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Chapter Text

 It was a week away from Midoriya Izuku’s fourth birthday and the possible days for his quirk to show up was slowly coming to an end. Bakugou Katsuki already developed his quirk and was getting jittery about Izuku not having his show up yet. She consoled into her lifelong friend, Bakugou Mitsuki, to which she eased her nerves about this. But as much as she tried to optimistic for her son, her husband had other plans. Midoriya Hisashi knew something was off with Izuku and decided to leave with a simple, “Call me if his quirk shows up; if not- block my number” when his third birthday rolled around. Whenever Izuku asked, she made up some lie about him being on a business trip and sends his blessings.

Although, Midoriya Inko noticed some changes concerning her son. He was losing focus constantly and her calm, loving, and energetic child would sometimes turn off in the middle of nowhere and become prideful, or have immense hunger, or even become seductive. Then he would blink harshly and would wonder why his mother wore such a confused face.

It got weirder when the night swallowed the sun. The Izuku she knew would run around their little flat and beg to watch the All Might video before falling asleep at the computer. But this Izuku would loiter in the kitchen and constantly eat- and when she asked why he was eating after dinner, he would look at her like she was food before shaking his head and continuing to eat. Izuku also used to stare, harshly, at the birds and squirrels that came by their window when Inko sometimes fed them. Then Inko would head out the next morning to see that the animals she fed were found dead by the window with their mouth twisted up towards the sun. Sometimes Izuku would walk outside and disappear- which would cause Ink to panic greatly. When it first happened, she called Mitsuki in hysterics- before turning around to see Izuku step out of the shadows with a blank face. She hung up the phone on a confused Mitsuki and promised to apologize to her friend later as she hugged an unresponsive Izuku.

After she realized that something was wrong, she began to have horrible nightmares. It was to the point where she was afraid to blink. It started with saying a simple goodnight to Izuku- to which he’d give a grim smile and say it back before scampering off to bed. After settling in bed, she would dream that she was being tortured into submission by an unknown being. Eyes being pulled, legs bent in unruly positions, teeth plucked one by one and placed in her empty eye sockets, and a hand reaching down her throat to pull her heart out in front of her and watch it beat before it being lit on fire- to which she always woke abruptly from. The first thing she awoke to was the faint sound of a child’s laugh and the silent cries of her bones settling back in place.

This particular morning, she awoke to Izuku’s cries. Despite her crying bones, she ran into his room to find his room in shambles. All of the faces in his All Might posters had a charred black hole in them- and some were ripped off the wall in a frenzy.

“Who would do this mommy?” Izuku cried as he held the tattered pieces close to his chest. Inko ran in and hugged him close as she looked at the damage some more. His sheets were torn, and the walls had various claw marks on them like a raging animal was let loose in his room. Even his favorite All Might toy was incinerated- the only thing left was his feet.

Before she could comfort Izuku, his sobbing turned into laughter and he gripped her so tightly it made her whimper slightly.

“Actually, it was me”

Chapter Text

Against the calming words of patience from her friend, Inko scheduled an appointment with a nearby phycologist. Inko frantically grabbed Izuku (once the appointment was made) and grabbed her essentials before leaving the flat that seemed to fall apart at the seams. She walked with a purpose along the streets- and ignored all the looks oncoming people gave them because of their urgency. When it came apparent that Izuku couldn’t keep up with Inko’s large strides- she picked him up and her speed walking turned into an urgent jog.

When the building was in sight, Inko set Izuku down and got down to eye level with him.

“Izuku; I think your quirks are coming”

Izuku’s tear strung face lit up with a smile. “Really?”

“Really” Inko nodded her head. “But I think we need to sort somethings out first”

“Is that why we are here at the doctor’s?”

“Yes Izuku. I want you to answer their questions truthfully and to your best ability okay?”

Izuku’s eye drifted away from Inko’s and to the far right. Inko followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at an ally way hidden by shadows. Izuku faced the ally way- like it was beckoning him with its’ uncomfortable glare.

“Stare into darkness and darkness will eventually stare back at you” he said in a voice Inko could not recognize.

“What?” Inko said breathlessly as she tightened her grip on Izuku’s arms and he shook his head and faced her. He gave her a smile and then his face went blank before answering her plea.

“Okay” Inko took his hand and walked inside the small store.

“Hello mam. I’m Midoriya Inko and I scheduled an appointment with the Quirk Phycologist” the lady behind the desk tapped away at her computer before pointing to the door on the left. Inko said her thanks and walked to the nearest door on the left.

After knocking twice and hearing a mumble, Inko opened the door and saw a woman, similar to her stature, wave and gesture to the couch behind them.

“Hello. I’m Hinata Yuki. I advise and guide children who are in need of help with their quirk. Now, what is the quirk?”

Izuku looked up at Inko as she fidgeted next to him. “That’s the thing. At one moment, I think it’s one thing but the next thing it’s another”

“I see” Hinata scrunched her face in thought before turning her gaze to Izuku. “Well Izuku, do you notice something different?”

“Not really besides the amount of talking in the house increased”

“Talking? What do you mean?” Inko asked before Hinata could.

“Well, sometimes when I’m thinking, someone else would say something. And then someone else would say something. It would continue like that for a while until I focus back on Mommy” Izuku looked at Inko. "Sometimes I wonder if Mommy can hear them but she doesn't react so it's always been just me"

“Interesting. And what do some of these voices say?” Hinata asked.

Izuku’s face darkened and turned to the side. “Most of the times it is bad things”

“What kind of bad things?”

Izuku covered his face. “How to murder Kaachan or Mommy”

Inko blanched while Hinata perused. “Why do they want to hurt them?”

“Because they stand in my way of becoming who we were meant to be”

Izuku started laughing and the sounds sent chills down Inko’s spine and had her unconsciously spacing herself from her son. He saw that he was wearing his All Might shirt and put his hand on his shirt. The shirt started to smoke under his hand and when he took it off, the 'All M' logo was completely gone. He laughed at his success as Hinata spread her arms wide once Inko was near her.

“This obviously isn’t Izuku. Who am I speaking to?”

“Izuku is here but among friends” he chuckled. “I am Greed”

“Greed? Do you have a quirk?”

Greed lit his hands on fire. “I think this suffices as an answer; but I can do so much more”

“Do you mind telling us?”

A chuckle garbled out of his lips as he gestured with his hands still on fire. “A magician never reveals his tricks”

“Well how many more are there with you?” Hinata eyed Greed’s burning hands and saw him clench and unclench them.

“Seven” he tilted his head. “Not including Izuku- he’s Zero”

“Zero?”

“He’s the mask to the sins”

“Sins?” Inko questioned. “What sins?”

Greed smothered his flames. “Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. We are the multiple personalities of Izuku”

Hinata frantically looked for some papers and found a ‘Quirk Evaluation’ sheet. She took a pen from her cup holder and wrote down what she could gather from this brief discussion. As her pen worked, Greed hummed a tune that Inko knew but the name was hidden from her tongue and smiled grimly. Inko still kept her distance, even though she knew he was, in some way or form, her son.

“Out of the seven, who has met Inko?”

Greed thought before answering. “They all talked to her at least once, but they didn’t formally introduce themselves like I have. All of us have shown our quirk at some point- but we normally stay hidden” Greed smiles and looks at Inko. “But Inko sees Sloth every night in her dreams”

Inko gasped. “It was you who was sending me those awful nightmares!” 

Greed tried to look innocent but failed. “Not me- Sloth. If you want to reduce that, place a mirror on all sides of Izuku’s bed. Do that and the nightmares will stop”

“Why should I trust you when you may possibly want to kill me?” Inko asked while clenching her fists. She hid the slight shiver in her heart because it felt horrible to say that to her son- even though she wasn't talking to Izuku.

“Because I want to be the one that you see last. I want your last words be to me- your last breath to be from my lungs. Not some Freddy Krueger wannabe who never leaves the bed” Greed rolled his eyes. “Either follow my instructions or keep losing sleep- your choice Inko”

“How did you gain control if Izuku is Zero?” Hinata asked, pulling the attention back on her.

Greed snapped his attention to Hinata so fast it made her drop her pen. He smirked before answering. “He put his hands over his eyes and mentally thought my name. That brings anyone forth- unless we really need something. Then we’ll pop in when Izuku is mindlessly thinking” Greed chuckled. “And boy does he think”

“What does he think about?”

Greed loudly sighed while changing positions. “How he wants to be a hero and yada yada yada. I don’t really care but we have other plans”

“Do you mind letting me know those plans? Whatever is said in this room stays in this room” Hinata said with her pen ready.

Greed leaned forward. “If I told you then I’d have to kill you and Inko. Then the plans and your bodies will forever stay in this room” Greed started to look aggravated. “Let the next question be your last question before Inko’s dreams become a reality for the both of you”

Hinata and Inko shared a look before looking back at Izuku. Izuku stared back with an annoyed smirk. Hinata shuffled her papers and then asked, “Does Izuku have a quirk?”

Greed raised an eyebrow before answering, “We are his quirk. In your eyes the draw back is having multiple personalities. But for us,” Greed sneered. “it makes things much more fun”

“C-could we have Izuku back please?” Inko begged.

“Sure. He’s been knocking at the door for a while now” before Greed could elaborate, he put his hands over his eyes. His body went stiff and then relaxed. He took his hands off his eyes, blinked, and looked at Inko.

“Mommy?” Izuku asked.

“Oh, thank heavens!” Inko dove for Izuku and engulfed him in a bear hug. Izuku quickly wrapped his arms around Inko before separating from her with a bright smile.

“Mommy, I have a quirk! It's not what I thought it'd be but it's better than what I anticipated!" Izuku giggled before continuing. "They’re all so friendly and nice! How did you like Greed? He’s so cool” Izuku adored Greed and missed Inko’s fear that splashed over her face before washing it away with a smile.

“He is his own person, but I’m glad you like him”

Izuku smiled. “Everyone else is excited to meet you and- Kaachan! Mommy I gotta tell Kaachan I have a quirk!” Izuku got up from the couch and flung the door open before running out.

“Ms. Midoriya” Hinata said. “Please watch over your son with a keen eye. Please come back when you have met the others. Izuku already has somewhat of control on his ‘personalities’ but we need to make sure he keeps a handle on them” Hinata stood up and filed her paperwork in one of her many filing cabinets.

Inko nodded before heading out the door and closing it behind her. She caught up to Izuku, who was an abundant amount of energy, and guided him out the building. Instead of going home though, Inko started heading in the other direction.

“Mommy? Where are going?”

Inko smiled at Izuku before answering. “To the store. I just have the sudden urge to buy some mirrors” 

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long for the second personality to show its’ face.

Inko and Izuku were in the back of the store looking at some cheap mirrors.

“Mommy?” Inko looked at Izuku. “Why are we here looking at some mirrors?”

Inko thought before answering. “I need something to put in your room for the time being before I can figure out how else I would cover those scorch marks”

Izuku pulled at the bottom of his shirt. “I know why you really need them and I’m sorry Mommy. Greed confessed to doing it. Sloth also confessed to sending you those horrible dreams” Tears started to cascade down his cheeks like a river. “I’m so sorry Mommy- if I would’ve known I would’ve-”

Inko got on her knees and hugged Izuku with all her might while he sobbed into her shoulder. “I’m sorry Izuku for not helping you more. Now, smile Izuku. I would go through those nightmares for the rest of my life in I knew I could keep waking up to your smile”

Izuku got off of her shoulder and smiled through his tears while Inko wiped them away with her thumb. When Izuku finally collected himself, Inko stood up and smiled once more. “Now, let’s pick out some mirrors, shall we?” Inko grinned and went back to looking at the mirrors.

Their happiness didn’t last long.

Inko overheard some commotion going on from the front of the store and tried to hide Izuku but it was too late. A person with a black ski mask and an automatic assault rifle stalked towards them in long strides.

“Get to the fucking front of the store!” He yelled while yanking Inko by her shoulder. He put the barrel of the gun behind her back and nudged her forward. Inko tried to keep a steady pace as she held Izuku close to her chest. When Inko got to the front, she saw that there was a clerk lying, face down, over the desk with crimson running down their limp body. She silently whimpered before being pushed towards the hostages. There was seven of them- an elderly couple, two ladies, and three guys that each had a face that held shame in them. Inko sat down in the aisle that they were held in and held Izuku close.

“We don’t have many demands” one robber said. He looked at his allies (there was three of them altogether) and he continued. “We just need money and we’d be out of your hair”

“But!” the robber that had talked to Inko said, “this clerk had to alert the cops, so we are just going to hide here until our demands are met”

“What are your demands?” one of the ladies asked.

“The usual: money and freedom” the robbers smirked at each other.

“And we will get these demands,” the robber with a knife rushed towards Inko and snatched Izuku away from her. He held Izuku in a choke hold and smirked at Inko's terror filled face.

“Because we have a child!” Izuku struggled for air and kicked the robber’s legs. The robber grunted and hit Izuku with the back of a gun he got from his back pocket. Izuku stiffened and then slumped and a couple of ruby dots fell to the floor.

Before Inko could call out his name, the robber, with the assault rifle slung over his shoulder, slammed her head into the ground and held her there. “I’ve heard that mothers get a little crazy seeing their kids hurt. We can’t have that can we?”

The robber got up and joined his cronies just as red and blue lights flashed outside.

“Come out with your hands above your head before we send in a pro-hero!”

The robbers looked at the glass doors and saw the golden arches of the number one hero. They all flushed before the small moans of a child disrupted their panic. Smiles erupted from their faces and they all faced the doors as the final plead of surrender fell upon deaf ears.

All Might took one step before pausing.

One robber held a bloody Izuku above his head.

“Take one more step and this kid takes his last breath”

Inko started to sob loudly but couldn’t pick her head up because darkness was starting to dance across her vision. So, she laid down on the floor and tried to keep her eyes open and ignore the immense pounding against her skull.

And she’s glad she did- because one of Izuku’s personalities surfaced.

Izuku slowly put his trembling hands to his face and the sudden movement shocked the robbers. The robber cursed his sudden movement and reached for Izuku. As his hands, fingers, got close to him-

Izuku bent one of his fingers backwards.

The robber dropped Izuku, but he landed gracefully on his feet. While the robber was fawning over his pointer finger pointing oddly back at him, Izuku managed to take the knife from him and stabbed the leg of the robber who had hurt his mom.

With two robbers down the last robber pointed his gun at Izuku and fired.

Inko sucked in a breath as Izuku’s head tilted back like he was shot in between the eyes.

Audible gasps was heard from the hostages and Inko's vocal chords was snatched away from her before she could call his name.

But there was no blood to be seen.

Izuku’s head lifted up slowly to show the robber that he caught the bullet in his teeth.

Before the robber could pull the trigger again, Izuku spit the bullet and it hit the robber right in between the eyes with intense speed.

He fell to the ground like Goliath, while Izuku picked up the assault rifle and began to inspect it.

“What are you going to do with that? You’re gonna shoot us like you do him?” the robber with the knife in his leg tried to stop the bleeding but the crimson left a stain on his fingers that he could never wash out.

Izuku looked at him and took out the bullets of the gun. He threw them at the glass door and it shattered into a million pieces like a broken heart.  Izuku tossed aside the now useless gun and stalked over to the two robbers- who, both, tried but failed to get away- and stood over them menacingly.

All Might ran in through the broken door and tried to call out to the boy. “Stop!” The police regained life and began to chant the same word but Izuku paid them no mind.

"My boy! Please stop!" All Might pleaded. 

 Izuku smirked at All Might's cries but didn’t back down. Instead, he pointed at Inko and All Might’s eyes followed his finger.

Izuku took a step towards the robber with the knife and swiftly took the knife out. The robber shrieked like a banshee but was soon silenced by the knife splitting his head wide open. Inko gasped and All Might’s eyes widened at the sudden movement of this child.

Izuku took the knife out of the still body and stared inching towards the robber that was moving towards the elderly couple.

“You better stop or they’ll die!” he yelled. He pulled a gun out and raised it towards the elderly couple. They started to silently pray as the barrel of the gun was aimed at the husband's forehead.

But Izuku didn’t stop. He raised the knife above his head and held it by the handle.

"Stop or I will detain you!" All Might yelled at Izuku.

Izuku slowly turned his head towards All Might. A cheshire smile sprung across his face.

"Make me" he said as he thrusted the knife in the direction of the robber- hitting him in the chest. The robber dropped the gun and he hit the floor as his rubies poured out of his body; making a cascading pattern on the dirty tiles. 

With his last breaths, he asked “Who are you?”

Izuku smiled and replied, “I’m Pride”

Chapter Text

Today was like a two-for-one special. First was Pride, and now there was going to be another personality that shows up.

Pride stood in the middle of a bloodbath- the blood of the three robbers drenching his white shirt with a hole in the center (thanks to Greed) and black shorts. All of the hostages should’ve felt relieved now that the robbers are gone but instead they felt a sense of urgency to get out if they wanted to stay alive.

“What are you waiting for?” Pride turned around and faced the hostages. “You are all safe now”

“That may be the case” a middle aged man said while standing up from cowering with the females. “But how do we know that you won’t kill us like you did with them!”

“Yeah” another guy stood up and clenched his fists at his side. “How do we know that you won’t kill us all?”

The hostages started to slowly stand up and vibe off the mob mentality. The only people that didn’t go with the absurd thoughts taking flight was the elderly couple and that was because they were picking up a very aware Inko. She wanted to protect Izuku, but her brain was refusing to process the fact that her three year old took out three armed grown men.

“I don’t have the patience for this” Pride said while shaking his head with his hands on his hips.

“People” All Might stepped through the broken glass door and approached Pride. He stood next to him and his never-ending smile smoothed the nerves of the meek mob.

“Why are you ganging up on the person who saved your life? He could’ve done it in a better manner” All Might looked down at Pride and he raised an eyebrow at him.

“But he still saved your life” All Might looked at the people and gauged their expressions. The people started to look sorry for accusing a little kid for attempting to kill them when all he did was defend them all.

Even though, his execution was horribly wrong.

After seeing everyone smile despite their circumstances, All Might patted Pride’s shoulder before stepping towards the hostages. While All Might was talking to them some more about how they would take them to the station to interview what had happened and whatnot; Pride mumbled something and put his hands over his eyes.

“So now if everyone could just-”

“Forget everything and walk home” Pride said with his hands still over his eyes, but in a different voice

Before All Might could figure out who said that; the hostages, including the elderly couple who managed to stop all of Inko’s bleeding and got her on her feet, started to walk towards the door.

“Where are they going?” Inko asked as she hobbled towards Izuku.

He looked back at her and smiled. “Home”

Naomasa Tsukauchi, a very good friend of All Might’s and a trained cop/detective, tried to detain all the hostages but despite him (and all the other cops) trying to keep the hostages- they kept walking. He quickly introduced himself with a flash of his badge to Inko and Izuku- who just blinked at his fast appearance.

They walked past the flashing red and blue lights- and each person walked in a different direction of each other.

“What is going on here All Might?” Naomasa questioned in a frenzy. “We have a robbery that escalated into homicides- and the hostages are just walking away in a comatose state and nothing we do will stop them. So, I ask again,” Naomasa walked closer to Izuku and All Might. “just WHAT is going on here?”

“They are going home” Izuku said in a voice that was similar to the action of melting butter on a roll. It struck a memory chord with her; and this was the seductive voice she heard him use from time-to-time.

“Wait, who’s here with us?” Inko asked- bringing Naomasa and All Might out of their hushed words and back on track. They leaned in and towards the small child that was dripping with rubies like a sword used to win a battle.

“I’m Lust” Lust said with a bow from the waist. “And I was instructed to handle the situation to the best of my ability”

“Instructed? By who?” Naomasa leaned in towards Lust.

“By Greed” Lust answered with disinterest and looked at Inko. He started towards her to help her become stable while some of Naomasa’s men came in and took evidence and pictures of the scene of the crime.

“Milady, could you please fill us in?” Naomasa looked at Inko while All Might pulled a piece of paper out of his pants and started signing it.

“It’s a long story” Inko lazily rolled her eyes and Lust squinted at All Might. All Might gave the paper to Lust and he saw that it was All Might's autograph and raised his eyebrow at him. All Might guffawed and ran his fingers through his green curls before Lust swatted his hands away.

“We have plenty of time at the station- I’d love to hear it” Naomasa pried.

All Might looked at Lust and smiled. “My boy- what you did today was slightly heroic. Do you want to be a hero when you get older?”

Before Inko could come up with an answer for Naomasa, Lust laughed, and it sounded like the twinkling of bells. He balled up the paper autograph of All Might and dropped it in a lost river of blood- stepping on it and grinding it into the soaked tile.

“I do not wish to be a hero. I’m only doing this until the time to make my move is right” Lust said before taking a finger and twirling it in his hair. “Don’t get it twisted- I’ll be number one; but on which side? The offer is up for grabs”

Inko gasped at Naomasa’s and All Might’s stiffened demeanor. “But Izuku, don’t you want to become a hero?”

Lust chuckled softly. “But is that my name, Inko?” At her silence, Lust looked at Naomasa and tilted his head. “This has gone on long enough. Naomasa order your men to clean the scene and head home to forget everything that has happened in the last thirty minutes”

All Might was about to question the direct command this child had to a cop but what shocked him more was that Naomasa complied. He took his bullhorn and gave the exact orders Lust told him to give. There was obvious back talk, to which Lust gave a clear, “Do it” and everyone took on a trance and began to clean up the blood from the clerk and the robbers.

All Might and Inko looked around at the quickened pace of all the cops like they were bees in a beehive. All Might clenched his fist at the sight of his friend being used as a puppet and the fact that this child has the kind of quirk in the first place. If he used this kind of quirk from the start, then they would’ve only had to deal with one body and not four.

“Young man” All Might glared; to which Lust gave him a cheshire smile. “Even though you have done something slightly heroic- the way you handled it was wrong! I see that you can command people- so you should’ve-”

“It wasn’t time for me” Lust said blankly.

All Might shared a look with Inko before looking back at Lust. “What?”

“It wasn’t my time to shine. It was Pride’s turn” Lust brushed All Might’s hand off of his shoulder in disgust. “It still isn’t my turn, but Pride gave me his spot”

“Where is Izuku?” Inko looked down at Lust and he met her look.

“He’s resting. A blow to the head from the bottom of a gun put him out of commission. But he is protected- we won’t let anything happen to Zero”

“Zero? Pride? Greed? Lust?” All Might scrunched up his face in thought. “Is Sloth, Wrath, and Gluttony somewhere with you?”

Lust smiled. “Now you’re catching on”

“Not really; but could you please let everyone out of this trance?” All Might gestured to his friend and the other cops cleaning the store. The bodies of the clerk and the three robbers were gone- which most likely meant that evidence was lost.

“No, I cannot. They will turn back to normal once they hit their front doors of their homes- but their memory of this event will be gone” Lust rolled his eyes and started to help Inko towards the door.

“My boy you cannot do that!” All Might said blocking his way. Inko looked drained of energy and out of the equation; so All Might could not get any help from her anymore.

Lust looked at All Might and sighed. “Leave your memory here and go home”

All Might went rigid before leaving the store of Lust made zombies.

Chapter Text

Inko doesn’t remember anything after having Lust carry her out of the store. She only knew that Izuku showed Greed, Pride, and Lust. Greed could control fire, Pride could fight exceptionally well, and Lust could control people. She also knew that like anybody with Multiple Personalities- the person’s demeanor changed. Greed was very confident, Pride was silent but quick on his feet, and Lust was very sexual.

But how did the other personalities react? 

She got up and realized that she was on her bed. How did she get here with just the strength of a three year old? She looked around and saw that there was an obvious struggle to get her on her bed. The door was off its hinges, the dresser drawers were pulled all the way out- leaving her feminine items hanging all over the place, and the rug by her bedside was moved around and some of the stitching was undone. 

The silence in the house was deafening- and it gave Inko a strange sense of caution.

Inko slowly got out of bed but stumbled a bit from her slight head injury. She walked over to her mirror and saw that the mark was just a scratch and not a gash like she remembered.

Suddenly, Inko heard a sound that was similar to her clay pots breaking.

“Izuku?” Inko briskly walked to the living room and saw him hunched over a broken plant. Before she could call his name again, she saw him reach out to the plant with a trembling hand. As soon as his hand touched the plant, the plant started to rapidly shrivel up. The soil lost its hearth as well and quickly turned into ash and the plant disintegrated in the matter of seconds.

Inko took a look around the room and saw that the living room was a mess. Most of her plants were in the same state as the one before Izuku and it looked like he tried to do the same to the couch, coffee table, and carpet but to no avail. The only thing that wasn’t touched was the television- but it would only be a matter of time until that was destroyed too.

“Izuku? Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Izuku snapped his head to her and Inko gasped. The feverish look in his eyes made her take a step back and the heavy breathing he had- made him seem desperate for whatever he needed.

“Is this Izuku?”

He shook his head and wiped his mouth from nonexistent slobber. “No milady. I’m Gluttony”

Inko looked at him while he went to the last plant and licked his lips. He rubbed his hands together before touching the plant. Inko could feel the sense of euphoria he gave off as he sucked the life out of the plant and moaned.

“Well, um Gluttony, may I ask what you are doing?”

Izuku snapped out of his elation and faced Inko. “I’m feeding”

Inko nodded and moved into the living room but stayed along the walls. “And why are you feeding this late at night?”

Gluttony raised an eyebrow and pointed towards the digital clock under the television. It read ‘6:45 AM’ before fizzling out and slowly blinking back on a couple seconds later.

‘Did I really sleep that long?’ Inko thought as Gluttony rushed past her and into the kitchen. She followed behind like an obedient dog and saw Gluttony look at the window then at the refrigerator. The fridge had its’ door yanked off and everything in there was reduced to juices that leaked onto the floor. Containers scattered the floor; all juice bottles were strewn across the room like decorative Christmas lights. Even some raw egg shells were lying upon the ground- their contents slurped out in a rush.

Inko looked over and saw Gluttony reaching through the window and saw that he had plucked a squirrel off of the tree.

“Gluttony- what are you doing?” she said with her hands in front of her in a calming manner. “I can get more food and plants easily”

Gluttony thought before shaking his head. “Can’t wait that long. I need food now. Need to refuel for Greed” he blatantly answered.

“Why do all of this for Greed?” Inko kept a flickering gaze between Gluttony that always looked like he was in thought, and the squirrel that was scratching at his fingers- but he paid no attention to it.

“Greed, Pride, and Lust used their quirks yesterday. We need energy to feed all of us or Greed gets mad. So, I must refuel when the sun swallows the day- unless certain circumstances arise” Gluttony licked his lips at the squirrel and placed his other hand on top of the squirrel that was begging for its’ life to be spared. “My quirk, as you put it, allows me to take fuel in and disperse it among all of us. I can eat, or I could take energy, sometimes life, from living things by touch”

Inko nodded, but before she could interject- Gluttony twisted the squirrel’s head and body in two different directions until an audible snap occurred and all high-pitched wails ceased. Inko’s eyes widened as Gluttony opened his mouth and tossed in the entire squirrel’s head whole. It was at this moment, when Inko saw that Gluttony had sharp, jagged teeth- similar to a shark.

 “But I love killing living things. The screams are the seasonings and makes it taste ten times better” Gluttony smiled as he tossed the body into his mouth and slurped the tail like it was spaghetti. “Greed says these are healthy screams- unlike Sloth. He makes unhealthy screams”

“What do you mean by that?” Inko asked as Gluttony licked his fingers and rubbed his stomach.

“I know how to keep all the energy I have locked up and I'll disperse it when needed to. Think of it as a container with a lid. Sloth has a container but no lid- energy is constantly spewing out" Gluttony snatched a squirrel running up the tree near the flat and swiftly bit into its' head like a lollipop. He tossed the rest of the body in his mouth and swallowed it in two bites. He elongated his tongue to lick all the blood surrounding his lips before he spoke again.  

"Too much energy makes Zero loose reins. Greed takes over while Zero regains strength” Gluttony reached out the window and whistled a tune that sounded exactly like a bird’s song. A robin fluttered onto his index finger like it was a perch and Gluttony brought it into the house. He closed the window and started to pet it while putting his next words into thought. “When Sloth is around he does not know how to contain well. Greed uses him and Wrath as Trump Cards” Gluttony shook his head and his petting stop. “Sloth is sorta like me- we make energy for all of us. Except I was made to stockpile energy because I am able to contain all energy. I can either weaken a person or kill them swiftly. And even though Sloth can contain some, he does it by torture and taking years off of people's lives- which makes mine safer by default” Gluttony laughed at his comparison.

Inko’s eyes widened as the current news made her breathing stagger. Years? Off of my life?

Inko shook her head as the bird’s static song turned into a crescendo as Gluttony began twisting the head.

“Wait Gluttony- Wait!” Gluttony stopped twisting and the bird started to nip at its finger to fly away- but Gluttony held it down.

“Please don’t kill anymore animals to gain energy. I’ll make sure the fridge is always stocked but please, no more” Inko never did like to see an animal die; but with Izuku’s new quirks- death is the only station that airs on their reality show.

“Unless you want to die an early death, I’d close my eyes and get used to it. Greed is scarier than you, Inko” Gluttony began to twist the bird’s head again.

“I volunteer as tribute!” She screamed- snapping Gluttony out of his actions. He paused and the let out a sigh. Gluttony reopened the window and, literally, tossed the bird out before closing it again.

“What did you say?”

“Just this one time, I volunteer as tribute. I’ll take the bird’s place” Inko knew deep down in her heart that Izuku would cry for days if he found out that he was the reason behind the death of some squirrels and a bird. He loved life and would be devastated.

Gluttony shrugged and put his hands to his eyes. She heard a mumble and then a chuckle soon after. He lowered his hands and soulless ebony eyes looked back at her. Inko felt like she was being electrocuted on the spot as the eyes searched her stature and then finally captured her eyes.

“Have pleasant dreams, Mama”  

Chapter Text

Inko woke up in a dark room. She didn’t know where she was or what she was doing there, but she couldn’t move a single bit. She felt her wrists and elbows restrained- along with her ankles and head. She wanted to cry out for help, but her mouth felt like cotton. She stared into darkness and for some reason, it looked like it was moving back and forth- like it was trying to get her attention. She caught sight of it and let her eyes follow it like a metronome.

Just when darkness started to take shape, a ring of candles became lit all at once.

Inko’s heart stopped.

She knows this place- remembers this place.

It’s the place from her nightmares.

Inko sat in a dentist’s chair and to her right was a small stand full of tools she didn’t want to have anything to do with- but she knew how each tool and how they were going to be used. There was blood splattered across the floor- her blood that has left a crimson stain on the white tiles.

Inko could faintly hear the echoes of her past wails bouncing from wall to wall and then back to her. Inko tried to writhe out of her bindings but a scrape from the back corner stopped her.

“You’re back, Inko”

Inko stopped moving when Izuku moved next the table and slung the hedge clippers on the table- making the whole table shake. She was somewhat confused because all the other personalities looked like a three year old Izuku. However, this particular Izuku was much older (he looked like Hisashi at first glance) and was dressed in a suit and tie with his sleeves rolled up. He made eye contact, with his ebony eyes, with Inko and she felt like her soul was being sucked out of her eyes. He hummed a tune, breaking the unblinking stare, and the sudden noise brought Inko out of her thoughts and to the task at hand. Izuku picked up and looked at the hedge clippers in awe while Inko leaned forward and saw that it had her name written in it multiple times. Many with a permanent marker, a couple times in blood, and once etched into the handle of the hedge clippers.

“Why do you look like this?” Inko blurted out- making Sloth stop in movement. He resumed and went to the sharpening wheel to Inko’s left.

"I choose to look like this because I am more sophisticated and belong in a body that resembles one. Not the body of a three year old"  He smiled wickedly as sparks began to fly. 

"Good- I wouldn't want to see my precious Izuku in a place like this, Sloth" Inko smirked weakly.+

“Gluttony can’t keep his mouth shut at all” Sloth chuckled but stopped. Turning to look at Inko he added, “That comment had a little bite to it. Didn’t know you had it in you”

Sloth chuckled and kept sharpening his tool. Inko looked at the shadows and she strongly thought she saw two eyes staring back at her. When she squinted, the shadows seemed to vibrate, before becoming still as night.

“Alright” Sloth said right next to Inko’s ear- scaring her. “Start counting Inko”

Inko sighed and started counting. She didn’t get to the number three before her eyes clamped shut because she felt the hedge clippers under her index fingers. Sloth paused and waited for her to say another number before shutting the clippers. Inko’s finger was flung into the air- to which Sloth caught with his mouth and ate. Inko would always vomit at the immense pain but Sloth would ridicule her for her weak pain tolerance and then laugh at her vulnerability. Then, when his guffaws died down, he’d nudge Inko to start counting and through her cries of fear and pain while delectable rubies poured like water from a faucet from her finger and onto the thirsty tiles below.

This ordeal would continue until Inko’s wails of despair and Sloth’s shrieks of excitement made a symphony of emotions that was orchestrated through the darkening silence.

Sloth put his drenched head clippers on the floor and wiped invisible sweat off his brow. Inko was covered in blood, vomit, sweat, and tears as all her fingers turned into little stumps that made her porcelain hands become stained witch’s hands- due to the restraints cutting off circulation and the drainage of red water.

“Do you know what happens next, Inko?”

“E-eyes. M-my eyes” Inko rasped.

Sloth nodded in contentment. “You are correct” Sloth went over to the table and started to toss things around. When he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he slammed his hands on the desk and turned to face Inko.

“And you’re in luck. I can’t find my melon ball scooper so I’ll go grab my back up. I would tell you to sit tight but you’re already doing that so well” Sloth walked away laughing maniacally.

Inko sighed audibly once the noise got out of earshot. She closed her eyes and rolled her head to the right- where something caught her eye.

The shadows- they seemed to be moving rapidly again. She blinked the sweat and tears out of her eyes and focused on the shadows. She could make out a figure, but it wasn’t doing anything- it was just standing there menacingly.

“Stare into darkness and darkness will eventually stare back at you” Izuku walked out of the shadows and to Inko.

“Izuku?” Inko said with false hope.

He shook his head. “Envy” He took a knife from the table and rubbed it between his fingers before cutting the restraint on her right arm. “And I’m here to get you out”

Inko blinked in shock. “But why? I thought you all wanted to kill me” Inko hid her sadness when she spoke these words; to think that her all of her son’s personalities wanted her dead- and in very gruesome ways- was something that would be attached to her heart like a tumor.

Envy cut her left wrist restraints and then stopped. “Greed’s agenda and my agenda are two different things” Inko silently begged Envy to elaborate but he started cutting Inko’s elbow straps. He stopped for a moment and she leaned to the right to see that he was looking down at an enlarged shadow. He nodded at the revelation only he could see and started to cut faster.

“Sloth doesn’t know that he only needed to cut off one or two of your fingers. Your emotional distress is enough to fuel as energy. Any more and Zero wouldn’t be the one you’d meet when you woke up”

“Why don’t you tell him that he doesn’t need to?”

“It’s not in my agenda” Inko nodded at the curt answer and decided to leave it be for the time being.

After Envy cut off her elbow straps, he cut her head straps and proceeded to her ankles. Inko attempted to rub her palms against her legs to regain circulation when Envy stopped her. “Just a dream- not real”

She nodded and ignored the phantom pain in her finger stumps. Once Envy was done with the straps, he motioned to the right where the darkness was the most tangible.

“Walk through there to get home. Zero will greet you once you awaken”

Inko walked towards the darkness on limp legs but stopped when she heard an enraged scream and heavy footsteps.

“Why are you here Envy? This is my domain!” Sloth was back with a melon ball scooper and stopped a few feet away from me. He tried to take a step towards me but some shadows behind Envy captured Sloth and held him in place. Sloth struggled- which made him drop the melon ball scooper- and he ground his teeth in anger.

"When Greed hears that you stopped me on my territory- he'll have your head!" Sloth yelled before a shadow tendril wrapped around his head and muffled anymore of his complaints.

“Wherever there are shadows, I shall be there” Envy gestured to the overwhelming shadows that she didn’t notice before. The shadows sniffed out the candles one by one and once they were all gone; Sloth let out a ear splitting shriek- despite the shadow tendril over his mouth. Inko put her palms to her ears and felt thick liquid comfort her palms and finger stumps.

“Go Inko! Keep running and never look back!” Envy yelled over the intolerable screech. 

Inko jumped to attention and ran into the tangible darkness and never stopped- until she saw a light at the end of the tunnel and a familiar voice calling her name.

"Mommy? Mommy please wake up!" Izuku, her Izuku, desperately yelled.

"Sweetie! Mommy's coming!" Inko ran to the light and let it caress her skin like fabric before closing her eyes.

Chapter Text

Almost a full week has passed since Inko has seen any of Izuku’s personalities. When she awoke from Sloth’s dungeon, she woke up to Izuku on his knees next to her with a concerned look on his face. She shed her drowsiness and tackled him with a hug and entombed him with her love. Izuku gave her his famous laugh that made her heart levitate, and they both continued life as like nothing was wrong.

Ever since then, not one of Izuku’s personalities came out. He was just Izuku and Inko loved it.

But happiness doesn’t last for the Midoriyas.

Inko woke up early on the day of Izuku’s birthday and made a big breakfast spread. All of his favorites- pancakes, sausages, bacon, hashbrowns, eggs, toast, waffles, crepes, and all kinds of sugary goodness a kid could only dream of. Inko hummed as she cooked because it was Izuku’s Big Day and he was going to have so much fun. He was going to eat his birthday breakfast and then they were going to head to the park for a playdate with the Bakugos- until he tired himself out. Izuku would enjoy it immensely because he hasn’t been able to see Katsuki since he got his quirks. Inko feared they would pop up and hurt the little boy unintentionally.

Hurried steps made Inko jump but she smiled knowing that it was Izuku. She put down her cooking utensil, washed her hands, and then met Izuku in the doorway.

But her smile left her face.

Izuku had a blank face and had his hands folded behind his back. He gave the spread of food one glance before he scoffed. Catching eyes with Inko, he took his hand out from behind his back and waved. As he waved, fire ignited on his fingertips and spread to his wrist. Streaks of blue would highlight his hand and make the air around him vibrate with fear.

Greed’s back.

“Hello Inko” Greed silenced the flames dance on his hands and walked over to the table to sit down. He gestured towards the chair on the other side and the chair smoothly moved backwards. Greed smiled at the silent submission the chair gave him and clasped his hands together. “Would you have a seat please? I have something urgent to speak to you about”

Inko stared at him like he grew an extra head. “I thought you had a fire quirk”

Greed deflated and sighed. “My quirk will not be as miniscule as that. My quirk is infinite. Now please sit” He gestured towards the chair and Inko made no move towards the chair. Greed sighed loudly and snapped twice. The chair trembled violently as an answer and Inko made a slow move for the chair. When she finally sat down, and Greed rolled his eyes.

“Finally. You took your sweet time; while I’m on limited time”

“Limited time?” Greed rolled his eyes and waved the air.

“Nevermind that. I need to give you a warning that Wrath is coming, and you need to be ready” Greed spoke with  a hint of urgency and Inko face grew confused.

“Why are you telling me this this?” Inko asked. What Inko has gathered from Greed is that he has his own agenda. Despite the other personalities not liking some of the rules laid out for them by Greed- they respect him greatly and just saying his name makes them bow their heads like obedient dogs. 

All except Envy for some reason.

“Wrath is known for making me change plans in my agenda. He’s my first trump card for a reason” Greed mumbled something and then shook his head. “I have sorted my brothers in groups called Strikes based on power, strength, and teamwork. Myself, Pride, and Lust are the First Strike. Gluttony, Sloth, and Envy are the Second Strike”

"Wait. How can you all be there at once when you all share Izuku's body?" 

Greed squinted and tapped his forehead. He began to glow faintly and then it turned into a bright flash of light. Inko shielded her eyes and when she finally looked back at Greed- there was two.

"Greed. Inko. What do you want?" Pride stood behind Greed with his eyelids half open. 

"Oh nothing. I just wanted to show Inko, once more, that my quirk is infinite" Greed smiled at Pride- but he just rolled his eyes.

"Do not use me as an example, Greed" Greed chuckled.

"I'm sorry Pride. Greed was showing me what he could do" Inko apologized.

Pride raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I don't have the patience for this" Pride put his hand on Greed's right shoulder. Greed snapped his fingers and Pride's body turned into a puff of smoke, that quickly dispersed within the air.

"Anymore questions?" Greed clasped his hands and put it back on the table.

“What about Wrath?” Inko questioned, trying to keep up with the new revelations.

“I was getting to that” Greed huffed. “Wrath is to not be used unless the First and Second Strike fail- which doesn’t happen ever”

“But I don’t understand why” Inko felt like she was grasping at straws.

Greed rolled his eyes and looked at the window. “Inko, remember the squirrels and birds you found outside the kitchen window? How they were dead but you didn’t know how they died?”

Inko slowly nodded as the memory of her cleaning dead animals from her windowsill became the normal for a couple weeks before Greed made his appearance.

“Wrath has the ability to destroy anything he wants with a simple thought” Greed ignored Inko’s shocked face and continued. “Wrath is a ‘basket case’. When we first manifested, Wrath didn’t like his quirk. He is similar to Zero because he doesn’t like seeing people suffer”

“That’s ironic- considering his name” Inko raised an eyebrow. Greed looked at her and then laughed a laugh similar to Izuku's and it made her heart squeeze. He wiped his dry eyes and gave Inko a toothy smile- and Inko returned one.

Greed calmed himself down and Inko waited for him to continue. “Wrath asked me to take away his sight; so he wouldn’t be able to see the suffering- and I did”

 “Oh my God!” It was Inko’s turn to jump abruptly and what the other said. “Why would you do that?”

Greed shrugged. “If a friend asked you to help them out- would you help them?” Inko nodded. “Well, my brother asked for my help and I did. But I wished I didn’t”

“Why?”

“Wrath soon found out he couldn’t run away from who he was in the end and started killing the animals by the window. But his quirk grew faster than everyone else’s and he wanted to kill bigger things” Greed pointed to Inko.

“Bigger things?” Inko pointed to herself and Greed nodded solemnly.

“When you were asleep one night, Wrath took over and tried to kill you while Sloth was at work. Sloth didn’t like that and stitched his mouth closed. We have a rule that you cannot interfere while one of us is working. So, as leader, I went along with Sloth’s punishment and made him lose his voice”

Inko squinted her eyes. “But Envy did that a couple days ago when I was with Sloth- did he get in trouble?”

Greed’s right eye started twitching and he took a deep breath. “Envy will not conform to the system I laid out. He would’ve been punished like Wrath but he has seniority”

“Seniority?” Inko questioned.

“He was the first one born. I was the second” Greed looked disgusted. “The only lost that has been assigned to my name” Greed closed his eyes and got off of his chair.

"Anything else I need to know?" 

“Before Wrath uses his quirk, his eyes start to bleed. That means that his quirk is starting up and he’s taking the blood from the victim. If Wrath kills slowly, then no blood occurs. But seeing how he’ll be in full control- he’s going to want to kill everything” Inko also stood and followed Greed to the entrance of the kitchen.

“How will he know what to kill if he is blind?”

Greed pointed to his ears. “He senses the vibrations in the area- so picture it like a spider web. If anything makes one move-it will ripple along the web. Then, Wrath will track it and kill it in a matter of seconds” 

Greed took Inko’s clenched hands and stared into her eyes. “Wrath showing up is on the agenda. What he does while he is here is not on the agenda. Despite all of us trying to kill you, Zero would be sad if you died due to this unforeseen contingency- so please have caution”

Inko grimly smiled before letting go of his hands and turning serious. “Alright- what do I need to do?”

“There is a pro-hero named Eraserhead. He can cancel quirks by looking at them. The only problem with that is that Wrath can’t see but if Eraserhead but headphones on him then Wrath's version of sight will be cut off completely”

"Why Eraserhead?" 

Greed looked at her like she was the one with two heads. "He's expendable"

Inko knew that that meant- Greed didn't care if he died or not. And as much as she didn't want to drag someone into Greed's agenda; she had no choice but to enlist help. It was going to be tough though- seeing how Lust acted with All Might. “What if he doesn’t kill anyone?”

Greed stopped. “Out of all of my brothers, which one did not try to kill you or others?”

“Lust and Envy”

“Lust and Sloth tag team sometimes and are the main causes behind suicide. Envy kills people too, you just can never find the body”

Inko’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know they did that”

“Most people don’t," Greed put his hands to his eyes and smirked. "so let's keep it that way"

Chapter Text

“Musutafu Police; how may I help you?”

“Hello; may I speak to the head detective?” Inko asked while Izuku was happily eating his breakfast that she prepared. It got a little cold from talking to Greed but Izuku didn’t mind.

“Is something wrong Mommy?” Izuku asked with his cheeks almost bursting full of fluffy pancakes.

Inko smiled and patted his head. “Nothing’s wrong- Mommy just has to make a phone call. Enjoy your food and I’ll be right back” Inko smiled and walked into the living room.

She put the phone back to the ear just when someone on the other line was talking back.

“-ello? Hello?” Inko recognized the voice- it was the same person who came in with All Might after that robber mishap.

“Oh- I’m sorry! My name is Midoriya Inko and I really need some help”

“Well, Ms. Midoriya; what seems to be the problem?”

Inko thought a moment before answering. “Well my son's quirk manifested recently, but he can’t control it. So, I’m just asking if the pro-hero, Eraser Head, could come and watch him with me today?”

Now that it was said aloud, it sounded weirder than it did in her head.

Hesitation, and then a cough of uncertainty, was heard from the other line. “Mam, we cannot ask pro-heros to babysit a birthday party- even if your son cannot control his quirk”

“But you don’t understand! My son has used his quirk on you before!” Inko’s desperation took control of her mouth.

“Mam, if that were true then I would remember it” He said and Inko could tell his patience was wearing thin.

“No, it is true! Last week there was a robbery in a store and you were outside with All Might- and all three robbers and a clerk died!”

“Mam, I do not remember such accusations. If this is a prank call, then I suggest you stop now” Inko could tell she was toeing the line- and this was going worst than she thought.

“Sir if you could just please-” Inko glanced to the side and jumped out of her skin when she saw Izuku there with his hands over his eyes. She ignored the staccato banter on the other line while Izuku’s hands left his eyes and motioned her to give him the phone.

Inko, feeling numb for some reason, gave Izuku the phone and his demeanor changed as his eyes went cold.

“Remember” Lust whispered. He gave the phone back to Inko and put his hands over his eyes. As soon as his hands were over his eyes, he dropped them and Izuku blinked a bit before running back to the kitchen with no words said.

Inko put the phone back to her ear just in time to hear the person on the other line say, “I remember”

“Kacchan!” Izuku shouted with glee. It's been a while since he saw his friend and his mother wouldn't let him go to school until all of his personalities, or as Greed calls it 'brothers', showed up. But his mother said that if everything went accordingly then he'd go back to school the following week- which he was very excited for.

Izuku ran to Katsuki but he saw it coming and put his hand on Izuku’s head. Bakugo extended his arm so Izuku couldn’t hug him and ended up snatching up air.

“Oi Deku- I told you not to fuckin’ do that!” Katsuki let go of Izuku’s hair as he gasped.

“Kacchan! No cursing!” Izuku looked around and saw his and Katsuki’s mom chatting vividly- while Katsuki's dad was on the grill. When Masaru saw Izuku, he waved and the boy reciprocated before he turned back to the grill. Izuku turned back to Katsuki with a wide smile.

“Kacchan! I got my quirks!” Katsuki raised his eyebrow.

“Quirks? So you have more than one?”

“Yes!” Izuku answered and then deflated. “Well sorta. I have Multiple People Something, and they have the quirks” Izuku waved off the real name while Katsuki scoffed.

“So what you mean is that you’re crazy and you’re useless? No wonder your name is Deku” Katsuki laughed while Izuku’s eyes started to water with crystal diamonds.

“I am not useless! I’ll show you!” Izuku huffed and then put his hands over his eyes. He didn’t put them down after a while and Katsuki tried to pry his hands off his face. After yanking a bit, he brought his hands back quickly and hissed in pain.

“I wish you wouldn’t taunt Zero like that, Kacchan” Greed smirked as he waved his ember hands. Katsuki rubbed his hands in the grass before tilting his head back a bit.

“Who’er you?” Katsuki asked. “You’re not Deku”

Greed laughed. “Just one of the many brothers Izuku inhabited”

Katsuki squinted his eyes. “Deku could gain one hundred fuckin’ brothers for all I care. He’ll still remain shitty and useless”

Greed smirked. “And who are you to declare that we are useless?”

“I’m going to be the number one hero when I get older” Katsuki bristled. “If you aren’t to par, then you are useless and belong underneath me” Katsuki sneered. "And Deku isn't anywhere near me"

“Oh really?” Greed walked to Katsuki. He could tell that Katsuki’s legs were going to run because of the sheer intimidation he gave- but his stubbornness made him stand his ground.

“If that’s the case then,” Greed leaned into Katsuki’s ear. “why are you trembling?”

Katsuki took some steps quickly backwards while Greed laughed loudly and harshly. Inko and Mitsuki gave him a bizarre look but when Greed gave Inko a thumbs up- she continued chatting.

“Why you!” Katsuki charged for Greed. Greed called on the help of Pride as he saw little explosions appear in Katsuki’s right hand. As soon as he got within range, Greed ducked and swiped his right leg out. Katsuki tripped forward and landed on his face, while Greed dusted himself off.

“Well, with your logic- you’re useless” Greed looked at Katsuki. Katsuki had a blank face before he put his hand up and tried to make an explosion. Greed saw it coming and pinned Katsuki’s right hand to the left of him. Greed sat on his torso and held Katsuki’s left arm down with his left leg.

Greed put his right palm on Katsuki’s face and smirked. “Katsuki, if you value your life I’d listen closely” Greed leaned into Katsuki’s face- until they were a fist apart. “Call Izuku useless again- I’ll come kill you seven times over”

“You don’t mean it. You’re nothing but shit!” Katsuki struggled.

Greed untangled himself and stood up. Before Katsuki could stand up, Greed looked in a random direction and then called for the help of Envy. Envy quickly answered as Katsuki’s shadow betrayed him and wrapped around his torso.

“What the fuck is this?” Katsuki struggled against the tendrils of shadows wrapping around Katsuki and slowly dragged him under.

“I’m showing you that I fucking mean it, Kacchan” Greed smiled.

And with that, Katsuki was submerged under the shadows.

Greed stood in the same spot and hummed a tune. He looked in a random direction and smiled so hard it hurt. He kept up the smiles because he knew that in the Land of Shadows, Katsuki was dying from lack of air- and Greed didn’t care.

He deserved it for being rude to Zero.

When Greed thought Katsuki learned his lesson, he snapped and Katsuki was slowly lifted from the ground. As soon as Katsuki’s head kissed oxygen- he hacked his lungs out. He sucked in air greedily while Greed loomed over his wobbly figure.

“Do you take me seriously now?” Katsuki nodded his head hesitantly. “Good, good. Now what is it that you won’t do?”

Katsuki licked his sly lips before answering. “Call him useless”

Greed got on his knees and rubbed his back. “Good- it’s good to know you can listen. Now listen to this- make sure he doesn’t get in too much trouble”

Katsuki shriveled his face up. “What?”

Greed raised an eyebrow. “I thought your ears were working. No matter, be a friend. Bodyguard. Boyfriend- I don’t fucking care”

“But why?”

Greed rolled his eyes. A black charred book appeared above Greed's head and he caught it. He flipped through it and answered. "Because bad things will happen to both you and Izuku if you don't" Greed tossed the book back into the air and it disappeared. 

A thunderstorm of fear rained throughout Katsuki's eyes. "Hell no! After this- I'm keeping my distance. I don't need to be friends with a future villain!"

Greed tsked and shook his head. "Wrong answer. Now you'll be forced against your will. Good thing I knew this was the outcome. It was worth a shot"

Greed walked around Katsuki and called for the help of Lust. Katsuki tried to get away from him but Greed leaned down and put his hand, seductively, on Katsuki's face. Katsuki looked confused at first but Greed used the break in his barriers to caress his cheek and get closer to his face. Katsuki started to breathe harshly as Greed leaned in but moved to his right ear. 

“Come on, Kaachan. Be my friend- my best friend. Until the end of time” Lust’s voice ran out of Greed’s mouth and swirled around Katsuki’s head before entering his ears. The words wrapped around his brain in a bow and sent Katsuki in a mild trance. Greed stood up, dusted himself off, and helped Katsuki up. Greed stood back and snapped his fingers.

Katsuki stumbled away from Greed and blinked harshly. Greed quickly put his hands to his eyes and Izuku came forward. He dropped his hands and both boys stared at each other.

“Kacchan?”

“Yes D-Izuku?” Katsuki quickly corrected.

“Am I your friend?” Izuku thumbed his shirt and kicked grass around on the ground.

Katsuki walked towards him and raised his hand. Izuku flinched, thinking it was a hit, but Katsuki just placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Of course, you fuckin’ idiot! Why else would I hang out with you?” Izuku blossomed like a sunflower when it sees the sun and Katsuki smirked. “Now let’s go get some food- I’m starving”

To the naked eye, Aizawa Shouta looked like a pedophile with his binoculars facing in the direction of a four year old’s birthday party with his one friend.

But to the naked eye with clothes on, Aizawa Shouta was watching Midoriya Izuku for anything weird such as ‘bleeding from the eyes’.

Typical.

Aizawa got a call on his day off from Musutafu Police Department, saying that there was a kid that could potentially kill everyone in the nearby block- and it was up to him to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Aizawa sighed in his yellow sleeping bag that he was in, perched up in a nearby tree, staring at a kid doing “questionable things” to his friend. Aizawa saw the boy tackle his blond friend before he stood up. Midoriya glanced in his direction as the blond boy stayed down and was slowly being dragged into the ground.

Wait- that can’t be right.

He wiped the lens of the binoculars. When he looked back, he saw the boy staring back at him with a cheshire smile.

The shock of being found made him jump slightly- but the scene had changed with the two boys. Instead of the blond boy being gone and the green haired child watching him; both boys were walking towards the adults with a pep in their step.

The green haired child stopped, without the blond child knowing, and looked back at his hideout. He tilted his head- demeanor noticeably different from before- and, eventually, turned around to catch up with his friend.

This was going to involve more effort than he thought it would.

Izuku was feeling really uncomfortable. He didn’t know what the feeling was but it felt like part of his body wanted to split. It was subtle this morning but now it was pounding behind his eyes. He talked to Envy (when Greed was taking over) and Envy just shook his head and patted his back.

While everyone was eating, a flock of birds grew in numbers in the sandbox and Izuku tried his best not to look at them. For some reason, he felt like the birds were beckoning him over to them.

“Izuku? Is everything alright?” Auntie Mitsuki asked. “You look on edge”

“I’m fine!” Izuku slightly shouted.

Katsuki looked over and tilted his head. “Maybe you need to go to the bathroom”

Izuku nodded and stood up. Before Inko could say anything, Izuku started to head towards the sandboxes. Katsuki shouted at him and told him that the bathrooms were all in the other direction, but it fell upon deaf ears.

The closer Izuku walked to the sandbox, he could tell that his vision was darkening but he didn’t feel like passing out. His mouth felt like sandpaper, and he could feel something stitching his mouth close for all eternity- but he still didn’t care.

All he cared about was getting to that sandbox. And when he did, his eyes were pitch black, his mouth was completely gone, and he was crying rubies as he stood in front of a hundred innocent birds.

Izuku was not Izuku anymore.

Izuku was Wrath.

Wrath tilted his head to get a sense of awareness. He mentally widened his hearing so he could hear the beatles in the ground and the people walking in Hosu. He casually lifted his hands above the birds and they responded with a tight chirp. Open palms facing the glossy grass below, he pointed his index fingers towards the sky and one by one the birds floated. The birds stayed trapped under his control as they hovered off the ground without flapping their wings. They made terrified chatter because Wrath’s eyes gushed like waterfalls down his eyes and left a growing stain on his green shirt.

Wrath lifted his head in the direction of the birds and tilted his head.

Everything was still. The Bakugo’s and Inko watch Izuku with fear and wonder while Aizawa watched in curiosity. The birds stopped fluttering and paused in suspended animation.

No one made a sound. No one breathed.

Then a bird in the flock started screaming. The noise made Wrath’s tears flow harder and thicker. The bird making the noise was right in front of it and, to Inko, it looked like it was throwing up. It continued until the sound abruptly stopped and something from its' position dropped to the ground.

“Oh my God” Mitsuki raised her hands to her mouth. Inko watched as Katsuki crawled under the table and hugged his mother with all of his might- but Mitsuki didn’t even notice.

When Inko looked back to her son, she realized what Greed was talking about.

The bird wasn’t throwing up. The bird’s insides were coming to the outside.

Inko’s eyes went to the ground and the bird looked completely turned inside out. It made a guttural noise and sunk into the ground with its' pain. 

But the heart was still beating.

Using the sounds and having them pluck the web of where everything was, Wrath walked directly over the bird heart and stepped on his harshly.

That ignited the rest of the birds screaming at pitches as they all slowly began to turn inside out. Once their innards was facing the sun, the birds made a low baritone noise that made their hearts shiver. A few seconds later, their hearts would burst in tune and they would fall to the ground with a thud. The intense song made Inko clutch her ears in agony just to make it stop. Everyone followed suit while Wrath nodded his head to the sound of the treble of the birds.

To him- it was an orchestra of harmony.

But it ended quickly because there was a disturbance to the far left of him. He could hear the crunching of grass like it was in his ears and knew his fun was about to end because of his brothers.

Wrath did a light shrug at the approaching figure and decided quickly that he wanted to leave a lasting expression. He sprinted towards the flock of birds that was still making their different harmonies and stood in the middle of destruction. Wrath knew he had to leave no evidence, so he closed his eyes and redirected his blood river to his palms.

Envy felt bad for Wrath when his sight and voice disappeared, so he taught him how to keep his quirk advancements a secret from Greed. Because of this, Greed still thinks that the blood that flows out of his eyes are blood of his victims- which is true.

But what Greed does not know is that the blood can be used as an explosive. And depending on the amount- he can either make a pit or destroy a country.

Luckily for everyone, Wrath was shooting for a pit today.

The figure approached closer and closer with an item Wrath couldn’t figure out what it was. Thinking it was a capture item, he started to work faster. The crimson flow redirected to his hands- making tendrils of blood wrap around his arms and make a small ball in each of his hands.

As this was going, Inko had the feeling that it was going to get worse than it already was. She dragged Mitsuki out of the chair and Mitsuki ushered Masaru over to them. He came over but helped Inko flip the table on the side to shield them from the oncoming assault. They ducked behind the table and hugged each other- bracing themselves and sending up silent prayers.

Aizawa was running towards Midoriya, who made him ignore all of his gut feeling to get as far away as possible. He put a communicator to his lips and called for back-up but couldn't hear their response due to the crescendo of noise that surrounded Midoriya. Once the boy realized that he was coming in, he started to move faster with his attack. Aizawa kept activating his quirk but the impending doom didn’t leave him as the boy kept building the blood balls in each of his hands.

Then, Wrath clapped- and explosion as big as skyscrapers answered.

There were screams. There was an abrupt halt in the bird’s symphony. There was crying.

Then there was silence.

Chapter Text

*starting up transmission*

“Breaking news! This evening in Musutafu, an explosion destroyed a local park. Locals say that two four year old boys, two middle aged women, and a middle aged man was at the park having a cookout when the explosion happened. Let’s follow Inoue Marina for more details”

News cuts to a lady standing in front of a pit, with only caution tape separating the two. “Thank you, Miyake. Right behind us is a massive pit that followed the aftermath of a random explosion that occurred at four PM today. Authorities first thought it was a villain attack before finding a distress call from a pro-hero by the name of Eraserhead. We’ll play that tape now for the viewers at home”

The recording plays and disorientated shrieking is audible. “I need back up. A kid’s quirk is out of control and I cannot subdue him. Come-” the recording is followed by static and then cuts off.

Inoue appears back on screen. “Authorities arrived at the scene fifteen minutes later, but it was too late. The entire playground and trees surrounded it were engulfed in flames and the pro-hero was nowhere to be found. Once the fires were put out; a child, identified as Midoriya Izuku, was found at the bottom of the pit- with only bruises.  The people still missing are: Midoriya Inko, Bakugo Katsuki, Bakugo Mitsuki, and Bakugo Masaru. Nobuhiko Daiki, the coroner on the scene, has strong hope that these people managed to escape- before the explosion”

The camera cuts to Nobuhiko. “In a fire, or explosion in this case, the flesh would melt away but the bone would stay. I believe the same here because their bones would have been here if they perished. If the explosion was hot enough, it would not have only burned this pit- but burned down nearby building due to the sheer heat from it. But the buildings are intact- which means the explosion was controlled. Either the explosion was controlled so much that intense heat burned these people died instantly or they got away to a safe distance”

The camera cuts back to Inoue. “This just in”, she touches the piece on her ear and starts speaking quickly. “Pro-hero Eraserhead was found a couple blocks away in an alleyway. Paramedics found him running back to this exact scene and saw that he only has scratches and bruises. Let’s see if we can get a closer look”

The cameraman follows Inoue as she speed walks to the emergency vehicle- which supports Midoriya with his eyes closed and a breathing mask on. Next to him is the pro-hero Eraserhead- sitting on the gurney with a tired look in his eyes.

He flinched when the camera was pointed towards him.

“Eraserhead! May we have a few words?”

He sighed deeply. “No”

Inoue couldn’t get another word because Midoriya to moan quietly and then started to slowly open his eyes. Inoue, Eraserhead, and the cameraman stopped what they were doing as the child woke up fully.

He stared at all three of them before taking his breathing mask off and sitting up completely. Inoue jumped into action and shoved the microphone in his face. Midoriya looked up at her lazily.

“Who are you?”

The boy shook his head and slid off the gurney. He flinched when his feet hit the floor, but inwardly moaned as he continued to ignore the reporter's  questions. Eraserhead stared at him but kept his space as the boy, once again, pushed the microphone out of his face. He looked down at his shadow that the light from the back of the vehicle casted on him and whispered something.

“Could you say that again?”

The boy looked back up at her, but he was started to sink into his shadow. He kept his eyes away from the older man as tendrils of tangible darkness wrapped around him and pulled him under. He looked at the ground and gripped his fists tight as he began to leave the stranger's presence. The sudden use of the boy's quirk shocked Inoue and Eraserhead as he let his shadow entomb him in darkness- leaving the space quietly and quickly.

*end transmission* 

Chapter Text

Midoriya Inko moaned into consciousness as she felt something underneath her. She mentally rolled her eyes and tried to pull whatever she was laying on out- so she could go back to sleep.

She felt Velcro straps; a slimy piece of cloth, and a smooth surface that resembled skin.

“Don’t you fuckin touch me, you old hag!” Katsuki jerked awake from under her and scrambled to stand up. After noticing who he was talking to, his face flushed. “Sorry, Auntie Inko”

“That’s alright, Katsuki” Inko got up slowly and shook the sand out of her pants and shirt. She looked around before noticing that they were at the Dagobah Beach Park. The pile of growing trash seemed to get bigger as the days passed with no importance- and it looked like she and Katsuki were the first visitors after a while.

“Oi! Inko! Katsuki!” A pair of heads turned sharply towards the shouting and noticed Mitsuki running towards them with Olympic speed. Masaru wasn’t far behind but smiled happily at both of them- the fear of anyone dying drying off his shoulders.

Mitsuki tackled Katsuki and he moaned in embarrassment- but returned the hug before pushing her away. Masaru chuckled and hugged Inko- each passing words of happiness for the other- and vice versa- because of the new revelations.

"Where is Izuku?" Katsuki asked- bringing everyone back to the elephant in the room.

"I don't know but I hope he's safe" Inko sighed.

“Speaking of Izuku,” Mitsuki started. “I didn’t know Izuku could do that”

“It wasn’t him” Katsuki bit out.

Masaru looked confused. “Katsuki-”, he started but Inko interjected.

“He’s right- it wasn’t him” Inko took a seat in the ever-shifting sand and let it run through her hands. Her thoughts drifted towards Wrath and his actions that separated her and Izuku. She was scared for him- afraid that he'd do something that no one else could understand and they'd take him away forever. Despite watching her life drive itself in crazy, she didn't mind it because she'd do anything to try to give Izuku the happiness that he deserves.

“Then who was it?” Inko snapped out of her thoughts as Mitsuki took a seat across from her and her boys followed silently.

Inko deeply sighed. “You won’t understand if I don’t tell you from the start”

Inko looked to the calm waves crashing against the steady sand and began the events that changed her household. She told them of the subtle changes- Izuku losing focus constantly, becoming prideful, having immense hunger, or becoming seductive. She told them of the constant nightmares she had that repeated every night like a broken record- and about no matter how much pain she was ready to receive, she never was ready to receive the pain from her son. She told them about each personality and how they met her when they finally met her- Greed with the doctor, Pride and Lust with a robbery, Gluttony with the birds, Sloth and Envy in her dreams, and, finally, Wrath at Izuku’s party.

She even told them about how Greed confessed to her that he wanted to kill her- and it scared her everyday because she didn’t know if it was going to be her last.

“Every night before bed, I pray that I awake the next morning. I pray that Izuku sleeps a little bit later than I do so that I can at least see it coming. I pray that I’ll be able to see Izuku grow up before Greed comes to kill me” Inko started crying but kept talking in a marbled tone. “I feel like my shoulders are eroding away; like I'm losing my focus- like I'm losing my patience with this life I was given. I sometimes feel like my thoughts are always in the basement- that if I take my life then things would be easier because I’m terrified of my own son. I feel like I should continue to pray for Izuku but who will pray for me, Mitsuki? Who will help me?”

Mitsuki said no words as she shuffled towards her friend and tried hugged her pain away. Inko broke down onto Mitsuki’s shirt and closed her eyes shut as her fears and worries dripped out her eyes. Masaru and Katsuki surrounded to two in an embrace as Inko’s cries was washed away with the sounds of the ocean.

Eventually, Inko pushed away from Mitsuki’s drenched shirt and wiped her raw face clean. The hug circle dispersed but everyone still kept their distance close to Inko.

“Do you feel better?” Mitsuki asked. Inko nodded.

Mitsuki shook her head in contentment. “Then why didn’t you come to me for help? Inko, you are not alone. You obviously need help with this situation and you can’t handle it alone. You have seven, adorable, little devils running around your house and you expect to deal with this by yourself?” Mitsuki tsked and Inko chuckled at her scolding. 

“Inko” Masaru spoke and Inko looked at him. “We are friends. If no one will pray for you then we will”

Inko smiled and tears danced along her cheeks like it was a dance floor.

“Plus; Katsuki will help Izuku along the way- won’t you?” Katsuki eyed his mother before looking back at Inko.

“I’ll always be there for him,  Auntie Inko” Katsuki puffed up his chest and Inko smiled.

“I knew I raised you right” Mitsuki bristled.

“I don’t need your fucking acceptance- you old hag!” Katsuki sneered.

“I’m not old, you fucking brat! And who taught you how to fucking curse like that?” Mitsuki grabbed his cheek and pulled- making Katsuki swear more and beat her shoulders with his fists.

“It’s like looking in a mirror” Masaru chuckled and Inko followed suit.

“Inko” a new voice answered making everyone stop and look in their direction. On the other side of the beach was Izuku, or what was left of him. His shirt was a crunchy crimson color and his shorts were charred on the bottom. He walked barefoot in the sand- shadows licking at his feet with every move. His face was covered in scratches, but he seemed physically fine.

Inko ran towards her son- despite not knowing who was in control. She gave him a hug that could’ve broke his spin in half, but she was happy to see that he was alright. Izuku tensed at her hug and patted her back before leaving his arms back at his side again.

“Envy?” Inko guessed. Envy shook his head up and down.

The Bakugos reached Envy but kept their distance.

“Is this the one that wants you dead?” Mitsuki asked in a hushed tone.

Inko wiped the rest of her tears. “No, this is Envy. He helped me out before” Envy looked at the newcomers and pointed at them with his eyebrow raised. “They know all that I know”

Envy blinked and shook his head with a subtle smile on his face. He gestured to the shadow under him and the tendrils answered. They latched on eachother like an ant pile and solidified when the outline of a door could be made. Katsuki's eyes widened at the sight and Envy looked hat him before he could make any sounds of distress.

"It won't hurt you, I promise" Envy soothed and Katsuki calmed down a notch. Mitsuki and Masaru missed Katsuki's slight raise in distress as they watched a door made out of the shadows that festered around Eny's feet.

“I know you told us about the different quirks but it’s different seeing it in person” Masaru said in awe.

Envy opened the door and held it open. Inside was a darkened tunnel but a light at the end of it was visible to the party on the other side. “Go in. We are going home”

“Home?” Mitsuki asked. “Despite all that has happened today- you want us to go home?”

Envy shrugged. “It’s the best place to be besides here”

Mitsuki shrugged as Inko walked in the door first- no hesitation seen on her face. Mitsuki went in next, along with Katsuki. Masaru walked in cautiously and Envy watched as they all walked towards the light. Envy snapped and a tendril lifted a book from the shadows that pooled at his feet. He opened it up, made a checkmark, and then dropped it into the shadows. 

"All going according to plan" Envy shut the door and the door disintegrated. 

Chapter Text

“Izuku! If you don’t get up now, then you’ll be late for school!” Inko yelled from the kitchen.

Shuffled footsteps were heard before discarded comments were heard. Inko laughed as she wiped the dishes clean and put toast on the table.

If someone told Inko that she would be living life  in happiness (in the future) during the first two weeks of Izuku’s quirk developing- she would’ve screamed hysterically. Her life flipped horizontally vertical after her son made a pit in their neighborhood park. Her and the Bakugos were teleported to her home to find cops scouring every nook and cranny. After seeing them appearing out of nowhere- they were pulled in every way possible. Paramedics shielding them from the news reporters as they took care of their nonexistent wounds. Everyone was in awe how these people, the only people who were possibly caught in an explosion, were not majorly harmed in the slightest. When Izuku appeared out of the shadows last; he was ambushed by cops, paramedic, and reporters. The pro-hero, Eraserhead, jumped out of the emergency vehicle and made everyone give the kid some space before he could cause another explosion. He was asked to use his quirk on Izuku and that's when he confessed that-

The doorbell rings.

Before she could head for the door, Katsuki ran inside. “Izuku, let’s go! We’re going to be late!” He turned towards Inko. “Good morning Inko. I hope Sloth didn’t visit you”

She smiled and was washed over in a wave of memories. Ever since she told the Bakugos about Izuku’s multiple personalities, they helped out more than she thought they would. They (along with the help of Greed surprisingly), was able to get a better rein on all the personalities. Greed would make split all the personalities from so that Izuku could talk to all of his personalities- including Wrath, who stuck close to Envy. The Bakugos helped out with groceries and helped Inko with food for Gluttony, placed mirrors along Izuku’s bed so that Sloth wouldn’t torture Inko anymore, signed Pride up for martial arts classes, and a couple other things.  Thanks to this, Inko was able to tailor to each personality. She bought Sloth his own bed, taught Gluttony how to cook the animals he sometimes would catch, cheered for Pride when he won his tournaments, went people watching with Lust, talked to Envy into opening up to her more, and read books to Wrath. She found out that even though all personalities stem from Izuku- they all had their own niches. During those years of learning about each one, she stopped fearing them and began to nurture them like a mother should. Sometimes they'd have their setbacks- Sloth would torture her in her sleep or she'd catch Gluttony biting the heads off of the neighborhood's stray cats. But they would do something she thought they'd never do- at least not to her. 

They would apologize. 

Inko chuckled softly as the memories faded. “No, he didn’t. The mirrors are really helping” Inko looked towards the doorway as Izuku appeared. His hair was frizzled, and his buttons was buttoned out of order. Katsuki facepalmed while Inko chuckled and made another plate for Katsuki. Knowing him, he probably skipped breakfast just to make sure that Izuku woke up in time for school.

Inko placed the newly made plate down on the table and poured a cup of coffee for herself. She turned around to Katsuki, angrily fixing Izuku’s outer appearance while mumbling to himself.

“There” Katsuki huffed. He took one final look at him before slapping him upside the head. “That’s what you get for waking up late- again” Katsuki put the toast in his mouth and put all the bacon in his one hand.

“Kacchan! It wasn’t my fault! Sloth turned off my alarm!” Izuku shouted after his friend. 

"How many times have I heard that shitty excuse before?" Katsuki yelled as the door swung closed. Izuku put the toast in his mouth but left the bacon as he slipped his shoes on. He reopened the door but stopped to look back to his mom.

"Bye mom! I'll see you later!" 

“Bye Izuku! Have a great day!” Inko yelled as the door closed.

Izuku and Katsuki barley made it to school on time due to the debut of Mt. Lady. Katsuki grumbled about her being another obstacle from him being number one and Greed silently agreed in Izuku’s mind. They would’ve been seriously late for class if Izuku didn’t ask Envy to teleport them to their class.

While class was in motion, Izuku wrote animatedly in his hero analysis notebook. Surprisingly, despite his "infatuation" about pro-heros; Pride was the one to start the notebooks when he was younger. When Izuku is at home, Greed splits his personalities, or brothers as that is what he insists Izuku call them. They would wander as themselves, so they didn’t have to fight over control in his body- like they did when they first manifested. It helped out the dynamic between his brothers and his mother to the point where she tells them to do something and they’ll do it. It made things excited growing up- getting to know his brothers and them always being there for him. They would answer all of his questions, except Wrath for obvious reasons, except when it came to the agendas that Envy and Wrath followed. He only asked because of the well-being of his mom because he knew that they all wanted to kill her at some point. Izuku doesn’t know if they still have the same agenda to hurt his mother like they did in the beginning- and if they did then they didn’t show it.

But it was during these times that Pride would only ask his mother for notebooks and go watch pro-hero fights with Izuku.

Izuku loved analyzing them and Pride loved watching their situational awareness, tactical prowess, and fighting ability.

He and Pride began the Hero Analysis Journals and they would sneak out when his mom was busy feeding Gluttony to see live fights (when it was past Izuku's bedtime). It was the only times, besides when Pride was at martial art classes and him winning tournaments, when Pride smiled with ease.

The shouting of his fellow classmates made him take a detour from memory lane. They were thinking of their own career choices. Izuku sometimes thought it was weird how they had to know what they wanted to be for their future but still had to raise their hand to go to the bathroom.  

He watched as Kacchan put his foot on the desk and ranted about how he would make it to UA, and how only he and Izuku could only be pro-heros.

“Izuku? Why him? He just sits their and mumbles to himself” one student said.

“I have more power in my pinkie toe than him” another said.

Izuku rolled his eyes and put his head down. He knew that if Greed was here then he would’ve had Sloth torture all of his classmates for saying rude things to him. He sometimes hated how he couldn’t defend himself, but he never got the chance to defend himself because Kacchan was always there.

 Speaking of the devil, he let out twin sparks and the whole class quieted.

“You guys are just some shitty extras that are mad because you don’t have any fucking screen time!” He pointed to Izuku. “He has more fucking potential than all of you assholes! Sucks to suck doesn’t it! Now that you guys go your one fucking line, shut the hell up!” He sat down and folded his arms up while the teacher calmed the class down from his outburst.

Katsuki look at Izuku and Izuku smiled in thanks.

“Izuku, have you thought about which personality you were going to use for the entrance exams?” Katsuki asked as they were walking home from school.

Izuku stopped scribbling in his notebook and tilted his head. “Not really to be honest”

Katsuki huffed and smacked the back of his head. “What the fuck are you waiting for?”

"Well I honestly don't know who to ask. They all have their advantages and disadvantages" Izuku thought.

"Ask Greed- isn't he the strongest?" Katsuki asked.

"Yes but what if it's hand-to-hand combat? Then I'd have to ask Pride"

"Or" Katsuki drawed out the word. "Ask Greed, and if it came to that then he could use Pride's quirk"

Izuku tsked. "That's true but it's a disadvantage. I could ask Greed but he wouldn't be as powerful as Pride is because that's his original quirk"

Katsuki chuckled. "I knew the bastard had a weakness"

"If you could call it a weakness. He'd still be powerful- but he wouldn't win against Pride using Pride's quirk"

"Well you better figure out something. The final countdown until the exams start soon" He walked started walking under a bridge and Izuku followed with a sigh.

Suddenly, Izuku grabbed Katsuki’s wrist. He yanked Katsuki back and stopped towards the entrance.

Katsuki seethed from being used as a ragdoll. “What the fuck was that for?”

Izuku turned towards him and Katsuki knew it wasn’t Izuku from the dull eyes.

“Shadows spoke. Something is coming”

Chapter Text

“It’s coming from there” Envy took off the backpack Zero supported and then pointed to the sewer lid to the far left. In the silence, Envy and Katsuki could hear the echoed laughter quickly approaching their position. As it grew louder, Envy moved his body like he was protecting Katsuki from impending doom. Before Katsuki could comment on Envy’s protective stance; the sewer busted open. The slime it spewed forth was about to attack Envy when a wall of shadows separated the slime from Envy and Katsuki. The slime hit the defense barrier and started to claw at it. Envy and Katsuki looked it the slimes eyes and could feel its' anger spewing forth like a visible aroma. 

Before the slime could reach around the barrier, the shadows then began to swallowed the slime monster whole.

“This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!” He struggled to say. Slime licked at the sides of the shadow ball forming around him. Since Envy was in the shadows, there was unlimited ammo. He lashed out at Envy but Katsuki let out a mild explosion that scared him back into submission. Hisses were heard from the slime but Envy kept his stoic face as Katsuki made explosions around him so that all of the slime was contained. The shadows soon swallowed him whole and his screams of defeat ceased.

Envy’s shadow tendrils desperately latched onto the ball of shadows that hovered in midair. As soon as there were enough tendrils holding the bottom of the sphere, the tendrils of tangible darkness pulled it towards the floor.

“You’re planning on killing him?” Katsuki pointed towards the ball of shadows that was halfway submerged in the ground. Handprints were seen pressing on the inside and the knocking similar to the knocking on a door could be heard through the sphere of fear and desperation but ignored by the two boys.

“He planned on killing Zero. The thought of doing that is punishable by death” The shadow ball was completely submerged, and Envy looked at the entrance of the tunnel in caution. He tilted his head to the side and listened to what the shadows told him.

“What is it now?” Katsuki huffed.

“Someone else is coming” Envy relaxed slightly. “But with a different intent” He turned to Katsuki. “My work here is done”

Envy went stiff and Katsuki automatically put his hands on his shoulders. Sometimes when Izuku went from one personality to the other, he’d fall over or stand still- depending on how fast whichever personality responds first. Katsuki doesn't know what goes on in Izuku's mind when this happens, and he'd rather keep it that way, but he does know that if someone doesn't respond then he'll turn into a shell until he jostles him for a while.

But this time, Izuku faster than Katsuki thought he would. He got up and out of Katsuki’s grip and adjusted the tie on his uniform. He also took the time to smooth out any wrinkles in his uniform. He looked back at Katsuki with a commanding presence and huffed before turning towards the entrance.

Katsuki only knew two people that cared for their appearance: Lust and Greed. Now the question was- which one is here with him?

“It's fine now. Why?” a blur landed on the other side of the entrance and they struck a small pose. "BECAUSE I AM HERE!"  All Might looked to the left and then to the right before landing their eyes on Katsuki and Izuku.

“Excuse me; have either of you seen a villain pass by?” 

Izuku's head was tilted upwards. “What’s it to you, All Might” Greed sneered. Katsuki huffed at his answer and looked back at All Might’s confused face. He opened his mouth before returning to that smile that Katsuki and Greed knew very well since they were kids.

“You’d make the world safer by telling me if you’ve seen him or not” All Might negotiated. “If you are hiding his whereabouts then you could be held as an accomplice”

Katsuki put his hand over Greed’s mouth. “We took fucking care of him and that's all you need to know” Greed took his hand off of his mouth and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“Well, where is he now if you took care of him” All Might said; moving closer to the boys.

“He’s busy dying at the moment” Greed said and tilted his head at All Might’s hesitation. “Just like you are”

Katsuki hit him upside the head. Greed whipped his head to Katsuki, but he didn’t flinch. Greed rubbed his head and turned back to All Might. He looked shocked at the words that tumbled out of Greed's mouth.

“H-how do you know that?” All Might asked.

Katsuki’s eyes widened. “How did you know?” Greed smiled and walked to All Might. He pulled his wife beater shirt up, ignoring All Might's protests, and both saw a gaping hole in his side. Katsuki scrunched up his face like he smelled something horrid as tears of crimson streaked down the wound. The wound looked like Gluttony took a bite from him but stopped after one bite.

“I know all weaknesses” Greed said before turning back to All Might.

His eyes dimmed and then he punched his fist through the wound.

He heard All Might sputter and felt liquid dribbled on his forehead like a basketball. He heard Katsuki call his name and pull him away- which caused his arm to dislodge from him. Once Greed's arm was out, All Might dropped to the floor while clutching his wound like it was a lifeline. Greed took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and started to wipe his arms clean of the blood that attached to his arm like a leech. All Might started to smoke like water on a grill and soon it entombed him to reveal a skeleton man curled up in a ball with crimson running a marathon along the concrete ground.

“Why the fuck did you do that Greed!” Katsuki yelled but Greed kept his eyes on the man that was taking in his last breaths.

“And this is the man that Zero idolizes so much” He scoffed in disgust. Greed looked lifelessly at Katsuki (who was yelling at him- but his curses fell upon deaf ears) before tucking away the crimson stained handkerchief.  He walked over to what was left of All Might but Katsuki grabbed his arm. Greed shuddered in aggravation. “If you value his life, and yours, you’d let go Katsuki”

Katsuki took a gulp and quickly let go. Greed went to his knees next to the dying man and put his hands over him. He mumbled a few words that Katsuki couldn’t hear but he saw a quick reaction from the man. He went from shivering to looking like he was taking a restful nap. Katsuki noticed that the blood was running backwards and into his body. He walked around Greed and saw that the flesh was rebuilding itself on his abdomen. Katsuki saw that Greed had a look of determination plastered on his face and saw that the man was smiling. 

The man opened his eyes to a bright light and the pain he had to live with was just a thought. He tried to see past the light but couldn't. It felt like a mother's gentle hand wrapped around his body and gave him a hug before laying their hands over his pain. He felt as if he could float above the horizons, and sail across seas. These hands gave him strength- strength he hasn't felt since his prime. He could feel them brushing off his shoulders- brushing off all trials and tribulations that he felt ever since attaining that wound.

The man felt sadness when the motherly hands waved goodbye to him and he was left in the dark again.

Greed dropped his arms and huffed in completion. He was breathing hard like he just ran a marathon and his skin was wet with sweat and freckles of blood.

The skeleton man slowly felt his abdomen but opened his eyes in shock when he felt skin and not an open wound. He looked at Greed, then at Katsuki, then at his newly healed side.

“What did you do?” He looked at Greed in awe.

Greed blinked slowly and tiredly.“I turned back the time on your body” He yawned- which told Katsuki that he used up all of his energy helping out this man. "Your body is now back to how it was before the wound"

The skeleton man got up from his laying down position and sat on his knees. Greed tried to blink but instead his eyes stayed close. The man took that chance to pull him into a hug. Greed didn’t stiffen up- but instead patted his back mindlessly as the man cried into his shoulder.

“Thank you- thank you so much my boy” He squeezed Greed before letting him go, but held onto his hands. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this- I’m forever in your favor”

One of Greed’s eyes opened effortlessly before closing again. “I’ll remember that. I know you were in pain- just think of that pain as a torn up memory now” Greed smiled effortlessly at the man.

"But I have to ask, why did you impale my wound with your fist?" the man asked.

Greed struggled to gather his thoughts into words without telling them things they didn't need to hear. "Because I wanted to"

The man smiled at the boy's blasé answer. "Well I'm glad you healed me right after or I'd be lifeless by now"

Katsuki smirked before going to the discarded yellow backpack that Envy threw off earlier. He pulled out the journal that Izuku and Pride had been working on and dropped it on the floor by the man.

“If you are All Might and not some random stranger, I know a friend who’d want that signed” Kasuki pointed to the book.

The man chuckled before taking the book and pulled out a pen. “Yes, I am All Might- this is just my true form. I got into a fight and it costed me my side”

Greed chuckled at a untold joke and shook his head. He opened his eyes halfway and saw the skeleton man sign the book with fancy lettering before shutting the book closed and standing up. He held out a hand for Greed to take but Greed shook his head.

“I lost too much energy healing you. I can’t stand” Greed started to slightly sway on his knees.

“Well let me carry you then” All Might started to try and scoop him up, but Greed stopped him again.

“It’s fine. Katsuki will carry me” Greed closed his eyes.

“What the fuck?” Katsuki exclaimed. Greed slowly tilted his head towards him. He slowly opened his eyes and  Katsuki saw that they were flickering from vibrant green to a dull black.

Greed was about to leave Izuku’s body. Which wasn’t a bad thing but there was no energy to bring another personality forth; leaving just a shell of a body- until nightfall.

If they waited until nightfall, then someone would be visited by Sloth- which was not ideal.

Katsuki sighed and transferred both his and Izuku’s backpack to his hands. He crouched next to Greed and All Might helped Greed onto his back. 

“Hold on as tight as you can” Katsuki stood and Greed leaned into his back. All Might held up the notebook and Katsuki held up the yellow backpack. All Might put the notebook back in the designated bag and looked at the boys in worry.

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help?” Katsuki looked at him and sighed.

“At this point, only I can help him now" Katsuki looked back and saw Greed taking deep breaths and trying to stay in Izuku's body. "Goodbye All Might” Katsuki started walking away before the number one hero could say anymore. Greed gave All Might one final look and All Might caught his vibrant emerald eyes before he closed them and leaned against Katsuki's body once more. The man watched the boys trudge away and once they were out of sight- he walked away.

It was a few blocks later when All Might finally realized that he was chasing a villain before meeting the boys.

“Greed” Katsuki called. He got a muffled voice in response.

“What you did back there,” Katsuki smiled. “the light you emitted made you look like an angel”

Greed chuckled. “You developing a crush?” Katsuki blew a raspberry.

“If I dropped you- would that answer your question?” Katsuki smirked and stopped under a healthy and vibrant oak tree. He looked up at it and went to the trunk of the tree- slowly placing Greed next to it.

Greed kept his eyes closed but looked in Katsuki’s general direction. “Why did you place me near a tree?”

Katsuki stretched his back and it cracked. He let out a satisfying sound before answering. “I just now remembered that when your energy is low, Gluttony’s ability to take life from things activate without warning. So, I plopped you down next to a tree so that when they do activate- I won’t be in the way”

Greed chuckled and placed his hands on tree. “You’re smarter than I remember you being Katsuki”

Katsuki scoffed. “I’ll take that as a compliment” He watched as Greed began to take the life from the tree. The leaves turned colors, like it would’ve done in fall. The leaves shriveled up and turned into ash that scattered their secrets among the wind. The branches curled up like yo-yos and traded their healthy fragrance for a dead odor. All the while, Greed’s skin went from being sickly to having a healthy glow. When he took off his hands, the tree was curled in on itself and looked warped. Greed stood up on his own will and opened his eyes to look at Katsuki.

“You good now?” He held out Izuku’s backpack to him and Greed took it.

“Yeah; this should last until tonight” Katsuki nodded his head slightly and turned towards Izuku’s house. Greed took one last look at the tree and then walked alongside him in silence.

Once they both got to Inko’s house Greed duplicated himself so that his brothers could wander around. Gluttony was eating everything in sight- to make up for the energy Greed lost today. Inko was a little bit concerned when Gluttony started staring at the squirrels in hunger- licking his sharp teeth in anticipation. But once she set dinner on the table, he shook his head and began eating- Inko refilling his rice bowl when she knew she wouldn’t be bitten.

Pride and Zero were recapping his and Greed’s encounter with Katsuki. Pride didn’t believe it at first but once he saw the autograph- he knew it actually happened and hung onto every word. He was shocked at the number one hero's secret wound but smiled proudly at his brothers initiative to heal him- knowing that he had little energy to do so. When Greed came in the living room from taking a shower, he congratulated Greed on his efforts and Greed shrugged as if to say “I did what I had to do”

Envy was watching television with Wrath but something was stirring in his gut that he just couldn’t shake. Envy looked down at Wrath, who was listening to the television, and patted his head. Wrath closed his eyes at the touch and Envy smiled before looking for someone to watch him. He called over Lust (who was texting someone Envy didn’t want to know who) to look after him as he called Greed over to talk to him. Greed dislodged himself from Pride, Katsuki, and Zero; and followed Envy to Zero’s bedroom.

Sloth was there, already asleep in Zero’s bed. Envy wanted to find another room when Greed stopped him.

“He’s already asleep. Whatever you need to say can be said in front of him” Greed calmly stated.

“But you blocked all of us from seeing what happened between you, Katsuki, and All Might”

Greed shrugged. “It’s not a secret if one person knows”

Envy sighed. “What do you have planned, Greed? You wouldn’t heal someone with no reason”

Greed gasped in hurt before chuckling. "I'll have you know that Katsuki called me an angel today"

"I know" Envy was losing his patience. "And I also know you didn't answer my question"

“Fine" Greed rolled his eyes before answering. "I did it because I knew that would make Zero happy”

Anger flashed across Envy’s face and he clutched to collar of Greed’s shirt. “Do not use him as an excuse!”

Greed ignored the shadows nipping at his legs from Envy's anger spike and shushed him as Sloth rolled over. “Quiet, or you’ll wake up Sleeping Beauty” Envy let go of him, and silenced his shadow tendrils, but anger was still palpable on his face. “That’s the only reason- I swear” Greed held up his hands in defeat.

“If that is; then let’s hope that this night goes smoothly” Envy left the room while Greed watched him with a cheshire smile. Once he was gone, Greed sat on the bed next to Sloth.

Sloth peeked one eye open and sighed before getting up.

“What do you want Greed?”

“Did you catch his eyes? I left you an opening, so you would” Greed pressed.

Sloth raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?”

“Because I got plans for you tonight”

Chapter Text

Yagi Toshinori woke up in a dark room.

He didn’t know where he was or why he was there, but he knew that he couldn’t move. There were straps covering his wrists and legs, but his neck was free. He tried moving his head but it was locked into place with a thick leather strap. The only thing that he could move were his eyes and his tongue. Toshinori licked his lips and scanned the room for any signs of movements. He couldn't see much but it felt like someone was watching him from the shadows. Toshinori wanted to call out but decided not to because he did not know who would show up. He soon gave up on his internal battle and the darkness stood still in reply- until he heard a single food step.

A small flame appeared in front of him and slowly glided towards the ground. As soon as the candle reached the ground- it disappeared. As a response to his only light source disappearing, a wide ring of candles lit up around in him a wide circle.

Toshinori looked down from the light show and saw that he was in a dentist’s chair. He looked in front of him and quickly wished that he hadn’t.

Rubies dripped from where the walls kissed the ceilings and it raced along the walls at different speeds. It never reached the ground, because it clashed with the shelves that were full of jars of knives. On the floor, there were random slashes of crimson that could’ve been mistaken for decoration by a blind man. There were shadows to the left and right of him that felt like they could entomb him in a casket of ebony. Toshinori looked to the right of him and saw a single stand that held a metal tray with a bloody imprint on it. Two familiar sounds interrupted his viewing of the room and it gripped his spine because of the contrast of the two.

He heard screaming that would be masked with loud, childish giggles.

It was time to get out.

Toshinori tried to turn into All Might but looked like he was squirming. Sweat beaded down his face while he flexed in his straps so he could escape. Instead, he began to become frustrated because his quirk wasn’t working.

“Well, well, well- what do we have here?”

A slightly familiar voice rung through his ears. A boy in his teens walked out from behind him with a clipboard. He had green bushy hair and fair skin. The boy wore black pants and a white buttoned up shirt with a black vest laying on top. His sleeves were rolled up and he had a towel in his back pocket. He seemed to hum a little tune that Toshinori could not place. The boy stopped directly in front of him and nodded his head twice before looking at him.

Toshinori stared back at his ebony eyes in shock.

“You’re the boy from earlier but-” the boy interrupted him.

“No, I’m not” he said. “I’m Sloth”

Toshinori tried to shake his head but the brace on his head made him stop. “No, you’re the boy that helped me today”

"How do you know today is not tomorrow and tomorrow is not yesterday?" Sloth raised an eyebrow and shook his head in reply to Toshinori's confused look. "You must be talking about on of my brothers because I was asleep most of the day” He went back to looking at the clipboard.

Toshinori looked like he was going to say something else but decided against it. “Look, do you think you could get me out of these ties?”

Sloth never took his eyes off his clipboard as he answered. “You’re here for a reason, Yagi Toshinori”

Toshinori reminded his heart to beat. “I never told you my name”

Sloth chuckled and went over to the shelves on the far wall. He put down his clipboard and picked up a knife with jagged edges. He wiped the blood on his pants and walked towards Toshinori. Sloth ignored Toshinori's staccato cries in sheer fear of what was to come, and they were all hit with a small smile on Sloth’s face.

Sloth tapped a button near Toshinori  and the chair made him lay parallel to the ground. It made Toshinori panic even more as Sloth folded back his pajama top and pulled down his pajama bottoms. Once his midsection was showing, Sloth raised the knife over his head and made eye contact with Toshinori.

“I really missed this” the knife came down and dived deep into his gut.

Toshinori gasped loudly and began to wail as Sloth swam the knife deeper in his gut. He moved the knife forwards and backwards- like a child moving a toy car during play time. Sloth ignored his delicious screams and dug the knife out. He placed the knife on the metal tray behind him and stuck his hands into the open slit. Toshinori’s scream reached the heavens as Sloth reached in to grab his intestines. Wrists deep in the man, Sloth pulled on his intestines like a rope and let gravity take hold of them. Toshinori's screams turned into heaves and vomit spewed out of his mouth like a fountain, but Sloth kept pulling. Rats scurried out of the shadows of the room and festered around Sloth like he was their provider. Sloth smiled wickedly as crimson splattered everywhere and stained his hands.

“It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real” Toshinori whimpered as the rats chattered amongst themselves. Sloth pulled a towel of his waistband and wiped some of the blood off of his face.

“You just keep telling yourself that” Sloth put the chair back into a sitting position- causing Toshinori to grunt loudly. Sloth took his rag and cleaned off Toshinori’s neck. “Greed, you can come out now!”

Another boy entered the room from the far right. He also had a bush of green hair and was the same stature as the first boy. The boy was wearing a black school uniform and blaring red sneakers. He walked without a care and had his hands in his pockets. The boy's head was down but once he got close to Toshinori- he looked up.

“You!” Toshinori recognized the boy. It was the one that healed him earlier that day.

"My name is Greed" Greed interrupted. He smirked at Toshinori's face as it scrunched up and struggled to gather coherent thoughts. 

“Why-”

“Because” Greed’s eyes glowed red- replacing the emerald that had burned a hole in his mind. “You were about to do something that I just cannot have. So, I’m sending a message”

Greed walked over to Sloth. He whispered into Sloth’s ear and Sloth smiled happily. He bent at his waist and knocked on the floor three times. An audible crack spoke, and Sloth pried his fingers under the floor tiles. Once moved aside, Sloth giggled and dug his hands into the ground.

He pulled up a dirty, red axe with tally marks etched into the wooden handle.

Sloth went over to a wheel in the left corner and began to sharpen it, while Greed moved to stand in front of Toshinori. He didn’t notice Greed at first, because he was too busy looking at Sloth- who was snickering as the sparks flew like fireflies.

“Yagi Toshinori” he looked at Greed. Greed pulled out a notebook from his school uniform and flipped through the papers. Once he found the page he was looking for, he whispered something and looked up. Greed raised his eyebrow.

“What are you doing here?” Toshinori was about to question him when he heard nothing reply to him but his heart almost sprinted away from him when a hand appeared on his torn open abdomen. The pain ceased immediately and Toshinori sighed with relief before taking a look at the new boy. This boy had all black hair and vacant ghastly eyes- but still had the same facial features as the other two. He wore an ebony cloak- but small wisps of it was alive and swaying in the air. He moved next to Greed and took out a small book.The boy flipped to a random page and showed Greed. Greed laughed.

“Sloth get over here! And bring your clipboard!” Sloth stopped sharpening and leaned the wooden handle against the wall. He went to the stocked shelves and grabbed his clipboard. Sloth joined the other two and they showed him what was in their book. Sloth laughed and pointed to the new boy’s book.

“I’m surprised that you had the same agenda as us, Envy” Sloth went back to the shelf and tossed his clipboard aside. He picked up his axe and swiped his hand along the blade. It drew blood and he smiled as he sucked the blood clean off his finger. Sloth swung it over his shoulder and faced the newcomer. “You always did your own thing”

“I guess that explains why you are here” Greed closed his book and looked at the boy.

“I hate this more than you’ll ever know” Envy tossed the book into the shadows and looked at Toshinori. “I apologize ahead of time”

“For what? My boy- if you just get me out right now then I’ll thank you more than anything” Toshinori pled. "You already took the pain away so please my boy-"

"Envy, not boy" Envy turned around. “Don’t screw this up Greed” Envy began to glide among the shadows towards the darkness. 

“Please, Envy!” Toshinori begged.

Envy stopped at the boarder- darkness licking his frame. He seemed to be shaking silently.

“Envy” Greed’s demeanor changed. “You save him, and Zero will be hurt beyond repair”

Envy relaxed his shoulders and sighed. “Wake up Toshinori” He disappeared within the shadows and Toshinori’s hope diminished.

Sloth laughed at Toshinori while Greed lowered his chair. Toshinori thought about Envy's words but he couldn't figure them out because he thought he was awake. He knew that a person could not feel pain in their dreams- therefore making this real because he felt his insides becoming a rope of taffy for the rats to consume. 

But if this was real, then why did Envy tell him to wake up? Toshinori saw Greed mouth some words to him but he just kept hearing the echoes of Envy's last request ring through his head. Greed smiled at him but Toshinori just gave him a confused look before Greed deflated and sighed.

“No smile? Let’s fix that” Greed went to stand above his head and put his fingers in the corners of Toshinori’s mouth. He then pulled them upward into a forced smile and kept his fingers there as he leaned over him.

“If you see my face again, then we will visit you again” Greed said with a dead tone before being replaced with Sloth.

“Goodbye, All Might” He lifted the axe above Toshinori’s neck. Toshinori whimpered as tears sprung to his eyes. He tried begged for mercy but all he saw was Greed and Sloth smiling back at each other.

Sloth swung the axe down on his neck and silence ensued.

Chapter Text

“Greed, can I talk to you for a second?” Izuku asked. All of his brothers were lounging in the living room around the television but as eyelids were growing heavy from everyone- Izuku thought it was the best time to ask his question.

Greed looked up from reading the newspaper and smiled. “Anything for you Zero” Greed followed Izuku into the kitchen where Gluttony was slumped over a bowl of rice. His snores sounded like chains rattling on hardwood floors. Greed shook him awake and his snores were sucked in like a record scratch. Gluttony opened one eye and stood up; forcefully pushing the chair from underneath him.

"What's going on?" Gluttony yawned and rubbed his eye like a child. 

"Zero is going to have a chat with me. Gluttony you should follow Sloth's lead" Greed pointed to the hallway.

Gluttony followed his finger before looking back at them. He shoveled the rest of the rice in his mouth and held them in his cheeks like a squirrel. “Goodnight Zero. Greed” Gluttony muffled and bowed in their direction. He stood up and gulped down the rice as he exited the kitchen.

Once Gluttony was gone, Greed turned back to Izuku and tilted his head. “What’s up?”

Izuku fidgeted. “Well, the entrance exams for UA is coming up”

Greed picked up the fallen chair and sat down in it. He gestured for Izuku to sit down before clasping his hands. “I know. You’ve been studying for the written portion for weeks now”

Izuku sat down and nodded. “Yes, but it’s the other portion in the exam that I’m worried about”

Greed raised his eyebrow and chuckled. “Zero, we got it covered” He reached over the table and patted Izuku's clammy hands.

“Wait, what?” Izuku scrunched up his face and Greed gave him a genuine smile.

“Sometimes you are too adorable for your own good” Greed leaned over the table and fluffed his hair. “I had a chat with the other brothers and we all agreed. I’ll take the test with you and you call on any of the other brothers as you see fit”

“Well, why can’t I call on you?”

“I will be helping the brother you choose and ensuring that you’ll pass”

Izuku blinked before shooting like a rocket out of his seat. His doe eyes sparkled like diamonds dipped in joy. Greed swam in his endless joy and drifted along the waves of calm that Izuku produced. Izuku ran around the table and wrapped Greed in a hug. Greed was shocked at first but quickly entombed Izuku in a hug and laid his head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Thank you so much Greed!" Izuku muffled into his shoulder. Greed deeply smiled in the crook of his neck.

“Anything for you, Zero”

“Are you ready for the exam, Kacchan?” Izuku asked Katsuki while walking to UA. Katsuki woke him up early that morning and rushed him into getting ready. Katsuki had been training for months leading up to this exam- so much that he asked Pride to oversee his training. Pride was honored but a hard teacher. Izuku watched every practice and saw how hard Katsuki was training and it always managed to make him feel a little bad how he didn’t have to train because his brothers would help him. He begged Pride to train him too, but he saw no use in it- seeing how he could call upon him when he needed his help.

It was an argument Izuku would always lose but couldn’t help feeling bad about it.

Katsuki scoffed. “Been ready. Let’s get this shit over with”

The boys walked onto the UA property and silently checked out everybody. It was something Greed told them to both do before leaving for exams. He reminded them to have fun but to also beat everyone because it’s still a competition to get a seat in UA. Katsuki took his words to heart but Izuku couldn’t help but worry. He didn’t practice his ‘quirk’ (if you could call it that at this point) before since they came out and did their own thing. He never minded when his brothers came out because they always went back quickly. Izuku knew that all he’d have to do was think their name and his brother would come forward and adapt to the situation, but he couldn’t help-

Izuku felt himself falling and Pride stepping forward. Pride controlled his body like a puppet as he thrusted his arms forward and did a roundoff. It caught some kids off guard, but Pride ended his trick with a backflip and smiled at Katsuki’s shocked face.

“Pride, you show off” Katsuki smirked.

“It comes with the name” Pride shrugged as Katsuki caught up to him. Katsuki smacked him on the back and Pride replied with a smile.

Unknown to the both of them, there was a brunette girl with her hand out stretched to the both of them. She retracted her hand and shook a smile onto her face. 

“Are you ready, Zero?” Greed asked.

Izuku was mentally tired from the writing assessment. He and Katsuki sat in the same row and both got done around the same time. Once everyone was done, they were herded like sheep into an amphitheater where Present Mic gave them the rundown on the second portion of the exam. It was going well until a student called Izuku out for mumbling strategies under his breath. Izuku got embarrassed while Katsuki bared his teeth in the other kid’s direction. Once leaving the theater, Greed immediately came forward and duplicated himself. He was fuming at the audacity of the kid- making other kids look at him weirdly as he paced back and forth.

“Silence please!”

Speak of the devil.

The stern boy walked towards Greed with his hands moving in a chopping motion. Izuku looked on in worry for the boy’s sake as Greed clenched his fists at his side.

"Kids here are trying to mentally prepare themselves and you loudly talking is throwing many people off. I would just ignore you but it is my duty to make it fair for the other students" The stern boy berated. The boy’s words of disciplinary was ignored by both boys until Greed finally had enough and grabbed one of his wrists. The boy stopped quickly and began to chastise Greed about his actions until he spoke.

“Talk to me one more time like you know me,” Greed’s face darkened. “and I’ll destroy you where you stand”

The boy snatched his friend away. His eyes spoke volumes but they were interrupted by Present Mic.

“Go!” Nobody moved. The sound came from a speaker over all the children. Greed called upon Envy's power and sank into the shadows. He moved under all the kids feet and to the front.

A sigh was heard over the speaker. “What are you ready for? GO!”

Gates opened in front of everyone and people started running towards them. Izuku wanted to run alongside Greed, but he was nowhere to be found. Izuku was pushed along the crowd like a pebble swept away in a current and soon found himself standing in front of a three pointer robot. He looked around him and surprisingly he found no one near him. Izuku looked at the menacing robot and began to form a plan.

“Okay, who to use? Lust won’t work- nor will Sloth. It’s too dangerous to get close to it so Gluttony won’t work. That leaves Wrath and Envy. Wrath would get the job done in a hurry, but I haven’t used his quirk since I was younger. Plus, Wrath’s quirk is strong but unstable. Maybe Envy- but I don’t know if I can-”

A beam of light shot past Izuku and hit the robot in the chest- shattering it into a million pieces. Izuku shielded himself from the falling shrapnel as a boy with shiny blond hair zoomed by. His mouth moved but his words were stolen by the wind as he was blasted away by the beam he had. Izuku shook himself out of his stupor and ran around some buildings.

All he could see was destroyed three and four pointers as far as the eyes could see. He ran around buildings and saw most robots incinerated or impaled. Izuku began to get more and more worried because the only robots he could see where now charred bits- melting and becoming one with the asphalt.

A flash of moment happened to Izuku's right. He dashed towards it as hope sparked up again. 

Just when he finally caught up to where he thought the robots were, a bunch of kids started running towards him.

“It’s the zero pointer- everyone get to higher ground!” a random kid yelled. Izuku saw the stern boy that yelled at him sprint past him as the ground danced in trembles. He saw the backs of the kids and was about to follow until a noise called out to him.

“Help!”

A girl, Izuku saw, whose leg was trapped under some discarded rubble. She tried to push it off, but it wouldn’t budge.

Izuku didn’t notice his feet give chase. He didn’t notice liquid drip from his eyes and burn into the ground like acid. Izuku didn’t notice his mouth being sewn shut and his vision flickered off like a switch and his feet skid to a stop next to the girl who’d been calling for help.

Izuku mindlessly called for Wrath- and he answered immediately.

The one pointer robot was closing in on Wrath. He could feel the vibrations strum his heart chords like a violinist at a concert. He heard a warped feminine voice from his right and tilted his head in that direction. The voice sucked in a quick breath and stopped in its' tracks. Not hearing anymore, Wrath turned back to the nearing vibrations and put a hand up.

His blood tears coiled around his left arm and pulsated with energy. The robot neared while Wrath was building strength. He could feel Gluttony’s energy course through his veins and pump into his blood tracks. The blood swirled up into a small red ball and floated above his hand. Wrath flicked it at the robot and the ball flew up and right next to the robot's head.

Wrath made a flicking motion and the ball made contact.

A bright flash of light assaulted everyone’s eyes and then the sound followed after. The robot immediately disintegrated along with the nearby buildings. Some of the other buildings fainted from the pressure and was pulled down under the weight of gravity.  In the matter of seconds, a puff of smoke and debris shielded everyone from the buildings that were destroyed- along with the robot. 

When the blanket of gravel dissipated, audible gasps were heard.

Right where the robot was standing was a ebony smudge- but that's not what took the breath from people.

What took the breath was that everything behind the robot was no longer there. The replica city resembled a junkyard - and the cause of it just calmly stood still.

Wrath walked to the girl under the rubble with eyes watching his every move. He whistled a tune no one knew as he stopped next to the girl and crouched down. He heard no noise coming from her but could feel her curious yet slightly fearful gaze. He put a hand on the rubble that kept her tapped and felt it crumble into minced rocks in seconds. He stood up and wiped the crimson from his eyes. He wiped his hands on his pants and walked away from the girl and to the exit.

"Wait!" Wrath stopped and looked towards the voice. 

"Thank you" the girl said from the ground. Wrath nodded and began walked towards the exit once more before a static sound rang through his ears.  

“Is-is this thing working? Ah, well that’s it! The Exam is now over!” Present Mic yelled over a speaker before it fizzled out once more.

“There you are" Wrath looked to his right and felt Greed's presence. He slightly tensed when he felt Greed's hand singe the cloth on his shirt but relaxed when Greed let go.

"You showed a lot more control than you did before, Wrath" Wrath tried to smile but according to the intakes of breaths and the quick murmurs that followed- Wrath knew that his smile looked grim. 

Greed chuckled and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped the smudged blood off Wrath's face. When he was done, he put it back in his pocket and intertwined his hand with Wrath's. Wrath listened for the tune of panicking heartbeats while Greed whistled them out of everyone's eyesight and to the exit.

“Wrath” Wrath looked in his direction. “Good job”

Inside the teacher booth, many different emotions ran through people.

Shocked and happiness were two emotions running through most of the teachers after seeing what just unfolded.

To think that a child with such unbridled power, took out almost all robots and destroyed half of the training grounds without dropping an inch of sweat- it was unbelievable.

It was something they have never seen- or dreamt of before.

But two men looked at the two identical boys walk away from the wreckage with a jovial pep in their step.

One had witnessed that raw power up close and made him lose sleep due to the frightening eyes the child haunted his brain with.

The other had his dreams rudely interrupted and made him beg with every breath in his body that he would never see the child's face again.

Both men had different experiences but the same emotion:

Fear.

Chapter Text

“Izuku! The letter from Yuuei is here!” Inko rushed into the living room where all the boys were sitting. Lust was talking animatedly over the phone, while Pride and Izuku were talking about fighting techniques. Greed was writing in his agenda, Gluttony was eating three bags of chips at once and Envy was letting Wrath rest on his shoulder while he watched tv.  The chatter instantaneously stopped and Inko wasn’t ready for the stampede of boys running towards her. Izuku reached her first; snatching the letter out of her hands. The other boys ran after him, while Greed and Envy calmly followed them to their room. The door shut with a thud and Greed settled himself at the foot of the bed, with Envy by his side and Wrath attached to him by the hip. Sloth was jostled awake and slowly sat up while his brothers crowded around Izuku at the computer.

Izuku wasted no time tearing into the envelope; ignoring the loud murmurs of his brothers trying to get a good sight what was inside. Instead of seeing a letter, Izuku pulled out a disk that was black on one side and blue on the other. He felt the coaster-sized object, but when his finger slid over a button an image popped up. It startled Izuku so much that he dropped the object and Pride quickly went on the offense.

Lust rolled his eyes and pocketed his flip phone. “It’s a hologram, calm your tits Pride”

Pride huffed as the hologram flickered with static. Pride was about to say more to Lust but Gluttony shushed the two; chip residue flaking off his fingertips like dandruff. “Hush you too, whatever startin’, startin’”

Gluttony seemed to be right as All Might appeared on screen in silence, his presence commanding attention from the eight boys.

“Midoriya Izuku” All Might do a quick flash of hand gestures that ended with him giving a thumbs up to Izuku. “You’re just full of surprises aren’t ya?”

All Might gives a forced laugh but Izuku accepts it with glee as the other brothers watch All Might’s mannerisms in silence.

He’s afraid.

All Might continues. “You, my boy, must be a genius! Passed the writing portion easily, and then did so well in the physical test that we had to hold a retake because it was impossible for other contestants to win!”

Izuku slowly turned towards Greed, Envy, and Wrath; who were sitting on the bed in relaxed awe. “You guys did that?”

Greed shushed him and pointed back towards All Might.

“You scored so well that you now hold a new record for the entrance exams! We look forward to your appearance in class on Monday. Congratulations Midoriya Izuku!” All Might is shown clapping with a congratulations banner overhead and then the hologram flickered off.

“That was relatively fast don’t you think” Sloth whispered to Greed but the answer was drowned out by Izuku’s outburst of joy. He got out of his chair, and his brothers made room for him to dance in pure bliss.

“We did it, guys!” Izuku hugged Pride and Gluttony and jumped up and down with him.

“Technically I didn’t do anything” Pride confessed.

“But you were there for me and that’s all that counts!” Izuku stopped jumping and hugged Lust.

“Oh, I’d do anything to see you smile like this” Lust embraced Izuku in a bear hug and Izuku responded by snuggling into his chest.

After a while, Envy peeled Izuku from Lust. Izuku laughed innocently and hugged Envy before Envy pulled Wrath in for a group hug.

Envy smiled.

“What about us?” Sloth exasperated.

Izuku separated himself from Envy and Wrath. He hugged Sloth, then slid into Greed's arms like a puzzle piece going to its' correct spot in the puzzle.

“Thank you so much Greed” he squeezed Greed a little tighter and let go reluctantly.

Greed smiled at Zero. He glanced at the clock behind his emerald curls and saw that it was approaching his bedtime.

"Zero, it's time for bed" Greed put his hand on his shoulder and led him to his bed. Sloth scooted over and gave Zero room as he slid into the cozy warm sheets. Envy pulled the sheets up to his chin and Zero smiled at his brothers once more.

"I really appreciate what you all did for me in the exams" Zero said as his eyes drooped closed. "I couldn't ask for better brothers"

Greed smiled and made eye contact with Sloth. He gave him a thumbs up and his head hit the pillow next to Zero with a silent thud.

"Everyone follow me, I have a surprise for you"

“Greed, why the hell did you drag us to the middle of this trashy beach?” Lust whined. “If this is your surprise then you can keep it" He deflated. "I could be dreaming of spooning Zero, and when I know he’s completely asleep I’ll-”

“I don’t need to hear your wet dreams” Pride put a hand over Lust’s mouth. “Actually, no one needs to hear that mess”

Lust took Pride’s hand off of his mouth and huffed loudly. He looked at Gluttony; who was asleep on his feet.

“Oi!” He lightly slapped Gluttony's cheek; whose lawnmower snores cut off abruptly and looked at him in confusion. “If I have to stand in this military line in the devil’s time of play, then you have to as well” Lust gestured to the line they were in; with Greed and Envy in front of them. Wrath shivered under the moon’s stare and Pride looked at him with mild interest. Lust stood next to Pride, waking up Gluttony, who stood to his right and was asleep every five seconds.

“How come Sloth ain't here?” Gluttony rubbed his eyes.

“Because he is training,” Greed answered. “Which is what you guys will be doing”

A chorus of questions erupted from the brothers. Envy held up a hand and they all silenced as Greed continued.

“In a couple of days, Zero will be starting his new school”

“Yeah; what about it?” Lust said while folding his arms.

“Greed and I concluded that we must become stronger for his sake” Envy answered.

“Strong?” Pride raised an eyebrow. “I doubt anyone could beat us”

Greed chuckled. “Don’t underestimate the weaklings, Pride. That reckless way of thinking could get you killed” He walked towards Pride, his aura swallowing him with intense determination. “Or worse; get Zero hurt. Then you’d be in serious trouble” Greed’s voice tightened as a pin of sweat beaded down Pride’s forehead in the shivering air.

Greed turned around and Pride let out a breath in relief.

“One thing to remember” Greed turned around. “Remember how Zero smiled at us?”

The brothers shared the same flashback that took place a few hours ago. Zero’s radiant smile blessing everyone with its’ presence and reminded everyone how genuine it was and how it made the darkest of thoughts come to light. It brought everyone to the land of Milk & Honey; where everything is lovely and every word that tumbles out of Zero’s mouth is compared to the sharpest but gentlest of chords on a violin.

Greed’s voice brought them back. “How do his smiles make you feel?”

Lust went first. “They make me feel lighter than air”

“They make me feel gentle and soft” Pride confessed.

“They make me feel full of happiness” Gluttony smiled with a tooth resting on the bottom of his lip.

“They make me feel like the light has replaced the dark” Envy whispered.

“They make me feel like I’m not so bad” Greed added.

Wrath took his hands and cupped them. He put his hands above his hair and slowly put them together.

“Wrath says that they make him feel whole” Envy interpreted.

“Capture that moment,” Greed cupped his hands like Wrath. “and imagine Zero smiling more and having us feel like that because we didn’t let him down?” Pride, Lust, Gluttony, and Wrath smiled with their heads fixated on the running sand.

“Zero needs us. We are family” Envy said.

“Let’s make sure that whenever Zero needs us that we are always there to help him. Let’s do this for Zero” Greed smiled.

“Let’s do this so Zero can smile like that forever”

Chapter Text

 “Are you ready for Yuuei?” Izuku walked through the hallways with Katsuki and listened to his feet shuffling on the ground.

“The real question is: ‘Is Yuuei ready for me?’” Katsuki chuckled. Izuku replied with a shake of the head and rounded the corner with Katsuki in tow. Izuku remembered the emotions prior to today: the anticipation and endless excitement that ran through his veins. He also noticed that his brothers would push him to bed sooner than normal and would come back dead tired. When he asked what they were doing, they'd dodge the question. He asked his mom and she implied that they were training for him so that school would be easier for him.

Izuku smiled at the kindness of his brothers.   

They stopped at their classroom door and looked up at the ceiling.

“Wow, this door is very, um, big” Izuku smiled and Katsuki rolled his eyes. He pushed open the door open and saw a couple of students lounging in the back of the classroom. There was a student making a fuss in the front of the classroom while adjusting his glasses every few seconds. A girl with black hair had her nose buried in a book and a boy with half red and half white hair sat calmly beside a window. Katsuki strolled past the boy with glasses and put his feet on the chair like he owned the place.

“Kacchan”, Izuku started but the kid in glasses beat him to it.

“My fellow classmate, what are you doing?” He approached Katsuki slowly.

"Sitting. Breathing. Living. Pick any verb, four eyes"

The kid with glasses made several noises before waving his hands. "This is a sacred place for learning how to become better heroes. You can start by removing your feet from the top of this desk"

Katsuki smirked. "And what if I don't? What are you going to do?"

Izuku sighed and made a beeline for the seat behind Katsuki, while the other student bickered. He looked out the window and closed his eyes as the sun-kissed his skin and drowned out the banter that was increasing in volume.

“You!” a high pitched voice squeaked out from behind, breaking his state of serenity.

 Izuku slowly swiveled around to meet a brunette girl with animated eyes and a welcoming smile.

“Me?” he asked quizzically.

“You!” she repeated. “You saved me in the exam! I would’ve turned into mashed potatoes if it wasn’t for you!” The mysterious girl held out her hand to a confused Izuku and smiled warmly. “I’m Ochaco Uraraka”

Izuku shook her hand. “I’m-”

“And you!” the boy with glasses interrupted him as he made his way over to the two. Izuku and Uraraka stood equally in confusion as the boy with glasses made his way over to them and bowed. It was so sudden that Izuku jumped a little and thought the boy with glasses would hit his head on the table.

“I deeply apologize for my behavior during the exam. You obviously knew what the exam was more about than I. Ignoring my previous teachings, I judged a book by its cover and I’m sorry” the boy lifted his head up and held out his hand. “I’m Tenya Iida”

Izuku held out his hand once more and shook Iida’s hand. “I’m Midoriya Izuku and I have no idea what either of you are talking about”

Iida slowly stopped shaking Izuku’s hand and retracted his hand. Uraraka tilted her head and a raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Do you not remember what happened?”

Izuku dry chuckled. “I guess you could say that” Izuku saw their expressions and added, "I remember everything until the physical portion started. After that; I don't remember much"

Uraraka put a finger to her chin. "That reminds me, where is your twin?"

Izuku flinched before rubbing the back of his head. He could hear Katsuki snicker and he sent a glare to the back of his head. "What do you mean twins?" he said, giving his attention back to Uraraka and Iida.

Before she could elaborate, the door slammed open. It caught everyone off guard as no one walked in but the door closed after a while. Everyone stood still as a yellow caterpillar slowly rose from behind the podium and took out a juice box.

“By the time I’m done with this, everyone should be in their seats” As he stuck the straw in his juice box and began slurping it down like he spent hours in the Atacama Desert; all kids that were standing quickly ran to a seat. When the last student sat down, the teacher pulled the decapitated juice box out of his mouth and sighed in momentarily bliss.

“I am your teacher Aizawa Shouta” his eyes drifted across the sea of children but landed on Izuku. Izuku felt a ping of familiarity run across his face before disappearing. Aizawa left his gaze on Izuku a little longer before addressing the class once more. “Before we become acquainted”, Aizawa pulled a case out with a number on it from nowhere. “put these on and meet me in the field”

“What do you think is going to happen?” Izuku asked Katsuki as they both walked out to the field. A couple of other boys followed them outside where the girls were chattering amongst themselves already. Uraraka made eye contact with Izuku and waved with a smile.

Izuku reciprocated and Katsuki put a hand on his shoulder. Izuku stopped to look at him and saw that Katsuki’s face was stoic.

“Izuku, do you remember seeing Aizawa anytime before today?” he whispered.

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “No, not really. Although he does look familiar, I can’t say I’ve ever seen him in person before today”

Katsuki grunted before looking away. “I can’t say the same for him. He stared at you in class earlier today”

“You caught that too?”

“Whoever didn’t must be blind” Katsuki huffed.

“Do you think it has something to do with my brothers?” Izuku asked with a hint of worry.

Izuku received a hefty pat on the back. “I wouldn’t worry about it” Katsuki turned towards the teacher as he began speaking.

“Before I waste any time on you; I want to see if you are worthy. So, we will do a Quirk Apprehension Test” Aizawa pulled out his phone and a baseball. He started to toss it in the air and continued talking. “In middle school, you were not able to use your Quirks. This time, I want you to use your quirks”

“But sir?” Uraraka raised her hand. “What about the Welcoming Ceremony?”

Aizawa rolled his eyes. “This is more important. It will show me if you belong here or not” He scanned the crowd of students and his piercing gaze hovered over Izuku. At the last second, it moved to Katsuki and he threw the ball his way.

“Bakugo Katsuki. You’re up first” Katsuki rolls his arms back, flexing his muscles he worked for. Izuku stood idle- something not feeling right in his gut. He felt antsy and hyper, but he didn’t know why.

He watched as Katsuki threw his ball into the calm sky; the ball interrupting peace with its’ disturbing pace.

Izuku ignored Katsuki’s score and instead welcomed Katsuki back to the cluster of kids with a high five. Katsuki wore a smug smile on his face but looked pleased with his scores nonetheless.

"Try and beat that," Katsuki said with a hint of pride.

“Oh, this looks easy!” a boy with spiky red hair chimed. Others started to say similar things and were agreeing with him, but Aizawa wasn’t having it.

“Oh? It’s easy?” Aizawa chuckled and it reminded Izuku of asphalt. “If it’s so easy then why not raise the stakes?” Everyone was silent in confusion. “Whoever comes in last of the Quirk Apprehension Test will be taken out of my class”

Uproars of students in despair were music to Izuku’s brothers. Izuku ignored the directions of his teacher and soon felt like he was losing a grip on reality. Izuku put his hands over his eyes to gain his bearings, but that just made everything worse. His breathing picked up to a staccato until it didn’t feel like he was in control anymore.

Greed had full reign.

Katsuki looked over to Izuku once Aizawa started to go over every task in the test. He was hunched over a little bit and was taking shallow breaths.

“Izuku” he whispered. “Are you alright?”

A boy with spiky red hair must’ve heard him because he turned around and saw Izuku. “Whoa man! Are you alright?” They spikey headed boy drew everyone’s attention to Izuku. His heavy breathing came out in rasps before stopping altogether suddenly.

Greed snapped upwards and removed his hands to reveal a blank look plastered on his face. He made eye contact with Aizawa and a smile of recognition grew on his face. He faced the boy that asked the question and replied, “Fine”.

“If you are done with disrupting class, then you may start off the Quirk Apprehension Test with the 50-meter dash” Aizawa watched as Izuku pushed through the bodies of his classmates and met Aizawa at the line. The track was half of a circle and looked too long for Izuku’s taste.

“Who is my opponent?” Greed states bluntly.

“Minoru Mineta” Aizawa doesn’t miss a beat.

 A boy no higher than Greed’s hip stuttered to the front. Greed stares at his purple hair warily; as if he is analyzing his quirk and storing it in his database. He watched as the boy crouched down in the starting position. Greed looked back at Aizawa. “You said we can use our quirks, right?”

“Yes I did” Aizawa scoffed. “Didn’t know I’d have to repeat myself”

Greed chuckled. “We can use our quirks in any way we want- as long as we finish each task”

Aizawa squinted. “Yes,” he drew out the answer.

Greed smiled. “Say go whenever you’re ready” He faced the course but still didn’t get in the starting position. He looked at the ground and saw shadows littered among the field. He saw one conveniently placed at the end of the finish line and called on Envy’s power.

“Go,” Aizawa said, causing the Mineta to sprint like his life depended on it. Greed wasted no time disappearing in his own shadow and reappearing behind Aizawa, at the finish line.

“What’s my time?” Greed said. Everyone, except Katsuki, was astonished by how Greed got to the end in seconds before the Mineta could take two steps.

Aizawa was unphased. “0:02”

Greed ignored the mixed sounds of emotion from his classmates and smiled. He walked over towards Katsuki and was greeted with a genuine laugh.

“Greed, I know it’s you”

“Can’t hide anything from you, now can I?” Greed chuckled.

“The way you appeared was different. What happened?”

“I heard some words come through and I was accidentally letting my need to compete scare Zero. I’ll have to apologize to him once this is all over” Greed frowned. “But you know me, I like winning”

“Yes, I know” Mineta finally finished running with a time of 02:38. He was breathing hard and walking slowly off the field. Afterward, everyone else went- Greed watching and calculating the limitations and capabilities of everyone’s quirk. He knew that the rest of his brothers were watching and calculating weaknesses for everyone.

The second trial was the Grip Strength Test.

Everyone was given a grip indicator and had five minutes to grip it as hard as they could in the time indicated. After the time was up, everyone was to turn it back in so Aizawa could gather the information.

Greed was given a strength detector. Instead of instantly squeezing as hard as he could, he walked around with it. Greed thought it was a good idea to check out the competition and see how much effort he should put into this event.

“Wow, Shoji! That’s really cool!” a boy with lighting hair shouted.

Bingo.

Greed made his way over to a tall boy with many muscled arms and saw his grip number over three hundred. He nodded, half impressed, and walked away.

He noticed that he had a minute and decided to get to work. He called on Envy and pulled a shadow tendril out of the ground. He handed the grip tester over to it, and the tendril wrapped itself securely around the handle. The numbers skipped over each other and once the buzzer for the time went off, the numbers reached over one thousand.

Greed retracted his tendril and went to hand in the tester into the teacher.

Next up: Standing Long Jump.

Greed smiled because he was going to use his own quirk for this test.

He loved his quirk. It’s what made him the leader of his brothers. His quirk ensures that he’ll always come out on top in every contingency. When he was first manifested, it started out as just plain fire. Little did he know that the fire was just the tip of the iceberg. It has now evolved to a point where all he has to do is think of the problem and his answer will come in the solution of a random quirk.

He watched as Katsuki blasted himself off and slowed himself to a stop. A kid with a burn scar used ice to ski to a certain spot in the sand. When it came time for Uraraka’s turn, she levitated herself past the others and stopped where she didn’t feel sick anymore.

Greed took note of everyone’s test, but he realized that no one got relatively close to the end of the sandpit. He approached it the sand pit and turned to Aizawa.

“As long as my feet don’t touch the sand?”

He sighed tiredly. “Yes, Midoriya”

Greed smiled and sat down. He took off Zero’s blunt red shoes and laid them upside down in the sand pit. Like always, there were murmurs of confusion as to what he was going to do. Greed ignored them and stood up with his socks on the rough terrain.

All he had to do next was jump.

But instead, he dove into the sand pit like it was a swimming pool.

As soon as his hands touched the sand, he dissolved into the sand.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow as his students lost their minds with his second disappearance. All except Bakugo Katsuki had shock written on their faces. Katsuki was laughing his brains out.

“Come on out Greed!” he yelled.

In response, the sand started swirling and two pillars of sand formed under each shoe. They trudged through the sand, slowly getting higher and higher, with every push. Once it got to the very end of the sandpit, the shoes were tossed off the pillars and it was revealed that the pillars weren’t pillars at all.

They were feet.

“What the heck?” a boy with black hair and tape dispenser elbows questioned.

The feet moved forward a bit and audible pops were heard. The feet pillars disappeared before shooting out of the sand and landing near the shoes. Instead of seeing just feet, a body was attached (to everyone’s relief) and the sand mass soon began to gather shape.

In a blink of an eye, Greed was back.

He put on his shoes in a slower pace than normal and slouched over to his classmates. Greed paid no mind to the several questions being thrown in his direction and continued his trudge back. He saw Katsuki and stood beside him. Greed ruffled his hair a bit and sand fell like a river from it. When the residue hit the floor, some people coughed from the sand particles, but Greed didn't care.

He was proud of what he did, but he never practiced that before.

Heck- he didn’t even know he could do that before.

And now he was running low on energy.

The next trial is the Sustained Sideways Jump.

Greed silently breathed a sigh in relief. He leaned against Katsuki.

“Katsuki I’ll be right back. Pride will take over and I’ll be back for the last test” Greed said and then put his hands over his eyes. Katsuki dragged Izuku’s body over to the building while everyone became too occupied with their next trial to notice their movements. He did notice Aizawa’s eyes on the both of them but ignored them and hoped that Pride would respond quickly.

His prayers were silently answered as Izuku’s hands uncovered his eyes and half-lidded eyes stared back at him.

“Katsuki”

“Pride”

“What am I summoned to do?” he asked, getting off the wall.

“Did Greed not tell you?” Katsuki pondered.

“I can only see and hear what he sees and hears. I wasn't really paying attention and I can’t read his thoughts; that’s Lust” Pride spoke tiredly before he yawned.

"I thought he couldn't read people's thoughts" Katsuki folded his arms

"That's what we thought too" Pride yawned again. “We were all surprised when Greed used his quirk. He never uses it”

“Yeah, I was surprised too. Have you ever seen that version?” Katsuki asked.

“Nope” Both boys stopped their conversation and gawked at everyone jumping sideways.

Pride laughed. “This will be a walk in the park”

“This whole assessment was exactly that for you guys” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “And I’m going to start before I run out of time” Katsuki saw how people were already stopping and recording their results. He turned to Pride and saw him already started.

Pride knew from the getgo that this would be an easy task for him because of his quirk. It allows him to do any kind of physical activity with ease, fight hand to hand combat and always come out a victor, and know how to use any weapon known to mankind.

Everything was a blur as he did those sideways jumps, but he knew that when he was done, no one else was doing their jumps.

Like always, he was victorious.

Lastly, was the Pitch.

Before Katsuki could process what was happening, Pride put his hands over his eyes and teetered on his feet. Katsuki let him lean against him and dragged him out of the eyesight of all the students. He found a tree and sat him next to the trunk. His hands were still over his eyes while Katsuki scanned the area to see if anyone noticed their disappearance.

When he turned around, Pride’s hands were gone from his face. They were touching the base of the tree while his head laid back against the tree. Before he could ask if he was alright, he glanced at the tree.

It was quickly dying.

The branches curled in on itself leaves turning brown and losing their emerald glow, skin from the tree falling off like dead skin. It was like watching the plague attach the innocent; all Katsuki could do as the life was sapped from the tree. The tree's brothermen watched idly by as one of their own turned into ash in the span of minutes.

“That was delicious” Gluttony patted his stomach for effect.

“Gluttony?” Katsuki sounded confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Gathering fuel for the rest of the day- Greed’s orders” Gluttony touched the grass around him and watched it wither away into a dead circle around him. “I wouldn’t be here if he would’ve played it safe”

“You know Greed; always has to win in extravagant ways” Katsuki grabbed Gluttony’s arm and helped him stand up.

“Yeah but I wish he would’ve warned me. I could’ve stocked more energy” Gluttony slumped a bit.

“Well, I hope you have enough energy” Katsuki stopped walking.

“Why?” Gluttony stopped as well.

“Because it seems like it’s your turn” Katsuki gestured towards the rest of the class that was idling chatting amongst themselves. Gluttony saw no one in the pitcher’s circle and failed to notice Aizawa watching him with beady eyes.

“Midoriya Izuku” Gluttony jumped. “It’s your turn, and I don’t have all day”

“Yeah yeah” Gluttony walked to the circle. Aizawa threw a ball at him and Gluttony pulled the sleeves over his hands before catching it.

“Throw the ball as hard as you can with your quirk. Let’s hurry this up please”

Gluttony nodded and dropped the ball on the ground.

“You can’t pitch the ball without having it in your hands” Aizawa rolled his eyes. “If you don’t hurry then I’ll just put down a zero”

“I’ll hurry, I promise!” Gluttony yelled and put his hands over his eyes. A tangible shift was felt in the air as Gluttony pulled his hands down from his face.

The ground speckled with blood.

Aizawa let the meter detector fall from his hands and quickly activated his quirk. His quirk didn’t respond as blood streaked down Izuku’s face and dripped onto the floor.

“Someone get the nurse!” Iida yelled with conviction. “A student is hurt!”

A hand was held up. “No need” Greed spoke. “This is normal” He ripped the sleeves from his shirt off and tossed them on the ground; ignoring the ample amounts of blood trickling down his skin.

“Normal? Dude, there’s blood coming out of your eyes!” a girl with precious pink skin yelled.

“As I said, this is normal” Greed bent down and picked up the ball with spots of blood freckled on top. He looked at the teacher and sensed a hint of fear coating his bones.

“Aizawa Shouta; also known as Eraserhead. Do you remember me?”

Aizawa shot out with his capture scarf but it was deflected by one of Envy’s shadow tendrils. Aizawa retracted his scarf and faced the students.

“Everyone! Leave at once! This quirk is unpredictable!” Aizawa screamed, terror dripping from his shrills.

Greed quickly called upon Lust’s quirk. “Stay”

The simple word locked everyone’s feet in place and no one had control of their bodies from the waist down. Frantic shouts of panic arose from everyone and Greed chuckled.

“Do not worry. You will all be fine physically. Mentally?” Greed ordered the blood from his eyes to stream to the hand that had the ball. Crimson flowed like a current and pooled all over the ball; soon making it appear as a ball of blood. “I don’t think most of you will come out mentally sound”

Iida looked to his teacher for guidance. “If you are Eraserhead, then why not erase his quirk?”

Greed laughed with a vibrato that made his blood ball quake. “He could, but he can’t. And he would’ve had this place swarmed with other teachers right now if he didn’t come to this introverted spot”

Some students were confused but others seemed to catch on. A girl with wild black hair spoke up next. “What is your quirk exactly?”

The blood ball levitated from his hand and sailed off into the distance. “I cannot reveal all my tricks at this time”

Aizawa was next. “What you’re doing-”

“Is perfectly aligned with the rules” Greed finished. “Use my quirk in order to succeed and earn my place in your class” Greed held his hand out and smiled to the class.

“And that is exactly what I intend to do” His open palm balled into a fist.

An explosion appeared in the far distance and a massive shockwave knocked everyone onto the floor except Greed and Katsuki. Katsuki looked away from the red, orange, and yellow hues and saw that Envy's shadow tendrils wrapped around his lower half. Greed turned away from the explosion and marveled at how some students were unconsciously crawling away from him. Blood caked streaks onto his arms as he walked to Katsuki and smirked at him. Katsuki returned the smirk and shook his head.

"Was this really necessary?"

"Everyone should've known that they were committing some form of suicide by competing with me" Greed shrugged as everyone staggered to a standing position.

"Suicide?" Katsuki looked down at his hands. "But I'm still alive"

"Don't worry Katsuki. You're dead to me" Greed chuckled.

Both boys silenced in conversation and stared at how the clouds were left in disarray as the explosion died down. Students gave them cautious looks and gave them space as their gaze never left the aluminous sky.

Aizawa regained his posture and looked at the number on the detector.

It blinked the infinity sign before shutting off.

Aizawa looked at Greed in mild disbelief.

“Can we see the scores? I don’t have all day” Greed threw his words back at him.

Ignoring the past events, Aizawa pressed a few buttons on his phone and a screen popped up in front of all the students. Greed’s eyes went straight to the number one spot and was overjoyed when he saw Zero’s name.

Chapter Text

“Kaachan?” Izuku looked around the classroom and noticed the wary glances that were sent his way. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?” He asked while fiddling with his scratched hands under his desk. Aizawa gave them a free period to get to know each other, but no one was approaching him. When he tried approaching his classmates, they would move away from him in slight fear. The only two to not move was Katsuki and Todoroki- but Todoroki would widen his eyes and turn his head.

“Because you freaked everyone out” Katsuki teetered his body on the hind legs of the chair while his legs rested on his desk. A red-haired kid named Kirishima came over to him and tried to talk to Katsuki. He ignored Kirishima’s efforts of conversation before giving him his attention. Katsuki set off a small explosion on the kid’s shoulder, but Kirishima hardened his shoulder before contact was made. Katsuki made a nod in acceptance before continuing to listen to Izuku troubles.

“But it’s not my fault!” Izuku whined. “It was Greed mostly”

“Well,” Katsuki rolled his eyes. “have Greed fix his mistakes then”

Izuku mumbled some words over and over. After a shrug in silent defeat, he put his hands over his eyes and sat still.

“What’s up with him?” Kirishima asked.

“Just wait” Katsuki set his chair down and turned around to see Izuku.

Izuku’s hands left his face and a cruel smile appeared on his face. “You did this”

Katsuki shrugged as Greed started to faintly glow. “You said you’d apologize later so why not now?” Greed huffed, and his glow became more pronounced. Chatter stopped as Greed became a flashlight. The classroom took on a tangible silence as the light got brighter in hue. Some shielded their eyes while others squinted and tried to see what the cause was. As soon as the light got too much to handle, it disappeared.

In its place- seven Izukus stood behind a clueless Zero.

Uraraka broke the silence. “Whoa”

Greed turned Zero around so that he was facing him instead of Katsuki. Before Zero could say anything, Greed got on his knees and put his hands on the sides of Zero’s face. His brothers shared a kneel behind Greed and clasped their hands together.

“I’m sorry, Zero, for putting you in harm's way. It won’t happen again” Greed grabbed Zero’s hand and held it like he was fragile. “Please forgive me- us”

Zero looked around and saw mixed emotions between his brothers. Lust hung his head; phone hanging loosely from his right hand. Envy was slowly sinking into the shadow cast by the desks, and Wrath was avoiding contact by looking at the birds in the trees. Pride gave a long sigh and put his head on the ground in full submission. Sloth yawned and rubbed his eyes before noticing the atmosphere. He nodded towards Zero shyly and continued conversation.

“We just let the competition get to our heads- a little more than usual” Sloth rubbed the back of his neck. He went to say more but was cut off.

“It’s okay guys. It’s not like I needed friends anyway” Zero joked but an audible flinch was flicked towards the boys.

“I could always help out” Lust slowly smiled.

“No! I-I mean, maybe you should introduce yourself to everyone” Zero suggested. “You guys are already out so you might as well meet my classmates”

Greed looked at his brothers then back to Zero. “Would this suffice as an apology?”

“Well, yeah-”

All of Zero’s brothers stood up in swift motions and moved to the front of the classroom. They stood in a line with their hands by their sides. Zero looked at his classmates and saw how their attention flickered from him to his brothers with awe and confusion.

“This is going to be good” Katsuki whispered in Zero’s ear. Zero jumped in sudden closeness but regained composure when Greed started talking.

“Hello fellow classmates of Zero” Greed stepped forward from the line and gestured to the class. “I met you all briefly earlier during the pretest and I apologize for my actions” Greed ground the last words out and shook himself into a better state of composure. “You’re probably wondering, ‘How can this be?’. Well, long story short, we are seven duplicates of Izuku” Greed went back to the line and gestured to his brothers. “We will start by names and what quirk we have”

Iida thrusted his pointer finger in Greed’s direction. Greed calmly turned his head in his direction as he started yelling.

“WAIT! YOU EACH HAVE-”

“Please save all questions and comments until the end, please and thank you” Greed interrupted. “Now I shall start. My name is Greed and my quirk is called Alpha. It basically lets me be an excellent leader and tactician” Greed added.

“I’m Pride” he stepped forward. “My quirk is Titania. It allows me to know every bit of knowledge there is to know about weapons and defense/offense fighting styles” Pride smirked and stepped back in line.

Lust waved excitedly towards the crowd. “Hi! I’m Lust. I love messin’ with people with my Mind Control quirk. I can alter memories, create illusions and it was me who made all of you guys stay without your own permission!” Greed gave Lust a crude look and he flinched. “I’m sorry about that” he mumbled some more but ceased when he saw Zero looking at him with tender eyes.

Picking up the awkward beat left by Lust, Gluttony raised his hand. “I’m Gluttony and I literally do what my name implies: eat” Gluttony laughed, and a few chuckles were dispersed around the room. “My quirk is Stockpile. I gather energy from anything I can get my hands on and use it to power all the heavy hitters” Gluttony pointed to Greed, Wrath, and Envy.

Next was Sloth, but he was nodding off to sleep. Gluttony elbowed him, and he opened his eyes in disgust. He eyed the classroom and yawned. Once gaining his bearings and smacking his lips a few times, he started his introduction.

“I’m Sloth and I like to sleep,” he said as he sunk down to the floor. “My quirk Night Haunt and unless you really want to know what that quirk does then wake me up from my nap” Sloth eyed the class and collapsed into sleep.

Envy didn’t miss a beat. “My name is Envy and my quirk is called Shadows” He walked to the shadow the desk cast and stood on top of it. Envy jumped into the air and effortlessly sank into the shadow. Gasps were heard but he immediately spat back out at a desk near Zero. Instead of walking back to the front of the classroom, a shadow tendril lifted him into the air and dropped him off at the front. Envy faced the class as the animated tendril slithered back into place and became still.

Envy then pointed to Wrath. “This is Wrath. He doesn’t talk and is blind so treat him with care or he’ll kill you” Wrath hesitantly nodded in confirmation to his words.

Greed smiled and clasped his hands together. “Any questions?”

Almost every hand in the classroom was in the air.

Greed rolled his eyes. “Only three questions shall be asked” he looked back over to Iida and pointed to him. “You first”

Iida cleared his throat. “At the Entrance Exam, there were only two of you. Why did you not use all brothers to help out Izuku during the exam?”

Greed crossed his arms. “Because I only needed my heavy hitters in that situation. I foresaw the outcome to each combination of brothers at the time and I liked the combination I chose the most. If I used any other combination, then Zero wouldn’t have scored so high”

“Zero? Who’s Zero?” Iida asked. “And-”

Greed hushed him once again. “One question per customer, have a nice day” He looked around the room and saw a girl with fair, pink skin waving her hand frantically in the air. “You, pink girl”
The girl voiced her excitement and Greed mentally commented that she had the same eyes as some of his brothers did.

Interesting.

“Ashido Mina, here. My question is: What’s your favorite vine?”

Greed was taken back. “Vine?”

“I got this” Lust gathered attention. “My brothers don’t pay attention to social media as I do, but to answer your question- my favorite vine is always overlooked. It’s the one where the guy and girl are talking to each other and the guy says, ‘So I’m sitting there, barbeque sauce on my titties’ and the girl starts laughing her brains out! I always die when I watch it, and I reference it all the time” Lust smiled at the girl as she came running from the back of the classroom towards him.

“I LOVE THAT VINE!”

Lust grabbed her hands and walked her towards to doors. “Well honey, I made a compilation of my favorites- would you like to see?” Lust pulled out his phone as Ashido shook her head in joy frantically.

“Would I? I’d love to!” before Greed could stop them, Lust dragged Ashido out the classroom and snickering could be heard before it went completely silent.

“Well, you have one more question before our act of kindness is over” Greed looks over to a boy with a bird face and held in a laugh. “You with the bird brain”

The boy made a grunting noise before answering. “I was wondering why your names sound familiar and then it finally clicked. Are you guys in any way related to the Seven Deadly Sins?”

Greed blinked. He looked at Envy and he tilted his head. One of Sloth’s eyes peeked open and he stood up from his mini nap. He slowly stood up and looked at Envy and Greed. Greed tilted his head towards the bird boy and Sloth shrugged.

Greed looked at the boy. “No more questions” Greed walked away from the front and the other boys followed suit. Greed gave Envy a look and he nodded in response.

“Aren’t you going to answer his question, Greed?” Zero asked. In response, Greed helped Zero up from his chair and placed him on a shadow tendril waiting on standby.

“No. It would cause unnecessary outcomes” Envy stated. Zero looked a little glum but Pride patted his lap and Zero’s smile appeared.

“Come along, Katsuki. We are heading to lunch” Greed walked away from the desks as his brothers made a circle around the tendril that was carrying Zero. Katsuki sighed, but got up from his moment of rest and watched as the brothers made their way to the door- despite the mixed emotions and voices filtered through the classroom.

“Lunch? Ooh, my favorite time of the day!” Gluttony smiled wickedly, and it made Zero laugh.

“What about my question?” the boy asked.

Greed stopped which made all of them stop. “What’s your name?”

Without missing a beat, he answered. “Tokoyami Fumikage”

“Well Tokoyami, the answer you are looking for does not benefit you in any way” Greed started heading towards the exit.

“How do you know that?”

Greed sharply turned towards him. “Wrath is able to sense heartbeats. All I have to do is give the word and he’ll make yours and everyone else’s heart stop beating”

“Greed!” Zero shouted.

Greed looked at Zero and called upon Lust’s power. “Sleep” Zero’s eyes closed, and the shadow tendril extended so it could cradle Zero’s body. Envy patted his hair while Wrath went and stood by Greed.

“Everything we do is for him” Greed reminded himself as he opened the door for his brothers. They didn't miss a beat and walked out with Zero in tow. Greed whispered something into Wrath’s ear and he ran after his brothers. Katsuki nonchalantly stood by Greed and watch his fellow classmates with mixed emotions splashed across their face. Heck, even Todoroki has emotion on his copycat Canadian flag face.
Katsuki would have laughed if the atmosphere called for it but he stayed silent.

“I suggest you drop this, or you won’t see another day” Greed stomped out the door. Katsuki calmly put his hands in his pockets and walked out after him. He shut the door behind him as the lunch bell began to chime.

Chapter Text

“Zero? Zero wake up. It’s time to eat” Greed whispered delicately.

Zero moaned into consciousness and looked around. He was in the lunchroom and his brothers were surrounding him on both sides of the table. Greed and Katsuki were to his right and Envy and Wrath were to his left. Lust, Sloth (who was asleep on the table), Pride, and Gluttony (who was gobbling up food in record time) were in front of him. They all looked at him in slight concern. Zero looked around the table and noticed that they sat closer towards the exit of the cafeteria and far away from his classmates.

Rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes he asked, “Why are we so far away from everyone?”

“We needed to be close to the exit for emergencies” Lust provided.

“We are in a school of pro-heroes. Nothing bad will happen” Zero persuaded. He took a look at his ramen and realized that he wasn’t hungry. Probably because the majority of his brothers were all eating or because of the empty space in his memory.

Greed’s black agenda appeared in his hand and he flipped to a random page. Keeping a poker face, he slammed it shut and replied, “We prepare for every contingency” He faced Zero again and smiled. “Now eat your food. You need your strength”

Zero huffed and stirred his ramen. He looked up randomly and saw two classmates he was talking with earlier. Uraraka and Iida were talking animatedly and were walking towards his other classmates. Zero stood up and was about to wave them over when Katsuki yanked him back down in his seat.

“Ow!” He rubbed his butt. “What was that for?”

Katsuki swallowed the last bit of food before answering. “Observe before immersing” Before Zero could question it, Greed elaborated.

“We must observe the patterns of everyone, so we know where we stand on the social latter. Once that’s done, we can immerse ourselves in the right state of mind” Greed put the napkin to his face and dabbed his lips. He pushed Zero’s bowl to Gluttony and he shoveled it down. He snapped his fingers and Zero’s Hero Analysis Journal appeared. “Focus on this, and then we can focus on friends”

Zero grabbed the journal out of spite. “How am I supposed to write about their quirks if I don’t even-” Greed taped his forehead and a barrage of memories assaulted his mind. He saw his classmates quirks. He hurriedly started to write in his journal, forgetting his anger and flipping pages when rushed sketches of his classmates were drawn and quirks were labeled.

Katsuki leaned back and made eye contact with Greed. Greed showed Katsuki his agenda and his eyes widened. The agenda disappeared into thin air, and Katsuki rubbed his friend’s back and put his head in hands.

Greed looked at the other ignorant students and then looked at Zero.

“Everything we do is for you,” he thought.

“How was school sweetie?” Inko asked. She and Izuku were eating dinner by themselves. His brothers were out “running some errands”- except Sloth. Sloth said he was getting some sleep and went straight to bed. The other brothers lounged around while Izuku did his homework. When it was time for dinner, Greed said that he (and the other brothers) had some things they needed to do but they’d be back before midnight. Inko sighed and watched as they all hugged Izuku before leaving. Inko knew if she said anything then Greed would glare but say nothing.

Inko sighed in stress, which caused Izuku to stop his storytelling of his day’s events.

“Is there something wrong?” Izuku tilted his head in concern.

“No no!” Inko waved her chopsticks in the air. “I was just thinking. Did you and your brothers have fun, or did you guys cause trouble?”

Izuku answered sheepishly. “Well, we did cause a ruckus but, in the end, I had fun. Katsuki said it was one of the best days of his life and laughed about it on our way home” Izuku yawned. “All this excitement has made me tired though”

Inko smiled. “Well finish your food and head to bed. You sound like you tired yourself out. Maybe I need to leave a big plate for Gluttony tonight, so you’ll have more energy tomorrow!” They both shared a genuine laugh before Izuku kissed her goodnight and went to his room.

Greed came home to a still house. He and his brothers passed by the kitchen and Gluttony saw the big platter of food Inko left for him. A couple pieces of smoked fish, a smorgasbord of sushi, and an assortment of vegetables. The rice cooker was on and Gluttony opened it to a full container of steamed rice. He shoved a handful of rice in his mouth before fanning his mouth.

“Hot! Hot!” he muffled before swallowing. He grabbed some sushi and moaned in pleasure as he swallowed. “I love that woman”

While Gluttony was feasting, Greed and the rest of the brothers went up to their room. Each one of them was hot and sweaty from improving their quirks. Greed was still breathing heavily from manipulating the sand and forming various shapes. Lust commanded all sea life to perform tricks in the air and push their physical limits. Pride punched rocks until his knuckles bled and blistered and once, he could no longer use his hands- he resorted to legs. Gluttony and Wrath worked as a team. Gluttony would find wildlife (like birds and squirrels) and Wrath would host an explosion in their hearts that would put them next in line on death row. Gluttony would then absorb the fleeting energy these creatures would have until they turned into the air itself.

Greed was proud of everyone’s hard work except Envy.

Envy decided to disappear halfway into training.

It wasn’t until everyone was settled in for the night when Envy came back home.

“Where were you?” Greed asked, hiding the anger in his voice.

“Gathering intel” Envy replied, not missing a beat. He went over to Zero and tousled his hair with a stoic face. Zero smiled loosely and hummed in happiness before falling silent. Envy walked over to Wrath and pulled up the blanket that was draped around his midsection. He took Lust’s phone and put it on the charger and wiped some leftover rice from Gluttony’s face. Envy went to the bathroom and grabbed a first aid kit. He unwrapped Pride’s now bloody knuckles and disinfected them. Pride’s face didn’t change while he slept as Envy finished wrapping up his bandages. Once he was finished, he silently sat in the desk chair. The moon’s grace shined upon Envy’s fair face and his eyes bored into Greed’s.

“You could’ve done that in the night. Why during training?”

“It couldn’t wait any longer”

Greed shook his head in disbelief. “But the agenda-”

“is different from mine” Envy finished.

Greed sighed and rested his head in his hands. When Envy thought he wasn’t speaking anymore, he stood up from the chair. He pushed it in quietly and moved to the darkest corner of the room. He was about to be submerged when Greed continued.

“I know what’s coming, and I know you know too. Every possible outcome I create ends up with him being hurt and I hate it. I know you know something- and instead of keeping it to yourself, please, just tell me” Greed hated how weak he sounded but he would hate it more if the outcomes he saw in the nearby future came true.

Envy slowly turned around and held out his hand. Greed tossed him his agenda and watched Envy write with slow breathy strokes before handing it back to him. Greed grasped it and read what was inside. He was about to comment but Envy beat him to it.

“I know what’s coming. That’s why I’m doing everything I can to stop it”

The shadows swallowed him whole.

Greed awoke to screaming.

He slowly arose from his spot and walked down the hallway. He was masked in the shadows and reached a door. Light clawed at it from its cracks and blood cried from it. The screams and cries were coming in spurts and Greed stood there and smiled at their visible bodies. He breathed in the welcoming scent of the red iron that he knew pooled from whatever was on the other side. He hummed along to the screams as if he was in the audience of an orchestra. Slowly getting high off the scent of shrieks and the jumps of laughter that had been sprinkled into this “song”, Greed opened the door and was delighted at the sight.

Aizawa Shouta and Yagi Toshinori.

Dripping in moans of pain.

“Greed!” Sloth welcomed. “What a pleasant surprise!”

“Sloth” Greed returned the welcome. He looked over Sloth’s attire, splattered with blood and sweat. Despite his ghastly appearance, he seemed to enjoy himself greatly. He dropped a wet pair of pliers on the table next to them and took off his gloves. He stood behind Yagi and pulled his hair up.

“Took this one a while to realize that this is my world and he couldn’t escape” Sloth laughed. “Tried using his quirk so I stabbed his muscles until he reverted back to his weakened state”

Greed looked at the man. His jaw was completely torn off and his tongue was missing. He tried to say something, but it turned into pained gurgles. The front of him was drenched in crimson, as his intestines sat in his lap.

Sloth walked behind and pulled up Aizawa’s hair.

Greed quickly found Yagi’s missing tongue.

“This slick one tried using his quirk on me, but you can’t stop reality” Sloth shrugged. “He had pretty eyes. They were so pretty I just had to have them!”

Greed observed how both of the man’s eyes were replaced with tongues. Greed widened Aizawa's mouth and a waterfall of blood splashed outwards and onto his hand. He smiled and grabbed the screwdriver that was lodged in his forehead. He slowly pushed it in a little deeper and the man began panting like a little dog. Greed chuckled, and Sloth giggled. On a tray next to Aizawa was a beating heart that came from an incision under his arm. Greed tickled the heart and could see the man visible shudder in agony before giving Sloth a smile of approval.

“Can they still hear?”

“Of course, they can” Sloth turned his head towards the men. “Tap your foot if you don’t want your feet cut off”

Slowly, the feet from both men tapped their feet. Slow, hesitating taps were heard, and Greed nodded his head. He faced both men and smiled.

“Well gentlemen, we are going to have a small chat about Dominance”

Chapter Text

“What adventures do you think we’ll have today, Kaachan?” Izuku leaned forward in his desk in anticipation. Katsuki leaned back with his feet on the desk- disregarding the pecking shouts Iida sent in his direction. Even though people were giving them both side glances, they all kept their distance. The redhead, Kirishima, tried to get close a couple times but a couple other classmates pulled him aside.

It made Izuku a little sad that no one wanted to be his friend at first, but Greed promised him, mentally, that he’ll make some more friends soon.

The sound of Katsuki scoffing brought him back to reality. “I could care less what happens, but as long as you’re happy then I’m content”

Izuku smiled and his freckles shined like sunflowers. “Ah, Kaachan! You do care about me!” Izuku came in for a hug from behind but Katsuki sat up so fast his desk rattled.

“I may care but I never said I do physical affection”

Izuku mumbled something and then rested his head in his arms. Katsuki was about to ruffle his hair when Izuku turned his head towards the door. Katsuki knew when Izuku made sudden movements, it was one of his brothers telling him to be vigilant. He took a deep breath and faced the door in silence.

Students watched their eerie stillness with caution. Soon the chatter in the room dialed down as Izuku stared at the door and Katsuki watched alongside him.

“Bakugo? What’s going on?” Kirishima asked from the back of the classroom. Katsuki didn’t physically acknowledge him and was about to ask again when he spoke.

“Wait a little longer and you’ll find out”

The whole class dismissed all chatter and found their seats. Some watched the door, watched Katsuki and Izuku, or looked at their other classmates in disbelief.

The door suddenly started rattling from an attack of oncoming sound vibrations.

“I am coming through the door like a normal person!” All Might shouted as he pushed aside the gentle doors with a mighty thrust. He was mentally taken aback as all the students were staring at him- like they were anticipating his entrance. He shrugged it off as the weirdness died and was replaced with innocent awe from the children. He heard them praise him and marvel at his Silver Age costume that he wore to class. He strutted towards the front of the classroom and scanned the room for potential heroes.

He saw star potential and smiled at the curiosity and excitement that was orchestrated in the room.

But, his joy didn’t last long.

As the children chatted amongst themselves about the legend in their presence; two students just stared at him with stone cold eyes.

Bakugo Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku.

At first, he saw Midoriya Izuku showcase a similar reaction to the rest of the children in the classroom but after a while began studying him. His radiant eyes turned into the same judgmental eyes his friends wore.

His mind went back to that fateful evening under the bridge; where Midoriya healed him of a wound that was slowly claiming his life. He would never forget such kindness the two boys released.

He would also remember the night terrors that plagued his mind since that day. He remembers that cold stare, and how the tools felt when plunged into his cold body. He’d wake up with his bones shaking and his body remembering all the tortures it went through the night before.

But not a single scratch on him.

All Might closed his eyes on the mental images of him screaming in pain and opened them to a class full of eager students.

“I teach Hero Basic Training”, smiles lit up the classroom as a response to his subject. All Might silently chuckled at the nervous foot tapping, clenched fists in excitement, and the caged squeals just bursting to get out. He flexed his biceps in an attempt to ease their eagerness, but instead, they opened their ears (figuratively) to the words pouring out of his mouth about the class.

“Let’s get right to it!” All Might pointed to the wall next to him and suitcases slowly escaped the wall with a hiss. “Today we’ll learn more about Combat Training!”

“Combat Training?” Katsuki huffed over the squeals of his classmates. “This should be fun” He glanced back at Izuku and saw his eyes twinkling like diamonds. Turning back around, Katsuki found himself holding in his excitement for the day to come.

“Once you find yourself done changing, meet me in Ground Beta for further instructions!”

Everyone (except Katsuki and Izuku) answered and gathered their gear. As the classroom cleared out of excited children, Katsuki and Izuku picked up their suitcases and headed towards the door with a foreboding phantom presence swallowing them.

They both knew that it was a day to remember.

“They say the clothes make the man, young men, and ladies,” All Might said as everyone walked with a confidence boost towards him. Izuku and Katsuki walked towards the back to get a good look at their classmates. Some looked intimidating, and some looked like they took sketches straight from their five-year-old self. Katsuki wore grenade bombs around his wrist and had fire decals around him. 

When they were getting dressed, he heard some of the guys nod their head in approval of his hero costume.

When it came to Izuku’s costume, his classmates were confused.

“Is he going to a funeral or a piano recital?” he heard his classmates chuckle. Izuku remembered talking to his brothers about his costume. Not only did he have to wear it, but his brothers were going to have to wear it as well. He was going to wear green since it was his favorite color, but his brothers came up with a better idea.

Sloth pointed out that we needed to make a good impression when “saving” people. He also pointed out that all of his brothers use their quirks in a fluid motion- almost similar to what a conductor does when conducting an orchestra.

So, what does a conductor wear? A suit and tie.

Izuku thought it over, but the more he thought about it- the more sense it made. All of his brothers added something to the suit to make it special to them and he added his favorite red sneakers. While getting dressed, he took pride in his uniform and shunned everyone else who thought otherwise.

Besides, they weren’t going to be saying those things during Combat Training.

His classmates came to a halt in front of All Might and it brought him out of his thoughts. He heard him talking but it wasn’t registering. He looked at the buildings and thought it was similar to the Entrance Exam site that he was at just a few weeks prior. He was about to let his mind wander again but Katsuki nudged him and his focus came back with a snap.

“For this class, you’ll be split into villains and heroes and fight 2-on-2 indoor battles. However, the key this time is that there’s no robot you can just beat up” All Might explained. As soon as he took a breath to continue, students started barraging him with questions. Katsuki rolled his eyes and Izuku huffed while brushing off invisible dust. All Might pulled out a sheet of paper and began laying out the situation. Izuku looked invested but Katsuki looked bored as All Might talked down to the students about the heroes and villains situation.

It was as simple as math. Heroes catch the villains and detain the bomb. Villains destroy the heroes and protect the bomb.

“Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!” All Might raised a box in the air and the students went around to gather their lot. Katsuki and Izuku were at the end of the line. When it came time for Izuku to draw a lot, All Might shook a finger in front of his face.

“Why can’t I draw a lot?” Izuku asked. He looked around and noticed a girl who didn’t find her partner yet. Izuku racked his brain before the name Asui Tsuyu came to him. His mind reminded him of her quirk and noticed how it matched her frog-like costume.

He pointed to her. “It’s obvious that she’s my partner”

All Might made eye contact with her and he pointed at another group. She made her way to Todoroki Shoto and Shoji Mezo. Two classmates with exceptional quirks, but weakness so easy to utilize (that’s what Greed told him anyway). All Might glanced back at Izuku and noticed a sliver of hatred in his eyes. It disappeared and was replaced with a ray of sunshine so bright, it competed against the sun. 

“I know that you can split yourself and it wouldn’t be fair to others if it was a 2-on-9. So, I decided to make you your own group”

“My own group?” Izuku echoed. “You do know that 2-on-8 won’t make a difference, right?”

“I have my ways. My boy just trust me” All Might laid a hand on his shoulder and Izuku looked at his hand before looking back at him. Izuku noticed how his gestures made him feel welcome, but his eyes cried out that he was scared and afraid.

Was he afraid of him?

“If you say so” Izuku turned away from him and walked to Katsuki. He was having his ear chewed off by his fated partner, Iida Tenya, but turned towards him as he got closer.

“Who’s in control? Honestly thought Izuku would be hysterical over meeting his favorite pro-hero” Katsuki raised an eyebrow as Izuku sighed.

“I know Kaachan,” Izuku said, signaling that he was still in control. “Now that I see him up close, he looks at me with fear. I may just be seeing things but it’s making me feel blasé” Izuku shrugged his shoulders.

Katsuki patted his back in reassurance. “No worries, Izuku. Maybe it’s just your imagination” Katsuki looked around for Izuku’s partner. “Who’s your partner?”

Izuku huffed again, this time in frustration and a bit of confusion. “He said since I can duplicate myself, I have to do this assignment with my brothers as my partners. Which is no big deal but I kind of wanted to make some friends with this exercise”

“Look on the bright side, you can observe other people’s quirk,” Katsuki said. “The day’s not over just yet- you’ll make some friends soon” Izuku heard his words but Katsuki could tell it went in one ear and out the other. He always hated trying to making Izuku feel better because it was the equivalent to trying to saw a tree with a frozen banana.

It wasn’t going to work.

Before Izuku could give a weak answer, All Might started talking again.

“The first team to fight are these guys!” All Might raised one black ball and one white ball. The letters on the white balls meant that the group was a hero and the letters on the black ball meant that the group was a villain.

Katsuki’s group was a hero group. Izuku looked around and saw two other students look at each other in excitement. Uraraka Ochaco and Tokoyami Fumikage made eye contact with Katsuki’s group- signaling that they were the villains.

“Villain team go inside and set up. You have five minutes before the hero team comes in. Once they arrive the battle has started. Everyone else is to head to the monitor room”

Everyone went their separate ways but Izuku stayed back. “Kaachan”

Katsuki turned towards him and scoffed. “Don’t get your fucking panties in a twist. I’ll be back in five minutes, once this thing starts” Katsuki turned back around and headed towards the building. Izuku smirked in his direction and walked to the monitor room. 

It literally took Katsuki five minutes once the battle started. He ignored Iida’s bickering and walked the hallways of the building. Izuku watched as the students watched with nerves and anticipation. People were loudly asking why Katsuki wasn’t listening to his partner until the very end. When Katsuki realized that they were directly underneath the villains, he told Iida (who followed his quick steps) to be ready to capture the bomb. Katsuki pulled the pin out of the grenade bracelets he had, and it destroyed the ceiling- disorientating the villains. Before they could understand what was happening, Iida was on the bomb and the battle was over with mild casualties.

Katsuki was welcomed into the monitor room with impressed nods and a smile from Izuku. All Might asked the class to dissect the battle and one girl, Yaoyorozu Momo, vomited knowledge and facts about the fight. Izuku was impressed at first but grew tired of it when the fights continued. Even after coming back from her own lost on the villain team- she dissected her own actions as they replayed on the monitors in front of her.

“I wish this bitch would just shut up!” Katsuki moaned after she finished tearing apart the fight. All Might was giving her praises once again and every once was determining who was left. Izuku chuckled dryly before standing up from the bench he was sitting on since the beginning of the fights.

“Where are you going?”

Izuku stretched and yawned. “It’s my turn”

To prove his point, All Might silenced the class with a cough. “This next battle is the last one. I already drew ahead of time to see who the hero and villain were” He gestured to a small huddle of students. “Todoroki Shoto, Shoji Mezo, and Asui Tsuyu are the hero and they will be fighting” All Might pointed to Izuku. “Midoriya Izuku as the villain”

Confused murmurs were heard. “Sensei?” Iida raised his hand. “This is unfair! Midoriya doesn’t have a partner!”

All Might let out a guffaw and it silenced the class. “Midoriya, my boy. Would you mind choosing three of your brothers as your partners?”

Izuku smiled in compliance and put his hands over his eyes. He thought of Greed first and he soon took over. Greed already knew the situation and used his duplicating ability.

Izuku opened his eyes to his classmates staring at him. He looked beside him and saw that Greed had done what he had asked.

Surrounding Izuku was: Envy, Greed, and Pride.

“A-Are these the partners that you choose?” All Might asked in uncertainty.

“Yes,” Izuku said confidently.

Iida interjected. “Now it is 3-on-4! It’s still unfair!”

“I will not fight” Izuku looked at Iida head on. “I will guard the rocket, but I will not fight. If anyone can get past my brothers, then I will gladly step aside and let them win” Izuku looked at Todoroki’s team. He made eye contact with everyone, but they set a fire in Todoroki’s.

“Is that okay with you?”

“Yes,” Todoroki announced.

“Well,” All Might said, drawing attention back on himself. “I guess we have a fight to watch!”

Greed, Envy, Pride, and Zero made it to the floor with the bomb. It looked like a rocket ship and Zero went to go stand next to it. Before he was about to start talking, Greed pulled out the earpiece that All Might gave them and gestured for his. Zero gave him, and Pride and Envy followed suit. He turned away from the camera that was in the room and made a small fire in his palm. The earpieces sparked and turned into ash. Greed dumped them on the floor and looked back at his brothers.

“I don’t want them to hear us. If he asked why we did this, just say that humans can hack into these so it’s better to destroy them now and not let them into our plans”

“Speaking of plans, what is ours?” Pride raised his brow.

“Easy, Zero will stand by the bomb and all we gotta do is protect him” Pride and Envy nodded at the plan and Zero smiled wide.

“Sounds easy enough,” Pride said.

“Then don’t screw it up” Envy added. Zero laughed at Pride’s following expression and gave a genuine smile. He looked at his brothers and saw that they each smiled in response to him. It always made him happy whenever his brothers smiled.

“I can’t wait to see you guys in action up close!” Zero squealed.

Greed chuckled. “Just remember to stand back and let us do all the heavy lifting alright?” Zero nodded, letting his hair shake in the static air. Greed ruffled it and smiled in bliss.

“Five minutes are up! Heroes- once you step into the building, the fight has begun!” All Might shouted over the speakers that resonated within the building.

Greed tapped his chin. “It won’t take them long to get here since they have a map and it’s a straight shot once you get on the stairs. Let’s spy in on our prey, shall we?” He pinched the air and moved his hands in a diagonal line. A holographic screen appeared, zapping Zero of words. Pride and Greed huddled closer and saw Todoroki telling his partners to stay outside.

“Lone wolf? He thinks we are child’s play” Pride said with a hint of anger and excitement twisted in his voice.

“You can talk to them if you want,” Greed said calmly.

“Really?” Zero was shocked.

Greed nodded. “Just press on someone and start talking. It will automatically connect with them by using Lust’s quirk”

Zero reached around Greed and placed a finger on all three figures that hovered by the entrance towards the building. As soon as his finger was placed on the last person, they all seemed to halt against their will. They stood stoically, with fists clenched towards their side.

“Ah, I don’t know what to say” Zero whispered.

Greed thought while watching his prey squirm under the invisible force that held them still. “Pride you do it this time and then Zero you can do it next time” Zero and Pride switched places and Zero watched in anticipation as his brother cleared his throat.

“Coming here alone with lead to your funeral, Todoroki” Pride’s voice hissed inside their minds and the hero’s eyes widened. “If I were you; I’d listen to your partners before you walk into your death” Pride let go of the people and Greed’s hologram disappeared.

“Good job intimidating them Pride!” Zero praised with a genuine smile that could brighten any rainy day. Envy gave a thumbs up and Greed stood with his hands on his hips. He nodded his head in approval and Zero clapped for him. Pride mocked bowed before ruffling Zero’s hair.

“Now, like hunters, we wait for the prey” Envy stated, and Greed nodded in agreement.

Todoroki Shoto, Shoji Mezo, and Asui Tsuyu ran towards the villains’ opening. Todoroki was going to go in by himself, but after that “mind rape” he and his partners felt earlier, he took the warning and decided for them to tag along.

He had them explain their quirks once they entered the first floor of the building.

Asui Tsuyu’s quirk is called Frog. It allows her to do anything a frog can do such as: hopping long distances; jumping; sticking to walls extending her tongue, which can lift an entire person's body to a maximum of 20 meters; ejecting/washing her stomach and secreting toxic sticky liquid, and camouflage. However, when she is in cold environments for too long, she is unable to use her quirk.

Shoji Mezo’s quirk is called Dupli-Arms. It allows the tips on his tentacles to replicate parts of his body. He can also use his tentacles to make duplicates of his body parts such as an extra arm and can use them as decoys. The duplicated parts are more efficient than the originals, as a result, Shoji is able to hear better, see through more angles at a time, and give him insane strength.  

Using his knowledge about their quirks he came up with a plan. He was going to freeze the floor and then have Shoji throw Tsuyu (she reminded me that she wants to be called Tsuyu) at the bomb so she can detain it.

It was a simple plan that would involve no casualties in this battle.

He would soon learn that there is no such thing as a battle with “no casualties”.

Zero waited patiently for the other team. He was curious to learn of their teamwork skills and to see what lies in store for him and his brothers. He knew (to an extent) that his brothers were ruthless in their tactics, but they got the job done.

A ring of fire appeared, and it interrupted his loophole thoughts as it snaked around himself, Greed, and Pride. Greed looked at Zero and told him that no matter what happens; he needs to stay right next to the bomb and to not distract them. Zero gave him a thumbs up and Greed smiled.

Pride moved close to him and Envy walked towards the entrance. Zero had to squint to see that Envy was hiding amongst the shadows. He put his hands in his pockets and felt the capture tape. He rubbed the tape and felt it peel back a bit. He placed it back on the roll and took his hands out of his pockets. He saw Pride pulling up his gloves to his right and to his left he saw Greed fixing his tie.

When he looked at Envy, he saw a flash of red dart by and quickly noticed that it was the heroes.

Todoroki Shoto, Shoji Mezo, and Asui Tsuyu stared at him and his two brothers. Before a bird could flap its’ wings to take off; Todoroki made a gesture towards the brothers and the ice froze underneath their feet. Greed made the flames that danced alongside his brothers brighter. The ice retreated into its liquid form and evaporated in seconds.

Shock spread over Todoroki’s face, but his face grew serious in a flash. “Stick to the plan!” He shouted over the flames.

Shoji threw Asui in Pride’s direction with her tongue out. Pride intercepted her and grabbed her tongue.

 Asui’s eyes widened as she met with Pride’s fist and it threw her into the wall.

Hand still gripped in her tongue, Pride pulled her out of the wall and Asui was airborne and heading into Pride’s direction. She tried to block his punch, but she failed as Pride brought his foot to her face and kicked her back into the far wall. It seemed as if Pride was taking his anger out on the frog girl, using her as a slingshot just to pull her back in again. He threw her into the monitor of the room and then flung her into the speaker that was connected directly to the class. He drew her back in, just for him to punch her again and again and again.

Shoji Mezo watched in horror as his classmate knocked Tsuyu back into the wall. He and Todoroki watched her be thrown into the wall repeatedly like she was a rag doll. He went to go help her, but he felt something wrap around his torso. He couldn’t see what it was, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to find someone stepping out of the darkness. He tried to turn more but something held him down and kept him from moving. It felt like every time he could move, the restraints got tighter. He knew he was going to lose his limbs if the restraints didn’t stop entombing him.

“Stop moving or die a suffocating death,” the person said. The words suffocated his mind and he made a strangling noise that knocked Todoroki out of his stupor.

Todoroki turned his attention from the beating of Tsuyu and turned towards Shoji. He was barely recognizable, but he resembled a wet towel after it has been wrung and all the water has been sucked out. The tendrils moving over his body seem to be constricting him with every movement and below him was an ever-growing pile of dark liquid. 

Todoroki shot out a shard of ice at the person turning Tsuyu into a yo-yo and it was met with a wall of fire. He looked at where the fire was coming from and saw a ring of fire surrounding him.

Greed saw a look of fear in his eyes and smiled. He turned back at Zero saw him standing stoically. Greed could tell tears were cascading down his cheeks, but he stayed silent. Zero made eye contact with Greed and he felt his heartburn, but he knew that he needed to know sooner or later.

His brothers were not nice at all.

Greed turned away from Zero and faced Todoroki. He looked like he was seconds away from exploding. Todoroki kept whispering about how there was supposed to be no casualties. He looked at Tsuyu and saw a hand reach out to him from the crater in the wall. He watched her being yanked from it like she had no spine and watched her being torn to pieces- skin to bone. He turned to Shoji and watched as discarded limbs lay around his cocoon of continuous restraints. His limbs twitched in the puddle, writhing like the prey in a shark's jaw. He kept glancing at Shoji and Tsuyu and finally, his gaze landed on Zero.

His intense glare that tight-walked on the edges of fear and anger made Zero flinch. Greed spoke to get his sights off of Zero.

"Isn't it lovely? Humans work so hard to enhance their physical attributes, but they don't train their mind as well. Once my brothers and I tear them to pieces- skin to bone- they all look the same" Greed watched as his words inflicted pain. "They all look like sacks of blood just ready to be ripped open"

 Anger twisted his face. “No!” He sent shards of ice wildly and one was heading towards Zero.

Greed’s eyes widened.

It seemed like time stopped.

Greed enhanced the firewall around Zero and watched as the ice shards turned into steam. Once Todoroki was done throwing ice at the fire around Zero; he faced him with a checkered smile dotting his face.

“You decided to attack my brother” Greed whispered in awe. Todoroki couldn’t hear him over the forest of fires that covered half of the room. The only things he heard was the steady thudding of Tsuyu’s body hitting the wall and the chunks of flesh falling from Shoji.

Greed lifted a hand and closed it. All the fire in the room suffocated and disappeared. Zero looked away from the bomb and at his brothers. He watched Envy drop the body of Shoji and Pride drop the tongue of Asui. Pride, Zero, and Envy watched as Greed slowly walked up to Todoroki. He backed up into a wall before realizing there was no escape.

Greed stopped inches away from him. 

“You decided to attack Zero, and you expect to live?”

Todoroki replied in harsh breathing.

Greed snapped his head up at the noise and struck his hand out. He grabbed his hair and brought his head down on Greed’s knee. Once a satisfying crack was audible, he shoved his head into the wall. Todoroki spurted blood and it landed on Greed’s suit. Greed smiled grimly and shot out his left hand. It contacted Todoroki’s neck and he began to squeeze.

“Your answer wasn't good enough” He squeezed, and Todoroki weakly clawed at his neck. “How does one attack my precious brother and expect to survive?”

Zero watched as Envy summoned the same tendrils that entombed Shoji. They snaked us his legs and began to pull downwards.

He’s going to be ripped in half.

Zero couldn’t stop his legs as they ran towards Greed from behind and hugged him.

“Greed please stop!” Zero reached for Greed’s hand and started to pull back the fingertips. Greed's fingertips seemed to snake around Todoroki's neck and make it impossible to detangle. Todoroki's eyes rolled towards the back of his head and his clawing at Greed's fingertips began to get slower and slower.

“Pride” Greed summoned. “Grab him so I can finish”

Zero started shrieking and accidentally kicked Pride in the face as he got close. Pride recoiled, and one of Envy's coils kissed Zero's face with a giant slap. Envy saw what he had done and subdued his coils before they could hurt him any further. Greed’s temper went down, and his grip loosened until he fully let go of Todoroki.

Zero dove for the ground and helped Todoroki sit up. He sat in front of him and spread his arms out wide, protecting him.

“Zero” Greed rolled his eyes and wiped his face. Zero could tell he held silent fury, but he wasn’t going to let him kill another student.

“He attacked you, that is punishable by death” Greed tried to convince him but Zero shook his head.

“This is a class exercise- combat training. He was bound to attack me”

Greed looked at Pride and Envy- who didn’t offer a rebuttal.

“Not good enough- now step aside” Greed was about to reach for Todoroki again when Zero blurted out a word.

“Bodyguard!”

Greed was taken aback. “What?”

“He can be sworn under oath to be my bodyguard,” Zero said. “He can work alongside Kaachan and be my bodyguard” Greed was about to say something but Zero beat him to it.

“You made Kaachan go under oath! Todoroki can too!”

Todoroki, who was gaining what strength back, decided it was his chance to speak up.

“I’ll do it” Zero whipped around towards him in surprise.

“You will?” he asked, eyes twinkling like ornaments on a Christmas Tree.

“You will?” Pride asked doubtfully.

“Yes, I will, but you have to heal my partners” Todoroki kept his eyes focused on the brothers because he knew that he would break down in tears if he looked at the partners he let down.

"I was planning on doing that anyway" Greed laughed and walked over to Asui’s body. “Barking orders like your life wasn’t on the line five seconds ago. Envy heal yours. I’ll heal this one and alter his memory. I’ll do the same to this one” Todoroki noticed the brother, Envy, wrapped Shoji in a cocoon of darkness. He looked at Greed and saw that he did the same- but it was a cocoon as white as Zero's smile. As soon as the light sparked and got bright, it vanished and Asui’s entire body laid on the ground. He looked back to his right and saw Shoji’s body pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle and the dark liquid that pooled around him receded back into his body.

Pride picked Greed up from being crouched on the floor and looked at Todoroki.

“Just sit still and let me do all the work- like usual” Greed rolled his eyes. He called upon Lust’s quirk and thought about the words he told Katsuki all those years ago. 

“Come on, Todoroki. Be my friend- my best friend. Until the end of time” Lust’s voice ran out of Greed’s mouth and swirled around Todoroki’s head before entering his ears. The words wrapped around his brain in a bow and sent him in a mild trance. Zero placed his hands on Todoroki’s shoulders and he snapped out of the trance. Zero gave him a small smile and stood up. He held out a hand for Todoroki and he grabbed.

As soon as he stood up, his partners started to regain consciousness. Squiggly moans filled the air and Shoji sat up.

“Oh my- we lost, didn’t we?”

“We underestimated the competition” Asui added, sitting up fully. “I wonder how the fight looked to All Might”

As if he knew his name was mentioned, small barking noises were heard from Todoroki’s pocket. He pulled out his earpiece and put it in his ear. After looking at his teammates and watching them react to whatever memory was implanted into their brains, he knew they were alright. He tried to ignore All Might’s barking, but he said if they didn’t show up soon, he was going to go get them.

“We have to go. We’ve been here too long. All Might said all they heard from the earpiece was thudding and screaming”

 Shoji stood up. “I guess we better get going then” He watched as Envy went to one of the walls and made a smooth dark circle. He stepped into it waved for everyone to come through.

“It’s a portal. Don’t be afraid. I go through them all the time” Zero reassured.

“Well if you know it’s safe” Asui jumped through the hole and Pride followed. Shoji picked up Greed (against his will but Zero knew that he liked it) and walked through.

 Todoroki walked to the edge and peered into the hole with caution. He looked and saw that it was a straight shot and there was light at the end. He could hear chatter and raised voices but leaned out of the hole.

“What are you doing?” Izuku asked.

“Making sure the perimeters are clear” Todoroki answered. “My life as a bodyguard starts now. Honestly didn’t expect to almost die and then be sworn to protect someone on the same day”

Izuku rolled his eyes. “I guess Greed was right”

“Right about what?”

Izuku smiled. “I made a friend”

Chapter Text

As soon as everyone exited Envy’s portal, All Might check everyone for injuries. Greed, Pride, and Envy avoided inspection like oil avoids water but Zero welcomed it. Once All Might saw there was no visible blood or wounds coming from any of the students, he took a deep breath and dismissed everyone from class. When people started to leave; All Might made Zero, Greed, Pride, and Envy stay back. Katsuki left eagerly but Todoroki stayed behind. His face was a cross between worry and confusion. Zero went to him and talked with him one-on-one in a whisper before Todoroki nodded and left.

All Might was now left with Midoriya and his brothers.

The same people that haunt his dreams.

He shook off the chilling voice that taunted him in his midnight hour and told them that they had to go see the principal. Greed asked if they did anything wrong and All Might answered with a laugh.

“Oh no, my boy! He just needs to ask you a few things and you’ll be good to go!” Greed sighed and ushered confused Zero and his brothers to the changing rooms. Greed ignored his brother’s concerning questions and descended on the quest to the principal’s office.

He already knew it was going to be a long day.

“I can’t believe this” Pride huffed down the hallways. “We do what we’re asked, and we get called to the principal’s office”

“Calm down Pride” Zero reassured weakly. “I don’t think we did anything wrong” Zero twiddled his thumbs as he stood in between Envy and Pride. Greed walked ahead and kept silent until they got to a door. They all stopped and looked at Greed as he turned around to them.

“Zero- you stay silent. I’ll do all the talking. Pride and Envy,” Pride looked visibly focused while Envy looked in his direction. “remember all possible routes” Pride gave a nod while Envy gave him a thumbs up.

“Roger that” Zero saluted Greed, which made him chuckle and open the door. There were scattered books everywhere, but the brothers could make out a couch, coffee table, and a kitchenette in the corner. A teapot was screaming until a small object moved it from the fire. They all heard the pitter patter of small feet until a rodent like a creature emerged from a stack of books.

Greed took one look at him and immediately knew everything about the principal.

His name is Nezu and his Quirk is called High Spec. This Quirk grants Nezu, who was formerly a regular animal, an intelligence surpassing that of humans. Through this Quirk, Nezu became capable of thinking, speaking, and acting like a human. Due to his high intelligence, Nezu is capable of formulating incredibly intricate battle strategies. This same intellect also grants him great leadership skills, which are acknowledged by the fact that he is the principal of U.A.

Greed shared the information with his brothers and they looked at him before looking back at Nezu.

“It seems that you already know everything about me without me speaking. Interesting” Nezu walked to the couch and made himself comfortable. “Come and sit. I know there are more of you so please feel free to invite them” Zero, Pride, and Envy made their way to the couch on the other side of Nezu, but Greed stayed back. He called on the rest of his brothers and they responded quickly. In the flicker of a flashlight; Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, and Lust appeared. Greed made his way to the couch along with the rest of the brothers, but Gluttony spotted a plate of shortbread cookies on the counter.

“Go ahead- they are for you” Nezu continued to drink his tea as Gluttony attacked the cookies and sat on the couch. From left to right on the couch it was: Gluttony inhaling cookies, Sloth leaning on him in order to stay awake, Lust typing away on his phone, and Pride sat with his arms crossed in annoyance. Zero sat in the middle and nervously ate a cookie Gluttony offered him. Greed sat to his right (calm and collected), and Wrath was snuggled into Envy’s shoulder.

Nezu watched them with curious eyes. “I feel so happy to finally meet someone with a similar Quirk as mine,” he said as he looked at Greed. “I read your papers many times and your Quirk fascinates me”

“Well, I’m glad we can be your bedside read” Greed joked. “But I have a feeling that’s just the tip of the iceberg”

Nezu put his tea on the table. “I called you in here today to talk about your quirks. Now tell me, are you all of you planning to become pro-heroes?”

Before Zero could answer, Pride answered.

“Zero wants to be a hero but the rest of us have a mercenary mentality about it” Zero let his answer bounce around in his head before deciding it was the best answer to give.

“What would make all of you become villains?”

Scattered looks amongst the brothers but no one answered. Nezu laughed.

“I know, I know; a weird question for me to ask. I’m just curious to know so I can prevent it”

Greed answered. “If they offer better services then I don’t see a reason why not to comply” He saw Zero out of the corner of his eye and sighed. “The brothers and I are in tune when I say that Zero is our main priority. If there was anything to jeopardize him then we are on the move to the safest place”

Zero noticed his all his brothers nod unconsciously to Greed’s words and almost missed Nezu addressing him.

“Midoriya” Nezu looked at him earnestly. “Are you happy here?”

Zero smiled wide and he could feel his brothers melt in bliss. Nezu raised an eyebrow at the sudden calmness that bathed the room and cleaned itself of its’ tense tightening grip. He saw how all the boys visibly relaxed before putting their guards back up.

“I really enjoy it here! I made a new friend just before coming to see you Principal Nezu” Zero swooned in happiness and Greed put a hand to Zero’s curls. He lightly laughed, and it reminded Nezu of the feeling of jumping into bed after a long day of work. All the brothers looked at Zero with kindness and passion- he even saw Sloth (who was asleep now) smile in ignorant bliss on Gluttony’s shoulder. Nezu smiled along with them before something popped into his mind.

“That brings me to my next question,” the jovial nature died down. “why do you call Midoriya- Zero?”

Envy answered. “Why do you breathe?”

Nezu chucked. “That’s fine. You don’t have to answer”

“We’re not going to answer because we want to see you use your Quirk, mini-mouse man” Greed sneered playfully.

Nezu laughed and it made Sloth snap out of his mini-nap. He rubbed his eyes like a child before glaring at the principal. Nezu stopped suddenly and apologized- which gave Sloth the silent opportunity to go back to sleep.

Nezu took a deep breath and stared at Zero before closing his eyes. He saw scenarios and outcomes from all the possible routes his mind came up with. Nezu unconsciously hummed a tune that was similar to the tune Greed and Sloth would hum as a child. Greed smirked and Zero cocked his head in confusion as he watched his principal wander mentally through his confined mind.

Before the silence turned awkward, Nezu opened his eyes and looked at Greed.

“I know the answer, but I don’t think you’d want everyone to know just yet”

Greed looked at his brothers. “Envy take everyone back to the classroom. Aizawa is doing something important right now and I need you all there”

Eyerolls and the clap of knees snapping sprinkled from the brothers as Envy opened a portal and walked through with no complaints. Pride mumbled about leaving but Lust patted his back and walked through the shadow portal. Sloth woke up with a yawn and sauntered through the portal behind them. Wrath held onto Zero, but he looked conflicted- he didn’t want to leave Greed.

“Don’t worry Zero” Greed sensed his worry. “It’ll be alright”

Zero nodded slowly and walked through the portal with Wrath holding his hands. Gluttony waved to Nezu and mumbled a sloppy “Thank you for the cookies!” before making a hasty retreat. Nezu chuckled before looking at Greed’s stoic face.

“So? What’s your answer?”

Nezu took a big breath. “The reason why you and your brother call him Zero is because that’s the name of his own Quirk” Greed raised an eyebrow. “I know that his Quirk is manifested as you and your brothers but that is just a cover for his own unique Quirk”

Greed motioned for him to continue.

“I believe that Zero, or Izuku, has a Quirk but it is not like yours or your brothers. I believe he has the power to nullify other Quirks as well as boost them to a significant amount. It’s not just for you and your brother’s Quirks but it can be used for anyone. It’s like the number Zero- it’s neither negative or positive, good or bad. All he has to do is touch the person and he can choose to snuff out their Quirk like a flame or douse it in gasoline. You and your brothers are so strong, so powerful, because he doesn’t even have to touch you. You are all charged up because you all live together but you gain power just by having him smile at you. When he smiled in the room- I felt like I was on Cloud Nine and I didn’t have to touch him. His Quirk is like a battery pack to you. Granted that Gluttony can do the same just by consuming mass quantities of food or life, but it takes time to build up and can run out quickly. What he gives you can last centuries”

Nezu takes a sip of tea before continuing, ignoring Greed’s still face.

“You call him Zero because he is a blessing in the light but an absolute nightmare in the dark that can render any powerful person into a fragile feeble pebble in his path. Mercenary mentality? Oh please. You all stay here so that when his Quirk does manifest more than it has now then it shall be held in the light before going to the dark- or whatever you have in store for him”

Greed looked at the mouse in front of him in slight astonishment.

“Am I right or am I right?” Nezu smiled sadistically. “I’m not one to sugar coat things and I know there are more things, but I think that’s enough for today”

Greed stood up silently and dusted off the wandering crumbs Gluttony somehow got on him and headed towards the door.

“I must be right- aren’t I?”

Greed placed a hand on the door. “I’m holding the throne until the King is ready to take over”

Greed left the room and never looked back.

Greed walked into a room of chaos.

Students who were normally quiet and gawking at him and his brothers were jumping out of their seats and raising their hands in the air like they were trying to get a high-five from God. Aizawa was in front of the class with a bored expression and looked like he wanted to die on the spot. Greed ignored the rambunctious behavior and walked to the oblivious area that his brothers dwelled in.

He saw that Gluttony was eating the first bento box that Inko packed for him, Lust was texting on his phone (and from the random giggles in his class, Greed knew he was texting someone in class), Wrath was by the window embracing the warm sun, and Envy was watching the shadows cast on the floor. Pride was having an arm wrestling contest with Katsuki and from the beads of sweat that skied down his face, he could tell it was serious. Todoroki was carrying Sloth on his back while chatting with Zero. Once Greed made eye contact with Todoroki, Zero turned around and smiled softly.

“How was it? What did he say?”

“What he came up with in the end was wrong” Greed lied. “But it was very close”

Zero pouted. “That was very vague”

Greed shrugged. “When the time comes, I’ll tell you”

Zero took that as an answer and huffed. Greed went to Todoroki and pressed a hand against sleeping Sloth’s back. A light around him appeared before he disappeared completely.

“So much better” Todoroki rolled his shoulders. “Where did he go though?”

Greed tapped his noggin three times and Todoroki took it as an answer.

A banging sound alerted them and the sound of a frustrated Katsuki made Zero laugh like glitter raining from the heavens. “Ten times in a row! You might as well give up, Katsuki!” Pride flexed his muscles and Katsuki pounded his head on the table.

“Bakugo! Please stop that noise this instance!” a student yelled from the front.

They looked at him and noticed that the class was now silent.

“We are trying to pick a Class President. Would you like to be in the running as well?” Iida announced.

“Class President?” Greed thought and shrugged. “My main priority is Zero- not anyone of you”

“I feel so loved” Katsuki grumbled.

“Likewise,” Todoroki rolled his eyes.

“Greed is just joking guys” Zero reassured.

“Let’s go with that answer,” Greed said wryly before laughing. Katsuki and Todoroki weakly chuckled along with him before Iida interjected.

“Well; as students of this class, you must vote for someone”

“Well, all ten of our votes go to you” Greed picked Zero up and started to carry him bridal style. Zero tried objecting but Greed shushed him and Zero decided to go along with Greed’s antics. “We are getting lunch”

“LUNCH?” Gluttony jumped up from the fifth bento box that Inko packed for him. “My favorite part of the day!” He ran out the door in a hurry and wooden chopsticks fell out of his pockets on his way out the door. Envy picked up the scattered bento boxes and put them back into the backpack. His shadow tendrils picked up the chopsticks and threw them in the trash can by the classroom door. Once Gluttony’s mess was taken care of, he held Wrath’s hand and lead him out of the classroom before Iida could say anything.

“Me? All ten points?” Iida asked once his voice came back from shock.

Katsuki, Pride, and Todoroki were already out the door and Greed placed Zero on his back.

“Yeah, Iida! You’d be a perfect Class President!” Zero gave him a big thumbs up and was carried out the room.

Iida smiled to himself before continuing with the elections.

“Greed? Is everything okay?” Zero ignored his food again and turned his attention to his brother.

“Yes yes, Zero” Greed sighed and summoned his agenda.

“What does it say?” Gluttony asked through a mouth of food.

“It says to have Katsuki and Todoroki go and get you some more food” Greed tossed a napkin at Gluttony, but he didn’t catch it.

“Really? I swear this is like the best day EVER!” Zero giggled as Todoroki silently got up with a grunting Katsuki and headed over to the food line.

Zero looked at his other brothers with contentment. Todoroki was sitting to his left and Envy sat to his right. Wrath sat across from Envy and Katsuki was sitting across from Zero. Pride and Gluttony were on the end to his right, Gluttony eating everything in sight as Pride flexed his fingertips. To the far left, Greed read his book in thought and Lust was chatting on the phone with someone he didn’t know. Zero told Lust to sit in front of Todoroki but Lust replied with, “I’d feel faint if I sat in front of that hot body” Todoroki smiled at Lust and said it was fine that he didn’t have anyone across from him because he’d give his attention to his new friend.

Zero smiled. Kaachan facepalmed.

“What a suck-up” he mumbled. Greed laughed from behind his agenda.

Zero shook himself out of his memory and looked back to the lines. His friends were returning with more food but Kaachan was throwing eye daggers to Pride for another rematch.

Once they got within feet of the table, a blaring noise assaulted their ears and the calmness of the lunchroom turned into a dust bowl of students.

“Someone tripped the alarm! Everyone make your way to the nearest exits!” an upperclassman yelled.

Zero yelled for Katsuki and Todoroki but one of his brothers turn his face to Lust.

“Sleep” Zero fell limp in his arms and Lust picked him up. Envy summoned a portal behind their table using the shadows that were hidden behind them and walked through first.

Due to the cloak of the commotion of all the students, Greed and his brothers walked through the portal and disappeared into the unknown.

“Why are we here out of all places?” Gluttony asked. They popped up outside of the lunchroom wall, behind an oak tree and some scattered bushes. Gluttony went over to a tree and felt its grooves as the bark danced against his hands until his Quirk activated. The lively bark gasped in agony as it became shriveled as it resembled the screams of a widowed woman. Gluttony pulled his hand away and walked back over to his brothers with a pep in his step.

“It’s where Envy brought us so ask him” Pride looked at Zero and rubbed his cheek with his thumb. Lust adjusted him into a more comfortable position as he snored softly into the wind. “I’m just as curious as you are”

“Same. I thought we’d end up at home. What gives Envy?” For the first time that day, Lust put his phone in his back pocket and gave his undivided attention to the situation at hand.

“He is coming” Envy pointed ahead of him. A portal painted with purple appeared and a man with hands all over his body appeared. The portal disappeared once the man with hands stepped through and Greed automatically did a mental check on the man. Once he got his information, he decided to keep it to himself- at least until the secrets were spilled.

“I love when a man can man-handle me” Lust moaned in pleasure. Pride hit him, and he faked pain before fingering his curls. He winked in the direction of the man, but the man made no gestures towards him.

Instead, the man started to mumbled to himself before addressing them.

“What are you doing here Envy?”

Envy sneered. “You said you wouldn’t come”

“Well things change, and I wanted to meet your brothers” He waltzed over to Wrath. “Wow, you all really do look the same. But this one looks shockingly different from the others” The man put his hand out and acted like he was going to touch him. Before he could touch his face, Pride reached over and grabbed his finger in warning.

“You better watch yourself if you know what’s good for you”

The man chuckled. He touched Pride’s hand and the skin began flaking like a snake’s dead skin. Pride let go of him and Greed intercepted his hand immediately and the chipped skin returned. The blood that fell returned and left his hand with no blemish.

“Decaying Quirk. The user’s Quirk allows him to disintegrate whatever he touches with his hands. Whether the target is organic or not, it will work without fail” Greed rattled off. “Nice to see it in action”

“Could’ve told me before I put my hands on him” Pride slid his hand from Greed and flexed it before fixating his gaze back on the man.

“Interesting group you have with you, Envy” He walked forward and pointed at them. “But who is the one that’s sleeping?” He gestured to Zero and everyone acted in a fluid motion. Greed, Envy, and Wrath stood up front and shielded Lust from him. Greed summoned his flames, Envy had his shadow tendrils surround him, and Wrath stood calmly. He knew that all he had to do was think of it and the man would have his brain exploded into millions of pieces. Gluttony and Pride flanked him and kept their guard up. Gluttony extended his hands over his brothers- ready to distribute the energy he saved up and Pride stood in a fighting stance.

The man laughed lightly. “I won’t touch a hair on his head- not yet anyway”

“You need to leave, Tomura” Greed spoke with a sharp edge. Tomura cringed and started to crack his hands. “Or else I’ll be forced to make my move”

Tomura laughed but took a few steps back. The boys didn’t weaken their guard. “A little birdy told me the boy that’s sleeping right now has a Quirk that I would want”

Greed drew back his flames. “And who told you that?”

Tomura tapped his noggin three times. “Master knows all. And he knows he wants you all to join him”

The boys dropped their stances. All stood calmly while Lust put Zero against the wall and made him comfortable before standing along with the rest.

“Why would you join you? We all do our own things”

Tomura shrugged. “Either join or you won’t like the actions that come next”

Pride laughed harshly. “You’d either die from our hand or he’d destroy you himself”

“You sure about that? He looks weak compared to all of you. Maybe you are babying him a little too much” Tomura took a step forward.

“Don’t judge a book by its’ cover” Envy clenched his fists.

Tomura nodded and walked over to the dead tree. He put his hands on it and it started to decay rapidly and in the blink of an eye- it turned into ash. He chuckled at Gluttony’s wild eyes and smiled widely. The purple portal appeared again and Tomura started walking towards it. Just as he was about to finally leave, he looked back.

“Only because I like Envy, I’ll give you all a warning. Don’t come to school tomorrow or I won’t be as cordial as I am today” Tomura walked through the portal and the boys released a sigh.

“So, is that who you skip out on our training to go meet?” Greed faced Envy with anger. “You’re glad you didn’t put Zero in some real danger or you really would’ve been screwed”

Envy sighed and went over Zero. He patted his hair and Zero unconsciously nuzzled into his hand.

“I didn’t mean to put him in any danger. I was just thinking of possible allies”

“Well, that mentality went out the door when he somehow knew about Zero’s ability” Lust put his head in his palms. “Everyone seems to know about Zero but Zero himself”

“Well when Zero knows, he won’t be Zero anymore” Gluttony sighed.

“That’s why I’m trying to delay it as much as I can” Greed answered. He put a hand on Wrath to calm down his slow-burning anger and looked at his brothers. “Let’s talk about this at home. People are looking for us here and we need to be away from here. Today has been a long day”

Envy nodded and summoned a portal in the shadows. Greed picked up Zero and carried him through with Lust and Pride in tow. Gluttony looked at the squirrels running over the piles of ash and wondering where their home went on rushed, high pitched tones. He ran over to them, faster than the speed of sound, before returning- just as fast. The only difference was that his sharp teeth were showing and blood stained his mouth and chin.

“I just couldn’t resist it anymore. Inko will be so sad” Gluttony’s voice warbled. Gluttony rubbed his eyes with his blood stained hands and spit out a bone that was completely naked of meat. Wrath came over and patted his shoulder and lead him through the portal. Envy looked at his portal and deeply sighed for the infinite time that day. He honestly thought what he was doing was right. He was gaining information but the contingency that happened was not what he planned.

If something were to happen to Zero, Envy would be envious of death because he’d want to surely die.

“Tomorrow will be a longer and more tiring day” Envy walked through the portal with his head hanging from his neck.

Chapter Text

“This is a new record for you Izuku. Your brothers are usually out and about right now” Kaachan peered over the bus seat to talk to Izuku. Izuku was sitting next to Todoroki and looked very anxious. Katsuki tried to take Izuku’s focus off things but that didn’t seem to help much. Todoroki tried calming him down by rubbing his back but it didn’t help either.

“Kaachan, I don’t know what’s wrong” Izuku pulled on his cufflinks. “They’re normally out and I feel like something is really wrong”

Katsuki tousled Izuku’s hair. “Maybe they are just resting. You all seemed a bit drained after the combat training yesterday”

“Bakugo’s right” Todoroki chimed in. “We do have a long day ahead of us; maybe they’re just saving their energy until we get off the bus”

Izuku seemed to visibly calm down after hearing his friends' words. He looked out the window and saw his school shrink in the distance. Aizawa came in the classroom earlier that day and told them to put on their costumes and load into the bus in the courtyard. Today was going to be fairly exciting since it included All Might, Aizawa, and a surprise pro-hero that was going to be giving a hands-on training. Izuku was excited but it was drowned out by the concern he had for his brothers. He had an inkling that it had something to do with him passing out during lunch the previous day. All he remembers is waking up at home to his mother standing over him and his brothers gone.

He hasn’t seen them since.

Izuku shook himself out of his stupor and tried to get excited for the class. He saw Kaachan talking to a boy, Kirishima (if his memory serves him correctly), and laughed slightly to his responses. He noticed Todoroki listening to the banter of his fellow classmates but looking back at him every now and then.

“Midoriya” a name called him out. He jumped and stood on his knees on his seat. He made eye contact with a girl whose name was Asui Tsuyu.

“Where are your brothers? It’s a lot quieter without them here”

Izuku chuckled humorlessly. “They’re just resting. They’ll be out later”

“I’d be happier if they didn’t come out” a boy with grapes sticking out of his head said. Something told him that his name was Mineta Minoru. “The way the silent one stares at me is creepy”

“That’s weird; you give us a similar look every day” a girl with earphone jacks ears commented. Laughter shot around the bus before Mineta spoke up for himself.

“I do that out of love; not out of murderous intent,” Mineta cringed.

“Wrath is not creepy!” Izuku said above the chatter. “He’s very nice once you get to know him”

Mineta crossed his arms. “Well I’d be happy if he kept all of his happiness to himself”

Izuku huffed and slumped down in his seat. Kirishima leaned over the seat and smiled down at the emerald haired boy.

“Don’t worry Midoriya. I like your brothers”

Izuku perked up. “You do?”

Kirishima gave a toothy smile. “Yes! I especially like Pride. He seems so manly” Kirishima flexed his muscles which made Izuku laugh that sounded like fresh snow kissing the eyelashes of school children. Katsuki and Todoroki looked at him and couldn’t help the smile that ran across their faces.

"I also like your brothers, Midoriya. Lust especially" a pink skinned girl giggled. "He's so funny!"

"I like Envy. He and I share the same interests in music" the earphone jack eared girl smiled to herself.

"I like Greed a lot. He complimented my hair!" a girl with just gloves made fluid motions with her hair.

"Um, Hagakure; how could he see your hair?" the earphone jack eared girl asked.

"Well, Jiro; he said he could see my hair and that look good as a brunette. I knew he could see because no one has seen my hair color in years!" Hagakure pushed her hands up and made it look like she was fluffing her hair.

"I guess I would have to say that Gluttony is my favorite" a classmate named Sato Rikido said. "I normally do most of the talking because he's eating but he gave me some sugar recipes to use and they really keep me energized for the whole day. He promised to taste some of my food sometimes since I like to bake, but I feel like he'll just inhale the whole thing" Sato laughed and so did a couple of his other classmates.

"Really? I didn’t know you guys liked my brothers" Zero didn't know that his brothers made friends with some of the other classmates. It made him smile unconsciously as he settled back in his seat.

Soon, the bus stopped and Iida directed everyone off the bus and in front of the building. As soon as Izuku stepped off the bus, he got a weird feeling that settled in the back of his head. He cringed and moved away from his classmates so he wouldn't cause them any worry. He stumbled to the back of the bus before collapsing to the ground.

Katsuki and Todoroki got off the bus and noticed Izuku was nowhere with the other classmates. They listened for any hints of his voice (Katsuki told Todoroki that Izuku is always talking and probably mumbled off somewhere). Over the ambient chatter, Katsuki heard his voice and told Todoroki to follow. They soon found him crouched behind the bus, clutching his head.

“Izuku! Are you alright?” Katsuki asked, getting on his knees while Todoroki put a hand on Izuku’s back. He received no answer. Looking at Todoroki he said, “Go and get Aizawa. I’ll stay-”

All of a sudden, Izuku started glowing like a flashlight in a dark alley. The light was so bright and sudden that it made Todoroki and Katsuki shield their eyes. As soon as the light clicked off, Katsuki and Todoroki unshielded their eyes and saw Izuku laying on the quiet ground, silently.

But Izuku’s brothers were all around him, sleeping.

The boys looked at each other before Todoroki came to the conclusion that he needed to wake them up. So, he went over to who he thought was Greed and picked up his foot.

“Touch me and you die,” Pride said. Todoroki smiled as Pride sat up and picked up six pebbles from the gravel. He lightly tossed them onto the cheeks of his brothers except for Zero. While they all slowly woke up, Pride went over to Zero (who was lying face down) and shook him.

“Wake up” Pride turned Zero over and brushed off the grey gravel that pinched his face. Zero woke up slowly at first but opened his eyes wide when he saw that it was his brother.

“You’re here!” Zero hugged Pride in a swift motion- catching Pride off guard. He patted Zero’s back in comfort before pulling away slightly. "I can't believe it actually worked!"

"What actually worked?" Pride asked. Zero shook off the question.

“You guys weren’t here earlier and I thought something bad happened”

Greed snorted. “There is nothing that could keep us away from you, Zero”

Pride stood up and ignored how Zero dodged his question. He helped Zero off the ground, while Todoroki helped dust him free of debris and Zero’s brother enclosed them. Sloth was yawning slightly, Gluttony was eating out of a rice container he somehow found, Pride was leaning on Katsuki, Lust was attempting to take a selfie with Todoroki (but failing), and Envy and Wrath were holding hands. Greed stood in front of them and tousled Zero’s hair.

“If that’s the case; then where were you guys? Normally you guys come out on your own, but today was different” Zero started twiddling his thumbs.

Greed and his brothers looked at each other before all focusing on Zero. “Well what makes today different from the other times is because you’re finally growing into your-”

“What are you all doing here?” Aizawa peeked around the back of the bus with his hands in his pockets. Zero and Todoroki were slightly startled but Katsuki and Zero’s brothers stood stoically as ever.

“We are spilling the latest tea,” Lust said, putting his phone away. “And it is piping hot”

Aizawa sighed. “Just get to the USJ. Your fellow classmates are already there”

“We are going to Universal Studios Japan?” Lust clapped his hands like a preppy schoolgirl. He and his brothers started walking towards the entrance of the USJ with Aizawa in tow. “I’ve always wanted to go!”

Sloth turned his eyes into a squint. “I thought school wasn’t supposed to be fun”

Zero laughed slightly and swung his head. “No no. USJ stands for Unexpected Simulation Joint. It’s where we can do simulations for emergencies in every environment”

Aizawa huffed while Katsuki snorted. “What a nerd” Greed bopped the top of his head and ran towards the USJ doors. Once there, he opened the doors and held it open.

Zero stepped inside and saw his classmates stuffed towards the front like children in the lunch line. They were hypnotized by whoever was standing in the front and off to the side stood All Might with his forever smile. He couldn't see much from where he was standing but he could make out all the different emergency contingencies. Zero's eyes went back to All Might shook with excitement. He started to walk towards him but Todoroki turned his body so that he’d be walking towards the cluster of students.

Aizawa watched the boys walk into the gaggle of students and sighed. He walked towards All Might and avoided the slap that All Might was about to give him on the back.

“It’s not like you to be late,” All Might said.

“Hush. I was busy” Aizawa whispered while watching the boys he just brought in.

All Might followed his eyesight and saw him looking at the boys gathered in the back. "What were they doing?"

"Talking behind the bus. By the look on their faces, it seemed important" Aizawa looked at All Might. "I honestly thought you'd be late. You said you were having a chat with Nezu"

All Might huffed. "I was but I managed to get out early. I got the gist of what he was saying though"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Which was?"

All Might gestured to the boys. "To keep an eye on them. Apparently, he talked to them all before and he didn't like the 'feeling of foreshadowing' one of them gave him"

"Well, hopefully, we both learn more about them during these exercises. The way they will save someone will show if they care for others safety or not" Aizawa shrugged.

"I feel like I already know the answer but hopefully they'll surprise us"

Zero was trying to hear whoever was speaking but it was like trying to hear the silence. He couldn’t keep his beating heart to stop thumping in his ears. It felt like something major was going to happen but he couldn’t understand why. He could feel Todoroki and Katsuki keeping an eye on him but he knew he must’ve looked weird with him not keeping still like everyone else. Zero tried really hard to focus on anything else, even his brothers standing so casually, but he just couldn’t.

But even in his haze of pure energy, he noticed all seven of his brothers stiffen up and turn serious.

Zero was about to question it but Greed turned and faced his direction so fast it made him squeal with shock.

“Todoroki. Katsuki” Greed called them to attention. They peered at him but the heat of the situation made them give Greed their undivided attention.

“No matter what happens, I need you both to promise me to fight for survival. If you get a mental message from either me or Lust- I need you both to follow with no hesitation. I finally started liking you guys and if you die on me- you’re not going to like the way you come back”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Katsuki raised his eyebrow. Then he shook his head, knowing it was useless to question Greed. “Whatever, sure Greed”

Todoroki nodded in agreement. “What about Izuku?”

Sloth stepped forward. “Don’t worry about Izuku. The main point is that if you don’t want to witness me using my quirk to save you from the dead, you’d stay out of his way” He pointed at Zero, who looked confused but fear was rinsing his face.

“W-what? What do you mean?”

Greed put both hands on Zero’s shoulders. “Zero, today is going to be full of surprises. For some moments of it, we can’t be there because we are setting the stage. But in the end, I just need you to promise me that no matter what happens- you’ll welcome it and let it happen”

“Just promise me this and no matter what happens we’ll all stand behind you. I just need you to go with the flow”

Hearing Greed’s small talk with him made Zero’s thumping heart go still. He had cotton mouth and his mind was similar to static on a television screen.

But something in him made answer. “Okay, Greed”

Greed pulled Zero into a hug. Lust tapped his shoulder and pointed at his phone. “We have seconds before the storm hits”

“Good thing all the food is gone,” Gluttony said, trying to lighten the mood. Zero chuckled and brushed off some leftover rice near his mouth. Lust put an arm around Pride and smiled. Envy started to call on his shadows and Wrath started crying streams of blood. Wrath attempted to smile but blood flowed in all directions on his face. He looked like he painted his face red and the paint didn’t dry correctly. Zero wiped some of the blood off his face and smiled back to him. He grabbed his hands and shook them twice.

Sloth yawned and broke up Wrath and Zero. “It’s not like we won’t be seeing you again. You just need to take this step forward without us, but we’ll be backing you every step of the way”

Zero sighed and shook his worries out of his head.

“You’re right Sloth. I got this” Once declaring it out loud, something in Zero roared like a caged lion but died down quickly.

The boys faced forward and listened to their heartbeats flitter like bird’s wings in their ears. It blocked out the monotone voice of pro-hero talking and made their blood pump faster than the speed of sound. The tension was tangible and thick but blind to the unknowing. It was beckoning them like the last cookie in the cookie jar- calling to see who would break focus first and make a sound.

The boys stood their ground and stood united.

The silent tensity made a sound.

Chapter Text

A purple mass stretched across the courtyard, causing everyone to stop and turn. Malicious intent poured from the ebony abyss and struck fear into some. Students moved aside, unintentionally, so Todoroki, Katsuki, Zero, and his brothers could see. Greed automatically knew from that shift who was going to fight or flight. He looked around and saw fear glazed over people’s eyelids like contacts. Aizawa and All Might looked at the students and saw that they were scared and would panic if not for the shock that held their feet in place.

Everyone watched in caution as people began to step out. An endless wave of people took over the main area, all standing and watching everyone above. It seemed endless and Greed diverted his attention to see more purple masses in other emerging areas in the USJ.

“Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson’s already started?” Kirishima asked, who stood in front of them. Katsuki and Todoroki looked at the people and started mentally preparing their quirks for the day ahead. Katsuki cracked his knuckles and Todoroki blew out a puff of shivering air. Kirishima noticed what they were doing and mindlessly hardened his hands.

The students started to move forward but Aizawa yelled, “Don’t move!” He put on his goggles and prepared himself for a fight.

“Those are villains.” An audible shift was seen from the students as they all stood straight and their ever looking gaze widened.

“All Might, I’m going to stall and fight as much as I can while you and Thirteen get the students to safety” Aizawa looked at him with intensity.

“Right” All Might agreed. “As soon as they are safe, I’ll come to get you”

Aizawa huffed. “I’m not weak. The kids are our priority”

“Thirteen huh? His Quirk is Black Hole. It allows him to create small black holes through his fingers and they are able to suck and disintegrate any matter at an atomic level- even some forms of energy. Interesting; he could prove useful” Greed muttered.

“Thinking of leaving so soon? I think not” a villain spoke amongst the crowd. He wore a black skintight suit with hands holding onto him like he was life support. At his side, stood a beast that looked taller than All Might by a few centimeters, and had his brain exposed. He wore a pair of cargo pants and had red slashes along his arms. His teeth were sharper than Gluttony’s and looked ready to tear everything in its’ path limb from limb.

“Thirteen, Eraser Head, and the man of the hour All Might!” Tomura clasped his hands together in fake happiness.

“Shigaraki Tomura” Envy seethed. His shadows tendrils vibrated with anger.

“That beast next to him,” Greed mumbled. “I don’t know his name, but it’s called a Nomu. Its’ Quirk is a mixture of Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration. Shock Absorption gives it the ability to absorb the shock of an attack and the Super Regeneration allows him the ability to regenerate from severe injuries in seconds. Along with its’ immense strength and speed- All Might might have met his match here”

The dark mass that entombed them revealed two yellow eyes and began talking. “The teacher’s schedule we received the other day gave away the perfect place to end your reign”

Aizawa stepped forward. “The trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?”

Villains walked towards the students like mindless drones. “I went through the trouble of bringing this whole crowd to see your demise All Might,” Tomura said calmly.

“All Might; the Symbol of Peace. I did all this for you and you’re thinking of leaving? That’ll hurt my feelings” Tomura put his head down. “But I wonder if you’ll stay if I kill some kids first?”

All Might ripped off his suit coat and flexed his muscles. The arm sleeves ripped apart to expose his physique. Aizawa turned on his quirk and his scarves went flying around his head in a protective manner. Thirteen looked onto the onslaught of villains in a calm manner and put an arm out in front of the kids.

“What the pro-heroes fight against and what they face is an extraordinary evil,” Zero said. After those words rung with the students that were near, Zero’s head dropped like the string holding it up grew slack.

Zero chuckled lowly.

тнеу нανєи’т ѕєєи αиутнιиg уєт.

“What? Villains?” Kirishima shuttered. “There’s no way they could get into a hero school!” They watched as the villains that walked closer to the bottom the stairs. With each approaching step, the students’ hope for survival decreased.

A student stepped forward. “Teacher, what about the trespasser sensors?”

Thirteen took a pause before answering. “We have them, of course, but…”

The fact that he said nothing afterward spoke volumes.

“Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?” Todoroki asked. “Either way, if the sensors are not responding, then that means they have someone with a Quirk that can do that. An isolated area separated from the main campus, during a time when a class is supposed to be here” Zero looked at Todoroki and then looked at his brothers. They all seemed to hear what he was saying, but Zero had the feeling that they knew more than they were willing to tell.

“They might be fools, but they’re not dumb. This surprise attack was planned with some sort of goal in mind” Todoroki finished, and his classmates gasped in shock.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Katsuki said, drawing attention to himself. “They are after All Might”

Kirishima stepped forward. “That is true, but the ringleader isn’t looking at All Might. He’s looking us”

“Well, I won’t let you all stay here to figure out what he has in store” Aizawa looked at Thirteen. “Start the evacuation, Thirteen. Try calling the school. All Might won’t be accompanying you since we can stall and give you some more time” All Might nodded at Thirteen and then at Aizawa.

“These villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It’s possible someone with radio-wave-type powers is interfering” Aizawa turned around and looked at a boy with lightning strikes on his shirt. “Kaminari. You try contacting the school with your Quirk, too” The boy nodded and turned on his headphones.

“What about you, Aizawa?” Aizawa and All Might turned to look at Zero. “It’s two vs. many! Not to mention that beast and the ringleader! Aizawa, with that many, even if you do erase their Quirks, your fighting style is capturing after erasing the enemy’s Quirk. A frontal battle is-”

“You can’t be a hero with just one trick. Plus, I have All Might to bring up the rear with some muscle. Do not worry children, I will not let the Symbol of Peace parish in this poorly executed ambush. Have some faith in your pro-heroes” Aizawa turned back to the task at hand.

“Thirteen, we leave it up to you,” All Might said. Aizawa and All Might nodded at each other, confirming the plan and battle they were about to face and jumped into the heat of the battle.

A class of villains met them at the bottom of the staircase- ready to use their Quirks. Aizawa used his Quirk and stopped them in their tracks while All Might came from behind and punched them out of commission. Aizawa would pull in people with his scarves and headbutt them so fiercely that that passed out. With one sweep of the arms, All Might took out multiple villains and they all crashed into the fountain. He hit the floor and it cracked underneath him, swallowing many people into the depths.

Aizawa jumped to miss the Earth being shattered. A heteromorphic-type villain with extra sets of arms and legs jumped to intercept him in the air, as another jumped to intercept him from behind. Aizawa punched him away and threw a scarf to wrap around his torso. Just as he was pulling him in, the villain behind him started to punch him. Aizawa ducked and launched the villain caught in his scarf at him like a catapult. The villains both clashed with each other and landed on a gagged piece of rock- falling to the depths below.

Tomura hummed. “I expect nonetheless from the Symbol of Peace. He made a crater so that once Eraser Head defeats them, they will be stuck in the ground like a makeshift jail” Tomura scratched his neck. “I am surprised of Eraser Head’s capabilities. He’s strong is hand-to-hand combat, and since he’s hiding his eyes with his goggles, you can’t tell who’s Quirk he’s erasing. When he fights against a group, that makes it harder for them to work together”

Tomura seethed at his battalion of villains being wiped down like dust on a coffee table. “I hate this. I hate pro-heroes. The masses don’t stand a chance against them”

“I guess it’s time to change our tactics then”

The Class of 1-A started to run towards the doors with the guidance of Thirteen. Everyone hesitantly left their teachers in hopes that they’d be able to make it to safety. Zero was about to run along with his classmates but noticed that his brothers stood still. Todoroki and Katsuki noticed as well and ignored Thirteen’s orders of evacuation.

All students peered down at their teachers battle fiercely while Tomura watched the boys.

He made eye contact with Zero and smiled so quickly, that it cracked his lips.

Zero shivered. “I don’t like how he looks at us”

Greed pulled Zero behind him and Todoroki stood next to Greed. “Me neither”

“Shouldn’t we leave along with the class?” Zero asked.

Envy shook his head. “No. We stay”

Katsuki grunted and put his hands in his pockets. “Something is telling me that no matter what we’d do, the outcome will be the fucking same”

Greed looked back at him. “Listen to your intuition, Katsuki. It’ll keep you alive. Same with you Todoroki” Todoroki nodded.

Lust swooned. “Aizawa is such a hunk,” he said while still watching the fight that raged down below. The rest of the boys looked at the bottom as Lust continued, “He’s actually good at fighting against a lot of people”

“Good to know” Sloth mumbled.

A voice from behind shouted at them.

“This is no time for analysis!” Iida yelled. “Hurry and take shelter!”

Greed shrugged. “Sure, why not”

Iida nodded and started to run once he saw the boys move towards the exit. Zero gave Greed a confused look but Greed put a finger to his mouth to shush Zero’s questions. Zero tried to run to match Iida’s jog but noticed that his friends and brothers were moving at a snail’s pace.

It was like they all knew the inevitable and were just going to let it happen.

But what was going to happen?

As soon as that thought evaporated from his mind, Zero stopped himself as an ebony vortex appeared in front of his classmates. A rocket of dark energy shot out like a rocket and stopped everyone in their tracks. Thirteen jumped back as the thing began to take shape and the rest of Zero’s crew joined up with the class.

Greed sighed. “That thing’s name is Kurogiri” Students turned to look at him. Zero noticed how the rest of the students stood in attack stance but his brothers, Todoroki and Katsuki stood up straight. He didn’t know what was going on, but it felt like something in him was telling him not to fear what was going on and what was going to happen.

It made him feel at ease, but it made him feel like he wasn’t in control.

But if his brothers are out and he wasn’t in control- then who was?

Greed’s voice took him out of his trance.

“His Quirk is called Warp Gate. He can create and manipulate a dark fog that acts as a portal. When he produces a mass of the dark fog, it transports anything it comes in contact with to a nearby location. He can even personally transport anything out of himself. Truly a unique quirk and somewhat similar to Thirteen’s own Quirk” Greed nodded in agreement with his own words.

“How do you know that?” Iida asked with a hint of distrust.

Greed noticed the number of eyes on him from his classmates. “It’s part of my Quirk. I can analyze anyone. Besides that, I’ve never met this thing in my life”

Kurogiri sneered and a warbly voice made its way out of the mist. “It is true we’ve never met but I know so much about you” Amarillo eyes streamed upwards and looked at the students. “He has been talking about you joining us for a while now”

“He? Playing the pronoun game, I see” Pride rolled his eyes.

A sound similar to a fork scraping concrete resonated between everyone. “You make me laugh”

“That was you laughing? I wonder what your sex noise sounds like” Lust mumbled.

Greed elbowed Lust. “Well, if you know what’s best for you then I’d move and let my classmates pass”

“I won’t let you leave. We haven’t even gotten aquatinted yet” Kurogiri slithered upwards like a snake and moaned like he was getting comfortable in his own skin. “It’s nice to meet everyone. I’m a part of the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves into the home of the heroes, U.A. High School, in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath”

“Well, he is here; over in the plaza to be exact. So, let us go” Gluttony made a shooing motion with his hands.

“As I said, I won’t let you leave. You all will be hostages in order to make sure the Symbol of Peace fights until he is defeated”

“Until he is defeated?” Katsuki repeated. “This talking washcloth makes no sense!”

Kurogiri vibrated with impatience. “No matter, this is the part that I’m meant to play”

Katsuki got tired of his droning and decided to attack. He noticed Zero reach out to him to stop him, but it was too late. He made eye contact with Greed and something was unfolded in his mind.

“Neck; go for the neck Katsuki”

Katsuki nodded and faced forward. He noticed to his right was a red-haired boy that jumped along with him. Katsuki ignored him and held out a hand that was ready to ignite the neck area on the villain.

He made contact and was rewarded with a discharge of fire and smoke.

The boys both landed and smoke cloaked the students and their target. “Did you consider that you’d get beaten by us before you did it?” Kirishima asked, his hands still hardened.

Zero covered his face from the dust but noticed his brothers standing tall and not taking cover like the rest. He turned back to make sure Kaachan was alright but smoke still smothered his appearance.

A black mass came into sight and swallowed up the cloak of dust and smoke. “Oh dear, that’s dangerous”

A silver piece was made visible as Kurogiri returned to his original form. “Even if you are students, you are excellent golden eggs”

“Weakness acquired” Greed smiled.

“Move you two!” Thirteen shouted, reminded everyone of his presence.

“My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!” Tentacles similar to Envy’s sprung from Kurogiri and masked the students in a dome of darkness. Zero tried looking at their brothers while also trying to avoid the onslaught of uncertainty. Zero saw that all of his brothers were looking straight ahead, their clothing bending beneath the weight of their circumstances.

Greed turned to him and smiled. “Good luck, King”

And then, he saw no one.

Water awoke him. His eyes snapped open as his first instinct was to obtain oxygen. Izuku swam upwards and began thinking about what he learned.

Something was going to happen to him, but only his brothers knew what that something was.

Everyone in his class was trapped in the USJ.

The villains wanted to kill All Might.

And Greed called him King- he’s always been called Zero, not King.

What was going on?

His thoughts were diminished as a villain soared his way through the water towards him. He wanted to call on Greed but reminded himself that it was just going to be himself for a while. His brothers were always the ones to fight, not him. If something went wrong, then all he had to do was think of a brother and they’d come to his rescue.

But not this time. This time, he was all alone.

Izuku immediately pulled into himself but a flash of green caught his vision. He opened his eyes to see Asui Tsuyu kick the villain out of motion and stick out her tongue towards him. She wrapped it around his body, as he was slightly relieved to see no bruises on it from when she had a run-in with Pride.

He noticed her carrying what looked like grapes and rocketed them towards the surface. Using her tongue, she propelled him onto the top of the ship he didn’t notice and tossed the bundle of grapes onto the boat as well. He saw her tongue retreat and he got up slowly.

“Thank you Asui,” Izuku said while she was climbing to where they were.

The grape at his feet began to talk. “For a frog, she does have some nice boobs”

Asui ribbited and hopped onto his body. The boy made a grunt sound before playing dead. Asui got off and addressed Izuku. “Call me ‘Tsu’”

Tsu stood up straight and looked around the boat to notice nothing but water. “This has turned into a bad situation, though” Tsu looked at the boys she saved. “We’ve all been separated- including you from your brothers Midoriya”

“I know, and I don’t like this at all” Izuku said.

“But All Might will pound those guys and cause them all to go into a frenzy!” The talking grape, Mineta Minoru, spoke with false happiness.

“Don’t you think they are trying so hard because they have a way to kill him? Guys that strong just told us they would torture us to death, you know. Even with All Might being here, I doubt he knows what happened to us” Tsu spoke with no emotion.

“But why kill All Might? Is it because he’s the defender of everything good? Because he’s the Symbol of Peace?” Izuku seemed conflicted.

“I don’t know, Midoriya. What I do know is that they have an agenda to take us all out today” Tsu’s voice answered like a double-bladed sword.

“M-Midoriya!” Mineta’s voice put their conversation on hold. “What is that?” Mineta pointed over the boat’s edge.

Sixteen villains raced towards them at high speeds with the intent to kill written on their faces.

“There’s a ton of them!” Mineta screamed. “W-What are we going to do?”

Izuku looked over the edge and at the surrounding villains. He knew that he was in between a rock and a hard place.

He also knew that he was scared.

He always knew deep down that one day his brothers wouldn’t be around to protect him. He always knew that even though they were manifestations of his original Quirk, it was like he, himself, were Quirkless. He knew that when he got on the battlefield and he couldn’t ask his brothers for help- he’d be royally screwed. He knew that he would just be a hindrance when it came to situations like this.

What would he do? He couldn’t summon shadows like Envy could. He couldn’t eliminate people with a simple thought like Wrath. He couldn’t delete their energy like Gluttony.

He couldn’t even fight like Pride could.

But he could try.

тяу? σн, ωє ¢αи ∂σ мυ¢н мσяє тнαи тяу.

Greed and his brothers watched as his classmates began to worry about the safety for the classmates that disappeared earlier. He turned to look at his brothers and saw that they were sitting calmly on the ground.

But he knew that a drop of doubt was planted in all of them.

Everything that has happened has gone according to what has been foretold by King but, for how long? He knew that anything could happen, and with Zero gaining some new abilities- each contingency that has been planned will be played.

He wanted to be by his side when it happened- every brother wanted to.

They’ve never been away from Zero for this long before.

When they went to go train, Sloth would stay behind with Zero. But now that all brothers are out on the field, and no one is with Zero- the thought of seeing him hurt is unbearable.

Greed knew that it was really going to be hard when Zero faces danger in the face and all he and his brothers can do is watch or King won’t awaken.

Gluttony suddenly jolted and looked at Greed.

“I feel Zero using some energy”

“That means, he is protecting himself”

“And everything is okay,” Pride said with a smile. A wave of relief washed over them and the doubt that festered in their mind busted into a million pieces.

“Everything is going to plan,” Greed said with a smile. The smile graced his face for a few seconds before turning malicious. “Now, we must do our part”

His brothers nodded with determination. They were far away from their classmates, but they could hear what was being said and saw their actions. For a while, everyone was worrying about everyone else’s location and Iida asked Shoji to use his Quirk. Once they found out that everyone was alive, they also became relieved and puffed out a stressed sigh.

Thirteen stood off to the side, trying to gather the strength to fight and then eventually told the classmates the gravity of the situation and that Iida should run back to campus to gather more help.

“I love how they converse amongst themselves and didn’t invite us over to get the 411” Lust scoffed and folded his arms.

“No, this is going accordingly. But as soon as Iida goes and gets help, the sooner this will be over. King needs more time to awaken” Greed thought about his next actions before looking at Envy.

Envy nodded his head and let go of Wrath’s hand. He patted it three times for good luck and sunk into the shadows. While Thirteen was monologuing about the sudden turn of events, Envy slid his way amongst the shadows to Kurogiri.

Stopping directly under him so that Kurogiri’s locks of darkness masked his small circle of a shadow.

“What do we have here?” Kurogiri’s yellow eyes looked down at the ground.

Dull but curt eyes greeted him. “A boy that looks like a machine is planning on leaving to get help”

Kurogiri went silent for a moment before answering. He looked at the students who were listening to Thirteen’s every word and were conversing with themselves. He saw a young boy with engine-like parts and decided that was the child the shadow was talking about

“Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you be helping your friends?”

“Shouldn’t you be doing your job?” and with that, Envy’s small shadow disappeared from under Kurogiri. It came back to the brothers, and Envy’s body materialized next to Wrath. He grabbed Wrath’s unattended hand that he left and gave Greed a thumbs up with the other.

“Perfect; just in time too. Iida looks ready to charge out of here” Greed folded his arms. He put his hands together and summoned some rice balls for Gluttony and placed them in front of him. Gluttony immediately went straight to town and Sloth took it upon himself to start to take a cat nap.

“Now we sit and watch, but Envy be on guard. When I give the signal- activate phase two”

Envy gave him another thumbs up and attention was given to the fight that was about to commence.

Iida stood with his classmates surrounding him like a barrier. Thirteen stood directly in front of Kurogiri as the first wave of defense. Greed could tell that his soul was shaking but the anticipation of defeat was making Greed giddy.

“Even if you have no other choice, are there really idiots who talk about their plans in front of the enemy?” Kurogiri suffocated everyone in shadows.

“We did it because it doesn’t matter if we’re found out!” Thirteen undid one of his finger locks and began sucking in the assault on him and his students. Pride whistled from the counterattack and everyone watched as Thirteen sucked Kurogiri like a vacuum cleaner.

Gluttony looked up from his food, ignored the ongoing battle, and looked at Greed.

“I felt another energy spike. Zero must’ve unlocked something”

Greed smiled. “At this rate, King should be back in no time”

Something deep inside Izuku started vibrating.

He looked at the water.

It was beckoning for him to move it.

Izuku was confused because he didn’t know what the water wanted. His hands started itching with energy and he felt his hands get warm with anticipation. Without Izuku noticing what he was doing, his hands were being raised. A thought popped into Izuku’s head and he started making a pulling and pushing motion with his hands.

The water happily greeted Izuku with a wave.

“Um, Midoriya? What are you doing?” Mineta asked with curiosity. “Or is this still the same Midoriya?”

“No, I’m still the same” Izuku said, still pushing and pulling his hands. The calm waters turned troubled and started gaining a fever pitch as the waters crashed into the side of the boat- causing it to rock sickly. The villains down below began to rock along with the boat and were being pulled towards the boat.

“Midoriya!” Tsu screamed. Izuku knocked out of his trance to face her but he talked before she could.

“Tsu! Mineta! I have a plan!”

“Well spit it out before we’re dead!” Mineta shouted.

“Well, Tsu, you keep rocking the boat. I’ll help out as much as I can so that the waves will bring the villains closer”

Tsu nodded and went to the front of the boat. She wrapped her tongue around one of the railings and began shifting her weight. The boat reacted slightly, so Izuku began pushing and pulling his hands to get the villains to drift near them.

“Mineta, what can you do?” Izuku asked in between grunts.

“I thought part of your Quirk was analyzing- you should be able to tell me what I can do”

“That’s part of Greed’s Quirk and he’s not here right now”

“Can’t you call on him? Or do whatever you can do make him be here right now?”

Izuku grunted in annoyance. “I could if he wasn’t manifested as himself. He’s already out so he’s now his own person. If he was near, I would ask but even then, I wouldn’t”

“Why not?” Mineta cluelessly asked.

Izuku stopped pushing the water. He opened his mouth, but his reasoning couldn’t be manifested into words.

“You wouldn’t understand” He slowly shook his head and swallowed his misplaced frustration. “Anyway, what can you do?”

“Well, my Quirk’s name is Pop Off. It allows me to produce extremely sticky, removable spheres from my head. Once I remove one of my spheres, a new one will grow in its place almost instantly” Mineta demonstrated by pulling one off and squeezing it in his hand. Another sphere grew in its’ place.

“The spheres will glue themselves to any surface once they get in contact with one and are extremely difficult to take off seeing that any limbs or objects will just get stuck to it as well. I am the sole exception to this, as my spheres act like bouncy objects when I touch them” Mineta finished.

“But seeing our situation, I should add that water does not affect the adhesion capabilities of the spheres” Mineta threw the sphere he had over the edge and it landed in the water. Due to Tsu rocking the boat, the waves pushed the sphere next to a villain and it stuck onto their back. The villain noticed the ball and tried to pluck it off- but instead got his hands stuck.

Izuku nodded from the onslaught of information. “Mineta, toss your spheres off the edge and try to aim them at the villains” Mineta nodded and started popping off his spheres and lightly tossing them at the villains. One by one, a sphere would hit a villain anywhere on the head or shoulder and cause them to go into a tizzy trying to take them off.

Izuku took a deep breath in and tried summoning up the connection with the water again. The water welcomed him, and it felt like his soul dipped into the ocean and was getting a hug from all sides. It greeted him with a wave as he pushes and pulled his hands again. The boat began to rock as the villains were coming closer.

Tsu retracted her tongue. “Midoriya, they are coming towards the boat, what are you planning?”

“I honestly don’t know”

Mineta stopped plucking off his spheres. “You don’t know? I thought you had a plan!”

“I do but I need them a bit closer to the boat” Izuku stopped his hands' motion and the momentum of the water kept bringing the villains closer.

“What’s the plan, we need a plan before they come onto the boat. Unless you’re thinking of close combat, we need a plan” Tsu emphasized before going to the edge of the railing.

“I think I’m going to try to electrocute them”

Tsu and Mineta looked at him and Izuku returned their blank gaze.

“I don’t think this is a good time for jokes, Midoriya”

“No, Tsu- I’m serious!” Izuku huffed. He knew their anxiety about the villains coming closer, but he also knew that deep down he had truth behind his words.

He didn’t know how.

But his body knew.

Izuku widened his stance and placed his hands at his side. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and released it with ease. He ignored his anticipating heartbeats that thumped like a bunny’s hind legs and tried to reach a calm state of mind. He ignored Mineta’s shouts of panic and the swashbuckling of gathered grunts that the villains exuberated.

All was silent and everything was at peace.

мσνє ωιтн тнє fℓσω σf ℓιgнт

Izuku raised his right hand and pointed with two fingers. He then drew a U-shape and continued to do so with the other hand. He kept doing this, ever so calmly, until the tips of his fingers grew blistering hot.

He ignored the slight twinge of pain and continued the motion. He felt like he was charging up something in him, and that something was close to being let go.

He opened his eyes to a frantic Mineta and a calm Tsu. Izuku didn’t say anything to them but went to the boat’s railing.

A few feet down swam the villains, entombed in Mineta’s spheres but close to the boat. They snarled at his calm gaze.

Izuku pointed two fingers at them.

Light shimmered through his veins and outshot a thick burst of electricity that was heading straight for the water.

The electricity rippled through the water and attacked each villain with a seizure of energy. The villains shook violently, and their bodies floated along the surface of the water- seconds after Izuku discharged.

A villain in the water cringed in pain and with his last breath, summoned his Quirk. The water responded by making a giant hand and he sliced the boat in half. Screams from the children made him smile- making it known that he didn’t go down without a fight.

Tsu stabilized herself and tucked a frantic under her arm. She knew that they had to leave the boat as soon as possible. Even though the villains were taken care of, she didn’t want to be caught up in the Titanic reenactment. She looked at Midoriya and saw that he had his head down and he was panting.

Electricity crackled along his arms and through his emerald locks, she saw golden eyes staring at her like she was a stranger.

The shock of the misplaced golden eyes made her 'ribbit' and green hues took the golds away. Tsu wrapped her tongue around Midoriya's midriff and she jumped off the boat. She thought that the electricity that Midoriya had would shock her but all it did was tickle her tongue. The shocks danced along her and Mineta’s body like a barrier.

“I guess it’s like we’ve cleared the first hurdle,” Tsu said to herself. “But it only gets harder from here”

Tsu landed in the water further away from the carnage and picked herself up. Mineta didn’t feel up to walking so she started to drag him by his collar. Midoriya stayed quiet and walked sluggishly alongside them.

Once they saw that the shore was insight, Tsu decided to look back at what they left behind.

The bodies that resembled plastic bottles as they littered the sea.

Tsu saw that Mineta decided to not acknowledge the damage and kept his eyes either at her or at the shore. She felt the slight weight of tension build between them because of recent events, but it died quickly once Midoriya started to mutter in a deep and fast pace.

“We were lucky that was all of them. I took a huge gamble. I mean, I didn’t even know I could do that until just now. What if something went wrong? What if I generated too much electricity and kept shocked all of us? I wasn’t thinking straight, but neither were they. Normally, they would’ve kept some people underwater in reserve. Instead, they all decided to attack us up front. They didn’t even know our Quirks! Would I have fared this well in other zones? I now know I can use water but to what extent? The same goes for the electricity- what can I do? How did my body-”

“Midoriya, stop that. It’s scary” Tsu calmly stated and Midoriya stopped. “Rather than reflecting back, shouldn’t you think about what to do next?”

“You’re right,” Izuku said but a sharp twinge of pain spread through his arms. He looked down and saw that light was still trapped in his veins. He remembered seeing the same right before he discharged at the villains. The light in his arms shimmered once more before fading away- releasing Izuku of the slight pain he felt and replacing it with stored energy.

“Are you alright?” Tsu asked.

Izuku flexed his hands at the sudden burst of energy. “Y-yeah. I actually feel really good” He shook his head of distractions and focused on the task at hand. “Anyway, we should make getting help our top priority. It would be best to follow the shore and avoid central plaza as we head toward the exit”

“That’s true. Mr. Aizawa and All Might have drawn a large number of villains to the plaza”

“So, we are leaving? Great- now that’s a plan I can get behind!”  Mineta exclaimed.

Tsu nodded but Izuku couldn’t find it in himself to agree. He somehow knew that he had to stay. Something was telling him to head to the central plaza and to not only help but destroy everything there. He knew it was not him thinking it, and with his brothers gone- it couldn’t have been them with their mercenary mentality.

So, if it wasn’t them and not him, then who?

“Midoriya? Are you coming with us?” Tsu asked.

“I think I’m going to the central plaza” Izuku replied.

“I always knew you were stupid” Mineta deadpanned.

“No no! Hear me out. Kurogiri mentioned that someone in the League of Villains wants my brothers. Something tells me that if I go to the plaza, then I’ll be able to find out why”

“Scatter you and kill you, huh?” Todoroki huffed as he stood alone in the Landslide Zone. “I hate to say this, but you just look like guys with Quirks they didn’t know what to do with”

In front of him stood eight villains that were human popsicle sticks. They were frozen in their last position- all staring at Todoroki like he was their fruitless king.

Todoroki began walking through the destruction he made while the villains made comments about their defeat.

Where is Izuku?

“Todoroki, good job fighting off the villains” Greed whispered in his head.

Todoroki stopped and looked around for Greed. All he saw was rocks and coagulated mud.

“I’m nowhere near you. I do ask for you to find Zero for me. We will be down in a second, but I feel like you and Katsuki should be able to make it there before us”

Todoroki nodded to himself and started running.

“Find him rather quickly- I want you to witness something special”

“Hey, Midoriya, we’re just here to see how things are going, okay?” Mineta whispered.

“I know” Izuku answered. “We’ll run away the instant it seems dangerous”

уσυ киσω уσυ ωαит тσ ѕтαу αи∂ fιgнт, ѕσ ωну нι∂є ιт?

Izuku shook the thought away and focused. Tsu talked him out of staying for his own health and so that he wouldn’t be a burden to Aizawa and All Might. But Midoriya said that he’d only leave if things were safe for both pro-heroes.

Upon looking, Izuku saw piles of villains scattered amongst the plaza.

All Might and Aizawa didn’t have a single scratch on them.

Aizawa finally took care of the last villain while All Might started to subdue the villains that kept coming back for more. He notified Aizawa that he saw some more villains in the other zones and decided to head to them to subdue them as well. Aizawa nodded and All Might jumped away as Aizawa took a breather.

But that was when Tomura started attacking Aizawa.

He ran at him with incredible speed and Aizawa threw out his scarves to intercept him. Tomura grabbed his scarves and Aizawa ran towards him. As soon as they got in each other’s personal space, Aizawa tried to elbow Tomura in the stomach. Tomura caught his elbow and held it in his grip.

Aizawa tried escaping but Tomura kept a tight four-finger hold on him.

“It’s hard to see because you keep moving around, but there’s an instant when your hair falls. That’s when you’ve finished action and space in between has gotten shorter and shorter. Don’t push yourself Eraser Head” Tomura said inches from Aizawa’s face. He placed his last finger on Aizawa’s elbow, and it started disintegrating. Tsu gasped as his elbow resembled the peels of paint chips.

Aizawa headbutted Tomura and created distance between them. He noticed his elbow’s state and cringed at the sight of his skin peeling like an orange peel. He saw his blood lining his arm and cracks riding up his arm like cracks on glass.

“That Quirk isn’t suited for fighting long fights against a large group, is it? Isn’t this too different from your usual job? What you’re good at is a short fight after a surprise attack, right? Even so, you jumped right in the fight us from the front. Was that to put your students at ease? You’re so cool!” Tomura said in awe while Aizawa started to breathe hard from the pain crackling at his veins.

“By the way, hero, I’m not the last boss”

Aizawa turned around and saw the Nomu.

“Black Hole, which sucks up everything and turns it all to dust. I see. That is an astounding Quirk” Kurogiri said while being sucked in. He created more and more shadows around himself so that he wouldn’t be sucked in altogether. Thirteen stood still in front of the students and made a slight nod at Iida to start running while Kurogiri’s attention was divided.

Iida took his chance and powered up his Quirk.

His calves engines moved and started to ignite with fire. He took steps forwards, which escalated into a jog, and then a full blown sprint.

Kurogiri noticed out of the corner of his eye the boy start to run. He waited until he ran alongside him and locked eyes with him.

Kurogiri sensed his fear and determination.

It was in that moment where the boy had lost his focus that Kurogiri summoned a transportation hole and Iida ran straight through it.

“Iida!” Uraraka yelled.

Not too long after he left, a black hole opened up behind the students and Iida ran out. He pulled himself to a stop and looked up in confusion.

“I don’t understand. I-I ran past you!”

“And I put you back in your place. Try that again and I’ll send you farther away” Kurogiri scraping chuckled resounded and Greed sighed.

“You give the man an edge up on the competition and he wastes the opportunity” Greed stood up. “With his monologuing, it’s going to take forever for this battle to be over and we don’t have that kind of time” He looked at Envy. “I’m going to use your Quirk to speed things up. You wake up Sloth and start heading down to the central plaza. Zero’s already there and I told Todoroki to meet him there as well”

Greed sauntered over to Iida. He already knew how this would end; Thirteen would be badly injured and sooner or later, Iida would get help. Using the information Envy gave Kurogiri, he could’ve separated the boy from the rest of the group and then picked everyone else off one by one.

If he was really out for blood- he would waste no time destroying the enemy.

Greed deeply sighed. He gave Kurogiri a stone to hit two birds but ended up hitting himself instead.

Greed tapped on Iida’s shoulder. He jumped- notifying the rest of his classmates of Greed’s presence.

“Midoriya? What are you doing here? Have you been here the whole time?” Iida asked. The rest of the students gathered around Greed while Thirteen and Kurogiri were still fighting.

“I am a Midoriya, but not Zero. I’ve been here the whole time along with my brothers and we sat and watched all of you”

“You were here the whole time? Why didn’t you do anything or say anything?” Uraraka raised her voice.

“Settle down Uraraka. Sometimes it’s better to observe than to attack. Either way, I have your escape plan” Greed wasted no time activating a shadow portal on the floor below them. He was the only one to notice Thirteen become weak and losing the battle- so he wanted to speed things up.

“Where does this lead?”

“Don’t ask dumb questions, Iida. It leads to the front gates of the school. All you have to do is jump into the portal” Greed pointed downwards. Iida wasted no time jumping in and the portal closed behind him.

“Now, that’s how you take advice” Greed mumbled. He turned around to face Kurogiri and Thirteen and saw the outcome of the match.

His classmates’ knees began to quake.

The back half of Thirteen’s body was gone.

“Teacher!” Ashido Mina yelled. Thirteen fell to the ground with a thud.

Greed could tell Kurogiri was smiling because of his actions. He could tell that Kurogiri loved seeing the fear that erupted from the children’s faces.

Greed smiled wickedly. “Hey, Kurogiri. Don’t you notice something missing?”

Kurogiri looked at the students and tried to notice something missing. His gut told him that something was missing but he couldn’t pinpoint-

The boy that looks like a machine is gone.

“Where is he?” Kurogiri roared and it frightened the students, but Greed didn’t flinch.

Instead, he shrugged. “I don’t know where my portal took him”

“Portal?”

“Ah yes, portal. You said you did your research on my brothers and I but apparently, you don’t know that we can make portals do different places or dimensions. As long as there’s a shadow- then I can be there” Greed smiled wickedly. “You’re in for it now”

“Why you little-” Kurogiri charged for the students but Greed flicked his wrist. A dome of clear shadows covered them. Shadow tendrils were aimed at Kurogiri’s throat device- which made him stop in his tracks.

“You come any closer to these kids, and these shadow tendrils will pierce you and leave your soul bare for my brothers to feast upon” Greed voiced monotonically. He turned to the students in the dome.

“Alight now listen to this new plan. You guys stay here. Asui, Mineta, and the rest of the class will arrive shortly. This dome will keep you all protected. As long as one person is in here, then the dome will stay up. When the last person leaves, the dome will collapse, and you will have to fight for yourself. Kurogiri will not be able to warp gate inside and anyone seen as a threat will be destroyed if they started attacking it. Any questions?”

“Where will you go?” Shoji asked.

“My brothers are down there looking for Zero. Once I find him, Katsuki, and Todoroki; I’ll come back into the dome” he lied. “You guys just keep the fort until the good guys come”

Everyone nodded and Greed summoned a portal in the ground. It was going to lead him to where his brothers (and hopefully Zero) were hiding. He looked at Kurogiri and sensed his agony from defeat.

He waved goodbye and jumped in.

Blood.

A swimming pool of blood poured out of Aizawa and onto the concrete floor. The Nomu that Greed spoke about earlier sat on top of him without a care in the world. The more weight he added, the more blood pooled from Aizawa’s head and body. Crunching noises similar to a person eating chips snapped through the air to represent the bones of Aizawa being broken bit by bit.

“I’ll tell you, Eraser Head. That thing is the anti-Symbol of Peace, the bio-engineered ‘Nomu’” The Nomu made a skull-splitting shriek as it widened its’ jaw and showcased its’ long tongue and sharp teeth.

The Nomu picked up an arm that was lying down and lifted it up slowly. It squeezed the wrist and in seconds an audible pop was heard. Aizawa screamed in reply.

“You can erase Quirks. That’s wonderful, but it’s nothing impressive. In the face of overwhelming power, you might as well be Quirkless” Tomura chuckled. “But, a certain someone- a special certain someone can do exactly what you do, and more, and you brought him here with you today”

Aizawa perked up but the Nomu slammed his head in the ground, making a small crater.

“Once I get my hands on him and All Might” Tomura started giggling. “All Might will die, and he’ll be my new play toy”

“M-M-Midoriya” Mineta stuttered. “I’m sure you must be having second thoughts, right?”

Izuku didn’t know how to explain how he felt. One side of him wanted to run to Aizawa’s aid and help out his teacher. He wanted to fight the Nomu until it was ten feet under and make Tomura pay for the turmoil and agony that he caused his classmates.

On the other side of him- he could feel himself laughing.

He could feel himself cracking up with laughter and wanting more and more blood to spill. It didn’t care about whose blood hit concrete- there just had to be more of it.

When Aizawa’s screams hit his ears, his other side hummed to the tune. His mouth involuntarily salivated when Aizawa’s rubies made a splash. His heartbeat started beating like a bass drum- one sound that keeps a steady beat and consistency.

Izuku didn’t understand. He should want less blood and carnage- not more of it.

What’s going on with him?

A shadow emerged next to Tomura and banana-shaped eyes popped open.

“Shigaraki Tomura”

Tomura acknowledged him. “Kurogiri, did you kill Thirteen?”

“I put Thirteen out of action, but there were students that I was unable to disperse, and one of them was able to run away”

Tomura faced him completely. “Huh?”

Tomura put a hand to his neck and started itching. He tried to breathe slowly to calm his stress, but it picked up in tempo. Another hand was brought to his neck and he started scratching like he had the chickenpox.

“Kurogiri, you” Tomura scratched harder. “If you weren’t a warp gate, I would’ve crushed you to pieces!”

Tomura sighed and released his neck. “We can’t win against dozens of pros. It’s game over. Man, it’s game over this time!” He sighed. “Let’s go home”

A ray of hope shined in Mineta’s eyes. “They’re going home? Did he say they’re going home?”

“That’s what I heard but I have a bad feeling about this, Midoriya,” Tsu said. Mineta started to rejoice and accidentally brushed up against Tsu’s boob. She immediately put him under water to drown.

“Yeah. For them to simply retreat after doing all of this” Izuku trailed off.

Didn’t they want to kill All Might? And shouldn’t All Might be back by now?

“Did you like the show, my little play toy?” Tomura said as he turned around to face the three students in the water. He looked right at Izuku and Izuku’s heartbeat increased.

“Your brothers aren’t here to save you. Once I kill your little friends and take you away from here- it’ll be just you and me”

Izuku froze in fear, but his insides were shaking with excitement.

“How does that sound, Izuku?”

In the blink of an eye, Tomura rushed forward. With a hand outreached, he went out to grab Tsu’s face. Izuku saw everything happen in slow motion, the part of him that craves more blood keeping him still.

Tomura touched her face and nothing happened.

Tomura scoffed. “Wow, Eraser Head. You really are cool”

Out of the tear-streaked face, Aizawa managed to use his Quirk to stop Tomura. The Nomu picked up his face and smashed it deeper into the ground.

Izuku’s view changed in two seconds. A strong grip fastened itself around his neck and flashes of light blue and purple washed his eyes. Izuku’s eyes immediately closed from the oncoming images and he felt like he was in a revolving door. He felt a strong hum dusted his face and he heard chatter from voices that seemed cluttered.

“Young Midoriya” Izuku heard a voice and opened his eyes.

He saw All Might standing in a crater and his pristine shirt was ripped in two. His expression was emotionless as he watched Tomura’s hands slither around Izuku’s neck like a noose. All Might tried to take a step forward, but a gust of wind left the Nomu’s nose that reminded him that he was still there.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Tsu and Mineta drag Aizawa from his place of rest. Izuku knew that Aizawa would be alright but he had the feeling that he’d be worse if he stayed in the plaza. Izuku slowly turned his head back and saw Kirishima with wide eyes. Katsuki had an expression he'd never seen on his face before. Todoroki had his mouth open like he was going to say something, but no words came out.

No matter what façade the boys tried to play, Izuku saw their one true emotion:

Fear.

“I guess we are getting a ‘Continue’” Tomura stroked the back of Izuku’s neck with his thumb. It shocked some sense into him, and he turned his head slightly. He saw Tomura’s head inches away from his head and Nomu standing closely nearby.

“What do you want from me?” Izuku asked. Half of him felt scared and nervous but the other half felt the excitement from the adrenaline of the situation.

Tomura gurgled out a chuckle. “You have a very special Quirk. All Might may not know but I know”

He pulled Izuku close and whispered in his ear. “I told you not to come and now I get to act upon your decision”

“All Might you seem a little confused. You must not know that you harvested a gem with this one” Tomura dug one of his knuckles into Izuku’s cheek. Izuku attempted to move his face away from the touch but due to the restriction of movement, he looked like he had a series of twitches.

“I’ll have you know that all I have to do is put all five fingers on a person and their skin starts to crumble away. I’ve kept my middle finger off him but once I put it on him, he’ll surely die unless he does what he’s supposed to” Tomura played around with his middle finger and almost contacted his skin. All Might stepped forward and Tomura pointed at him.

“Take one step forward and you die first”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take!” All Might charged and powered up his right arm and slammed it at Tomura. A tornado of debris erupted before he made contact with Tomura but when it dispersed, he saw that he contacted the Nomu. The Nomu swiped at him and All Might ducked. He swiped at Tomura to try and obtain Izuku, but Tomura dodged and instead, a hand attachment popped off. All Might slid backward to try and gain distance and assess the situation a little more.

“You’re fast, as expected. I couldn’t even follow you with my eyes” Tomura’s hair covered his face as he knelt down and picked up his hand. He placed it on his face and managed to keep his hand secured on Izuku’s neck the whole time.

“You’re faster than I thought you’d be. It’s disheartening to know that you’re not getting weaker” Tomura applied pressure to Izuku’s neck and Izuku felt his breathing grow weaker.

“Let him go!” All Might yelled. He wasn’t wearing his usual smile and Izuku knew he meant business.  

“I would but he serves a purpose”

“I could easily snatch him away from you in seconds with your arm attached” All Might threatened.

“I know. In the same amount of time, I could easily make it so that his head becomes a bobblehead. So, if you value his safety, you should stay over there” Tomura smiled at All Might’s predicament.

“I’ll let him go free if you can beat my Nomu though”

“He won’t have to do that” Greed’s voice echoed among them. Right beside All Might appeared a black hole and out rose Izuku’s seven brothers. Izuku rejoiced mentally, seeing that they were alright. Part of him did know that they were going to be just fine, but it was going seeing them with no scratches made him slightly at ease.

Tomura tsked. “No matter. Once he’s done with All Might- he’ll kill the rest of you” The Nomu roared in their direction and Lust stepped forward.

As the Nomu charged at them, All Might took steps forward to counterattack him but Greed held a hand up to keep him back. At the same time, Lust took steps forward and began to stare at the opposing threat with intensity.

“Sit” The Nomu halted in its’ tracks and slid into a sitting position in front of Lust. Lust smiled at its’ obedience and rubbed its’ head. Lust’s fingers ran through the embossed brain and he felt like he was messaging the Nomu’s thoughts. The Nomu sat with a stoic face and Greed came over to get a look.

“Good job Lust! Who would’ve known that this anti-Symbol of Peace was no match for a bit of mind control?” Greed and Lust laughed.

Tomura scratched his neck with his unoccupied hand. “You kids ruined everything” Tomura seethed, cutting off the laughter. In a swift motion, he threw Zero on the ground and pinned him down with his body. Zero tried fighting him off but Tomura managed to subdue him completely. Zero looked up at his brothers and saw anger in their eyes but they made no action upon it.

“If I can’t kill All Might, then I’ll kill you in his place!”

Shouts of protest immediately replied.

Everyone tried to run towards Zero to save him but his brothers held everyone back. Shouts and profanities were thrown but the brothers kept their stance with tight lips.

Zero saw the hand of destruction fall.

He was scared.

So, he hid behind his hands.

And a new monster came out to play.

“Huh?” Tomura removed his hand off of Zero’s face. He saw that no evidence of his Quirk tattooed the boy’s skin. All Might and the others looked as Tomura stood up while gazing at his hand. Zero laid still on the ground and had his hands over his eyes.

Then, he moved.

Zero swiped his legs out and made contact with Tomura. He fell face first into the ground and Zero hopped on his back. Zero’s hands made contact with his back and he activated Tomura’s Quirk.

A choked scream spilled from Tomura’s mouth as his shirt crumpled away and his flesh began to showcase his veins. Zero kept his hands on his back until Tomura reached behind him and activated his Quirk on his arm. Zero jumped back and stood amongst his brothers.

Greed went up to him. “Is this who I think it is?”

Golden eyes stared back at him. He smiled and nodded.

‟gσσ∂ ʝσв нσℓ∂ιиg ∂σωи тнє fσят, gяєє∂‟

Greed smiled and hugged the newcomer. It caught him by surprise but he returned it. All the brothers ignored the curious looks of All Might and the others and walked over to Greed. A misplaced reunion began to take place in front of a crippled Tomura, damaged C class villains, an astonished Kurogiri, and an obedient Nomu.

Katsuki squinted. “Wait a minute. If you’re not Izuku- then who are you?”

Golden eyes faced his direction and Katsuki flinched from their radiance.

“ι’м кιиg”

“King, huh?” Tomura slowly got up and cracked his muscles. “You almost had me there”

King raised an eyebrow at Tomura. He saw a rushed black figure glide to his side and looked at the damage on his back.

“How does it look Kurogiri?”

“It doesn’t look very good,” Kurogiri said after moments of staring at his back drip rubies. The nearby cloth that was surrounding the wound suffocated some blood and shriveled up by the taste of crimson.

Tomura pointed a finger at King. “I came here seeking to kill All Might but instead I found someone who I want to slaughter more” A rabid eye was shown through the cracks on the glove.

“I will kill you, King”

“тнαт’ѕ ѕυρρσѕє∂ тσ ѕ¢αяє мє?” King brushed the fruitless words aside. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

He imagined the flow of blood in veins and saw a heart pumping strongly to the cadence of a drum. He saw lungs taking in oxygen and well-functioning bones that reacted to every brain command.

He smiled and commanded all the blood to rush to the head.

The Nomu made a noise of agony from his sitting place.

King opened his eyes and saw how the Nomu clawed at his own face. Blood gushed from his mouth like a faucet and leaked from behind his eyeballs. The boys watched as the obedient Nomu tore at its’ skin and began to peel himself like a banana. Shrieks from blood tinted teeth seemed to try and form a plea as King continued the invisible assault on the inside of his body.

It was like the Nomu was a hostage in his own body.

King looked at Pride. “єи∂ ιт”

Pride nodded and walked over to the Nomu. He took his hand and swiftly swiped at the neck.

The Nomu stopped making noise and a crimson necklace poured down his body. The Nomu fell against the ground and a lake of blood branched out from its’ body. Pride grabbed his head and detached it from the body. He placed the head on the ground and everyone saw how the red eyes dangled from its’ sockets and saliva and blood rimmed the mouth.

“иєχт тιмє, ιт’ℓℓ вє уσυ”

Tomura chuckled. “That’s frightening”

“fяιgнтєиιиg? уσυ ѕнσυℓ∂ ѕєє мє ιи α ¢яσωи”

Kurogiri widened his body from behind Tomura. “Shigaraki, we should-”

A bullet whizzed by and broke into the skin on Tomura’s upper arm.

King snapped his head in the direction of the bullet and saw a line of pro-heroes standing at the top of the stairs. He saw a person at the top reload a gun and aim it at Tomura once more.

“ρяι∂є, ѕтσρ тнє ѕиιρєя”

Pride nodded as the next bullet sailed through the air. Pride caught the bullet like he was catching a ball. Not stopping the bullet’s momentum, he moved his body along with the bullet until he let it go back in the direction it came from. The bullet sailed back into the barrel of the gun.

An explosion occurred, obstructing the view for the pro-heroes from the two villains that were left standing out of millions.

Tomura turned around and started walking into Kurogiri’s warp gate.

“I’ll be back”

“ι’ℓℓ вє ωαιтιиg”

As soon as the purple mist diffuses into the air, the explosion by the entrance was broken by some pro-heroes running down the stairs in a frenzy. Some classmates stood by the door and waved to them with smiles plastered on their fragile faces.

King smiled softly. “ι мυѕт gσ вα¢к иσω”

“Go back? But, you just got here!” Gluttony whined.

“уєѕ, вυт мє вєιиg нєяє тαкєѕ α тσℓℓ σи zєяσ” King looked at Greed. “ωнєи нє’ѕ ѕтяσиgєя, ι’ℓℓ ¢σмє вα¢к. υитιℓ тнєи, ι’ℓℓ gσ вα¢к тσ ѕℓєєρ”

King looked at his palms and sighed. He looked at the other boys who didn't move or speak at all since he arrived and gave a soft smile. He felt his sunflower pupils being washed away by emerald and felt his essence being replaced with another.

King was gone and the body fell from a height into several small hands.

Chapter Text

A wind’s dance recital performed on his nose before moving to his eyes.

Izuku opened his eyes to a calm, blue sky and a field of yellow roses. He was standing in a hospital nightgown that was as blue as the sky above. He pinched his face and felt a slight twinge of pain- he knew it was real. He looked down and saw his bare feet, toes deep in the Earth’s blanket. The yellow roses swayed in the subtle wind and were in total bloom.

The wind rustled the flowers and mustered a scent that sent him into a state of euphoria.

Where was he? What was he doing prior to this?

All of a sudden, the memories of the events at the USJ struck him.

Separating from his classmates and brothers, being called King, two new Quirks rising and him controlling them with ease, Aizawa getting severely injured, and Tomura taking him hostage.

He tried to remember what happened to him in the USJ that got him in this new place, but he couldn’t. All he could remember was putting his hands over his eyes. He remembers doing that as a kid to summon one of his brothers but his brothers were already out in the world.

So, who did he summon?

Who came out?

A five beat laughter interjected his thoughts.

He looked around the meadow for the sound but heard nothing. Izuku shrugged it off and began to ponder his whereabouts until another five beat laughter sounded. He looked around and saw the wind make a swirling pattern around the flowers near him and saw a couple petals gain air. Izuku watched the petals run up the wind like a staircase and twirl around another object, not far from him.

 A little boy that looked just like him.

He had bushels of green locks that fell around his head. The child was crouched with his back facing Izuku. He wore a white dress shirt and Izuku could see black shorts and shoes. Izuku dug his feet out of the soil and began walking towards the child.

When he got a step away the child began to laugh.

The child laughed and paused. Laughed again and then paused.

The child turned around and Izuku was assaulted by the fact that the boy him wore the same face. The boy looked just like he did (when he was three) but he had golden eyes as bright as the sun instead of emerald eyes.

Izuku was so shocked by his eyes that he didn’t notice the boy’s outstretched arm. He held out a yellow rose to Izuku and Izuku took it into his fragile hands.

The little boy began to hum a little tune before he sang a sentence.

‟ρι¢к α fℓσωєя, вυмвℓє вєєѕ αяє συт”

Izuku heard whizzing noises and saw a swarm of bees heading his way. He tried to warn the boy but the boy was focused on singing that one line. He took one look at the bees and decided to make a run. Izuku gripped the flower but soon dropped it as the thorns nipped his hand. A bulb of blood swelled on his palm. He put it to his mouth to suck but the bulb burst and poured down his hand. The bees came and created a barrier around him- taking the blue sky and yellow meadow and replacing it with darkness.

As soon as he could no longer see the peaceful scene, the bees dispersed and Izuku was met with floating darkness that made him feel like thick jelly. It felt like gravity was scratching at his skin and pulling him towards something. He couldn’t tell if he was moving, but in seconds a door appeared in front of him.

He walked through, his bloody right hand ignored.

He walked in on a scene. A little boy sat, on a bed, next to an adult version of him- except the man’s hair was black and he had no freckles. The man sat with his hands in his lap and his head was down. The boy kicked the air as he sat next to the man and also had his head down. The room they sat in had no color- even the boy’s green hair was dulled from the amount of light in the room. Izuku looked around and saw that it was a room he didn’t recognize but it seemed slightly similar to his mother’s room.

He shook the thought out of his head before returning focus to the scene at hand.

The man lifted his head and started to chuckled before pausing.

The boy laughed and then paused.

They went back and forth like that a couple of times before the man stood up. Izuku noticed a closed suitcase that sat behind him. The man reached out and ruffled the boy’s curls and golden eyes colored the monotone scene.

‟уσυ’яє ℓєανιиg αяєи’т уσυ?”

The man sighed. “I’ll be back. It’s just for business”

‟тнαт’ѕ α ℓιє αи∂ уσυ киσω ιт” the boy sternly replied.

The man looked surprised but grabbed the suitcase, nonetheless. The man walked towards the door and Izuku moved out of his way and further into the room. He watched the man laugh weakly and pause, while the boy did the same.

‟уσυ’яє ℓєανιиg вє¢αυѕє ι ∂σи’т нανє α qυιяк,” the boy said. The man stopped inches away from the door and turned back to look at the boy. The boy dug his hand under the nearest pillow and pulled out a yellow rose. Along with the boy's eyes, the pop of yellow colored the scene and added a major note in this symphonic scene of minor notes. Izuku watched as the boy toy with the thorns and look at the man. “нσω ¢αи уσυ вє ѕσ ѕυяє тнαт ι ∂σи’т нανє σиє?”

The man squinted his eyes. “Prove it then”

The little boy closed his eyes and shook his head. The man shook his head and mumbled, “Damn child” before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Izuku looked at the boy and saw him put a hand over the rose. Water was being sucked out of the rose and coagulated in his hand above the flower. The flower turned brittle and was one blow away from being ash. He dropped the fragile flower onto the floor and watched it fall gracefully onto the ground. The water he had in his hand turned into a sharp icicle and the boy's right hand tightened around it.

Izuku saw a small wisp of crimson fall from the boy's palm and streak onto the icicle. He looked down at his own hand and noticed the same small river of blood cascade down his hand and onto the floor.

The sound of a door screaming made Izuku lose focus of his hand. He could hear screaming in a woman’s voice and shouts of anger in a man’s voice. Izuku couldn’t place who the woman was but the man’s voice sounded like the man that was just in the room. The boy gripped the shard tighter and the stream of rubies seemed to stop.

Then, he began to hum.

‟ρι¢к α fℓσωєя, вυмвℓє вєєѕ αяє συт”

The boy looked straight at Izuku and smiled. His golden eyes showing anger instead of the happiness that was displayed in them at the meadow.

‟ѕєє уσυ ℓαтєя, zєяσ” the boy walked through the door and the room collapsed under Izuku’s feet.

Chapter Text

Zero woke up very slowly. He felt soft sheets caress his body and he felt warm under them. He heard murmurs of the people that he could see under half-opened eyelids. He opened them fully after cracking muscles that grew stiff and saw his brothers watching him with concern.

“Zero? How do you feel?” Greed asked while Zero yawned lightly and sat up. He noticed that Envy and Wrath sat to his left, Sloth was asleep at the foot of the bed. Gluttony and Lust were directly across from him while Pride and Greed sat to his right.

Izuku was about to answer but noticed his mouth was drier than a desert. He turned to his left and saw a sweating glass of water. He reached out to grab it but his body froze as he noticed a vase overflowing with yellow roses. He wanted to touch one but his fingers nudged the glass and knocked him out of his trance.

He pulled the glass towards him and held it in front of him. He ran his fingers up the glass and a blob of water rose out of the cup. It moved in the air before Zero captured it in his mouth. The water spot popped in his mouth and relieved his mouth of its’ dryness.

“I’ll take that as an ‘I’m fine’” Pride said, leaning back in his chair with a dry smile.

Gluttony grabbed Zero’s legs- waking up Sloth in the process. “Oh, Zero! We were so worried about you!”

Sloth rubbed his eyes. “I told you he was just resting”

Lust pried Gluttony’s hands off of Zero’s blanketed legs. “But still- people die in their sleep all the time. You should know”

“Yes, and I envy them” Envy rolled his eyes but patted Zero’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you awake” Wrath nodded his head and clapped lightly.

Zero looked at Greed and smiled softly. “I’m fine Greed. I feel like I took a long nap” Greed nodded and Zero put his half-full glass on the stand next to the bed. Out of curiosity, he plucked one yellow rose from the bouquet and saw that the thorns were clipped. He twirled the rose’s stem between his fingers and saw a bandage on his right hand.

He rubbed his fingers against it.

So, the meadow wasn’t a dream.

Zero looked up and noticed his brothers looking at his hand. Greed put his hand on top of the bandages and apologized. “I’m sorry, Zero. I guess on the way from the USJ to the Infirmary, you’re hand got scratched a bit”

Zero shook his head. “That’s fine, but what happened? I only remember up until a certain point”

Fidgets plagued the brothers. Pride sighed and answered. “After you conked out, the pro-heroes arrived and started swarming the area. The remaining villains were booked and everyone was checked over. None of the students had any extreme injuries but they decided to admit you to the Infirmary because you passed out. Everyone was sent home and you were checked over by Infirmary Girl before she left too. Aizawa is in intensive care but it’s looking good for him. Mini-mouse man came in here earlier and told us that once you wake up then we can all go home”

“He also told us to stay home for any extra recovery that we may need” Pride finished. “To be honest, we weren’t thinking of showing up tomorrow anyways”

“Why is that?” Zero asked.

Lust jumped up from his metal, folding chair. “Because you have Quirk Training!” He sat back down and squealed in his seat like a high school girl getting a carnation from her crush on Valentine’s Day.

“Quirk Training?”

“That’s right, Zero” Greed smiled. “In order to protect yourself, you have to train. We did it so now have to do it too”

Sounds of an agreement were voiced from everyone but Zero was plagued with questions. “But I still don’t understand. I thought I, personally, didn’t have a Quirk. Why is this water Quirk just now surfacing along with the electricity one?” Zero looked back at the rose in his dainty hands. None of his brothers said anything but one question was begging to be said.

Zero blurted it the question out.

“Who’s King?”

Greed looked at his brothers and saw sympathy and shock in their eyes. They’ve kept Zero out of the loop for so long- ever since the beginning. Greed knew, at first, it was best to keep it under wraps because they were all trying to come to terms with it. Then, they all concluded it was better to keep him in the dark, but with these recent events- it’s better to come clean.

Or, somewhat clean.

Greed took the rose from Zero. He put it inches away from his face and sniffed the fragrant scent that emanated from it. “King is the first personality to manifest”

Zero tilted his head. “But, I thought-”

Greed interrupted. “King is the first to manifest. We were all made from his and your image” Greed looked at Zero’s wide eyes and continued.

“You know the basics- we are all part of you, Zero. We may be different and act on our own but in the end, you’re the starting point and we are the Quirk” Zero nodded at the review. “But do you know how we came to be?”

Zero shook his head. Ever since he could remember, his brothers had always been there. He never wondered where they came from or how they came to be.

Greed took a deep breath. “In the beginning, we weren’t even alive like we are today. We weren’t even a thought. You were born, with a mother and a father and life was happy. Once you could talk, Inko found out that there was another personality inside your body. The other personality started to manifest and named itself King. At that age, Inko thought you were just being a child but she didn’t notice that King would take over a lot more than Zero would”

Greed glanced at Zero and made sure he was still following along.

Zero looked like he was thirsty for the revelations.

Greed softly smiled and continued. “Your Quirk came earlier than anyone expected. King can’t pinpoint a time but he told us that it came in the night and that it was the longest night he’s ever endured. King said that he was ecstatic to have a Quirk. He reacted well with it and it was stronger than anything he could’ve ever imagined. Then, he saw your soul. Your soul, your personality, your essence, your entire well-being; it was dying. It couldn’t handle the intensity and weight of the new change and it was disappearing. King panicked and decided to shoulder all the weight of the Quirk- in order to save you”

“What was the Quirk?” Zero asked.

“It was all of us” Sloth whispered.

“What?” Zero scrunched his face up. “I-I don’t understand”

“You were receiving seven omnipotent Quirks. Seven Quirks that are never-ending, and always evolving. They were coming all at once- in the strongest forms. You were just a child and your body couldn’t take it”

“If it weren’t for King’s sacrifice, then none of us would be here today” Greed finally finished.

The words hung over all of their heads and Zero couldn’t even speak. He didn’t know that a person named King existed and he didn’t know the sacrifice he took on. Zero wanted to cry for reasons unknown but the tears didn’t come. He put the sheets on his face and rubbed his face a couple of times. Once he was done, he hugged his legs and urged Greed to continue.

“After that, it seemed as if King never existed. Zero’s personality began to shine more and soon everyone forgot all about King. Everything was fine for a while and things were at ease for Zero. But for King, things got harder. The never-ending, all-powerful Quirks never gave up and soon became too much for him. He came to the conclusion that if he split up the Quirks in seven ways then maybe you wouldn’t suffer and he could release some of the burden. So, he did exactly that- he split up the Quirks and made us”

Zero blinked in astonishment. He mouthed a ‘Wow’ and looked at his brothers before returning his gaze back to Greed.

“As soon as we split, King found out that there were parts of the main seven that didn’t fit into the categories that he split up the Quirks into. Those ‘leftover’ pieces he kept for himself and gave some to you”

“Me? What did he give to me?”

“We’ll talk about that later” Greed lied. “Anyway, once he split the Quirks up- he stayed behind. He decided that since Zero’s personality had replaced his presence, he knew that there was no need to go back out into the world. King never came out to talk to Inko again, but did come out occasionally to talk to one other person”

“Who that person is- we don’t know. King never told us” Lust said, shrugging his shoulders. “Once that person left his life, King saw no reason to come back out- seeing how Inko didn’t even remember him”

“But, he could come out- like you guys” Zero egged on.

“Well,” Gluttony started. “King knew that if he left your body like that then you would be considered as a weakness. The Quirks that he gave you are not able to protect yourself for long periods of time. King knew that if you were to bite the dust, then all of us would die as well. So, he decided for us to be able to split from the main body. He knew that we’d soon be able to split from the host body and be able to protect you in a way he never could. King decided that he’d be the last wave of defense- just in case something were to happen to us and you needed immediate help”

“But even then, he made it so that he doesn’t have to come out” Pride chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

“Similar to the way Greed can call upon all of us to use our Quirks, you can do the same to King. Granted that King and you will always be together, so technically all you have to do is think about what you want to do and you automatically have it” Pride put his hands behind his head.

Zero slowly nodded his head. This was a lot of information to digest.

“Well, if King can’t come out- can’t we shift? When all of you were dormant in me, I could call on you and you’ll come to the surface. Can’t I do the same to him?”

“No,” Envy said sternly. “King wishes to stay dormant. He also puts a strain on your body since he was the original holder of all the Quirks. If he comes to the surface, we all react to him”

“React to him how?”

Before anyone could answer, Pride hopped out of his chair and clapped his hands together. He slowly pulled them apart and a katana appeared in the air. He grabbed it and started swinging it around to show off his weaponry skills. Once he finished, he pointed the tip of the blade at Wrath.

“We all get a major Quirk upgrade”

Zero flopped back on the pillows in awe. Pride stood up and tossed the katana back into the air. As soon as it left his grasp, it disintegrated into fairy dust and fluttered into Wrath’s hair. He sensed added weight on his head and shook his hair. Waves of dust hit them all but no one seemed to mind much.

“Any more questions?” Sloth asked.

“None at the moment” Zero answered monotonously. He yawned loudly and his eyelids began to close on their own.

Envy pulled the covers up to Zero’s chin and Zero was back asleep. He sighed and shook his head. “For once, I’m glad you didn’t tell him everything”

Sloth laughed. “If Zero knew of King’s main plan then he’d freak. He’d probably kiss his hero fantasy goodbye”

Pride shook his head. “Nope, he’s headstrong. He wouldn’t give up but he’d make sure King wouldn’t come out again”  

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Gluttony rocked in his chair. He played with the rim of his chair in silence before breaking it with a serious question. “Do you think Inko has honestly forgotten him?”

“If those therapy lessons actually worked then she probably did” Lust pulled out his phone.

“She didn’t forget. When I first met her, she was calling his name” Sloth laughed.

Greed nodded in agreement. “I doubt she could forget the name of the person who killed her husband”    

Chapter Text

“Run it back, do it again Zero” Greed called out to him. Zero grunted in reply and stood in the sandy opening of the beach. His brothers were out far away from him mastering their own Quirks, while Greed was drilling him on how to master King’s first set of Quirks.

Zero held fists at his side and his mind played a flashback about what happened to him in the past weeks. Once he got out of the school infirmary, Katsuki texted Lust what he missed in class; since he got permission to skip class.

The Sports Festival date was announced.

They were giving students two weeks to prepare for a festival that would determine who they’d have their internship with. When the subject arose to the rest of the brothers, Greed decided to have all the brothers train. Keeping up with his word, he’d been lightly training Zero, teaching him the best stances for each ability King possessed.

But Greed decided that if he wanted Zero to get stronger, he must throw him into training headfirst.

With that mentality, Greed dragged Zero out of bed at midnight and taught him the basics.

He stood in front of Zero and began to speak about King’s first set of Quirks.

“When I first came to be, King had (what he called) his First Set. He was able to control Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Electricity”

Greed motioned Zero to sit on the ground. He held up his right hand and fire engulfed it.

“Fire is double-sided. Within it holds beauty and discovery- if you dance to the beat of its’ drum. If you let fire dance to your beat, then it’s a fight. Every punch holds no hesitation. In order to master it, you must master intense and aggressive attacking styles that look as graceful as a waltz”

His hand turned back to normal and he held his hands out. Zero gave him his hands and Greed took them and started to rub them together. He slowly pulled them apart and a mini lightning storm pulsed between each palm.

“For electricity, you make the current. In order to master electricity to its’ fullest, you must produce positive and negative energies internally before directing it outwards. If left in you for too long, it can kill you from the inside since electricity is known for being precise and deadly”

The waves of the beach swam towards them and Greed held a ball of water in the air. It hovered above his hand while Zero kept the steady electricity in his hands.

“Water acts in concert with the environment. You must let your defense become your offense, turning your opponents’ own forces against them. When you choose to take your attack stance, your motions must move as if they are flowing from one river and to another”

Greed looked at his water and then at the electricity in Zero's hands.

“Apart they are equally powerful, but together they equal death”

Greed placed his water ball into the electricity and it began to hum with energy. Zero’s palms got hot but it was bearable heat. The blue static strands turned neon and settled for one green strand that pulsed with thick energy.

“Throw it”

“Throw it?” Zero repeated.

Greed nodded. “Throw it into the air and see what it does”

Zero stood up slowly and threw it up into the air. The green stand disappeared for a second and saw it flash across the sky. The night was confused as it turned into day for seconds before being shaded into blackness. Zero looked in awe as his eyes stung with the flash of light that awoke all living things before everything settled back into the quiet of the night.

“What was that?”

“A form of plasma. If you would’ve held on a second longer, you would’ve been incinerated”

Zero looked at him in shock. Greed patted the floor he still sat on and Zero saved his questions until Greed was done.

Once Zero was on the floor, Greed tapped the floor around them and a barrier of rock surrounded them.

“Earth is diverse, strong, and enduring. The key to mastering Earth is to utilize neutral energy, which involves waiting and listening for the right moment to strike, and when that moment comes, acting decisively. You must endure your enemies’ attacks until the right opportunity to counterattack reveals itself” The rock barricade fell into the floor and small pebbles dusted the ground in its’ wake.

A breeze ran through them and made their curls sway. Greed put his hands through the air’s hair and smiled softly.

“Air is freedom. Air finds peace and freedom and is optimistic wherever it goes. The key to mastering it is flexibility and finding the path of least resistance. Air is purely defensive, as well as dynamic. It can overwhelm many opponents at once with large and powerful attacks that could prove fatal; however, due to the pacifistic nature, those moves are used for ‘worst case scenarios’. You must be able to adapt to the situation surround you and pulse negative energy to use evasive maneuvers as opposed to direct confrontation”

“If you can follow all of what I told you then you’ll be in full control” Greed smiled with his eyes.

Zero’s memory of the first lesson faded and he focused back on the task at hand. He stood with creaking muscles and bruises that painted his skin. He was strong with knowledge and was armed to the teeth with his newfound knowledge.

He took a deep breath and got back into his neutral stance.

The Sports Festival will be a sight to see.

Chapter Text

Izuku laid awake in bed.

Ever since coming home from the USJ he has been having horrible nightmares. He hasn’t told anyone but he when he tries to- he immediately forgets what he dreamt about. They just leave a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He rolled over in his bed and saw all his brothers asleep. He wondered what their dreams were and wished none of them had the cryptic dreams that he kept having. He sighed and pulled the covers over his head.

He knew he had to sleep because tomorrow was the Sports Festival.

He was just afraid of what he would see.

“It’s just a dream. It doesn’t mean anything” Izuku whispered and smothered his face in the pillow.

He closed his eyes and his conscience dissipated.

As soon as Zero fell asleep, Sloth woke up.

Zero woke up in the meadow- like everyone other nightmares. He remembers this meadow specifically because it’s where he finds the little boy. He looked down and saw what he always sees- himself wearing a hospital nightgown and his feet deep in the Earth like worms.

He heard the music and the flowers swayed in response. He took a couple of steps before realizing the soil turned brittle. Looking down, he noticed all the flowers shriveling up before snapping under the mercy of the wind. The sun and blue skies were replaced with a foreboding moon and a matte grey sky that stretched on as far as the eye could see. The harsh air choked the music, leaving ominous silence in its’ place.

Zero looked up and saw the boy sitting on top of a coffin. His hands were drenched in blood and were dripping on to the lifeless ground. The stark contrast of the bright red amongst the dull grey world caught Zero off guard and widened his eyes.

The little boy hummed the same tune as the music but at a slower and more dramatic pace. Zero looked all around him and saw random patches of soil that look like they’ve been placed there after the ground has gone bad.

The little boy stopped humming and Zero looked at him in response.

He pointed at a shovel that wasn’t there before and pointed at Zero. “мαкє α gяανє”

Not asking why, Zero leaned down and picked up the shovel- keeping eye contact with the boy. He broke it while looking for room among the random plots and found one near to where he was standing originally. He stuck the tip of the shovel in the hearth and found that it gave little fight to him. He dug as the little boy stared at him, not moving the entire time. The only thing that moved was the occasional air that carried the scent of death and decomposition.

As Zero dug, a question kept ringing through his mind.

Why is this place reoccurring?

“ι’ℓℓ αиѕωєя тнαт qυєѕтισи ωιтн α qυєѕтισи: ωнєи ωє αℓℓ fαℓℓ αѕℓєєρ, ωнєяє ∂σ ωє gσ?”

Zero stopped digging and looked at the boy from inside the small grave he was digging. His facial expression must've shown his confusion, so the boy spoke again.

“тнιѕ ιѕ α ρℓα¢є ωнєяє ℓιfє єи∂ѕ αи∂ ѕтαятѕ. ιт’ѕ ωнєяє ωє αℓℓ єи∂ υρ єνєитυαℓℓу- αℓℓ єχ¢єρт мє”

Zero tilted his head in confusion. “Why not you?”

“вє¢αυѕє σf тнє ρℓαиѕ ι нανє” The boy started swinging his legs. “σи¢є тнєу αяє ∂σиє, ι ѕнσυℓ∂ вє αвℓє тσ ℓєανє”

“Plans? What plans?” Zero asked. He threw the shovel on the ground outside of the hole and climbed out of it. Despite him digging in the soil, his nightgown stayed clean and pristine as the dirt ran off his gown like water.

The little boy ignored Zero’s question and got off the casket. He walked to the hole and gave a slight nod to Zero. The boy went back to the coffin and opened it up.

A plague of locust flew out and went into all directions. Zero shielded his eyes as the little boy leaned down into the coffin and dragged something limp out of it. Once it thudded against the ground, the coffin was closed again and the locust disappeared. The little boy back on the coffin and crossed his legs.  

Zero unshielded his eyes and saw a body split in half.

A scream held vacancy in his mouth as his eyes searched the body for its’ soul. The body had no eyes and the tongue was split and stapled to the outside of the cheek. The body was naked as the day it was born but he couldn't tell the gender because it looked like something was removed.  Zero could see his insides but noticed his heart was missing and its’ bones protruded in odd angles. In the monotone landscape, Zero could see the glistening rubies that were crusty, but clinging to the body parts.

“ρυт нιм ιи тнє gяανє αи∂ fιℓℓ ιт вα¢к υρ” The little boy ordered. Zero tried to move but he was stuck in the trance the body gave him. The wild black curls and facial structure rang a bell in his memory.

Why does that body look familiar?

“zєяσ, ρυт нιм ιи тня gανє αи∂ fιℓℓ ιт υρ” Murderous intent seeped from the little boy’s pores. Zero looked up at the boy and saw him leaning into Zero, his dripping hands the only thing that’s keeping him on the coffin.

Zero looked at the shovel and then at the dirt. He took a step forward and quickly swiped his foot in the soil. The dirt under the body pushed it into the hole he dug. Zero then forcefully pushed his hands to the ground and some soil nearby filled the grave.

As soon as he dropped his stance, an invisible void opened up in him. An oncoming feeling of dread engulfed him and it felt like he was bleeding with pain and agony.

It almost felt like he wasn’t supposed to do that.

“Who was that man?” Zero clutched his abdomen and started breathing heavily. His vision was blurring and it was getting hard to see.

“ѕσмєвσ∂у тнαт ωє υѕє∂ тσ киσω” the boy answered.

“We?” Zero’s knees buckled and he dug his hands into the soil. It hurt to breathe and the void in him grew bigger and felt like it was sucking him whole.

“What do you want from me?” He rasped. His mind was bouncing around in his skull and he couldn’t control the words spilling from his lips.

“ωну ∂σи’т уσυ яυи fяσм мє?”

“What do you know?”

“ωну αяєи’т уσυ ѕ¢αяє∂ σf мє?”

“Why do you care for me?”

The little boy jumped off the casket and walked swiftly towards Zero. He was sniveling as his arms buckled and he mimicked a dead deer on the side of the road. His body was turning one with the soil and was decaying at a fast rate.

The boy leaned down and caressed Zero’s face. Zero couldn’t feel it- his senses long gone from the world. Zero opened his eyes and the child saw golden eyes berate him. The boy smiled and picked Zero up. Zero grunted with the sudden movement, his muscles stiff with phantom pain. The child noticed that Zero’s corpse was similar to a bag of sand with some holes- his life essence going down into the soil.

As the boy walked to the coffin, a trail of yellow roses grew in his wake. Zero's essence gave life to them and littered along the child's foot trails. The boy kicked the coffin open and instead of flies, a bed of flowers awaited him instead. The boy lowered Zero’s body inside as emerald and golden eyes stared back at him. Zero was no longer whimpering in pain, but dull confusion cleared his mind and he didn’t know what was happening.

The boy peered into the casket and at Zero. “συя вσи∂ ιѕ иσω ¢ℓσѕєя αи∂ ѕтяσиgєя тнαи єνєя. ι ѕтιℓℓ ¢αи’т ¢σмє συт ʝυѕт уєт, вυт ι αм мσяє нєℓρfυℓ тнαи ι ωαѕ вєfσяє” The boy, once again, touched Zero’s cheek.

Zero unconsciously looked at the child, his mind numb as his body was divorced from the world.

The child looked like he wanted to say more but shook his head. “ѕєє уσυ ℓαтєя, zєяσ”

The hood of the coffin fell on Zero, and the darkness pulled him under the veil of dreams.

Chapter Text

The little boy sat in a chair next to an open casket. He had no shadow, but the casket he sat in front of casted a shadow copy of itself. He hummed a tune as he fiddled with yellow flowers in between his hands. The monochrome scenery blew black wind, but the boy sat unphased as he studied the seven yellow flower bouquet in his hands.

The casket was open and inside slept a body that looked similar to the boy. The body was older by a couple of years and was breathing slowly and deeply. It slept on a bed of black roses that were brittle to the touch but stayed intact with itself. The boy in the chair remembers when the flowers gave off color but ever since the body has been sleeping, the flowers traded their bright hue for a stark one.

“ι єиνу уσυя ѕℓσтн-ℓιкє иαтυяє,” the little boy said. He started to put the yellow flowers into the casket and they immediately turned black. He put six flowers in the casket before inspecting the last flower. He took the sharp end of the flower and dragged it across his pointer finger. Droplets of blood glistened in the dull scenery and sprinted down his finger.

“¢αυѕє ωяαтн αи∂ нανσ¢ fσя нιм, ωιℓℓ уσυ?” the boy put the flower in the boy's hand and stuck his bloody finger in the boy's mouth. “ι иєє∂ нιм мєитαℓℓу ωєαк”

The little boy slowly felt a rough tongue caress his finger and he smiled. He stayed like that and after a few seconds, He plucked his finger out of the mouth like he was plucking flowers.

The boy stared at the body.

A shadow under the casket shivered in reply.

“иσω, ωαкє υρ”

Emerald eyes shot open.

Zero silently yawned in his bed and stretched.

Within seconds of waking up, he felt foreboding phantom pain and he knew something bad was going to happen.

Zero sat up fully and rested a hand against his head. He tried remembering what he dreamt last night but all he remembered was being enclosed in something small and a lot of repetitive movements.

Zero shook the feeling of dread and shuffled out of bed. He saw all of his brothers sleeping soundly and realized that he woke up an hour before his set alarm. He nodded to himself and continued to walk to the bathroom. He figured that a hot bath would make the pounding feeling of dread silent and awaken him for the day ahead.

The Sports Festival was today.

Just the thought of it made him smile. He and his brothers trained so hard for today.

As he opened the creaking bathroom door that was connected to his room, Envy shot awake.

“Zero?” the sound of his voice in full volume made Zero jump.

Zero turned to him and saw that he was sitting up fully in bed and looking at him with cautious eyes. He put a finger over his lips and smiled weakly. “Envy, I’m just going to take a bath before everyone wakes up. I’m not going far”

Envy started to say more but the door shut close and he sighed. Wrath’s arms were snaked around his waist and he wiggled out of bed. Wrath’s face started to scrunch up when his body left his side, so Envy slid his pillow into Wrath’s grasp. Wrath immediately snuggled into the pillow and attempted a lazy smile. Envy’s heart cooed and he pulled the sheets to Wrath’s chin.

Envy staggered through pulling sleep and managed to walk safely to Sloth’s bed. He lazily poked his cheek until Sloth squinted up at him from the clutches of sleep.

“This better be good” he slurred before suffocating himself in the pillow.

“It’s about Zero’s dreams” Sloth turned his head towards Envy and sat up- despite his creaking bones protest. Envy sat down next to him while Sloth fully sat on the bed and yawned silently.

“Where is he, by the way?”

Envy pointed to the bathroom. “He’s taking a bath”

Sloth took the answer and yawned once more. “Well, you have my undivided attention” Sloth looked at him with dull eyes. “I’m surprised you noticed since you normally don’t walk in on dreams anymore”

“It wasn’t my choice. I just appeared and saw Zero and King talking”

Sloth looked at him in question. “You just appeared?”

Envy nodded. “I don’t remember what I was doing before but when I appeared, I remembered thinking that it was a weird transition”

Sloth nodded his head slowly. “What were they talking about?”

Envy shrugged. “Their voices sounded like static to me when I came into the dream. Once I stayed there for a bit, I could only hear what King was saying” Envy looked at his hands in his lap. “I just saw Zero digging a grave”

“Digging a grave? More like digging his own grave” Sloth chuckled dryly.

Envy raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Sloth waved a hand in the air. “Just some dark humor. Could you understand anything King was saying?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t make sense without knowing what Zero was saying. What scared me was the fact that Zero was dying”

Sloth’s dull eyes widened. He blinked a couple of times before speaking. “Zero was dying?”

Envy sighed and closed his eyes. “He was”

Sloth put his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands. Envy patted his back as a shuddered breath trickled out of his lungs.

A couple of beds away, Greed listened with wide eyes and a hand clamped over his mouth.

Water jumped into the tub as Zero washed his face in the sink with a hand towel.

He was wiping behind his ears and smiling to himself. He was excited about the Sports Festival and to show Todoroki and Kaachan his new skills. He was excited to see everyone’s Quirks and cheer on his classmates. He continued the thoughts as he turned off the bathtub water and went back to the mirror. He smiled at himself in ignorant bliss and started nodding his head to a rhythm only he heard.

As Zero droned mentally over the excitement that surrounded the events of today, he failed to notice the water turning into a black sludge.

He also failed to notice the lock on the door activates.

Instead, his thoughts switched from the Sports Festival to a tune.

“Pick a flower, pick a flower” he daintily sang. “Bumblebees are out”

He continued singing the song as the white washcloth wiped the dirt from his shoulders, ears, and face. He bent over into the sink to completely wash his face.

As he did so, a hand covered in sludge emerged from the tub.

The body from the tub stood up and stepped out of the tub.

Zero continued to wash his face.

He grabbed a towel as his face hovered in the sink, dripping with pristine water. A towel hugged his face as he began humming again.

The water in the sink flowed silently.

“Pick a flower,” Zero spoke against the towel.

The body stepped ominously close to Zero.

“Pick a flower” the body saw itself raise its arms in the mirror.

“B̤̈ṳ̈m̤̈b̤̈l̤̈ë̤b̤̈ë̤ë̤s̤̈ ä̤r̤̈ë̤ ö̤ṳ̈ẗ̤” it finished.

Zero dropped the towel before the body slammed its arms into Zero’s neck and he collided into the far wall. The body gained speed on him and before Zero could get his bearings, it held him against the wall and started choking him.

Banging on the door was heard as black dots walked away from Zero’s vision.

“Zero?” Greed shouted. “Is everything alright?” The door handle jiggled and more banging sounded. A jumble of noises and voices folded over each other.

Garbled noises sprang from Zero’s throat. He eyed the water from the sink and shot a hand towards it. The water from the sink (and from the toilet) responded and shot at the body. The sludge washed off from the torso and above as he crashed into the water.

“Open the door or I’m kicking it down, Zero!” Pride shouted with concern.

Zero took one step and the thing shot out a hand and grabbed Zero’s legs. He fell and the thing took advantage of him on the ground and crawled up Zero’s body. Zero shut his eyes as a natural reaction and tried pushing the thing off of him. The thing retaliated quickly and fastened his hands around Zero’s neck again.

Zero opened his eyes at him in pain and gasped.

He saw himself.

The sink overflowing with water and fell onto the floor as the banging on the door drowned out. Zero looked at the boy strangle him and the breath in his lungs disappeared.

He looked just like him, but instead of hints of green in his hair and eyes- the boy had matte black eyes and hair. He kept a blank face as his muscles bulged and crumpled Zero’s throat like a piece of paper.

Just when Zero’s eyelids were closing, the door busted off its’ hinges and hit the doppelganger.

The body flew through the air and phased through the wall.

Through the static in his ears, Zero saw his brothers surround around him and try to keep him awake. He felt like he had cotton in his ears and mouth as it became harder to stay awake. Pride picked him up suddenly and started to carry him out of the bathroom.

All of the brothers followed him except Envy, Sloth, and Wrath.

“You think this was his doing?” Sloth said after a moment of silence.

Envy sighed. “I don’t know” Envy closed his eyes and Wrath pulled him into a hug for comfort while Sloth patted his back.

The answer rang between them because that’s the only answer they could equally agree on.

Chapter Text

So, it's been a while- lemme tell you why.

Instead of studying for finals on the first week of May, I took one of my old stories on Wattpad (that like never took off for two years) and decided to post it on Tapas. In less than a month, it made a home on the featured page.

It has gotten so popular that (long story short) I get paid from that website.

So, I updated a whole bunch and got paid money.

I got y'all emails saying I got your kudos and comments and I read every single one- guilt building up and up and up.

Now, I cross update on here and Wattpad. On Wattpad, there is a fan made awards called the "BNHA Fanfiction Awards". As an author, I cannot choose myself. Some fans (actually a lot of fans) on Wattpad put my name down and I was like, "Oh sweet" and then I totally forgot about it.

The people who run the awards updated their cuts for the finals I was like, "I probably didn't make it to finals because I haven't updated in two months"

AND THEN, I DID MAKE FINALS!

I'm so shocked. I'm super shocked. I'm shook. I've been nominated for: Best Plot, Best Long Story, Most Original Story, Best Narration,  and Best AU Story. My homies from Wattpad are already voting for me but I'd really appreciate if you guys could vote for me as well! I'll leave a link down in the notes and all you have to do is comment next to "s e v e n by snixeyes" (snixeyes is my name on Wattpad) and comment 'Yes" for the category you agree most with.

If you could do that then that'd be great but if not then it's all good.

I figured I'd update biweekly (because I have the other book and college) and then in December the updates will be a bit better.

Now, I gotta get to writing the next chapter so the Sport's Festival can FINALLY start- and I'll link my Tapas book in the comments section (it is free to read). Like I said before, I'll also link the Wattpad BNHA award book and feel free to do with those as you will.

Thank you all and ｓｅｖｅｎ will be back shortly!

Chapter Text

“Are you alright, Midoriya?” Todoroki asked. Zero grunted a response as a small ice pack rested on top of his head. He didn’t remember much from waking up until now, but his brothers all looked at him with soft eyes and kept looking around them every few seconds.

What happened?

Kaachan took the ice pack off and rested it on a table behind him. He looked like he was about to speak on the elephant in the room but decided not to. “Nice hair clips, Lust.”

“Thank you Katsuki! I think I look sickening with these bad boys!” He did a twirl, and Kaachan smiled at him with enjoyment.

Zero ruffled his hair as the past events slowly came to him. He was in the bathroom when he was attacked by a mysterious person that came from nowhere. Everything after that is a blur until he woke up with people watching him frantically. According to Todoroki, everyone was wondering where Zero and his brothers were. Suddenly, Gluttony busted down the door with Zero in one arm and a breakfast sandwich in the other hand. Lust got him some ice while Greed and Envy tried waking him up. Iida suggested that they’d head for the nurse’s office, but Envy told them that she wasn’t there when they showed up.

In the end, Iida managed to wake him up before call time.

Zero rubbed his neck and drank the cup of water Pride offered him. It soothed the burns that were invisibly coiling around his neck but left a stinging sensation due to the phantom pain.

“Thanks, guys,” Zero smiled weakly at his brothers. They returned it with one of their own. “I’m glad you guys found me when you did.”

“That punk better hope he never sees me” Pride smashed his hands together and ground his teeth. “I’d beat him to a pulp.”

Small laughs rang out, but Zero kept his eyes on Todoroki. He looked like he had something to say but didn’t know how to say it.

“Is everything alright, Todoroki?”

Todoroki shook his head. “I was going to say something, but that’d be selfish of me. It’s fine.”

Before he could comment on his quick answer, a voice over the intercom told everyone to get in their respective places for the start of the tournament. Zero stood up slowly and rolled his shoulders back- wincing at hearing them pop. Classmates rushed towards the door while his brothers, Kaachan, Todoroki, and Zero stood in the vacant classroom.

“Let’s go out there and have fun!” Lust punched the sky. Zero nodded while Greed patted his back.

“Take it easy, alright? We don’t mind stepping in.”

Zero waved a hand in front of his face. “No no; I want to be able to participate with my friends.” He gestured to Kaachan and Todoroki.

Kaachan huffed. “I’m fighting to win,” Todoroki nodded.

“Well then,” Greed patted the boy's backs. “You both have some strong competitors because we all never lose.”

“Hey!”

The crowd screamed with anticipation. No seat was left empty, and helicopters hovered above the dome with caution as people got an overhead view of the jam-packed stadium.

“Pay attention audience! Swarm, mass media! This year’s high school rodeo of adolescence that you all love, the U.A. sports festival, is about to begin! Everybody, are you ready?!” One of the announcers for the tournament, Present Mic, shouted to the thousands of people in the arena.

Zero heard the response of the crowd as the doorway was engulfed in lights as it got closer and closer.

“It’s time for the students to enter the first-year stage!”

Somewhere not-so-far-away, Zero could feel his mother praying for him and his brothers. He knew that all of his teachers would be watching and he wanted to give them a good show.

“The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel!”

Zero took a deep breath and then walked into the light.

“Hero course, Class 1-A, right?!”

Fireworks reacted as soon as his class stepped into the scene. Everyone in the class looked forward as their outfits of blue and white shone in the sunlight. Lust waved to everyone, while his pink, purple, and white hair clips bounced effortlessly in his hair. Zero looked around at the people, and his cheeks grew red with nerves.

“Th-Th-There are so many people,” Zero stuttered.

“Will we be able to give our best performance while being watched by so many people?” Iida asked himself aloud. “This is also part of the training required to become a hero.”

“Man, he’s going overboard with that praise! I’m getting nervous!” Kirishima winced. “Aren’t you, Bakugo?”

“No, I’m just getting more into it” Katsuki sneered.

“They haven’t been getting as much airtime, but this class is also full of talent!” Present Mic went on. “Hero course, Class 1-B!”

“Here come the people who are the background characters to their story arc” Envy mumbled. Wrath playfully hit him in the gut and Envy responded with a shrug.

“Next up, general studies Classes C, D, and E! Support course, Classes F, G, and H are here, too! And business course, Classes I, J, and K!”

Class by class, students walked towards the center of the arena while the cheers grew stronger and stronger. “All of U.A.’s first years are here now!” Zero looked at everyone and then at Greed. Greed was mumbling to him nonstop about the people they saw, gaining and gathering information about how to counterattack every one of them.

“We’re just here to make those guys look better, huh?” a student from the General Studies course said. Zero looked at a couple of general studies students in confusion as they stank of teen spirit.

“I’m not really feeling it,” a girl answered. Zero felt bad for them. He looked forward to the Sports Festival every year, and he really wished everyone could share the same excitement he felt.

Sloth put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Zero. It just means less competition for us when it comes down to it” Sloth yawned and then lazily smiled before he pushed Zero towards the stage.

Once all the students gathered in the middle of the arena, Pro-hero Midnight walked up on the stage. She shot her whip up into the air, and the crowd turned down their vocal anticipation.

“Time for the player pledge! Representing the students is Midoriya Izuku from Class 1-A!”

Zero’s eyes widened as his brothers looked at him with dull surprise. Some classmates looked at him with surprise, and Zero immediately felt his confidence drop to his gut.

“Why is it me? Why didn’t I hear about this?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Since you/we finished first, one of us has to speak for the Sport’s Festival. Since we weren’t necessarily registered as students at the time, you have to do it,” Gluttony said with a bag of chips in his hand. “I could’ve sworn I said it to you while you were in the infirmary.”

Zero shook his head frantically. “I-I can’t go up there! What am I going to say?”

Pride huffed. “I’ll speak on your behalf, but you’re still coming up there with me” Zero began speaking frantically against the decision, but Pride still grabbed his hand and began dragging him to the stage.

They painfully make it up to the stairs, but Midnight looked at them both in confusion.

“Which one of you is Midoriya Izuku?”

Pride pointed to Zero- who was visibly dying as the eyes of the entire nation looked down at his back.

“I shall be speaking on his behalf, though” Pride started walking to the microphone. Midnight was about to say something but gave up since they did look alike.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku’s twin brother, Pride, and I shall be speaking on his behalf.”

Silence came on briefly as Zero saw that he and Pride were on every screen. He looked at Pride and saw that he had his eyes facing the stadium.

“I pledge that I’ll be number one.”

Every student from Class 1-A screamed with shock while Katsuki’s laughter could be heard from miles away. “If you really thought he’d say anything different, then you are foolish” Katsuki managed to stay in between gasps of air from laughing too much.

“I pledge,” Pride continued over all the booing. “That my brothers and I will be number one because no one but two other people are worthy of that title. That is all.”

Zero sunk to the ground, with his hand still being held by Pride, as Pride ignored all the hate the other classes gave them both. Pride looked to Zero and chocked his head.

“How could you say that?” Zero asked from his shadow.

Pride shrugged. “Inko says not to lie, and I didn’t. They’re just a bunch of haters so you should just block them out Zero.”

Iida ran to the foot of the stairs. “Why are you doing something so disgraceful?!” He chopped his arm through the air several times at Pride. “I’m pretty sure that Zero did not mean for you to say those words!”

Pride let go of Zero’s hand and picked him up bridal style. Facing the mass booing behind him, he responded. “At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of” He leaned Zero forward a bit and stuck out a thumbs-down gesture.

“How overconfident can someone be? I’ll crush you!” A student from the Hero Course Class 1-B snarled at him.

Pride scratched his head. “Who are you?” Pride started walking down the stage. “Overconfident? What do you expect? My name is Pride” That gained a laugh from Zero, and Pride set him down at the base of the stairs. They were welcomed back among their friends, and Kaachan gave a big high-five to Pride.

A sign on the central television appeared, and it gained attention from the students.

“Now, let’s get started right away. The first game is what you’d call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here! Now, here is the fateful first game!” Midnight swished her whip above her head, and a screen appeared.

“This year it’s an Obstacle Race!” Students became anxious, but Zero’s brothers all showed some form of excitement.

“All 11 classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium- about four kilometers! Our school’s selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn’t matter what you do! Now, take your places, everyone!” Midnight pointed to a door with three green lights on top of it.

“So, what’s the plan?” Zero turned to his brothers as the other classmates started heading to the start line.

“Well, we were all thinking that you’d do this one by yourself,” Greed said. The other brothers nodded. “If you need us then you can call on us but let everyone see the training that you’ve put in.”

“But also, don’t because you don’t want people figuring out how to counter you,” Lust said, and Zero nodded. “I doubt this thing will be over after this so just give these people a taste of what’s to come.”

Zero nodded, and all of his brothers stood around him, slightly shining.

“We’ll be back after this round. We want to come back to a win, Zero” Greed said.

“I won’t let you down, Greed” Zero nodded to them, and they all disappeared back within him. Zero’s body hummed with power as he joined Kaachan and Todoroki at the door along with the rest of the students.

The green lights started to dim, and one of them went off. Zero felt the power churn inside of him with anticipation, and he felt the corners of his mouth widen into a smile.

Another green light dimmed. Air moved coils around him, and he could feel the serenity among the nervous kids. He kept the air moving so that he could hold a calm head once the race began.

The last green light dimmed and then was off.

“Start!” Midnight screamed.

Chapter Text

Footsteps clamored into the small doorway as all the children ran inside. Zero's classmates shot through all the other children and began racing towards the front in hopes of getting a head start on the obstacles.

"Okay, here's the play-by-play!" Present Mic's voice rang through the intercoms. "Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?" 

 The other announcer, Eraser Head (who was wrapped head to toe in bandages) finally made some noise since the start of the festival.

"You're the one who forced me to come" Present Mic smiled wider at his commentary and continued.

"Well, let's get started! What should we pay attention to in the early stages?"

Eraser Head smiled underneath his bandages and chuckled lowly. "This part right now."

Izuku took his words into play and noticed that the tunnel was getting smaller and smaller. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he didn't like being squished against one another. 

 Izuku looked up and realized he still had the air currents slithering around him. With little effort, Izuku lifted his hands into the air and managed to push himself into the air. He shot out like the puss from a pimple. Izuku smiled himself and was about to continue to the exit when he had an inkling to cover himself with defense. Acting on instinct, he swooped his hands in front of him and made a hamster ball of air that protected him from all sides. He looked over the students one last time before riding the air currents above everyone.

 Not a moment after, a cold wave of air hit them all and left the students on the ground frozen in their tracks.

 Izuku looked ahead and saw Todoroki running with ice glittering his path.

 "Sorry, but-" Todoroki started.

 "Naive, Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu cut him off. Behind Todoroki was Kaachan, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Aoyama- all using their Quirks to catch up to him.

"I won't let you get away so easily, you half-and-half bastard!" Kaachan yelled with a crazed look in his eye. He blasted his way forward. Izuku knew that they still didn't notice him high up in the sky yet, so he kept his distance but made sure that he was in between Todoroki and Kaachan's group.

"You got me with that once. You won't get me again!" Izuku heard Ojiro speak from behind. Alongside him was Tokoyami and they didn't seem to notice him either. One by one, his classmates were getting free and leaving students from other classes in their dust.

It made him smile that his friends were doing so well amongst others.

"More people outside of Class A were able to dodge that than I expected," Todoroki told himself. 

"Oi, Todoroki" Zero spoke from above him. Todoroki slightly jumped and looked up at Zero while running aimlessly. "I saw what you did back there. Pretty sneaky," Zero smiled cheekily.

He looked at Izuku in the air and blinked a bit before looking back at the winding path. "I did what I had to do to secure my head start," he replied coldly.

Izuku heard his serious tone but ignored it. "Well, I want to see you try to win. I'm bringing out the big guns to win this Festival."

"I have something to prove in this Festival, so I must win" Todoroki used his Ice Quirk to run ahead at full speed.

"Something to prove?" Izuku thought but dismissed. He saw Todoroki stop up ahead and decided to dismiss his air currents. He fell right next to him and studied their first obstacle.

Robots- the same robots from the Entrance Exams.

"Targets found," A robot said with its one eye trained on both Todoroki and Izuku. 

"Obstacles have shown up suddenly! Starting with the first barrier, Robo-Inferno!" Present Mic presented as three giant robots stood in front of everyone.

"Aren't those the zero-point villains from the entrance exam?" Kaminari said. Students began to gripe about the difficulty that was placed in front of them at first hand, and the option of quitting was close behind. 

Izuku looked at Todoroki and saw he was about to take action. 

"Todoroki let me handle this," He said stoically.

Todoroki stopped and looked at him. "Why should I?"

Izuku smiled. "One mess up and you could die too," Todoroki's face told all as Izuku gained air currents around his body once more and levitated in front of all the robots.

"What's this? Class 1-A's Midoriya Izuku is acting like he can take them all on! No one below seems to be moving, and all eyes are on him!"

Talking amongst the students stopped as they watched Izuku stare down the robots that could decimate him in seconds.

"Target locked," the robots all said in unison as their red eyes shined with action.

He closed his eyes and willed on the power of one of his brothers. The rules rang in his head that anything went when it came to Quirks in the Obstacle Course. Izuku heard the machines ready their aim on him as he felt liquid come down his face. His hearing amplified as he listened to the gears inside his opponent's turn with each breath as his sight faded away to darkness.

Zero was no longer himself, but Wrath.

Wrath held a hand towards the robots. Streams of crimson rushed down his arm, into a tiny ball- that was the size of a penny.

"What is Midoriya doing? Is that what I think it is?" Present Mic let his thoughts wander over the microphone.

Wrath let his hand tilt downwards so that the ball of destruction could fall. The camera picked up the ball fall from his hands and zoomed-in- showing on all screens.

The robot closest to the front lifted a hand to swat it away, only to be buried in an early grave.

The ball ignited, and a massive mushroom cloud took its' place. Wrath knew that some children who didn't heed Todoroki's warning were blown back to the beginning of the race and he didn't care. 

The wind felt good on his face, and Zero's currents kept him steady from the blast. 

He felt himself drift forwards a second and then land on solid ground. His eyesight came back, and Zero knew he was back in his own body again. He looked at the damage Wrath made, and his eyes widened.

There was an endless abyss where the robots stood.

"Oh my God" Present Mic spoke. "That was amazing!" Zero almost laughed at the unexpected reaction and waved at the endless amount of people shouted over his execution.

"Midoriya from Class 1-A single-handedly destroyed the robots with his Quirk! Now, the students must face a new challenge- finding a way past that endless abyss!" Zero smiled back at the students on the other side and gave a thumbs up.

"You can do it, Kaachan! Todoroki!"

He saw a fire of some kind, and then Kaachan propelling himself over the vast abyss that he created. Todoroki, on the other hand, started running and ice built a bridge underneath him- that carried him across the gap.

"Crossing it like it was no big deal are Bakugo Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto also from Class 1-A! All the other students seem to want to cross on Todoroki's bridge, but how long will it last?" Present Mic looked at his correspondent. 

Mummy Man shrugged. "Don't look at me for answers."

Zero didn't wait for his friends to catch up and ran to the next obstacle. He could see it up ahead and saw that some parts of the Earth were missing. Some ropes seemed to walk over the gaps in the cracks, and he could feel a smirk coming up on his lips.

This was going to be Child's Play.  

Pro-heroes sat in a small area by some steps as the students competed with their all. Heroes talked amongst themselves as they each tried to figure out with student they'd want as their apprentice.

"As expected, most of the group that's gone ahead is from Class A," One hero said. "Class B and the other courses aren't bad, either!"

All Might looked at the students and then at the box where the announcers are. He knew that he and Aizawa had the same thought process- and it was confirmed when he displayed it over the intercom.

"Class A doesn't spend a lot of time standing around. Those who experienced firsthand that world above them through the incident at USJ; those who were afraid planted in their hearts; those who dealt with it and pushed through- they all used that experience to drown out their hesitation." 

All Might nodded with his commentary, but the words Aizawa spoke ran over deaf ears as the competition heated up. All Might sighed and went back to listening to his peers.

"During the Entrance Exam, they were there to be avoided. If you see them as things to be defeated, then they're dumb hunks of metal. You'll start to see openings," A Pro-hero said. He put a finger on his face and hummed. "But that Midoriya kid; he did the same thing at the Entrance Exams except this was more contained."

"Either he learned how to control it, or he was showing off the first time," Another Pro-hero said and shrugged. "He must've seen those robots as nothing to him on both equations." 

"But I don't remember seeing that Air Quirk before" another spoke. "I remember that Destructive Quirk- hell, I remember consoling some of the children who were scared of the Quirk- but I don't remember that."

"Does anyone remember what his Quirk was?" Someone asked.

Heads shook left and right before All Might spoke.

"Midoriya is a wild card. Long version short- it'll be best to stay on his good side, or you'll be put six feet under" All Might said with a smile and his colleagues laughed at him.

Little did they know that he was serious.

"Hey, hey! That first barrier was a piece of cake, right?" Present Mic yelled. "Then what about the second?"

Izuku looked down into the abyss as his classmates slowly piled behind him. He stood in front, Kaachan to his left, then Todoroki to his right. No one made a step forward as the ropes connecting each platform shook with vibrations. 

"If you fall, you're out! If you don't wanna fall, then crawl! It's 'The Fall'!" Present Mic concluded.

Izuku watched as some students slowly made their way onto the ropes. Todoroki iced the line and started skiing his way to the next ledge. Kaachan blasted himself, literally, to the next shelf and did so with each ledge. A girl from his class, Tsu, jumped onto the ropes and started crawling with perfect balance. Another girl, Hatsune Mei, (as she introduced), turned on her gadgets and started flying over the pit.

Izuku noticed a tree off to the side that cast perfect shade. He ran over to it and touched the shadows that licked his legs and palms. He saw how it invited him, and Izuku took deep breaths before calling on one of his brothers.

Envy answered the call. 

He saw the shadows bending under his will and noticed some trees on the other side of the pit. Envy slowly started sinking into the ground, into the cloak of shadows. No one noticed his sudden disappearance as their competitive spirits blinded them. 

Envy closed his eyes as the top of his head was swallowed into the shadows but opened them when he saw that he was crouching on the other side of the pit. He stood up, with his hand on the tree, as he felt himself fade and Zero took the forefront.

He ran out of the shadows and started running down the path.

"What's this?" Present Mic shrieked. "Class 1-A Midoriya Izuku retakes the lead! How did he even get there?"

"He used his Quirk to skip this obstacle," the Eraser Head sourly replied. "Very smart on his part."

"Well, the leader of the pack is easily getting through first!" Present Mic screamed.

Izuku spotted the pink stairs and looked back. Todoroki was gaining on him, with Kaachan on his heels while airborne. 

He huffed. "I kinda cheated that last round, so I'll play fair this next one" Izuku giggled with glee as excitement pumped through his legs- making him go faster. 

"Or maybe not."

Spectators watched the screens showcasing the race.

"That guy in the first place is way ahead!" One person said. Some people nodded, and others continued watching the screen.

"His Quirk is powerful- but what is it? He showed an Air and Destructive Quirk earlier, and now the announcer is saying that he used his Shadow Quirk. His natural athletic ability and judgment are also cut above everyone else's" A man with a fresh eye on his forehead said. "Maybe his Quirk allows him to copy others or adapt to the situation" He finished with a shrug.

Another spectator shrugged as well. "This year's students are extraordinary, but you're right- Midoriya I think his name is- he is a sight to see" The man laughed. "He may become the Number One Hero with all his strengths!"

Everyone around him smiled at his conclusions and started cheering on Midoriya. The man with the eye is his forehead spoke again, this time louder than before. 

"The lead pack is a step ahead, but below them, everyone's clumped together! They haven't announced how many people will make it through, so you can't relax! Push forward!" Present Mic yelled words of encouragement into the speaker.

Zero ran up the stairs and stopped at the top. Todoroki caught up with him, and Kaachan jumped down from his place above the rest of them. A plane of dirt with small hills laid out in front of them, but something seemed very off to Izuku.

"And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier!" Present Mic screeched. "The reality here is that it's a minefield! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So, you have to exploit your eyes and legs! By the way, these landmines are for games, so they're not that powerful, but they're loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!"

The three of them were breathing hard, and Kaachan decided to take a step forward.

Izuku shot out a hand in front of him.

"The mines are made of clay so I can potentially raise them into the air so the three of us can safely run to the other side" He rushed out, and Kaachan looked at him with a blank face.

"Why are you trying to help us during a competition?" Todoroki said from his right. "You did it earlier, and now you're doing it again- why?"

Izuku thought over the question before answering quietly. "I don't want to see my friends, hurt."

Kaachan made a groaning noise and whipped his hands straight down his face. He looked over his shoulder, and even though he couldn't see the other students, he could hear them.

"Fine, fine" Kaachan said tiredly as Todoroki nodded his head.

"But after we make it to the other side, it's back to competitive mode" Todoroki added.

"Deal" Izuku and Kaachan spoke at the same time. 

Izuku took a deep breath before taking a few steps forward. He put his forearms by his side, bent his knees, palms towards the sun, and kept his head down.

"What's this? Class 1-A's leaders stopped at the mines and have been talking. Midoriya Izuku stepped up, and Todoroki Shouto and Bakugo Katsuki stood watching. What the heck is going on?" Present Mic asked, but his question was left unanswered.

 He could feel the landmines hum to match the beat of his heart as they stood up in their graves. He felt every single one of them and thanked the high heavens that someone decided to make them out of the Earth.

As soon as he felt in tune with the Earth, he smiled.

"If you could hurry it up a bit, that'd be great" Kaachan yelled over Izuku's concentration. 

Before he could say anymore, Izuku thrust his arms out to his side and flicked his arms over so that his palms were facing downwards. He slowly raised his hands high up in the air, and along with them, the mines rose from the ground like zombies.

"Oh my God" Present Mic said in awe.

The mines were pushed high into the air and soon turned the scenery white with the vast amount of mines fluttering in the breeze.

Once Izuku's hands were high in the air, he turned to his friends. He noticed a horde of people running towards them and gestured to the field with his head.

"Let's go!" Izuku turned around and ran with both boys- with his hands in the air.

"Look at this! The boys seemed to have made a truce, and Midoriya Izuku lifted all the mines from the ground so they wouldn't have to dodge them! But why did he do that?" 

The mummy next to him spoke. "If I had to guess, it's because he didn't want them to get hurt. But he'll have to put them down sometime or forfeit the lead that he has due to that burden." 

"I see. This is an obstacle that puts those in the lead at a disadvantage. And since you decided to hold the mines up so no one would get hurt- you'll be in the last place" Todoroki said.

"Are you fine with losing?" Kaachan said from his left as they ran faster.

Zero laughed. "Greed would have my head if I lost. Plus, I said I didn't want you guys hurt- not them. This is still a competition, and I'm making sure that we end up in the top three."

Kaachan narrowed his eyes. "Who am I talking to? This can't be Izuku."

Izuku laughed some more as the edge of the field came closer. "Still me, Kaachan. Plus, I figured this was going to put us behind, and I kinda want a fight to the finish- but just between us three."

Todoroki huffed. "If that's what you want, then why not- I'm gonna win anyway."

Kaachan smirked. "Don't count me out, Half Baked."

Izuku smiled at his friends as they reached the end of the field. They looked at the people running towards them and saw them running desperately at them.

Izuku dropped his hands.

One by one; the reign of terror in the form of white disks rained upon everyone and screaming ensued. 

Everything after that happened in slow motion for Izuku.

He turned around and ignored the explosions that yelled at his back and the screams that cursed his name. He ignored Present Mic's colorful commentary about the terror ensued after him. Instead, he focused on his friends running ahead of him and felt his adrenaline slowly being depleted. A sheen of sweat he didn't notice ran down his eyes, and it blurred him for a second.

He stopped a little but knew he wouldn't make it.

So, he clenched his fists, and the ground swallowed up Todoroki's and Kaachan's feet- causing them to fall. The Earth around their ankles were weak, and they managed to get out of them pretty quickly- but after Izuku ran past them. Earlier, it seemed as if he needed a nice nap that would last for years, and now, he was bursting with energy that he didn't know he had before as ran under a tunnel.

The light on the other side pulled him into a tender hug, and he smiled wide.

"U.A. Sports Festival, First-Year Stage! Right now, the first person back in the stadium is that man, Midoriya Izuku!"

Chapter Text

The crowd roared with amazement. People jumped out of their seats like they were allergic to them and bullied the air with their fists. Izuku heard people shouting his name before being joined by Kaachan and Todoroki. The announcers announced their names but he couldn’t hear it over the deafening roar that played tennis within his own ears.

He seemed to glow a bit before all his brothers spilled out of him with their smiles wide.

“Where did you learn how to do any of that?” Pride yelled as he dug his knuckles lightly into Zero’s head. All of his brothers surrounded him with endless chatter and he made eye contact with Gluttony. Envy and Wrath stood side by side but gave him two thumbs up and Zero’s heart swelled.

“You were great!” Gluttony yelled with Sloth’s arm draped over his shoulders. Chip residue flung into the air from Gluttony’s hands and Zero giggled as some landed in his hair.

Lust brushed it off and took a selfie with Zero. “I’m gonna remember this moment!” He gave Zero a big hug and snuggled into his neck. “We were all watching with anticipation- you handled everything so well.”

“You did us all proud, Zero” Greed said as he added onto the hug. Zero accepted it and all of his brother came around and hugged each other.

It was peaceful and Zero felt his beating heart slowdown from the excitement.

“I’m sorry (not sorry) to break up this touching moment, but we need to get back over to start the grounds for the next round” Kaachan shouted from behind them.

Zero looked and saw a handful of students heading back up to the bleachers and another group standing in front of Pro-hero Midnight- who stood on a stage. She waved them over and they all began to run to her.

Once they got within earshot, she began to speak. “Congratulations to the people who made it to the next qualifier. The next round of U.A. Sports Festival First-Year stage is...” a machine that was spinning behind her stopped and she smiled with her whip in her hand. 

“A cavalry battle with the Top 42 from the qualifier!” Noises of an array of emotions surfaced from the crowd. “Those at the top will suffer more. You’ll hear this many times as you attend UA. This is what ‘Plus Ultra’ means!” Midnight looked around the crowd and spotted Izuku. She thrusted her whip at him and Lust shivered with delight.

“Midoriya Izuku, who placed first in the qualifier, is worth ten million points!” Zero’s eyes went wide and his brothers stood tall and went on guard. Zero tried to keep a poker face but the eyes staring at him were looking at him like he was the prey.

Zero didn’t like the sight not one bit.

Greed grabbed his hand and shook him out of his trance. Zero looked at him but Greed stayed facing forward. 

Midnight continued. “Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle. The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members’ points, and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other’s headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can” Midnight demonstrated with a headband she was given by a helper and showed everyone that they were Velcro and could be easily snatched. 

“Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So, the more you steal, the harder it’ll be to manage them! And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you’re not out!”

“Which means,” Yaoyorozu started. 

“Since there are 42 people, there will be ten or twelve teams on the field the whole time?” Sato finished for her.

“That’s tough” Aoyama whimpered.

“One strategy could be to let someone take your points first so you’ll be more free” Ashido thought out loud.

“It’s hard to say without seeing how all the points end up getting split up, Mina” Tsuyu replied.

“During the game, it’ll be a cruel fight where you can use your Quirks. But it is still a cavalry battle. You’ll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose! You’ll be removed immediately!”

Izuku could’ve sworn that he heard Kaachan curse.

A timer on the projection flashed with 15 minutes.

“Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!” Midnight yelled.

Zero turned to Todoroki and Kaachan to invite them to be on his team but Greed had other plans.

“Katsuki. Todoroki.” He looked at them with stern eyes. “I want to see if you have a chance against beating us. I want you both to make teams and succeed in claiming second or third place. After doing so, come to us- you’ll spot us easily”

Kaachan scoffed. “You think we can’t dethrone you, Greed? I’m sure I’ll come in first”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Kaachan” Pride smirked. “I believe the score was: Pride- 69 and Katsuki- 0. What makes you think you can beat me this time?”

Kaachan growled. “I’ll wipe that smirk off your ass” and with that, Kaachan stomped off to Kirishima.

Todoroki stood stoically and looked at Zero. “I will not go easy on you just because we are friends”

“I-I wouldn’t want you to” Zero replied hesitantly. Todoroki nodded and then walked off to form a group with Iida.

Lust deeply growled. “I could watch his apple bottom any day of the week!” He bit his lip and Pride punched his shoulder. Wrath somewhat smiled at the playful air and Envy wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortably. 

“Yo” Gluttony started between bites potato chips he randomly had. Sloth had his arms wrapped around his shoulders and seemed to be asleep despite the loud atmosphere.

“Why isn’t anyone approaching us to be in their group?” 

Zero looked around and saw that everyone was already in some kind of group and talking strategy. “Oh jeez! I knew this would happen! We are the prey!”

Greed laughed. “Me? Us? Prey? What a funny joke, Zero!” He laughed at Zero’s pale expression and caused some groups to look at him before turning away.

Pride put a hand on Zero’s shoulder. “It’s going to be fine; we can beat anyone here in our sleep- and that includes you” He booped Zero’s nose.

“How are we going to do that? We don’t even have a team!” Zero began to pace but Sloth got up from Gluttony and stopped him before he could do anymore.

“For someone so smart, you are so dense sometimes” He knocked on Zero’s noggin- which caused Zero to shake his emerald curls in their own rhythm. He yawned and shook some sleep out of his eyes. Zero tilted his head in confusion but Sloth patted his back and yawned again.

“We are going to be your group!” Lust did jazz hands after saying it and to their surprise, Zero’s confused face turned to a smile which turned into a laugh. The sound made each of them smile and feel like their energy had been replenished by a thousand percent. They couldn’t feel the slightest bit of fatigue and felt like they could take on the world.

If Zero wanted them to, of course.

Greed stepped forward and beckoned everyone to huddle closer. With a glance at the timer it showed him that he had three minutes. 

It was plenty of time. 

“Now, let’s get down to business” 

Chapter Text

“Now, then, it’s about time to get started!” Midnight yelled as the timer for making teams sounded. She was stretching her limber bones with ease and had a smile plastered on her face.

“After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve calvary teams are lined up on the field!” Present Mic yelled over the intercom.

“There are some interesting teams out there.” Eraser Head whispered in awe.

Present Mic nodded, but not many could see his gesture. He turned back to the mic, just as people started to voice their excitement. “Now, raise those battle cries! It’s time for U.A.’s bloody battle!”

The camera zoomed in on Zero lacing up his headband, while Greed, Envy, and Pride held him up. The shadow tendrils licked their legs as Zero remembered the strategy Greed came up with earlier.

The plan? There was no plan.

Greed said that people were unpredictable and can change up their own written strategy if their original plan goes south. So- it’s best to go with the flow and take things as they come.

As weak as the plan sounded, Greed was a phenomenal tactician.

So, they braced for everything to come.

“Light the signal fire!” Present Mic yelled. The screen displayed an ‘Are You Ready?’ and the crowd roared like thunder. The camera panned to each group, and Present Mic continued, “I’m not gonna ask if your ready or not! Now, let’s go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal!”

Zero felt his heart tug with anticipation as Present Mic threw away numbers.

“Three!”

Katsuki cracked his knuckles.

“Two!”

Todoroki stared straight ahead stoically.

“One!”

Midnight waved a flag. “Start!”

Suddenly, from all directions, people began running towards Zero’s groups. Zero’s eyes widened, but Greed just smiled wildly.

“Oh, how I missed the thrill of the hunt!” He laughed wickedly.

A student coming closer from the sides yelled, “It’s basically a battle for the ten million points!”

Envy spoke up from behind Zero. “What’s the plan?”

Zero blinked his gaze away from the oncoming students and looked up at the sky. “Let’s head upwards. From there, we will watch them do our bidding.”

Pride chuckled from behind him. “Time to relax.”

Zero nodded and looked down at Greed. “Does that sound good to you?”

“As much as I want to take out everyone right now and sit pretty until the timer is up- I guess moving to higher ground will be good for us. I can’t identify the different Quirks right now, but I’m pretty confident that not many have the aerial ability.” He shrugged. “But as a double play, Envy leave some shadows on the ground. If people come close, take their bandanas and come up top.”

Envy nodded. Zero started moving his hands in a way that resembled the infinity sign to call on the air, but shouting shocked him out of concentration.

“I won’t let you!” The same student from earlier shouted. A person from his group stomped on the ground and outshot something similar to Envy’s shadow tendril. It shot in a straight line towards Zero’s group and made the floor beneath them turn into fast quicksand.

“Ah, Honenuki Juzo. His Quirk is called Softening. It allows him to soften any non-living thing he touches- which hinders movements and mobility.” Greed rattled off while everyone sunk calmly into the ground. “Zero, you know what to do.”

Zero nodded and quickly sliced the air with his arms. The floor underneath him responded and disabled the Quirk. Zero then gathered breath in a swooping motion and pushed up against an invisible force. As his arms extended upwards, the ground they were all standing on shot upwards. They rose high in the air- and away from the chaos.

Once reaching the desired limit, Zero stopped the Earth's control and switched to air. He made a fast whipping motion, and an air bubble appeared under him. He kept a finger in the sky to keep it twirling.

“I think as long as I don’t touch the ground, and you all don’t break formation, then we are still in the game. Keep a lookout for people who try to make the flight up here.”

Everyone nodded. “They’d be a fool to do so. Not only is it steep, but they have to go through us- I mean, who would be idiotic enough to do that?”

They all thought a minute before a name popped into each mind.

“Katsuki.”

Present Mic entered the noise. “Now then, even though barely two minutes have passed since we started, it’s already turned into a free-for-all! Fights over the headbands breaking out all over! Ignoring the ten million points and going for second to fourth places isn’t bad, either!”

Greed sighed. “I wanna be in that brawl so bad.” He smiled at Zero. “But this plan isn’t so bad. It shouldn’t be long until we have to go back down.”

Zero swiveled his air ball to face Greed. “I’m surprised that you don’t mind staying up here. I could’ve sworn you would’ve wanted to get some action early on.”

Greed kept smiling as Zero lightly chuckled at his own words. “I know, but people forget that the Sports Festival is all about endurance. Tiring yourself in the second challenge will get people out fast. The people who lasted until the longest in this challenge will be tired and be able to make mistakes easily. So, it’s better to let them do all the hard work while we sit up here, recuperating. We will head down when it’s time, and by then, the wheat will already be separated from the chaff.”

Pride and Zero nodded. Pride looked like he was about to say something before repeated explosions made their way closer and closer to them. 

“Don’t get carried away!” Katsuki came into view and was inches away from Zero. Zero began to back away, but Katsuki reached forward. His fingertips graced the edges of Zero’s bandana as Zero moved away from him.

“Damn it!” He sent an explosion towards Zero, but Zero thrust his left hand forward, and it was met with a spew of fire. It made way through his explosion and blasted Katsuki towards the ground. Luckily a piece of white tape circled around his waist and grabbed him over the edge before he could touch the ground.

Present Mic screamed. “He’s gotten separated from his horses!”

“It’s a technicality, so it’s okay! It wouldn’t have been if he’d touched the ground, though!” Midnight yelled with a thumbs up.

Present Mic continued. “As expected, everyone’s after the first-place team, but they are not willing to climb the tower that has been made! One student has made it over but was blasted back down seconds after! But the battle’s not over yet- the carnage is still going on down below!”

Zero noticed many photographers taking nonstop pictures of the battleground and the ongoing noise of the crowd. He felt like he was missing out on showing off his abilities, but he had to wait just a bit more.

“It’s been seven minutes! Here is the current ranking up on the screen!” Present Mic pointed to a screen.

Sounds of confusion were heard throughout the stadium.

“What? Wait a minute! Other than Midoriya, Class A isn’t doing so well…”

Zero shifted in his hovering chair. He moved towards the edge of his platform and realized that Kaachan and another student were having a conversation. He looked around to his other classmates for the white bands on their heads- but he saw none.

“Class B had a long-term strategy that involved throwing the qualifier, huh? They could indeed leave a stronger impression by overturning the mood that favored Class A before the Sports Festival started. But, based on their way of thinking, it means they won’t necessarily come after me.”

“No one wants to waste their time and energy coming up this tower, Zero.” Pride yawned. “Now, can we please go back down since the chances of us getting hit are slim to almost none?”

Zero looked from Pride to Greed, and Greed nodded his head. That was all it took for Zero to place himself back into the center of the formation and force his palms down. The tower he made slung itself back down to the ground, and people looked at him with tired eyes.

“Wow, everyone looks dead.” Envy slightly joked. Suddenly, Todoroki’s group slid right in front of Zero’s group and stared him down with determination.

“Less than half the time is left now! The cavalry battle is about to enter the second half! In this unexpected rise of Class B, who will wear the ten million points in the end?!” Present Mic announced.

Zero took a deep breath to calm his rising nerves and matched Todoroki’s determination glare.

“I’ll be taking that now.” Todoroki proclaimed.

“No.” Envy answered.

Greed sneered at Todoroki’s facial expression. “I thought we would have a confrontation a lot earlier, Todoroki. You must think highly of us to save the best for last. Or are you just scared?” Todoroki gave off nothing, but anger and Greed ate it all up.

“Iida, forward!” Todoroki commanded, and Iida got in position to strike. They propelled forward, but Zero dodged them as Todoroki’s group began to circle them. “Yaoyorozu, prepare to guard us and conduct electricity.” She nodded as Kaminari smiled at the next step in their plans.

“You’d think you all would be smart enough to not say your plans out loud. We got these things called ears, you know.” Pride shouted, but Todoroki ignored them.

Zero heard footsteps behind him but kept his eyes trained on Todoroki. “Watch your surroundings! We are being attacked from all sides!”

Kaminari charged up his electricity. “Make sure you guard well!” Todoroki’s team prepared to stop as Kaminari discharged.

“Indiscriminate Shock, 1.3 Million Volts!”

Zero quickly stuck out two fingers in the current of the electricity, so none of it would hit his brothers. The other teams around them weren’t so lucky as the voltage shocked them so much that the only thing they could say was the first and the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Todoroki used the staff Yaoyorozu made and trapped the other teams in ice as Zero stayed with the electricity still in his fingers. Zero looked for a good time and shot them at Iida’s legs- which slowed them down.

“I can’t use my jets!” Iida yelled as Todoroki scoffed.

Envy used the distraction Todoroki made to have his blob of shadow tendrils from earlier collect the tapped team’s bandanas. Many of them piled up onto the tendril and moved onto Zero’s angelic green curls.

Zero looked behind him. “Good job, Envy.”

Envy gave a thumbs-up before focusing again at Todoroki’s group.

“And just like that- Todoroki took care of that crowd of teams in an instant!” Present Mic screeched.

“He froze them after Kaminari’s shock stopped them. I guess it should be expected, but he took into account how a lot of people avoided it in the obstacle course.” Eraser Head finally managed to speak.

“Nice commentary!” Present Mic gave a thumbs up to his co-host.

“But the fruits of his labor went to a team that was not affected by the electric shock. They still managed to keep their bandanas and disabled Todoroki’s mobility.” Eraser Head added.

“Team Midoriya is playing seriously- and we love it!” Present Mic screamed, and the crowd shouted along with him.

Todoroki made a run towards Zero’s team, and Pride squealed. “I got this!”

He created a lance and threw it with one hand, but Yaoyorozu was quick to make a shield.

She smiled at her quick thinking, but Pride’s smile didn’t waver. The lance pierced her shield and headed straight for her face.

It would’ve impaled her, but Todoroki grabbed it and flipped it around so that the tip faced Zero. “Now, we have one of your weapons!”

“Not quite.” Pride snapped his fingers, and the lance disintegrated into the air. Todoroki growled at the fact that he couldn’t catch a break, and Pride laughed at him. “I can create and destroy my weapons at will. Yaoyorozu’s cheap toys are no match for my creations.”

A shadow of discouragement ran across her face, but she shook it off.

“What do you think we should do now, Greed?” Zero asked.

Greed stopped moving, and everyone followed suit. “Have them come to us. I know you’ll figure something out once they are in our face.” Greed let go for a second before yawning into his hand. “I wonder what Katsuki is doing.”

“Probably something fun.” Pride wondered aloud.

“He’s probably fighting someone.” Envy added.

Pride thought about it. “Yeah, that sounds plausible.” He watched Todoroki run slowly around their group before he yelled, “Good luck, Katsuki!”

Somewhere behind Todoroki, a strong but faint, “Shut the fuck up, Pride!” was heard.

Greed and Pride shared a laugh while Envy stayed quiet. “Come on, guys, focus! They’re about to attack!” Zero shouted.

“One minute left! While Zero was talking to his teammates, Todoroki made it so he’d have the ten million himself to seize in an instant!” Present Mic said. Zero looked around and noticed an ice barrier was surrounding him.

“Is that what he’s been doing? No wonder he’s been going so slow!” Greed yelled and let out a laugh. “No one will witness his defeat- I understand him wanting to hide his shame.”

“The game’s not over until the fat lady sings!” Zero stared at Todoroki’s approaching group.

“You mean, Gluttony?” Greed voiced, and Pride laughed loudly while Envy rolled his eyes.

Todoroki’s group stopped right in front of Zero. He seemed to be sizing him up, and Zero was doing the same.

“Everyone, there’s less than a minute left.” Iida started. “You won’t be able to use me after this.” He bent down and fought through the static hula-hooping around his shins. Fire blared from behind, as it turned from crimson to royal blue.

“Hang on tight. Make sure you get it, Todoroki. Torque Over; Reciproburst!”

Faster than Zero has seen before, they zoomed towards them, but Greed yanked down Zero at the last second.

Todoroki missed all of Zero’s bandanas by a hair.

“What happened? So fast! So fast! Iida, if you could accelerate that fast, then show us in the prelims!” Present Mic screeched while everyone was gaining their bearings. The crowd went crazy as the smoke dispersed.

Zero sprung upwards like a spring chicken. He was breathing hard as both teams looked at each other.

Todoroki looked at his hands and realized that there was nothing there. Iida saw and gasped.

“B-but how? I was sure that Todoroki-”

“I know every card you all are going to use. You all are like open books- and I’m just the eager reader.” Greed snickered at their faces of confusion and slight defeat. “I can analyze quirks- and I saw right through yours Iida. The second your feet touch the ground- you lose momentum. In that time, I was able to yank Zero down, so all Todoroki was doing was grabbing the air Zero just breathed out.”

The words seemed to dawn on them, and Iida’s shocked face spoke volumes of disappointment.

“Try thinking of a more convoluted plan before attacking us.” Greed’s voice seemed to kill all hope for Todoroki’s team.

“B-but it was a special move I haven’t told any of my classmates. How were you able to read a skill I didn’t even demonstrate to anyone?” Iida yelled.

Greed shrugged. “Special or not, your skills are see-through.”

Todoroki snarled and jumped off his teammate's backs. “I will get those points!”

His left arm unconsciously ignited with fire, and Zero’s first instinct was to clap his hands as air pushed Todoroki back to his group. Todoroki looked at his arm in disbelief- as if it betrayed him.

“In a last-ditch attempt, Todoroki failed for the second time to retrieve the ten million headband! With eleven seconds left, let's start the countdown!” Present Mic pointed to a screen above Midnight as it started ticking down.

“Kaminari!” Todoroki yelled. Kaminari started up his voltage again and charged it Zero. Zero held his two fingers up again and was aiming back at them for discharge when-

“Damn, Izuku!” Kaachan shouted from within the ice barrier. His sudden appearance within the space caught Zero off guard. He lost his aim and aimed the voltage at Kaachan’s group. They took the hit and slumped to the ground in defeat. Kaminari was out of commission, and Yaoyorozu made a pole that Todoroki covered in ice. Katsuki stuck his hand out towards Izuku’s headband, just as Todoroki jumped off his group and aimed for Zero’s group as well.

Zero braced himself for the impact.

But it never came.

“Time’s Up! That’s the end of the second round, the cavalry battle!” Present Mic announced.

Katsuki fell to the floor, face first, and Todoroki landed on his feet with his head down. He dropped the staff, and it made a sharp noise on impact. Zero was helped down by his brothers as they looked at the blank screen.

“Now, let’s take a look at the top four teams right away!” Present Mic continued. “There’s no surprise they’re in first place- it’s Team Midoriya! In second place, Team Bakugo!”

Kaachan screamed so hard that he vibrated.

“In third place is Team Tetsut- Huh? What, it’s Team Shinso?! When did you come from behind?!"

Zero looked around for the team but couldn't find them.

"And in fourth place, Team Todoroki!”

Todoroki scoffed while Kaminari did a drunk dance in the background.

“These four teams will advance to the final round!”

Chapter Text

“Now we will take an hour break for lunch before we start the festivities! See ya!” Present Mic screamed over the intercom. In the same breath, he continued, “Hey, Eraser Head, let’s go grab food.”

“I’m going to sleep,” Aizawa said.

Zero was quickly joined by the rest of his brothers with a smile that matched his. Greed tickled him and made him laugh so hard that he was clutching his sides. He fell softly to the ground as his laughter died. While Greed laughed above him, Zero took a look at what his brothers were doing.

Lust took pictures of Pride’s muscles and posted them on all of his social media accounts. Wrath ran to Envy and made sure he was alright. Once he was satisfied, Wrath hugged Envy as Envy rustled Wrath’s hair. He draped an arm around Wrath and spoke softly in his ear, which made Wrath smile. 

Sloth stretched his hands high to the sky and said, “I’m going to follow that man’s lead.”

Gluttony, eating a plate of rice balls, turned to Sloth and said, “You didn’t even do anything!”

Sloth waved at Envy, and Envy sighed in return. A shadow tendril manifested into the shape of a small cot, and Sloth looked like he was about to make love. He plopped down on it and snuggled the misty black pillow. 

“I cheered while you and Lust ate and watched Wrath.” Sloth turned away from Gluttony as he huffed and stuffed his mouth full of rice.

Zero was going to say more when he noticed groups of children from the other class sulk. 

“What happened? Before I knew it, we had zero points, and it was over,” a bulky child with silver hair said.

A girl with vines as hair nodded. “Could it be punishment for taking points in such an indecent way?” Zero scrunched his face in confusion.

“I can’t accept this!” The boy from earlier screamed. The boy’s teammates looked defeated, and Zero felt bad for them.

“That is something we shall never feel.” Greed spoke. Zero looked at him and instantly thought if Greed read his mind. He was going to ask, but Greed continued. “I will never forgive myself if I feel defeated. There are too many things at stake.”

Greed shook off his thoughts and helped Zero up from the ground. As the other students began to leave the arena for lunch, Zero’s brothers began to congregate around him and head the same way.

Until Todoroki tapped Greed’s shoulder.

He turned around, and his brothers followed.

“Can I talk to you all?”

Standing on top of the roof of the arena was someone that blended in with the clouds.

No one knew who he was or what he was. He wasn’t detected by any of the patrolling heroes outside, and he made no sudden moves.

All he did was watch a specific child, and his brothers play around.

His creator gave him a list of specific things that needed to be done. A relatively shortlist if he was honest.

And they all revolve around a specific person- Midoriya Izuku. 

He met him this morning. Left a tracker around his neck. His brothers don’t know it yet, but it’s the beginning of a parasite. He’s glad his brothers don’t know. If they did, then it’d be out of him by now. 

Midoriya’s body is the soil, and the parasite is the seed. It will grow into something fresh while the body rots and is filled with pests. It’s a parasite with pesticides- it’s supposed to shut him down from the inside. It’ll make him feel like he’s ripped from his toes from his spine.

The man laughed.

He can’t believe it. He r̼̯̤̈ͭ̃ͨ̆e̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑a̘̫͈̭͌͛͌̇̇̍l͕͖͉̭̰ͬ̍ͤ͆̊ͨl͕͖͉̭̰ͬ̍ͤ͆̊ͨy͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨ can’t believe it. The world must be teasing how something so small can take down something so big. It’ll make his bones thin with madness.

The birds and worms will eat his flesh once it becomes rotten.

The man laughed.

The parasite will make him grow into something new. It’ll change the inside and make it into f̳͉̼͉̙͔͈̂̉l͕͖͉̭̰ͬ̍ͤ͆̊ͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚h͚̖̜̍̃͐.

It will make his job a lot easier.

y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚ y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚ y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚

With a smirk on his face, he jumped off the roof as Midoriya walked out of the arena. 

It was time to cause wrath and havoc.

Todoroki stared at Greed with a deadpan look. His head was cocked to the side, and there was no sign of emotion. Wrath snuggled into Envy, while Envy stood against Greed’s side. Zero stood to the right of Greed, and Sloth (and his cot) hovered next to him. Pride sat on the bed and was spinning a small blade between his fingers. Gluttony and Lust stood in the doorway to keep unwanted people out.

There was one-sided tension in the air- and Greed was ignoring it.

“What did you want to talk about?” Greed smirked. 

Todoroki didn’t answer.

“If we don’t hurry, the cafeteria will probably be really crowded-” Zero tried speeding things up, but Sloth sleepily put a hand over Zero’s mouth. His eyes were still closed, but he gave a ‘sh’ hand gesture before going back to sleep.

“I was overpowered.” Todoroki finally spoke and quickly continued. “So much that I broke my pledge.”

“Not exactly. You didn’t use it even if it would have been to your advantage.” Greed pointed out. Pride raised his eyebrow, but Greed just shrugged. 

Todoroki ignored him. “Iida, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka- none of them felt it. At that last instant, I was the only one who was overpowered. Only me, who had experienced All Might’s full power up close.”

“And your point is?” Greed was rushing him.

“It means that I felt something similar coming from him.” Todoroki pointed at Zero- to which he yelped at the sudden attention.

Todoroki faced Zero. “Are you and All Might related in any way?”

Instead of being shocked, Zero was confused.

Silence ran on but tripped at the sound of Greed, Pride, and Sloth laughing. Sloth sat up in his cot, and Greed staggered over to them. He plopped down on his bed, and the trio of them sang with laughter as if they were imitating drunk men.

“You couldn’t be any further from the truth!” Sloth guffawed. “That bag of bones and us? Related? That’s funnier than Katsuki’s third nipple!” They laughed harder. Envy sighed at their display while Gluttony and Lust smiled coyly.

Zero shook his head and talked over the laughter. “What they mean to say is that we are not related.”

Todoroki closed his eyes. “Endeavor’s my old man. I’m sure you know that he’s been stuck as the number two for forever. You have the same vibe as All Might- and that gives me even more of a reason to beat you.”

“My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world.” Todoroki continued. “As a hero for himself with a crushing force. Because of that, the living legend All Might is a great eyesore to him. Since he couldn’t surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan.”

“What are you talking about, Todoroki? What are you trying to tell me?” Zero asked, his words dripping with emotion that made his brothers squirm.

“You’ve heard of Quirk marriages, right?” Todoroki saw the answer in Zero’s eyes and continued. “That thing that became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own Quirk and passing it onto your children, forcing people into marriage. The old-fashioned way of thinking brought about by a lack of ethics. He is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother’s relatives and got ahold of my mother’s Quirk. He is trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might.”

Zero’s eyes widened. He felt arms come around him and realized it was Wrath. He didn’t know that Todoroki’s words were shaking him to the core.

“I won’t become the tool of scum like that.” Todoroki put his left hand on his scar. 

“In my memories, my mother is always crying. ‘Your left side is unsightly.’ My mother said that as she poured boiling water on me.”

Zero stopped breathing and covered his mouth. Wrath squeezed him.

“Basically, I picked a fight with you to show him what I can do without using my damn old man’s Quirk.” He took his hand down from his face and glared coldly at Zero.

“No, I’ll reject him completely by winning first place without using it.”

Greed randomly turned his head to the empty hallway. His instincts told him that someone was there- he even knew who it was. But now was not the right time to pursue him.

Tears stung at Zero’s eyes. He looked down and tried to wipe them, but they kept being replaced. “The world you talk about is so different. I’d be scared every day if that is what I had to live with.” 

He looked up at Todoroki and sneered. “I promise that you won’t have to deal with that ever again.”

Despite the heavy tension that masked them, Todoroki gave a small chuckle. “And how are you going to do that?”

Zero looked at Sloth, and to Zero’s surprise, he was awake and leaning on Greed. Pride raised an eyebrow as he looked at his brothers but kept the silence.

Sloth caught onto the situation and gave a malicious smile.

“I have my ways.” Is all that Zero said. “If I would have known you were so headstrong about this resolution, then I wouldn’t have-”

“I accepted your help willingly. I just want you to know that I will not be accepting it anymore. I will win this competition using my right side only- and I will surpass you and that man.” Todoroki turned away and began walking to the cafeteria. “Sorry for wasting your time.” Gluttony and Lust made way for him, and he walked out of the hallway.

“Sloth,” Zero faced Todoroki’s back. “Do you think that-”

“I don’t think- I know.” Sloth scratched his head, and Zero turned to look at him. “If I can see a picture of his dad or if I just see him in general, then I can shake some fear into him.”

“A picture? I thought you have to make eye contact.” Zero pondered.

“Seems like I got a little upgrade.” Sloth beamed, and Zero gave an airy chuckle.

Lust came behind Zero and draped an arm over his shoulder. “What’s wrong? I can tell you’re still sad.”

“Wrath can too.” Envy said as he stepped a bit closer. Wrath was still hunkered to Zero’s waist, but his grip was soft. Gluttony stepped forward and put a salty hand on Zero’s back.

“What man can call himself a father and do such terrible things?” Zero felt a twinge in his neck and unconsciously rubbed it.

Greed shrugged. “I can name a few dead men who’ve done the same. And I honestly think he’s mad at the wrong person. I’d be mad at the lady for pouring boiling water on me- not the dad who helped make me.” Sloth nudged him, but Greed just shrugged.

Zero shook his head. “His dad was the one who made her act that way. She must’ve felt so trapped.”

Greed looked like he was going to say more but decided against it. Sloth nudged him again and said, “Sorry about that, Zero. Sometimes Greed forgets to pack his heart in his backpack.” That gained some snickers from everyone.

Greed fake gasped. “I’ll have you know that my heart only beats for only two people.”

“Only two? How come I get the feeling that I’m not one of them.” Pride rolled his eyes.

“And you’d be right.” Greed got off the makeshift bed and stood. “My heart pumps for Zero and Katsuki.”

Greed ignored the full range of astonished looks his brothers gave him. He turned towards the dark corridor and waved his hand. “Come on out- I know you’re there.”

The sound of feet shuffling was heard first, and then Katsuki made his appearance. “How did you know I was here?” 

Greed scoffed. “I know everything- thought you would’ve known that by now.”

Katsuki nodded and looked at Zero. “Before you ask, I didn’t hear much. I went to the dining hall and noticed that you all weren’t there. It didn’t take me long to find you, but I didn’t want to interrupt.” He then turned to Greed. “And do you really like me?”

Greed shrugged. “I just said that to make you come out. You’re still dead to me, just like the rest of them.” He pointed to all of his brothers- except Zero. Laughter was heard from everyone as Greed said he was joking. The atmosphere was instantly lifted with one of Zero’s smiles, and everyone felt rejuvenated.

“Zero,” Greed said, his tone serious. “I believe that Todoroki will bring nothing, but what he thinks is his A-game. If you end up having to face him head-on, we cannot help you. You have everything you need to beat him.”

Zero nodded, determination written all over his face.

“We can’t leave Todoroki feeling like this. Knock some sense into him, alright?” Greed smiled.

“Yeah- hit him real hard for me. Make sure all that nonsense is out of his head,” Pride punched his knuckles together. Sloth nodded sleepily before lying back down on the bed.

“But don’t lose before our fight!” Kaachan smirked.

“Oh he won’t lose, so you have nothing to worry about,” Greed laughed.

“Yeah! Save my future husband!” Lust punched a fist into the air, and Gluttony licked his fingers before punching the air as well.

“But please be careful,” Envy said. Wrath gave him a thumbs up from Envy’s side.

Zero beamed, a flare of passion overwhelming him. He nodded quickly as his smile lit the dark hallway. Everyone smiled at his radiance as the wind danced with happiness.

“Now, let’s go get some food before Gluttony wastes away.” 

Chapter Text

“Now that lunch is over, it’s finally time to reveal the last game!” Present Mic screamed over the roaring crowd. All the surviving students was crowded around the stage that Midnight stood on. Zero looked excited about the last round, while his brothers didn’t share the same joy. They all stood to his right and seemed to be in their own world- well, Sloth and Lust were.

“It’s about time!” Sloth yelled. “I’m tired of standing.”

Lust talked without taking an eye away from his phone. “Then go to sleep. I will wake you up when things get important.”

Sloth raised an eyebrow. “So, I’ll most likely wake up in bed at home, right?”

Lust looked at him. “Most likely.”

Sloth clapped his shoulder with a wide smile. “Thanks, bro.” He looked at Zero. “Good luck, Zero. If you need anything from me, then don’t hesitate to ask.”

Zero returned the smile. “Alright, Sloth. I hope you sleep well.”

Envy’s shadow tendril was already awake with life as it curled around Sloth’s body. It wrapped around him like he was prey, and Sloth snuggled into its embrace.

Zero silently chuckled, before looking back to the stage. He missed some things about the recreational games that Present Mic was spewing, but he caught the critical part.

“The sixteen from the four teams that made it to the final round will duke it out tournament style, one-on-one!”

Pride smirked. “Doesn’t matter, they’ll all fall like dominoes.”

“Indubitably.” Greed added.

“The last round is a tournament where we fight one-on-one, huh?” Kirishima spoke. He stood in front of Zero, but Zero could feel his excitement vibrate off of him. “I’m gonna stand on the stage that I watch every year on TV!”

“Was it a tournament last year?” Ashido asked. She, and the other girls in the class, were wearing a cheerleader outfit that managed to capture Gluttony’s attention.

“It’s different every year, but there’s a one-on-one competition every year. Last year, it was a sports chanbara match.” Sero answered.

“Now, let’s draw to determine the bracket. Once the bracket is determined, we’ll have the recreational games and then start! The sixteen finalists can choose whether or not they want to participate in the recreation. I’m sure some of you want to rest or save your strength.” Midnight concluded.

“Now, from the first place team-”

“Um! Excuse me.” A student from behind Zero spoke. When he turned around, he saw that it was Mashirao Ojiro.

“I’m withdrawing.”

Pride laughed over the audio response of the students. “He’s a wimp!”

“I believe the new term is: simp.” Lust corrected.

“Simp, wimp- whatever. He’s both.” Pride chuckled, as the voices to keep Ojiro from leaving overlapped.

Zero leaned in to hear why Ojiro was leaving, but Greed grasped his shoulder.

“Don’t.” Greed shook his head. “In the end, it’s one less person in our path. He’s not changing his mind on withdrawing.”

Zero looked to find more words but couldn’t. Instead, he chose to stay silent.

After a while, a couple other students chose to withdraw as well. Pride smiled as he mocked the “weaklings” (as he put it) that left due to his “inferior power.” Katsuki soon came over and put a hand over Pride’s mouth, because all of he was getting weird looks from everyone. Zero shook his head sheepishly but thanked Kaachan for his quick thinking.

“Youthful talk like that is something I like!” Midnight whipped her whip out into a power stance. “Ojiro! Everyone else! I accept your withdrawal!”

Ojiro sighed a breath of relief.

“In that case, we’ll have to move up two people from the fifth place cavalry battle team.” Midnight thought aloud.

Pride bit Katsuki’s finger. Katsuki withdrew his hand back as Pride grew antsy. “How long do we have to go through this until we can fight!” Pride yelled, but Katsuki put him in a loose chokehold.

“Be patient, alright? You’re acting like Gluttony when he doesn’t get his 30-minute snack.”

“What?” Gluttony looked up from the twelfth bento box that Inko had packed for today.

“And so, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki have moved up to make sixteen!” Midnight shouted, cutting off their banter.

“This is the bracket based on the results of the drawing!” Team matchups were displayed on the screen as the crowd roared. Students looked up to see who they were going to fight against and then went to scope out their competition.

Zero’s heartbeat violently in his chest.

“The first match of the first round, huh? If both Todoroki and I win, then...” He shook his head and evened his breathing. “Before that, I have to fight Shinso.”

“It’s you, isn’t it? Izuku Midoriya.” A boy with eye bags and purple hair that seemed to defy gravity. He appeared to Zero’s right without him noticing, but all of his brothers were already facing him. 

“Looking forward to our match.” He spoke with no fear.

Zero went to say something, but Lust beat him to it.

“Likewise.” The happiness and cheer were completely gone from his voice. The boy chuckled and walked away from them all.

Footsteps notified them that someone was approaching, and they turned to face Ojiro. “I’m glad he didn’t do anything to you guys.” Ojiro seemed relieved, but Zero was confused.

“What’s the matter, Ojiro?” Zero faced Lust, who had put his phone in his pocket. “And why are you upset?”

Ojiro looked around before looking back at Zero. “Let’s just go to a room and chat for a moment, okay?”

Ojiro, Zero, Greed, and Lust sat at a table in one of the prep rooms. Sloth resided in a corner, still wrapped in Envy’s tendril, and still sound asleep. Gluttony, Pride, Envy, and Wrath- on the other hand- played a couple hand games to calm Pride down. They sat in a circle, and Envy sang a little song while everyone took turns slapping each other’s hands. The first couple of times, Pride kept losing to Wrath- but Pride swears it was on purpose. Wrath didn’t care- and clapped his hands with excitement before another game started up.

The people at the table were met with a different atmosphere. Ojiro and Lust sat next to each other while Greed and Zero sat together. Lust had a grim facial expression, and Ojiro shared a calmer feeling but had an urgency to it.

Greed was the first one to break the silence. “Hitoshi Shinso- Brainwashing Quirk. His Quirk allows him to put someone in a state where the victim is forced to obey whatever he commands. He can only activate this power when his target verbally responds to him. This Quirk needs to be intentionally activated and will not take effect if Hitoshi doesn’t want to.”

Ojiro’s facial expression from earlier dropped and was replaced with one from shock. “How did you know?”

Greed chuckled and tapped his temple. “It’s an extension of my Quirk.”

Ojiro took that as an answer and didn’t pry. “Well, I came to tell you that you should just fight him without speaking. He’s from General Studies, so he most likely won’t have the same fighting training as us.”

Greed nodded. “Excellent deduction, but I think Lust has something to say.”

Lust, who has surprisingly kept quiet this whole time and didn’t even look at his phone, spoke. “This person has a Quirk similar to me, and I want to be in this battle.”

Zero sighed. “Is that why you’re so serious?” Zero shook his head slightly and turned back to him with a smile. “Lust, you can be in this battle if you want.”

Lust exploded with energy. “Oh my God, thank you, Zero! I just really need to fight him so I can measure my abilities. I’m not a fighter- and when I saw him, I just-” Lust let go of a squeal that made everyone smile.

Wrath made some quick hand gestures. “Wrath is happy you’re not serious anymore. He said it didn’t suit you.” Envy translated.

“I know!” Lust smashed his cheeks together. “I was figuring out a way to beat him without using too much energy.”

“Please do!” Gluttony stood up from the floor. Crumbs that were hidden in pockets fell to the floor, but he didn’t notice. “I ate half of what Inko packed today, so we should be good for the rest of the day. Then again, I don’t want to test that theory.”

Lust gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t worry, bro. This match will be quick.”

“Hey, guys! Are you ready?” Present Mic yelled. The crowd shook in volumes as the palpable anticipation of the first fight drew closer and closer.

“A lot’s happened, but it’s now come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you’re not a hero, you’ll face lots of situations like that! You get it, right? Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of that to rush up!”

“Now! The finals that you’ve all been waiting for are finally starting! Match number one- he looks thrilled to be here! I can feel his excitement from all the way over here! From the hero course, it’s Izuku Midoriya!”

Lust happily skipped to the stage. His hair berets clicked together with each step. He waved at the audience, and he saw some people wave back to him. It made him smile, and it made his heart happy.

“Versus- Sorry, he hasn’t done anything to stand out yet! From General Studies, it’s Hitoshi Shinso!” On the other side, the boy from earlier stalked out of the tunnel and towards the stage.

“The rules are simple! Force your opponent out of bounds or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent say, ‘I give up!’ Bring on the injuries! Because we’ve got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment! But of course, anything life-threatening is crap! It is not allowed! Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!” Present Mic droned.

“I’ll stop things if they go too far,” Cementoss added.

Lust took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at Shinso.

“‘I give up,’ huh?” He questioned. “This is a fight to test the strength of your spirit. If you know what you want for your future, then you can’t worry about appearances.”

“Ready?” Present Mic’s voice cracked.

“That monkey was going on about his pride,” Shinso started.

“Start!”

“But don’t you think he was dumb for throwing away his chance?” Shinso finished.

Lust raised an eyebrow, baiting Shinso. “Huh?”

Shinso smirked. “I win.”

Lust felt a twinge in the back of his mind. If he wasn’t careful, then that twinge could possibly overtake his mind. But after investigating it, it was just that- a twinge. It felt weak compared to what he actually thought it was going to be.

Lust sighed and planted a seed into Shinso’s mind with ease.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! What’s up? It’s the important first match! Liven things up! Midoriya! The match just started, and he’s completely frozen? He has a blank look on his face, and he’s not moving a muscle! Is this Shinso’s Quirk? He didn’t stand out at all, but could he actually be someone amazing?” Present Mic asked the audience.

Shinso stood looking at Lust with a blank stare.

“You’re lucky that you’ve been blessed, Izuku Midoriya. Turn around and walk out of bounds.”

That twinge in Lust’s head made a faint spark but was directed somewhere else. Lust’s body turned around and began to walk towards the exit. The shrill sounds of Present Mic announcing his every move, and praising Shinso as the underdog made him sick- but he had to stick to his plan.

His brilliant plan.

A plan so great, Greed would probably crap himself once he finds out.

With each step he took, he felt one that was mimicked elsewhere. He wished he could smile, but that’d give away his plan to Shinso. He needed to act so carelessly that no one would notice it coming.

Lust faintly heard screaming from his classmates, but he knew it was with joy.

With one more step, he’d cross the line, and Lust would win.

A foot lifted into the air and was placed outside the boundary line.

Midnight raised her hand into the air.

“Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to round two!”

Shinso blinked.

And then he blinked again.

He was standing, facing the crowd, with his back towards Midoriya. He looked down at his feet and saw that one foot was out of bounds.

“But how?” He wondered. “I was victorious! I wasn’t even moving! Everything was finally going my way! I should’ve-”

“It’s because we both have the same Quirk- except I’m stronger.” Shinso heard from behind him. He whipped around and saw Midoriya smiling and waving at the audience who were shouting his name.

Shinso became angry fast, as his hands balled into fists. “Impossible! I was in the lead. I used my Quirk to make you walk out of bounds!”

“And here we are- with you losing and me winning.” Midoriya smiled, which infuriated Shinso even more.

“You saw my brother, Izuku, fight. Well, I’m not him.”

He continued as Shinso’s eyes widened. “Before you even ask- yes, it is within the rules. Now, I am one of his calmer brothers because I do not fight with my hands like they did.” He tapped his temple. “I fight with my mind.”

He smirked. “You have a Brainwashing Quirk, yes? Well, I have a Quirk that controls the entire brain- as in, I can make you see things that are not really there.” He walked around Shinso, and the truth finally dawned on him.

“You made me see an illusion?”

“Yes!” The boy clapped his hands together quickly. “You are very smart for someone who figured that out too late. It’s alright, you were a mouse trying to defeat a lion- you were destined for defeat.”

Shinso wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t make a difference. He lost. His goals wouldn’t be reached. All that work, for no-

“While I was in your brain, I did manage to see a few things. I saw that you wanted to be a hero, but you’ve met some discouragement along the way.” He spoke.

Shinso barely nodded, and he continued. “Bruh, why do you let it get to you?” Shinso looked at him to answer, but he continued. “I really shouldn’t but my head into your business, but why should it matter? You live your life and do what you want to do. Prove them all wrong if you have to. There’s more than one way of getting to your goal. Someone already paved the way- you just have to find the tracks.”

“But people say I have a villain, Quirk! No one-” Shinso started, but the boy laughed.

“You must not know about me. Not to brag, but I literally beat you with your own Quirk. An amplified version- but the same thing. And if you think that’s bad- my brothers are insane. I bet after this; people will think that we have some villain Quirks.”

He put his hands on his hips. “But we are on their side, and that’s what really matters.”

Chapter Text

The brothers met Lust in the hallways after his fight. Zero ran to Lust’s open arms, and Lust swung him around a bit before putting him down on the ground. 

“Are you alright?” Zero asked. Lust blew a raspberry.

“I barely even moved! Calm down, Zero. I’m fine.” He ruffled Zero’s hair and led him to everyone else. They all gave him their versions of compliments: Wrath gave him a thumbs-up and a smile, and Envy mimicked the gesture. Gluttony offered Lust a corndog, but Lust turned it down. Pride shook Lust’s shoulders with joy and beat his chest. Sloth woke up (still sleeping on Envy’s tendril) and gave him an ‘okay’ symbol. He then tossed Lust his phone back, before falling back to sleep.   

“I expected no less.” Greed complimented. He folded his arms. “Let me guess, illusions or the obligatory mind control?”

“I went for something new and tried some illusions.” Lust shrugged. “It would’ve been too easy if it was the latter.”

“Did he try to control you?” Zero asked.

“Yeah, but he didn’t get far. I used that to make him think like he was winning when he was losing.” Lust shook his head. “The cheers for Shinso and the moderators talking about how he was going to win, really made me sick. I hate the thought of losing.”

Greed patted Lust’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. ” Lust looked at Greed. “We can’t lose even if we tried.”

Lust nodded his head and smiled. “You’re right.” He looked at the time on his phone. “We might want to get a move on if we want to see the next fight.”

 Zero felt uneasy. 

 It felt like he was slowly sinking in a vat of tar. 

 He felt like someone was watching him, but who? When his brothers weren’t watching him, he’d quickly look around before acting normal. Ever since he woke up at the Arena, he’s had this feeling of dread. He feels like if he makes a wrong move somewhere, then it’ll come for him.

 Zero didn’t want to test that theory.

 Zero ignored the feeling. He sat (rather uncomfortably) in some seats next to his brothers, and some other classmates. Envy had an arm around Wrath, and they sat at the end. Sloth had his head on his shoulder and managed to stay asleep, while Greed was incinerating Gluttony’s trash. Lust was happily typing away on his phone, and Pride was intently watching Todoroki and his opponent, Hanata Sero, walk onstage. Zero turned behind him to see Kaachan watching too, but with Kirishima talking excitedly.

 After Present Mic riled up the players, Todoroki ended the match quickly and swiftly by creating an ice statue with Sero as the base. The crowd was astonished by the vastness of his power; the feeling of uneasiness left Zero at that moment.

 It came crashing down on him suddenly, and it made him lurch forwards.

 His brothers and classmates took notice.

 “Zero? Are you alright?” Pride asked. A hand was on his back, as Zero tried to gain his bearings. A sharp twinge of pain shot towards his neck, and he instantly grabbed it. The only way that seemed to soothe the phantom pain was by squeezing his neck- so Zero did so. 

 Pride immediately removed Zero’s hands and pulled him upwards. Zero could tell he wanted to say something, but his face changed. 

 “Zero, what’s wrong? Your face looks flushed.” Zero saw all of his brothers (even Sloth- who was wide awake at this point) peek out from behind Pride with concerned looks. Zero couldn’t think of an answer that wouldn’t give them any worry. If he told them how he really felt, then they’d go on a rampage trying to find who it was. He just didn’t know what to say.

 “It’s because he has to go up against that thing.” A classmate, Kaminari Denki, said while eating some chips. “I’d wanna die too if I had to face him.”

 A couple of my classmates shushed him, while Kaachan took his chips. He gave them to Greed, who gave them to Gluttony- who wolfed them down in a matter of seconds. Over the cries of despair from Kaminari (and Kyoka Jiro comforting him), Kaachan turned towards Zero.

 “You have nothing to worry about, Zero. That air conditioning unit has nothing on you.” Zero smiled a bit at that quip.

 Pride chimed in. “Yeah- maybe you’re just tired. You did go through Hell this morning.” His brothers slightly calmed down at Zero’s slight nodding, but he could tell that their guard was still up.

 Iida chimed in from in front of him. “We will make sure to wake you up before you have to go down there.”

 Zero smiled at him. “Promise?”

 Uraraka returned it. “Promise.”

 Zero nodded before looking at the stage. The ice sculpture was gone, and they were moving onto the next fight. The feeling of dread was still there, and it pushed him to sleep. 

He sensed me.

The parasite isn’t even fully grown yet, and he sensed the source to his pain. 

No wonder the creator wants him.

The man laughed as his head spun around completely. He stood on the roof of the arena, facing Class 1-A's seats. He looked down at his hands, which were black wisps of unused shadows.

Once Midoriya uses his Quirk, the man will finally be able to enter his body. His body will be rotten with pests, and the man will be able to reach his final form.

The man laughed, but this time it sounded like he was choking.

The man smiled eerily as he gripped his mouth. He pulled harshly as black gunk ran onto the floor. His jaw made a sickening crack and became unhinged. Loose giggles escaped him as he tried to contain his excitement. He could attack him now that he’s asleep, but Sloth would find him. The creator told him to be wary of his brothers, but Envy may be able to help occasionally.

He stopped laughing. The man straightened his back and morphed into a Midoriya’s shadow. 

He didn’t need anyone’s help.

He was v̪̩̜̜̙̜ͨ̽̄i̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣc͔ͣͦ́́͂ͅe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑. Vice knew exactly what to do. Vice had to infiltrate the body and make it ready for King’s return. Vice knew it would be a lot of work, but he didn’t care.

Anything for k̲̱̠̞̖ͧ̔͊̇̽̿̑ͯͅi̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣn͉̠̙͉̗̺̋̋̔ͧ̊g͎͚̥͎͔͕ͥ̿.

Vice laughed.

He couldn’t believe it. The world was teasing him with this. Vice would be growing into something new, while Midoriya would be rotting away. 

Vice put his hands back into his mouth and bit away at his wispy fingertips. He continued this until he saw the brothers start to leave. Pride put Midoriya on his back and watched how his brothers chatted a bit before walking out of the area. Envy looked in his general direction, but Vice knew that he couldn’t be seen.

Vice snickered. As soon as Pride put him on the ground, Vice would be there to replace his shadow. Then he’d overcome his body during the next fight.

It was a good plan. A perfect plan.

y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚ y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚ y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨe̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚

Vice would be superior.

Vice will make k̲̱̠̞̖ͧ̔͊̇̽̿̑ͯͅi̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣn͉̠̙͉̗̺̋̋g͎͚̥͎͔͕ͥ̿ proud.

Zero woke up to some banter and the sound of footsteps. He rubbed his eyes and leaned away from the back that seemed to be carrying him.

“Ah, Zero! You’re awake!” Pride slid Zero off of his back and slowly lowered him to the ground. Zero felt something run into his body, but he blamed it on waking up. He stretched a bit before blinking his eyes at his brothers.

“Do you feel better?” Envy asked. Even though the feeling of dread was still there, it was weirdly less than it was before. And he did feel rejuvenated.

Zero nodded. “I guess I was just tired after all.”

Greed smiled. “Good. Your match is almost starting, and we need to get to the entrance.” They all began to walk past a hallway but were stopped by a Pro-Hero.

But it wasn’t any Pro-Hero. It was Endeavor. 

“Oh, there you are.” He looked directly at Greed but then noticed the fact that they all looked the same. “Which one of you is going up against my son?”

Pride pointed to the right of him. “Zero is.”

Zero walked forward but stopped at Sloth’s sleeping figure. He stirred for a bit, before rubbing his eyes and looking at the man with flames escaping his scalp.

“I watched your fight.” Endeavor said.

Zero shook his head. “You watched Lust fight, not me.”

Endeavor frowned. “No matter, you all have the same Quirk.”

Greed chuckled. “Wrong again, number 2.” Endeavor scowled, but Greed continued. “Each one of us has a different Quirk. We were already cleared to change between us throughout the fights because we all look the same.”

“So that means, don’t mess with us. Or you’ll be put in your place.” Pride scoffed.

Endeavor turned up his lip in disgust. “Is that a threat?”

“Depends on what you say next. So, I’d look both ways before crossing that street.” Envy stared at him.

Endeavor huffed and looked back at Zero. “From what I’ve seen, you all have wonderful Quirks.”

“Why, thank you.” Lust said coyly, but Endeavor continued.

“It is my Shoto’s duty to surpass All Might. His match with you will be a very instructive testbed. Please don’t disgrace yourself in it. That is all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you all right before the match.” Endeavor started to continue his path.

Zero stared at him. He couldn’t think of anything to say, so Lust said it for him. 

“Is that all you had to say?”

Endeavor stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Like who do you think you are? You really need a vibe check. If you think Todoroki’s big and bad, then let him fight All Might himself- not us.”

Endeavor tried to speak, but Lust wasn't done yet.

“You don’t have to worry about there being any disgrace from us. Just because of that, I’m sure Zero will put on a spectacular show just for your nosey butt.” Lust sighed. “So, Nosey Nancy, I implore you to find your seat and let our Quirks speak for themselves.” 

Endeavor looked furious. Fire was coming out of him like lava out of a volcano, but none of the brothers waivered. They all looked at him with deadly eyes.

Endeavor scoffed and turned away from the brothers. They held their ground until he walked out of sight.

“Lust, you just angered someone I don’t think you should’ve angered.” Zero scratched behind his head.

Lust scoffed. “He needs to be put in his place. Thinking he could just talk to us in any kind of way. I mean, he must have a slingshot shoved up his butt so much, for him to just act like that!”

Zero laughed at that comment. His brothers continued talking about their encounter with ‘Nosey Nancy’ all the up until they met the tunnel Zero was supposed to walk through. 

“Alright, Zero. You go out there, and you win. We all know you can. You have both of Todoroki’s Quirks- and then some. Just calm down and remember your training.” Greed said. 

Zero nodded and looked at his brothers. All the attention was on him, and he knew that he needed to win- for Greed’s sake.

"We'll all be here when you're done. Take your time and have fun!" Gluttony waved a dirty spoon in the air, with rice bits falling off the corners of his mouth. 

He looked towards the entrance and walked into the light.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for waiting, everybody! The first match of the second round is a big match!” Present Mic announced.

“The man who won a huge victory in the first round and literally left the audience frozen- from the hero course, it’s Shoto Todoroki!”

An uproar of cheers cried at the sound of his name, as Todoroki walked to the stage. He stared at Izuku with intensity.

“On the other hand, this guy made his first opponent walk out of the ring! With too many Quirks to count- what kind of fight will he show us this time? From the hero course, it’s Izuku Midoriya!”

A thunderous wail erupted from the crowd. Izuku stood tall at the stage and held Todoroki’s gaze.

He knew Todoroki meant business, so he had to be ready. 

“So, you’re here,” Todoroki spoke.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Izuku smirked.

“At this year’s Sports Festival, both have shown top-class performances! It’s like two great rivals fighting against each other!”

Izuku took a deep breath and let it go. He shifted his left foot back and put his fists up. Todoroki moved back a bit and narrowed his eyes.

“Now, Midoriya versus Todoroki!”

Todoroki copied the same stance as Izuku, but with his arms down to his side. 

Izuku braced himself for Todoroki’s first move.

“Start!” Present Mic screamed.

Todoroki’s foot twitched, and shards of ice formed and quickly charged at Izuku. Izuku knew this was going to happen and immediately grabbed onto the air. The shards stopped moving and stood straight up like needles. Izuku shifted onto his left foot and began to rock slightly. He pushed the shards inwards with his fingertips before raising his hands up. 

Izuku then smashed his hands downwards, and all the ice turned into water. The water lay there still and silent, as Todoroki gritted his teeth.

“Wow! Midoriya stopped Todoroki’s attack!” Present Mic yelled as Izuku smirked at Todoroki’s dismay.

The crowd cheered as Izuku dropped his stance and stood up tall. “Maybe it’s Pride rubbing off on me, but I feel insanely confident that you won’t win this fight, Todoroki.” He flexed his hands and spoke to himself. “Is this what it feels like? This adrenaline rush- no wonder my brothers like to win.”

Todoroki huffed. “This round isn’t over yet.” Todoroki again tried to send shards back at Izuku. They came faster and wilder than the last.

But that didn’t phase Izuku. Because he was already in tune with water, he didn’t have to do a lot of movement the second time. He grabbed the air, picked it up, and smashed it to the ground. The shards reacted and became water beneath them. 

“He stopped it again!” Present Mic yelled.

In quick movements, Izuku picked up his arms and protected his face. The water reacted by turning into two vertical hedges of water. When Izuku turned his wrists outwards, the water solidified into blocks of ice. 

Izuku took in one breath and pushed his hands away from himself. 

Two building-sized hedges came charging at Todoroki. Todoroki attacked the fences with his own ice shards, and the hedges broke into tiny shards of winter. Izuku quickly became in tune with air and moved his left foot forwards. With his left hand, he made a swirling motion. The winter mist that surrounded Todoroki, and he grew and wrapped around the entire audience. 

Izuku heard some awe and clapping, and also heard people complain about the cold. He ignored that and saw that Todoroki was slightly shivering. He had a hedge of ice surrounding him from moving closer to the edge. Izuku switched to being in tune with water, and with a simple shake of his right wrist- Todoroki’s barrier came down.

Todoroki leaned down. “I’ll end this quickly.” He shoots out another group of ice shards, but Izuku doesn’t react to them. Izuku would have reacted if he didn’t notice that Todoroki was starting to run towards him. 

Izuku acts quickly and switches to air. He jumps high into the air.

Todoroki gives him no time to observe. He makes a pillar of ice shoot up from underneath him, to intercept Izuku as he descended. Todoroki’s plan works, but Izuku destroys his pillar of ice. From the bottom up- it ripples into water. Todoroki notices and jumps onto Izuku in the last second. They equally fall faster to the ground below them- each getting in a few punches to the face on each other.

Izuku manages to get Todoroki off of him and yanks the air over him like a blanket. The water down below responds, and a water tendril jerks him out of the sky. He is gently placed down on the ground, as Todoroki tucks and rolls onto the ground.

Izuku walks away from his watery tomb, calm as ever. The crowd cheers with excitement, as Todoroki stands.

“That was a lot of power used.” He calmly stated. An ice shard was beginning to form on Todoroki's cheek, and a little bit of blood trickled from a small cut on his cheek. Upon further notice, Izuku saw ice patches forming on the right side of Todoroki's body.  

Izuku nodded. “Yes, it was. I must say, Todoroki- your judgment, application skills, and mobility, sure do make you quite strong. Greed would be very proud of me for noticing.”

Todoroki smirked. “Just you?”

Izuku nodded. “Yes, just me. Don’t get me wrong, he’d be proud of you too- but also mad.”

“Why, mad?” Todoroki was slightly curious.

“You see- it started out as friendly competition. But now, it’s like beating a dead bush. You prove no competition for me.” Izuku smirked. Todoroki saw a flicker of darkness in Izuku’s eyes but thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

“I thought you said that you didn’t want to see any of your friends hurt,” Todoroki recalled Izuku stating that earlier in the day.

Izuku’s eyes turned soft. “Well, I don’t.” His eyes rolled into slants. “But something about you not going a hundred percent is really pissing me off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Use your other side, Todoroki.” Izuku smiled widely. 

Todoroki’s right side trembled at the thought.

“Let’s finish this.” Todoroki shot a barrage of ice shards at Izuku.

Izuku sighed. “They never learn.” He shifted into a strict stance, which had him facing the shards head-on. 

Then, he ran.

Izuku ran towards the shards at a frightening speed. Just before the shards became too close, Izuku jumped up and swung his hands together in a clapping motion.

The shards finally met their mortal enemy.

Fire.

Fire met those shards with a demonic kiss, and the shards were destroyed on impact. Steam was the evidence of their cries as it rose away from the ground. Switching over to water, Izuku flexed his pointer fingers at Todoroki, and the steams became small icicles. Zero waved them down, and they followed Todoroki like heat-seeking missiles. 

Todoroki managed to evade most of them, but one hit the mark.

His right hand.

Todoroki cradled his hand as an icicle was slightly impaled in it. His screams of pain died in his throat as he ripped the shard out of his hand. Blood spurted out and caressed his face. It was a small hole, but a mess nonetheless. Todoroki was glad he could still flex his fingers, but the gap would be a hindrance from now on.

“You know, if you’d use your fire, then you could cauterize the hole.”

“Shut up!” Todoroki shouted. 

Izuku chuckled. “You’re trembling, Todoroki. It could be because of the hole I just created, or the fact that you’re almost at your limit.”

“You’re almost at a limit too.”

“Really?” Izuku sounded surprised. He tapped his chin. “Actually, I’m not. I feel fantastic! I’m riding this adrenaline rush to the end!” He stopped smiling and actually looked a little concerned. “There’s a limit to how much cold your body can take, isn’t there? And isn’t that something you could solve by using the heat from your left side?”

Izuku saw the look of hatred flash across Todoroki’s eyes. Izuku matched that hatred. He stalked towards him and stopped, just inches apart.

“Everyone’s fighting with everything they’ve got, to win and get closer to their dream, to become number one- and you just want to win with half of your strength?” Izuku stood tall and looked down on Todoroki’s crouching figure.

“If you keep up that mindset, then you’ll never beat me.”

Izuku then smirked. “So how about, coming at me with everything you got? Or are you willing to accept defeat?”

“Midoriya,” Todoroki stood. His hand was dripping, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“What are you planning? Everything I’ve got? Did my damn old man buy you off or something?” Todoroki rushed for him, but Izuku managed to jump out of his way. Todoroki stopped his route and charged straight towards Izuku.

Izuku, curious as to what Todoroki would do, stood and watched.

Todoroki jumped and threw his left arm back, but Izuku ducked.

In that split second, Izuku switched to Earth and dug the palm of his left hand into the ground. He turned it to the left, and a pillar of concrete rose.

The pillar of concrete collided with Todoroki’s abdomen and sent him flying back. 

“A solid hit!” Present Mic announced. Cheers were the reply, but Izuku did not care. He didn’t even care about some of the people talking about how much of this fight was one-sided.

He really only cared about one thing.

And that one thing was slowly getting up from the ground on the other side of the stage.

Again and again- over and over, Todoroki would charge at Izuku, only to be intercepted by concrete. His shards were coming in slower, but he was hoping to slow Izuku’s endurance down. Once that plan seemed to be failing, he changed his tactic to finding Izuku’s weakness.

There was only one problem: Izuku had no weaknesses.

Every move Todoroki made, Izuku was faster. Every attack Todoroki made, Izuku ended it before it even started- each time better than the last.

Todoroki’s energy and endurance were leaving him, while Izuku was gaining it.

Izuku showed no signs of weakness, no signs of stopping, and no signs of pain.

He could end this battle at any point, but he chose to drag it.

Why?

“Why are you going so far?” Todoroki asked, panting as his whole body was trembling.

 The question caught Izuku off guard. When he knew that Todoroki wouldn’t be fighting back anytime soon, he answered.

“I want to live up to my brother’s expectations.” Izuku huffed. “They’ve always had my back- for all these years. They’ve kept high standards for themselves, by never making themselves look weak. I don’t want to let them down, and I want to prove that I can be strong on my own.”

“I want to be the very best- that no one ever was. I want them to look at me as equal as we help the world become a better place.” Izuku smiled at the thought of his brothers. “That’s what I want to be- and I’m proving that today.” 

Izuku brought his hand together as the ground locked onto Todoroki’s feet. Izuku pulled back, and the concrete brought Todoroki near him.

“That’s why!” Izuku met Todorki with a punch to the face. The ground let go of him, and Todoroki flew back onto the ground. 

“Everyone’s giving it their all! There’s no way I can know all of your circumstances or your resolve. But for you to become number one without giving it your all, to completely reject your father,” Izuku shook his head in anger.

“Right now, I think you should stop screwing around!” Izuku kicked the ground. The concrete underneath Todoroki betrayed him, as it popped him into the air. Todoroki was heading straight for Izuku- and Izuku punched him square in the face again.

Todoroki spiraled through the air, ice claiming more and more of his right side. His body slid on the floor as Izuku walked closer to him, his adrenaline wearing off.

“I will not… use my old man’s power.” Todoroki rasped out as he stood up on wobbly knees.

Izuku had enough .

“It’s your power, isn’t it?!” 

Todoroki stared at Izuku. 

As the words seeped deep into Todoroki’s soul, the wisps of steam danced among his left side. A brilliant flame engulfed him, and the heat from the fire made Izuku genuinely smile. 

“Even though you want to win, you ended up helping your enemy. Which one of us is screwing around now?” Todoroki smirked. Fire bloomed on his left side like flowers in Spring. Ice quickly transformed into steam and the sight of the flame.

 All Izuku could do was smile.

As much as the response confused Todoroki, he couldn’t help but smile back. He suddenly felt like all of his strength was back, and he felt like he was on Cloud Nine.

“Why are you smiling?” Todoroki asked.

“Because-” Izuku didn’t get to finish. 

He didn’t even get to fully realize what was going on before he felt his soul being pulled under.

On his way down, he heard Todoroki talking in the background, but he heard someone speak as if they were talking directly to him.

“m̘͈̺̪͓ͩ͂̾ͪ̀̋y͉̝͖̻̯ͮ̒̂ͮ͋ͫͨ t̘̟̼̉̈́͐͋͌̊u̟͎̲͕̼̳͉̲ͮͫͭ̋ͭ͛ͣ̈r̼̯̤̈ͭ̃ͨ̆n͉̠̙͉̗̺̋̋̔ͧ̊”

Todoroki was confused. 

The entire fight Izuku was calm and deliberate. He knew when to attack and when to stop. Now, when it came time to what Todoroki thought would be the conclusion to this fight, Izuku decided to hide behind his hands.

He was in the middle of talking, and it caught him off guard when Izuku shoved his head down in his hands. It made the hair on his neck stand up on end, but he waited until he was-

“Todoroki!” a voice yelled. It was a distinctive yell, and it caught him off guard because it usually came with an insult.

“Todoroki!” Bakugou yelled. Todoroki made sure Izuku wasn’t moving anymore and faced him. He was hard to see, but he could make out his general direction.

The next few words that tumbled out of his mouth didn’t hit him until later. The world slowed down again, and it wasn’t until he faced his opponent that he heard the words Bakugou yelled.

“That’s not Izuku!”  

And it wasn’t.

Stood in his place was a boy who looked like Izuku, but that’s it.

The boy had a black choker on, and they matched the black eyes he had. A black wisp coiled on the right side of his face and wrapped around his right arm and hand. His shoes melted off of his feet, and he stood there- barefoot- with a blank expression on his face.

“What has happened to Midoriya?” Present Mic said over the speakers. “He didn’t look like that before…”

It was silent. Everyone watched this version of Izuku, and just watched him stand there. He looked straight ahead at Todoroki, while the blackness licked his pale skin.

And just when Todoroki thought to attack and end this round, he stopped.

Because Izuku started laughing .

It wasn’t his normal voice. It sounded like a man’s voice, mixed with Izuku’s voice. It was warbly and wobbly and all over the place. The boy arched his back backward and swayed side to side. He said a few things, but Todoroki could not pick them up.

Once the boy stopped staggering, his laughter reached a high pitch noise. It hurt Todoroki’s ears and went to cover them. Many other people in the audience went to cover their ears as well. The sound was so shrill, it shattered the glass box where Present Mic and Erasure Head sat.

One look at them and Todoroki could tell that they were in shock too.

Todoroki felt it before he saw it.

It was a fire.

A massive fire tornado shot straight into the air. It pierced the sky and created a beacon to the Arena. At the sight of this fire, Todoroki’s flame was snuffed out- and he couldn't summon it again. He tried to protect himself with some ice, but those weren’t coming either.

He looked around the stage for anyone that could help him, but his eyes landed on his father. 

Endeavor was standing near the ledge, with a facial expression that Todoroki knew as fear.

Todoroki turned around and saw that the fire was now blue .

He heard a sickening noise, before the tornado stopped.

In its’ place stood the boy, with his right fist in the air. Around his arm swirled the blue fire and electricity that vibrated along with it.

The boy looked at Todoroki.

He raised his arm.

And he fired away.

“-Izuku Midoriya!” Present Mic’s voice warbled back into his ears. Cheers were deafening and instantly made Izuku touch his head to stop the oncoming headache.

Except his right arm was limp at his side. It was bruised and beat up.

But that’s not what scared him.

What scared him was that there was no stage in front of him. 

He stood on an edge. Directly across from him was a new tunnel. Rubble was in piles everywhere before him, and Cementoss worked hard at putting everything back in place.

Fortunately, whatever he did, didn’t hurt any people from the stands, but Todoroki was nowhere to be found.

He looked up and saw Kaachan staring back at him. Izuku wanted to say something, but his legs crumbled, and he fell forward into the rubble pit below.

Falling.

                     Falling.

                                             Falling.

                                                                     And being caught in rough arms. 

Chapter Text

Bakugou Katsuki didn’t know when he left his seat.

He saw Izuku falling into the rubble pit he created, and suddenly Katsuki was airborne.

He jetted over towards Izuku, and it was like everything was moving in slow motion.

Katsuki’s hands pulsed with slight pain, but he ignored it. Shouts from people in the stands, and his classmates were shouting at him to come back, but he ignored them as well.

He had to catch Izuku.

He stopped propelling himself forward and outstretched his hands forward.

Izuku’s body fell into his arms, and Katsuki cradled him as the momentum slammed him into a wall of rubble. His classmates screamed for him, but Katsuki waved to them to notify them that he was alright. Bits of debris cut into his right side, but he didn’t care. Izuku didn’t get any damage on him, and he was the priority at the moment.

Cheers were heard as he stood with Izuku in his arms, and the TV screens caught them both. He thought they were cheering because of the massive fight that just ended, but Present Mic’s voice told him that they were congratulating Katsuki on his quick reflexes to save his friend.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “And Izuku will be the only person I save.”

Someone running caught his eye as they ran towards the hole in the wall. Cementoss was trying to repair the wall but noticed the figure and nodded at them. Katsuki tried to see, but Cementoss was creating a dust cloud that was hard to see-through.

The figure ran towards him with someone on their back and looked a bit frantic.

“What are you waiting for, Katsuki? Let’s go!”  Lust had Todoroki on his back. Todoroki was breathing hard, and there was blood coming down from a head injury Katsuki could not see.

Lust didn’t wait for his answer and took off in the opposite direction.

Katsuki was about to take off, but he heard a voice from underneath him.

“K-Kaachan?” A hand weakly gripped at his uniform. Katsuki looked at Izuku, and he noticed an odd black band around his neck. It wasn’t there before, and it was thin. It looked like a tattoo, and it made Katsuki confused. Izuku’s harsh breathing snapped Katsuki out of his confusion, and he decided to save questions for later.

“Just hang in there a little longer, Izuku. Greed will make you feel better soon.” Katsuki shifted Izuku to his back and threw his arms over his shoulders. Izuku limply laid on Katsuki’s back, and his breathing got heavier after sudden movement.

“Kaachan, the bumblebees- the bumblebees are out.” Izuku’s left hand snatched at the fabric on top of Katsuki’s heart. He clenched it hard before softly letting it go.

Katsuki reached behind him and patted Izuku’s head. 

Izuku didn’t respond, and Katsuki ran faster.

The first thing the brothers did when they got to the infirmary was that they kicked out Recovery Girl. She made a fuss and threatened to get All Might, but that didn’t stop Envy from grabbing her hand and leading her outside.

As soon as she was out, Envy shut the door and locked it.

Izuku and Todoroki were both put on beds next to each other. Greed quickly spoke some words, and his palms started to glow. He placed them over Izuku, and Katsuki saw the quick response Izuku had. He wasn’t breathing as hard, and his color came back to him. Todoroki was still going through the wringer, but Lust managed to bandage his head wound before it got any worse. 

Gluttony was tearing into another meal in a chair next to Katsuki. Before he started, though, he gave Katsuki a water bottle and offered Katsuki one of the meals Inko had prepared for him. Katsuki declined but took the bottle of water. Pride was pacing in front of the beds, and he looked to be in intense thought. Envy and Wrath stood behind Lust and were leaning against the cabinets. Wrath wore a frown, and Envy was hugging him. Sloth stood next to Envy with his arms crossed, and he was looking at Izuku with slitted eyes.

While all this was going on, Katsuki noticed that all of the brothers had black bands around their necks.

“Finally, finished.” Greed said. He managed to finish healing Todoroki in record time. Greed wiped the sweat from his brow and walked out of the small slit of space between both beds.

“Todoroki will wake up soon. He was just a bit exhausted and must’ve cut his head on a rock while dodging.”

“And Zero?” Gluttony asked with rice stuck to his face. 

All of his brothers looked to Greed for the verdict.

“Zero will be alright, physically. He’ll wake up soon as well.” A breath of relief swiped through the room.

“Now that our main priority is taken care of, can someone explain what the fuck was that?” Pride stopped pacing and shouted. “I’m all for getting stronger, but like what the fuck?”

Wrath’s head shot up from Envy’s chest, and Envy looked sternly at Pride.

“I know you don’t like that kind of language, Wrath, but like I’m just confused.” Pride ran his fingers through his hair. “He didn’t show any of that during training.”

“Maybe, that was someone else.” Envy said slowly.

All eyes shot to him with a range of emotions. Even Wrath had confusion on his face.

“Apparently, King and Zero have been commuting. What if King made another version of himself?” Envy asked.

“But why would he do that? He has seven different versions of himself already!” Pride yelled and gestured to all of his brothers. 

“Maybe it’s another barrier of defense for King. But Zero has use of some of his Quirks, so I don’t know why-” Lust spoke but stopped. He looked at Greed. “Unless you know what’s going to happen in the future, and King had to take precautions.”

Greed huffed and flicked his hand upwards. A small black agenda popped up, and Greed flipped through it. “I will admit that things get harder from here on out, but we are always with Zero.” Another flick of the hand made the agenda disappear.

“Unless something is coming that we can’t escape from without a little more help.” Sloth scratched behind his head.

Katsuki spoke up. “I don’t know King as much as I know the rest of you, but if he protects Izuku as much as you all do, then it should be fine- right?” 

“Everything King did for Zero and us. King is very protective, so maybe this is a safe system for all of us.” Gluttony pointed to his neck. “Maybe, we all can transform into that ‘state.’”

“So, you all can get even stronger than you are now?” Katsuki leaned back in his chair. “I’m curious to see what dangers King saw for you guys to have a defense like this.”

“If he’s like us, then he should be able to talk to us himself.” Envy supplied.

Greed nodded and looked at Zero’s sleeping figure. “Until then, we just have to wait.”

Chapter Text

Zero lays on something comfy. He feels something nudging his shoulder but ignores it as he turns over. 

"Sloth, let me sleep." 

Zero heard a low rumble before the person nudging him forcefully sat him upwards in bed. Zero blinked his eyes slowly and noticed he was back in his room. It did not hit him that he was not supposed to be here- he was supposed to be at the Sports Festival, but the figure standing by his bedside kept shaking that idea out of him. Zero was mainly focusing on all the empty beds and was curious about where his brothers were. 

It was then that he finally looked at the figure, shaking him as it stopped. 

It was the boy from the bathroom. 

Now that the boy wasn't attacking him, Zero could get a good look at him. He looked just like him, except his eyes were black. His hair was full of black locks, and his head was angled towards the floor. Markings were running up the right side of his face and down his right arm. They seemed to swirl, but Zero thought his mind was playing tricks on him. 

As soon as Zero went to open his mouth, he heard a sound coming from outside his bedroom door. It sounded like yelling and something hitting the floor. Zero and the boy stared at the door before the yelling turned into frantic shouting. 

The boy grabbed Zero's wrist and led him out of the room. They stood a few feet in front of the doorway before moving closer to the kitchen.  

Zero didn't feel when the boy let go of his wrist, but he noticed his mother's back. She was shouting at a man he has seen before in his dreams, but he did not know who he was. He had black hair, and he had a suitcase that was by the door. 

The man turned his back away from Inko, and his hand hovered over the doorknob. Zero's mom was clutching onto his back and was holding him in place. 

The sound of her crying rang through Zero's head like a bell. 

"Why, Hisashi? Why are you leaving me?" Inko cried. 

The man, Hisashi, turned away from the door and looked at her in disgust.  

"I gave you the option to come with me, you know. To leave him, and to come with me." 

Inko sputtered. "I'm not going to leave my son!" 

The man turned around and grabbed Inko by the collar. "He has no Quirk Inko! He is a failure in the eyes of society, and I do not want a failure as a son." He dropped her. 

"Who says that he's a failure? You don't need a Quirk to be somebody!" Ink retorted. 

"Says you!" The man yelled back. He was in Inko's face, and she shuffled back a bit. "Only heroes write history, and Izuku will always be a loser." 

As the scene before him stilled in sound, Zero looked down.  

Was he talking about me? A loser?  

That's when it hit him; this was the same man from his other dream. This must have been a continuation, but he did not know if this was real or not. 

Was it? It felt real, but Zero had no memory of this ever happening. 

He felt a pat on the back and looked to the boy next to him. The boy's face was in a grim smile, and his eyes started to retain some color. The swirls on the right side of his body seemed to fade and were replaced with new skin. His black eyes turned gold, and his hair began to have streaks of green run through it. 

It was like looking through a mirror, and his name popped into Zero's mind. 

"King? What's going on?" Zero didn't notice how much he was crying until King took his hand and wiped his face. A small pool of water danced in King's hand before turning into an icicle the size of his forearm. King looked back at the adults who were still arguing, and so did Zero. 

The man threw Inko's hands off of him, and she fell to the floor. Her backside hit a shelf that had a flower vase sitting on top of it. It fell to the floor with grace as the yellow flowers spilled around Inko. The water spilled all over her, embracing her in a cold hug. 

The man looked back at her with disgust. "Call me if his quirk shows up; if not- block my number." 

As he went for the doorknob, King threw the icicle in his hand. 

It pierced the man right through the stomach. 

Inko stopped sobbing and turned around. Her eyes did not meet mine but instead met King's. 

Zero looked back at King, but he no longer looked like the current Zero. King was now a little boy, with his hands in the pockets of his black shorts and his white tee undisturbed. He looked like a spitting image of Zero- when he was three. 

Words tried to fall out, but all King and Zero heard were the gasps from the man. He slowly turned around and faced King as he fell to his knees. Blood poured out of his mouth in a steady flow, and his eyes turned bloodshot. 

"ι’м иσт α ℓσѕєя." King made a 'come here' motion with his hands, and the water that was spilled earlier rose from the ground and Inko's clothes. He stood right behind Inko as she watched in silent horror at the sight of the man dying and King smiling. 

"ρι¢к α fℓσωєя, ιикσ." She faced King. "ρι¢к α fℓσωєя." He repeated. 

Inko's hands shook as she picked a yellow daisy off the floor. It trembled in her hands as he gave the flower to King. He graciously accepted it, and Zero watched as the flower writhed in pain as he sucked the water out of it. The daisy became air as the water from it warbled along with the other orbs of water that hung in the air. 

"вυмвℓєвєєѕ αяє συт." 

Every water orb turned into mini-icicles. The man blinked wearily as the front of his shirt was drenched in different types of excrements.  

"I нανє α qυιяк!" King pointed a finger in the air. "вυт, I ∂σи’т тнιик ωє’ℓℓ вє иєє∂ιиg тσ ¢αℓℓ уσυ." King pointed the finger at the man, and all the icicles followed. 

The man was impaled with the icicles, but Inko's screams drowned out the sounds he made. The man flopped over as blood spurted from him like a fountain. Inko went to where the man was and screamed Hisashi's name many times over and over. The man did not respond as the front door was drenched in crimson. 

Inko quickly turned around and screeched at King, "Why did you do that!" She fell to a heap in front of King's feet and wailed. King bent down and rubbed her back. 

"иσтнιиg ιѕ вєттєя ѕσмєтιмєѕ- σи¢є ωє’νє вσтн ѕαι∂ συя gσσ∂вуєѕ." King stood up and nodded to the bloody pile of flesh. "ℓєт’ѕ ʝυѕт ℓєт ιт gσ." 

He turned around and looked deep into Zero's eyes. Zero immediately felt tired and found himself falling backward.  

"ℓєт мє ℓєт уσυ gσ." 

Chapter Text

At first, Zero heard voices. 

"How long do we have to wait?"   Pride asked.  " Even  Todoroki is already awake!"  

"I'm getting pretty worried, too," Todoroki said. His voice was coming from nearby, but it was a bit strained.  

"Don't push yourself too hard now."  Lust said, and some sheets moved. A hand touched his face, and it almost made Zero jump. 

"Seeing him in the bed like this is becoming a familiar sight, and I don't like it."  Greed said. His breath fanned Zero's face.  "Except I wonder what caused it this time."  

Greed rubbed Zero's cheek a bit more, and Zero leaned into his touch. 

"Zero? Are you awake?"  

Zero cracked an eye open and saw Greed's face. He could tell that he was worried, but it seemed to disappear from his face the more he woke up. Zero sat up and rubbed his eyes. He noticed that the more he flexed it, the more it felt okay- a vague memory of it being bruised flashed through his mind. 

Soon, all of his brothers started crowding around the bed. Greed was joined with Lust and Pride on his right and to his left was Envy, Wrath, and Gluttony. Sloth sat at the end of the bed, and Kaachan grabbed Todoroki and placed him on the bed beside Sloth while he stood behind them. 

They all fawned over him but quickly fell into place. 

"I'm glad you're okay, but what happened out there?"  Greed asked. 

"Yeah! We saw you doing just fine, and then we all started to get these weird things around our necks!"  Pride grabbed at his neck.  "They won't come off!"  

"They are a nice fashion statement, so I'm not complaining."  Lust shrugged. 

"Yeah, but we don't know what they are."  Sloth yawned.  "They don't hurt at all, so it must mean that it's fine."  

"I don't think we should let our guard down, but maybe King made them?" Gluttony asked, in between bites on his chicken leg.  

"I think he made another version of himself." Envy said.  

"You said that earlier,"  Sloth recounted.  "Do you think that's it?"  

"It could be… it makes sense if it was." Zero rambled. He noticed that the conversation stopped, and he decided to keep going. "I mean, it felt as if one of you were coming forward. But I knew that was impossible since all of you were already out. And since King made all of you, I thought he managed to make another one." 

"But the question is, why did he make another one? We already cover all bases of offense and defense."  Greed pondered. For once, he was stumped because nothing in his agenda talked about this.  

Kaachan chuckled. "What if King made another one so that it can power-up the power-up? You all already power up each other, but maybe this is just a boost?" He seemed uncertain and then huffed. "If this is that, then I'm going to fucking kill myself." 

"I'll join you." Envy said and patted Wrath's head when he furrowed his brow.  

"It could be possible," Todoroki said. "When I was in the fight, it felt like I was facing a whole new person. His eyes were pitch black, and there were these weird markings on the right side of his body. When your brother's talk, they sound just like you, but whatever that was did not. It was like I was speaking to a grown man." Todoroki shook his head. "Whoever that was, they were mad with power. I tried to use my Quirk, but I couldn't, and he was more powerful than you were in seconds." 

"I'm glad I listened to my gut and warned you it wasn't him." Kaachan placed a rough hand on Todoroki. "You owe me one, peppermint." 

"Hooray," Todoroki said dryly. 

"Can you still use your Quirk Todoroki?"  Greed asked. Todoroki nodded and demonstrated that he could. Zero let out a sigh that he didn't know he was holding. 

"But at the time, it felt like something was blocking me from using it." 

"Maybe it was that screech." Gluttony said while tossing his bucket of fried chicken in the nearby trashcan. 

"The screech?" Zero questioned. 

"Right before you fought, you gave Present Mic a run for his money with this screech. Maybe that was what made Todoroki stop using his Quirk."  Sloth concluded. 

" So  we have a battle cry now? And it can stop people from using their Quirks? Nice!"  Pride was getting pumped.  "Now, I just have to find out how to use it."  

"I'll ask him the next time I see him," Zero said. 

This took the brothers back.  "Next time? When did you see him before?"  Lust questioned. 

"I saw him in a dream along with King. There wasn't a lot of talking between us, but-" 

Zero was cut off as the door to the infirmary busted open.  

In walked All Might, shouting, "I HAVE ENTERED!"  

Envy rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious." 

"The world's favorite himbo has arrived."  Lust deadpanned. 

All Might brushed off the comments with a smile and a chuckle. "I was looking for Bakugo to tell him that his match has been pushed back. Young Midoriya has left quite the dent in the arena." 

"Is it that bad?" Zero grimaced. 

"It's nothing we can't fix, so don't worry! This just means that you'll have a lot of people wanting to work with you for the field studies. A popular candidate indeed." All Might went to pat Zero's back but was met with a growl from Gluttony. 

All Might blinked but did not lose his composure. "I'm actually supposed to tell you all to give Recovery Girl her room back, but I'll give you all a few more minutes. Seeing how you are all up and chatting, you all can leave whenever you're ready." 

All Might nodded before shutting the door. 

Greed huffed.  "Maybe you should sleep some more. We'll wake you up when the stage is fixed."  

Zero didn't even fight Greed's judgment as he yawned and rolled over in his bed. Greed patted his hair as his breathing got deeper and slower. 

At speed, Katsuki has never seen him move before; Sloth quickly jumped off the bed and tapped Zero's forehead. His eyes swirled in their sockets for a minute before humming. 

"Well? What did he dream about?"  Greed asked. 

"Wait; what?" Katsuki asked. 

"Sloth can see what people dream. It works better with contact, but he can do it with a glance."  Pride answered. 

"What makes you think that he dreamed something important?" Todoroki asked. 

"King communicates with Zero in his dreams. They have been very off-putting lately, but maybe the most recent one can tell us what King's up to." Envy said as he looked to Sloth.  

Sloth sighed.  "Well,  Zero  did meet 'our newest brother' and King, but they did not talk much."  

"Well, what were they doing?"  Lust asked. 

Sloth facepalmed.  "King was showing Zero the day he killed his father."