*Trigger Warning: Description of horrible torture a character went through.*

What Izuku had thought was daylight was actually the light from the setting sun. He shielded his weary eyes and blinked rapidly. Once he was able to lower his hand without squinting too much, his gaze searched his surroundings. They were on the outskirts of UA, behind the main building near the forest.

Where a forest should be, Izuku thought numbly, staring at the charred earth and the broken trees scattering the area.

KID! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!

Nine, what happened!?

Izuku, are you okay!?"

Izuku groaned, slumping forwards as his head practically exploded with fresh pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, the pounding inside his skull almost unbearable. Please, be quiet! One at a time! He managed to shout his thoughts and the vestiges' concerned voices faded. Then Nana spoke and he could almost feel her arms around him from behind.

I'm sorry. We haven't been able to reach you since you'd gone unconscious. She said softly, her words thankfully not adding to the mind-splitting headache. We were concerned. Is everything alright?

I... As much as it can be, Izuku corrected himself. This... it has to be an alternate dimension. Where All For One won and I... died. All Might is dead. Everyone... Nothing is the same here. But I think... they believe me now, so-

"Izuku?" Todoroki's voice cut through the mental conversation. Izuku reopened his eyes, blinking up at the boy's scarred face. Gentle concern shown in those mismatched colored eyes. It wasn't something he'd really seen on his Todoroki's face before.

Izuku realized when he'd been assaulted by the vestiges Todoroki had caught him. Muttering a "thank you", Izuku pulled himself to his feet. He was shaky and almost fell over again before the other boy held him steady and pulled Izuku's arm over his shoulders. Pressed against his left side, Izuku could feel the gentle heat radiating off his skin. It felt... nice.

"Let's go to the Nurse's Office first," Todoroki decided. "We might not be able to do much, but Akane can at least make you feel a bit better. Then we can get food."

Izuku stared in wonder at him for a few silent moments, not remembering when Todoroki had been this talkative, as they walked towards the UA building. Unlike the front, this side looked more intact, but it was still ruined. A whole section near the middle left looked to have been blown out and windows were shattered just about everywhere. Towels, cloth, and whatever else could have been acquired hung over them.

"Where's Recovery Girl?" Izuku asked as they neared a back entrance. The door had been propped open for them, probably Kyouka's doing. He watched as Todoroki's eyes widened slightly before they returned to normal, but this time with a hint of grief.

"Died," he said and Izuku felt a pang in his heart as they left the rather warm evening air for the cooler draftier air inside, making him grateful for Todoroki's warmth. The hallway they'd entered had pieces of rubble swept up to both walls, leaving the main walking area clear. "It was one of the bigger fights we had, middle of our second year. Villains got to her while she was providing medical aid to a hospital at the edge of the warzone. Almost nobody survived that attack."

Izuku felt even more numb now. Todoroki opened his mouth to continue, but stopped as someone turned the corner up ahead. Shinso.

"Kyouka filled me in," he said in a quiet voice, the shadows beneath his eyes darker than he'd ever seen them. Izuku remembered the scar he had on his throat, which was now covered by his scarf. "This must be a lot to take in."

Izuku nodded mutely. He didn't trust himself to speak. He felt as if everything was falling apart around him. It didn't matter that this wasn't his world. With the way things were going in his, this might as well be the future.

He hadn't realized he'd slumped even further into Todoroki's side until he felt his other arm get lifted and placed around Shinso's shoulders. "I've got you," Shinso reassured him, adjusting their position before he and Todoroki helped him walk. His legs felt like lead and it took all his strength to move even with help from the two boys.

"Wasn't exactly a pleasant topic you two were having," Shinso said lightly, but Izuku briefly caught the glare he sent Todoroki's way. He felt the bicolored boy shift uncomfortably. "Sorry," he said.

Sighing, Shinso glanced at Izuku. "Just relax, Izuku. You've been through a lot from the looks of it."

"When..." Izuku said, trying to clear the fog from his head. "When did Todoroki start talking so much?"

Shinso let out a bark of laughter before immediately coughing while Todoroki scowled in the purple haired boy's direction. Rubbing his throat while bringing up his scarf to hide his growing smile, Shinso said, "That was mostly your doing. Er, our Izuku's doing I mean. It took a while, but during our first year Todoroki had mostly given up his ice princess persona thanks to you constantly trying to befriend him."

Despite his current condition, Izuku felt an emotion stir within him. His mouth twitched slightly as the feeling bubbled up inside him.

"You'd promised to never bring up that nickname ever again," Todoroki grumbled.

"I didn't know if he'd heard it before," Shinso said innocently. "I'm only informing him of the differences in our worlds."

Izuku felt Todoroki nudge him. "Was this idiot as socially inept in your world as he had been when he got into UA?"

"Hey now-"

Izuku nodded, the small smile more clear now on his face. "He was. I think he'd really opened up to Aizawa so far."

Izuku missed the look Shinso had before the boy replied with, "Yeah, well, our Izuku got to me eventually as well. His positive attitude was really infectious."

A half of a hallway of silence before Izuku asked, "What was I... your Izuku, like?"

Another beat of silence. "He was one of the most amazing people I'd ever met," Shinso said, coughing slightly. He rubbed his throat gingerly as Todoroki said, "A great hero as well. He was always trying to help others. Even me." A sad smile flickered across his features.

"If you really want to know what he was like, you're better off asking Setsuna," Shinso told him.

"Tokage?" Izuku blinked at him, confused. "Why?"

Shinso shrugged. "Just take my word for it. Once you feel up to it, you should ask her."

"We're here," Todoroki announced, knocking on the door to what Izuku recognized as Recovery Girl's office. A few moments passed before it was open. A tired looking woman probably in her mid-twenties stood there. Her blue hair was messy and the dark shadows beneath her eyes were nearly comparable to Shinso's.

"Come in," Akane said, gesturing them inside. "Put him on the first bed."

Shinso and Todoroki led Izuku to the bed and helped him up. During the process, Izuku noticed that this room was much cleaner than everywhere else. Whoever this new nurse was, she worked to keep things as sanitary as possible.

Akane finished tying her hair back into a bun and nodded at Todoroki. "Go and get something from the rations. Preferably a jelly pack. He'll have a better time keeping them down." Once he left, Akane pulled a chair up to Izuku's bedside, emerald green eyes . "I was informed of who you are. I also examined you while you were unconscious and you couldn't have been anyone but Izuku Midoriya. I just didn't realize you wouldn't be our world's Izuku." She pulled her gloves off while she talked, revealing some of the most pristine hands he'd ever seen.

"Unfortunately my quirk can't heal you, not in the traditional sense," she said regrettably. "All I can do is alleviate symptoms. Headaches, hunger, stomachaches, tiredness, the works. Even strong emotions. The choice of what I alleviate is up to you, I can sort through them mentally. I recommend sleeping once you eat something however. The state of unconsciousness wasn't restful by any means."

Izuku gave a small nod. "Everything," he said simply. He hurt too much to care right now. He wanted the headache to end. He wanted to sleep. But most of all he wanted the pain of his emotions to fade away.

She nodded sympathetically and her soft hands took his. "Until Shouto gets back, I'll only alleviate your hunger just enough that you'll be able to keep the food down as well as that headache you're experiencing." She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. Izuku felt a tingling in his hands that spread up his arms and down to his stomach area. The nauseating sense of emptiness he'd been feeling abated some. The tingling then spread up through his neck and into his head where it managed to ease up the pain pounding in his skull

"This isn't something I can do safely to someone on a constant basis," Akane said once she opened her eyes and withdrew her hands. "So make sure to take good care of yourself." She winked at him once saying that and stood. "Hitoshi, watch him while I check up on the other patients. When Shouto gets back make sure he eats all he can. Call for me if anything comes up."

Shinso nodded and Akane disappeared into another room as she pulled out a mobile, the door shutting close behind her softly. The purple haired boy rubbed the back of his head as he took the now vacant seat. "It might be a few more minutes until he gets back, so, uh... if you have any questions, go ahead and ask."

Izuku propped himself, finally able to think more now thanks to his headache being mostly gone. Everything was still a bit foggy, but thankfully that was only due to his tiredness. "Her quirk. What's it called?"

Shinso let out a low chuckle. "Different world, same old Izuku. What notebook are you on?"

Izuku unconsciously reached for where his pouches would've been, only to remember he had left his notebook back in the 1A dorms. He let his arm drop. "14."

Shinso whistled. "Still pretty early on then. You were up to 18 here. Oh, her quirk's called Relief."

Izuku nodded, filing the information away for later. He saw Shinso rub at his throat again and had to ask, "What happened?"

"Huh?" He blinked at him, then glanced down at his hand. He withdrew it from the folds of the fabric and shrugged. "Some villain by the name of Crimson Bride got me last year. Recovery Girl was... gone by then, and one of the doctors at the scene patched me up the best he could with his quirk, but as you can see, talking too much makes me hoarse. Makes using my quirk a real pain in the-COUGH!" He rubbed his throat again before rummaging a hand into his jeans' pockets and pulled out a small bag. He pulled out a cough drop and popped it into his mouth. He pulled a face. "Banana. Ew."

"It was Izuku who saved me," he said after a few moments. "Took her down in a matter of seconds before keeping me alive long enough for the doctor to heal me."

"He sounds amazing," Izuku said softly.

"He was," Shinso nodded in agreement. "Best hero there ever was. Some called him the next All Might. I personally never liked that."

"Why not?" Izuku asked.

He shrugged. "He was constantly compared to him, always in All Might's shadow. Many never saw him as his own person, especially after the secret of One For All was out. All Might was, well, All Might. And Izuku was his own person, not a reincarnation of the Number One. They placed all their hopes in him. All that responsibility was on his shoulders and it weighed him down. For a time at least." He chewed on his cough drop thoughtfully. "That's where you're at right now, aren't you?"

The door opened before Izuku could answer, something he was grateful for.

"I have cherry and mango," Todoroki said, holding up both jelly pouches as he walked in. "Which one would you prefer?"

"Mango please," Izuku said, holding out a shaking hand for it.

Todoroki nodded. "Good choice. I'll have the cherry."

"Nothing for me?" Shinso raised an eyebrow.

"Not after that comment you made earlier."

"See if I ever do anything for you again."

Izuku watched them as he slowly sucked on the contents of the pouch. It was a sight to behold. Two people he had known to be some of the least social around were bickering like siblings. With that thought in his head, his eyes caught onto the trench coat Todoroki wore.

"That's three times now," Todoroki said and Izuku started, realizing they were both staring at him. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Izuku squeezed the last of the pouch into his mouth and swallowed, coughing at the quickness he did it. In a second both boys were standing at his side.

"Are you okay!?" Todoroki asked worriedly while Shinso remarked dryly, "And that's why you don't eat too fast."

"Is he alright?" Akane asked, coming out as she tucked a phone away into her pocket.

"He's good, just ate a bit too fast at the end," Shinso assured her.

"Good," she said and took their place beside Izuku. "How are you feeling?"

Izuku took a moment to assess himself. "Better."

She nodded. "You can eat more once you wake up. For now, just rest." She helped Izuku lay down and rest his head on the soft pillow before resting her hands on his again.

Don't worry, Izuku, Nana's voice spoke softly in his ear. We'll make sure to leave you alone while you sleep.

Izuku nodded to both of them as the tingling feeling spread across his entire body this time. "Thank you," he said aloud, his vision already fading. His head lolled to one side, catching a glimpse of Todoroki and his coat. He remembered Todoroki's question and without really thinking, mumbled, "Why... Dabi's...?"

Then he was gone to the world.

...

"How is he?"

"He's doing fine. By the looks of him, far better than he should have any right to be."

"..."

"Are you leaving?"

"Do I need to stay?"

"..."

"That's what I thought."

"Look, you can't just not say anything. I mean, you did come here-"

"He was a potential threat, and now he's Akane's patient. I need to see how things are holding up around base."

"That's not the only reason and you know it-COUGH!"

"It's enough of a reason."

"..."

"..."

"What do you want to do?"

"She never got to say goodbye. He may not be our Izuku, but he is still Izuku. If he is anything like him-COUGH!"

"You need to calm down and rest your throat. You've been doing a lot of talking."

"Yeah, right... Need to save my voice for the coming days... She's still going through with it, isn't she?"

"...Yes. We're still waiting for word from our scouts, but from the sounds of it... it's all going to end soon, one way or another."

"Heh. One last hurrah then, eh, Revenger?"

"Indeed, Mockingbird."

...

Waking up felt both refreshing and disorienting. For once he'd gotten a peaceful night's sleep, untainted by visions of the vestiges or of nightmares of All For One and Shigaraki killing all those he-

Izuku cut himself off before he went down that line of thought as he raised himself into a sitting position. The nurse's office was void of anyone else, so he decided to take a few minutes to organize his thoughts. He had a vague sense that he'd heard several people talking while he was asleep, but the words and tones were hazy and garbled now that he tried to remember.

Shaking his head, he refocused his thoughts on his present situation. He was feeling much better than he had yesterday. Emotions stirred within him, but he pushed them down. He needed to keep a tight lid on all that. This world, this version of Japan, had essentially fallen into some sort of apocalypse on a scale far beyond where his own Japan was at. But it was heading there and if he could learn how this world ended up the way it did maybe he could stop it once he got back home.

IF I can get back home, He realized, shutting his eyes. No, there has to be a way. Starfall brought me here, even if inadvertently. Maybe... maybe she's here as well. And if she is, it might be possible to recreate the same situation to bring us back to our world. Then I can get back to hunting down All For One. In the meantime... He clenched a fist. Whatever I can learn here will undoubtedly be useful.

Izuku heard the door creak open and he glanced in its direction. Shinso stood there, cocking an eyebrow before giving a low whistle. "You're going to give me a run for my money with those eyebags of yours. You feeling better?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku nodded, moving the thin blanket off of him and twisting to where his legs dangled over the side of the hospital bed. Okay, I can do this. Whatever toll this war has taken on the people of this world, I can handle it. No, I have to.

"Good," he tossed him a jelly pack. Grape flavored this time. "We need to head to Mei's lab. If anyone will be able to find you a way home, it's her. I don't know what the odds are, but..."

"It's fine," Izuku told him, putting his bare feet on the hard, cold floor and testing the strength in his legs. He stood cautiously, but he didn't fall over nor did he feel weak. He sighed in relief. He had felt useless yesterday, not even being able to walk by himself. He wouldn't be able to find All For One, much less beat him, if he couldn't even stand properly.

"I know how unlikely it is that there will be a way back for me," Izuku went on. "But maybe if we tried to recreate the same conditions-"

"Oh no no no," Shinso interrupted him with a wave of his hands. "You can talk geek with Mei, but not with me. We can head straight there. She's set up shop in Gym Gamma."

"Actually," Izuku held up his hand. "Could I..." He hesitated, and almost backed out from what he was going to say, but forced himself to press on. "I need to see the state everything, everyone, is in."

Shinso's eyes darkened. "It might be best that you don't. The sooner you're able to leave, the better for everyone. You... you don't need to see what's happened here."

"I've already seen enough to guess," Izuku said quietly, staring at the floor, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "If this world is a result of what happens from a prolonged war with All For One and my death, then... then I need to know everything in order to prevent that from happening to my world."

"Alright."

Both Izuku and Shinso turned to see Todoroki standing in the doorway. "But first," he took a few steps into the room, staring intensely at Izuku. "I want to know something."

"W-what?" Izuku squeaked.

"Who's Dabi?"

Izuku's mind blanked for a moment. "S-sorry?"

"Dabi," Todoroki repeated. "You said something about a "Dabi" before you fell asleep when you were looking at me."

"Oh, uh..." Izuku gripped his arm nervously. "Right. Yeah. Dabi is... your brother."

Todoroki blinked. "In your world? I only have two here. Had, I should say. Natsuo and Touya."

"He is, was, Touya Todoroki," Izuku explained carefully. He wasn't too sure how Todoroki would react to what he was about to say. "I-in my world, Touya was presumed dead when you were still young. Years later, when the League of Villains formed, he was a part of them, but went by Dabi. We didn't know who he really was until the battle of Jaku City."

Just as he'd feared, Todoroki had gone very still.

"I-I'm sorry," Izuku apologized quickly, bowing his head. "I... I guess things were different here."

"Yeah," Shinso began, but Todoroki put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"He was," the scarred boy said thickly, eyes misty for a second. When he blinked, they were gone with puffs of steam. "He... was a hero here. I'll tell you more, but first-" He held up a paper bag. "Got some fresh clothes for you. Put them on and we can head out. Fair warning, it's not pretty out there."

"Y-yeah, I figured," Izuku stammered, caught off guard as he took the bag and peered inside. He pulled out the standard UA gym uniform, followed by a pair of red sneakers.

"Yeah, no offense, but that costume of yours looks like it's been dragged through the mud and pulled out of the pits of hell," Shinso said. "And it stinks."

Todoroki rolled his eyes and pulled him from the room, closing the door behind them. Izuku smiled briefly before getting to undressing. Once the uniform was on and his shoes fitted snuggly, he took a deep breath, and praying he was ready, opened the door.

...

"Touya hated my father," Todoroki said as he walked beside Izuku, Shinso leading the way through UA's empty, decrepit halls. "Started his own agency once he graduated from UA right across the street from Endeavor's to spite him. I even interned with him and ended up aiding in the capture of Stain." He glanced at Izuku. "How did that turn out in your world?"

"Kind of the same, actually," Izuku chuckled weakly. "Iida was going after him in revenge, I went to stop him, and you showed up when I called for help, and together we took him down. Endeavor got the credit though."

"Bastard," Todoroki said, but there was no heat behind his words. He looked forlorn. "Was he... a good father?"

Izuku pursed his lips. "He... He got better. Wanted to be better. I think you, the you in my world, is starting to fully accept him."

Todoroki's gaze was downcast. "My father... he wasn't the best dad. Drove my mother to give me this scar, put her in a mental hospital, but when she died in a fire a year later, he... he became better over time. It still took a while for us to accept him after what he'd done, especially with Touya's tendency to go overboard with his quirk, but... he earned his title of number one, even if he only held it for a short time."

"I-I'm sorry," Izuku whispered.

"Well, as it turns out, it seems a Todoroki was destined to become a villain in both our worlds," Todoroki said bitterly, an icy edge now lacing his words. "My mother never died in that fire. Like Touya in your world, she became a villain. Became Cryoheart. She killed both Endeavour and Touya. I understand her anger at my father, but Touya... I can never forgive her for that. Touya's coat-" he gestured to it. "I wear it as a promise to get revenge for his death."

Izuku paled at the expression on his face. It was dark, full of anger and hatred. He'd seen him wear that expression when he attacked Izuku the other day. He'd also seen it on the Iida of his world, when he set out to kill Stain.

"This isn't a path you should go down," Izuku said before he could stop himself.

"I know." Todoroki wouldn't look at him now.

"Okay, that was a downer," Shinso said as he stopped at a side entrance that opened up to a path that would lead to where the dorms were at. Izuku could only hope those were in better condition than UA itself. "Now, Izuku, I have to ask again. Are you sure you're up for this? Where you're from, it sounds like it's better off than here, for now at least. You don't need to-COUGH-see the people you know in the state they're in."

Izuku almost backed out. Hell, he wanted to run before enduring anymore of this torture. He couldn't stand to see the state of things here. Especially knowing it was only going to get worse the more he saw. But he had to know. For his world's sake. It didn't matter how much pain it caused him. It would be worth it if he were to avoid this possible future.

"I've made up my mind," Izuku said with more firmness than he felt.

Shinso nodded sadly and led the way outside. Dark clouds hung in the sky, and it was a mercy that it wasn't raining yet. It was cold, but not unbearably so. Regardless, Izuku shivered as he stared around at what was once a beautiful landscape of trees and shrubs decorating the sides of the cobblestone path, now wilted with scars in the land and weeds growing from the cracks in the stonework. It felt lifeless.

"I should... I should tell you now," Shinso started, his voice faltering. "Not everyone made it through this war. Some... some weren't lucky enough to die."

"I'll take it from here," Todoroki said quietly as Shinso began coughing again. "Rest your throat."

"How many?" Izuku dared ask, voice hollow. "How many... died?"

"Too many," Todoroki shook his head sadly. "Most of the top ten perished in the fights that erupted around the country. Numerous heroes in the lower rankings, of the ones that didn't hang up their capes at the start of the war, either died or gave up the fight not even halfway through. Of those that stick around... Only a fraction is left."

As the path curved around the side of UA, the dorms coming into sight in the distance, Izuku saw something strange sticking out tall amidst the apocalyptic landscape. A cement slab stuck in a pedestal that stood at just over Izuku's height. It was misshapen, and appeared to have writing all over it that he couldn't make out at this distance.

They approached the object in silence, letting Izuku walk ahead of them. His footsteps slowed as he began to recognize the words carved into the material. He stumbled, falling to his knees as he reached out a shaking hand, tracing one of the names on what he now knew to be a memorial.

They weren't the people he knew. This was a different world. What happened here hasn't happened in his world. Everyone he knew was fine. Yet Izuku stifled a sob, hand pressed to his mouth as he read every name carved by different hands. Not all of them were recognizable, but the ones he did know sent a pang of despair straight to his heart.

Nedzu - Rat God

Chiyo Shuzenji - Recovery Girl

Anan Kurose - Thirteen

Mirio Togata - Lemillion

Yuga Aoyama - Dazzling

Togaru Kamakiri - Jack Mantis

Hizashi Yamada - Present Mic

Koji Koda - Anima

Ken Ishiyama - Cementoss

Minoru Mineta- Grape Juice

Jurota Shishida - Gevaudan

Sen Kaibara - Gyro Force

Nemuri Kayama - Midnight

Eijiro Kirishima - Red Riot

Ochaco Uraraka - Uravity

Toshinori Yagi - All Might

Izuku finally tore his eyes away, tears streaming down his cheeks. Too many were dead. Too many. From what he read, the entire UA staff was dead, with the sole exception of Aizawa, whose name had not seen carved. The majority of the names present were students, and of those, most were from those not even in the hero course.

"We lost many in that final battle," Todoroki said. He'd come to stand beside Izuku. "It was only two months ago and it still feels like... Most of those here only died once Izuku was killed. Uraraka, brave, foolish Uraraka..." Todoroki took a moment to collect himself. "She died after trying to avenge his death. Katsuki, Eijiro, Tsu, Monoma, myself, we all tried in vain to save him. And several of us died trying to avenge him. I... was the luckiest. I only got out of there with minimal injuries. Not everyone was so lucky. You'll... you'll see."

As he helped Izuku stand, a name at the very top of the memorial stood out to him. Unlike the rest, a statement came with it.

Izuku Midoriya - Deku

The greatest hero this world has ever known

...

The rest of the walk to the dorms was done in silence. Izuku wrestled with his emotions, trying to suppress the feelings of grief. They're still alive, he chanted to himself, praying that it would make him capable of bearing the pain. They're still alive. They're still alive. They're still alive-

"Sensei!?"

Izuku's head shot up at the sound of Shinso's exclamation. There, standing in the doorway to the 1A dorms was none other than Aizawa. Izuku's feet ground to a halt as he took in his teacher. He wore an eyepatch, just like the one of his world, but this Aizawa looked exhausted. Broken even. He wore a white hospital gown like Kacchan had, and he leaned on a crutch for support.

"You shouldn't be out of bed!" Shinso practically shouted, looking furious.

"And you shouldn't be yelling," Aizawa told him roughly, his gaunt eyes never leaving Izuku. He hobbled down the short steps, moving faster as he neared him. Izuku didn't know what to do and before he knew it, Aizawa had thrown his crutch aside as he knelt in front of Izuku, wrapping the green haired boy into a hug.

"Midoriya," the man's voice was muffled as he pressed his face into the boy's shoulder. "You're alive."

Izuku finally found his voice. "S-sensei, I-I'm not-"

"I know." Aizawa's hug grew firmer and he felt a sob wrack the older man's body. "But it's still good to see you, problem child." He muffled another sob before moving back. "It was good of you to come. The kids, they... they know about this whole other dimension thing. And even if you aren't the Izuku we knew, it would do them some good to see you."

"Are they all inside?" Todoroki asked as he looked towards the doors.

"Not all of them," Aizawa shook his head as he accepted back his crutch from Shinso. He heaved himself up on shaky legs. Both legs, Izuku noticed, were whole. "Some of them are at Gym Theta."

"As you should be," Shinso accused him. "Did you walk all the way over here by yourself?"

"Of course not," Aizawa snorted. "I had the kid help me. He... really wants to see you, especially," he told Izuku. "We had a feeling you might show up here first."

"Who-" Izuku's question was answered as the doors opened and a young boy stepped out onto the front porch. He was slightly older than Izuku had last seen him and his spiky hair had grown out to his shoulders. In his right hand his hat with the two golden spikes fell to the ground as he stared at Izuku.

"Kota," Izuku breathed at the familiar face.

Kota just stared, until finally, "You look like hell."

A small laugh mixed with a sob escaped Izuku's mouth.

Kota's mouth twitched as he walked down the steps and stopped in front of Izuku. "My hero," he whispered before rushing into the boy for a hug. Izuku could feel his sobs dampening his shirt, but he couldn't find it in himself to care as he wrapped his arms around the younger boy.

"I'm not your Izuku," he said softly. "So why... why do you..."

"It doesn't matter," Kota said between sobs. "Because- because you're still- Izuku. My-my hero."

"Everyone just wants to see Izuku again," Aizawa said and when Izuku turned to look at him, saw that his one eye had become misty. "Even if you aren't him, at the core you are still the Izuku Midoriya who did his best to help everyone. And that's enough."

"They're all waiting inside," Kota said as he pulled away, wiping at his eyes. "Not everyone, but they're waiting for you."

Izuku looked past him towards the doors. He wanted to run. He thought he was ready for this. How wrong he was.

Mouth dry, Izuku stood slowly. Taking a deep breath, he walked up the few steps and approached the doors. His hand rested on the handle, and with one last push of determination, opened it.

It felt as if Izuku had come home. In sharp contrast to the outside, the inside of the dorms were clean and orderly, and lit by warm light. He saw the backs of his classmates, standing and sitting in the living area. When their faces turned towards him, he sucked in a breath. He'd been expecting it, having already seen some of them already, but to see what they looked like in this setting, they were... weary looking. As if they endured all the world could possibly throw at them. Their eyes had the haunted looks of soldiers returning home from the battlefield. Eyes that those so young should not possess. But when they laid eyes on him, the dimness in their gazes receded.

"Izuku." Iida spoke first, having stopped in the middle of his familiar pacing. He stiffly walked over to him, his expression made of stone. He stopped just a few feet from him and went into a deep bow. "I apologize for both my actions and my words. I... I just could not believe you were actually real. And even if you aren't our Izuku back amongst the living, it still doesn't excuse any of our actions. I'm... I'm sorry!" The apology was accompanied with a heavy sob as Iida rose, removing his glasses to wipe at his eyes. A smile formed as tears streamed freely. "It's so good to see you."

"MIDORI!" Ashido crashed into him, sobbing freely into his middle as she hugged his waist. A second body of just clothes hit him, crying just as hard as the pink skinned girl. "Ashido, Hagakure," Izuku said, his own tears already starting to form.

"Dark Shadow and I are sorry for the injuries we caused you," Tokoyami said as he stepped forward.

"Same here," Sato said, having risen from an armchair. "We hit you around pretty hard."

"N-no, it's fi-"

"It wasn't cool of us," Sero said, having come up beside Izuku and placing a hand on his shoulder. A jagged scar ran its war down the right side of his face, now visible without his helmet blocking it from view. "We didn't even try and hear you out."

"We automatically assumed you were some sort of agent sent by All For One," Shoji spoke from a mouth on one of his arms. "It wasn't even worth considering you might actually be who you said you were. It would've been too painful."

"But I'm not-" Izuku tried protesting for the third time, but Kyouka, having stood from the couch, said harshly, "Shut it. Just knowing you're alive in your world is enough to tell us it hasn't yet reached the point where things are at here. Even if this world is done for, at least yours still has a chance."

She reached a hand down towards someone on the couch and helped them to their feet. Izuku stared in horror as the punk rock girl carefully guided a limping Kaminari over to him. His hands hung down at his sides, several fingers missing on each hand. Izuku's gaze saw the bandages wrapped around his eyes and ears, then traced the several fresh scars etched down his face, arms, and any exposed skin.

"Ka-Kaminari," Izuku stammered, reaching out and gently grasping both of his hands. The other boy jerked, before raising his head in Izuku's direction. His remaining fingers moved around Izuku's hands, tracing some of the scars there. Kaminari's mouth opened and he heaved silently. He stumbled forward, helped by Kyouka, and reached his hands up, grasping at the air around Izuku's head. Once he found purchase, his fingers traced his face, as if recording everything to his memory.

A pitiful sound escaped Kaminari's lips as his body heaved more violently, pressing himself to the other boy. Izuku let himself lower to the ground, wrapping his arms around him as the other boy trembled against him.

"What... What happened to him?" Izuku's voice was hoarse.

"All For One's cronies got a hold of him after the battle two months ago," Kyouka said, her voice void of emotion. "It took us a few days to find where they took him. Enough time for them to do whatever the hell they wanted to him. Now he can't hear or see. Hell, he can't even speak-" She broke off, turning her head away to hide the tears.

"It was the same villain who almost killed me," Shinso said and he turned to see that he, Todoroki, Aizawa, and Koto had come inside. "Crimson Bride. She's one of All For One's cruelest followers. Takes great pleasure in torturing and killing men."

"Why hasn't Eri healed him yet?" Izuku's tone was full of desperation. "Surely after all this time she's gotten a better handle of her quirk! Surely she could fix this!?"

No one would look at him. Finally, it was Aizawa who told him. "The girl with the Rewind quirk, right? She didn't survive the Shie Hassaikai Raid. Overhaul wiped out everything once he realized he wasn't going to win. Even his so-called daughter."

Izuku's gaze dropped and he found himself staring down at the top of Kaminari's head. He held the boy close as he realized just how helpless he really was. He couldn't go and beat up some villain to help the ones in pain or fix what was wrong. Everything here was the aftermath of when the heroes couldn't save those in danger. This was the result of the villains finally winning. A world where evil triumphed over good.

Oh kid. He felt Nana's presence around him, soon joined by the rest of the vestiges. But their spirits did little to soothe the pain in his heart. It was now, more than ever, that he wished to go home. To see his mother, and his friends, all safe. Untainted by the cruelty of war.

He had to get back home. No matter what. He couldn't allow what happened here to happen to those he cared for back in his world. If all this was the result of a drawn out war with All For One, of the death of Izuku Midoriya, then he had to stop it before it even began.

Yet, as he looked around at the few classmates that were here, in their broken and weary states, he knew one thing. Even if there was a way home that he could take now, could he? Could he abandon everyone here to a grim fate, knowing that he could have done something to help?

All For One, He thought darkly. He'd won here. Killed this world's Izuku and stole One For All from him. There was almost no chance in hell that the heroes could win this. If their Izuku couldn't with more experience and fighting prowess than he currently possessed, then what hope did he have?

It doesn't matter. If I leave now, I wouldn't be able to call myself a hero. I- His eyes narrowed dangerously as he clutched Kaminari closer to himself. All For One, I'm going to kill you.

This is a dark alternate world and Izuku's empathy is going to make him suffer here. All the new ways I can make my readers suffers brings a tear to my eyes... Anywho, I probably won't be able to update again until after the school term ends for me, so please look forward to summer when I can write in full force. Also, to a certain someone, yes, I'm working on my schoolwork, I promise! I just couldn't help but finish this chapter lol.

Anyway, until next time. Toodles~