Also working on chapter 18(cough, I mean 19, cough) in the sequel of "But What If I Was Better?" which is also conveniently AFO centered. Lol. I've been busy writing that book these past months, so if you wanna see the craziest crossover series and like my writing, I have a feeling you'll enjoy that!
The sequel's in the same book as the first because I be lazy like that.

Dang this book really DID explode!

GET THIS MAN OUT OF PUBLIC SPACES, NOW!

Dang it's been a while.
=========================

     You became Eri's designated babysitter.

     It was, after all, important that she be under the protection of someone if the attempt of a kidnapping were to occur. The Shie Hassaikai had many enemies, after all. They might just try to use the boss' granddaughter as a hostage if given the chance. But, most of all, you had the suspicion Pops encouraged this simply because being around Eri brought a much softer side out of you. That old man's granddaughter became the key to making sure you didn't turn out like Kai, who he was already starting to regret how he had raised him. Kai was much more cold and calculating. Goal oriented to an extreme. His loyalty to the old man was his saving grace, but even then.. there was a little tension between the two that couldn't be helped. Luckily, the only ones who really noticed this were you and Hari, who for the most part were completely neutral and didn't really care.

     As you came around to turning fifteen at last, it was time to attend your final year of middle school. You, however, did not want to suffer through six hour classes again. So you landed a deal with Pops to attend some kind of online school instead. That way, you could simply lounge around the Yakuza base on your new laptop doing schoolwork at your own pace.

     You skipped most classes entirely, jumping right into the homework. This saved a TON of time on top of being a lot less annoying.

     There was a lot to prepare for, after all. It was finally the year you had predicted that great battle would take place. The day One For All and All For One would have a clash that would change everything.

     And you had to be there for it.

----------

     Ugh, this was going to be a little harder than you'd hoped.

     Eri sat up in your lap as you balanced the school laptop on your knees. Your back was nestled against the rough bark of an old tree. One of many that lounged around a crystal clear koi pond and hidden well by plentiful hedges and gardens. Under he shade of one of these trees, you enjoyed the peace and quiet of an autumn afternoon.

     Ever since the destruction of the Underground Masquerade, your general mood had calmed a lot. Your sense of fashion reflected this, you wearing casual pants and t-shirts more often. White wraps still clung to your skin; more of a habitual wardrobe choice by this point. Little Eri liked to chew on the bandages around your arms, which you allowed most of the time.

     While she gummed at your wrapped right arm, you searched anything you could think of that might help you figure out exactly when and where this battle would be taking place. You had a feeling in your gut that it wasn't going to be anywhere near here. But then where?

     You had two likely sources of information. The villains involved..or the heroes involved.

Chance with the villains:
     Little to none. Even if you ran to your dad and begged him to be at his side; put up with his hugs and all that, chances were he would never trust you the same way again. Not after that little display of yours. Garaki would no doubt be no different.

Chance with the heroes:
     Also little to none. No doubt they saw you as nothing but a spy for AFO. Even if you somehow convinced them you were on their side, there was a high chance they would be relentlessly suspicious of you. And even if you helped to kill AFO, they would likely imprison you for being the next biggest threat to humanity.

     This was...a tough call. You dug your left hand through your hair, agitation crawling through you.

     Guess you were somehow going to do this on your own.

     That school year was sprinkled with break-ins both on the hero's side of things and the villain's. This plan sadly backfired in a way you didn't expect. Tensions were so high that when they found about the break-ins, oth sides immediately assumed it was the other side's doing. This led to change of plan after change of plan until you worried you were doing more harm than good. There was one thing that remained unchanging, however.

     Garaki was going to visit his main base in a month...

     A base which the heroes now knew of.

     And if they were as smart as you assumed, their first target would be the very central point of all of your father's devious schemes.

     Maybe, if you timed it right, you could jump into the fray.

----------

     It had been a while since you'd ridden on any plane. Only a few years I guess, but still a while in your book. After all... The past couple years went by so slowly.

     You stared out the window robotically, only glancing toward the isle if there was ever any sort of commotion onboard. An old woman sat beside you with a large cloth bag in her lap. The whole flight, she seemed rather excited for whatever reason, humming a happy tune on occasion. This place was a well known vacation spot, so perhaps that was why. But, making assumptions about people probably wasn't your strong suit.

     "Why are you all alone, girlie?" The old woman finally turned to you about halfway through the flight. It really wasn't that long of a trip. You'd be there in less than two hours. But you still hoped for no interruptions, as you were in no mood for anything but planning and preparing.

     Your lazy eyes stolen from their view of the cloudy sea below, your head turned to the old woman dully. "Do you really care if I answer?"

     The old woman's face twitched a little. She must have not expected that kind of dry answer from you. Then again, you were wearing a baggy gray hoodie and black cargo pants. Not exactly a fit that screamed 'come talk to me.' .. "Well, I.. Yes, I would line to know." Firmer in her resolution now. You bit the inside of your lip while thinking of a proper way to respond.

     "If you must know, I'm visiting my dad. I don't see him often, but he wishes I'd visit more." Guess that was good enough. Even added some emotional information too for her to chew on. Maybe that would be enough to shut her up-

     "Oh..! Well that's nice~!" Do you normally live with your mother?" You knew she was probably just bored and trying to fill the time, but why did she have to be so gosh darn invested in personal matters??

     "No. She died when I was young. I stay with..." What exactly was your relationship to Kai, Pops, and the rest of them?... Huh. "My grandpa and his family." Guess that worked.

     "Aw, well I can see then why your father wishes he could see you more often. No doubt he misses you~" The old lady smiled. You chuckled dryly and stared out the window again.

     "Yeah, guess you could put it that way..." He wasn't scheduled to make an appearance here anytime soon. You had to assume, though, that he would arrive if ever there was an emergency. An emergency which a certain hero was currently on his way to create. Yeah, no doubt he'd show up eventually. Your best course of action was to sit around and wait for your dad to show up, then take it from there. Who knows? With your new quirk combination: Hellfire Wings, you might just be able to take the old man out without even lifting a finger! You just had to be sneaky in that case..

     The old lady left you alone after your clear show of disinterest. About an hour and a half later, you arrived.

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

     Waiting for Dad to show was even more lame. The base itself was hidden under a ton of warehouses and stuff. You sat on the outside of the tall chain-link fence in an empty parking lot, chomping down on the cheapest junk food in the area while you waited for anything interesting to happen. You had little to no knowledge of this fight from the show. On top of that, your snooping around may have forced them to change up their plans so much that it may not even go down the same way it did before. Who knows? They may assume it's all a trap and never even show up?

     You set the empty shake cup down and looked to the sky. There were a few buildings around. None too big, but they served as a better vantage point.

     Eh, may as well fly up there and--

     Though you activated your wings quirk, the two didn't appear. Couldn't. Your eyes bulged at once.

     That could only mean one thing.

POW!

     The ground shook. A gust of wind knocked you off balance. At once, you twisted around, trembles rippling down your spine.

     You eeped uncontrollably at the imposing, blond muscular figure himself. All Might. "Young Shigaraki." It was your legal last name, yet it sounded so WEIRD coming out of his mouth! All Might stomped toward you, that iconic face twisted with anger. Rage, even. For a moment, you wondered if he assumed you to be All For One himself! You spun and ran, but of course that didn't last very long. All Might slammed your front into the ground, easily holding both of your wrists behind your back with only one hand. "You are under arrest for theft, stalking, murder, assault, massacre, and suspicion of attempted murder against heroes such as myself right now!"

     "W-WHAT?!" You attempted to wiggle free, failing terribly. From behind one of the nearby buildings appeared Aizawa. You glared at him, your cheek currently shoved against the scorching hot concrete as thick, special handcuffs were equipped to your wrists. "GUHHH! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I WAS JUST CHILLING HERE! YOU GUYS HAVE THE WRONG PERSON! LET ME GO!!!"

     Seemed the heroes were a little smarter than you thought. Turns out this was all a trap set for you.

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

     At least your handcuffs were in the front now. Made them a little more comfortable.

     It was a weird bus of a cop car. Tall. Only two rows of seats faced each other, a decent gap between them. You alone sat in the center of the back row with chains all around you. Ones around your wrists, your ankles. Heck, even a vest and muzzle of some kind held even more chains for seemingly no reason other than to weigh you down. Your bright blue eyes glared harshly ahead at the two heroes seated across from you.

     All Might and Eraserhead sat side by side, both with their arms crossed and watching your every move intently. Eraser's quirk, wasn't active, but he sure was ready to activate it at any second.

     "Can I get this f###ing thing taken off my face at least?" Gruffing for a start. You shook your head around a little, trying to loosen the tight piece of metal around your jaw. Wasn't quite sure why it was there other than to stand as a reminder of who was in charge. "...I understand my dad has taken a lot from you both." Sighing, you finally gave some form of verbal admission. Not like it was necessary. Apparently, they already had blood samples of yours from past crime sites! Nodding to All Might, "Lady Shimura, was it?" Then to Eraser. "Oboro."

     Aizawa's eyebrows tightened on his forehead. "What do you know about him?"

     "Other than that he was a great guy...not much." Weren't sure if now was the best time to bring up Aizawa's best friend being turned into a lab experiment. Especially while these two still counted you on the opposing side. You didn't exactly want to be interrogated over something you knew so little about.

     It was quiet again for a short while.

     Finally, Aizawa pulled out a tablet from the side of the van and tapped through it. "It's been suspected that you were the one who massacred an entire group of people at an under ground fighting ring. Will you admit to doing that?"

     "I won't admit to anything until I speak to a lawyer."

     "Right.. Well, did you know there were undercover heroes in there at the time of the incident? Heroes who were gathering data for their own cases. Cases which will now never be solved. Heroes killed all because you were acting irrationally."

     "Hey, I never said I did any of that!! I never even went to a d### fight club!" This new information stung. You mean...there were innocents among the trash? All Might cleared his throat, side eyeing the younger hero for him to stop. Aizawa sighed and obliged, sliding the tablet back into place.

     Silence again followed. You stared out the window, again watching the clouds with an absence in your eyes. Finally you croaked, "Where am I going?.... Tartarus?"

     The two just stared. Aizawa again spoke up to answer. "Depends what your sentence is. ... You're still a minor. So, some grace may be given." Your chin dropped. You stared at the ground.

     There was so much to think about, that... you couldn't think of anything at all.

     Your tears suddenly dropped onto the floor. The two heroes' eyes widened slightly, watching you with interest now. You sniffed, but there was no use in attempting to wipe away the droplets.

     "...I hate my dad... Hate, hate, hate him." If this was the end of your run, then... At the very least, you wanted everyone to know this. "He's the reason my mom is dead. Every step of my life, he's always followed me, manipulating and tormenting me like it's all just a game to him!... I wasn't trying to set a trap for you. It was for him. I thought that..with our combined forces, I could finally kill him." Sympathy grew in their eyes, especially All Might's. The large hero rose from his seat and crossed the bus in two easy strides. Kneeling in front of you, the hero unlocked the device attached to the muzzle and pulled it off your face. You looked up, blue eyes meeting his. There it was. A sympathetic grin you recognized far more than any scowl or stoicism. You sniffed again and blinked away a few tears.

     "Need some tissue?"

     "Yes.. please."

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

     Tight clamps clung to your ankles and wrists as you were escorted along. It was an airport this time. The sun's great heat bounced off of the sea of concrete up to bake you. Ahead was a jet which was sure to take you to the mainland in under an hour. From there... Guess that's where your trial began.

     A few other heroes dotted your trail toward the jet, likely ones brought here just in case things went south. You didn't recognize any of them... Of course.. you weren't really looking up anyways. Your steely eyes stayed on the ground.

     This was a lot more embarrassing than anything.

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

     In chains again, now you were in a proper chair-dealy-thing. The ends of the chains were now bolted to a square of metal under it. Everything was tight; uncomfortable to move around in.

     Aizawa sat down and buckled up as the jet fired on, its engine humming, vibrating the entire contraption. All Might came along to ensure you arrived on the other side without problems.

     "You guys are going to arrest Garaki, right?? That man's been kidnapping people and using their corpses to turn into weapons! Dr. Tsubasa! He's the one behind all the crazy stuff!"

     "Don't worry, young Shigaraki." All Might. "The other heroes you saw are heading over there to take down that operation right now. We figured that if All For One does get involved, he will have to choose between saving his top scientist or his daughter."

     You bit the inside of your cheek and stared at your lap. It wasn't hard to imagine why he would prioritize you.. but then again, the doctor was crucial to his plans. And he may just let you rot in prison a few years just to teach you another lesson. Your hands, free to do whatever they want, fidgeted with each other. The fact that you didn't even know what your dad prioritized more hurt... But then why? Didn't you hate him?

     Guess you hated him. But you also liked that he loved you. Even if it was superficial. He truly appreciated and desired your company... The simple thought that there was someone out there thinking about you fondly had always been a source of comfort in your darkest hours. Sickening that the one in mind has to be him, but it was the truth.

     The jet took flight. A surprisingly smooth ride. You sat in silence for several minutes. Hard to decide what to do. If you actually reached a prison, then.. you'd be stuck sitting around and doing nothing like this for a loooong time.

     Gh... Eri would no longer have your comfort, nor you hers. Though you had stolen her quirk with the intention to let her live a normal life with her parents, part of you wished they would abandon her. She had become such a dear treasure to you. It stung to think she would be taken away...at any time in her life.

     "Do you still have that transformation quirk..? The cat one?"

     Your head shifted upright. "...Yeah.. But I haven't used it since you tried to kill me."

     "I wasn't trying to kill you."

     "How was I supposed to know that, huh!? Literally everyone is trying to kill me, and have been since I was born!!" Spit flew. The heroes flinched a little bit. You huffed, head hanging low again. "I have trust issues, alright!.. And you didn't help any with that. Because, at the time.. you were the only person I trusted."

     "...Why me?"

     "Heh... I don't know really. You just seemed nice I guess." Nice enough to adopt an entire class of highschool kids and defend them all with his very life. After a moment of silence, Aizawa sighed.

     "...I'm sorry."

     You flinched. "Those are the hollow words of a killer in my eyes... I only forgive people who act on it." The man nodded idly.

     A few more silent minutes passed.

     Then, suddenly, a gray goop formed in the center of the jet room, a large man materializing in its midst. You shrieked. The heroes unbuckled and rushed to their feet. The gray substance separated Eraserhead's view from the towering man, who was leaning in toward you. You kept your mouth pursed and eyes wide as he stepped out of the weird portal toward you. He placed his large hand on your forehead while you were unable to do anything about it. The warm, tingling sensation of a quirk being passed on to you filled your head. When he was done giving you a quirk, your dad's hand glided down a little to graze your cheek. His warm hand slid under your chin and nudged it up. You reluctantly allowed him to guide your face upright, glaring slightly as your eyes stared into his deep red ones.

     "You actually came for me?" You whispered. Didn't know why that was the first thing you thought to say, but it was.

     "Of course I did." The villain chuckled as though it were obvious. "What made you think I wouldn't? You are my greatest creation, aren't you?." For some reason, you felt like spiting on him. You tore your chin out of his hand and bit it instead. Didn't really do much. It was super tough, though you hoped your own jaw strength would tear through skin.

     It didn't. You growled like a savage baby animal as his other hand reached out to rub your head. Why weren't the heroes helping?! "Awwwe, you've grown so much, my angel." Guess he didn't take offense to you gnawing on his hand. Then again, it was a rather baby-like thing for you to do.

     The heroes, given such little space to evade in, fought off the tendrils of black and red that shot through the gray goop at them. All Might decided against attacking All For One, since that could risk hurting you as well.

     Meanwhile, the villain pet your hair lovingly until you spat his hand out. When at last you made that call, the man leaned in a little closer and whispered in your ear. "I apologize in advance for what I am about to do, but trust me, it is the only way." He rubbed your spit off on his pants, cupped your face between both of his hands, and kissed you on the forehead. "I gave you another tracking quirk. I promise to come back for you once all has been dealt with."

     "Da... What??"

     The entire jet exploded. Torn in half, the two parts plunged into the ocean. The sun was setting. Hardly even there anymore. But not far off was a dark spot. A small island with the smallest of forestation on it. Over there to that island was where AFO carried himself, All Might tracking behind. Eraserhead was lucky enough to grab a parachute in all the chaos. He landed in the ocean and used his knife to cut away the parachute before it filled up with water and drowned him. Streams of smoke followed the last pieces of the jet as they fell after. The young man gasped and panted. Everything had happened so quickly! What should he do?!

     Aizawa dove under the water and started to swim. The jet had been torn to bits, but since he managed to survive, he held hope that you somehow did too. Sure enough, twenty or so feet below the water and declining quickly, you squirmed around in that chair, gagging on water already.

     The man swam down, aggressive strokes fueled by the determination to save you. No, you were falling too fast. And All Might needed his help! You would live! Though these chains were quirk suppressors, they didn't completely cancel their affect, meaning you could still regenerate enough to survive down here! But HE couldn't that!

     With desperate, pleading eyes, you screamed for him to turn back, to save himself!! Aizawa held the blade of his knife in his mouth as he followed intently. But, the jet was sinking faster than he could swim, and pretty soon there would be no hope that he could ever reach the surface again.

     As nice as his help would be. As desperately as you wanted to break out of these chains.. it wasn't worth the risk. As the two of you stared each other down, you made a show of inhaling the water, of gagging thereafter... You pretended to die, even rolling your eyes back and forcing your body to relax. Aizawa shouted, dropping his knife by accident, but that fell too quickly too. Making the right decision this time, Aizawa turned and swam back to the surface.

     Your eyes slipped open and watched as he fled. His knife fell on your stomach, slicing through your clothes and getting trapped in your skin. You sat there breathing in the water. What a strange sensation. The pressure built around you, crushing you from every direction. It got darker and much, much colder.

     You finally landed when it was too dark to see a thing. Trapped now on the ocean floor, you did as your father said and waited for him to come back for you...

...

     S###.

     With Garaki out of the picture, he wouldn't be able to save All For One after losing to All Might, and with All For One out... No one else on this bloody planet even knew you were still alive.

     This was...quite the pickle you had trapped yourself in.

     ...Was it..worth it?

     To sit down here at the bottom of the ocean if it meant that dastardly villain would finally be put to rest?

     You tried to imagine it. Days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries under the water. And in these conditions too! Crushed by the weight of a skyscraper at all times, lungs full of cold ocean water. Cold. So much...cold.

.... Sounded like Hell. No, you didn't think it was worth it. Even if it meant that killer would live to see another day, you prayed he would survive that fight with All Might, enough to be able to save you afterward. Because you hated the thought of being so..so alone... So alone that the tides would eventually turn you mad.

...

     Why did it hurt so much to imagine him leaving you? WHY?

     Especially now, when your jaw clattered harshly, and your entire body shivered uncontrollably, why was your father the only one you could imagine comforting you!? He was big and warm, yes, but surely there were others out there willing to lend you some kind gentleness in your time of need! Surely, there was someone else out there you could run to, who would wrap you up in a warm hug, embrace you tightly, and make you feel as though no harm could ever come to you.

     ...No.

     There wasn't a soul. Not even Pops. Though he was a kind man...he wasn't your dad. You couldn't really rely on him to take care of you. He wasn't powerful enough to anyways. At least not against the threats you faced.

     ...Only your father would do that...

     He was the only person who would prioritize your life over his own.

     A faintly familiar sensation grew. From that tracking quirk. It was strong too, cluing that his attention was entirely on you. This time you latched onto that presence. Holding onto it dearly for some assemblance of comfort.

     It didn't last long. The feeling was cut short by a dull thud/pop that even you could hear. Following, the ocean floor shook, the water rippled, and that feeling you took as comfort fled.

     This time it stung...to think he might die and you would be truly alone down here...perhaps forever even.

     " "You are my greatest creation, aren't you?" " Those words echoed in your head, this time giving you a sense of comfort. If you really were that great, then surely you could find a way out of this.

     Yeah...

     You could save yourself.

     You didn't need him to escape this Hell.