Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They should have been more careful. They shouldn’t have let their guard down so easily when they arrived on the boat. They knew villains were here and knew that they should be prepared for anything.

That doesn’t fix the fact that Izuku, Asui, and Mineta didn’t check the boat for villains before relaxing.

“Well well! And these idiots said that I shouldn’t bother with staying on the boat since they would all just get you kids before you could reach it!” The villain laughs. “Well guess who was right? Me!”

Everyone steps back as the villain slowly walks towards them.

“You know though, this isn’t actually a challenge,” the villain continues giving a mad grin. “I mean, three puny students? That’s pathetic! Might as well make it harder for myself to really have this entertaining! Besides, you know what’s better than killing three students? Splitting all of you into pieces of your own identity and killing those pieces in front of you! Watching as you all lose an inseparable piece, never to be found again and succumbing to the despair of losing a part of yourself!”

The villain turns to Asui, still giving that mad grin. He reaches out to grab her. “You first girlie.”

Izuku didn’t think. He just moved.

He moved, felt the villain touch him, and before he knew it, the world went black.

“We are so fucked.”

That’s the first thing Izuku heard after being touched by the villain. The first thing he saw though was a lightless void in front of him with seven people looking around said void.

“I mean you don’t know that!” exclaimed a bald man wearing a black jacket. “Yeah the guy had a body splitter Quirk but I doubt that we’re reaching that level of screwed over yet!”

The void shook, making all of them stumble to the ground.

“ We are so fucked,” repeated the other, now laughing hysterically. Izuku now noticed that they were wearing something that seemed very reminiscent of Best Jeanist’s hero costume, high collar and everything, just no denim. 

The bald person sighs and brings himself back up. “Okay. Maybe we’re a bit fucked.”

“Not to stop the panic train or anything,” said a man with blue hair. “But turns out we have company.”

In an instant, all seven people turned to face him, all with varying expressions of confusion. It’s now that Izuku realizes that this probably isn’t what a body splitter Quirk is supposed to do. He would have remembered reading something about people under its influence being flung into a void with 7 other people inside of said void.

A white-haired man walked up to him. “Hello Ninth, apologies for meeting you in such a dire state but we unfortunately seem to be in quite a bind, so I’ll make this quick. You’re inside One For All and it seems that instead of the villain’s Quirk affecting you, it’s reaching to affect. Well, us, the previous users of the Quirk.“

Izuku widens his eyes and looks around. “We’re inside One For All!? And all of you are the previous users!?”

…Is what he would have said, if it was not for an odd energy-like substance covering his mouth and most of his body.

“Don’t worry about that,“ continued the white-haired man. “It’ll take longer to explain and we do not have that time right now.”

A woman in hero gear pushes past the white-haired man and helps him up. “Izuku,” she says gravely. “You have to listen to me. We don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s important that you get Toshinori, or All Might as you call him. He may not know what to do but he’ll know me and at least understand the severity.”

“That or get Nedzu and Recovery Girl and tell them about us,” piped up a tall man with a scar going across his face.

The void shook again, this time accompanied by some cracks on the top(?) of it. Vaguely, he can see Tsuyu and Mineta looking at him with concern before the image fades out again. When he turns to the people inside of One For All, all of them look to be phasing in and out of existence.

The tall man just hums, not looking alarmed at the transparent look he was taking. “Hm. That’s concerning. Looks like we’re almost out of time. Anyways, Kudou, got anything to say to Ninth or are you just going to be ominous?”

Kudou, the last of the group, looks up and down at Izuku. He looks at the white-haired man with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him something. For some reason, Izuku has a distinct feeling that it’s something about him.

The white-haired man only sighs and goes up to him. “My hero, please. I know you and Bruce don’t approve of him but it’s better if he gets something before we are thrown into the unknown.”

Oh god, two of the previous users don’t approve of him. He already knew that he was still messing up in using One For All but hearing that out loud hurts even more. All Might said that he was worthy though so that means something! It has to! But if these guys are the previous users of One For All then they get seniority and possibly have more knowledge than All Might so does that mean they’re also right?

A hand gently knocked the top of his head, causing him to look up.

“Kid,” said Kudou in a surprisingly gentle tone. “Me and Bruce’s disapproval of you has nothing to do with how you handle One For All. It’s more of an us thing really. Honestly it’s impressive you managed to keep yourself together considering how much energy was built up in this Quirk.” He lets the sentence hang for a moment. “Well, that and the Eighth’s… questionable teaching skills.”

An involuntary laugh bubbles up from Izuku. For a brief moment, he thought he saw the man give him a small smile, but when he looked again it was gone.

Another tremor, this time with the cracks at the “top” bursting open, letting light in.

“Listen, I honestly think you’re naive in this whole thing. The whole thing of trying to save everyone you can is a naive way of thinking,” continued the man. If he notices the void cracking then he doesn’t let it show. “But at the same time I’m also someone who came from a very rough time so maybe it’s my cynicism talking. So I’m just going to give you advice just in case none of this will go back to normal afterwards. Some things are going to be hard to do but in the end, you’re going to have to do them because it’ll save more lives. Stick to your guns and you’ll convince a lot more people than you think.”

From the corner of his eye, he can see the blue-haired man look away for a moment. Slowly, the white-haired man goes up to him and gently takes his hand. 

Something breaks, and light bursts through the darkness, illuminating everyone. Several pieces of the void fall to the ground like cracks of a mirror.

Kudou looks up and gives a long sigh. From this angle, he kind of looks like Kacchan if he were older and a bit more tired. “Right then. Guess we’re out of time.” He turns before stopping suddenly, instead giving Izuku a final glance. “Do me a favor by the way, if the worst case scenario happens, try not to let me become what you’re seeing today. I want someone to at least keep faith in the world.”

Izuku blinks. Despite the void covering his mouth, he tries to speak. 

“Wait what does that-"

Light embodies them all, and Izuku wakes up with a gasp.

And along with him, seven other people wake up.

Chapter Text

Toshitsugu punched a guy off a boat. 

Probably not the best idea but to be fair, from what he can remember, he was sitting on a roof with Okumura drinking slightly expired soda and then all of a sudden he was on a boat with ten other people. Nine of them looked to be his age while the last looked to be older than all of them and was standing rather menacingly at all of them holding a knife. He didn’t recognize a single one of them and for some reason three of the teenagers were wearing some sort of costume straight off of those corny superhero comic books.

Now, Toshitsugu doesn’t know what’s going on. What he does know is that he probably shouldn’t be here considering the surprised look that the man and costumed kids gave off. He knows that some of these teenagers were probably taken from a school if the uniforms of three of them were anything to go off. He knows that there was some sort of fighting happening in the distance.

So clearly, there was a fight going on and for some reason, him and these nine teenagers got caught up in the middle of it. They aren’t supposed to be here and, from the way the man was acting and the panic that two of the teenagers gave off, it was safe to say that the guy in front of them wasn’t someone to be trusted.

So yeah. Punching a guy off a boat. Couldn’t steal the knife off of him unfortunately, which kind of sucks because the knife actually looked pretty cool.

He turns to face the others. “Everyone all right? No one hurt?”

All the teenagers were looking at him with wide eyes. The three dressed like cosplayers looked particularly shocked compared to everyone else.

The green-haired boy steps forward with wide eyes. “I- Wait. Is your name Kud-”

“Are you a hero!?” exclaims a white-haired person behind him.

He blinks. That wasn’t really the response he expected. Or wanted.

“Because if so, that was amazing!” The white-haired teen pushes through the crowd and smiles brightly at him. “You just punched that guy off the boat like it was nothing! He had all this gear and was glaring at us with a knife and everything and you didn’t even think! You just went pow and knocked him out flat!”

At that, Toshitsugu turned a bright shade of red. “Oh uh. Thanks?“ Honestly Toshitsugu can’t believe his ears. A hero ? Him ? All he did was punch a guy off a boat!

“And you three!“ continues the boy, turning towards the three weirdly dressed teens, eyes bright with awe. “Are you all heroes as well? You look so cool! How did you get those costumes? What are your Meta Abilities? Are there more of you here?”

Somehow, Toshitsugu went into a deeper shade of red. “I don’t really want to talk about my Meta Ability but-”

“I mean, we aren’t heroes yet,” interrupts the green-haired boy. “I think it’s best if we introduce ourselves though. I’m Midoriya Izuku.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” Exclaims the other, practically bouncing off the walls. “I’m Shigaraki Yoichi! And even though you aren’t heroes yet, the fact that you look like one is enough for me!” A laugh bubbles up from Shigaraki. Jeez how can this guy be so cheerful despite the danger they were almost in? “Zen is going to be so jealous when he finds out there are actual real heroes! Oh, and you still haven’t told me what your Meta Ability is, and before you start harping on what mine is, then sorry to tell you but I got none!”

Midoriya eyes widen, mouth slack for a moment before recovering. “Well my Quirk is Superpower,” the boy says carefully. “It gives me super strength but it comes at a high cost.”

Toshitsugu blinks. Quirk? Is that a different way of saying Meta Ability that he didn’t caught on to?

If Shigaraki notices the word change, he doesn't show it. Instead, he tilts his head. “What sort of cost?” 

“Oh…I- Uh-“

“I’m Asui Tsuyu,” said the girl with the green costume, saving Midoriya from explaining further. “My Quirk is Frog. I can do anything a frog can do basically. So I can jump really high, swim through water really well, and I can spit my stomach out to clean it. I can also secrete some poison but really it just stings a bit.”

A teen with some purple mask stared at her, face going all red. “...S- secrete?”

Almost instantly, a teen wearing a grey blazer slapped him on the nape. “Hey, get your mind out of the gutter. We just appeared here, someone tried to attack us and that’s the first thing you thought of?” The teen sighed and waved at everyone. “Hey everyone, I’m Tayutai En. My Quirk is Smokescreen and it does what it says on the title. Also, quick question to Shigaraki and the masked guy who punched someone off the boat, are you two part of a remnant of the Meta Liberation Army or something?”

The girl wearing a similar blazer turns to Tayutai with an appalled look on her face. Her hair was pulled up and she had a mole on her chin. “Tayutai! They might just have old-fashioned parents!”

“Well sorry for asking,” he says, clearly not sorry. “The Meta Liberation Army may have ended when we were 5 or something but rumors have been going out that it’s starting to gain members again.” He eyes the two of them suspiciously. “I just don’t want to find out that someone is part of an organization that disguises destruction with freedom.”

Meta Liberation Army? What the hell is that? It’s probably something that has to do with Metahumans but if so then he would have heard it in the news already, or if not that then Okumura and his parents would have talked to him about it.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what the Meta Liberation Army is,” Toshitsugu said truthfully. “In fact this is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

“Same here,” pipes up Shigaraki.

The teen stares at him and Shigaraki for a moment, shoulders tense, before he relaxes. “Okay. You don’t seem like you’re lying. Just had to make sure. Sorry about all of that.”

Toshitsugu lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “It’s fine. Just explain it to me later when we’re out of this. Also, what do you mean by mask?”

Tayutai stares at him in confusion before gesturing slightly to where his mouth is and then pointing at him. “Your mask. The one you’re wearing.”

He puts a hand on his face and- Oh shoot. The face mask and hat! He’s been so focused on the others that he forgot that he looked like some delinquent ready to smash some windows, which to be fair he technically is a delinquent considering he’s skipping school. But it’s either skipping or dealing with the constant bullying from his peers on how he’s a “dirty Meta Human”. He knows what option he’s choosing.

Really though, the hat and mask are only there to hide his identity. Less people to point out that he’s a Meta Human if he hides his hair and less cameras knowing what he looks like if he wears a face mask.

Quickly he removed the mask and the hat on his head. “Sorry, I probably looked really weird for a moment. I’m Kudou Toshitsugu.” He paused. He said that he didn’t want to tell them what his Meta Ability is but at this point everyone else seems to be introducing theirs, now it just makes him seem rude. Besides, these guys also have them so they won’t just immediately try to beat him up for saying what it can do, unlike most people. 

“I don’t really call my Meta Ability by a name,” he finally says, avoiding eye contact. “But I can go and make small objects change speed when I touch them.”

Everyone nods, but not before Midoriya looks at him with curiosity. “Sorry, but…do you know who I am?” he asks.

Toshitsugu studies him for a moment before shaking his head. “This is the first time I’ve seen you. Unless I met you at school while your hair was dyed a different color? If so then sorry, I’m not good with faces.”

At that, Midoriya had an odd look on his face, as if he was remembering something. Weird kid.

“I guess I’m next,” said the girl dressed similarly as Tayutai. “I’m Shimura Nana and my Quirk is Float.” To demonstrate, she simply floated a few centimeters off the ground before floating back down again.

Several thoughts seem to be going through Midoriya’s eyes as she said that. 

“ Kero. Are you also UA students then?” asked Asui.

Shimura brightens. “Yeah! First generation hero student over here with Tayutai!”

Hero students ? What the heck is a hero student? Actually wait, what’s up with this whole hero business here? Everyone seems to be calling each other heroes and referring to others as villains for some reason. Is it a new trend or something? He doubts it but it’s clear something is going on here and he had to be living under a rock to have miss all of this.

“Oh then you must be from the other class!” said Midoriya, though for some reason his tone sounded off to Toshitsugu. Almost forced. “I hope we work together soon!”

“Same here! Anyways though, I do also want to say sorry on behalf of my fellow classmate over here,” continues Shimura, pointing at Tayutai. “I haven’t known him for long, but from what Sorahiko says he has a bit of a short fuse and tends to be blunt about things.”

Tayutai startles. “What!? Torino said that!? Also you two are friends?”

The girl gave a grin. “Pfft. Obviously. Why else do I know how to move quickly in the air?”

“I don’t know, I just thought you trained really hard! I didn’t know that you two actually-”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” said a rather tall teen wearing the world’s most ragged shirt. “But I believe I should be next. My name is Shinomori Hikage and my Meta Ability is Danger Sense. The Meta Ability does what the title does. It senses danger through me getting a migraine. I’m here to tell you that while all of you were all chatting away, me and the others have been focusing on the villains below us, and I have been getting this Danger Sense migraine for the past few minutes, thank you very much.”

Toshitsugu glances down the ship, and sees several people wading through the water, all giving them the biggest glares he’s seen. Oh. So there are. Shoot maybe he should have watched the guy he punched go down the railing. Would have made him get everyone to skip the introductions so they could have dealt with that. Nothing he can do about that though, besides knowing names and Meta Abilities may be useful in defeating these guys. Way better than just calling everyone “that guy” in his head and frantically punching his way out of this situation.

Shinomori turns to the two other teens crouched down near the railing of the boat, presumably keeping an eye on said villains. “Anyways, both of your turns now. The quicker we get this done the faster we can plan.”

A muscular boy in a black school uniform looked up and waved at them. “Heya! Name’s Banjou Diagorou and the other guy said his name is Lee Bruce! Anyways my Quirk is Blackwhip-”

“LIKE PRO HERO LARIAT!?”

Everyone turns to face Tayutai. The boy coughs and looks away with smoke coming out of his ears. Guess that confirms that his Meta Ability is Smokescreen. “Sorry uh…go on.”

“...Anyways,” continues Banjou. “My Quirk is Blackwhip and I can pretty much produce weird tendrils from any part of my body and control them all. It runs on strong emotions though and is easy to lose control of, so got to keep my emotions in check and all!” Soon, the boy produced a few small black tendrils from his hand before retracting them.

Toshitsugu blinks. That’s the most in depth description of a Meta Ability he’s ever heard. Yeah there was Asui’s description with hers but it’s based on an animal so she probably just tested out what frogs can do and see if she can do them as well. Banjou sounds like he’s been using his since he was born.

Must be nice to have that much freedom.

“Oh! And before I forget,” exclaims Banjou. “I can go and produce Blackwhip with my tongue but that’s only after several dates you hear?”

…Then again, maybe not.

A chuckle comes out of Shinomori before he disguises it as a cough.

“Hey, what about Lee? What’s his Quirk? He didn’t mention it!” exclaimed the purple masked boy. “And before you ask me , my name is Mineta Minrou and I can pull out these balls on top of my head and have them stick on anything depending on how I feel for the day. I bounce right off of them though and if I pull too much my head starts bleeding! Now what the heck is your Quirk and what do we do about the villains below us!?”

Everyone turns to Lee. He hasn’t looked up at all throughout the entire conversation. Instead, he kept an eye on the people below, all while in a crouched position. Occasionally, he grips the railing before letting go. Someone clears their throat and the boy glances momentarily at them. “Repetitive movements make energy. I can unleash that energy on others. That’s it,” he says flatly. He turns back to the ground, continuing to watch the people below, still gripping on the railing periodically.

…Huh. After the description Banjou and Mineta gave, he was kind of expecting more. It’s kind of disappointing to hear such a short description.

“Okay then, let’s get back to the main thing at hand.” Toshitsugu looks down at the people below, circling the ship. “What are we going to do about the apparent problem down below?”

Asui looks thoughtful for a moment. “Well, they don’t know about our Quirks right? Because if so then they would have put me in the Wildfire Zone.”

“They probably are also a bit more intimidated by us considering they saw a fellow villain fall off of the boat. Chances are they also will be more cautious because of our numbers, they’ll eventually get impatient and attack but we bought some time,” added Tayutai. “So what can we use to defeat these guys and escape?”

Shimura claps her hands together. “I can try carrying all of you guys! Well me and Banjou can try. Of course that’s only if Banjou would allow me to carry him and use Blackwhip as a long rope. If possible Asui, can you carry two people as well? I’m sure we would be able to escape if we reach high enough.”

“Doesn’t address people surrounding us. Someone might have ranged,” points out Lee, still looking down the railing.

Midoriya looks throughout the group with furrowed eyebrows, opening his mouth as if he’s about to say something before closing it again. In fact he looks almost embarrassed at the thought of saying anything.

Toshitsugu had to resist the urge to let out a scoff. Jeez they’re getting attacked and the guy is getting nervous about it. He doesn’t know what Midoriya’s deal is and why he asked Toshitsugu if he recognizes him but it won’t help anyone if nothing is said.

He leans towards Midoriya, careful to maintain eye contact. “Are you going to say your plan or are we just going to be sitting ducks and let these guys kill us?”

Midoriya looks at him with wide eyes before he nods and straightens up. ”Everyone!” exclaims Midoriya, eyes burning with determination. “Listen to me, I have a plan on how we can defeat the villains and get out of here.”

“You know,” said Toshitsugu. “When you said that there was a high cost to using your Meta Ability, I thought you meant getting tired immediately after or not being able to use it for the rest of the day. Not having it literally break your bones. ”

Midoriya gives a sheepish grin. “Whoops?”

“No! You don’t get to say whoops !” he snaps. “'Whoops' is when I dropped a glass from Okumura’s apartment because he puts it right on the edge of the cabinet! It is not when you break your fingers using your own Meta Ability!”

Reasonably, Toshitsugu knows he’s being harsh but can you blame him? This teenager who knows that his Meta Ability would break him decided to use it anyway to give them a chance to escape. And now he has two broken fingers! Honestly it’s a miracle that Midoriya didn’t start screaming in pain from the damage done to himself.

“You’re uh. Really worried huh?” said Midoriya, looking down at the water as they waded through it. “I kind of thought you would be more…”

“Of a wet blanket?” Suggests Tayutai.

“Well, no. But-“ Midoriya stops. A moment passes before he turns to face Tayutai. “Was that a pun?”

Tayutai hums as he passes them by, while Shinomori lets out a quiet snort.

Mineta meanwhile had a disgusted look on his face as if puns were what caused all of society’s problems. “Jeez Midoriya, why is it that your other selv-”

Before Mineta could finish his sentence, Midoriya coughs loudly and bumps into the boy, saying something indecipherable to him. Whatever it was, it seemed to have been important, because Mineta widened his eyes in shock and nodded furiously at the other.

It’s clear that Midoriya is hiding something from him but he doesn’t know what, and considering the apparent danger that they’re all in, Toshitsugu feels this wouldn’t be the best time to ask what it is.

As they made their way through the lake, the plaza came into sight and Toshitsugu had to stop himself from gaping. A man with yellow goggles was taking down every person that came at him in impressive speed, making sure to never stay still too long and let his crowd of opponents catch him off guard.

He has no idea if the man has any relation to the teenagers around him, but he’s distracting everyone else from the hulking monster and a pale-haired man wearing hands all over him, and for now that’s enough for Toshitsugu. Honestly he looks really cool while doing it. He has to ask the guy how he did all that when this is all over.

And then, the pale-haired man wearing hands lunged at the other, touching him. At first nothing happened but to everyone’s horror, the other’s arm started to decay.

And then the hulking monster started moving, grabbed the man’s head and slammed it onto the ground.

Someone gasps quietly from behind him, he doesn’t know who. It doesn’t matter honestly, because all Toshitsugu can focus on is how the monster is slamming the man’s head to the ground repeatedly and breaking his arms like twigs.

Something is shoved into his hands, small, somewhat jagged. He looks down to find a singular rock and turns to find Lee all of a sudden next to him. “Picked it up before we left the boat. Thought it was a good idea,” he said plainly. His eyes were wide yet somehow his voice was steady. “Your Meta Ability can make things go faster right?”

Toshitsugu gives a nod, slowly understanding what is being asked of him.

“Aim and shoot,” instructs Lee. “Try to go for the eye or brain. Eye is more preferred though. I’ll tell Tayutai to use Smokescreen once you shoot and Banjou to grab the man with Blackwhip. Afterwards we start running. We have one chance.” With that, Lee turned towards the others and brought them close to tell them of the concocted plan.

Toshitsugu turns to face the monster. Right. Okay. No big deal. He just has to hit it right in the eye and he has one shot to do it. Any more and they’ll lose their element of surprise and would likely die to either the monster or the other guy. He knows the brain is another option of target but that’s not a good guarantee that the monster would actually let go. Better to go for the eye and possibly blind it. Of course that means he has to be pinpoint precise and unlike a brain, there isn’t much room for error there.

Focus Toshitsugu, focus. Remember what you need to do. Remember what you were taught. Remember what you taught yourself. You need to do this. You have to or else someone might die.

He takes a deep breath.

One; the monster is big. Bigger than anything he’s seen before, but that means the target is also bigger than he thinks.

Two; the monster is holding still. As long as it makes no sudden movements, it’s a clean shot.

Three; Toshitsugu is an excellent shot.

He flicks the stone, feeling his Meta Ability encompass it and wills it to go as fast as it can.

The rock goes straight clean into the eye, causing the monster to let go for a moment.

Smoke fills his vision and he’s being pulled by someone to go forward. Black tendrils appear at the corner of his eye and soon Banjou was holding the injured man in his arms. Soon, they all were running.

He hears the hand-villain scream in anger and shoes hitting the ground.

It’s then he realized that the person pulling him is Shinomori who now is gripping on his sleeve tightly and turned behind him, looking with wide eyes. “ASUI JUMP BACK!” he screeched.

A splash and a frightened kero from the girl. It’s only then that Toshitsugu realizes that the villain, with his hands splayed out threateningly, was going to kill Asui.

“You fucking brats ,” hissed out the man. “All of you! When did any of you show up!? How did you manage to injure Noumu!?”

They all pick up their pace.

Another voice enters the fray, deep and saying something to Shigaraki. Why the heck would he be saying something to Shigaraki?

Toshitsugu’s heart is beating out of the chest. He can barely hear himself think.

And then the smoke clears, showing Noumu in front of them all, somehow healed from the injury he gave it.

He pulls Shinomori back and braces for pain. This is going to suck. This is going to suck and it’s likely that it’s not going to be fast, but it might give the others a chance to escape. And that’s fine. That’s fine for Toshitsugu. As long as the others are okay then it’s fine.

It becomes less fine when he sees Midoriya leaping in front of him. Green lightning surrounds the boy and despite the tears, he looked ready to take the Noumu head on.

Several things happen.

Firstly: Midoriya hits Noumu at full power and he hears nothing crack. The Noumu doesn’t even flinch at the impact.

Secondly: The smoke clears and shows the hand-guy reaching out for Asui and Lee.

Lastly: A door bursts open.

“Fear not. I am here!”

Multiple Quirks. The Noumu had multiple Quirks and the implications didn’t go over Toshinori’s head.

He killed All For One. He knows he killed All For One. (He took his head out from his torso with his own hands). He saw his corpse and ordered the hospital to burn it to nothing. So why is it that this thing with multiple Quirks is in front of him right now?

Not only that but it was apparently designed to beat him. It very nearly did if it wasn’t for his student’s timely saves.

It is particular though that there were seven more teenagers accompanying young Midoriya, Mineta, and Asui. He hopes that they simply were mischievous teenagers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but if they are villains then Yagi will do everything he can to make sure they can turn their lives around.

In fact, he told them specifically to go to the entrance and stay there. They don’t need more potential charges added to their record. Luckily they all listened to him, with Midoriya being the only one who diverted from the group.

But enough of that, it’s time to finish this.

“IN MY HEYDAY, FIVE OF THOSE PUNCHES WOULD’VE BEEN ENOUGH. BUT THAT WAS OVER 300 HITS JUST NOW. GUESS I’VE GOTTEN RUSTY, HUH? ” Toshinori lets out a hearty laugh, pushing past the pain he felt on his side and staring down the two villains. “ WELL, VILLAIN? HOW ABOUT WE HURRY UP AND FINISH THIS?” He’s out of time but he has to hang on. He has to hang on until backup arrives and if bluffing is needed, he will do it with a steel heart.

Shigaraki lets out a growl. “You cheated! All of you! You all cheated! And those- those- Those fucking glitches! Where did they come from!? They ruined everything !“

Glitches? Is he referring to the additional 7 teenagers?

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!” With that declaration, Shigaraki lunges forward, fingers outstretched.

In a flash two familiar figures rushed forward in front of Toshinori. First was his successor, Midoriya, ready to punch the warp villain in the neck brace. And the other, coming straight from the air and heading straight towards Shigaraki was one of the teenagers that initially went with Asui and Mineta. It was someone he recognized but…It can’t be, it’s impossible. But after seeing how she descended, how determined she looked, it can only be one person…

“...Shimura Nana?” he said in a soft voice.

Gunshots filled the building. The villain fell, clutching his hand and soon, the rest of the UA faculty descended upon the villains. Snipe managed to get a few more shots in, but then the warp villain escaped with Shigaraki despite Thirteen’s best efforts.

He lets himself deflate and stares at Nana. How was she alive? She died. Torino and him prepared her funeral and made sure she was given the proper respect she deserved. And yet here she was, in front of him and for some reason, a teenager.

“Crap, they got away,” cursed his teenage mentor. “Anyways Midoriya, you doing okay? You look like you broke your legs, Kudou is probably shouting at you from the entrance.”

“I’m good but- All Might I need- I need to tell you something!” The boy struggled to stand up, instead opting to lift up his head. “The person next to me! She’s-”

“Shimura Nana,” he finishes. He lets out a laugh. “I- Nana? Do- Do you - You’re alive.”

The girl stares at him for a long time, eyebrows furrowing and posture tense.

“I’m sorry but…do I know you?”

Chapter Text

Midoriya and Shimura are officially the craziest people that Bruce has ever met. Which is saying a lot considering he’s seen Xiaotian‘s mom one time try to get rid of a wasp nest by lighting it on fire. And he’s seen Xiaotian’s dad barbeque food in the rain. And the less that is said about Xiaotian the better.

The point is, who the heck decides to jump back into danger when you’re already injured and don’t have a clear way out? Especially when the danger has proven more than ready to kill them? These two apparently!

Actually, wait no. Bruce shouldn’t even be focusing on that now. What he should be focusing on is how he went from China to Japan in a blink of an eye and also likely travelled forward in time. The last part sounds unlikely but there is no way that Japan has this good of a handle with Meta Abilities that they’re allowing people to walk around freely like this.

Xiaotian would say he’s being pessimistic. Bruce says he’s being real. In the last few minutes he saw: A girl with pink skin and horns, a boy that had multiple arms, a rat that can talk, and a guy in a weird costume that can unhinge his jaw to produce more of himself. No one batted an eye at that. There was awe, but there wasn’t any disgust. The only explanation he has for somehow missing this type of acceptance in the news, is that he’s in the future.

…God now that he’s piecing it together, it sounds so stupid. Again though, it’s the only thing that makes sense though, and the best way to confirm this is by simply asking someone for the date. Preferably not one of the other teenagers because he would rather not have them gossip to their friends about a potential time traveler in their midst.

Unfortunately for Bruce though, he doesn’t really know if any of the adults here know how to speak Chinese or English. Yeah, he can speak Japanese and understand it, but considering the possibility that he might be in the future, it may not be the best idea to casually tell people that he’s from the past where people can hear. That and he’s 20% sure he butchered some word in the previous conversations and wants to save himself further embarrassment.

Best person to speak to in his mind is the cowboy guy. They give off very “I have been to America and made it somewhat my identity” vibes so that’s something.

Quietly, he makes his way towards the person. They put away their gun so that means the danger is gone right? There’s been less fighting so this is a good time to ask a question.

He tugs the poncho, getting the person’s attention. “Excuse me? Do you speak English? I know how to speak and understand Japanese but I don’t think it’s a good idea to speak it now. The people behind me are with me, sans your students. And also sans Shimura, who decided to be a maniac and try to fight that hand-guy and mist-guy.”

The cowboy turns and says something quietly to the rat and a lady Bruce is trying so hard to look away from. Soon enough, he’s being guided away from the crowd of students to a more quiet area.

It’s now that Bruce realizes that he might have chosen the wrong person to speak to. Shoot, what if English isn’t their strong suit and he was just making assumptions? He can’t deal with the embarrassment of butchering a word and someone correcting him.

“If not English, then Chinese?” He asks, hastily switching languages. “Please I just need one moment where I can talk freely without sounding dead. And I need to ask questions without someone eavesdropping.”

The Cowboy shook his head. “Naw kid, don’t worry I speak English. Was just talkin’ to my coworkers. We were both tryin’ to figure out whether or not we’ve seen you kids in the halls before. Two of you have the uniforms for UA but we changed the color on it a couple of years ago. Lighter shade of green now.” 

…Oh.

“I think the last time I saw someone wear that particular color with the uniform was about 10 years ago.”

Oh no.

He looked across the group and then back at Bruce. “You kids snuck in here or somethin’?”

“I mean,” he starts, trying to sound nonchalant. He clears his throat. ” No but at the same time, yes. And also we did it by accident? Well I did it by accident. I’m not sure about the rest of the guys.”

“You…accidentally snuck into the USJ?”

”Well, I was sitting in my classroom and then I ended up here. And last I checked, Japan is not China so.” He brings his hands together and swings back and forth. “I accidentally broke in here, through warping, or magic. Or something.”

“…Right,” the cowboy finally says. God Bruce really wishes he can see the other’s face instead of his brain coming up with the most disappointed look ever. “Before you continue, you mind tellin’ me your name?”

“Lee Bruce sir,” he says quietly.

“Nice to meet ya Lee,” says the Cowboy. He tips his hat towards him, just like cowboys do in movies. “Name’s Snipe, mind tellin’ me more about the situation you’re in?”

Bruce pulls on the hem of his sleeves. “Yeah I will just. Can you confirm something with me?”

“Course kid. What is it?”

He takes a deep breath, feeling his hands get clammier and clammier. “The year for me is 2021. I don’t want you to say an exact date because I don’t want to risk one of the others hearing and freak out, so. I’m going to go up by intervals of 20 and I need you to tell me to stop when it gets close to how many years between mine and yours are.”

At that Snipe, shifts, looking more apprehensive than before. “Kid I don’t think-“

“ Please, ” he practically begs. “I just- From what I know, people with Meta Abilities are never treated this nicely. Something is wrong so just confirm it with me in the way I want you to. Just let me do this."

The man looks at him for a moment before letting out a small sigh. “Okay Lee.”

He nods and begins. “Twenty.”

Nothing.

“Forty.”

Still nothing.

“Sixty.”

There’s still nothing. His hands are getting clammier.

“Eighty.”

Is that pity? Is the other looking at him with pity or realization?

“One hundred.”

Actually, is it just him or is the air getting thinner?

“One hundred twenty.”

Someone is standing in front of him. A gas mask was placed on the ground next to him. Who’s in front of him again? They’re saying something but what are they saying?

“One hundred forty.”

“Kid, you got to take a deep breath. You’re going into a panic attack.”

“So it’s one hundred forty!? It’s been one hundred forty!?”

The words jumble together as his vision closes in. All he can see is someone giving him a soft look of sorrow. They’re saying something but Bruce doesn’t care about that now. It’s been 140 years. He’s been thrown 140 years into the future with no explanation and it’s clear that there’s no clear route home from that look.

So he does what he wanted to do ever since he landed on that boat.

He turns away from everyone, and screams.

Izuku doesn’t know what to do or say now that everyone is safe. Kudou (Older Kudou? One For All User Kudou?) said that if the worst case scenario happened then he had to make sure his other self didn’t turn out like what he first saw. And then the lady from the void, probably Shimura now that he’s thinking about it, said to tell All Might about the situation.

Well, he did one of the two already. Now he’s lying in Recovery Girl’s office in awkward silence next to All Might with questions swarming his head.

He probably shouldn’t pry right? All Might is a private person and just because he’s his protege doesn’t mean that he should know everything about him. But at the same time he can’t stop seeing the crestfallen look All Might made when Shimura asked who he was behind his eyelids.

“Um. All Might?” he asks carefully, looking as the hero turns to face him. “Who’s Shimura Nana?”

At the mention of the name, the hero pulls a pained expression, making him look older than Izuku has ever seen him. Immediately, he starts to backtrack. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. I was just curious. Sorry for asking.”

All Might shook his head. “No young Midoriya, it’s fine. I believe it’s best if I do tell you.” The man gives a wistful look. “Shimura Nana was my mentor and the previous user of One For All.”

Izuku sits up from his bed. He knew that someone had to pass down One For All to All Might but he didn’t know Shimura was also his mentor. “Really? What was she like?”

A small smile appears on All Might’s face. “She was amazing. A good hero and a good person. She taught me everything she knew before she passed,” he says. “I saw her as not only my mentor but my mother. When she passed I was…devastated to say the least. From then on, I sought out to make sure I would honor her legacy as All Might.”

“...And now she’s back.”

”And now she’s back,” repeats All Might. He sighs and puts his head into his hands. “She’s back and she’s a teenager and she didn’t recognize me.”

Izuku opens his mouth before closing it. What should he even say?

The door slides open, revealing a man wearing a tan trench coat and a fedora. “Hi All Might, it’s been a while.”

All Might sits up from his bed. “Tsukauchi!? I didn’t know you were investigating.”

Now it’s Izuku’s turn to sit up. “Woah, All Might! It’s okay he’s seeing you like this?”

“Oh yeah, it’s fine! Why, you ask? Because this is my favorite detective on the force, good old Tsukauchi Naomasa!”

“Hahaha. Thanks for the weird intro,” the detective laughs. He then walks over to All Might’s bed, sporting a serious expression. “Sorry to rush you but I’d like to ask about these villains and the development that the student next to you was hit with a body-splitter Quirk.”

“Wait, before that,” interrupts All Might. “Are all the students all alright? And Aizawa—Eraserhead and Thirteen?”

Tsukauchi gives a small smile. “Not counting this boy, the only injuries the students sustained were scrapes. And both teachers are in stable condition right now.”

It’s like a weight was lifted off of Izuku. Everyone was alright. No one was hurt other than him and they all managed to make it out alive. Despite the villains ambushing them, they all made it out. But wait, that still leaves the 7 One For All Users that came out when that villain used a body splitter Quirk on him. He knows he heard Lee scream but that was when they were already with the teachers, did something happen? Did a villain ambush one of them?

“Uh, Detective Tsukauchi? What about the other 7 teenagers? The ones that…came out of me when I was hit with the body-splitter Quirk?” asked Izuku, pulling a bit on his blanket.

“...They’re with your teachers right now,” answers Tsukauchi, after a moment of hesitation. “I don’t know all the details but Principal Nedzu said that they would be taking them in due to circumstances of their manifestation. The other option would be the Commission taking them in which I wouldn’t advise. The time limit of the villain’s Quirk takes about an hour until it wears off and they’re all still here even though it’s been about 5 hours.” He meets All Might’s eyes with a hard gaze. “We both know that would be interesting information the Commission will pay attention to.

An unspoken conversation happens in front of Izuku’s eyes, ending with All Might nodding in solemn agreement. “Of course,” says All Might, closing his eyes momentarily. “Of course…”

The room falls into an uneasy silence.

All Might takes a deep breath in and looks to Midoriya. “Young Midoriya, I first want to apologize for the questions you will likely be asked once you return to school, but I believe given the circumstances, it is time that I tell the staff about One For All.”

Shieru knew from the get-go that Lee was going to have a panic attack the moment he told him that he was from the year 2021. He already knew that something was up with how jumpy Lee was. When he mentioned the year he was from, Shieru practically saw the panic attack rolling in. There was nothing Pro Hero Snipe could do about it other than give the boy some semblance of control and a solemn confirmation. Nara Shieru , however, can at least give him a much-needed hug and a comforting presence in the situation he’s in.

Christ almighty though. Time travel. The boy somehow time traveled to the year 2166, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the group with him were thrown forward in time as well. Likely from different time periods considering two of their UA uniforms are only slightly out of date but still. Time travel.

He already filled in Midnight and Nedzu after Lee calmed down, he can only assume a handful of other staff members were filled in on it as well. Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Eraserhead, Present Mic, All Might, Power Loader, Thirteen, and Vlad King are likely going to be the only teaching staff to know about the full explanation while the rest gets an explanation filled with some half-truths.

Recovery Girl and Hound Dog are likely also going to get a full explanation. God knows how many vaccines and checkups all of these kids have to go through, especially if they’re all from 2021 like Lee. Hound Dog would also be a help considering the shock these kids will likely go through when they are told the truth.

Speaking of the truth, Nedzu told Shieru that he will be the one to break the news to the rest of the small group. Lee is the only one who would stay out of the room due to him figuring it out on his own and how attached the kid is to him.

Shieru’s not sure what he’s looking for right now. Probably for the other shoe to drop considering how quiet it is right now. Midnight left to break the news of the origins of the 7 teenagers to the staff members Nedzu instructed her to tell and right now, Lee is reading some of the books that were left behind on the table. Really it’s the perfect time for something bad to happen.

The door from the teacher’s lounge slams open. One of the kids ran out into the hallway before Shieru could get a good look. The only thing that remained was a small trail of smoke coming out from behind them. Shortly after, a girl in the old UA uniform comes running out.

Shieru closes his eyes and winces. There it is. The other shoe. He moves to stand up only to have the girl turn to him and motion him to stop. “Sorry, I know you probably just want to make sure he’s okay but right now I think both of us need some time alone. We both are attending this school so we know where to go and Tayutai already told Nedzu he’ll be in the 1-A classrooms freaking out. We have his blessing or whatever so don’t worry about us. We’ll come over to you when we’re ready.”

Before Shieru could give the girl an answer, she runs out to chase after her friend.

The door to the teacher’s lounge is still open and from where he is sitting, he sees a white-haired boy looking at Nedzu with shock. Another was a red-haired kid who was rapidly asking questions on the situation. The kid in the black school uniform meanwhile had a far-off look on his face.

Needless to say, none of them looked okay.

The only person who seemed to be taking the situation well was the third person who came out of the lounge, that being a tall kid whose clothes were a bit tattered on the edges. In fact he looks content about the time travel development. He looks towards Nedzu and the door, silently asking if he can close it. Nedzu gives him a nod and with that, he closes the door to the teacher’s lounge.

The boy then notices Lee and Shieru and walks over to them. “I’m homeless,” he says, seemingly noticing his confusion and concern. He sits right across from him, looking at him with a neutral expression. “My parents kicked me out when they realized I have a meta ability and since then I’ve been going from place to place, usually thanks to the help of other homeless people helping the newly kicked out kid. Lately though I had to make myself into a living danger alarm to get shelter. This is pretty much an improvement for me on all sides.”

Oh.

Well then.

That’s incredibly upsetting for several reasons, but right now he’s working as both Nara Shieru and Pro Hero Snipe. He can have those implications sink in later when he gets back home.

“Sorry to have that happen to ya kid. Name’s Snipe, what’s your name?”

“Shinomori.” He looks towards Lee, who occasionally glances up to listen in on the conversation before going back to his book. “Hey, your name is Lee, right? Did you figure it out before the rest of us and that’s why you screamed?”

Lee puts his book down, seemingly conflicted on what answer to give. Eventually he gives a nod.

“That sucks,” said Shinomori. “That really sucks.”

It was a painfully awkward answer, though to be fair, Shieru isn’t sure what he would have said if he was in this situation. 

Besides, the kid seems to be comforted slightly by the other. Shieru isn’t really sure how that works, but if it works, it works. 

“...Yeah,” said Lee, talking for the first time since he settled in the room. He looks at the book, then at Shinomori. “Want to read together?”

Shinomori shrugs and moves to sit next to Lee. “Why not. Everyone else is busy and it’s been a while since I could actually read without someone telling me to wake up and tell them if danger is nearby.” He glances up to Snipe, expression pensive. “Actually wait, another question to you. I know that we apparently live in a world of heroes and villains and you’re in a cowboy outfit so…cowboy hero that uses guns?”

He nods. “Right on the money kid. There’s a reason why my hero name is ‘Snipe’.”

“Then how did you manage to hit all those people from the entrance and not make them a touch dead due to the distance you’re hitting them at?” Shinomori asks, tilting his head.

“Well, that’s because of my Quirk. Or meta ability as you call it in your day. It allows me to lock on any target and have the projectiles chase after the target.” To demonstrate, Shieru crumbles a receipt on the table, locks on a trash can and throws it in the opposite direction. Immediately the receipt changes direction and lands into the garbage can. Both boys gave a quiet applause.

“Course I can’t really determine where exactly the target is going to land so I have to actually try at aiming,” he finishes. It was actually a bit of a problem when he was first practicing with his Quirk. The projectile would home in on the target but would sometimes hit it at less-than-optimal places. Took a hell of a lot of work to get him to be this good at shooting but it was all worth it in the end.

Lee hums a bit before going back to his book. “You should talk to Kudou,” he says in English, presumably for some privacy. “He’s good with his aim and he was the one who hit the Noumu in the eye. Straight through as well. Probably not the same level as you but his meta ability doesn’t home in on others so I think it’s more impressive he managed to do it. I think you would get along.”

Now that’s a surprise. He knew that those teens probably helped the students but he didn’t know that included one of them attacking the Noumu outright, much less managing to hit it with enough force that it tore through it a bit. There’s a story in there but he doubts he’ll get a clear answer without all the participants in the room.

Shinomori looks between Lee and Shieru with a puzzled expression on his face. “Okay. I agree with whatever is said. But anyways, last question, for Lee actually.” The boy slowly brings the book down from Lee’s face, causing the other to look at him with annoyance. ”How are you handling this so well? Because I know you screamed but now you look fine so. How do you do it? I already told you my reason why I’m fine but what about you?”

It was like watching a disaster happen in slow motion.

Lee stares at Shinomori for a moment, before putting his head into the book entirely. Soon soft hiccups start coming out of the boy. “ Fuck ,” he says wetly, shoulders hitching every so often. Shinomori’s face falls, realizing what is happening. He extends a hand towards Lee before retracting it, instead looking down to avoid looking at Lee. Soon enough, Lee took the book away from his face and now was openly crying.

Nothing was said after that. All that was given to Lee was a box of tissues and another much-needed hug.

Shieru learns about One For All.

Shieru, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Midnight, Present Mic, Hound Dog, Vlad King, and Power Loader all learn about One For All, and learn that those 7 kids were previous users of One For All. That one of them was All Might’s mentor.

There’s parts of the story that are missing. Parts where All Might deflects and says that it’s best to wait until Thirteen and Eraserhead are present. There’s parts of the story that are so important but aren’t being told right now.

Christ , Shieru isn’t going to get a wink of sleep tonight.

The first thought that came to Shouta’s mind when he woke up was his students. USJ was meant to be a safe environment for them to practice rescue missions and wield their Quirks safely. Instead, they were forced to fight with their lives on the line. It’s only thanks to his student’s resourcefulness and All Might’s arrival that things didn’t turn for the worse.

Shouta was always one to expose his students to the reality of the hero world. It’s what kept them alive. It’s why he expelled at least one student per year, to give them one “death” and make them realize what’s at stake. This? This was not the first thing he wanted his students to experience. This was something they shouldn’t have experienced until they graduated. At the earliest, they would have experienced it as third years. During work studies.

“Sho’? You awake?”

He turns his head to see Hizashi. Well, tried to see him. His entire body was covered in bandages which makes it difficult for him to see what’s going on but from what little he can see, his husband is out of his hero costume and is sitting by his bed.

“Hizashi, is everyone safe? Did everyone make it out?” He had to know. The last thing he saw before being knocked out was purple smoke and Shigaraki lunging at Asui. If one of his students got hurt because of their inability to prepare for villain attacks aimed at All Might’s employment at the school, then he would never forgive himself.

“Other than a few scrapes and Midoriya injuring himself again, everyone is okay,” his husband assured.

Shouta allowed himself to relax. Good. The worst case scenario was avoided. All that may be needed is a quick look-over from Recovery Girl and some sessions with Hound Dog.

“Though uh. There has been one tiny thing that we may need to touch up on,” adds Hizashi.

Shouta sighs. Of course there is.

“First off, how much do you remember of the USJ?”

“Enough to remember that Midoriya, Mineta, and Asui were all watching me instead of rushing to the entrance. And that they manage to get the Noumu to let go of me, with it ending with Asui grabbing me the moment it did.”

“Right, but do you remember anyone else?”

He gives himself a moment to think. He knows that one of his students did something to have the Noumu let go of him but he doesn’t know what. Then he was grabbed and before he knew it, purple smoke was around them.

…None of his kids have Quirks resembling purple smoke.

“There was someone else with Midoriya, Tsuyu, and Mineta before All Might came,” he realized. “They were helping them. I don’t know how many there were but it had to be at least three and one of them had to have had a smokescreen Quirk. None of my students have anything remotely resembling it.”

“That’s part of it,” said Hizashi, rubbing the back of his neck. “The actual explanation is a whole lot weirder.”

Shouta gives a scoff. “What? A few villains had a change of heart and helped my students? That’s not weirder, that’s a miracle.” And a damn good miracle that was. He had a feeling that this batch of students would be particularly resourceful but they were still first years. Any ally they gained during the attack is one more person that helped them stay alive. 

Hizashi breathes through his teeth. “...No. You would think that but uh. No.”

If Shouta could, he would rub the bridge of his nose. “Then what is it?”

“Before Midoriya, Tsuyu, and Mineta took down the villains, Midoriya got hit with a body splitter Quirk.” Shouta’s stomach dropped. Body splitter Quirks were unpredictable, ranging from a simple split of the same exact person to a split of different people representing different aspects of the original. If Midoriya got hit with one then the consequences could range from miniscule to disastrous. 

“Hey hey hey! I know you’re panicking already but let me finish!” exclaimed Hizashi, putting his hands up. “Midoriya got hit with a body splitter Quirk, and as expected, he split. Into seven pieces to be exact, except here’s the weird part.” His husband leans in close, looking around momentarily to be sure they weren’t listened to. “When the Quirk took effect, he was still Midoriya, and what happened was that 7 other teens popped out from him. And they’re still here. ”

That’s odd. There was a short time limit on body splitter Quirks, with the maximum recorded time being around 3 hours. Judging from the fact that the window is now showing only the city’s lights and cars, it’s either the evening or midnight.

“They’re still here,” continued Hizashi. “All of them are still here and aren’t even remotely like Midoriya in terms of personality. In fact they all claim to be from different years.”

“What do you mean by different years? Are you telling me that the villain unknowingly had a time travel Quirk instead of a body splitter Quirk?”

Hizashi shook his head. “Nope, the Quirk is still a body splitter. There’s been multiple cases from the villain that showed that his Quirk is very much a body splitter Quirk. That’s the only thing about this that isn’t weird.” The man takes a deep breath and puts his hand on his forehead. “Shouta, all 7 of these kids are from different times because they apparently came from All Might’s Quirk. His Quirk that he recently passed down to Midoriya.”

He widens his eyes.

It sounds impossible. The whole thing sounds impossible but Hizashi wouldn’t lie to him. And really, this year seems to be setting itself up to be defying the impossible. All Might is working here as a heroics student, UA got broken into by journalists, the USJ got attacked by villains, and the Noumu has multiple Quirks if he remembers correctly. This might as well happen at this point.

Shouta also knows how Hizashi looks when he’s lying. He knows that Hizashi tends to smile a bit too widely and subconsciously lowers his voice when he lies. None of that is showing up in this conversation. All that is heard is tiredness in his voice and that is seen are bloodshot eyes.

“Tell me everything. Now.”

Hizashi nods, and starts from the beginning.

“-and that’s the basic gist of it. Everything that All Might told us and a vague origin for all of the kids. There’s more to the whole thing but he wanted you and Thirteen to be there so he can explain it fully.”

Shouta opens his mouth and closes it. Not for the first time, he wishes he can move his arms freely. “Do they have anywhere to stay?”

Hizashi shook his head. “Other than UA, there isn’t really anyone who’s ready to take 7 kids immediately. Snipe and Nemuri were options but neither of them had the resources to house and feed 7 teenagers on short notice.”

Shouta blinks. Nemuri being an option makes sense but Snipe is a surprise. He’s good with teenagers but he isn’t someone Shouta thought would be considered as an emergency foster parent.

“Yeah me too,” said Hizashi, sensing Shouta’s confusion. ”Apparently though, two of the teens talked to Snipe for a bit and warmed up to him. Again though, neither of them can house all of them immediately.”

“I also assume that the idea of separating them individually was shut down.”

“Oh yeah it was shut down hard. It was generally agreed that separating them is a bad idea. Same boat, same experience, you know? We’ll eventually take measures to make sure they don’t become codependent on each other but one thing at a time.” Hizashi sighed, leaning his head back on the chair. “So the current plan right now is to have them stay at UA while Recovery Girl, Nedzu, and All Might all watch them.”

Shouta frowned. It makes sense why that option was what was chosen but it still wasn’t great.

“Why not have us take them in?” He says, after a moment of silence. “We have emergency foster licenses and we just cleaned our apartment and stocked up on food.”

Hizashi stares at Shouta, giving him a frown. “I mean that’s what I thought too. But Shouta, you almost died, and all those kids saw it happen. I don’t think it’s a good idea to see you so soon.” Neither of them bring up Shouta’s injuries and the possibility of the hospital not releasing them. They both know that Shouta would drag himself out of the hospital the moment this conversation was finished.

“I disagree,” he said, giving Hizashi the hardest gaze he can muster. “If they see me, then they learn that I’m fine. Therefore they now don’t have to worry about me.”

“Sho’ you’re covered in bandages.”

“And I’m alive.”

“That’s not the point Sho’.” His husband runs a hand through his hair. Soon he laughs. “I’m not going to convince you to not do this huh?”

His mouth quirked up a bit under the bandages. “Nope. And I got a feeling you were eventually going to go with this option anyways even if I didn’t bring it up.”

A soft smile appears on Hizashi. “You know me so well.”

“We’ve been married for almost 5 years and were friends for even longer. It would be illogical for me to not know you well.”

Chapter Text

GotToGoFast: Hey Nemuri, is Shouta awake yet?

NightNight: hizashi just texted me a few minutes ago. he’s awake and going to make a full recovery.

GotToGoFast: Thank fuck. Going to relay the news to Tenya. He’s been asking about him ever since he got home.

NightNight: he’s a good kid.

NightNight: also, sorry for springing this on you but is it possible for you to drop off some of your old clothes at UA? would do it myself but i’m picking up their cats at their apartment

GotToGoFast: I’m free right now so yeah. It’s mostly going to be oversized band shirts on my end though. Am I going to learn why you need them, and why you’re picking up the cats or is it something that I can’t know until Nedzu gets the HPSC off of UA’s back?

NightNight: not unless Nedzu gives the okay

GotToGoFast: Oh shit it’s really serious then.

GotToGoFast: Is everything okay there?

NightNight: not really. i’m doing what snipe’s doing and saving the implications and emotions for home

GotToGoFast: Well just so you know, I’m a late sleeper despite what Tenya thinks. So you can call me if you need someone to talk to.

NightNight: this is why you’re my favorite Tensei <3

NightNight: actually wait. another favor. can you get several sets of clothes in these specific sizes?

(NightNight sent an image)

GotToGoFast: I’m now very concerned. But I’m going to get those clothes to you as fast as I can

Yoichi's head is spinning from everything that’s happening today. 

He met heroes, actual heroes. Not people pretending to be heroes. Actual, real life, professional heroes.

Not only that, but they were hero students. Meaning that there’s a whole school for heroes, meaning that there are heroes everywhere.

He even met some of them already! They all saved them from the monster that was in the area and defeated all the villains that started to get up! He even talked to some of them! He liked Miss Midnight a lot. She has a nice smile.

Then Lee started screaming after talking to the cowboy-themed hero. The hero had to calm him down and even after he did that, Lee was still crying really hard.

That’s when things started getting weird.  

According to Mr Nedzu, other than the hero students they met, their small group was thrown into the future. The year 2166 to be exact. It also turns out that they aren’t all from the same year, because Kudou said he was from the year 2023 and the others started piping in with their own years. The common thing between all of them though is that they’re all 15 and don’t have any idea how they got here.

When Yoichi heard that, he couldn’t believe his ears. He’s in the future. The future where heroes exist. The future where hero students exist. Not just in comic books, but in the real world!

It’s a bit scary yeah but he also can’t help but feel a bit excited over it. It’s just like issue number 28 of Captain Hero! Captain Hero was thrown into the future by the Demon Lord and had to fight his way back to his own past with the help of the other heroes that rose up in his absence! It’s going to look hopeless at first but eventually they’ll all find a way back! His brother is still waiting for him after all!

He hoping that he would be able to look around but according to Mr Nedzu they had to go to Recovery Girl to record their health history and to check for what vaccines they had to get or something. Usually, he would try his hardest to stay away from doctors but these people were nicer than the ones he talked to back in his time, so he’ll give it a shot.

The only ones who aren’t going are Tayutai and Shimura. Apparently they don’t need to be called because the high school already had their health records.

(He’s kind of glad that Tayutai isn’t going to be with them. He apologized to Kudou for the accusation about the Meta Liberation Army but he still looked like he was going to hurt him. Then when Mr Nedzu told them that they were in the future, Tayutai looked like he was going to start shouting at him before deciding to just walk out.)

So now he was sitting in Recovery Girl’s office with the others waiting for his turn. 

(They should form a group name! That would be so cool!)

Midoriya and someone named Yagi are here with them, which makes this a bit better. He knows Midoriya is a hero student and honestly, that makes him one of the coolest people ever. A hero student. In a hero school. He’s probably even mentoring under a cool hero! Maybe even All Might himself! Midoriya seemed to look up to him a lot in the USJ so it’s only natural that All Might is his mentor!

He isn't sure about Yagi though, but if he’s here in a hero school then obviously he’s a hero. Yagi sometimes gives those strained smiles that some adults give when his brother talks to them but he also is warmer than those adults. He tried asking about how he was hurt but all he was given was an assurance that everything is okay.

But enough about him, he’s still waiting his turn! Honestly he wants to get this over with as fast as he can so he can see if more heroes are in the building. 

First was Banjou. (“I think my family has a history of liver failure but other than that there isn’t much. Oh! There was this one time I broke my arm because I tried to do parkour but I went to the hospital so don’t worry!”)

Then Shinomori. (“Miraculously didn’t get anything worse than some malnourishment and a minor flu but I wouldn’t be surprised if my family has some secret disease I don’t know about because I was too busy being homeless to figure it out.”)

Then Kudou. (“My mom mentioned something about heart disease running in the family so probably that. And also a history of diabetes so that’s something to check too.”)

Then Lee. (“...I have ADHD, but it could also just be my Meta Ability. What I take is on the note I gave you. And um…I have other things in there regarding some other medication I take and I just want to know if- Oh. No further questions for that? Thank you.”)

And finally, Yoichi himself.

“Well young man,” says Recovery Girl. “I am aware that from what Nedzu has told me that you were previously only living with your brother?”

Yoichi nods. “Since we were born, we only had each other. We mostly were on the streets but occasionally my brother managed to find a place that was inside.”

“Ah, that must be hard for you, I’m glad that you had someone with you at the very least.” Recovery Girl brings up her clipboard. “Now then, if you can, could you tell me the health-related problems you went through? While we can attempt to pull up your records, it may take a while due to the time you were born in. Anything you tell me would be a great help in the future.”

Medical problems, medical problems…Oh right!

“Sometimes I cough up blood!”

Midoriya lets out a high-pitched squeak.

“And how much does this happen?” asks Recovery Girl.

“It usually happens once a day, but sometimes if I’m lucky it won’t happen for a week. Oh but I do get sick about every other month,” he adds. Those days when he gets sick are the worst . He can’t move around a lot and he coughs up more blood than usual. His brother was the one who helped him get places whoever those days happened. Oh wait- Speaking of helping him…

“There was one time though I got really sick to the point where Zen took me to a doctor.” That particular time sucked. He wasn’t awake for most of it but according to the nice person, he should have died several times over. It’s frankly a miracle that he survived for this long apparently. Zen wouldn’t leave his side for months. “I was fine but I had to be in bed for a while, which was fine with me because at the time my foot was also broken so-“

“Wait wait wait, pause.” Kudou walks towards him, eyes wide. “You broke your foot? You broke your foot and you still can walk properly?”

“I broke it twice actually! It’s thanks to my brother that I’m better now. But anyways, after I was able to stand up again, my brother was able to get an inhaler so that I can breathe a bit better. I still get sick but I can breathe a little better now.”

A strange look appears on Kudou’s face. “That’s…nice. I’m glad your brother helped you.”

Recovery Girl clears her throat. Oh right yeah. He’s supposed to talk to her about this stuff. “Is it possible to tell me what else the doctor said about your condition?” she asks kindly.

Yoichi nods. “Well the doctor said that I have irreparable damage somewhere in my lung. He also tried to give me vaccines but then Zen used some of his meta abilities to make him stop.“

Recovery Girl’s eyebrows furrow and a frown comes across her face. “Ah. That is unfortunate. We will need to get you up on date for that across the year.”

“Wait, there’s more!” He points to his shoulder and moves it around a bit. “My shoulder is apparently pretty weird and whenever it gets extra weird Zen puts it back in the place it should be.”

The room goes silent. In fact it has been silent ever since he mentioned that he coughs up blood. Every time the others went, there was some conversation happening in the background but now everyone is just staring at him.

”There’s one plus though!” he says hastily. “My vision is better than my brother's! He doesn’t wear glasses because he’s stubborn and thinks he looks better without them! I have to always tell him which word is which when we’re reading comics and he’s always squinting.”

Still, the room stays silent.

Banjou coughs, breaking the spell. “...Hey uh. Not to go and butt into this conversation but it’s probably better to show them your inhaler right? You know, so you can show it to them and-”

Okay Yoichi, this is it. Just give a normal answer and something that makes them stop looking so concerned. Heroes don’t make other people worry for them and right now, he’s sort of the hero in this situation. Or at least a friend of a hero with how Kudou acted.

(Kudou has to be a hero in the future. The way he acted, how he immediately asked if everyone was okay, how he shielded Shinomori from the monster with no hesitation. He has to be a hero because who else would act like that?)

Just assure them that you’re fine and that the situation isn’t as bad as it is. Just like Captain Hero.

“Oh I don’t have it!”

Drat.

Banjou stares at him with wide eyes. “...You don’t have it. You don’t have the thing that is helping you not die.”

“Well uh. My brother actually keeps it with him. It’s just so no one will steal it from me if we ever run into trouble.”

“I mean that makes some sense,” says Shinomori, nodding along. “I would know, I had my fair share of objects stolen from me. Had to have some of the others keep some of them so I don’t end up with nothing. But what happens when your brother has to go somewhere else for a moment?”

Yoichi blinks and tilts his head. “Why would me and my brother ever leave each other?”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Shinomori winces and looks away. In fact everyone now is looking at him with some level of concern. The adults at least are trying to hide it, with Recovery Girl continuing to write things down and Yagi looking away a bit, but the rest? The rest are looking at him with wide eyes. Even Lee, the one person who has said nothing in this conversation is looking at him.

( “They’re pitying you,” says a voice sounding like his brother.)

He wishes that someone would say something. Anything. Anything to have them stop worrying about him and to stop looking at him with such concerned eyes. He’s fine! He’s been fine for all his life because he had his brother with him. And once this is all over then everything is going to be okay again.

Midoriya slides off of his bed and walks towards him. “I- Yoichi, what happened to you- I’m sorry that happened to you. I know things aren’t going to be great immediately but if it helps, then you can at least know that I’m-”

The door harshly slid open, interrupting Midoriya.

Everyone turns towards the door.

Outside revealed Tayutai and Shimura. Both of them have their blazers off, instead having it tied to their waist. Shimura’s hair was down and Tayutai’s tie has been fully removed. They both look exhausted.

None of them comment on how red their eyes are.

“...So apparently we’re going to be staying with someone named Yamada and Aizawa for the night,” said Tayutai, voice dead. “Aizawa is the guy who tried fighting the monster and failed and Yamada is apparently his husband. Some hero by the name of Ingenium also dropped off some clothes so we have several extra sets and don’t have to stay in the ones we came in.” He looks towards Recovery Girl and then to the rest of them. “Hey you guys have our health records so…”

“Not to worry,” says Recovery Girl. “Unless any further developments are seen, we will be using the ones you have provided when you both entered UA.”

Tayutai nods. “Cool. I’m going out then and waiting for the others. You do…whatever you’re doing.” With that, he leaves down the hall and presumably to where Aizawa and Yamada are going to be.

The only one left by the doorway is Shimura, who is staring at Yagi. “Um. Hi,” she says awkwardly.

“...Hello,” whispers Yagi. The man straightens up from his bed. “Young lady I first want to say that I’m sorry for how we first met. I thought you were someone else and-”

“Oh no it’s fine- It’s-” She takes a deep breath. “It’s fine. I get it. I kind of got a feeling about what this whole thing really means but for now, I just want to let you know that you’re okay.”

With that, she left, leaving Yoichi with questions and a quiet relief for the eyes to be off him.

Anan didn’t think that anything would shock her after Villains managed to break into the USJ but she sure was wrong about that after the explanation Nedzu and All Might gave her.

One of the students got hit with a body splitter Quirk and now there’s 7 teenagers that split from him and didn’t disappear after 3 hours. Already, it sounds insane. It sounds impossible and questions were already forming in her mind. Apparently though that isn’t even the craziest thing! Because this whole thing is happening because the student has All Might’s transferable Quirk and those 7 teenagers are the previous users of that Quirk!

“So, Thirteen, do you have any questions?” asked All Might.

Anan stared at him for a long time. 

“...I’m trans,” she says lamely. This isn’t how she wanted to come out but she already knows the craziness that’s going to hit once she gets out of the hospital. Better to rip off the bandage now than to awkwardly tell them after the year is done. Plus, almost dying really did make her realize that casually referring to herself with a feminine name, using she/her pronouns in her head, and yearning to be a woman is probably not a “normal cis activity” as Present Mic would probably put it.

“Oh! Congratulations!” Exclaims All Might, as if she didn’t just instantly change the topic of the conversation to something else. He gives her a wide grin. “What pronouns should I use? Do you have a name you would like to be called or would you like us to exclusively refer to you with your hero name?”

Anan can only stare at All Might. The Number 1 Hero is congratulating her for coming out and is asking for her preferred name and pronouns. It’s nice, but it doesn’t stop it from being incredibly surreal. “Uh. She/her. I’m a woman and I already chose the name Anan. Nedzu can you-“

“Oh don’t worry,” assured the principal. “We’ll have all the records corrected immediately. By the time you leave the hospital you will have the proper name and gender identity on all official documents.”

Leave it to Nedzu to get things done.

“Right, sorry for blurting that out I just thought it’d be easier and-” She shook her head, she can’t let the conversation derail because of this. Back to the matter at hand Anan. “The only question I really have is if you know any of the teenagers from when they were adults.”

Instantly, the man deflates. “One,” he says solemnly. “Shimura Nana. She was my mentor.”

Was. Meaning she died. Which means that the teenager that’s here now is either a product of time travel, dimensional travel, or a secret third option that none of them would consider. All of which sounds crazy, but that doesn’t change the fact that to All Might, Shimura Nana is a dead person walking.

She puts her hands together. Anxiety makes its way into her bones as she lets the information settle in. “Do we have information on the others? I assume with Shimura we have something but you said that this Quirk is old, which means we might be digging well into the Dawn of Quirks.”

“Not to worry,” said Nedzu. “I have already gone and started research into all of them. We already know that Tayutai En was in the same year as Shimura Nana at UA, both as first-generation of hero students. It’s now a matter of simply working backwards and finding a connection of some sort for the rest of them.”

First-generation hero students. Geez, that goes way back. There’s a connection but the fact that the teenagers closest to the present are first-generation hero students means that the other five are likely going to be much harder to find information on.

That doesn’t fully explain why both of them are here though. If they wanted to relay the whole thing to her then they could have easily sent Kan or Kayama to her room. Both of them are here though, so that means there’s something else, but what would it be? Her coworkers mostly call her for student advice and the occasional gossip, but if Nedzu is going to her then usually it’s- Oh.

“I’m assuming that you’re also going to be making some fabricated records for them so that they’ll fit in and you want me to help.”

All Might gives a sheepish grin while Nedzu claps his hands. “Correct Thirteen!” exclaims the Chimera. “Apologies for throwing you into work so soon after your injury, but I believe the sooner we do this the less problems we have in the future.”

Commission-related problems.

She takes a deep breath and flexes her fingers. “Right then. So whose records should we go for first?” 

Hikage is quite happy with this situation, which makes him feel paradoxically bad because he knows that everyone else in this time travel situation is feeling the exact opposite. 

Unlike him, all the people in the group have actual futures and family. Even Shigaraki, who was in a similar situation as him, had family. The only one who’s winning in this situation is Hikage, and that’s only because he has nothing to lose really. He might miss his backpack full of cool knives he found but that can’t compare to everyone else’s distress.

So maybe that’s why he’s relieved at feeling some sort of unease over being brought into the Aizawa-Yamada home. It’s an illogical feeling, but it at least reminds him that this situation, while good in the long run, isn’t exactly great.

Yamada Hizashi and Aizawa Shouta are unfamiliar people to Hikage. They aren’t activating Danger Sense right now but that doesn't mean that they’re good. Danger Sense only tells him when danger is nearby, not the person’s long term intentions. The previous group he stayed with weren’t good people but they were open about why he was kept around. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t…or something like that.

Yamada glances at all of them with a small smile. “So, do you kids want to wash up first or do you want us to make some-”

“Where’s the guest room?” interrupted Tayutai. “I don’t feel like eating.”

Yamada blinks for a moment. “Oh well, we have two guest bedrooms. It’s down the hall with the last two doors being either room. You got to share unfortunately but we have enough sleeping bags for all of you. The bathroom is to the right and-”

“Great. I’m going to clean up and sleep, don’t wait up.” With that, he makes his way to the hall and opens the door to the left to throw the small bag of clothes he was given. Then he makes his way to the right, opens the door, and slams it shut.

Hikage suppresses a small wince. So much for being respectful. 

He glances at Tayutai’s friend, Shimura he believes she’s called. They’ve been sticking together since this whole thing started. Surprisingly though, instead of following her friend, she stayed in place. “Food will be fine.”

The blond gives a thumbs up. ”On it little listener. Today we’re going to eat some curry for the day and have some miso soup on the side just in case you need something lighter. Any other requests?”

Banjou glances at Aizawa and then back at Yamada. The man has been standing quietly next to his husband for the entire conversation. “Are you sure your husband is supposed to be out of the hospital?” Asked Banjou.

Aizawa sighs. “It’s illogical for me to remain at the hospital. I’m healed and I still have students to teach. The sooner I am on the field the better it is for everyone.”

That doesn’t sound like a good idea, but these are adults and Hikage usually isn’t listened to when he voices his opinions. So he opts to remain silent and nod politely at Aizawa.

Lee apparently has other ideas, because he makes a face at Aizawa and says this: “Got it, ignore injuries and immediately go back to work. Especially if those injuries are life threatening. Amazing life advice to give to teenagers living with you.”

Immediately though, Lee seems to have regretted what he said. He flinches and brings his hands up placatingly. “Sorry that just- I’m sure you know what you’re doing, forgive me for the moment of disrespect.” 

Aizawa stares at Lee with an unreadable expression before closing his eyes, sighing. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

And yet he said mere seconds ago that it would be illogical to stay at the hospital. Again though, he will opt to say nothing.

“And kid, you’re a teenager,” adds Aizawa, now speaking softer. “I’m not going to shout at you for being a little sassy.” 

It’s clear that it was meant for all of them, even if he is speaking to Lee. Something to assure them of their position here.

Lee stares at the man for a moment before he starts to rock back and forth. He takes a glance at all of them before moving his eyes to Yamada, the only other adult in the room. All the man does is gives a thumbs-up. A childish gesture but one that weirdly comforts Hikage. An assurance for all of them that this indeed is the norm and that what Aizawa is saying is true.

”…Well, if that’s the case,” Lee says hesitantly. “Then you kind of suck at being a good role model through words too, considering you said to ignore the hospital.”

Immediately, Aizawa starts sputtering.

Lee has to have noticed that. He has to have noticed that, yet he kept plowing through the conversation like nothing had happened. If anything, he got louder. “I mean no disrespect but if that’s your philosophy then how the heck are you even alive right now? Your line of work probably involves many hospital visits and if that is your philosophy then you by all means should be dead.” He raises an eyebrow and oh. Oh this is definitely on purpose now. Hikage can not have been the only one who noticed the wry smile on Lee’s face. ”Is your husband the one who actually makes sure you’re still alive?”

A muffled laugh comes out of Shimura and Banjou while Shigaraki turns to hide his smile. Even Kudou couldn’t help but let out a small snort. 

Yamada, meanwhile, did no such thing in hiding his cackle. “Oh that one is good! Come on Sho’ don’t you want to be a good role model for these teenagers?”

Several emotions flashed in Aizawa’s eyes, all of them being something similar to despair.

Hikage doesn’t know if he can trust Aizawa or Yamada but they’re at least people who wouldn’t immediately snap at the slightest bit of sass.

“Hey, should we change Yoichi’s last name?” Asks Thirteen.

Toshinori looks up from the paperwork. They just finished Kudou and Lee’s, all that’s left is for them to ask what they would like to list their Quirks as. They can check previous records but it would take a significant amount of time due to them both being born during the Dawn of Quirks. Not only that but it seems rather cruel to make the decision without them. Toshinori never had a Quirk of his own but from the stories he’s heard from his former classmates, they all chose the names of their Quirks when it manifested. It’s only right that they name it themselves.

Back to Yoichi though.

He tilts his head. “Why would we need to change his name? We haven’t done the same to the others.”

“I know but it’s just- I don’t think having the family name be Shigaraki is going to do Yoichi any favors in being discreet.”

Ah. Well then. That is a problem in retrospect. Shigaraki is hardly a common family name and adding on to the fact that he shares it with Shigaraki Tomura, it would lead to suspicion. The best option for him is to have his family name be changed to something else for the sake of safety. It also probably should be one of the staff members who are possibly Underground or on the lower side of the hero rankings. The less attention they have, the safer it would be for Yoichi.

“We can have my last name be used for him,” said Toshinori.

Immediately he put a hand over his mouth. What!? Where did that even come from? Having Yoichi be connected to him would be disastrous! He’s the number one hero for crying out loud! To have Yoichi be connected to him means that multiple villains would use him as a way to get close to the Symbol of Peace and will surely cause Yoichi more pain, especially if Toshinori is right about All For One being alive.

“I’m- My apologies,” he says hastily. “I don’t know why I said that. Please disregard it, I actually do not think it’s a good idea in the end.

Nedzu, apparently, had other ideas. “I think that’s an excellent idea Yagi!” he exclaims, clapping his hands together. “Out of all my trusted staff members, you have been able to keep the biggest secret from the public for several years and managed to have it so that no one knows your civilian identity unless you tell them yourself! You are the best option in this situation!”

“I- Would Eraserhead not be a better candidate? I’m still the Number One Hero while he’s an Underground one!”

“Exactly! You’re the Number One Hero!” Nedzu jumps off the chair and walks towards Toshinori. “All Might, while we are looking for discreetness, we’re also looking for security for the children. You as the Number One means that many institutions, including the HPSC, would give you a bit of a pass on some things. If the HPSC catches wind of Yoichi and finds that you gave him your family name, then they will tread much more lightly. Perhaps resort to deceptive tactics but nothing that would damage you or someone linked to you specifically.”

Toshinori frowns. It’s a good point but it’s still risky. It still means that Yoichi will be connected to him if they choose this path.

Thirteen clears her throat, making them both turn to her. “Listen, All Might? If you don’t want to do it then it’s fine, but I do agree with Nedzu here.” She points a pen to the papers. Yoichi’s papers. “Out of every single one of these kids, Yoichi has the biggest risk of being heavily questioned by the HPSC for the crime of sharing a last name with Shigaraki Tomura. Add the fact that he’s from 2021, a person who got revived from a body splitter Quirk, and is from a Quirk that can be passed down , and it’s practically guaranteed that we’re never going to see him again if the HPSC gets custody over him.”

“Well put Thirteen! And, I do also want to remind you All Might, that you aren’t the only one who wants to protect these children.” The chimera puts a hand on Toshinori’s. “Me and the staff are here to help through this process. This isn’t something you’re shouldering alone.”

Toshinori blinks.

It’s easy to forget the position he’s in now. The position he put himself in. That there are people that he can talk to as both All Might and Yagi Toshinori. That he willingly told them about his condition and just hours ago, told them about One For All.

In his life as All Might, the only reason he confided about One For All was because of how those closest to him managed to put the pieces together and realize the truth. The circumstances of this reveal is…different to say the least. 

It still was needed due to what has happened, but it also was less heavy than the other conversations. Apprehension was there but a strange sense of relief was there as well. Maybe he should have listened to Sir Nighteye, or at least hear him out. He would have never retired but…perhaps he should have let more people in. Considered the idea of people supporting him in being the Symbol of Peace instead of carrying the burden on his own.

Toshinori gives the two people a hesitant nod. “Right, I’ll propose the idea tomorrow and tell young Shigaraki Yoichi about it. But if he refuses then I suggest we have Eraserhead’s family name.”

“But of course! The children may need safety but they also must be given choices! Safety is, after all, useless if you sacrifice the self in the process!”

Toshinori gives a small smile and goes back to filling out the paperwork.

It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. It’s going to be long and exhausting, but he thinks it’ll go okay.

It will be okay in the end.

For the sake of everyone, it has to be.

Chapter Text

Several Hours earlier…

Tomura hisses as he slams into the ground. His limbs burn from the bullets and blood pools all over the floor. Despite all of this, all he can think about was that brat and those glitches. That green-haired boy had the same speed as All Might and then those glitches. They ruined everything.

“Sensei…Sensei, you were wrong!” He slams a fist on the ground, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm. “The Symbol of Peace is in perfect health and those kids were all so strong! You were so wrong!”

From behind him, he hears Kurogiri start muttering something about him keeping still. The air shifts a bit as Tomura hears several portals open, probably bandages or some shit since Kurogiri always worries about that for some reason. He’s shot but he isn’t going to die immediately but that doesn’t matter to Kurogiri. 

The floor creaks as Kurogiri steps forward. “Shigaraki Tomura,” he says in a hushed tone. “Stay still, you need-”

The TV crackles to life, bringing Kurogiri to silence. “No, I wasn’t. We merely got ahead of ourselves,” said Sensei.

A click is heard through the audio. A sign that the Doctor is now in the conversation, as if Tomura needed more people to look down at his failure.

“Yes…we underestimated him. Good thing that League of Villains came cheap,” said the Doctor. “Anyway, what of the Noumu? Did you retrieve him?”

The floor creaks again, this time much more hesitant. “He was sent flying,” Kurogiri says plainly. “Unless we ascertain the precise coordinates there is no hope in getting him back.”

Of course Kurogiri is useless here. They could have gotten it back but All Might just had to punch him out of the USJ. Stupid All Might. Stupid All Might and those stupid brats.

The Doctor sighs. “After all that trouble of making him as strong as All Might. Ah, well, it can’t be helped.”

…Strong. Right, strong.

He lets out a feral growl. “Two of those kids were able to fight the Noumu, Sensei. One of the pests was as fast as All Might and almost matched the Noumu’s power,” he growls out.

“...Oh?”

“And the other one. The other one was managed to actually injure it. Shot a rock and managed to make it looks like it a bullet went through its eye. If it weren’t for that brat, we would have been able to at least kill Eraserhead!”

He didn’t even manage to catch a glance on which of the brats done it. One moment the Noumu was intact and holding up Eraserhead. The next, a flash of blue going through its eye and Eraserhead gone from its grasp.

Silence fills the room.

“Interesting…Not one but two possible successors,” hums All For One. “We may have miscalculated but still, we managed to glean some information from this, test the public’s faith in UA, and planted that seed of fear.”

Tomura growls in anger. It’s not enough. It’s not enough even as Sensei says that. They were supposed to kill All Might and they failed. He’s still alive and he managed to save those brats. And when he thought they could kill him in his exhaustion, that green-haired brat came in trying to stop Kurogiri and-

“...Sensei. There’s one more brat that tried to stop me.” He lifts his head up. The pain burns but his anger, more so. “She came flying in and went from the entrance of the USJ to us. It was like she came out of the sky.”

“Came out of the sky hm? My, there are many people we must keep an eye on.” A soft snort comes through the speaker. “Remember this, Shigaraki Tomura, the next time you move, the world will look upon you with terror.”

There are three possible successors All Might has chosen for One For All. All For One would have thought it would be obvious but from the information Tomura gave, it seems it would be much harder to discern than he initially thought.

Of course, after some digging, it became glaringly obvious that Midoriya Izuku was the true successor of One For All. The good Doctor was the pediatrician of the boy and he himself diagnosed the boy as Quirkless. And yet, barely a month before UA has started, the boy all of a sudden was registered with a Quirk named Superpower.

An obvious tell on who All Might chose. The fact that this fool was the one who took down his criminal empire in Japan baffles and enrages him to no end.

That does not mean that the other two teenagers Tomura mentioned were not worth looking into. They may not have One For All but if both have Quirks that can match All Might’s strength then they may prove to be useful as a Noumu Base or simply as a good Quirk to steal.

What he found, was a surprising amount of nothing. The two people’s Quirks did not match any of Class 1-A’s list of Quirks, already making them stand out. One would assume that they were villains who had a change of heart after seeing those students but none of the cheap street-level villains had the same Quirk that match Tomura’s description.

It is also incredibly unfortunate that one of them seem to have a smokescreen Quirk, as it covered the identity on who injured the Noumu when he replayed the USJ footage. What it didn’t hide, however, was the extent of the damage that the teenager has caused to the Noumu. While Noumu recovered easily, it was clear that the blowback was strong enough to make it falter. Not only that, but the teenager clearly aimed for the eye on purpose. It would be easy to dismiss it as a lucky shot but from the way the projectile was controlled, it’s likely that they were trying to hit the eye specifically. Clever. Incredibly clever.

The other one was clearer to see if only by shape. Their face was blurred in the footage due to the speed they went at to strike Shigaraki. Before a clear image was made, UA cut the footage of the aftermath out, likely to keep the identity of All Might a secret. 

An unfortunate development, he was hoping that he would at least get a clear identity on one of the teenagers but no matter. He’s sure that one way or another they’ll appear again, hero-types like them always do, especially with UA’s Sports Festival on the horizon.

Patience is a virtue, and All For One is very, very patient.

Chapter Text

Daigorou has been freaking out a bit since yesterday.

Okay he’s been freaking out a lot, but that’s not really going to help him get through the whole time travel thing, so he’s going to do the thing he does when he sees something upsetting that will make his day 90% worse. Have some optimism that everything is going to be fine eventually. Not immediately. Eventually. Just have to have some good old optimism, regular dosages of reality, process some feelings, and then things will be fine in the end.

Probably not the best idea to do this method of coping but the other option is him screaming and letting Blackwhip run wild. It’ll help him process through his feelings but it’ll also cost some property damage at the school, so that’s a bust.

So, the solution is optimism mixed with reality. Take the wins he can get to try and curve the existential dread a bit. If he focuses enough on the wins then the existential dread will eventually be small enough that he can actually work through it without destroying a door. 

Speaking of wins, apparently the school staff managed to scrounge up some legal records for all of them. Great, considering how they’re all sort of from different time periods and presumed dead. Kind of also adding on to that existential dread of how he missed so much of his time but he’ll take it!

Problem is that they’re missing two things for two of the guys. They’re not big things! Well to Daigorou it isn’t really that big but to others, well-

“Why would me and Lee need to name our Meta Ability ourselves?” asks Kudou. ”Can’t you guys do it?”

Recovery Girl gives a kind smile. “Yes, but we believe it’s best to give you a choice in naming them. It will be on your legal records and be very hard to change once it’s on there, at least hard to change without arousing suspicion.”

“I mean. I don’t know what you want me to say. My Meta Ability speeds small objects up. I don’t know how to make a cool name out of that and I don’t really flaunt it around.”

Yeesh. He knew that Quirks were pretty vague in the past but he didn’t really consider why they were vague until he met Lee and Kudou. Quirk Discrimination was slowly going down between him and Shinomori’s time but these two were living through the height of it. Of course people won’t have names or good descriptions for their Quirks, they’re too busy trying to hide their Quirks.

Recovery Girl moves a bit in her chair. “Well how about this, try to describe what you think of when you try using your Quirks, any description would do.”

Kudou thinks for a moment, face scrunching up in concentration.

Finally, Kudou gives a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I can go with different modes of speed? Like if I focus enough I can control what speed the object is going.”

Shimura raises an eyebrow. “So, like what people do normally when throwing things?”

“Well if you put it like that then it sounds really dumb but it’s like-” Kudou clenches and unclenches his hands before making a vague gesture. “The modes are something I can control. There isn’t a set speed but there’s this. Mode that always happens and I decide which mode it goes on. I can make things go faster yeah but I can also theoretically make them go slower before speeding it up again.”

Okay. That’s a bit more than what Daigorou heard yesterday, still a bit vague and probably needs to be updated several times over after this but it’s something. Plus it means that they can give Kudou’s Quirk a fitting name. Is he interested in figuring out a Quirk name? Not really but again, better than the existential dread!

”How’s this for a Quirk name? Speed mode.” He looks towards Kudou, giving a grin. “Eh? Eh?”

Kudou stares at him for a long time.

“Yeah. Sure.” Kudou rubs the bridge of the nose. “That works I guess. I’ll have it be Speed Mode.”

Wait no that was a joke that wasn’t meant to be the actual name wait wait wait-

”But that sounds so boring!” Cries out Shigaraki, now walking towards Kudou. “That can’t be your Meta Ability name! You have to come up with something cooler!”

Oh thank god, he didn’t just doomed Kudou to having a horrible Quirk name for the rest of his life.

Shigaraki thinks for a moment before snapping his fingers. “You said it has to do with modes…so kind of like the car thing! The car stick thing that makes it go and sometimes stop!”

“A gearshift?”

“Yeah! A gearshift! My brother sometimes uses one but it never ends well for the two of us.”

Considering Shigaraki’s upsetting medical history yesterday, that can mean anything. Arguments in the car, the car just exploding, someone getting jumped in the car, literally anything. He probably should ask Shigaraki what he means by that but he knows himself enough to know that whatever Shigaraki will say would go and make Daigorou feel 70% worse about this whole situation. He’ll ask about the depressing backstory later when he’s more equipped to handle listening to what is (probably) a codependent sibling relationship. 

Kudou stares at Yoichi for a moment before sighing. He takes out a coin. “Heads I go for Speed Mode. Tails I go for Gearshift.”

He has a better name right in front of him and he’s still going to actually take Daigorou’s suggestion seriously!?

He flips a coin and lets it fall on the ground. It rolls for a moment before going underneath the table. For a moment, everyone stares at where it rolled under.

“...You suck at flipping coins,” said Tayutai, breaking the silence. 

Kudou sighs, and closes his eyes. “I know. I thought it would look cool since I always saw Okumura do it. Anyways, Gearshift it is.”

“But you didn’t even see where the coin landed,” points out Tayutai.

“Yeah, well it turns out the name Speed Mode is pretty awful after I rotated it in my head a couple of times so let’s go with that okay?”

Phew. Daigorou didn’t doom someone with a joke name. Good job Shigaraki, and a very big reminder to himself that Kudou will likely take suggestions to heart so do not think about suggesting jokes to him. Save that for the comedy floor Daigorou.

“A wonderful name for a Quirk, young man. I’ll be sure to have the official records list your Quirk as Gearshift.” With that, Recovery Girl quickly wrote something down. She turns to Lee, who’s been staring outside for the entire time. “And you, what would you like your Quirk name to be?”

Lee startles and quickly stands up. “My name for my- Wait you mean Meta Ability right?”

She nods. “Yes dear, your Meta Ability, though the term we use now is Quirk.”

“Right. Quirk. That’s weird but okay. Give me a second to think” He knocks on the wall rhythmically. “So my…Quirk goes and stores energy after I do some repetitive movements. Likely Kinetic Energy. I can then store it and use it later. Sometimes in bursts if I don’t accidentally use everything.”

That’s surprisingly more descriptive than what he gave yesterday. Then again they were all worrying about the villains trying to kill them and how things were looking pretty bad so maybe it was just the timing that made the first explanation so short. Hopefully that means he has a good name for his Quirk.

“I don’t think I can call it Stim, though can I?” Asks Lee.

He stands corrected.

“You can, but it may be argued that the name is too vague,” said Recovery Girl. “Of course you can still have it be that but remember, you can only change your Quirk description and name so many times, so choose carefully.”

Lee huffs and crosses his arms. “Okay I’m going to go and ask for suggestions now. I vaguely got a name in mine but I want to hear what all of you think.”

Cool cool cool. So he can get a second chance of giving a cool Quirk name to someone. He didn’t just immediately bungled it with Kudou and he can redeem himself by giving him a good Quirk name!

“What about Windup? That’s a good name right?” he suggests.

“I am no longer taking suggestions from Banjou.”

God. Damnit.

“Energy buildup?” suggests Shinomori.

“Getting there but no.”

“Oh I know!” exclaims Yoichi. “Why not have it be something like the character Danger Way called his superpower? I couldn’t get most of the words but from what I get it probably is the same thing!”

Lee stares at Yoichi. “...Isn’t that guy from the Captain Hero series?”

Yoichi practically lights up like a Christmas Tree. “Yeah! Do you like the series too? Oh man, I thought me and my brother were the only ones who read that series! Who’s your favorite character? Mine is Captain Hero but my brother thinks the villain is the best. What’s your favorite arc? Your favorite issue? Did you-“

“I hated that comic series,” the boy blurts out. Immediately, he winces hard at his own words.

Yoichi looks at him with wide eyes. “O- Oh. Why? I thought- Weren't the characters cool?”

Lee opens and closes his mouth several times before deciding to commit. “I mean. I guess but the author didn't explore a lot of the themes well you know? Most of the time it was focused on Captain Hero and not on the other characters with their own arcs. It was always about Captain Hero even when it wasn’t.”

“…Oh.” Yoichi slumps down on his chair. “Okay.”

An uneasy silence passes through the room.

Lee coughs, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “Anyways, uh. No longer taking suggestions. Mostly because I got a name now. Put in Fa Jin as my Quirk name.”

Well then. That’s a way better name than what all of them suggested. Honestly sounds badass and Daigorou may be a little jealous of that name. Blackwhip sounds cool and all but Fa Jin has the punch to it you know?

“Oh, like the martial arts right?” asks Nana.

“Exactly like that,” said Lee. “Surprised you knew that.”

“Eh. Was mostly a result of a dive into Wikipedia articles.”

At that, Lee nods sagely. “As most things are. Shimura, you're the only one who has good ideas here.”

A muffled snort comes out of Tayutai. “You do know that on our first day here, she was late and decided it was a great idea to Float up to the window and break it open right?”

Everyone turns to Shimura.

“It worked though!” defends Shimura. She stands up from her chair and makes her way to Tayutai. “I got to class on time and managed to show our Sensei my Quirk!”

Another snort. “You broke a window.”

“Shame on them for having horrible windows then!”

Damn, that’s actually a good idea. Yeah he probably would have been told off by his parents and teachers but with the amount of times he was late, it would have been perfect! Plus he was getting better at the whole “leaping onto rooftops” thing with his Quirk so it could work! Wait actually-

He looks out the window.

Recovery Girl sighs and shook her head. “No, we are not letting any of you do that. We had that a couple of years ago and the boy stripped naked for a bit and-”

Wait, what?

“I would rather not have you need medical attention before you all go to school,” she finishes. “Now sit yourselves down, I’m sure that the others are almost ready to talk to you.”

Hizashi has never been less ready to talk about this whole thing. Ever since yesterday, he’s been trying to piece together One For All. And since yesterday everything has been a mess of confusing things.

It’s a stockpiling Quirk. It’s been here since the Dawn of Quirks. There’s been Nine Users of it with Midoriya Izuku being the Ninth. All Might was originally Quirkless. Midoriya Izuku got One For All on the day of Entrance Exams. The 7 teenagers are the teenager versions of the previous One For All users. 6 of those 7 teenagers ate breakfast in his and Shouta’s dining room while the last one ate it in the guest bedroom. One of those teenagers is the mentor of All Might. Another one of those teenagers has barely talked to anyone since yesterday. Apparently one of the teenagers managed to injure Noumu by shooting something through the eye. There’s more to the story that he is now listening to in the meeting room.

And oh boy.

Oh boy.

“So uh, I’m going to just stand up for this, so give me a second.” He stands up from the table and starts pacing. “So, to recap. All these kids are the previous users of One For All, your weird Quirk that can be passed down.” Turn. “One of those kids is your mentor, who is now a teenager.” Turn. “You know the reason why One For All is made and now you’re telling us that these kids all likely have died to a big villain that you thought you have killed, but now think is still alive.” Turn, stop. “Did I get all of that?”

With a grim look on his face, All Might nods. “Unfortunately, yes, Present Mic.”

Great. He sits back down on his chair. That’s just great.

“So. Who’s the villain?” asks Shouta, leaning forward as much as he physically can. “If you needed to tell us then you would have just let Hizashi pass the message on. Whoever it is means that they’re big and this isn’t a simple villain who managed to rise up the ranks momentarily.”

Again, All Might nods. “That is true. The villain in question is someone that I thought was to be dead. Someone I thought I killed several years ago.”

Immediately, everyone perks up, looking at the man with wide eyes.

“His name is All For One. He’s a villain that has been around since the Dawn of Quirks and has been terrorizing Japan, the world ever since his appearance. The crimes he has done are endless but all of that was only possible because of his charisma and his ability to steal Quirks from others. Once he has stolen a Quirk, he can grant them to someone else or use them for himself.”

“And considering the Dawn of Quirks was a chaotic era, that means people would be going to him for a Quirk swap or even a complete removal of Quirks,” realizes Nemuri. “He would have been able to amass a following quickly using that Quirk.”

“Exactly Midnight.” All Might puts a hand on his side and winces. “The only reason why I managed to take him down was because of the hours of hard work my friends and allies’ put in so we could dismantle his organization. One For All was certainly a help but if it weren’t for their hard work, I would have had no hope of defeating him.”

Hizashi leans his elbows on the table. “And you think this guy is alive?”

“After yesterday, yes. No other person could grant multiple Quirks onto a person other than him.”

That or someone managed to find a way to slap on a bunch of Quirks onto a singular person. Either way, it spells bad news for everyone. If it’s not All For One, then they might be dealing with a copycat or possibly even a successor that wants to get revenge on All Might, and they just did their first ever test run. If it is All For One, then that means that someone, somewhere managed to bring All For One back from the dead and now they have to deal with that guy, All For One, and whatever forces they muster up. Whatever the case is, it’s still bad.

”That would mean we would have to keep the kids under close watch,” murmurs Vlad King. “And since we don’t know whether or not Shigaraki is aware of the past users, we have to go under the assumption that he does to cover all of our bases.”

“And that is why we will for now be speeding up the Dorm Project I have been planning for quite some time!” Nedzu clicks a button and a projection of several buildings appear behind him. “It was always going to eventually come to light but it seems we will have to be moving the project up by quite a bit!”

Hizashi doesn’t even blink at that. If he were younger and in his first year of teaching, he would be shocked by what the principal had already planned. Now it just is a common fact that Nedzu probably planned for all possible shortcomings that UA has and is trying to subtly install them at a pace that doesn’t make the HPSC poke around.

Ectoplasm leans forward. “So I’m assuming we’re watching them until the dorms are built up, correct?“

All Might gives a sympathetic smile. “Unfortunately, yes. All of you will essentially be acting as rotating guardians for the Users for the time being. You are all free to refuse, of course if you believe it will be proven to be unbeneficial for you to house them. I, for example, will be abstaining from the arrangement due to my previous relationship with Shimura Nana.”

“In that case then I will abstain ahead of time as well,” says Hound Dog. “While I do have room, it would be a conflict of interest if I start housing them and one of them comes to me for counsel.”

“Completely understandable, is there anyone else who wishes to abstain from this arrangement?”

A small murmur of disagreement and ‘no’ go throughout the room, although that doesn’t stop Hizashi from noticing how uneasy everyone looks. Teaching teenagers is one thing but having them live with you is another. Especially considering there are seven of them.

There really isn’t much they can reasonably do about that though. Unless this All For One guy drops dead, this is the best way for these kids to be safe. He and Shouta can probably at least keep the kids around for another few days though so that everyone has time to clean up their houses and get everything in order. He knows for a fact that Snipe needs to make sure his guns are locked up extra tight.

“There is another thing that you must know,” said All Might, snapping Hizashi out of his thoughts. The man has a solemn look on his face. “Shigaraki Yoichi is the brother of All For One.”

The silence is deafening.

Hizashi runs a hand over his hair and leans back.

Well shit.

That makes things a lot more dire huh.

It’s not the first time that a student of theirs was related to a villain. Heck, they made a whole procedure so that the kid doesn’t get bullied over it and is treated equally as their peers. They have procedures on what happens if the villain attacks, procedure if the kid finds out that they’re related to a villain through a secondary source, if they’re the eyewitness to the villain, and procedure if the kid tries to protect their family member.

The thing is though, is that none of that prepares them for the scenario where the student is related to a villain that is a legend among the hero circles and was thought to be dead. None of that could prepare them for this.

They’re going under the impression that All For One wants Yoichi dead, but there’s also the horrific possibility that he would want Yoichi alive. The moment the villain gets wind of this, he’s going to steal Yoichi right under their noses.

All Might sensing their uneasiness, takes a deep breath. “Due to this information, I believe that we keep that information away from him for the time being. Likewise, I believe that the circumstances of how the previous Users died should be kept under wraps.”

Immediately, several of his coworkers, including himself, make a face at that before schooling their expressions.

Shouta narrows his eyes. “But you’re eventually going to tell them, right?”

All Might coughs.

“Right?”

“I’ll tell them eventually just-” All Might grasps his hands and sighs. “Just not now. Not so soon.”

“They’re going to find out on their own if you do that. If these are all past holders of One For All, all people who went against All For One, then they’re going to be smart enough to know that there’s something you’re hiding. And that means that one of them will likely look into it themselves.”

“Maybe but shouldn’t they at least have time to adjust?” And All Might practically looks like he’s begging. “Just some time to settle in before I tell them the circumstances of their death and how they’re connected. They should be given time.”

Shouta looks as though he wants to say something else. One more attempt to convince All Might that they should be the one’s telling the truth rather than waiting for it to blow up in their face. But that’s not going to help them. Not now. Not with how resolute All Might looks in his decision.

So instead, Hizashi simply puts a hand on Shouta’s leg and shakes his head. His husband looks at him for a moment before sighing. He gives All Might a hard look. “By summer, they should all know about All For One. Yoichi should know what his brother has become. That’s the only way I can accept this.”

All Might furrows his brows for a moment before nodding rapidly. “Of course. You have my word.” 

Nedzu looks across the room. “I’ll be going over the dorm room plan and what comes next for the One For All users. Do any of you need a moment?”

No one said anything, and the meeting continued just like that.

Toshinori has been dreading this. He has been dreading this since the start, but what else can they do? They can’t keep the truth from them forever, especially for Tayutai and Nana.

(And yet he’s planning on hiding what One For All is from all of them)

Enough. He needs to focus. He needs to break the news to all of them, he can’t just have Nedzu be the one who does it. Toshinori has to be the one who does it. He’s the eighth user of One For All and needs to be the one who tells them. The one they can at least direct their anger to than anyone else. He may not be ever ready to talk to the Users (to Nana) but he has to do this.

The teenagers stare at both him and Nedzu, expecting them to tell them why they were gathered here again. It should be routine for Toshinori. He’s broken devastating news to family and friends before. He knows how it works.

(And yet he can’t find the words to say it.)

Nedzu glances at him for a moment, seemingly knowing the conflict Toshinori has and stands up. “Apologies for gathering you here again but there is more news we must tell you. There is no easy way to say this but we all agreed that it is for the best that you have knowledge of your unique situation. I am sorry to tell you that-”

“Is it that we died and somehow got revived?” interrupts Nana.

Everyone turns to stare at her.

“Because if so then I don’t really know how you would be able to bring the news on us lightly.” She lets out a mirthless laugh. “I mean. We died. Not a lot of ways to give that type of news lightly. Unless this is a common thing that happens now?”

Toshinori could practically hear glass shatter as the sentence sank in.

“...We died?” Kudou stares at Shimura with wide eyes. His hands was gripping on the fabric of his pants. “We died? We didn’t just time travel?”

Tayutai scoffs. “I mean it’s technically us reviving with memories of our first 15 years and our 15 year old bodies, but yeah we still died.”

“We died!” exclaims Kudou. He pushes his chair back harshly and stands over Tayutai. “We died and you don’t even care! How are you not freaking out about this?! We died!”

“Yeah and we came back,” the boy says bluntly. Far too bluntly in Toshinori’s opinion. “We came back and we aren’t exactly falling apart so stop freaking out about it. Everyone is still dead like we guessed from yesterday and we can’t really fix that can we?

“How could you say something like that!?”

“What do you want then? Lying?” All eyes turned to Lee, who was leaning back on the chair with his arms crossed. “It could be said better yes but Tayutai has a point. It’s not going to change the revelations from yesterday and won’t make our situation better.”

Kudou steps back in shock. “I- Do neither of you care!?”

“Of course I care,” hisses out Tayutai. “I also know we can only go forward. It’s not like we have a time machine.”

“Honestly, I’m tired of caring about this,” adds Lee. “Whether we time traveled or died doesn’t matter. We’re still in a new place and we’re still going to break down about it later. I care but right now I want to just get things out of the way.”

Kudou looks at everyone with wide eyes. First to Shinomori, who simply shrugs, as if he expected this to have happened. Then to Yoichi who only gave a blank stare at him. To Banjou who opens and closes his mouth several times before looking away. Finally to Nana who guiltily looks away.

“...How did you find out.” He walks towards Nana at a startling speed. “How did you find out.”

Nana stills for a moment before standing up to meet his gaze. “All Might,” she says simply. “He said that I was alive and- He said that I was alive. Not hard to put two and two together after that.”

It hits him. All of the events of yesterday finally hit him and now Toshinori wishes he could strangle his past self. How could he think that he can simply brush off what he said yesterday? Of course she noticed what he said, his master was always so observant about things. “A learned skill” she told him once.

“I’m sorry young Shimura,” he says, giving a bow. “It is my fault that I burdened you with this knowledge rather than have you learn in a gentler way.”

“It’s fine. I would have known anyways.” That makes Toshinori blink.

“What do you mean young Shimura?”

“I know the look of seeing a dead person in the mirror,” she elaborates, tugging slightly on her sleeves. “I give it to myself sometimes and my grandma occasionally calls me the wrong name.”

Something heavy settles in his stomach.

Kudou recoils back. “Oh. I’m- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have demanded an explanation when-”

She waves him off. “No, it's fine. It happened years ago. I’m over it now.”

The downtrodden look in her eyes says otherwise. 

Kudou looks up at Toshinori and Nedzu, eyes full of hesitance. He looks back at Nana for a moment before schooling his expression. “I know it’s not my place to ask and I know you might be looking already but…can you see what happened to my family? Since we’re in the future and also apparently died I just- I want to know what they did and what they’re doing, even though I can’t really get to know them anymore.”

At that, Nedzu’s gaze softens. “Of course Kudou. We are all looking for any connections you may have and, if you wish, you can contact them, provided we take several precautions beforehand.”

Oh gods the families. His master’s family probably would be shocked to learn that Nana is alive, as a teenager at that. He never met Kotaro but he’s sure that the man will be wanting to meet her. But at the same time the promise they made to her. The promise to not interact with her son no matter the circumstance. He doesn’t want to break that promise but at the same time Nana is also here and surely her son deserves some explanation and- 

Tayutai clears his throat, breaking Toshinori out of his thoughts. “So Mr Principal and Mr…”

“Yagi.”

“Mr Principal and Mr Yagi. Is there anything else you want to tell us or can we leave?”

Toshinori opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, before regaining his composure. “I- Yes, young Tayutai. There is indeed more to what needs to be said. Specifically regarding your living situation.” He takes a deep breath, ignoring the clamminess of his hands. “While we initially placed you with Aizawa and Yamada for the time being, we have our concerns regarding your appearance here and permanent placement.”

“Is there something wrong with Aizawa and Yamada?”

“Not at all!” said Nedzu. “It is simply a safety precaution we will be implementing after a few days due to your unique situation. While this is happening, we are actually going to be working on a feature of UA. I was hoping to have that implemented by next school year. Alas, we will be going a bit ahead of schedule! That is the implementation of dorms.”

Lee tilts his head. “So you want to make us your official wards so the government doesn’t ask too many questions.”

“Correct again! Unfortunately though, the dorms will take some time to build, so for now you will be more-or-less rotating with our staff every few days.”

Lee stares at the two of them for a moment. “...That just sounds like the world’s weirdest custody agreement. It’s starting to sound like a weird custody agreement after a very messy divorce.”

A cough almost makes its way up to Toshinori’s throat. “That’s one way to put it, young Lee, but yes. I suppose it is like that.”

“Adding on to this is something regarding you, Yoichi,” says Nedzu.

The white-haired boy pointed to himself. “Me? What is it?”

So many things, Toshinori wants to say. He wants to say so many things about One For All, about the life the boy had, about everything his brother did to people in pursuit of power. But he can’t. He can’t say it. It would be too much for the boy to handle.

“The villain who attacked USJ yesterday was named Shigaraki Tomura and due to that, we have debated on perhaps changing your last name to mine for your safety. Both from the villain and from ill-intentioned government officials,” he says instead. “I understand if you do not want to change your name, it is yours after all. We will respect your decision and-”

“Oh so like the spy arc! It’s fine then! You can change it to Yagi!” interrupts Yoichi. Despite the news being delivered to him, he was practically beaming with excitement.

Toshinori stops the shock from going to his face. He would have thought Yoichi would be opposed to changing his last name, especially with how sudden it is. The boy has been adjusting greatly to the environment in the short time he was here. A relief but also something of a surprise. Out of all the Users he would have thought Yoichi would have the most amount of struggle to adjust, especially since he was separated from his…brother.

(Do not go and equate the boy’s brother with All For One, Toshinori. He may have grown to be the man who has hurt so many people but to Yoichi, that is simply his brother who protected him.)

He clears his throat. “Furthermore, you will all be automatically enrolled into UA as part of your education.” At that, Nana and Tayutai look up with wide eyes. “It would be unfair for all of you to transfer to different schools when we are at one of the best already. So tomorrow effectively, you will all be new transfer students in the General Studies class.”

Small murmurs go throughout the crowd of students. Some grumble about needing to go to school while others seem pleasantly surprised. Shinomori raises his hand slightly. “And me and Yoichi? I’m sure you are aware but we were previously homeless and have no former education so…”

“Not to worry!” says Nedzu. “For the next few days I will be personally tutoring you both on several subjects and the staff will be giving you several study guides so that you may catch up. That goes for all of you. If you so wish, there will be tutoring provided, both by the staff and some higher years.”

“And how about me and Shimura?” asked Tayutai. He leans forward in his seat, staring through both him and Nedzu. “We both made it through the hero course the first time so shouldn’t we be in the Hero Course?”

Nedzu gives a frown. “Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we will have to put you both in the General Studies course.”

Tayutai stares at him for a long time before letting out a scoff.

“You’re kidding me. You’re fucking kidding me.” A manic laugh comes out. He leans back with a pained smile on his face. “All that hard work and for what? To say that we can’t join?”

Toshinori puts his hands up placatingly. “Young Tayutai, please know that this isn’t something we wished to have happened to either of you. It’s something that is being implemented so that your safety would be kept and-”

“I worked for the Hero Course! I got in! And now you’re telling me that I can’t even have that after everything that’s happened!?” Smoke fills the room, almost encompassing the entire area. He shoves his chair back and makes his way towards the door.

Toshinori gets up from his chair. “Young Tayutai, wait!”

“If you don’t agree that we should be in the hero course then guess what? I refuse to let that happen! You hear me! I’m going to get into the Hero Course even if it kills me!” With that, he makes his way to the hallway, but not before throwing one final glare at Toshinori and Nedzu.

Nana stares dumbfounded at the door. “Sorry about him he’s-” she cuts herself off. Instead she gives them a tight smile. “Actually I’m just going to follow him. I think I need to walk right now.”

And just like yesterday, she left.

Lee looks through the doorway and then turns to Toshinori. “Well that clearly went well.”

En ignores Shimura for about 3 minutes before deciding “fuck it” and pulling her off to the side.

“Tayutai, what are you-“

“So we’re not letting that fucking happen right? We’re not just going to let them do that right?” He starts pacing back and forth. “I mean. We got in. We got in the Hero Course! And yeah it may have been probably because we were the first generation and technically the guinea pigs of it but like. We got in!”

He grabs her shoulders tightly and starts shaking her. “We got in the hero course and now we’re being told no! Do you know how crazy that is!? How fucking stupid that is!?”

“Tayutai you’re making me dizzy!” Exclaims Shimura.

He lets her go quickly and backs off. “Sorry I’m just- UGH!” He kicks the wall. “We can’t let them get away with this!”

“I mean yeah, obviously.”

“I know you won’t be on board with me since you are aware of the risks but-” Tayutai blinks, letting the words catch up to him. “Wait, you actually agree with me?”

Shimura nods. “We got into the Hero Course so we’re going to stay in the Hero Course. Technicalities are technicalities but we did get in the first time around. Neither of us are just going to give up on getting in because they said no.”

“Oh.” He rubs the back of his neck, he honestly thought it would take a lot more convincing to get her to be on board with the whole “Operation: Get-Back-Into-The-Hero-Course” plan. Why did he even think she wouldn’t agree with him actually? 

“So you also want to get in the Hero Course with me?” he says hopefully.

“Yes Tayutai! I want to get into the Hero Course! Besides-” She gives a sharp grin and puts her hands on his shoulders, enough for him to feel the weight. “I’m also fucking pissed about this.” 

En blinks again. “Really? But- You were so calm when Principal Nedzu said that we were all going to be placed in the General Studies Course. I don’t get why you aren't as mad as me!”

“Well I didn’t want the teachers to think I’m on board with your plan,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Besides, I have a feeling that Yagi would say something to try and stop me or get the others to stop me. I want to have the biggest chance I can to get in this course and I just know having that old man know anything is going to bring my chances down.”

Oh right, Yagi. Honestly, En doesn’t know what to think of him. Shimura said that her future self probably knew him and was probably a mentor to him. Someone real close since he was the one to accidentally clue her in on the fact that they may all have been revived. He seems nice enough in his own awkward way but nice enough doesn’t really help them get into the hero course. If Shimura thinks he’ll get in the way of their goals then he’ll trust her on that. She has been pretty reliable during their classes together and she did sort of imply the whole "Oh yeah we're dead" thing when they were doing a cry session yesterday. He would have rather have had her just rip off the bandaid at that point but there isn't really a good way to phrase that when you're both crying in a classroom and freaking out over your future huh. 

“I assume that means we’re not going to tell the other teachers too then right? Because then they probably would also try to stop you.” He pauses, thinking for a moment. “Well, you're not going to tell the other teachers. My whole thing back there probably clued everyone in that I’m going to get into the Hero Course no matter what.”

Shimura gives a small snort. “And people say you’re the smartest one of the class.”

“Hey! I was mad!”

“And so am I, yet I didn’t go make a whole scene of it.”

Ouch. Harsh but true.

“On top of that, you kind of messed up the possibility of the others getting in on the plan or at least helping with the plan,” points out Shimura. She crosses her arms. “I get you’re mad but you can at least act a little nicer to people.”

En stares at Nana. “...That was me being nice.”

Shimura stares at him, confusion growing in her eyes. “That was you being nice?”

“Yeah.” It may have been blunt but it wasn’t fake like what the adults were saying. He wrings his hands together for a moment. “Was there something wrong with it?”

Shimura rubs the back of her neck. “I mean. You did tell Kudou that he should move on from his crisis that I think we’re all feeling. And you pointed out again that we’re pretty much dead people walking and that everyone is dead. Plus you were really cold to all of them on the first night with Aizawa and Yamada.”

Oh yeah. That.

Well, it’s true. Everyone is dead and nothing they can do would really change that. All they can do is go forward, and honestly? The faster they do this the better it’s going to be for everyone. Maybe he can say it a bit more gently next time but how do you even say that gently. Does he go and say “I’m sorry you died” or something? To him that was the best way he could have said it without making it sound like pity.

And for the last part? Well he would like to point out again that they were at a stranger’s house. Why would he be comfortable talking in a house with people he doesn’t even know? 

Shimura does have a point about him messing up the possibility of the others helping though. His whole blow up is probably going to make the others avoid him, bad for the future they have to live in now.

En sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. “Okay you’re right about me messing that up but hey! Maybe you’re the one who will be able to get them to help while I do the planning things!”

Shimura raises an eyebrow. “Do you even have a plan?”

…Ah hell.

“Right then, so I’m going to admit that I don’t have a tangible way to get into the Hero Course but I was mad so give me a pass!”

Shimura rolls her eyes. “Well good thing that I have a plan. But I kind of want to hear what you think may be a good way to get in the Hero Course.”

He lets himself have a moment and then starts laughing. En starts laughing. And laughing. And keeps on laughing. He probably should stop because it’s starting like a cackle now but why should he? Shimura asked for his idea and he’s going to deliver.

“Welllll,” he says, giving a sharp grin. ”The bad idea part of my brain says that we should fight one of the hero students to prove that we’re just as good as them. Assert dominance or whatever. Going to be honest this is 100% because I think that purple grape kid needs to be punched in the face. He tried to grope Asui once while the Noumu was attacking Eraserhead and only stopped because I glared at him.”

Shimura stares at him with wide eyes.

“Okay first off,” said Shimura, putting one finger up. “We’re 100% going to be beating that kid up later and if not us, then all the girls he harassed while we cheer from the sidelines. Second off, you’re closer to the solution on how we’re going to get into the Hero Course.”

“Really?” he says, widening his eyes.

“Really really.” Shimura takes a folded-up page out of her pocket and unfolds it. She turns it towards him and gives an equally sharp grin to match his own. “So how much do you know about the Sports Festival?”