsuki grimaced at the sarcasm as his brain searched for a valid reason to explain why All For One’s minion could be trying to help him. Or make him feel reassured, or whatever kind thing Ash was trying to do. What was Ash doing? Was this some kind of mind game? Did All For One want Katsuki to think he was safe and surrounded by people who might care, just so they can betray him and All For One can hurt him a little bit more than he already had. Katsuki wouldn’t fall for it. He couldn’t allow himself too. 

“Do you not work for All For One? I highly doubt he would approve of this.” Katsuki mentioned, hoping Ash would get the hint to drop the act and go back to acting normally. Katsuki knew sooner or later he would be back to the beatings and back to the restraints so why not go ahead and cool it with the temptation of freedom. Ash crumpled the paper of whatever he had been writing and threw it in the trash can beside the desk before looking over his shoulder at the distrusting blonde, he still looked awful. Ash knew Katsuki probably wasn’t aware that the blood had been wiped from his face and the scratches were still healing, there was a large chance they would permanently scar, but his right eye was still swollen and a deep shade of red while a patch of skin near his left ear was a deep yellow and purple. If he tried to eat anything it would be severely painful. It was probably bothering him right now but he refused to show signs of weakness and Ash didn’t dare bother asking him about it. 

“Oh, he would probably kill me if he found out,” Ash said without a hint of fear, as if he was almost daring All For One to find out what Ash was doing, “But he is only my Master. I am still my own man. And as of right now, the only power he has over me is when he is in my proximity.” Katsuki tilted his head, still slightly suspicious of the man’s behavior. But very intrigued by what Ash was saying. He was out right admitting to defying All For One, even though he worked for him. 

“Then why are you willing to tell me?” Katsuki needed this one truth, before he decided to give in and question everything around him he needed a straightforward answer that would reassure him he wouldn’t be severely wounded for even thinking there might be a slight chance of hope despite the place he was in. Ash lowered his gaze for a second, his eyes betraying an emotion of almost guilt, Katsuki wasn’t sure what for. The man seemed almost lost in a daydream, his lower lip twitched as if he was trying to control his face from revealing anything besides the sliver of hurt in his eyes. Ash lifted his eyes back up to Katsuki’s narrowed gaze, his crimson red eyes bent to slits as he focused in on the man at the desk.

The man took a deep breath before giving a single nod and firmly stating, “Because I believe you’re one of our last chances to stop All For One, permanently.” Katsuki’s eyes widened and he leaned back almost as if the shock of the words had hit him with a driving force, shoving him against his will. He would remain strong…. He wouldn’t listen to lies… He wouldn’t… but.. what if it wasn’t a lie? No. There’s now way someone who was working this closely with All For One was also trying to tear him down. Unless,  there were multiple people out there doing what Hawks had done? Multiple imposters tediously work to gather as much information as possible from the inside in order to send the information back to the hero’s. Could the hero’s still be working despite their heavy loss? 

No, there’s no way they would take such risks. After the League found out about Hawks they almost killed him and his wings were almost permanently damaged, they never did fully recover. It would go against ethical guidelines to allow those stunts to be committed again and Endeavor paid hefty for allowing it once, Katsuki could only imagine the repercussions if they had allowed such behaviors to be repeated. Ash was lying. That was the only conclusion that made any sense. And if any more evidence was necessary, why would people depend on him to stop All For One? He had been killed the first time around when he fought him. Yes, his quirk had amplified but not enough to beat him one vs one a second round. He had died with at least ten other Pro Hero’s around him. He wouldn’t last five seconds against him by himself. Katsuki wasn’t one to admit weakness or to admit defeat, but he wasn’t stupid either. And going out against All For One by yourself was just plain stupid.  

“You’re lying,” said Katsuki accusingly. There wasn’t a world out there where he couldn’t be lying about this. Ash’s shoulders sank and he let out a heavy sigh and for a second Katsuki’s mind automatically replaced the gray haired man with a green haired boy. The look of defeat, the posture, the terrible posture were all very Izuku like qualities but Katsuki quickly shook his head and refocused. 

“Bakugo, I know what I’m saying sounds crazy. And I know you’re skeptical because why wouldn’t you be right now? But you have to believe me when I say I want to help you,” Ash stood up from his seat again and ran his hands roughly through his hair, yanking the goggles off his head and tossing them on the desk. He walked over to where Katsuki was sitting and Katsuki did his best to move away from the bed and back over to his corner in the wall, which now that he thought about it was a bad idea because he could easily be cornered. He could also blow the place up if necessary. It might be an idiotic choice of action but it might come down to his only choice and he was prepared to take the risk. He clenched and unclenched his hands, gathering sweat in his palms in case he needed to launch an attack.  “Please, listen to me,” Ash said as he noticed Katsuki’s defensive stance and he immediately stopped walking and stood patiently on the rug in the center of the room instead. He held up his hands in surrender, trying to show Katsuki he didn’t want to hurt him. 

“I don’t care. I’m not falling for your stupid ass tricks so stop trying,” he said with a frown and malicious gaze. His eyes burning into the man standing before him, if only he could use his quirk to actually burn the man. Then he would actually be turned to ash. Katsuki internally smirked at his joke but kept his face hardened. Ash glanced around the room as if trying to come up with an idea to persuade Katsuki that he wasn’t lying. Ash was good with words, that was his whole thing, it’s why All For One kept him around, so why weren’t they working right now. 

“Katsuki, I understand you’re afraid,” Ash began sullenly, “You’re in All For One’s domain and you think I’m trying to somehow manipulate you into being more broken than you already are.” It sickened Katsuki that the man somehow guessed exactly what he was triggering. “But you need to listen to me carefully. I know what you’re planning. I know your goal and I know exactly what you intend to do. And I’m here to tell you it won’t work.” Katsuki’s eyes slitted as he stared down the man. What could he possibly know about him? Katsuki hadn’t said anything, unless they somehow had done tests he didn’t remember. Had he already blocked out horrible memories of his time here? It couldn’t have been that long had it? 

“I already told you I don’t care, why are you still speaking?” Katsuki said, hoping to send the man away at the very least. He wanted to shut the conversation down. He didn’t care if he would be alone, he never minded being alone. He could be alone and suffer in silence. He just didn’t want to be lied to. He didn’t want to be tricked or manipulated or broken down. He wanted to go home, if he even still had a home to go to. He wanted to leave and find Izuku and somehow put a stop to this all. He wanted to be anywhere but here. 

“Because if you care anything about Izuku Midoriya you’re going to want to listen,” said Ash, quietly but sternly. Katsuki’s ears perked open real fast. He couldn’t actually have guessed Katsuki’s goal. Then again, maybe it was an obvious goal. All For One made it clear on the battlefield that he and Izuku were close right before he obliterated the life out of him. Was that common knowledge? Oh god, Katsuki hoped not. If he ever got free, he and Izuku would both become major targets if only to lure out the other one. And he knew it would work, because even though Katsuki knew the motive he would still go if it meant a chance of meeting Izuku along the way. Katsuki mentally debated whether or not Ash was actually on his side. Mentioning Izuku had been All For One’s personal tactic, had he passed it down to his employees? Did he believe a less imposing face would somehow allow Katsuki to give in? 

 “What about Midoriya?” Katsuki was immediately left with a strange feeling and he instantly recognized why. That name felt weird on his tongue. He couldn’t remember the last time he said Deku’s last name. It was always Deku and sometimes, very rarely, he was referred to as Izuku. Midoryia just wasn’t a term Katsuki utilized. Even when speaking with Izuku’s mom he always said Auntie Inko or Auntie for short. But he didn’t feel comfortable sharing such an intimate piece of Izuku with this stranger so he referred to Izuku by his last name. Ash didn’t seem to notice Katsuki’s disgust with himself as he cleared his throat. 

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, he has survived the war and is out there somewhere. You and I both know he’s humanity’s last chance at surviving the reign of All For One.” Ash spoke with such clarity, as if he truly believed what he was saying. As if he didn’t only believe in its truth but he also supported it and was willing it to happen. Could Katsuki’s judgement of the man have been wrong after all? “And you, Bakugo.” The man grew tired of avoiding eye contact and stared Katsuki dead in the eyes, “You are the only one able to keep him alive to do so.” Katsuki’s eyes darted back and forth, searching both Ash’s eyes for the slightest hint of a lie. There was no sign of deception but the best liars are the ones who know not only to keep their words clipped. Katsuki dropped his gaze to the floor and pursed his lips, deep in thought. If Ash was telling the truth, it could change everything. If he was working against All For One, he wouldn’t be so entirely alone. There would be someone to aid him  and possibly, when the time is right, help him escape. If he also understood the need to get to Izuku as quickly as possible then he might even help him escape this very moment. 

The longer Katsuki pondered the more he came to the realization there was absolutely no reason not to trust the man. If he was lying, what would Katsuki lose? Absolutely nothing. He had nothing left. He lost his friends, his teacher, and his pride. If he was telling the truth, if he was willing to aid Katsuki, then he had everything to gain. Katsuki knew deep down, the period of safety attempts was over. That was a comfort taken for granted, and they had lost everything because of it. No, he could no longer play his cards carefully, All For One now had the upper hand and there was no long way to surpass him. There wouldn’t be a single path towards victory that didn’t involve All For One. The only way to defeat him would be to go head on and that meant taking every possible advantage, no matter the risk. Nothing was worth more than the reward. Katsuki accepted this hard truth as he lifted his head back to the man and slowly nodded. 

“You swear you’re telling the truth?” 

“I wouldn’t risk my life for a lie,” Ash said with a small smile. And Katsuki gave in. If he was lying, it’s not like he wouldn’t go through the same tortue anyway. And if he was telling the truth, he was risking everything by doing so. The least Katsuki could do was believe him. But, where did he come from? Who was he working for? He couldn’t possibly be working for one of Japan’s agencies. Through UA, Katsuki’s as familiar with most employees from most agencies. Unless there was a certified group of strictly undercover heros, Katsuki didn’t know who this man could be working under. There’s no way he was an independent hero trying to stop All For One on his own. 

“Who do you work for?” Katsuki eventually gathered the courage to ask. Ash opened his mouth then changed his mind and snapped it shut. 

“I can’t give you that information.” Katsuki’s guard went back up and Ash quickly waved his hands in front of him, trying to undo what he had said.  “I mean, I can’t give it to you yet. There will be a time and place where I tell you everything. But I can’t risk it yet. Not while you're still here under the watch of All For One.” Katsuki didn’t understand the reasoning behind this, did Ash think Katsuki was going to share his secrets just for a chance at mercy. Katsuki would die before assisting the villain, and his secrets would follow him to the grave. 

“But you’re working here. You’re under his watch as well,” Katsuki pointed out and Ash shook his head in disagreement. 

“I’ve been in his circle for many years so I’m no longer being watched like you are. Or, I guess I should say it will be.” Katsuki angled his head and raised a brow as he crossed his arms. The fear was slowly dissipating from his body as he began to move more freely and less stiffly. 

“Will be?” He questioned, as Ash nodded as he crossed his arms as well before spinning around and walking back over to his desk. 

“Yes, the plans aren’t finished yet,” he explained as he walked, “but All For One has major blueprints for systems and policies that are going to be put in as soon as he declares his reign over Japan.” Katsuki’s curiosity now overshadowed his fear as he dropped his arms and crossed the room, coming to stand a few feet away from Ash’s desk. Ash pulled out a drawer of the dark wooden desk and sifted through the folders before pulling out a red one labelled Project 1984 in large black letters printed on the front flap situated in front of a giant blue oval. Katsuki’s eyes passed over the hundreds of colorful folders, the labels all printed too small for Katsuki to make out what they could possibly be named. Ash slammed the drawer shut and threw the folder down on the table. “This is what All For One has been planning for the past century.” Katsuki’s eyes lit up at the sight and he couldn’t be happier than the fact he decided to trust this man. 

“Can I see the files?” Katsuki asked as he stepped forward and reached his hand out expectantly. The folder was thick and stuffed to the brim and Katsuki thought it was in its last life. Ash picked it up and handed it to him. 

“Inside you find all the finalized plans. I don’t know how we ended up so lucky to have you staying in here, since this is supposed to be my tent, but All For One had you transferred for “recovery purposes”, which really means he wanted to give you a shot for quick healing and butter you up so you’d listen to him… but I’m not going to argue with what he did.” Katsuki laughed lightly as Ash rolled his eyes. Katsuki held the folder in his hands and he couldn’t help but smile. This held all the answers he needed. As he studied the folder closer he noticed the blue oval wasn’t simply an oval after all but rather an eye. All for One will be watching you. Katsuki shuddered as he stared into the eye on the paper, it was empty and clearly fake but Katsuki couldn’t help but believe that it symbolized something far darker than the black unblinking pupil. 

“There’s a lot here,” Katsuki noted as he quickly opened the folder and the uneasy feeling in his stomach subsided once he lost sight of the eye. Ash nodded and glanced behind him towards the door. Katsuki was suddenly hyper aware that anyone could walk in and see him freely moving and the uneasy feeling was replaced with a sickening anxiety. Now that Katsuki had an ally well as leverage, he was less willing to be reckless about his actions. Ash noticed his uneasiness almost immediately. 

“Don’t worry, I was just double checking the flaps were closed. Everyone has been summoned for a meeting with All For One to talk about last minute planning for… well this.” Ash motioned to the folder in Katsuki’s hands, “That’s why I was eager to meet with you now, I feared it would be my only chance to talk to you with no chance of interruption.” Katsuki raised a brow. 

“Why aren’t you at the meeting?” Ash shuffled through some papers on the desk before picking one up to read. 

“I successfully pointed out I would be of no use at the meeting and needed to spend my time finalizing the nation’s new anthem. That’s why I’m here, I’m his writer and normally his correspondent. But he believed my skills would be of use here so he dragged me into the war and is having me prepare his song of victory,” Ash rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh, “It’s terribly boring but it’s not a task I can refuse or put half effort in. I have to at least pretend I support him,” Ash chuckled to himself and Katsuki smiled sympathetically. The man really was nothing like he was expectating and he felt awful for judging him so wrongly. Katsuki thought he had been in a tough situation but at least he could freely express his hatred for All For One. Ash was forced to assist the man if only for the greater good, he was sacrificing people’s perception of him in order to save them. 

“Well, have you finished it?” Katsuki asked, glancing at the crisp sheet of paper in the man’s hands. Half of it had unrecognizable words scribbled down and the other half was blank. Ash shook his head. 

“Not even close. It’s supposed to be eerie, malicious, frightening, and pretty much put fear into the hearts of people. Not exactly what I would look for when making an anthem for a nation. I want people to stand behind, but I guess that’s why I’m not in charge,” Ash shrugged before setting the paper back down and turning back towards Katsuki. “I’ll get to it, and I’m going to go ahead and apologize in advance for it. That way you don’t suddenly get a different vibe from me now that you know it will be me who wrote it,” The man laughed and Katsuki cracked a small smile. 

“I think the song will be the least of my problems if All For One’s makes it far enough in his ruling to have an anthem.” Ash nodded in agreement and pointed towards the folder. 

“Now, flip through quickly and I’ll give you a brief rundown of what you’re looking at. You’re most likely going to hear about these plans directly from All For One sometime in the next few days and I want to prepare you for them, because they are a little… unsettling.” Katsuki turned his attention and looked at the first page. He immediately was met with three large printed phrases. 

War is Peace 

Freedom is Slavery 

Ignorance is Strength 

Katsuki didn’t know what to make of the odd parallels. He didn’t even know what he was looking at. War was never peaceful and he felt no freedom while he was imprisoned for All For One. He never say stupidity as a strength so what could these phrases mean because they couldn’t be taken literally? 

“Those are the three basic principles of All For One’s new society,” Ash said, “If you flip a few pages you will see the explanation behind each. All For One will most likely not describe them to you, it will give you an understanding and defy the third principle, and I also agree it’s not vital you understand them right now. So flip to page two.” Katsuki didn’t like secrets, and he didn’t like being in the dark about the hidden meaning to the phrases but he had the knowledge in his hands and he knew Ash would allow him to read it at some point so he didn’t fight Ash’s request as he flipped to the next page. 

Table of Contents: 

1. The Ministries 
2. Thought Police 
3. Newspeak 
4. Technology 
5. Oligarchy and Hierarchy 
6. Doublethink and The Motto
7. Socialism
8. Other Important Principles and Information

“What do half of these mean?” Katsuki didn’t recognize some words like Newspeak and Doublethink. The Ministries and the Thought Police were also foreign ideas he had no knowledge of. Ash seemed to guess what he was struggling with understanding. 

“Some of the words are made up by  All For One. He wants to implement entirely new ideas into this new society. Basically he wants to erase everything that has happened in the past 120 years,” Katsuki couldn’t believe the complexity of it all. He had understood All For One wanted the hero’s out of the way but he believed it was only because he had a bone to pick with being an outcast in society, he never would have imagined it had been so much deeper, so much darker, than that and he had a feeling the pro hero’s didn’t expect it either. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been so cautious in their means of battling him. They would have done everything in their power not to lose, even if it meant sacrificing parts of society. It was better than losing society as a whole as they had done. 

“What do they even mean?” Katsuki flipped to the Ministries page as Ash prepared his explanation. Before he could begin however, faint voices echoed from outside the tent. Ash whipped his head around, eyes practically popping out of his head. 

“Shit,” he cursed softly but spitefully, “They weren’t supposed to finish this early.” He turned back around to rip the folder out of Katsuki’s hands which instinctively clutched onto the folder, his only means of knowledge in this place. He was terrified and his heart was pounding out of his chest, but he needed this folder more than he needed his life at the moment. “Bakugo, let go,” Ash said with a slight bite. Bakugo was staring down at the red folder, he had absentmindedly shut it and was clutching onto it for dear life, he was clenching it so tightly his fingers were growing red from loss of blood. The red eye was staring into his soul, reading his every thought and fear, and even though it lay unblinking, Katsuki had an odd feeling that it was somehow alive. Watching him. Studying him. Learning him. But Katsuki wanted to learn about the eye as well and he couldn’t find it in himself to let go. 

Ash was internally screaming, Katsuki needed to move and now, “Bakugo, if you want any chance at living, you have to let go.” Katsuki wouldn’t budge. The knowledge was right there. He would die holding the knowledge. “If you want Midoryia to live, you have to let go.” Katsuki let go so fast a bystander would have thought the paper burst into flames. It almost did, a quick thought of explosions and fire passed through his mind at the idea of Izuku being killed. Ash leaned over and stuffed the folder back in the drawer before standing and shoving Katsuki towards the bed. “You gotta get back in,” Katsuki hadn’t thought about that. He would have to go back to the restraints because no one could know what they were doing. He would have to willingly give up his freedom. Nothing pained him more, except the idea of failing Allmight and losing his one chance at getting back to Izuku. So he spun around and shut down all the negative thoughts tearing at him to run away, to blow this place up, to leave and never return. Wait… why couldn’t he leave? 

“No, I can go. I can get out now,” he said, stumbling back, fighting off Ash’s pushy behavior. Ash shook his head. 

“Not if you want that,” he gestured behind him towards the drawer where the folder had been not so carefully secured. Katsuki wearily eyed the desk, his gaze flicking back and forth between the drawer and the door. He wanted the folder but he also wanted his freedom. The voices gradually grew louder and while none of them had the familiar, precise venomous tone of All For One, he wasn’t their only enemy here. Anyone else who happened to walk in and find out Ash was letting the prisoner walk freely around the room would deliver a unfathomable punishment enough but if they also happened to find out he had given valuable information to the prisoner, Ash would be killed and Katsuki’s hopes would be killed along with him. After a severe struggle with his own brain, he turned and hurried back to the bed. He hesitantly crawled back on to it, not looking forward to being tied down for who knows how long. He didn’t even know how long he had been laying here before. How long had it been since his beating, long enough for his body not to feel the pains he supposed. How long had it been since the beatings? Since the war? Since he left…? Katsuki dropped the thought as Ash grabbed his wrist and began securing one of the metal cuffs around his wrist.

 “How long ago was the war?” Katsuki asked quietly, almost not wanting to know the answer. He was terrified that too much time had passed and he wouldn’t like the answer. Ash paused, almost as if he was questioning how to answer the question. 

“The War ended five days ago. You’ve been asleep for three days…” He opened his mouth, shut it, and as the lock clicked for the first wrist he began working on the second one. “The actual date is March 17th, 2104. According to the press and All For One, the date is March 17th, 1984.” Katsuki furrowed his brows as he watched the second cuff click in place. He tugged on them, silently praying they were broken and would fall apart if he yanked too hard. They held firmly and Katsuki’s heart sank ever so slightly, but he shook the feeling off as his head bogged down with the new date: March 17th, 1984. Project 1984? And the year was now 1984? What was the significance or correlation to that particular year? 

“Why 1984? Why’s it so important?” Ash was already rushing away from the bedside side, the empty glass in his hand. He stopped at his desk and opened the top drawer before reaching in to pull out a tiny white packet resembling a sugar packet that are often at restaurant tables and coffee stations. 

“You don’t know what happened in 1984?” Ash asked, his voice sounded startled almost as if he couldn’t believe that Katsuki didn’t know this bewildering fact. He made it sound as if it was common knowledge. Katsuki groaned at the awakening that there had been another secret he had been kept in the dark from. But as Katsuki processed what Ash said and he searched his brain for useless history information from his school days he realized he was aware of what had happened in 1984. In fact, it was so obvious he couldn’t believe his brain hadn’t acknowledged the correlation sooner. 1984 was the year the first quirk appeared. The year was even known as the Year of the Glowing Baby. That year was very important for today’s society as it was the beginning of it, still, that didn’t really explain why All For One wanted to revert back to 1984. 

“Yeah, I know what happened, but what does that have to do with anything?” Katsuki queued as Ash poured the white packet into the glass, a crystallized white powder began piling at the bottom of the glass. 

“Because that was the year everything fell apart,” said Ash snippily before he stopped speaking entirely. When it was empty Ash threw the packet in the trash, swept off any crumbs from the powder and went to fill the glass with water, moving at a relatively fast pace. The voices were much louder now, not so loud they were directly outside the tent but they were too close for comfort and it was evident Ash was nervous, his demeanor was much stiffer and his movements jerkier. He almost tripped over the rug on his way back over to the bed. 

“What do you mean fell apart?” Ash shook his head and he put the glass up to Katsuki’s lips. 

“I don’t have time to explain, I need you to drink this.” Katsuki tipped his head back and downed the water. He knew the effects it would lead to and he prayed they wouldn’t hit him as quickly as they had before. Perhaps his exhaustion the first time around allowed the desired effects of the powder to hit him faster. 

“Please, just give me something,” Katsuki pleaded as Ash sat the glass back in its place on the nightstand. Ash glanced at the door, as if determining how far the voices were and the likelihood of getting caught before he turned back to Katsuki and looked down at him with a heavy expression. 

“When you read the folder,” Katsuki opened his mouth to point out he couldn’t do that but Ash held up his hand to warn him to say anything, “It will give you all the answers you are looking for. Some take too long for me to explain now. But I’m going to tell you this.” Katsuki stared expectantly, not yet feeling the effects of the powder, “In three days, All For One is going to declare his official rule over Japan. That is when you are going to escape,” Katsuki felt his breath hitch. He knew working with Ash would give him a chance at escape but he had never expected a chance to arise so soon. Three days. He will be free in three days. “I can’t give all the details yet, there’s not enough time. But just survive three more days and then you will be free. I can’t promise forever, but I will make sure you get a chance at it,” said Ash solemnly. He looked at Katsuki one last time and Katsuki stared at him, every emotion freely radiating off his face. Then Ash wandered back over to his desk and took out that paper he had been working on when Katsuki woke up barely twenty minutes ago. How much has changed since then? 

He realized Ash was trying to go back to the way things had been before their alliance so Katsuki obliged and decided not to speak any more. Instead, he laid his head back against the pillows and stared up at the green ceiling, warm blotches of sunlight glittered across the fabric sheltering them from outside forces. Katsuki closed his eyes and began to imagine the green sheet wasn’t there and he actually was out in the sun. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, maybe he was riding his bike down the sidewalks of his childhood neighborhood or he was jogging the forest path he knew by heart that led straight to the creek he and Izuku used to play at when they were young. The sunlight was splotchy there just as it was now, but there it was due to the barrier of the leafy green trees decorating the peaceful forest. He liked that splotchy sunlight a lot more than this one. 

He saw himself sprawled out on the grass by the river bank and he smelled the sweet aroma of wild flowers that danced in the wind. He heard the river splashing near his feet and  the birds happy songs from above as they flapped their wings and flew from tree to tree. And if he focused hard enough he could feel the presence of Izuku beside him, lying there with him, keeping him company in the midst of his fear. He couldn’t quite see him, but he knew he was there, and that was enough. As he did his best to replicate the feeling now he knew he would never feel as at peace as he had on those days. Childhood peace is something that cannot be remade. It’s something that you grow out of as you grow up and when your imagination meets its limits with the forces of reality, the forces of nature never will call to you as they once did. Katsuki is filled with sudden longing and remensince to go back to the way things once were. 

What he would give to go run through that creek one more time. If only little Katsuki could see him now, what would he think? He’d probably hate himself for his middle school behavior, for outcasting his closest and most cherished friend, and Katsuki understood because he also hated himself every day he woke up and remembered there was a time in his life he was an absolute asshole. He apologized and Izuku forgave him but Katsuki had never really given up the guilt eating at him day after day as he tried to make it up to Izuku for everything he had put him through. He knew no matter what he did it would never be enough but he hoped one day it would come very close and he would be able to face Izuku without also facing his past. As Katsuki laid there the effects became more evident and his eyes began shutting against his will. He felt his head growing foggy and his body slowly wearing down as he began to lose movement to his muscles. In the middle of his grogginess however, he heard a voice that sparked a little fight inside him to stay awake a little longer. 

A zipper slid open and the sound of shuffling fabric was heard near the front of the tent. “Good afternoon, Dr. Ash,” said a gruff voice, “I’m just popping in to hear what you have so far. We need to start preparing the instrumentals.” There was the sound of ruffling paper and then Ash’s voice spoke. 

“Why, good afternoon, I hope the meeting went well. I only have the first half done. I don’t know if it’s any good or not.” The voices faded in and out as Katsuki’s consciousness did the same. Katsuki fought sleep with every cell in his body but the drug was beginning to overpower his conscience and he wasn't sure how much longer he would hold out. 

“You’re an excellent writer, you shape the beliefs of an entire society simply with your words. No actions, no evidence. Just your words. I’m sure it’s great.” Someone was clearly an admirer. “All For One wouldn’t have you write it if you weren’t worthy.” There was a period of silence in which Katsuki assumed his senses had simply shut off as a symptom of the powder but a few moments later Ash’s solemn voice filled the overwhelming stiff air of the green tent. 

“Seven. Six. Eleven. Five. Nine and twenty miles a day. Four. Eleven. Thirty-two. The day before. Boots. Boots. Boots. Boots. Moving up and down again.” The anthem was empty. It was exactly what Katsuki would imagine for All For One. But as Ash began repeating the word boots a very unsettling feeling dropped in Katsuki’s stomach and he was suddenly very grateful he was drifting off to a world where the uneasiness of the poem wouldn’t reach him. Ash continued speaking, “There’s no discharge in a war.

”Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Look at what’s in front of you. Boots. Boots Boots. Boots. Boots. Moving up and down again.

”Men. Men. Men. Men. Men go mad while watching them. There’s no discharge in the war. 

“Keep. Your. Eyes. Drop. They will get atop of you. Boots. Boots. Boots. Boots. Moving up and down again.

”There’s no discharge in a war,” Katsuki heard a break in the voice and he thought it was finally over. He felt sick, no wonder Ash had apologized to him. This was horrid. The reminders of the war, the eyes, the boots. Echoed over and over again. Katsuki practically begged the drug to take him now so he didn’t have to risk hearing it again. But he realized it wasn’t yet finished as Ash began speaking this time, in a louder, more dramatic way almost as if he was crying out in fear of the boots, and the eyes, and the men, and the war. 

 “Try. Try. Try. Try. To think of something different. Oh. My. God. Keep me from going lunatic. Boots. Boots. Boots. Boots. Moving up and down again. There’s no discharge in a war.” There was more silence. And Katsuki waited, his eyes sealed shut, sheltering him from revealing his wavering fear that most certainly would’ve been evident in his red irises. The cruelty with which Ash spoke the words almost made him believe he had in fact chosen to trust someone who would ultimately betray him. He felt someone would betray him. He knew it. He could feel the warning cries of be careful who you trust radiate throughout his bones. He prayed he wasn’t feeling the warning too late. He prayed it wasn’t Ash.

He prayed as he heard the pounding of boots in his mind and the cries of men, and the terrible remnants of war repeated in his mind. Playing over and over. The deaths, the blood, the shouts, the destruction. The smoke clogged his lungs. The dust stinging his eyes. The red splattered everywhere. It’s all he could see. The red that also happened to be the precise color of his eyes. And he suddenly was filled with hatred for his eyes. A constant reminder of what he had seemed that fateful day. A small part of him that he had no control over just as he had had no control over the war and the evils of the world, but he had been forced to carry the burden anyway. The smell of burning flesh that he knew wasn’t from the opposing side. This anthem was… horrible… and exactly what All For One would be looking for. Katsuki knew it would be approved. And it would get a chorus. And it would be played on every speaker, in every household, for all to hear. And he began to grow mad just thinking about it. 

But before the damage of the poem could be irreversible the drug fully kicked in and Katsuki was knocked into a deep sleep as the second voice kicked in, “It’s finished. It’s perfect. I’ll take it to All For One now for final review, but this is it. Nice work, Dr. Ash, we all knew you could do it.” The voice faded from existence just as Katsuki faded from consciousness. 

———— 

The sun had risen and set three times before Izuku decided Katsuki was most likely not coming back. It was unsettling, and lonely, and filled Izuku with anticipation as he sat on the sandy ocean shore and stared out into the vast blue ocean, willing the fiery blasts of the blonde to begin booming in the distance, marking the return of Katsuki. However, he did not give up hope and persistently reminded himself he could never give up on Katsuki because Katsuki would never give up on him. Katsuki would also never break a promise. Well, except for one. But that can’t really count. Personal childhood dilemmas could never be a valid comparison for the aftermath of war. No matter how painful they both may be. 

What mattered was that Katsuki would come back. He always returned to Izuku, and Izuku didn’t know why or how that was even possible but at every point in his life when he had needed Katsuki most, he had been there. And he knew in his heart Katsuki would do everything in his power to get back to him. And what kind of friend would be if he just left? The panic that would engulf Katsuki would not be worth the raging fiery fit he would throw when he finally found Izuku, whether Izuku was safe or not, he would most certainly get a long drawn out speech about how his actions were reckless and he should’ve never committed such foolish behavior. Izuku would take all the shouting and yelling with a smile because he knew Katsuki was only doing it out of care and expressing his worry and relief in the only way he knew how. In anger. 

So he wouldn’t have usually minded leaving the beach to go find Katsuki himself, if only he knew where the beach was and had a compass or a map or literally any sign pointing him towards civilization. He wasn’t exactly comfortable going out to explore the wild wilderness of Japan with no gear and his powers weren’t exactly functioning clearly right now. The first time he had attempted to use them he had been so thoroughly exhausted he had laid on the beach the rest of the day. The second time he attempted to use them he had almost split his brain in half by the terrible migraine that occurred simultaneously with him activating his power as well as the pure burning fire that sizzled in his blood. He hasn’t attempted to use One For All since. He figured since he was currently quirkless and practically helpless he was safest on the beach where he had a clear view of the ocean and the sky and could flag down any passing ships or planes. 

He wasn’t entirely sure of the state of Japan right now so he wasn’t trying to draw attention to himself by making an S.O.S sign out of coconuts or anything. He didn’t want to flag down foes instead of friends and he was sure he would get an earful from Katsuki about what a moron he is to purposefully share his location with anyone who flew overhead. But he waited patiently, with his knees tucked up against his chest, his hair rustling in the salty breeze. He had got a deep tan in the past few days of sprawling out in the sun. It was a surprisingly warm March and almost all of my body had healed up from the minor bruises. A few bigger ones were still a yellowish green but they were no longer a deep purple. Except for the bandage wrapped around his left shoulder, there were no obvious injuries on him. He hadn’t dared open the bandage, his arm was achy and sore to the touch so he tried to leave it alone the best he could. There was no other material to wrap it up with and nothing to cleanse it with out there so he kept it wrapped up to keep out the dirt, sand, and all other natural materials that could lead to infection. 

Every now and then he would leave his spot by the bank and walk back towards the mounds of rocks. Behind them, on the opposite side to the ocean, he found a small running creek a couple days ago and hoped and prayed the water was clean enough to drink from. He didn’t want to contract any diseases through the water but he also had been running a severe risk of death of dehydration and he had to take the risk in this case. So far, he hadn’t hadn’t any issues with the water and hoped to keep it that way. He didn’t drink any more than necessary to keep his thirst levels down. He was getting severely hungry but the human body could go without food for two weeks. He didn’t try to move much, the cramping from his stomach would attack him every time he stood up but at least he wasn’t thirsty anymore and any time he felt like he needed a hardy meal he went and took a long gulp of fresh water. It wasn’t exactly  satisfying but it was sustaining and it would have to work.

He didn’t dare wander too far off. In case Katsuki came back he had to be ready and he needed to be present. Katsuki would most likely already be panicked that he had taken so long to return and he therefore be very irritated and easy to set off, it would be best to where he could easily find him. And Izuku had diligently sat at his post for three days and three nights. Well, he actually slept at night. But made sure to only sleep on the same bed Katsuki had left him on during the war. Katsuki would remember where he had left him and if he happened to arrive at night and didn’t immediately see Izuku, he would visit this spot first and Izuku needed to be there. 

Izuku was not normally an early riser, but with not much to do on the sandy shores besides take a quick dip in the ocean, bask in the sun, and watch the seagulls hop around on ground, catching grubs and exercising their God given right to freedom and flying, Izuku found himself going to bed directly at sunset and waking up before the sun. In the shadows of the moonlight, under the gaze of the stars, Izuku often found this is when he was most agonized about life’s recent events. Izuku very much missed One For All. He would be able to leave much sooner, find his friends, find Katsuki and tell him he’s alright. The first time he woke up before the sun, three days ago, he found he didn't have a lot of motivation to get up. He felt heavy, as if an invisible weight were pressing down on his chest and no matter how hard he pushed he just wasn’t strong enough to push it off. He eventually relieved the pressure by sobbing rivers and telling himself everything was alright and he would be reunited with his friends soon (this was before his second attempt at One For All.) 

The soft glow from the moon seemed to illuminate the dark parts stored inside his memory that the sun so often seemed to brighten. As long as the sun was shining the horrible dark memories weren’t so dark, there was a light shone on them that made them bearable, not good memories, but they didn’t thrash and fight his feelings so easily as they did in the early hours of morning. That’s why Izuku fell asleep so fast, he didn’t like dealing with the horrible judgement the darkness brought. Without the vibrant, bright guidance of the fiery light, he was entirely lost. And when he felt lost, he became afraid. Afraid of everything. Afraid of the unknown, afraid of the future, and deathly afraid of his past. Afraid it would somehow catch up with him, despite him doing nothing wrong, but he would somehow turn into the small scared boy that he once was. As if it happened dark for too long his body would somehow morph permanently into his old, pathetic self and he would be no better than he was two years ago in Middle School. 

That’s why he had always slept with a nightlight in his bedroom back at UA. The first time his friends found out about it they made jokes about it, him being afraid of the boogie monster and all, but they got over it quickly and seemed to forget. Katsuki never found out because Katsuki avoided his room at all costs, and thanked the Lord for that, because Izuku could only imagine what Katsuki would’ve come up with for his dependence on the night light. 

When he awoke in the mornings before the sun he found himself sick to his stomach, the fear that something had gone extremely wrong, the feeling that something was happening way out of his control, but he still could’ve stopped it if only he had been stronger. That he had never actually grown from that skinny, weak boy he was before One For All. Normally when he had these thoughts he would activate his ability and watch his hands glow that majestic sparkling red glow, before he would settle back to sleep, now comfortable in his body that he had been ashamed of for years. His quirk brought him comfort, it brought him security, and worth. But stuck on a beach under the watchful eyes of the stars and shadows, unable to activate his quirk without pure pain and restraint, he was once again back in that middle school body. And he was no longer laying on a patch of underbrush on a wild shoreside, he would find himself in his childhood bedroom, tucked in his Allmight sheets, staring up at the sliver of a crack in his flaking white ceiling and listening to the soft hum of ceiling fan. Wondering what he had done wrong to be the one child in his school, in his town, to not get a quirk. Sometimes he would cry. Sometimes he would just lay there in silence, humming along with the fan, praying the doctors were wrong and his quirk would just be late. 

Laying in the underbrush now, he felt the same saddening feeling he had felt all those years prior. Instead of staring up at a crack in his ceiling however, he was staring up at the cracks in leaves that opened up for the stars as he felt the world as he knew it split in two. What if something severe had happened to his quirk? He still didn’t remember the entire battle, or most of it for that matter, and he barely remembered Katsuki taking him to the island. What if something terrible had happened that permanently disabled his quirk and he would never get it back. Izuku did everything in his power to avoid those thoughts, once he got on a long train of critical thinking it was hard for him to hop off. He had a hard time spiraling into fits of panic or fear. His doctor had told his mom it was just a side effect of his anxiety but Izuku had a feeling it was a little more serious than that. Maybe it only was that though, he never had these problems when he was a kid. 

Most people didn’t know about his severe anxiety. He was always so positive and sunshiny, no one ever thought twice that he might have a negative bone in his body. But he did, he had a lot actually, which is why he always worked twice as hard to be positive. It was exhausting, he had to admit, to always be happy for others simply because they couldn’t handle being happy enough on their own. But his own failure to bring himself pure happiness didn’t mean he had the right to tamper with anyone else’s, so he fought his negativity every day to be the happiness everyone sought in their lives. Everyone deserves a right to happiness, and Izuku might not be able to grant his own but he would give everything he had to grant everyone else’s. These were most of the thoughts that consumed Izuku’s head before the sun broke over the horizon and its rays splayed across the water, reflecting a lavender haze over the crisp blue waters of the Pacific ocean. 

By the time the sun had fully risen over the water, marking the beginning of his fourth full day, Izuku knew something was wrong. He was standing atop the mound of white rocks resting a few dozen yards away from the ocean’s edge, staring out into the ocean, eyes narrowed into slits, looking for any signs of life or the hothead blonde. The only life he saw was that of the seagulls, squawking their good mornings out to one another. A terrible feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, much worse than his hunger cramps had ever been. It settled and it buried itself and it grew as the lavender sky dissipated to a soft indigo blue. Izuku scanned the open waters and when he was certain no one was coming he scurried down off the rocks and began pacing the beach. 

Something had happened. Something urgent. Something terrible. Yes, Izuku had more faith in his friends than anything else in the world but that also meant he trusted they would come find him once things were safe. After looking at this situation from every perspective he could gather he came down to two plausible conclusions. Either the war was not over, and they were not able to leave yet. Or the war was over… and they were never going to come get him. Either way, meant Izuku was stranded. Either way ended with Izuku dying alone in the middle of a beautiful beach surrounded by the clear blue waters and basking under the bright, radiant sun. It sounded like a terribly tragic way to die and Izuku was not one for tragedy, he also wasn’t fond of the idea of death so young. And he knew his friends wouldn’t allow him to remain here if they knew, and he knew Katsuki wasn’t so cruel as to leave him out here to fend for himself. Yes, they’ve had their differences and there had been incidents in the past, which Izuku has long forgiven him for, but he would never be driven to leave him. In fact, Izuku couldn’t think of a time in which Katsuki hadn’t shown up when Izuku needed someone. He had always been there. In the good and the bad. The one constant in the chaos of his life was chaos given form. So where was he now? 

As the day grew, the dread in his stomach became ever more painful and ever more prominent as Izuku began to assess the horrible thought that the war might be over… and they had lost. That Katsuki wasn’t here because… no it wasn’t possible. Katsuki wouldn’t lose. He wouldn’t let himself. And Uraraka? Iida? Todoroki? Allmight? Aizawa? There were hundreds of people fighting for the greater good. Working together to show All For One he stood no chance against the empowerment of humanity. No, they wouldn’t give in to such evil, they would fight, and they would give it their all. And the only reason they wouldn’t come out on top is because their all wasn’t enough… and what if it hadn’t been? No no no no no. “Don’t think like that. Everything is alright. Everyone is okay. Everyone made it out. Kacchan is coming.” Izuku repeated to himself, redirecting his train of thought away from the horribly, dreadful ones that he knew would keep him up at night if he allowed them too. “Kacchan is coming…” 

“Kacchan is coming,” he repeated to himself throughout the day as he did laps around the beach. 

“Kacchan is coming,” he repeated to himself as he swam in the ocean, it was cold and froze him to the core, but was a much more pleasant pain than that awaited him in the silence of mind. 

“Kacchan is coming,” he repeated to himself as he hiked to the tiny stream to drink water. 

“Kacchan is coming,” he repeated to himself as he laid down on the burning sand and let the sun rays soak up the chill that had nestled in his bones from the frigid waters of the Pacific. His warmed him and it brightened his mind and enhanced his attitude and he was grateful for the momentary peace as he closed his eyes and smiled softly, listening to the sounds of the gulls and the crashing waves. “Kacchan is coming.” 

But Katsuki didn’t come. Katsuki didn’t come that day. Nor the next day. And Izuku was a mess by the 6th day of being stranded on the island. It was becoming a challenge for him to move, he was so hungry and he found it was hard for him to concentrate on anything other than food, water, and the slight hope that Katsuki would be coming to get him. By now though, Izuku knew something had happened. The plans had gone wrong. Katsuki was still out there, he knew that much, he just felt in his bones he was out there somewhere, but something was keeping him from coming. And Izuku was getting to the point where he was going to have to leave on his own, or he would never leave this beach. But as he laid in the same dent of sand he had been laying in for six days now, he couldn’t find the strength inside himself to even stand. He only rose now for water breaks, or to take himself to his disheveled bed. 

Right now Izuku was not required to complete either of those tasks so he wallowed in at the hunger devouring his stomach and listened to the soft song of the gulls as their feet pattered around him. The gulls seemed to be used to his presence by now and no longer stirred when they caught him moving. They would run around him, chasing one another and fighting for dominance over the beach, and sometimes even nip at his feet. He would giggle and kick his legs, triggering the gull’s fight or flight response (they always chose flight.) He liked to imagine one day he would fly again like the gulls. One day his quirk would return to him and he would feel its energy flowing through his blood, a second nature to him that he had become so reliant on he now felt foreign in his own body, like a part of him missing. Perhaps that was why he lacked the motivation for survival. He didn’t feel wholly like himself and in doing so he wasn’t able to fully register the dangers of what he was doing. Lying on the beach instead of searching for a path to one of the cities or at the very least a small town. 

However it would be in this moment that would spark Izuku’s sudden ability to move, and to move as if he had never moved before. Laying in the sand, feeling the blissful heat kiss his cheeks, he heard a faint buzzing in his ear and he was certain it was another mosquito trying to make it’s next meal out of him, but as he swatted the side of his head, he realized the sound was echoing in both ears and he flew open his eyes to a glorious sight. In the vaste distance, there was a plane. In spite of the pure pain it took him to stand, he stumbled to his feet and stared in awe at the sky in the distance. The plane was flying high overhead but would be flying over him, and low enough to the ground to see him… How wonderful! But the more Izuku thought about it…. how wonderfully coincidental. Suddenly, Izuku felt Katsuki’s bickering presence shouting at him to use his brain for once and go hide and he felt his legs move without thinking towards the shelter of the trees. The plane flew closer, flying so close to the ground now Izuku knew it was going to land on the island. The buzzing became so loud it was almost unbearable but he couldn’t take the time to cover his ears. He had to get out of sight because Izuku had a dreadful feeling this plane wasn’t here with help. 

By the time it came within clear view for Izuku to make out details he could tell it was a gray, battle jet. It was clearly a Japanese jet and Izuku tilted his head in confusion on why Japan would send its air force to a random island off the mainland. Or maybe he was on the mainland. He wasn’t sure to be honest. He was very sure though of the fact that the plane was bad news. Izuku quickly scampered back, deep into the thicket of the underbrush of the forest. He squatted down in between bushes and did his best to camouflage with his surroundings, thankfully his green hair was very similar to the shade of green of the plants and he wasn’t wearing bright colors… never mind that was a lie. He had one of those cherry red shorts. He wanted to mentally slap himself and if Katsuki was here he knew he would take the honor and slap him for him. Izuku sat crouched, ready to move at a moment's notice and the plane came in for a speedy but smooth landing. It wasn’t long before the doors opened and four men ran down the ramp, each heavily packed down with gear and strapped down with guns. Izuku’s stomach dropped as he studied the men. 

They began shouting in sync, and Izuku was far enough away he couldn’t clearly make out what they were saying. But he saw the stiffness of their movements and their strides full of purpose and he knew they had come with a clear mission. He really hoped that mission didn’t involve him. It was alright, he could avoid them. He just needed to stay silent, don’t move, don’t draw attention, and he will be fine. And the second they leave, the island will be marked clear and he will probably be safer here than anywhere else. Besides like, at UA surrounded by all his friends and teachers. Or maybe literally anywhere else than on an island with no backup and no weapons and no quirk, but he didn’t find it reassuring to look at it like that so he chose to find a bright side (there wasn’t one.) 

The four men each went in a different direction. One went up the beach, a second went down the beach and the other two began walking towards the walks before splitting it in half and searching different segments. Izuku kept his eyes peeled and watched the men with such anticipation he feared he would explode. The men didn’t make any quick movements, they took their time and were precise in their search. They peeked in rock openings, they searched up trees, and under bushes and Izuku was suddenly hyper aware it was only a matter of time before one of the woodsmen reached him. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing quickened and he felt himself losing control of his body as his mind began racing through every horrible thing that was going to happen once they caught him. They would gun him down and force him to go with them and they would chain him up and take him before whoever was in charge of them and there’s no way that person was good because Izuku could feel the presence of evil wandering the woods now that the men had arrived. The eeriness crawled up his arms and slivered down his back as he patiently watched from behind his cluster of bushes. 

Suddenly one of the men shouted in alarm and Izuku wasn’t sure what language they were speaking. It must be a certain military code, that was the only solution Izuku could come up with because it didn’t sound like any language he had ever heard. But Izuku got just what the man was referring to when he held up his tattered green suit that had been abandoned near his brush bed. Izuku didn’t even need imaginary Katsuki to slap him, he mentally slapped himself because how could he have been so stupid to leave evidence of himself behind. The men’s voices filled with clear excitement as the chase suddenly became real and Izuku knew what they were excited for. They were close to finding him. Izuku was suddenly aware of every breath he took, every hair standing up on the back of his neck, and every droplet of sweat that dripped from his brow. He felt sick, he was going to be sick. The closer the men got, the worse Izuku felt. His senses were hyper aware and his world was vibrant, every sense working double time to keep up with the actions and voices of the two men closest to him. 

After a few of the worst minutes of his life, one of the men arrived at a tree barely fifteen feet away and Izuku had never felt such fear. Being with these men with a quirk was one thing, being with men without a quirk was an entirely different thing. Izuku felt himself on an edge. He was about to fall off face first and he just prayed someone would be there to catch him. He closed his eyes and prayed to anyone listening to protect him, to make him invisible, to make him untouchable. Something. Anything. Whatever these men were a part of he wanted nothing to do with it. However the sound of footsteps set him straight over the edge and his ears registered danger and before his mind could take over his quirk decided to do something about the impending doom. Without no control danger sense activated and Izuku was thrown back into that state of being split in two, his body burning inside out and his mind being ripped from his skull and his poor quirk only did it’s job to keep him out of danger, while unknowingly throwing him straight in it. The pain was so immense no amount of rationality would contain him as he clutched his head and cried out from the straight pure agony, as he rose to his feet and bent over, his fingers prying into his skull the entire time. He felt his bones cracking and his blood boiling and his skin being ripped from him before it ended with a zap and Izuku was left a hysterical mess. 

His heart was pounding and breathing unevenly and tears flooded the brim of his eyes as he stared straight ahead and met the startled look of a young Japanese soldier boy. He froze. He felt every cell in his body simultaneously stop moving as he stood in the center of his bushes, gazing into the eyes of the confused boy. Izuku’s face fell and he began shaking his head begging the boy to remain quiet. To not say anything. He clasped his hands pleadingly as the tears streamed down his face and his nose began dripping blood from the massive tremor his body had gone through. Izuku probably looked terrifying, he was aware, but he was also a famously known hero from UA and maybe this boy even admired hero’s. Maybe there was a chance he would spare him. But if he was on this mission, with people who looked anything but friendly, he knew his chances were slim. 

The boy looked over his shoulder towards his comrade who hadn’t noticed Izuku’s attack, before looking back at Izuku. Hiz eyes appeared bright and curious, almost sympathetic to what had happened to Izuku. Almost sorry that he couldn’t help aid him from this pain. And right as Izuku was going to thank the boy he realized all too late the apology glistening in those blue, crystal eyes was for a different reason. ”HE’S HERE!” The boy shouted and immediately drew the attention of the other man who began relaying the message to the men on the beach. Izuku stared in disbelief, stunned for a split second at the boy’s actions, before turning and running. 

He had no idea where he was running, he just knew he was running. He didn’t know these woods, he hadn’t explored them, hadn’t bothered too. He was regretting that decision now as he leapt over logs and dodged trees and sprinted over the course ground of the forest. Twigs and stones and sharp blades of grass were everywhere and every step was sharper than the last and Izuku’s feet were crying in pain but he didn’t stop. He ran so fast through the forest, if he closed his eyes he might be able to pretend he was flying. But closing his eyes for the imagination was a blessing he was no longer granted as he cut through every corner he could find trying to outmaneuver the soldiers running after him, guns in hand and loaded. Ready for fire at any given notice. Izuku was terrified. Truly terrified. He had felt fear before but never this vividly. He had had a chance, he had odds. Here, he had nothing. He had become nothing. He was going to die in these woods knowing he hadn’t contributed anything useful to this world and the universe had been right not to waste a silly quirk on him. 

As he kept running and passing trees and more creeks he eventually realized he had been running straight to a dead end. A giant wall of stone was coming up ahead in the distance and Izuku couldn’t believe his luck. There had to be some way out of this. Some secret path that led to some new patch of land where he could continue this chase up until his legs fell off and he could run no more. But there was no other path, Izuku had run directly to a wall of stone and was forced to stop before it, turning his gaze up at its towering height before spinning around and facing the soldiers. His eyes widened frantically and he did another glance around the entire glade he had gotten himself stuck in. There had to be an open spot somewhere… if only he could find it. The sound of the boots from the men stomping was so rhythmic and perfectly synced. Izuku hated how it was because the sound matched the beating of his heart as he listened to its final beats. Could this actually be the end for him? Stranded on a random island, abandoned by his classmates? Lost to the knowledge of his friends? No, it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t die yet. He wasn’t right, it couldn’t already be his time. Izuku held his hands up in fair surrender as the four men approached. 

“Look, I’m sorry for whatever I did, I don’t want any harm, okay! Please don’t shoot, I’m not ready to die, okay…” Izuku kept muttering and mumbling as a sign of his anxiousness, he could feel death on the loom, he could feel its long fingers tracing his skin, and ticking his sensitive spine as it lured him closer. The soldiers formed a semi circle and cornered Izuku further into the glade, revoking all hope of possible escape. Izuku’s hopeful heart cracked just a little more than it already had as he glanced at each face and saw nothing but pure disgust at him. Izuku wasn’t sure what he had done to these men but he didn’t think whatever it was deserved this kind of treatment. ”Please listen to me, I want no trouble. I just want to go home to my friends.” Izuku cried out as his eyes began watering. The men all exchanged bored glances before one cleared his throat and stared Izuku down with a smug look on his face.

“We are under direct orders to deliver you back to our Master,” the man spoke boastfully, proud to be working for such a well-deserving man. Izuku had no idea who he could be referring to. 

“Who-?” He asked, very confused. All the other men seemed to be on board, is it that hard to add a little bit of context? But all at once, he began to understand. Their master, clearly the war must be over if these jets are fighting, and Izuku was beginning to gather a pretty good idea of who must have won. And as he slowly came to recognition his hope began to dissipate until it had vanished entirely just as the lavender sky from only that morning. 

“Why, All For One, of course. Who else?” snickered a younger man, and one of the older men sent him a threatening look which immediately shut him up. 

“It doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you’re coming with us,” and with that the men walked forward towards Izuku, who was entirely panicked and out of it after his mind went haywire earlier, and had no idea of how to fight off the men. Two men seized his arms and one took positioning in the front and the other took position in the back and they slowly began the trek back to the fighter jet. Izuku didn’t speak, he was too flustered. The men didn’t speak either, they were given orders not to interact with the prisoner unless necessary. 

Izuku didn’t have the strength to fight them off, nor entirely the will. He was barely able to keep up with their brisk pace and it took heavy concentration to match their steps. His stomach was cramping again and his legs were aching from lack of use and lack of food. He was suddenly very thirsty and his mouth was dry. His face was sticky from sweat and tears combined and even two straight, thin lines of blood from his nostrils down his chin. His eyes were dropping and his vision was blurring and he knew he would be at the mercy of All For One sooner rather than later if these men were speaking the truth and All For One truly was in power. But that could only mean…. 

No… Izuku had suspected this had happened but he hadn’t dared believe it to be true. And now that these men were claiming it so… these men who were going to take him straight to the eye of the storm. Where were his friends? Were they alive? His teachers? The other heros? Kacchan? We’re they okay? We’re they even alive? Izuku highly doubted they were alive and if they happened to be they were most likely in critical condition. They were probably being broken and beaten and bruised all for his sake because All For One’s entire mission had been to get One For All. And even after all this destruction he still didn’t acquire the quirk.  And the more he thought about it the more he realized he couldn’t give up so easily. He couldn’t go straight to the place where All For One was waiting for him on his wicked throne, he couldn’t give in easily. He had no strength, but he wasn’t quirkless. And if it took everything in him to activate the quirk there was still one means of escape. It would be his only means and his only hope of surviving. He had one shot at freedom, one shot at escape, and he would take. If not for himself, but for his friends. They needed him alive, they needed him well, and they needed him free. 

So Izuku took a deep breath and closed his eyes, keeping his pace in match with those around him. He knew the pain was going to be extreme but it would be worth it. He braced himself for the pure affliction that was going to rip across his body like a tsunami before gently calling forth One For All. The familiar thrum echoed through his blood, he felt his body heat up, the soldiers didn’t seem to notice anything amiss yet and by the time they did it would be too late. In a moment’s notice Izuku Midoryia activated One For All and the fiery red strike erupted from his arms in the same moment the searing hot fire raced through his blood. However Izuku ignored the pain the best he could as he felt the energy release itself, as if the flood gates had been opened and all the raw pouring power was flowing out directly into the bodies surrounding him. They had stopped walking and Izuku no longer felt human contact on his arms. He couldn’t feel anything besides the tearing of skin, the splitting of his skull, the shattering of his bones, the stabbing in his stomach, and the fire inside, outside, everywhere. He felt burning and itching and scratching and pain pain pain. He needed to stop it and he attempted to shove the ability back down in his veins as best he could, but he found he could no longer control the power. It had been stored up for too long and needed to be released and Izuku was no more than a pawn in One For All’s arsenal as it flowed into the bodies surrounding Izuku and burnt them alive. The vibrant display of red flashed viciously over and over again. Creating a spectral be in the hidden forest that could’ve been beautiful if not for the intense suffering that was the cause of it. The sounds of screaming echoed across the glade but no other life forms were near to hear the tortuous calls for help and it didn’t take much longer for loud thumps to loudly thump against the ground as the screaming ceased.

Eventually the channeled energy seemed to run, after what felt like a lifetime the raw red sparkling ability was able to stop itself on its own and with it’s end, came the end of the agonizing torture Izuku was now forced to succumb too when he willed his ability. But this pain had been much worse than the last, lasted much longer, and required much more strength to carry it for so long. It had taken almost all the strength he had left inside to deal such a heavy blow of power as well as deal with the consequences of using his attack. He had had very little energy before wielding his work. Now, he had next to nothing left. His body was unable to handle it and he felt himself seize up into as hundreds of tremors traveled across his body. Without warning his eyes rolled back in his head, his vision went dark, and he collapsed with a loud thud against the mossy ground.