Archive of Our Own

Inko sat across from her ex-husband, Hisashi, dressed in a green silken gown with golden yellow and white accents. She was smirking, leaning towards the god of passion and war with her head on her hands. “It’s that time again.” She simply said, her eyes glowing with confidence and amusement.

“It appears so.” Hisashi leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and one leg over the other in what would appear to be a relaxed pose if it weren’t for the annoyed glare on his face. “As per the rules of our wagers you may pick the bet.”

She hummed and thought it over, she’d made many bets with the other god and he’d never won against her. The goddess of justice and order felt her confidence surge and an idea popped in her head, “I bet that our son will not get a quirk in this life, and he will not become a pro-hero or a vigilante.”

She gently offered her hand to shake Hisashi’s eyebrows raised a bit in surprise. He took her hand and chuckled, “That is a much more daring wager than any of your previous. I have to say I’m intrigued to see how this will turn out. However, if he does become a hero or a vigilante then I win and, as per the rules, you will be unable to interact with our son unless you win our next wager.”

“I see you’re feeling a bit more confident in this one.” Inko replied.

“Well let’s just say that our son seems to take after his uncle quite a bit. In all honesty, I can’t see him wanting to be anything other than a hero and if he’s told he can’t then the next most likely course of action will be a vigilante, though your quirk stipulation does make this a harder bet to win, but...” His brow furrowed as he went deep in thought, murmuring more on the bet. She found it was impossible to discern what exactly he was saying.

Inko shrugged, “We’ll have to see how this plays out then, Hisashi. Now, let the wager begin.”

Izuku began his new life as a hopeful baby boy, as he always did. Viridescent black curly hair, vibrant green eyes and a light smattering of freckles across his slightly tan cheeks. He giggled happily as his mother played with him in her arms. She watched as he grew to love heroes, her heart sinking as she realized her ex was right. Her son did take far too much after his uncle.

Especially considering his favorite hero had the remnants of his uncle’s power. Her son insisted she play the video of All Might’s debut on repeat, bouncing in his seat and clutching a doll of the hero.

Sometimes he’d share tales with her from what he assumed were dreams. There was one where he talked about being a detective, another where he was a noble knight, a prince, a farmer, her son had led many lives. He didn’t remember all of them, but the fact that he remembered bits and pieces spoke volumes. This was going to be an important life for the little god of hope.

As Izuku made friends with some of the other kids by sharing his ‘wild imagination’ (as other parents would call it) Inko once again realized she might have made a mistake with this bet. So many of her son’s classmates had quirks, she didn’t realize how rare it was to be quirkless nowadays.

It was a relief when the doctor declared that he wouldn’t get a quirk, though it broke her son’s heart. He was vacant on the way home, odd considering how emotional he normally was. He was biting his lip and hugging his doll tightly to his chest as he looked out the train window. Izuku immediately ran to the computer, quietly asking her to put the video on. Inko sighed and did as he requested, feeling heavy as she did so.

After replaying the video a few times with Inko standing in the doorway watching over him, he turned back to her, “Do you think I could be a hero like him?” His voice broke as he forced a smile on his face, tears were running down his cheeks and a finger was pointed at the image of All Might on the screen.

She bit her lip because the truth was her son could be an amazing hero or vigilante, with or without a quirk. However, Inko didn’t want that.

Inko pulled him into her arms, “I’m so sorry.” No matter how much her son wanted to be a hero, she couldn’t allow it to happen.

Years passed and her son’s light started to dull, but he still hadn’t given up on his dream. Inko was starting to fear that Hisashi was right, even if the world beat him down he would still get up. She didn’t want to admit it, but she understood what Hisashi had meant when he said it was hard to imagine Izuku as anything, but a hero.

Izuku defended any of the other kids he saw being bullied and brought stray animals home to heal. He may have been bullied, but he wasn’t letting it stop him as he rushed around chasing after hero fights and taking notes on anything he could. He was clever, kind and determined and Inko was afraid that these traits would lead to her loss. However, as long as Izuku didn’t have a quirk she could still win.

She let that thought help her relax, the chances of Izuku getting a quirk were incredibly low. At least that’s what she thought until her son came home from the UA entrance exam with a note stating he’d broken all the bones in his left arm and both legs from his previously hidden quirk.

When he finally informed her that he hadn’t gotten a point in the test she felt relieved, sure Izuku had a quirk now but, he couldn’t be a hero without getting his license and to do that he’d need to get into a hero program.

Her stomach filled with dread when the message got there, maybe UA just spends a lot of money, even on those who failed. Of course the feeling only grew when she saw he’d gotten in. Hisashi was probably feeling far superior to her right now.

Izuku smiled softly at his mom as she congratulated him on getting into UA, her own grin seemed strained, but it was reasonable she’d be worried about him. His future occupation was going to be quite dangerous.

He thought back to the moment he’d received one for all, the mysterious power had sent him through a series of flashbacks the minute All Might’s hair had been down his throat. The flashbacks weren’t anything too major, just an idea of some previous lives he’d led.

There was one where he’d been a samurai in feudal japan, another as a cartographer in medieval europe, and even one where he’d been a detective right as quirks were coming into existence. The only things he saw that were consistent in all his lives was the constant presence of his mom, the lack of his father’s presence and his own base personality. In each life his experiences had shaped him, but he still had his desire to help everyone he could. A good amount of the lives he saw had ended with himself sacrificing his own well being for others. He couldn’t recall all of his lives, but the fact that he could go so far back was amazing.

Izuku hadn’t been a particularly religious person, in this life at least, so it came as a big surprise to discover reincarnation was real. What he thought was particularly intriguing was that this wasn’t the first time he’d seen snippets of his prior lives, when he was younger he’d often dream about them. Thanks to One for All he had the complete picture of some of these lives, but others were still just incomplete fragments. He wondered if one day he’d be able to piece the whole picture together.

He’d brought up the memories with All Might who seemed startled by it, he explained that he’d never had the same experience. His mentor did mention that a previous holder could possibly have had a similar experience.

Izuku thought All Might knew a lot more than he was letting on, but he disregarded it and went on to UA for the entrance exam. Now he was here, hugging his mom as she worried over his future no matter how many times he reassure that everything would be fine.

It’d been less than a week and everything was definitely not fine. It was the first week of school and villains had already made their move. The one with a warp quirk helping transport many villains to the USJ and keep the students in, while the one with the disintegration quirk beat their teacher and preached on about their plan to destroy All Might. Izuku hadn’t been ready, but sometimes this was the harsh reality that needed to be faced.

That night he dreamed of a life he’d never seen before. One from france in the 1800’s, around the time of the french revolution, where he’d been an author. Why had the USJ been the first event to trigger these memories, when he hadn’t had any new ones since he received the quirk?

Inko was growing increasingly frantic as she watched her son in the sports festival, the battle with Todoroki causing her a great deal of stress. It was clear to her that he was trying to provoke Todoroki to do something and in this moment, she could not deny that he was always going to try to help people.

As Todoroki’s left side ignited in flames she knew that there was no way her son wasn’t going to become a hero or vigilante.

Izuku didn’t understand why his mom was so reluctant to agree to his internship, trying her best to dissuade him from the idea. Normally she was worried, of course, but not like this. She kept insisting he should just stay with her, but Izuku put his foot down, this was his chance to learn how to handle One for All. He couldn’t let it slip away. Besides, it was mandatory for the hero course. When he’d brought up the latter argument her expression twisted, looking as if she’d bit into a lemon.

He knew she didn’t want him to be a hero, but he’d always assumed that was because she was worried for his safety. However, lately he’d been feeling differently about it. Something was bothering him about her reaction, so was something about his previous lives. Why was she always there and his father wasn’t? Was he just doomed not to have a father? Or was there something more to it.

He shook the thoughts off, smiling reassuringly at Iida as he and Uraraka assured him that they’d always be here to talk if he needed it. He needed to worry about Iida right now, the taller teen didn’t seem to be in a good place right now. The smile fell when Iida shrugged them off. Izuku watched as Iida boarded his train with a frown, he hoped everything would be alright, but the teen was going to Hosu and he couldn’t help but worry.

His train arrived quickly and Izuku’s expression became determined as he stepped on it. He’d be meeting Gran Torino soon and learning more about One for All.

Gran Torino had not been what he expected, but the man did have a lot of knowledge to impart on him. He gazed at the microwave as the Taiyaki cooked, silence filling the space as the older hero moved to sit down.

“So, what did Toshinori tell you about that quirk?”

Izuku turned to his mentor, “What do you mean?”

Gran Torino let out a sigh, “Did he tell you where the quirk originated?”

The teen furrowed his brows and shook his head, “Not really. He just said it’s capable of being passed from person to person from DNA, why?”

“Sit down and I’ll explain.”

Izuku glanced back at the Taiyaki quickly, but stepped away from it. Sitting down on a chair across from Gran Torino.

“Since you don’t know much about One for All, what do you know about the origin of quirks?”

“Uh, there was a baby in Qing Qing, China who was glowing when they were born. They were known as the Luminescent baby. After that some people started discovering they too had powers too. Some people used these quirks to cause chaos, and vigilantes helped quell it. The government eventually let select vigilantes legally help and the hero career was born. Scientists don’t know how quirks came to be, but they believe it has something to do with evolution.”

“He hasn’t told you anything and left it all on me!” The old hero groaned.

“W-What do you mean?”

“Quirks were originally given to us by two gods, we don’t exactly know why. They were a piece of the deities’ power granted to some people. Over time their power would grow with each generation and more would become ‘blessed’. Do you understand?”

Izuku’s eyes widened, “How do you know that’s true?” He asked the question without really thinking, but something inside him told him Gran Torino was right. There was more to the story, but the basic explanation was true.

“Nana told me, One for All wasn’t from either of the two gods that first granted quirks, but instead from a third. This god was not happy with what the other two had decided, they loved humanity and thought the gifting of quirks was a horrible idea. It led to chaos during the time and delayed human advancement by hundreds of years. It’s been over two hundred years since quirks first appeared and we’re still not properly in space when we would have been if quirks hadn’t been gifted, because of this the god gave up their immortality and became mortal. Only a small piece of their power remained with them and they still had the ability to transfer it. One of the gods who granted us quirks was the brother of One for All. He tried to force them back into the heavens by granting some of his own power, but instead it only increased the little flame remaining. One for All eventually reached the end of their lifespan and passed their power onto the next wielder. It’s been passed down from each wielder since, until it reached you.”

Izuku was silent as he contemplated what he’d been told, but before he could speak the microwave went off. The Taiyaki was probably done. Gran Torino leapt up to his feet and pulled the Taiyaki out to bite into it.

“Agh!” He exclaimed, “It’s cold!”

“Huh? But I was sure I put it in for the right amount of time.”

The old hero looked at the microwave for the problem and let out a loud groan, “You put it on a plate that was too big! The plate couldn’t spin so it didn’t heat up!”

Izuku furrowed his brows once more, so the Taiyaki didn’t heat up since the plate couldn’t spin? So it had a spot that was hotter than the rest… it was focused on one spot and it needed to be spread throughout… his eyes widened! “I’ve got it!”

The teen jolted in shock as the train shook and hole was put through it. A Noumu looked inside, but was kicked back by his mentor.

“Stay here!”

Izuku had never been good at doing what he was told.

He ran out of the train and took in the chaos until he noticed Manual, the Hero Iida was interning with yelling his friends name. His heart leapt into his throat as he took in the implications, Iida had been interning in Hosu. The hero killer had been in Hosu. Iida’s brother had been maimed by the hero killer and wouldn’t be able to continue his hero work anymore.

Izuku had no doubt that Izuku was going after Stain.

He frantically raced down the alleys to find Iida, hoping he wasn’t too late. It didn’t take him long until he found his friend. Stain had his sword positioned over Iida about to strike. Izuku gritted his teeth as he used full cowling to launch himself at the hero killer, knocking him away from Iida with a shout.

The teen landed in a fighting stance prepared to fight for their lives.

Hisashi smirked, it seemed he’d finally won the bet. The man leaned back in his seat with a pleased expression, Inko should know just as he does. They may not be all knowing like most mortals would expect, but they did keep eyes on their son at all times. Especially this time around.

He let out a sigh, it’d been so long since he’d seen his son. Not since before humanity had their role in the world and his brother had chosen to join the mortals. Sometimes Hisashi wondered if his brother was right, maybe the bets had gone too far. It didn’t really matter to Hisashi though, mortals were so weak and time so fickle for them, but one day everything would repeat in another way.

The phrase history repeats itself was much more accurate than most would care to admit and as the god of passion and war, Hisashi knew it all too well.

He sent an order to the Noumu’s it was time to claim his prize.

He’d let his guard down, the fight with stain had worn them all out immensely and Iida had been apologizing. Stain was tied up and everything was over. At least that’s what they’d thought.

“Get down!” He heard Gran Torino shout, but none of the heroes had been quick enough to react as Noumu swept Izuku up. His heart raced as he was pulled further away from his friends and everyone he knew.

Izuku managed to twist himself to try and push away from the Noumu, but it suddenly stopped moving entirely. Stain’s quirk, he briefly noted. The hero killer stabbed the Noumu and grabbed Izuku as they fell to the ground. The teen finding himself paralyzed with fear from the very aura Stain was letting off as he yelled at the heroes about how none of them were worthy.

He only barely registered Stain claiming only All Might and Izuku himself were allowed to defeat him. The adrenaline and fear were still rushing through him as he panted heavily, unable to stand up from his position on the ground until Stain collapsed.

Time seemed to fly by at that point, his mother started being stranger than she had before. One moment she’d be exceptionally clingy worrying and fretting about him, begging him to give up on being a hero. Then the next she was distant, not cold but morose. Whenever he tried to cheer her up at those times she’d start to sob, Izuku didn’t really understand.

That wasn’t the weirdest thing going on though. No the strangest part was his dreams, they were vivid and clearly memories. However, Izuku didn’t think they were his own. Something about them was still familiar, but he was sure these belonged to the god whose power led to One for All. Vague images of a woman and a man making bets lingered in Izuku’s mind, but he couldn’t make out any features or details about them.

Each bet was different, but the prize was the same. They always made a bet over who would get to be with their son. It seemed that the woman had been winning for millennia. The strange thing was the varying degrees of the bets, sometimes being over something small others something large. During one they bet on the outcome of a war between the humans, Izuku recognized it as the second world war. Another, was about a businessman screwing over an inventor. A smaller bet was simply on what their son would do with his life.

That was another thing, despite their child being born from two gods they were living amongst the humans. Dying and reborn again. The parents talked as if the child was immortal though, which greatly confused the teen who was shown such images.

Eventually he saw what led the two gods to gift humans quirks. The female deity claimed that giving humans powers would lead to chaos among society. She claimed that multiple governments would oppress those they would give powers to. As always, the man accepted the wager.

This time something was different from the other bets Izuku had been shown, “I cannot believe you two!” A voice shouted, “You constantly fight over I̷̡̧̛͓̟̳͕͊͒̒̋̏̐̿̆͐͘͝z̵̡̞ū̶̘̟̟̲̼͙͖̫̤͙̆̈͊͒͂͜k̷̢͉̯͎̉̈́̀̌͌͆̏ư̴͙̦̩̺̭̊͛͛̿̂̿̋̑͠ with these ridiculous bets, affecting humanity however you wish. We agreed to not meddle in human affairs as a promise to I̷̡̧̛͓̟̳͕͊͒̒̋̏̐̿̆͐͘͝z̵̡̞ū̶̘̟̟̲̼͙͖̫̤͙̆̈͊͒͂͜k̷̢͉̯͎̉̈́̀̌͌͆̏ư̴͙̦̩̺̭̊͛͛̿̂̿̋̑͠. You know his role and you know that it was necessary for him to join them and yet you still cause problems for those he’s there to help! You’re taking it too far this time. You know the powers will become too strong for the humans and eventually they’ll be unable to control them. Yet you still do this.”

Something about this man felt familiar as the vision slowly cleared up enough that he could see him. They looked human enough to Izuku, their hair was white, long and slightly wavy. His eyes were an emerald green and his iris was white. Something whispered about how their eyes matched.

Their eyes briefly met and the god looked surprised, could he see him? His expression set into one of determination and he turned back to the two gods in front of him.

Izuku woke up before he could hear the god say anything else. He’d had that dream only a few days ago. Right before they took their final exams.

Inko watched as her son seemed to pull away from her and into his own thoughts as he worked tirelessly to achieve his dream. She bit her lip as he left for the mall with his classmates, she’d already lost the wager. Izuku had committed an act of vigilantism that led to the arrest of the hero killer. He may not have been punished for his actions, but it was clear that he could now be considered a vigilante.

Hisashi had every right to take him now and Inko knew once he did she wouldn’t be able to win another wager. She’d only gotten lucky on their first, being allowed to decide her bet first. Since then she’d been winning, but only because she could go first. Hisashi had always been better at figuring out what would happen next than she was.

Inko sighed and tried to push the thoughts away so she could enjoy what time she did have left with her son. However, she was interrupted by a knock on her door.

Her heart stopped, she could feel the heavenly power emanating from the other side of the door and knew exactly who was here. Hesitantly she opened it.

“Inko.” Hisashi said in greeting.

Inko put up a confident front, holding her head high, “Hisashi. What brings you here?”

“You know what. It’s time I collect Izuku.”

She let him into the apartment then went into the kitchen to prepare some tea, “You did win, however you have to collect him yourself. You can’t ask me for help, Hisashi”

He analyzed her for a second, but she didn’t falter. “I suppose you’re right. It’s a good thing I already have a plan in mind. I was hoping we could smooth the transition over for Izuku by coming up with some reasoning to have me meet him here, but if you wish to do it that way then I won’t argue. As long as I get my turn with our son.”

Inko scowled, “You will, I’m certain you’ll find a way to collect him and still put him at ease, you’ve always been very talented in deception.”

“Ah, I prefer the term persuasion. I don’t lie so much as stretch the truth.” He shrugged.

She huffed in return, “So, what kind of tea would you like?”

“Hibiscus would be lovely, if you happen to have some.”

She opened the cabinet to check and noted it was on one of the higher shelves. She and Izuku didn’t particularly like Hibiscus, but Mitsuki did so they kept some for her visits. Though they had stopped a while ago, the box had still sat peacefully up there on the shelf. She attempted to stretch and found she couldn’t use it.

She bit back a sigh and went to use her ‘quirk’, but Hisashi was already smirking as he looked down at her with the box in his hand. She glared at him and tried to grab the box, but he pulled it away.

Inko was not amused.

The female deity pulled away from him and gestured to the door, “If you’re going to act like that then I suggest you leave. I was willing to have a civil conversation with you, but here you are mocking me. If that’s all you’re really here to say then get out, you won’t find any help from me.”

He was silent for a moment, then he put the box of hibiscus tea on the highest shelf. His smile was sickly sweet and mocking as he obeyed. Hisashi opened the door then paused and turned back, “I was hoping you’d get an opportunity for a proper goodbye if we held a conversation with our son, but I suppose you won’t anymore.”

Hisashi was gone before she could even think of a response.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice behind him, Shigaraki. His eyes narrowed, “What do you want?”

“Shhhh, come with me. I’d like to… talk.” Shigaraki replied with a hand wrapped around him. His thumb and three fingers were placed on his neck, the fourth threateningly kept up.

“What do you want to talk about?” He murmured quietly as the older boy leads him to a nature display they could sit at.

“Sensei’s taken a liking to you.” Izuku felt chills at the very thought, All for one was the last person he wanted to notice him right now. He wasn’t ready. “I don’t understand why. Everyone is paying attention to the hero killer and sensei is focusing on you. I was hoping you could,” The white haired man paused and considered his next word, “enlighten me.”

The teen bit his lip anxiously as he considered his next words, “People pay attention to stain because he has a message they can understand, however, you only seem to strive for chaos. At least from what I see. What is your goal anyways?”

“I want to destroy the things I hate.” Shigaraki growled.

“See, but what does that mean for everyone else? Is that something they can want or relate to? People have wanted reforms for hero society for years now, so even though Stain was going about it the wrong way, a lot of people can relate and understand him. No one can understand you just yet. You need to have a goal or purpose that people can sympathize with.I can understand the hero killer for more than just that, we were both inspired by all Might and Stain didn’t just destroy things just because it didn’t look like fun. Also when it came down to it he didn’t just abandon his mission like you did.” Izuku stiffened as he realized what he’d just said and chanced a glance at Shigaraki.

The other teen grinned far too wide as he thought over Izuku’s words, “You’re right.” He seemed to realize, “I think I finally understand why I hate the hero killer and you so much, it’s All Might. He’s the reason everyone can smile so thoughtlessly,” his hand tightened around Izuku’s neck but the fourth finger didn’t come down. The green haired teen felt tears gather in his eyes as he struggled to keep breathing, “He acts like he can save everyone and they believe him! Thank you for this chat Midoriya, I don’t have to change my ways after all. Though there is one thing you still haven’t answered.”

Izuku brought his hands up towards Shigaraki’s, ready to pull the other’s away when Shigaraki spoke again, “Whoops don’t struggle unless you want to die. I’ll kill all these people here as well if you do, but let me reask my other question, why has sensei taken such an interest in you.”

He couldn’t respond, he could barely breathe. He opened his mouth to at least try, unsure of what words would come out when he heard a friendly voice.

“Uh Deku?” Uraraka said with a questioning tone.

The experience at the mall had been terrifying and afterwards his mother had clung to him. She kept gently petting his hair, a calming action she’d always done since he was a child, but the motion made him feel sick for some reason. He shook her off and gave himself distance from her.

“Mom.” He said simply.

She stared back at him with a hurt expression and a hand clutched to her chest, “Izuku, please.”

Izuku knew she’d always been worried about him and always would, but it was suffocating right now. The way she’s been hugging him reminded him too much of the pressure from Shigaraki being there. “I can’t, I have to go with the rest of the class.”

“Honey, you don’t have to be a hero, do you?”

“I do, it’s my dream. I’ve been told for years to give up, by my teachers, my classmates and even you, but I refuse to. I’m not giving up.” The more Izuku looked at his past lives the odder her behaviour appeared, she was always very supportive in them. She still fretted and worried, but she didn’t beg him not to, even in the life he’d been a knight, even in the life he’d been an author working against the government. She knew what he did in all his lives and had always told him he was going to do great, but for once she seemed desperate to stop him. He just couldn’t understand why.

She scanned his face, her eyes were filled with tears, “If you have to… then stay safe. Don’t put your safety below others, please?”

He bit his lip and nodded, “Okay.”

She rushed over again and hugged him once more, though Izuku normally took great comfort in her embrace, it felt wrong.

Izuku let the hug last for a minute then nudged her away once more, “I’m really tired after today, it was really stressful, so I’m going to turn in. Night mom.”

He felt unnerved by her gaze as she watched him go, it felt like things had shifted, but he didn’t know how or why.

That night his dream was very different. The same god whose power he now wielded sat before him in a tattered room with eight thrones. He was smiling warmly at Izuku as the teen took in his surroundings. He cast a curious look at the god who bowed in greeting.

“It’s nice to finally see you again Izuku.”

The green haired boy furrowed his brows, “Again?”

“Ah, you still don’t remember. Your memories will come soon. We’re more connected than you realize.”

“What? Do you mean the memories of my previous lives? Were you in one of them maybe?”

The deity chuckled, “No, Izuku. It is strange that we’ve both lived so many lives, but they’ve yet to overlap. I think that was your choice though.”

“My choice?” Izuku didn’t understand, “How could it be my choice? No one can choose who they’re going to be or who will be around them, right?”

“No mortal can, you’re correct.” The white haired god shrugged, “I promised not to tell you anything until you remembered for yourself. Tell me have you been to the moment I argued with y̧͉͕̦͍̻͚͎̋̿͐̉̀̅̿͂̅͜͢͞o͉̥͓͓̓͐̍u̦̪̟̤̻͚̇̓̑̔͐̿͢ŕ̪̦̭̠̞͓̣̳̹̓̅͛̾̒̋͘ p̩̹̞̘̯̙̬̰̬̫͇̯̈̓͐͂̅͗́͋̽͑̕å̧̧̫̺͍̖̟̤̖̑̊̇̾͛̕̕͘r̨̟̫̖̟̪̜͓̎̉̃̍͊̽͂͟͝ͅe͈̻̖̟͎̗͇͗̊̉̅̐́̐͟͢͠n̛̲̦̣͖͕̿̑̅͛͢t̛̘̮̪̽̑s̨̡̛͖̼̲̲͙̦̥̤͓̝̳̗̓̌̄̌́̂̀̃̔̚͘͡?”

“When you argued with the other two deities? Yeah, I saw it about a week ago, did they really decide to affect humanity like that when they knew it would end badly?”

“Yeah, I have to admit my response was quite immature and petty. Giving up my immortality to anger my brother in return might have been rash, but I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t you wouldn’t be able to discover what you’re learning now, and I enjoyed it. I finally understood why you reincarnated so many times, though I can’t say anything about what happened with my reincarnations.”

“So, are you still a god in a way?”

“Oh no, I’m an echo of what was. I’m not the me who gave up the immortality, but an echo of him just memories and experiences. I suppose you could compare me to an extremely advanced AI.”

Izuku hummed curiously, “So you’re the power he left behind, you are One for All.”

“I guess you could claim that, sure. Now it’s time to wake up, Izuku. Give H̰͊į̡̛̛̖̯̙̝̳̩͍̬̤̳̈̽̏̋̑̇̅̃̚͟͠s̨̛͓̳̠̯͇͕̫̮͂̎͑͒̒͐̈̄̕͢͜a̭̫̲̓̍̕s̤̭̟̮̪͕͗͑̓̏̊͡h̨̲̼̬̖̝͌͛̿̓̐͛̓͜ȉ̧̘̉̆̊̇̚͢͟ͅͅ hell next time you see him for me.”

“Uh, if I ever figure out who you just said I will.”

There was laughter as the room and figure faded, “Th̺͙͐̃ą̅n͖͈͂̕k̹͇̒̾ y̰͑ớ̡̝u̗͞ į͆zū͓k̘̊u.”

The dream was pushed mostly out of his head by the time the villains attacked the training camp. Izuku rushed to the ‘secret place’ Kota liked to hide, desperate to ensure the boy was safe.

“Oh, you’re one of the kids we’re looking for.” A villain said, “I’m glad you came directly to me. It’ll make this easier.” He punched his own hand and smirked down at Izuku. The teen’s eyes darted around for Kota.

Finding him behind the villain peeking out from a cave, Izuku quickly scanned him for injuries, noting that the boy was fine, just scared.

Next Izuku analyzed the villain as quickly as he could and immediately recognized him, Muscular. A villain that had killed multiple heroes. He narrowed his eyes and took a fighting stance, “Leave Kota alone.” He commanded.

“Oh, you want to fight? Good this squirt would have been boring, you seem like a challenge I’m going to enjoy.”

Izuku gritted his teeth and launched himself at the villain, the fight had begun.

Izuku and the others surrounded Kacchan, ready to defend him when suddenly the world went dark. His heart started racing as he frantically looked around for something, anything, but there was nothing. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut to try and calm his breathing, he’d be fine. As soon as he was back he needed to be ready to defend himself. He sat down in the empty space, his arms flopping uselessly at his sides.

It was strange suddenly the world came back, but he was being dragged through a warp gate. His breath hitched and he tried to pull away, unable to properly fight back with his arm injuries as he was pulled away from his friends.They desperately tried to grab him, but it was too late. The warp gate closed.

Izuku whipped around grimacing in pain as he glared at the villains. “What do you want?” The teen spit out.

“Now, Izuku, that isn’t any way to talk to your father.” A voice called out.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he glanced around the room, unable to find the speaker. His eyes eventually landed on a simple tv that all the villains seemed to be paying attention to. They looked just as surprised as Izuku did.

“W-What?”

There was a sigh, “I did tell your mom it would be better to do this civilly, it would definitely help you adjust, but she has always been stubborn.”

“What are you talking about?” Izuku shouted in confusion. With what knowledge he did have of his previous lives, Izuku never had met his father before. This was a first and a villain claiming it was even more ridiculous.

“It’s no matter now, we need to tend to your injuries first. Kurogiri, send him here.” Izuku bit back a yelp as the floor beneath him turned into a warp gate and he fell into the arms of a man wearing a mask with a respirator. “Thank you.”

He cradled the teen who could do nothing to fight back with both arms broken, “It’s been Millenia since I last had the chance to hold you like this.” The man sighed, “And the fact you’ve gotten my brother’s power…” he trailed off.

Izuku’s breath hitched in realization as something akin to pure energy flooded through his body and his bones were mended. “Your-” a god, but why? Why was he here? How did he still have his powers? He must’ve been one of the two who granted quirks to humans, but that meant- He cut his own thoughts off, he didn’t want to think about it.

“Hm, I’ve wondered what would happen if you were to get his power. It seems that it’s granted you his memories, hasn’t it?”

“His memories? But they were about my life…”

“You never wondered why they were in third person instead of first?”

“No…” He murmured finally managing to move his arms and attempting to push himself away from the god. “I- but that was me? Why was he watching my lives?”

The deity looked unimpressed and sighed, “I’ll explain in a moment, let me remove my disguise.”

He set Izuku down gently on a couch Izuku hadn’t noticed then took off his mask and respirator. The teen watched with sick curiosity as the features on the man's face, that lacked even eyes, contorted and morphed into a more pleasant appearance. Izuku couldn’t lie, he was very handsome with his curly white hair and light smattering of freckles on his cheeks. His eyes were a darker green than his brother, but green nonetheless. Izuku’s first thought was a name, Hisashi? “That’s much better, isn’t it?”

“So, I assume you have questions.” The god said, pulling a chair in front of Izuku’s seat and sitting down in it.

“Uh, yeah, you’re All for One?”

“Yes.” Hisashi smirked, “I was rather bored.”

“You’re also a god?”

“I am.”

“And you are… my dad?”

“Also correct.”

“So I’m…?” Izuku didn’t really know so he trailed off hoping the god would fill it in.

“Izuku, God of Rebirth and Hope.”

He blinked, mulling over the information. He felt a nugget of information nudge at his mind and Izuku bit his lip angrily, but he needed to check something first, “And Mom is a goddess?”

“Again, yes. She is the goddess of Order and Justice, ironic if you ask me.” Hisashi crossed his arms and leaned back. “I may have come up with the idea of using bets to see who would be with you, but she was the one who kept you from me for millennia!”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, “So you both decided to treat me more like an object?”

He leaned forward in surprise and shook his head frantically, “What?! Of course not! You aren’t an object! We both love you, we just didn’t know how to determine who would join you for your lives!”

Izuku latched onto the excuse ready to pull it apart, “Did you ever try to ask me? Maybe when I was between lives?”

“Well no,but-”

“So you didn’t bother to get my opinion and when your brother was against the idea you…? What? Decided that his opinion didn’t matter either?”

“Sh-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses.” Izuku growled at him, it was strange to see this god who’d been characterized as terrifying evil in his mortal form, and uncaring as himself, frantically trying to appease Izuku. “I can’t believe you and mom! What was the bet this time? Why do you have me? Your rules always stated that it would last until the bet was won, from what I saw.”

“You saw our bets?” Hisashi winced.

“Yeah I did, now answer the question.” Izuku huffed and leaned back in his seat.

The deity hesitated, but still complied, “Inko said you wouldn’t have a quirk and wouldn’t become a hero or vigilante. I won because of that night in Hosu and your uncle’s power.”

Izuku groaned, that explained so much.He stood up and took a step forward, shoving his pointer finger into his ‘father’s’ chest. “I’m done with both of you. I don’t want to be a part of your- your stupid games! I’m not a prize to be won and the bets you’ve made have affected the world in horrible ways! I heard what my uncle said about what quirks would do, but you two went through with it anyways. I’m leaving and you’re not stopping me, understood?”

His ‘father’s’ eyes narrowed and he stood in response, “Izuku, sit down.” he commanded cooly.

“I’m leaving.”

“You are not. Sit down.”

The two stayed locked in a staring contest, Izuku felt his body start to shake at the aura coming from the god, but he refused to back down.

“I’m not letting you throw a tantrum like your uncle did.”

The teen gaped, “A tantrum? You think this is a simple tantrum? I think I have enough reasons to not want to be involved with either of you. No wonder I’ve been feeling so uncomfortable with mom lately! I bet it was my uncle’s power warning me.” He growled, “And no I’m not actually making a bet on that, unlike you and mom.”

“Izuku sit back down, you don’t even know how to use your power consciously.”

“So? Are you going to force me then?” He shook his head, “I’m not putting up with this. Have Kurogiri take me back to the bar, I’m not staying.”

“No, you have your own room to stay in. We’ll talk when you’re calm.”

Izuku growled, “No.”

Hisashi’s eyes narrowed, “You are going to behave Izuku. You haven’t lived as long as I have, you don’t understand.”

“Oh, but my uncle did live that long and still didn’t support you.” He countered his eyes flickered around the room noting anything he could. It was mostly empty with only the contact to the bar, the couch a small table with two chairs and a bed. There wasn’t even a door. He continued with his argument, “Besides, what does it matter that I haven’t lived as long as you, from what I’ve seen each of my lives have been fulfilling, while you seem to cling to the things you can’t have. You grow bored and ruin things for the fun of it, how can you claim that living longer has made you more mature?”

“I am the parent here.”

“You are no parent of mine.” The room was silent at the declaration.

“I see you’ve made up your mind.” His father relented, he opened back up contact with the bar. “Kurogiri, take my son to his room. He needs time to adjust.”

“Yes, sir.”

A warp gate opened in the room and Izuku reluctantly stepped through. He had a better chance of figuring out where he was that way.

Two days passed with Izuku refusing to talk with the deity. He sat in the little room he’d been given, mulling over his thoughts. Sometimes Shigaraki visited, and Izuku played games with him, which was very odd since their last encounter consisted of Shigaraki choking him.

The room was small and located in the bar he’d first appeared in. It had a bed and a bedside table and a desk with a chair. He’d at least been granted his notebooks and, strangely, all of his items from his mom’s house were hung around the room. He supposed it wasn’t actually that strange, but it did feel surreal.

Izuku heard a knock on the bar’s door, though he was unable to go downstairs. The room had been locked since he got here, only opening for Shigaraki. His father and Kurogiri typically warped here.

“Pizza delivery.” He heard a muffled voice shout, his eyes widened in recognition as a bang echoed throughout the building. The teen shot to his feet, before realizing he had no idea what he could do. He started pacing in thought then decided banging on his door should help. He ran over about to start making a racket when his lungs felt clogged and a black sludge poured from his mouth. Images of that day under the bridge flashing through his mind as the sludge surrounded him. When it cleared he found himself behind Hisashi, who was wearing his mortal disguise, but surrounded by the league.

He bared his teeth at his father, getting into a fighting stance.

“Come now Izuku, don’t be like that. I’m waiting for All Might, right now. We’ll talk later, but this is the best way to bring him over.”

“You’re not going to hurt him!” Izuku shouted.

Hisashi scoffed, “He’s near the end of his life already.”

Wind suddenly whipped around the area and All Might appeared, “ Young Midoriya!” The hero exclaimed.

Izuku partially turned to the hero, careful to keep his dad within sight, “I need to talk to you when this is over, I’ve had a lot of revelations over the past two days.”

“Stay there, Izuku.” Hisashi ordered.

Izuku rolled his eyes, “I’m not listening to you, how many times do I have to tell you that?”

Hisashi sighed and flicked his wrist, a blast of wind sending Izuku back towards the league. He focused his attention back on All Might and the battle began.

The teen dodged as many of the league's attacks as he possibly could, unable to really focus on All Might’s fight. He did note that All Might was holding back, was that because of him? He didn’t have the time to think about it.

All of a sudden there was a ramp of ice and explosions wracking through the air. “Deku!!!” his bully and childhood friend’s voice yelled out. Izuku pushed One for All into his legs and leapt into the air, barely catching the hand of Kirishima.

With that Izuku had managed to escape, but as they did Izuku decided to yell down at the two fighting. “Hey, Hisashi!” His dad’s head immediately whipped to him eyes wide as he watched the teens soar above him, “You’re an awful father and mom’s horrible too! All Might’s my only parent now!”

“Deku, what the fuck?!” Kacchan shouted.

Izuku sat across from All Might at UA, they were supposed to be waiting for his mom to come pick him up, but he had insisted on talking to All Might alone.

“My boy, what did you mean at Kamino?”

Izuku sighed, “You have no idea what I just learned. So you know how One for All was given by a god?”

All Might nodded.

“Well All for One is a god who came down in disguise, because he was bored. He’s also apparently my dad and my mom is a goddess. Apparently I’m a god and One for All was my uncle? Anyways the whole reason they gave quirks is they were having a feud over who would have custody of me since I live like mortals would. They made bets to figure out who would and they were awful, one of them was the birth of quirks. I don’t know how to process this really. It’s been two days and I still feel like I just woke up, it’s weird because I was getting pieces of my uncle’s memories for months now. I thought they were my own, because I was seeing my reincarnations. Anyways, I think he was the only sane person in my family and the parent position is open now. Would you please be my dad.”

All Might blinked. “I’m sorry that’s a lot of information to process...” He seemed to suddenly realize how Izuku ended the conversation, “Wait, what?”

Izuku sighed, “My parents suck and I want a new one, please just accept being my dad.”

“Uh- I mean-” He seemed to have no clue how to respond. “You’re a god?”

“Apparently.” Izuku groaned.

“The god of what?”

“Hisashi said Rebirth and Hope. I don’t really know exactly what that entails, but I assume I’m reborn during times of turmoil and live life like any mortal except my role has always been to inspire and help. One life I was writing in France in the 1800s, All of my works were against the government and it helped with the french revolution.”

“This is a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

All Might thought for a second, “I think I’d like to be your parent, but I don’t know how to go about that.”

“Don’t worry, I plan to berate mom so much when she gets here.” A devious glint showed in Izuku’s eye and All Might shifted worriedly in his seat.

“Then I accept.”

“Thank you!” Izuku exclaimed. He stood up and rushed over wrapping his arms around his mentor and soon to be father.