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Izuku Midoriya trudged through the gray, gloomy halls of Tartarus, the stress of recent events engraved on his face. The once determined glimmer in his eyes had faded, leaving behind an unsettling emptiness as he struggled to come to terms with the devastation caused by the aftermath of the war.
The number of losses—both heroes and civilians—weighed heavily on his conscience, with an image of those who were lost, dead, or left quirkless haunting his thoughts. Everyone around him was working to rebuild and heal, but for Izuku, the extent of the tragedy left him feeling shattered and hollow on the inside.
He kept his eyes down on the new blue sneakers he was wearing. He clutched the straps of the yellow backpack as he ignored the clinking of heavy chains and the distant murmurs. Gripping his backpack even tighter, Izuku stubbornly focused on the concreate, avoiding the judging gazes and desolate screams of those incarcerated. Each breath of the suffocating air felt like inhaling the sterile scent of a cold hospital.
Izuku approached the stern-faced warden, who recognized the young hero immediately. “Midoriya. Are you here for him?” the warden asked, and Izuku could hear the sympathy in his tone.
He hated how they all pitied him. It’s not like he wanted to be in this situation.
Izuku hesitated before answering, his voice barely audible, “I need to see him.”
“Follow me,” he said, leading Izuku through the complex corridors of the maximum-security prison.
They arrived at a cell, a thick metal door and then there was another barrier between Izuku and the figure inside. “Prisoner 1541, Izuku Midoriya from Ultra Academy is here to see you,” the warden announced, unlocking the door with a heavy clang. Inside the dimly lit cell sat a familiar face. Even now, shackled by the clasp of confinement, the aura of malevolence still lingered.
And it sent a chill down Izuku’s spine.
Hisashi Shigaraki put his book down and looked up from his seated position, his crimson empty eyes were glaring at him, but Izuku could see by the man’s facial expression he was taken aback and gleaming with happiness.
“Izu! You’ve finally come to see me! Usually it's your mother who regularly visits.”
Izuku wished his father stayed faceless and disabled. Then he wouldn’t have to feel these emotions of familial love when he was around the bastard.
Izuku took a seat opposite his father, keeping his gaze intently locked onto All for One's face. “Hello, All for One,” he said softly, his tone clearly detached.
All for One didn’t react. “Izu. My baby.”
The words felt like a physical blow to Izuku, his entire being recoiling in disgust. He fought against the rising urge to vomit, his mind screaming that he was not, and would never be, this psycho’s possession. “I'm not yours,” he spat out.
“You’re an extension of me. Therefore, you are mine.” His father's response was chillingly calm, like poison dripping from his lips.
There was no winning with this asshole. Arguing would only fuel his father's wicked pleasure, so Izuku ignored him.
“I've come to terms with the fact that you are my father. I don't deny that,” he stated straight forward, his voice firm.
The elder man visibly recoiled at the sight of his son's unfamiliar stoicism.
Izuku's expression remained unmoved as his eyes looked back into his father's. “Doing this isn't just for me. It's also for All Might,”
All for One's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of All Might's name. “All Might? What does he have to do with this?” he said annoyed.
Izuku's gaze softened for a moment. “All Might is wheelchair-bound now,” he explained, his voice tinged with sadness. “You did that to him.”
“You want to make peace with me for his sake?”
“It’s the right thing to do. If you behave well, I’ll ask them if we can have dinner together sometime.”
All for One’s eyes gleamed. “I’d like that.”
“You've destroyed and killed so much,” Izuku’s voice tinged with a mixture of anger and disappointment. “Tenko was sentenced to a psychiatric hospital, to get the help he needs. You should be grateful they haven't executed you.”
A sinister smile crept onto All for One's face. “Ah, yes,” he said arrogantly. “Perhaps. If I'm as dangerous as they say I am, they should have ended my existence when they had the chance. I was completely vulnerable on the battlefield, but I guess your dear friend Katsuki-kun passed out before he had the chance.” Izuku grimaced.
“No. Death is too good for you. You deserve to pay for everything you’ve done, starting with all those people you stole from. Now you can’t take or give anything. You’re completely quirkless. One step and those guns behind you take you out for good.”
“Now that’s not all true.” All for One retorted, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. “You begged me not to leave you. You begged them to keep me alive.”
“Only to save what little dignity you had left. You were begging Kacchan for mercy, a pitiful display that showed your true nature. You were a coward crying about how you hate everything in front of everyone, the whole world saw it. I spared you the humiliation, which you so rightfully earned. All Might said in the end, you were a crying man child throwing a tantrum. I won’t allow anyone to satisfy your sick and deluded nonsense. You’re going to face what you did by rotting in here and dying naturally. No quirks, no empire, no powers.”
Izuku leaned in forward. “And none of your so-called friends.”
Izuku could see All for One’s face tighten, like he hit a sensitive nerve.
“Perhaps.” He repeated. Izuku did not like his tone.
“How’s One for All, my brother?”
Izuku hesitated, a weighty silence hanging in the air before he spoke again. “He’s- well, they're planning on moving on.”
All For One's charismatic smile plummeted instantly, as though a cannonball had collided with his very being. “I see,” he muttered, his expression now etched with a bitter frown.
“They’ve been trapped in purgatory for nearly a century now. Uncle Yoichi said that in the coming weeks, once they officially confirm you're gone for good, they'll transition to the afterlife,”
The sound of All for One swallowing echoed across the walls, and he made a face Izuku couldn't read.
“Uncle Yoichi says he’ll be waiting for you.” Izuku said after an awkward pause.
All For One let out a bitter laugh, the echoes of his apathetic demeanor reverberating through the room. “I’m not going where he’s going.”
Izuku looked down. “He mentioned that you're still his brother, and that he wants to see you again.”
“…Izu. Would you let me speak to him? One last time?”
“I'll think about it and see what he says,” Izuku finally responded, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.
All for One, the formidable figure before him, sat looking like a kicked puppy and nodded slowly. “You've been holding back. You aren't as open with me as before.”
The ninth user, harboring a simmering anger, fixed a stern gaze on All for One. “That was before I found out my father was the villain. You pretended to listen to me on those phone calls to extract information about All Might and UA.”
A grimace twisted across All for One's features, surprised at the accusation. “Say what you want, but I truly love you more than you think. Everything I did was for your sake.”
A doubtful scoff escaped Izuku's lips. “Yeah right.”
“I’ve never made a single good memory in my life.” He replied. “But you, my Izu, you were the best thing I ever had. My family I will never regret.”
“Then you shouldn’t have left!” Izuku screamed, startling even All for One. “Mom told you not to go, I told you not to go! But you still did, you had to run back to All Might for some stupid fantasy you had. You could have retired, forgotten about that stupid quirk, lived a normal life but you bolted the minute you had the chance. You would have never left if you cared.”
“I did it for your sake. For a better world-”
“For a world filled with fear, you abandoned me.” Izuku sobbed. “Keep telling yourself that it was for my sake, all I wanted was my dad.”
The warden spoke through the speakers. “Midoriya, 5 minutes.”
Izuku took in a deep breath and looked back at his father, who was still unfazed. “Even after everything, how the hell can you not show any remorse?”
He stood up to put his backpack on.
“Behave if you want to see me again. And you better not be ordering any hits on anyone or doing anything outside of these walls, because I swear Kacchan’s fist is not the only thing you’ll see next time.”
“Izuku?” All for One called weakly, and the boy almost felt his legs give out. “Yes dad?”
“I love you.”
Izuku turned around. “I love you too.”