~Izuku's Perspective~
"Well young Midoriya-kun, Garaki-Isha says that you are mostly healed." Kurogiri said. Said doctor walked in as Kurogiri spoke.
"That is correct. Your ribs and arm have almost completely healed in the past few days, and there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage to either area. You shouldn't experience much more pain, but you will be a little sore for the next little while. Especially in your shoulder and ribs. There are also a few fading bruises, but those should completely disappear in the next day or two." the doctor said as he walked into the small medical examination room. I shifted anxiously and winced slightly at the sound when the thin paper beneath me crinkled loudly.
"So can I go home to my mother now?" I asked hopefully.
"Not quite yet." the doctor said. "You see, while there didn't appear to be any permanent damage to your brain, there are a few anomalies. I would like to keep you here for just a little longer to analyse them. Make sure that they won't negatively affect you." Garaki-Isha said. I frowned.
"Well could I see my mother first? I could always come back right back after. I just want her to know that I'm okay and make sure that she's doing alright."
"Midoriya-san, I think-" the doctor started. Kurogiri interrupted him.
"I will take care of this, Garaki-Isha. I am sure you are very busy." Kurogiri said politely.
"Alright, Kurogiri-san." the doctor conceded, albeit rather reluctantly. Then he leaned close to Kurogiri and whispered something. It didn't matter. I was used to people whispering, so I was able to hear what he said. "Sensei is waiting for the boy, so you'd better make this quick. You know he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Kurogiri didn't answer, only moved his misty head in a nod. Garaki let out a huff of annoyance, but left the room and shut the pristine metal door tightly behind him.
"So can I see my mom?" I asked, pretending to not have heard what Dr. Garaki said.
"Yes, young Midoriya-kun. You will be able top see your mother. But first, there's someone I'd like you to meet. He's been waiting a while to meet you."
"Um, a-alright..." I said nervously. If it was this 'Sensei' guy, I wasn't sure I wanted to meet him, but... meeting this guy was the least I could do to repay Kurogiri for saving me. Kurogiri nodded and opened a warp gate behind him and slightly to the side.
"Shall we go then?" he asked politely, almost kindly. I swallowed thickly and sent him a nervous and stiff nod. Kurogiri stepped to the side and motioned towards the gate. I swallowed again and walked forward, but hesitated in front of the gate and looked back slightly at Kurogiri.
"Are you going to be there with me?" I asked quietly. The harsh yellow glow of Kurogiri's eyes seemed to soften slightly.
"He may want to speak to you privately, but yes, young Midoriya-kun. I will stay with you as long as I can."
"Thank you." I said quietly. Gratitude flowed through me and brought a small smile to my face. I took a quiet, steadying breath and walked through the warp gate.
Cold dumped through my body and adrenaline flooded my veins. Darkness consumed my vision and I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe either, but I didn't seem to need to. It was as if I was frozen in time and space. Well, not space. More like a lack of space. I guessed it was some sort of 'non-space' where time didn't exist. I have so many questions for Kurogiri-san.
Suddenly, I felt the pull of gravity return and I stumbled out of the warp gate onto cold concrete tile. Kurogiri stepped out calmly behind me as the warp gate closed behind me. He continued walking past me, but stopped a few feet away. I slowly righted myself and tried to settle my stomach from the abrupt return of gravity and movement. The room was cold and dark and I blinked a few times to to try and adjust to the lack of light.
"Sensei, he's here." Kurogiri said as he bowed to a figure slightly hidden in the darkness. I worried at my bottom lip and wrung my hands together nervously.
"Ah. I've been waiting to meet you Midoriya Izuku." a deep smooth voice practically crooned. "Kurogiri has told me about you, though not very much." the man said with a rumbling chuckle. I walked stiffly forward and stood beside Kurogiri.
"Hajimemashite." I said weakly with a stiff bow. Kurogiri gave me a small approving nod as I straightened.
"Ah, so respectful!" the man crooned in his deep voice. "Well Midoriya-kun, seeing as I know your name, I should probably introduce myself." he said.
The figure grew taller as he stood and walked forward. I stifled a gasp as the man entered the light light in the room and his features became discernible. I was surprised he had been able to speak so smoothly and clearly with the portable breathing mask over his face. Or rather, lack of a face. His face was mostly skin and tissue. He had no nose or eyes, but it still felt as though he was staring right at me. The only part of his face that was mostly normal was his mouth, though he didn't really have lips either. The rest of him looked normal, though he was wearing a simple black suit with a white undershirt.
"I," He took a step forward. "Am All For One." he said, his hands flourishing into a dramatic bow. He straightened and seemed to watch me as a grin pulled at his ruined mouth. "I have been waiting a very long time to meet someone like you." the man said.
He took another step and I had to push down the urge to take a step back in response. He pulled something out of one of his jacket pockets and held it out for me to see. I gasped as I recognised my burnt, and now bloody, notebook.
"I was quite surprised when I learned that someone as young as you had written such exceptional and professional analyses. They're so detailed too. And then to find out that this is number thirteen." the man said as he held the notebook up to his face as if examining it. "How long have you been doing this, Midoriya-kun?"
"Uh-umm." I stuttered. "S-since I w-was f-f-four." I said shrinking in on myself as heat rushed to my cheeks. Nobody had ever liked my analyses, let alone complimented them. All of my classmates thought that they were weird or creepy. My teachers thought that they were a waste of time. Even my mom just thought it was me in denial of not being able to be a hero.
"That's rather impressive Midoriya-kun. And how old are you now?" he asked.
"F-fourt-teen." I stuttered quietly.
"Most analysts twice your age don't do nearly as good a job as you." All For One said thoughtfully. He lowered the notebook and looked at me again. "Have you ever thought of making money off of your analyses. Maybe pursuing a career in it?"
"U-umm. N-not r-really. I w-wanted to b-be a h-h-hero." I said meekly.
"Wanted?" All For One repeated questioningly
"U-um. Y-yeah. Y-you see...I'm, umm...q-q-..." I stuttered. I swallowed thickly, trying to force the horrible word past my lips. All For One waited patiently for me to speak. "Quirkless." I said quietly. I could almost imagine All For One raising and eyebrow at that.
"I see." he said slowly. He glanced at Kurogiri and then looked back at me. "I don't see why that should stop you." he said, almost questioningly. My snapped up and I just stared at him, mouth slightly open.
"W-what?" I asked dumbly. He chuckled slightly.
"You're rather intelligent, if your notebooks are any indication. I bet you could find your way into any job you wanted. Especially if you learned hacking. You would probably even be a pretty good vigilante if you wanted to. You could probably use a little strength and combat training, sure, but with that brain of yours, you could be one of the most powerful people Japan has ever seen." All For One said, hands gesturing occasionally to emphasise points.
I could only stare at him, mouth slightly agape. All For One's smile widened as he studied my shocked and dumbfounded expression.
"Kurogiri." All For One said as he turned away from me to look at the misty man. "If you wouldn't mind giving us a little privacy?"
That snapped me right out of my stupor. He wanted Kurogiri to leave? I quickly opened my mouth to- To what? Question him? Protest? Beg for Kurogiri to stay? I snapped my mouth shut just as quickly as I had opened it. I didn't want to offend anyone and the adults in my life never liked it when I asked questions. It was better to either just figure something out on my own or just leave it well enough alone.
Kurogiri nodded, his misty head bobbing as he did. He opened a gate behind him and left the room. Silence was the only thing that followed the sound of the warp gate closing. I stood stiffly in place and unconsciously wrung my fingers together as I tried to keep from a nervous break-down. After a few minutes of uncomfortable, at least for me, silence, All For One spoke.
"Midriya-kun," he began. I looked up at him hesitantly. Would he be mad if I made eye-contact, or if I didn't? He was a new adult. An unknown. I didn't know how he wanted me to act around him, and that was never a good thing. It usually ended with a punishment or a beating. I gulped nervously.
"Y-yes?" I responded hesitantly when he didn't continue.
"To begin, I have a minor healing quirk that allows me to close small cuts and sooth bruises and aches. Do I have permission to use it on you? It will hurt momentarily, but it will remove all other pain afterwards." he asked politely.
No one in my life ever asked for permission. Especially not for using their quirk on me. I bit my lip, fighting the questions I had, and nodded. The man smiled and stepped forward until he was only a foot or two in front of me. He moved his hand towards me and I flinched slightly. I quickly straightened and held still when his hand paused just above my head.
"Are you alright, Midoriya-kun?" he asked quietly. I swallowed thickly and stuttered out a barely comprehensible 'yes' before giving up and just nodding. "All right." he conceded and touched my head.
His palm glowed slightly, a light, soothing blue, before pain erupted through my brain and I vaguely registered it as my my vocals rang in a harsh scream. I think I may have collapsed, if the dull thud of my head hitting the cold, hard concrete was any indication. Almost immediately, I was pulled into a memory. It was one of my first clear memories.
"We'll save you!" a young me called eagerly.
"Yeah!" Kacchan agreed fiercely from beside me. "Non one can stop us! We're the best heroes ever! Even better than All Might!" he exclaimed proudly. Mom giggled from her place underneath the blanket.
"Help me, mighty heroes!" she called with another small giggle. My grin widened as Kacchan and I threw the blanket off of her. She laughed and picked me up.
"You saved me! Thank you so much! You're my heroes!" she said happily as she swung me around. I squealed and Kacchan bounced around happily, a small smirk on his beaming face. I beamed back at him.
I was suddenly pulled from the memory and thrown into a new one. This one was not nearly as happy as the last one. In fact, this was probably on of my worst memories. This was the event that had inevitably ruined my life.
"You should probably give it up." Tsubasa-Isha said, rather nonchalantly. As if his words didn't just pull my dreams, my world, out from under me.
I didn't really hear what was said after that. I only caught a few words here and there, but those words would forever haunt me.
"Quirkless" "extra joint in the pinky toe" "give up"
Then at home later,
"I'm sorry, Izuku!" my mom cried as she hugged me tightly. Tears streamed down my face as I sat stiffly.
That's not what I wanted to hear.
Then a few days later,
"Quirless, useless, worthless, Deku!" Kacchan yelled as he pushed me to the ground. The boy I had just stood up for ran, not even hesitating or looking back at me as Kacchan and his friends started beating me up.
Then a few years later,
"Stupid Deku. You're such a creep. A stalker. That's all those notebooks are. You really still think you can be a hero? You? A quirkless, weak, Deku like you could never be a hero."
A few days after that,
"Midoriya-kun. Your grades are horrible and you're always getting into fights with the other kids. I don't know how you think you can be a hero with all of that marring your record. Especially with your... disability." the principal sneered.
"B-but I-I d-don't st-start th-those f-fights! I-I n-n-never f-fight b-back!" I cried desperately, keeping my eyes focused on the principal's desk rather than his eyes.
He never liked it when I made eye contact with him. He held the superior role as principal, so why should a quirkless nobody like me ever deserve to look him in the eyes? At least, that's what he'd told me last year.
"Midoriya-kun." the man warned. "Don't lie to me. Your peers and teachers have all witnessed it. Are you calling them liars?" he challenged, leaning forward slightly. I froze and quickly looked down at the floor.
"N-no, sir. I was m-mistaken. I-I apologise. It w-won't h-happen again." I said quietly, almost whispering as I cowered in the seat. The man nodded approvingly as he set back in his seat.
"Good. You are dismissed."
I quickly stood, nodding as I did so. I left the room without a word, not making a sound as I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked over to the door. The principal didn't even give me a second glance as I quietly opened the door, walked out of the room, and silently shut the door behind me. Tears dripped mutinously down my face as I left the school. They didn't stop, even as Kacchan and his friends beat me in an alley a few blocks from the school.
Then a few days ago,
"Take a swan dive off the roof."
Then a few hours after that,
The thud of my body hitting the ground, the excruciating pain that set fire to every part of my body. The pain that suddenly vanished as quickly as it had come. Then nothing as I felt the life leave my body.
I gasped as I left the memories and returned to the present. My eyes darted around wildly as I tried to process the situation. I was lying on my back on top of cold concrete. There was a figure kneeling beside me, but the figure had no eyes or nose. Then it all came rushing back to me.
"What happened?" I croaked out as I raised myself slightly, my elbows bracing on the concrete behind me.
"I apologise, Midoriya-kun. It would appear that your lingering injuries were more severe than I had originally thought. The resulting pain from my healing quirk appears to have been too much for your still recovering body and you passed out." All For One stated calmly as he sat back on his feet.
It was strange seeing a man with such a powerful presence on his knees beside me. That didn't stop him from being tall and intimidating, though. Maybe even more so now that I was closer to him. It was like he was surrounded by an aura of power and danger. It was rather chilling and I had to beat down the urge to cower and shrink in on myself.
"Are you alright? You hit your head pretty hard when you fell, and I'm not sure if our physical contact lasted long enough to heal your head since it happened after I let go." All For One continued. He probably hadn't noticed any shifts in my behaviour then. It wasn't too surprising. I had taught myself to put up an act and mask everything else.
"Y-yeah. N-nothing really hurts." I said quietly as I fully sat up. I studied my hands as I spoke. "My ribs are still a little sore, but everything else feels fine. Thank you."
"Your welcome, Midoriya-kun. I am glad I could help ease your discomfort." the man said with a small, chilling, smile. I gave him a weak smile in return. "Are you feeling well enough to have a discussion?"
"Y-yes, sir." I said as All For One stood. I quickly stood as well.
"Good." All For One said.
He turned from me and walked further into the darkness. When he realised that I hadn't moved, he, without looking back, gestured for me to follow. I quickly moved to follow him, though I was still rather hesitant. The farther we walked, the darker it became. I could hardly see All For One in front of me. A few more steps and, suddenly, a couple lights flickered on and I had to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted. When I could see clearly, I realized we were in a room.
The room wasn't very spacious, but it had no need to be, as it appeared we were in a well-sized office. There was a decent sized desk near the back of the room. Behind it was a fairly large and surprisingly comfy looking chair. In front of the desk were two, less comfortable looking, chairs. The sight of the office made me shiver. It looked almost exactly like my principal's office, even down to the organised stacks of papers and the neat set of the pens.
However, the sides of the office were different enough to keep me from bolting. Rather than cabinets filled with trophies, certificates and plaques (many of which had Bakugo's name on them), there was a counter. It had a sink set into the polished black marble and there was a coffee machine set up against the wall closest to the desk. Above the counter, there was a row of polished wood cabinets. I wasn't sure what was in them, but I figured that it was probably just papers and maybe a few cups for water and the coffee.
"Please, have a seat Midoriya-kun." the man says from his place behind his desk. He isn't sitting yet, but the chair beside him has been pulled out and turned towards him. It takes me a minute to register what he said, I'm so shocked that he was able to move so much without me realising it. With how fickle people are around me, I have developed a very acute situational awareness.
After a few minutes of me just standing there, the man quirks an eyebrow at me and I jolt as I realise that he asked me something. It takes another minute before I remember what he said.
"S-sorry, sir." I say quickly and take a seat in front of the desk. All For One just smiles slightly and take his seat.
"No worries, Midoriya-kun. I understand that this can be a lot to take in at once." he says as he pulls himself and his chair closer to his desk. It takes all of my will not to pull back at his increasing proximity. "Now, let's talk about this deal I mentioned." he says as he rests his elbows on his desk and steeples his fingers together in front of his face. "I feel like your analyses could really help our organisation, and in turn, I believe we can help you on your path to becoming a hero."
I sucked in a sharp breath and just stared at him. How could he just say that so nonchalantly? To be a hero is one of the few things in my life that I've ever really wanted, but I'd been denied it so many times that even I had started to give up. And then this man just comes along and offers it to me on a silver platter. I almost agreed right then and there, but something was nagging at me.
"W-what does y-your organisation d-do?" I asked quietly. The man smiled.
"I'm so glad you asked. It means that you're smart enough to cover all of your bases before agreeing to something. As for what we do, well, in full transparency, we do a lot of different things. I'm sure you've met Garaki-Isha. While he is competent enough about medical treatment to be able to help in necessary situations, he specialises more in quirks and genetics than medicine. We also have part of our group that specialises in assisting people who face quirk discrimination. We also try to provide jobs and financial aid to those in need."
"Th-that sounds nice. B-but wh-what do you n-need my analyses f-for? I d-don't r-really see h-h-how they c-could b-benefit you and y-your o-organisation."
"Well, with how detailed and rounded the few of your analyses that I've seen were, I believe that analyses you do on our clients will help us place them in correct jobs and help us raise the moral of those who are discriminated against."
"U-um. A-alright." I said after a moment. "I'll help you. A-and, um, y-you d-don't h-have to h-help m-me in r-return. I-I'm r-really gr-grateful that y-you're o-offering to h-help me, b-but I d-don't want y-you to f-feel p-pressured o-or o-o-obligated to h-help me." I said quietly. All For One's smile widened.
"No worries, Midoriya-kun. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to. There is one thing that I should tell you before you agree, though." he said as he sat back in his chair and set his hands on his crossed legs. I bit my lip nervously and wrung my hands together in my lap. "You will have to wait a little before we can get you to your mother. But," All For One continued before I could protest. "If you give us the address, and write letters, we can mail them for you. We just need a few days, maybe a week, to get you started and settled in before the organisation will be able to function with you gone. Is that alright with you, Midoriya-kun?"
I nibbled on my lip anxiously. I didn't want to wait that long, but letters should help my mom until I can see her in person. And it would only be a few days, right? I was still a little unsure, but I didn't want to risk losing the opportunity that All For One was offering me.
"A-as l-long as it's o-only a f-few d-days and I can s-send l-letters, I d-don't see a p-p-problem with it." I responded after a few minutes of contemplation.
"Good. I'll let Kurogiri know that we're finished and he'll show you to your room. We'll start your training and introductions tomorrow. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day, Midoriya-kun."
A/N - I finally finished it!!!!!!!!!😊
I'm sorry it's been so long. Over a month, actually. Things have been absolutely crazy. They tightened COVID restrictions where I am, so that was 'fun'. But I do have some exciting news.
I got my license a week or two ago, so I'm really happy about that.
I made this chapter really long, hopefully it will make up for my brief disappearing act. 😅 Thank you all so much for supporting me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I already had plans for the next chapter, so It shouldn't take me nearly as long.
That being said, it might take me longer to get chapters out than before my disappearance. Both of my current classes are really time-consuming and I don't have a chance to work on chapters during classes. That means that updates are going to be slower and will probably have a lot more spelling and grammar mistakes. I apologise.
Anyways, hope you enjoy the rest of your day! Thank you!