I'm sorry for everything in general.
==============================

" 'Spirits And Such' Consultation Office' "
...Again...

     Two men entered the room one boring afternoon. Reigen sat up straight, rushing to hide the manga in his hands. "Why hello! What can I do for you?" He smiled. These newcomers were obviously foreigners. Couldn't point to anything specific, but it was obvious in the two they walked, dressed, and maybe even the expressions on their faces too.

     The plain brunette man with well trimmed stubble held a hand to his head as he entered, squinting and crouched slightly, his odd behavior stealing center stage. Following behind him was a wary, somewhat embarrassed man with dark skin and buzz-short black hair. Gojo stayed leaning back at his own desk, smirking at the sight.

     The brunette stuck out his hand and waved it around the room slowly before at last opening his mouth. "Do you...speak English?"

     "A little." The blond answered.

     "Oh thank God!" Exasperated, the brunette started talking English right away. Yep. No doubt a foreigner. He strode now toward the boss' desk. "Alright listen. I'm Shawn Spencer, the top psychic detective in America." Standing proudly. "Brought here for a case by the Number One hero, Star And Stripe!"

     The darker toned man leaned in a little more. "...She was in a hurry and we just so happened to be available." They elbowed each other at the same time. 

     "...Cool." Reigen understood maybe half of that. "Mind speaking slower?"

     "Right!.. Right." Clapping his hands together and holding them right in front of his face. "All we need from you are a few answers to some questions of ours."

     "Um... Ask..away?" He leaned back a little in his chair.

     "Ok!" The brunette held one hand to his head again, the other waving around dramatically. "I sense a strong spiritual presence in this place. No doubt you are a powerful psychic as well~" Reigen had to hold in a chuckle. Gojo was in the same boat, covering his mouth to hide the wide grin. Easiest way to find out someone was a fake. Reigen folded his hands together, placed his elbows on the desk, and smiled.

     "Yes, thank you! Now what case are you working on right now?"

     "Currently in the process of finding All For One."

     "--" 'Well they're screwed if this is the guy heading the investigation.' "I see."

     "So anyways, I was wondering if you knew anything about where the kid Kageyama might be.."

     His hands clenched one another just a little tighter. The fact that this Shawn guy even knew for certain Mob was alive was a sure sign he wasn't lying about the legitness of his position.

     Inhaling slowly, "Sorry, but not even I was told where Mob went... Mind if I ask what he has to do with All For One?"

     Hands pressed together pointing up, "Because, well" now pointing at the blond, "I may not know All For One too well, but I can bet now that he has Midoriya, Kageyama would be his next likely target."

     Reigen's eyes widened suddenly and he leaned in. "... Izuku Midoriya, the green haired kid?"

     "Yeaup!"

(The respectable men: Shawn and Gus)

(Somebody take me off of Pinterest.)

----------

     Toga had no information regarding the locations of Uraraka and Midoriya. All the heroes knew was what they didn't have.

     Toga had made a special request to not kill the girl, so at least they knew the two were alive...

----------

     "Has your quirk come back yet?" Ochako whispered hoarsely over her shoulder. Sitting with his back to her, both their wrists tied together, Izuku squeezed his eyes shut as he fidgeted uselessly with the thin ropes.

     "Ghh, no." The boy growled. "You?"

     "Well, yeah.. but I don't really know what to do with it." The two were trapped together in a dark room. In the very center of it was a single white light shining down brightly on the concrete floor.

     Izuku wiggled a little and whispered, "Hey, psst, I think I recognize that guy over there!" Gesturing with his head to the dark figure at the back of the room. Ochako squinted. Among the shadows was a man with pitch black skin, four arms, and a few silver markings on his face. He wore some old samurai attire, which was also black.

     "Huh? I thought you only knew heroes!"

     "He's Garmadon! The son of China's late Number One hero, Wu Bright!"

     "What?? Him???"

     "I may not know exactly why I'm here yet, but I know it wasn't to listen to two teenagers gossiping about me! So shut up will ya?!" The villain barked.

     "So-sorry!!" Izuku shrunk away. Ochako could feel the fear emanating off of him. Her hands wiggled enough to hold his, reassuring him the only way she knew how.

     "We're going to be okay...Izuku."

     "...Mm-"

C'reeeeeeee

     The vault door opened, the imposing shape of AFO standing in the doorway. Garmadon jutted to his feet. The main villain's hands rose, followed by slow, deep claps which echoed off of every surface in the empty room.

     "Congratulations! You turned yourself into the optimal weapon. Question now is what do you plan to do with that weapon~?" His grin was so uncannily wide it practically split across his face from ear to ear. "Though I have a hard time imagining you being able to wield it right now~" Together, Izuku and Ochako stood. Izuku took the lead to swing them around and aim himself solely on the villain. 

     The greenette ground his teeth together and snarled. "All For One, if you think you can take my quirk then you got another thing coming!!. I know you're weaker; admit it!. All your Nomu have turned on you and the villains you treat as foot soldiers are scattered, so if there's anyone who should be giving up it should be YOU!!!"

     "What a cute little taunt~" Now standing right in front of him, the villain gripped a handful of Izuku's hair and tugged his scalp so the rest of him was forced to follow. Deku growled, standing on his toes to avoid pain. All For One continued to hold him like that as he crouched a little lower and droned. "A wild animal is always most dangerous when it has been backed into a corner.. So I wouldn't recommend provoking me any further. You wouldn't want to experience first hand what I can do when I have nothing but old instincts to fall back on."

     Deku was lying about his quirk before.

SNAP!

     The cords around his and Ochako's wrists snapped as rage consumed him. "WELL SAME HERE!" Jumping forward, the teen yelled and struck the villain with a charging fist. A gust of wind tore the other two in the room off their feet, but All For One stood strong, not even touched by the impact. He smirked, blood red eyes slit thinly while side eying the boy.

     "Cheeky~ I'll admit. You are braver than some of the past users I killed."

     "JUST SHUT UP AND DIE ALREADY!" His inner Bakugo activated. He charged blow after blow, using the many months of training to single out this man's weak points and strike where he may forget to guard. But the villain had some kind of barrier around himself the teen just couldn't break through. He did manage to nudge All For One back a few inches after a series of strikes but that was about it. Deku couldn't risk going all out and hurting Ochako in the process.

     Grinning still, AFO vanished mid punch. The teen's eyes widened. In a split second of thinking, he recognized that move.. but from where...? Ah! Deku turned just in time to dodge a punch to the back, instead falling to the floor into a sweeping kick to the man's ankles. A move that was fruitless, as the villain only teleported again.

     He grabbed the kid by the back of the shirt and dragged him up off the ground. "I'm impressed you recognized that so quickly~ Shimazaki sure was considerate for lending me his quirk while he slept~" He then tossed Deku through the vault door. Suddenly doused in bright light, the teen squinted as he heaved himself back up. The man walked this time toward the young hero, stepping into the light of the long, plain, concrete hallway. He smirked as his young opponent so diligently threw up his hands and prepared for another attack.

     "YOU'RE NOT GOING THROUGH, ALL FOR ONE!" The teen charged.

     All For One spoke calmly as he walked along, only tripped up occasionally by the rabid green rabbit attempting to stop him in his tracks. "Power seeks purpose and purpose seeks power. Never is an individual able to possess both, but only one at a time." Once upon a time, All Might really angered AFO because he was the exception. Possessing great power while sticking to his purpose. Though even he started to slip in his later years. And now, the old oaf was laughable, foolishly searching for something to replace that power he once so desperately clung to. "That's why we have so many organizations, once founded on goals many would consider righteous, now are so corrupt and power hungry, they undo all the good they once did." Izuku managed to grab one of his wrists with black whip, shoot past him, forcing the elder's arm behind his back. The villain did not panic. His own dark strips of spikes struck out from his spine, snapping those dark green whips in half. "You are living proof of this. Though once filled with ambitions and dreams, you now only seek more and more power, fighting the powerful only for the sake of overpowering them. It's only natural, really, that your power would seek out greater powers to dominate. Not something I would care to ridicule you for, as doing so would be hypocritical of me." Grinning still as the young one shot past him again, this time intending to snap his neck using Black Whip and a couple other quirks for optimal speed and strength.

   "That's! Not! TRUE!" The boy breathed fervently after he failed. "I only fight villains like you because I want to save people, and you're getting in my way!!"

     "Heheh.. and I only want to stand on top of the world and you're getting in my way. What else is new?.. I'll tell you." He leaned to the side to dodge a speeding kick aimed at his head. "Something's missing from your story. Because if you only wanted to save people, you would have prioritized them over me. You would have ensured their sanctuary was truly safe instead of chasing after my scent. Another way to prioritize the safety of others would be to avoid causing any collateral damage to a densely populated area...which All Might so foolishly fell for time and time again.~" AFO rose his palm, blocking an incoming attack so strong it cracked through all the concrete around them. Deku huffed agitatedly after landing as pieces of rock fell on his head. He couldn't go all out now because that could cause the entire structure to collapse! "In fact, I can think of a number of ways you could have defeated me without ever engaging me in combat. Want me to share~?"

     "NO!"

     "You could have prioritized blocking off any forms of communication between me and my subordinates, rendering my influence useless. You could have strategized by assessing how I amassed my followers and shifted the culture away from following in my influence so easily. You even could have developed better systems for preventing and taking care of those who most commonly fall into a life of crime, further crippling my reach. Heck, you could have simply cut my life support while I was in Tartarus. It really isn't that hard to defeat me." His mockery was made apparent when he suddenly caught one of Deku's fists and threw him over his shoulder into the ground. Landing on his back, Izuku gagged, all the air knocked out of him. The man's right foot stepped on the boy's head, slowly leaning in more and more to crush the young one's skull. Izuku charged up OFA in his hands and punched and clawed at the heavy man's foot and ankle. "So simple, in fact, that my being alive only proves the rot of this world. It only shows how little you actually care about fixing the problems which I thrive under. No, you only care about dealing with the results of the problem. Not actually fixing or saving anyone. Want some more tips~? I'd be happy to share them with you~"

   "GHAA!" His head unable to take the pressure anymore, Izuku filled his whole body with power. He expelled useless purple gas to hide himself in, trying anything at this point, even the things he knew wouldn't work! Deku in a moment of overwhelming fear flung his legs up, kicking at the shin over him. Another fluke. He only made the load on his head a little lighter than before. And any more of this and he might just snap his neck!

     Sigh. "Yet here you are, uselessly punching away, so sure your power will solve all your problems... What problems, exactly?" Shrugging. "I can't say. What does harassing me now have to do with saving people again~? Especially when there are so many lives at stake this very second?" The villain shrugged again, hands up at his sides. "Sounds rather counterintuitive to be targeting me as harshly as you have when all my actions this year have been directed solely onto that quirk of yours. When all my actions this past century have been in an attempt to claim your quirk... Thinking about it..if you'd just given it to me from the very beginning, perhaps you would have actually saved people?" He chuckled a deep hum of a laugh. "I don't know about you..but I've killed a lot more on my quest to retrieve your quirk than I ever intended to, dear brother~" It was then that the villain's piercing eyes glanced up, staring directly at the lingering spirit of the first user, Yoichi. The younger brother gasped faintly, falling a step back. He-he could see him now?!.. He could see all of them. All the ghosts uselessly standing around as their youngest warrior was presently being crushed.

     It was all up to Deku and he knew it. He knew he was the world's last hope as tears flooded into his eyes. He gripped onto and held AFO's foot tightly. "L--let me go.." He growled.

     Leaning forward a little more, the man tilted his head slightly and smirked. "Or what~? In case you haven't noticed, you have been put at a great disadvantage here. I have all the power here..." Leaning forward some more, Deku yelped. The concrete under his skull rubbed through skin. Any second, his head could be crushed.

     But the boy gritted his teeth and dug in deeper. "I-- I'll kill myself! Then, you'll never get my quirk!"

     The villain chuckled darkly. "Dear child, what makes you think killing you will be any different than stealing your quirk? You would be doing me a favor even by ridding me of my greatest adversary~!" But the faint stilt in his voice was clear. The forced nature of his calm tone. The slight decrease in pressure; tragic twitch in his eyes. Too many minute signs were adding up. The threat had reached him alright. Worst of all was he already knew that the child was the kind of person to go through with such a thing as well.

     Deku gruffed. "Don't lie to me!! I know you never killed a user who hadn't passed on One For All for a reason!!. You even said it yourself this wasn't all about power for you!!"

     "..." For the first time, the villain was speechless.

     Deku was in a panic. Breathing heavily on the floor. He swallowed spit and swiped the tears out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Uraraka.." But he couldn't think of a better way out of this.

     AFO was sorta right in a way... He had done so many bad things..all for the sake of gaining this quirk.

     So why then did it even still exist?

     The boy's legs flung forward, wrapped around AFO's legs, and tugged his whole body the villain's way until-

Crack.

     His entire world was black.

----------

     His body bobbed up and down, weightless, at the mercy of the flowing water. Back and forth.. back and forth. It carried him steadily against the coastline. As the back of his head touched sand, the rest of him jerked up. He gasped, a splashing frenzy as he struggled to sit upright.

     Panting, mind frantic the teen looked around in all directions. His nerves started to calm, replaced with a haunting, burning ache that filled his chest.

     "Wait, did I actually kill myself?!" The Izuku grabbed his own face with one hand and his shirt with another, beginning to shake. "No..." He couldn't believe he'd actually done it. After all this time, he--

     "He...hello..?" Izuku turned his head and looked down just slightly. His eyes widened. Two, broad green eyes stared back, bright and sparkling with life! "Oh!. You're me...but big." Little Izuku tilted his head, stepping closer to grab at the hair that had fallen into the elder's face. 

     The little boy stared with such worry and care at his future self. "Y..you're a hero... right?"

     Izuku didn't care what the villains thought. As long as he did what he knew was right. He didn't care what the people thought. As long as he did what he knew was right. He didn't even care what his friends.. or family thought of him. As long as he did what he knew was right, that was enough.

     But this??? Staring at his past self and watching the hope flicker out of those eyes at the mere thought of turning into a villain; failing to achieve his dream.

     He grabbed a fistful of the kid's shirt and rested his head of sopping green hair on the young one's shoulder, sobs escaping rather than words. He had to choose between breathing and answering, and as he was, he could barely accomplish the breathing part.

     At last, a word broke loose. "Yes." His breaths fell into a gentler rhythm. "Yes I-- ... You don't have to worry..." Izuku pulled back and stared his past self dead in the eyes. "I became a hero."

     But what did he accomplish as one?

     Heh, not as much as he'd hoped. That was for sure. When he opened his eyes again, the little Izuku was gone. Deku gasped for a second, then realized nothing was really real here anyways. What was this? Some kind of afterlife? Oh well. Not knowing what else to do, the teen sat back in the ocean water and watched as the sun set over the rippling waves

     A stranger wandered over to him from a little to the right. Gray pants, socks, and shoes now all soaked in the ocean waves, Reigen approached calmly with his hands in his pockets. Izuku noticed the approaching blond about halfway there and questioned his appearance for a moment. But, seeing as the man would arrive in time, decided to wait before asking questions.

     Reigen stood behind Izuku's shoulder and exhaled loudly, watching the sunset with a lazy look in his eyes.

     "...What are you doing here, Mr. Reigen?" Asking without turning his head. "Did you die too?"

     "Huh?" The blond's gaze snapped down to the little one. "Pf, sure hope not." The man then scanned his surroundings in finer detail. "Nah, probably just dreaming. Why? Did you die?"

     "I..." Izuku wiped his face. Replacing clean salty water with dirty salty water. "...Maybe."

     "Mh." The blond took his seat in the ocean waves beside the teen, legs crossed and eyes staring down as his pants were consumed with moisture. They just sat together in silence for a long while. "This place looks so different from what I remember." The man hummed.

     "Hu?"

     "Right over there." Reigen pointed a little further off down the cost to a little brown box. "That's where my grandpa died. It was cloudy when it happened, though, so I don't know what's up with this." Gesturing to all the bright colors in the sky. Izuku nodded absently. Too much was in his head to really care about what the man said, but it it was nice not being so alone in this.

     For now, he just enjoyed the sunset, fear stricken that it would be his very last. Before he knew it, tears streamed down his face again.

     "Woah, woah, what happened?!" Reigen, hesitantly at first, wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulder and pulled him a little closer.

     "..." He didn't answer for a while. "You ever feel like.. like you aren't worthy of the things you were given? Like...no matter what, you're bound to screw everything up eventually??" The hand on his shoulder held on a little tighter.

     Reigen stared ahead stoically, except through watching, Izuku could see the tremble in his lower lip. The strain to keep his eyes dry. Then, he simply answered, "...Yeah."

     Izuku quit staring, eyes moving eastward to settle on the bright orange sun.

     "What do I... What do I do about it??"

     "...I don't know, really... Though part of me hopes it'll go away...I don't think it ever will." Izuku hummed sadly. "But that doesn't mean it's right."

     "M?"

     "Those voices in the back of your head calling you unworthy. They don't have any real validity to their claims, now do they?" He was saying this to himself just as much as he was to the teen. "If anything, that might just be the biggest lie of them all." Rubbing his hand through the kid's sandy hair. "Because I know you have a heart of gold in there, kid. One rarer than any gemstone. .. And sometimes that's all you need."

     Izuku chuckled, a genuine smile crawling back into place as he pried the man's hand off of his hair. "Thanks... Huh?" A dark spot stood where the sun and ocean met, the bright reflection on the water used as it's pathway toward the two.

     Reigen was the first to push himself up, staring suspiciously as the dark human shaped figure neared. Izuku soon joined him. Reigen recognized the figure first. "...Mob?"

     "Shigeo, remember?.. Well, I guess sort of Mob too now..." The younger teen's voice answered, sounding far closer than the figure itself was. It wasn't a fully fledged Shigeo. Instead more of just a shape made out of lines and sewn together with darkness filling the threads of silver in.

     Shigeo then glitched, reappearing closer to the two. Shockingly, neither were startled or off put by the strange sight. It was then that the sun finally severed itself from the ocean. Wait a minute... The sun wasn't setting... It was rising!

     Izuku ran forward. "Wh, what are you doing here!?-"

WHAP!

     A slap that reddened his cheek, dished out by the smaller one. Reigen gasped. Izuku dabbed the hot spot with his soggy glove.

     "HEY!! MOB!" Reigen was rather quick to scold the child.

     "Idiot. I'm taking over from here if you're going to be that way. Shigeo's shoulder rudely shoved past Izuku, walking off onto the sandy shore. Peering his void of a face over his shoulder, "Remember. You're more than a fighting machine. You're also Mob's friend."

-----------

1%
100%
???%

     The ground, walls, everything trembled as the boy's eyes flung back open, revealing two piercings white voids that steamed with power.

     All For One hid his sigh of relief under a chuckle and slight tilting of his head. "Hm, thought you were gone there for a second." The intense power output began to wear down his shoes, stinging his feet. AFO tightened his jaw, wisely deciding to lift his foot and give the boy some space. If this was the power he thought he'd invoked.. then...

     Izuku's body stood limply. Shigeo flexed his arms, taking hold of this new form one limb at a time. He stared down at his arms with satisfaction. He could see why Mob wanted muscles so bad. These limbs were so much more satisfying to wield. Too bad this body needed constant reinforcement under this much power. His original body seemed to have no problem with that. But this one was threatening to tear itself apart every other second! Oh well. This would only be temporary anyways.

     "Hmhm... See what I mean~?.. Over the years-"

     "-Sorry, but Izuku's not home right now. Please leave a message after I tear your organs out."

     All For One flinched slightly, pursing his lips. Guess this Kageyama boy was in no mood to play around.

     Slowly, dramatically, Shigeo lifted his hand to the great villain. "Now... What was it you were preaching about power again..?"

CRACK
      CRUNCH

     Everything around them started to crack apart, tearing large gashes all the way to the surface high above their heads. A deep, hungry rumble growled through the earth. All For One stared up and watched as a pathway jutting straight up was cleared away.

     "You were saying something earlier about alternatives to fighting you. It reminded me a lot of something Reigen told me a while ago... But, I'm curious, because I think I can do both right now. Why not escape and burry you under a mountain of rubble? Anything in your twenty-inch thick philosophy book dictate against that~?" AFO's foot scraped back a little further in preparation. "As I thought." The boy tilted his head slightly. "You think you're so wise, just because you lived a little longer than everyone else. And you think you're so powerful, just because you've never been faced with real power before... You may be strong, but what good is strength if it isn't used to help others? ..From my perspective, you're just a regular guy who was gifted with amazing power like me..but decided to use them in the worst way possible. It is because of that that your life has no purpose. No meaning. What sickens me most is that you're self aware about all of this too. It wasn't an accident... You purposefully turned yourself into a monster. A monster with no connections to life but power. You seek power simply because it is the only reason to keep existing. Beyond that, you are nothing." Slowly, the boy lifted his hand again to the villain. "Some people only care to listen to the ones who prove them wrong. So are you going to listen to me, or do I need to teach you another lesson on real strength?" Bro. Was. Fuming!.. How dare this guy bring Izuku to his breaking point; desperate to such an extent that he would result to suicide! Such a sick individual! Could barely bring himself to look at him!

     All For One was stuck. His whole plan to reach the end of the hallway had been thwarted. Now, he was trapped facing the one thing he failed to expect.

     He hadn't just sent people to hunt Izuku down one after another for no reason! He was testing the boy; seeing what quirks he had activated, which ones he tended to rely on most, as well as areas he could use to exploit the child... And while he had been informed Izuku had some kind of a regeneration quirk..he had no idea to the extent the power this kid was hiding!

     The villain stood there frozen for a second now as Shigeo's aura radiated like a blazing fire, stinging his skin even! Yes, he had a lot of quirks, but he needed raw power if he was going to face off against this one. He could also simply flee, of course, but he wanted this OFA user here now for a reason.

     The small stripes under his eyes opened up, black tattoos fading into existence on the business man's skin. A new, foreign grin spread across the man's face as he pushed his hair back to expose the symbol on his forehead and tear off his own suit jacket without a care. Shigeo's eyes narrowed slightly. Kind of reminded him of whenever Dimple possessed people, only he saw no spirits entering the villain.

     "Now this is more like it~!" Slapping his hands together, a new, gruffer voice chided as he started to stretch his arms and legs. "But man are these clothes constricting! How does he get around in these!?" He then tore off the sleeves to his shirt and swung around his arms some more, which also had simple but bold tattoos.

     "Huh..? Who are you?"

     "Sukuna~! King of Curses! Heh, I'm even more ancient than this guy is!"

     Tilting his head again, "Are you...a spirit?"

     "Eh, not really. But also maybe yes." It was obvious he was in no mood to explain anything to this kid. That grin just wouldn't go away. "My my, kid! You really scared this old man! Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to any ancient Sorcerers, would you~?"

     "No?" What was that?

     "Meh, alright. So anyways, you wanna fight~? I've been dying to try out some of this body's special moves!"

     "Um-"

     "All For One, your bunker is collapsing!!" Garmadon ran down the hall, holding a passed out Ochako tightly in his arms. The bottom two to carry her and the top two to shield her from any more rubble. Blood dripped down her forehead, hinting how she may have fainted.

     "Uraraka?" The boy whispered faintly. He stared at her for a second to make sure she was alive-

WHAM!

     And suddenly he was flying through the air down the hallway. He landed, skin scraping over concrete until his back slammed into the metal door. 'What?? He's so fast!' Sukuna appeared right in front of Mob, fingers pointing at him.

     "All it takes is one touch, and you're dead!" The villain grinned. "Won't have to even use my cursed energy!" Shigeo formed a barrier, stopping the dark blades from pierce his body. He couldn't just stay on the defensive, so Shigeo decided to end this now. He struck out his hand at once to twist the man into a pretzel, but nothing happened! '...WHY IS MY TELEKINESIS NOT WORKING ON HIM!?' The large man's body was surrounded in a dense layer of cursed energy, so perhaps that was the case?

     Shigeo made a large chunk of the ceiling fall down on him, but Sukuna simply struck up his fist and punched through it, eyes not even leaving his opponent for a second.

     "Yaaawn, don't tell me that's all you can do!" He was right. Though limited, Shigeo could do plenty more than that! The teen stood up and held out both his hands to absorb his opponent's energy. A presence lingered over his shoulder halfway through. "...Hey~" Sukuna's voice drifted around in his head. Nope. Nope! NOPE! He immediately gave all the energy back to AFO's body, not willing to risk possession. That answered where Sukuna came from at least. He was fused with the man's quirk! Sukuna smirked down at the little lad. "What was all that talk about power~? You sure made it seem like you had a lot~" He did. He just couldn't use it properly! Shigeo stepped back, his barrier melting through the metal door so he could pass through it easily. Sukuna followed, Ryo's barrier defending him from the falling molten metal.

     The room they entered was large, round, and grand. In the very center of it was a thick glassed testing tube of sorts. Nothing was inside but air, giving the impression that it was meant as a containment chamber. Sukuna swiped his hand across. A thin line of dense cursed energy wrapped around the centerpiece and shattered through the metal and glass! Shigeo increased the output of his quirk, beginning to melt the ground and everything around him. Sukuna punched his palm and tilted his head back while smiling big.

     "Ohhh, I'm going to have fun beating the s### out of you~"

----------

     "Gh... Guh!" At long last, Garmadon crawled out of the hole, Uraraka on his back to make things a little easier. He released the fainted girl and dropped, thumping to the ground himself as at last that exercise was over. "Ta...talk about overdoing it! He... He really didn't have to make his base..so... so deep underground!" Laying on his back, the villain smiled as the heavy thumping in his heart started to fade. "...Wait until little Lloydie hears about this.." He nearly shut his eyes, allowing himself to relax a little, when footsteps approached.

     The villain sat up swiftly and twisted around, gasping as his eyes landed on Suzuki. The vigilante stiffly approached, that familiar helmet sending shivers down the villain's spine.

     "L-l-listen!" Springing onto his feet. "I-I-'m a changed man! See?? I saved this girl just now! I'm practically a hero!!" Gesturing all four arms to the girl on the ground. Suzuki stretched out his finger, picking up the fainted one and carrying her away from the man so she couldn't be used as a hostage. Once the teen had been set down gently at a safe distance, the vigilante pressed forward, pulling out hat portal gadget thing from before.

     "One good act won't make up for all your past sins... That is why I have dedicated the rest of my life to cleaning up this city.. I could have used my powers to become a prominent hero and save people, but instead I used them to do countless appalling acts all for the sake of some pipedream. Unless you are willing to do the same as me and truly turn over a new leaf, I suggest you get in." Pressing a button, a pitch black portal opened up in the air beside Suzuki. The elder stood patiently, staring at the villain with his hands behind his back. Though it didn't really look like it, Garmadon knew he was backed into a corner here.

     The villain stared back over his shoulder with a longing gaze. On one hand, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his son behind. But... on the other...

     He would rather die than see that smug look on his father's face when he found out about him turning over a new leaf. Never did he want to see that old man smile!

     Garmadon slid off his Samurai helmet as his body changed form. Gone was the ebony skin and four arms. Gone were any and all villainous characteristics. Remaining was just a man. A man with long brown hair passing the chin and two vibrant red eyes. There was a softness to his face as well, adding to his simplistic complexion. He threw his helmet down on the ground and strode to the portal. He glanced over his shoulder only one more time at the color rising on the horizon, a hint of regret already in him... But that was driven away when a stern look took over. His son was strong. But his entire reason for even being a villain was to prove that his father was weak.

     "Goodbye...my emerald sky..."

     He vanished into the dark abyss. Suzuki sealed the portal behind him. The masked one exhaled sharply after the deed was done. His next mission was to ensure the fainted girl was alright and find that boy to make sure he had a proper place to call home.

     For a moment, Suzuki considered joining whatever fight was going on down below, but he decided against it in the end. After all, he could sense Mob's aura from way up here.

     So there was no reason to worry for that boy's sake.

----------

     Sukuna panted harsh, raspy breaths, hands on his knees. His shirt has been blown off of him to expose the tattoos on his chest, pants turned into mere shorts. D### that kid was powerful! He had reason to suspect that even in his original form at the height of his power, that kid would have been quite the opponent! He focused on long range attacks too, meaning Sukuna hadn't the chance to simply blip the squirt out of existence either!

     He chuckled steam out through another toothy grin. "I have to admit... That was the most fun I've had in centuries!"

     Laying on the ground before him, appearing dead, was Izuku's body, the cursed one having officially beaten the Shigeo out of him!

     The greenette, now weak and broken, groaned while pushing his head up. In short, everything hurt.

     That malicious grin soon faded with the markings on his face, replaced by a calm smirk. All For One, now back to his old self, huffed pleasantly. "In no way was I bringing up your struggle for power as a way to put you under me. In fact, I believe that is the one area I relate to you so strongly." The elder then felt his chest, glanced down at himself, and chuckled. "My apologies.. I seem to have misplaced my clothes." The villain wandered off into the destroyed room, leaving Izuku there alone for a second.

     He couldn't believe the state he was in. Even after Shigeo at full power took over his body, he STILL lost!?.. HOW!?

     In the darkness, the man picked up a discarded curtain of sorts and started wrapping it around himself. "All I've been trying to say is that over the years, you've made power your focus.." cloaked in white, the villain ambled nearer. "Power that would one day rival mine... But..you never needed power to defeat me." By this point, Izuku had forced himself onto his knees. But every inch of him was burning. Shaking. He no longer had the strength to even consider fighting! Crouching down before the boy, All For One grabbed Izuku's chin and stared into his very soul. "You could have simply gifted the purpose that left me so long ago..." Izuku held his breath. Such terrifying eyes. Gentle, but somehow in a threatening way.

(...no quirks?)

     He tilted the boy's head a little, inspecting his bloody jaw. "Kageyama was somehow able to possess your body... Tell me, can the other past users do the same?"

     Izuku knew where this was going right away. "I- I don't know-"

     "Then figure it out." Sternly. Izuku did just that. He closed his eyes and the elder waited patiently for them to open again. When at last they did, there was a slightly altered look to them. Like a new soul stared through those same pours. "...Yoichi..?" The villain whispered.

     The younger grunted softly. "Deki..."

     That alone filled his heart with the foreign sensation of joy. Though it may not be the same face or voice, he was overcome with emotion knowing his brother was here in the flesh with him again. AFO dragged the teen almost to his feet and hugged the smaller one possessively. Yoichi was already used to this kind of doll-like treatment, so he didn't put up a fight. But his muscles did tense a little... It certainly had been a while.

     "You insolent fool.." AFO gripped the host of his dear brother a little tighter. "You always made such a big fuss about being righteous and always doing the right thing, yet you committed the biggest of atrocities in my eyes."

     "Oh yeah? What's that?"

     "..By abandoning me when I needed you the most..." Yoichi's brows tightened. All For One's chin rested on the boy's shoulder, eyes closing. He exhaled a large, relieved sigh. Foreign warmth he hadn't felt in a long time again entering his chest. "...How does it make you feel knowing that I never gave up on our promise to one another? That I never, not even after you betrayed me, planned to abandon you..? Hmhm... Doesn't that grant me some level of virtue?"

     "You killed people for no reason, locked me up and ruined the lives of thousands!"

     "Tens of thousands... Hundreds of thousands, even..." AFO nodded along. "...But I kept my promise. Because that's all that ever mattered to me."

     "You're the worst..."

     "I know.. I know..." Rubbing his back.
                "But at least I'll never abandon you."

     "Okay, okay, I get it. You're still p###ed."

     "If you'd only come back to me, and allow me to possess your quirk...the suffering you've been forced to inflict on user after user would finally come to an end... And I wouldn't have to take this boy against his will just to keep you at my side."

     "Let him go."

     "Are you willing to negotiate?"

     "...no."

     "Then I don't have a choice, now do I?"

     All For One was very, very weak. His body had been pushed to its limits fighting Shigeo. And his mental capacity was dwindling. He sat there on his knees, holding the boy close to him as his breaths eased into a lax rhythm. Yoichi hung there limply, not sure if his body was even strong enough to crawl away should the villain release him. Just as the villain was looking like he might fall over in exhaustion, the hurried sounds of shoes on concrete plagued his ears.

     Their backs lit only by the rising sunlight, Ochako and Suzuki stood at the entrance of the large, now destroyed room. Ochako gasped and froze. Suzuki halted to better decipher exactly what was happening.

     "Hhhh," the old villain groaned. "I really should have ended you back at Tartarus..."

     "All For One." Suzuki strode forward. "You are clearly weak. Give up now or suffer the consequences." He didn't even know why he was wasting his breath on this. Suzuki knew the old villain wasn't the kind to quit.

     A gushing gray fountain materialized in the air beside AFO. Dragged out of it was a gagging Ryo, who was so rudely awaken and thrust into the fray in nothing more than his pajamas. His bare feet landed on the ground, clutching his throat and prying open his eyes. Panic filled him at once. "I-- I- I- can't see!!" He cried out.

     "Calm down, Shimazaki." All For One placed his hand on the frantic one's shoulder. The glow of energy was transfered from one villain to the other via contact. Ryo immediately began to calm down. But that joy was stunted when AFO pointed behind him at Suzuki. "Now get rid of them." Ryo turned to his old boss, knowing exactly who it was first glance, a hint of worry on his face. That didn't last long, though, as he crouched, ready to fight.

     He jumped into action, appearing beside the vigilante with his fist reeled back. Suzuki put up a barrier that blasted him away. Ryo appeared behind the man this time. Grabbing Ochako, he yeeted her across the room. In the split second that Suzuki was distracted with helping her telepathically, Ryo tore off that helmet, teleported, and kneed him in the jaw, then appeared from behind and elbowing him in the back of the neck. Suzuki's vision blinked out for a second, shocked by his past follower's speed. It all happened within a second!

     As Suzuki stumbled to reclaim his balance. Shimazaki smirked, opening his eyes to reveal the dots of red floating around in there. He could see his every opponent's weakness. Their vital points. Like this, his foes were merely twine and targets tethered together. That plus his speed would make this an easy win!

     Suzuki focused on AFO for a second, using telekinesis to tug the villain's hands behind himself. All For One was forced to drop Deku on the ground. Back to his original self once released, the boy scooted back, making distance between himself and the villain. AFO stood. Though weaker than he would like to admit, he could still turn the tides of this fight. All he needed now, though, was to ensure that One For All user didn't leave his line of sight. Deku trembled as the villain strode his was, large feet thudding on the ground. The young hero could only inch away, body scraping against shards of metal and glass.

     Ochako landed between the two of them. AFO chuckled. "Now who are you?" The girl slapped her hands together and jumped back. The villain's attention shot up to the mountain of rubble falling on top of him. While he fought those pieces off, Ochako used her quirk to lift and kick other shards and boulders at her opponent. It wasn't a long term solution, but it was enough to give her some time to sling one of Izuku's arms over her shoulder and hoist him to his feet.

     "Uraraka.. Y' should run." The boy managed, though painfully so.

     "Nnot gunna happen." The girl grunted. She used her quirk to make him light as a feather. Easy to carry out of here on her own. She wore him like a cape, his arms around her neck, so that way she could continue to fling things at the villain as she ran behind what remained of the glass pillar in the center of the room.

     It was a pretty fair fight between the two. Ryo and Suzuki. A true battle featuring raw power versus decades of training.

     Ryo managed another shin strike to the back of Suzuki's head. He could only afford dealing blows that truly mattered, keeping his distance until he was sure he had an opening. Suzuki was prepared for this in a way. After all, he never genuinely trusted any of his followers; even his most loyal ones, and so prepared for even the young Shimazaki to oppose him someday. He was however not prepared for the massive leap in skill the blind one had made in the year between his imprisonment and now. Those red eyes were a completely new thing to him. And the accuracy of every hit, the speed at which they were thrown. Truly something he could have never prepared for.

     And now all that skill was being used against him. It was actually starting to get a little embarrassing. Ryo typically had a harder time predicting psychic moves, but he had no such problems anymore. That cold swiftness in every one of his hits never left him. Increased, even. And even with his speed ramped up to the max, the older man was at a snail's pace compared to his opponent. So even the great Suzuki was forced into acting on the defensive. And on the defensive he was still able to hold his ground. Well, even. Every barrier Ryo failed to dodge he paid for dearly. All the energy blasts had him pretty beaten up as well!

     Ryo grinned as he reappeared in front of Suzuki, aiming for an upward strike to the bottom of his old master's jaw. "Piercing Barrier.." He didn't usually call, or even name his moves, but an exception was made for what he believed would be a final strike. By creating a rippling waves effect; constantly creating a barrier and shrinking it while forming a new barrier over it, he was able to dig through even Suzuki's defenses!

WHAM!

     Falling to the ground, the light in Suzuki's eyes slowly faded out as he lost consciousness there on the floor. Ryo stepped up to his old boss and nudged him with his foot a little. He could still faintly hear a heartbeat. Good, he was still alive.

     ...Why did he suddenly care that he was?

---------------

     "Why do you guys stare at flat boxes that make noises anyways...? I've always wondered about that." The young Ryo croaked, crouching in front of the TV and tapping the screen to see if there was anything special about it. Using his quirk, he could see that inside the box were a lot of complex components doing...something.

     "Hey, you're blocking the screen!" The even younger Sho barked at Shimazaki from behind, cup of orange juice tightly grasped between his hands while he sat on the couch like he owned the whole thing.

     "Sorry." The teenager moved out of the way, closer to the windows and the adult standing by them, who was presently unpacking all of Sho's things since he'd just gained full custody of him. Ryo was still adjusting to the added noise.

     "You telling me you cannot see 2d images?" The Boss turned his head to the teenager, Ryo presently leaning the back of his hip against the dining table cluttered with boxes. The teen glanced at the new kid and shrugged. "Answer me truthfully. What is the difference between these two pieces of paper?" Suzuki pulled two equal in size baby pictures of Sho and held them out to the teen. Ryo acted like he was staring at them for a bit, then gave up and shrugged.

     "I dunno. One of them's a little more wrinkled than the other..?"

     "How unfortunate..." The man set the two pictures aside. "Tell me. Can you read?"

     "One of my previous masters taught me how to read some brail... I got the alphabet mixed up quite a bit though." Ryo chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

     "Hmmm..." Suzuki thought as he unpacked some of Sho's clothes and set them into a neat stack. "Though your disability may be somewhat of a hindrance, modern technology should make up for the areas where you lack. .. If you have any problems in the future regarding reading and communicating, please, come to me with them... It would be better to have these issues resolved than for you to be in the dark about something. Especially something important... Understood?

     Ryo's usually neutral expression eased into a gentle smile. "Understood."

     Other than Jay and Mei, he was the first person to ever care.

---------------

     "Are you not going to finish him off?" All For One's voice snapped Ryo back into the present. The elder was currently playing something along the lines of a game of chicken with Ochako and Izuku around that destroyed, central pillar of glass. Ryo blinked his eyes closed again, needing a moment to register what was just asked of him.

     "Wai- wai... You mean I need to kill him??"

     "He has already chosen his alliances and it isn't with me. So he would be more of a hindrance to us than anything at this point." AFO dropped his current quest for a moment and headed toward the fallen vigilante. "Now that I think about it, it would be a good idea to take his quirk first.."

     Ryo stared down, drained of hope as his old boss was drained of his quirk. Such a powerful quirk stung All For One's hand a little bit, but he felt all the stronger now having it. He left the now quirkless man to harass those kids again.

     Gaze glued to the fallen, helpless man. ... This just..didn't feel fair.

Thu-thump

     "He-hey, um, boss? D-don't you want my help over there? This guy won't be a problem anyways."

Thu-thump

     "Shimazaki.." a warning growl "he knows too much. Besides, it doesn't harm us any killing him..."

Thu-thu-thump

     AFO glared over his shoulder. "...right?"

     Ryo rubbed his pale forehead. His entire body was going numb, shaking even. His mouth dried up. An agonizing ache built in his chest.

     It was Suzuki... or his quirk.

Thump-thump

     A man he grew to respect deeply, or the very thing that brought his life any meaning.

     Memories of the man filled his head. Of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the mundane. All of it at once.

     There were...so many. 

Thu-thump

     His lip quivered. "I'm sorry...boss."

cr--unch...

     Warm liquid stained his bare feet. His baby blue pajama pants as well. He didn't have a weapon on him... He was numb enough anyways. Ryo felt it right to receive a bite of pain in return. A shard of skull implanted deep within his own flesh.

drip...

     Tears streamed down his cheeks. How was that even possible? Why did this pain feel so real?? He thought crying was impossible.

     Guess it wasn't.

-----

     "NOO-!" He couldn't believe he was too late! The greenette's mind was frantic. "Hold on!!" He instructed. Ochako listened, reaching up to grab around his torso. Izuku then tore open his mouth and shot Black Whip out from it. The whips ensnared All For One from shoulder to knee. As the elder broke the dark streamers of green off of him, Izuku flicked the air beside them, making he and Ochako swing around one villain and into another. Uraraka bit down and scowled, raising her legs to Ryo's head as they passed.

     Shimazaki was too stunned to even notice. Ochako's heels drug across his forehead, knocking the blind one over with that great impact. Ryo fell to the ground, almost completely knocked out cold. But he stayed conscious long enough to hear All For One shouting for him to go after them. His vision, though blurred, watched as the shapes of those two teenagers together rocketed toward that hole in the ceiling. And he remained conscious just a little longer, pain settling as blood trickled down his forehead in thick streams. This time..Ryo allowed himself to faint.

     Maybe it was all just another bad dream...

----------

     The two shot right out of the ground, winding up high in the sky. "We need to find somewhere to hide!!" Izuku shouted. No doubt AFO wouldn't let them get away that easily! Sure, he was weaker, but still!

     "What's that down there!?" Ochako pointed out a couple figures. Izuku squinted. It took a while for his eyes to focus, but when they did, he was overcome with relief.

     "Go!! To them!!" The girl did as instructed, allowing them to fall until they reached the top of a roof. Both Tanjiro and Nezuko waved their hands over their heads at the two teenagers.

     "Heyyy! Where have you been!?!" The man shouted. "I lost track of your scent until only a few minutes ago! What happened!?"

     "We don't have time for that now! We need to RUN!" Izuku let go of Ochako and shoved against Tanjiro's chest. He was barely able to stand. Tanjiro stared down at the boy, eyes filled with growing worry and anger for whatever had done all this to his dear grandson! Izuku looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Please... I don't want you to get hurt too..." It was clear to the kind demon now that the boy was stricken with fear. That much was clear. He stared over the teen at the rising sun and the land beneath it.

     Whatever was after him... He and Nezuko could probably deal with it.

     But, no... His priority was the safety of Izuku and this other girl. He could fight whatever threatened them later when the right time came.

     Already, he could think of quite a few naughty words to say when he finally met this meanie.

     "...A..alright then. Is there anyone else needing to be saved where you came from?"

     Izuku remembered the vigilante he failed to save. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face against the elder's shirt. "no.." he mumbled. Tanjiro hummed in response. He picked up the teen and held him like a big child against his chest. Nezuko offered to carry Ochako on her back, which the girl reluctantly agreed to. Together, the four of them ran back into the dense city. There, they would hopefully be a lot harder to track. At the very least, they'd be harder to catch again.

     Izuku was at a loss.

     No matter what he did...things always went wrong.

.

.

.

=========================

M' sorry, guys! I didn't even know he was gunna do that! ToT

Also, yes, I altered AFO's personality just slightly for the sake of the plot. The jjk fans will get it eventually TvT 👍

In honor of Suzuki, since he was low-key one of my favorite characters in this fic o7:

Two boys lost their father today. 😭

Also, just because Ochako in fight scenes is mega hype: