A/N: Alright, the final part of the blast through the past. Look, I know this stuff isn't everyone's favorite thing, even if you do like these chapters. We've been away from our couple for too long, and don't you worry. The next chapter is Kyouka's Birthday, ENTIRELY dedicated to them, and we'll be back on track and moving on to Summer Camp. Thank you for sticking it out with me. A lot of these All Might chapters will come into play later in the story, both for Toshinori personally and for the story overall.
I've got ideas hatching. It's all a part of the plan, Arthur.
...If you get that I love you.
Check out my Twitter and/or Patreon if you'd like.
...~AIV~...
Izuku woke up with a start, taking a deep breath as he recognized Kyouka's bedroom ceiling above him.
"I've gotta get used to jumping out of that."
Hearing her boyfriend's voice, Kyouka turned from her position at her piano to see Izuku sit up and throw his feet over the side of her bed. "Evening, Sleepyhead. Any more bad news to share?"
"...So, about tha-"
Kyouka slammed her head onto the piano keys.
...~AIV~...
(A Few Hours Later: Dagobah Municipal Beach Park)
"...She was a what?"
Izuku's heart immediately dropped at the look on All Might's face. He was dreading breaking the news to him the entire train ride to the beach. Maybe all his time with Kyouka really had given him better training with emotions, because even before he saw the memories, it was obvious that his mentor held strong feelings for Lady Nagant, even to this day.
Telling someone that one of their loved ones is a killer isn't news anybody should have to give.
"I-I don't actually know anything. This is purely a theory, nothing more. I could be, and I hope I am, completely dead wrong. I just so happen to think that Lady Nagant might have been...an assassin."
Izuku didn't know what to do as All Might just dead-stared at him, completely unmoving.
He was just glad Kyouka was there to give the news with him, even if just for support. Although, she didn't find the situation comfortable either. She sat next to him, lips pursed as she stared directly at the sand, doing everything in her power not to look up at All Might.
Toshinori suddenly gave a long exhale, resting his hands on his knees and looking as if he was about to vomit.
"No, no, she...Kaina wasn't...I mean, I guess she did work for-...And there were a lot of...No, I mean..." Toshinori trudged over to the steps and sat down next to his students, staring out at the ocean in silence. Izuku and Kyouka looked at each other in concern, not sure if All Might was taking the news surprisingly well or expectedly bad. "She...Ah, holy shit."
Toshi interlaced his hands, resting his forehead against them. Kyouka quickly got up from her spot on the steps and moved to Toshinori's other side, wrapping him in a hug. Izuku shifted over, putting his mentor in his own one-armed side hug.
They sat like that for a while, the soft waves being the only noise.
Eventually, Kyouka nudged him, "You're the only person besides Izuku and my parents that I've ever hugged, so consider yourself special."
"Hmhmhm," Toshinori chuckled, raising his head up with a smile. "And this is the second time, so I'd say I'm extremely special. Thank you, kids."
After moving out of the hug, Kyouka continued, "Were there any mysterious disappearances of people against the HPSC after you met her? Anything that could yield some solid evidence?"
Toshinori shrugged, "Not that I know of. That's far too broad of a list, anyway. Every villain alive would count as someone against the HPSC. I definitely don't remember any that were explicitly said to have been shot by a sniper. I don't remember any political figures that were assassinated either. But, the main issue is we would never even know. Anyone killed by someone with as much influence as the HPSC would be covered up instantly. Just look at Kaina. The second the police took her in, she was sent straight to Tartarus without a trial, and her media presence is basically zero."
Izuku rested his head in his hand, adding in, "We don't even know who her targets would have been, and that's if I'm right about any of this. For all we know, the HPSC had her doing something completely different. She only killed the Chairman, so maybe he was the only corrupted one?"
"Always the optimist, Izuku," Kyouka smiled at him, but she wasn't buying it. "But, you already said it all probably started with that meeting she had with the board of directors. I doubt they all weren't in on it somehow."
"That's true," Izuku sighed, rubbing his chin. "Okay, so, all we know is that the HPSC probably hired her to do their dirty work, whatever that work entailed is still unknown. Hopefully not an assassin."
"Izuku..."
"Optimist! Anyway, it eventually started to drive her crazy, causing her to snap and kill the Chairman. So, where do we go from here?"
Toshinori stood up from the stairs, stepping out onto the sand with his hands in his pockets. He took a deep breath as he came to his conclusion, turning back to face his students with determination in his eyes.
"...Nothing."
The couple looked at one another, then back towards their mentor, "...What?!" / "...What?!"
"Okay, okay, let me rephrase that! What you two are going to do, is absolutely nothing. You're going to finish these memories until you're satisfied, and then you're going to go back to enjoying Summer Vacation. Go relax. Be teenagers, don't take this time of peace for granted."
"It just feels wrong to just sit here and not be doing anything about it," Izuku sighed.
"I know, and I admire both of your convictions. But, the thing is, what can we even do right now? We have absolutely zero proof. What we have is an incredibly loose and vague theory based on the memories saved inside of a quirk that we can't talk about, nor would most believe us about. And, to make all this even crazier, it's a theory that we're trying to use against one of the most influential branches of the government. And, said branch of government might be completely willing to have people killed, and then have them disappear. This isn't David vs. Goliath. This is David trying to fight a tank."
"So, we've got nothing?" Kyouka asked, slumping her shoulders.
"I didn't say that. I'll look into some things, very, very discreetly. No need to raise any eyebrows. Maybe Torino and Tsukauchi can pull some things up, but don't expect anything big anything soon. If any of this is true, it was probably expertly covered up years ago. We also can't forget, she did kill the Chairman. Entrapped to become an assassin or not, she still did that. Getting any sort of case made will be extremely difficult, we're already up against impossible odds. So, when school starts back up, I'm going to stay focused on you two and your training, along with your classmates. That has to be top priority, but I won't stop fighting for Kaina. Alright?"
Both teens nodded in understanding, but Kyouka still sighed deeply, "Fine. No romantic crusade."
"It's not a romantic crus-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Kyouka leaned over to Izuku and whispered intentionally loud enough for All Might to still hear, "It's a romantic crusade, right?"
"Oh, absolutely."
"When did you both turn into Young Ashido? Whatever, I'm ignoring you two," All Might blushed, pointing towards the road. "Get the hell out of here."
"Fine," Kyouka whined, standing up from the steps, "Guess we'll find you another date, then."
"No," Toshinori deadpanned.
Izuku chuckled as he got up with Kyouka, "I think he's all dated out, Kyouka. David Shield seemed to imply that All Might was quite the lady's man in America."
All Might's eyes widened as Kyouka gasped, "I take everything back! Stop going through my memories! This was a horrible idea!"
"Too late!" Kyouka yelled, grabbing Izuku's hand and dragging him away from the beach.
...~AIV~...
~"News reports say that the HPSC Chairman has been shot in his own office this evening. The assailant was underground hero, Lady Nagant."~
~ "She just came in and shot him! I-I don't know why." ~
~ "Paramedics arrived on the scene, but the Chairman, unfortunately, was gone." ~
~ "There is no evidence of Lady Nagant having any sort of criminal record or villain background. Her motives are completely unknown. Sources say that there will be no trial, and she will be sent straight to Tartar-" ~
"...All Might?"
Toshinori was shaken out of his thoughts, looking up across the table at his date. If he could even call her that at this point.
Toshinori rubbed his eye, clearing his throat as he put his utensils down. "I-...I'm sorry, Ms. Midnight, I-...I have to go."
"What?" Nemuri asked in shock, reaching across the table and gently placing her hand on top of his. "Is it something I said?"
"No! No, you've been lovely. I just...I-I can't do this, I'm sorry."
"Is it my public image? If so, then I have to ask myself, why did you accept my invitation to this date? I'm a grown woman, I asked you out. I booked out this entire restaurant to give us our privacy. I have to know what I did so I can fix it."
"I know, and I..." Toshinori sighed, taking his hand away. "You didn't do anything. This is me. Ms. Nemuri, I accepted this date tonight because some things in my life have happened, and some things are nearing. I felt...I felt that I needed just one night of companionship before...I don't know. I'm so sorry."
Toshinori quickly got up from the table, making his way to the front, not wanting to look back at Kain-...Kayama's hurt expression. He reached the front desk, insisting to pay for both meals and what Kayama paid for booking the restaurant, not taking "No" for an answer. He sped out of the restaurant, yanking his tie off of his body, rushing off into the night.
...~AIV~...
(Thirty-Minutes Later: Gran Torino's Apartment Building)
Torino didn't lift his gaze up from the files on his desk as his front door opened and closed shut. Heavy footsteps thudded across his floor, only stopping when something heavy dropped onto his couch.
"You only come over when it's important. What is it?"
Toshinori sighed, leaning his head back against the couch, "You ever think that maybe nobody wants to come over because your place is old, dingy, and moldy?"
"It matches me."
Toshinori chuckled dryly, looking over at his teacher, "You've got me there."
"Mm," Torion noncommittally replied, moving more case files into his drawer. "Now, don't tell me you came over for dating advice."
"Pfft, not in a million years."
"Then it went well?"
"...Not even a little."
"Then I have to ask what the point of it all was," Torino sighed, finally looking up at Toshinori. "Last I checked, we were on the same page about the whole 'relationships' thing. Even when you recruited Ms. Tsutsumi, you somehow kept it platonic for all these years."
Toshinori groaned, rubbing his temples, "Can we please not talk about that?"
"Afraid not. Because you and I both know how close we are to finishing this. So, why now? Out of all times, why did you accept some random woman's offer? You've rejected hundreds of them in the past. Are you trying to get laid, just in case it's your last?"
"What? No! God, Torino, please..."
"I have to ask, I can't sugarcoat. We're in the endgame, kid. No risks. We can't affor-"
"Enough with what I can and can't afford, Torino!" Toshinori shouted, fists clenched as he continued to give the ceiling his one-thousand yard stare. "I might die soon, Torino. I wasn't even looking to take her home. I just needed another night of...I don't know. Companionship? Just something to-"
"Something to remind you of her?"
Toshinori closed his eyes, every tense muscle going slack, "...Why'd she do it?"
Torino shrugged, sliding off of his chair and making his way over to the couch. He slumped down next to Toshi, copying his pose of staring up at the ceiling. "You would know better than me, kid. Better than anybody."
"Apparently not..."
"Did you go visit her?"
"They told me that she refused to see me. Whether or not that's true is still up in the air, but either way the outcome is the same. You don't think the chairman did something to her?"
"Of course he did, Toshinori. The problem is we can't ask him now, can we?"
Toshinori growled in frustration, "I just don't get why she's not talking."
"You think the HPSC would let her talk? Any dirty laundry their chairman might have, is the absolute last thing they want gone public. They have an image to uphold."
"I just...She couldn't have done this! She couldn't..."
"Toshinori, I'm sorry, but I don't think this is one you can make an excuse for. Do you think the HPSC could've caught Tsutsumi if she really wanted to escape? Of course not. She admitted to it, and there's multiple witnesses that watched her walk in. Unless you've got a good theory that the chairman killed himself, with one of Tsutsumi's own bullets, and then Tsutsumi took the blame for some unknown reason, then we're shit out of luck."
Toshi sighed, "When are we not?"
"Exactly. You still haven't answered my question, by the way. What do you need, besides torturing yourself with the stubborn advice of an old curmudgeon."
Silence returned to the room, leaving Torino waiting in anticipation. After what felt like an eternity, Toshinori's gaze left the ceiling, and met his teacher. "You know where he is, don't you?"
"...I think I'm closing in."
"You've been closing in on him for weeks now. You know where he is, and you've been hiding it from me."
Torino grumbled, getting up from the couch and moving towards his kitchen. "Maybe I have been, but for good reason. You need to wait."
"I'm done waiting, Torino. After Yori was killed, you told me it would be a miracle if I lasted two minutes against All For One. When I asked you if I was ready when I came back from America, you still didn't think I was ready. And, I completely agree with you for both of those times. But, what about now? None of that gruff, no-nonsense bullshit either. I deserve your honesty. Am. I. Ready?"
"...I think you're going to beat All For One into an unrecognizable mess."
Toshinori scoffed, getting up from the couch, arms out in exasperation, "Then what's the problem?"
"Let me finish," Torino cut in, pulling out a beer from his fridge, "I think you're going to kick the shit out of him, when your head is clear. If you go out there right now? Absolutely not."
"What happened with Kaina isn't clouding my mind," Toshi countered back. "If anything, I'm more focused now than I've ever been. I was so tunnel-visioned on ending him, that I couldn't even see my friend was...going down a dark path. It was my fault, but even indirectly he's involved in destroying my life. Every single day he continues to breathe, he continues to win. Taking him down is all I have now."
"It's that kind of mindset that makes me worried."
"Now it's your turn to let me finish. After I kill him, I can spend the rest of my life rebuilding. I can tell David everything, Nighteye can finally stop being so paranoid, you can stop being so paranoid, and get the hell out of this shitty apartment. We can find Kotaro, if he could ever forgive us. I can find a way to reach Kaina. Maybe, just maybe, someday I can get her back. I have everything to gain by beating him. I'm not going to lose."
"...God-damn it." Sorahiko twisted the cap off of his beer, taking as big of a swig of it that he could handle before slamming it down on his countertop. "Let me get some more of my affairs in order. We'll leave in a couple days."
"Don't have that kind of time," All Might shook his head, getting up from the couch. "He moves constantly. I'm going before he has the chance."
"Urgh, fine. Give me a day, I'll get Nighteye to help. He'll want to know what's going on."
"He's not coming."
"Pfft, of course not. Poor kid would get decimated."
"That's the other thing," All Might sighed, nervously shifting his eyes. "...You're not coming either."
"...I'm sorry, I think I misheard you." Torino lifted up his beer bottle, eyeing it curiously. "I didn't drink that much, did I?"
"You're not going. You could die."
"You think that bothers me?"
"It bothers me. I'm not losing anyone else. I...I can't."
Torino paused, a lingering silence between them as the clock ticked away on the wall behind him. "...You think you dying wouldn't bother me? Do you think I wouldn't rather die a thousand times, with each death becoming worse and worse, than have to bury you once, Toshinori? If my presence could give you an edge, even if for one second I could be an effective distraction, I need to be there."
"It's not worth your life. I'll be fine."
"Toshinori, you're not thinking straight. You're hurt and vengeful. I understand that, believe me. Needing someone to keep your head clear is just another reason I should be there."
"Nana was hurt and vengeful, too. We were both there. A lot of good that did her, huh?"
"That was different," Torino scowled up at him.
"You're right. It was different, because I'm stronger than Nana. You know that. That's not me being arrogant, or trying to downplay her. You and I both know Nana can't compare to what I am now. And, something else you need to realize is that you can't compare to me."
"Wh-? Of course I can't! Do you think I'm stupid?"
"No!" Toshi growled back, arms up in frustration. " What I mean is, it doesn't matter whether you tell me now or tell me later. Tell me now, I'm going and you can't catch up. Tell me two days from now, you still won't be able to catch up. Don't tell me and make me follow you to All For One's location, then I pick you up and take you hundreds of kilometers away. There is no scenario here where I don't fight him alone. You want to distract All For One? That's great and all, but what's gonna happen when you also distract me, because I'll constantly be worried about you."
"You wo-"
"Won't have to worry about you?" Toshi cut Torino off, finishing his sentence for him. "Last time, you were the equivalent of a mosquito attacking a dinosaur. Hell, that's basically what we all were. Now, though? I'm not sure if you've noticed, Torino, but you're no spring chicken. You're not the same hero you used to be. You want to be that old cliche of the man who dies the day before his retirement?"
"...You watch far too much western media."
"You get my point! Look, Tori-...Sorahiko..." Toshinori reached across the counter, placing his hand on his mentor's shoulder. His aggravation was gone, replaced with a pleading look. "Do you believe in me? Not trust me, believe in me. Because, if you of all people don't, then...well, I really am dead."
"If you die, then so am I. Kid, if you get yourself killed out there then...then what do I have left?"
"If I don't go, nobody will have anything left once All For One gets what he wants. It's completely impossible for there not to be a risk with this. But, I would much rather have one life on the line, rather than two. The only life I want on the line is All For One's, and I think I've got a pretty damn good chance of getting that to go through. It's time, Torino. No one else I care about is gonna die. Period. Just, please...Do you believe in me?"
Torino lowered his gaze, clenching his eyes shut as he internally fought with himself in silence. Toshinori awaited his mentor, both understanding this wasn't an easy decision. There was no turning back from this.
Toshinori wasn't afraid to die. If he died, but All For One went down with him, he was okay with that. What was his life worth compared to the billions of people he would be saving?
He was afraid of failure. Torino dying was a failure to him.
Torino finally answered, not raising his gaze, "...He should be hiding out in a cabin in the Shirakami Sanchi forest. I'll send you the location. You know I'm still going to follow you, right?"
"...I know," Toshinori nodded, standing tall and steeling himself. After closing his eyes, and breathing in deep, he nodded. "...I'm ready."
"I know, kid," Torino sighed, leaning against the counter, his head low. "...I know."
All Might took another breath before taking his leave. But, just as he reached the door, he stopped, turning back around to his friend of closing-in on thirty years. "...You know I love you, right?"
"...I love you, too, kid."
...~AIV~...
(Very Early Morning: Aomori Prefecture: Shirakami Sanchi Forest)
Toshinori brushed himself off as he made a stop just short of the coordinates Torino had sent him.
He already had his final messages scheduled to be sent out to David and Nighteye if he didn't make it back in the next twelve hours. He could only hope Torino could work his connections into getting his final message to Kaina into Tartarus.
He thought of making one for Torino, but...he didn't think they needed one.
Torino knew, and they had said it before he left. Even if it was the only time they had ever said it to one another, or even the last, that's all they needed.
If this was to be his end, then everyone he was leaving behind was taken care of.
Toshinori looked out over the canopy of leaves before him, trees spanning out over miles and miles. But, his destination stood before him, off in the distance. Under the pale moonlight, a single emanating light could be seen breaking through the treeline.
"He's home." Toshinori leaped down from the ledge he was on, landing into the heart of the forest below. He zipped through the trees, seeing the light grow closer and closer until he came to a full stop in front of a quaint little cabin, sitting cozily in a grove. The garden was well-kept, with multitudes of wildflowers in their designated areas, lit by the full moon glimmering through the canopy.
He was in there, no doubt in Toshinori's mind. He had nowhere to run this time. So, Toshinori did what he had been waiting over two decades to do...
...and knocked on the door.
He only waited a few seconds before approaching footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. The door opened, revealing the man he had been waiting to see for so long. Of course, he hadn't changed a day.
The same short, white, ruffled hair. The same sharp, red same black suit. His expression was completely neutral, like he felt nothing at all inside. But, Toshinori knew all too well that a sadistic grin was just waiting to surface.
"...You knew I was coming."
"I did," All For One nodded, stepping aside and gesturing inside. "Tea?"
Toshinori raised a brow, "Seriously?"
"Remember, I am a businessman by trade. I always treat my associates before, 'getting down to brass tacks' as they say over in the West. Although, I suppose you would have more knowledge of them than I. A little calm before the storm, we'll call it."
Toshinori said nothing, the sound of cicadas in the woods being the only accompaniment. Eventually, he stepped inside, walking his way over to the table in the center of the room.
Toshinori looked around, finding the cabin well lived in. A bit more than expected. Toshinori took All For One as someone who would be obsessed with being clean and organized; always presentable. There also seemed to be an odd amount of dust...in piles?
His thoughts were cut off by the whistling of the tea kettle on the stove to the left of the entrance. All For One shut the door behind him, heading over to the stove. "Forgive me, I seemed to have missed the window for Spring Cleaning. By all means, have a seat."
Toshinori moved to the small table in the center of the room, opting for the chair that looked the least decayed. 'If Torino could see me now, he'd kill me before All For One ever had that chance.'
All For One came over, two teacups and the kettle in tow. He placed the cups down, pouring the tea and sliding a cup over to All Might. Toshinori grabbed the tea cup, sliding it off the table, letting it shatter on the floor below.
All For One sighed, setting the tea kettle down before sitting down himself, "You could have told me before I poured. So, I must ask, why did you walk in here, All Might? Putting off the inevitable? Afraid of death?"
"The man who purposely stopped aging and ran away to the woods to avoid me is accusing me of fearing death?"
All For One put his tea down, his smile widening, "You think I came out here to run away from you? Hmhmhm, I guess my poor timing with retreating out here when you came back would make it seem that way. I can't deny the amount of your increase in power is...unexpected. But, fruitless, nonetheless. I needed someplace private to deal with...a very important business decision. Funnily enough, this cabin belonged to one of the previous wielders of One For All. This is where he hid from me, and well, he did indeed elude me. I never even met the man, hahaha! To go to a place that even I can't find? That I can respect. So, I took it for myself. And, well, what do you know? It worked. Until now, that is. How long has it been, All Might? Twenty-four years?"
"Twenty-four years too long. Clearly it's been torture for you, out here all by yourself, since you can't seem to stop running your mouth at the first person you see. But, to go back to your question...I suppose I walked in out of curiosity; to get a better understanding of the monster I'm going to kill."
"Hm...And you didn't think I would kill you the second your back was turned?"
"If you even could, which is doubtful. But, even still, you wouldn't find that very fun, would you?"
"Haha! Right you are. I must admit, you're the most interesting wielder of this quirk. Most of you have been rather one-note. Although, your master was fun. Hm, what was her name again?"
Toshinori didn't give All For One the satisfaction of a genuine reaction as he responded, "You remember. You're just trying to get a rise out of me."
"Maybe so. I also remember the old man. How is he?"
"Surprised he's not dead, especially if you care enough to remember him."
All For One waved his hand dismissively, "What would killing him do for me? By the time he actually began to harm my networks, you were back in town. His quirk isn't at the top of my list of desires. Why risk when there's no reward? Besides, just look at him. It'd be like putting down an old dog. Why is he so hellbent on helping you all, anyway? Before I killed your master, that is. Who did I kill? Parent? Sibling?"
"Wife," Toshinori replied, flatly. "Policewoman. She caught onto your trail of orphaned children going missing."
All For One frowned, knitting his brows together as he tried to think, "I don't remember that, but I suppose it explains all of his connections."
"You didn't kill her personally. Whoever you had watching over the orphanage did it. Covered up and pinned on another one of your thugs."
"Which one?"
"Which worker?"
"Which one of my orphanages? I have...had plenty of people loyal enough to take the fall for certain things, do their time, we influence the system to get them out on parole, and they're rewarded handsomely. Too many to count. But, my orphanages? Now, that I can keep track of."
All Might scowled, "...How many?"
All For One slowly smiled, reaching for the sugar cubes, "If you're asking about the government run foster care system, I had no hand in that. Your Ms. Aiya is safe."
*SHNKK*
All For One chuckled as All Might grabbed one of the butter knives on the table and stabbed it through his hand and into the table. All For One grabbed the knife, pulling it out of his hand and placing it gently back down on the table.
He took a napkin and began wiping up some of the blood as his hand sealed back up, "You're the one who asked."
"Then let me change the subject. Who's in the bedroom? The light is on."
All For One peeked over Toshinori's shoulder, seeing the light underneath the doorway on the far left of the cabin, "That is my room. I don't know if you've noticed, but this cabin isn't very large, but a bedroom is a fairly common design choice in homes."
"You don't sleep. You don't eat. Yet, I see a bedroom in use and food in your kitchen."
"Correction: I don't need to sleep. I don't need to eat. When you're not bothered by the increasing panic of aging, you need some things to pass the time. And, food is a pleasure even I wouldn't derive myself from."
"...Then who's chair are you sitting in?"
All For One smirked, rolling his eyes as he leaned to the side and extended his hand out. Black and red tendrils shot out of his fingers and zipped towards the door and opened it. "You're welcome to look for yourself."
Toshinori stared back for a moment before getting out of his chair and making his way into the bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a regular little room with a neatly made bed, nightstand, lamp, and an empty closet.
Empty, except for one thing...
A photo, lying on the floor.
Toshinori walked over the closet, leaning down and picking it up. His heart sank at the sight of Nana, hugging and smiling with a little Kotaro. The photo was barely hanging on from being nothing but decomposed material, but the image was still visible.
Toshinori slowly walked back into the room, his eyes never leaving the photograph.
All For One took a sip of his tea, sneering behind his cup, "Oh? How'd that get in there?"
"...Is he alive?" Toshinori asked, reaching the table. It made him sick how weakly his voice came out in front of the villain.
All For One scoffed with a shrug, "How the hell should I know? So...have a better understanding of me now?"
All Might scowled, fury in his eyes, "A sufficient amount."
"Well, then I suppose it's time to get down to business. Shall we begin?"
"Hmhmhm..." Toshinori slipped the picture into his belt, taking a deep breath. "...'Bout time."
In the blink of an eye, All Might sent an uppercut straight into All For One's chin, sending the man straight through his roof and soaring into the clouds above. All For One felt a rush of excitement as the pain coursed through his entire body. A single punch sent ripples throughout, shaking his bones to the core.
Finally, a One For All user that was actually worth something.
Just as All For One was about to stop his ascension, a red and blue blur careened straight into him, grabbing him by the face and forcing him to look straight into his opponent's eyes.
"I have been waiting for this! There's this quote I love. A man strikes you, make him bleed!" Toshinori yelled as he sent his fist straight into All For One' head, altering their course and sending them back towards the ground. "He makes you bleed, you break his bones. He breaks your bones, kill him. Being hit is inevitable, strike back twice as hard! You've hit me more than once, so you've got a debt to pay!"
All For One grunted in annoyance, raising his hand out and extending out his spear-like bones, only for Toshinori to grab his wrist and cleanly snap it, shattering the bones before they could connect.
....Oooooh shit, maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.
The two careened into the cliffside with Toshinori grabbing All For One's face, slamming it into the rocks and dragging it down as they fell.
"Air Cannon!"
Toshinori was shot away, only to flip around and land on his feet. "You not only took my family from me, but you've destroyed countless others for years. No. More. Every second I live in a world where you continue to live is a true nightmare."
All For One got up from the ground, his face nearly scraped down to the bone, "In my defense, they weren't your real fami-UGHF!"
All For One was punched in the face, his head lodging itself into the cliffside.
"You were saying?"
Dislodging himself from the cliff, All For One set his jaw back in place as his face began to reform itself. "You're not going to have fun, are you?"
"What are you talking about? Beating you to a pulp is going to be the most fun thing I'll ever do. But, please, by all means, continue not to take this seriously. The easier it is for me, the better."
All For One sighed, cracking his neck, "...Fine."
*FWOOSH!*
Wind exploded from All For One's form, the ground beneath his feet eroding away. The trees and grass surrounding them were ripped from the earth as All For One began to deform. His muscles expanded, spear-like bones protruded from his arms, shoulders, and back as black lightning shot out into the air.
His skin began to crack and harden, and his feet lifted off of the ground as his Rivet Stab shot out of his spine, like splitting branches they hung in the air.
"Rivet Stab, Spear-Like Bones, Hyper Durability, Kinetic Boosters, Muscle-Augmentation, Brawn-Boost! Only a fraction of all the powers I possess! Just as you have, in your time away I have only gathered more power! Take down my networks, my trucks, my men, do it all you want! It doesn't matter, it never did! All a means to an end! This end! Once you're dead, I'll soon have everything I've been wanting. I hope you've made your peace, All Might, because once you're gone, I will give the world none."
Toshinori gazed on with a deadpan expression, unimpressed by the transformation occurring before him. "...Okay."
All For One frowned at All Might's disinterest, but decided not to dignify it with a proper response. "...BEGIN!"
*FTOOOM!*
The forest exploded in a shockwave from the impact of the two titans. All Might brought his arm up, blocking the attack and pushing back.
The black tendrils from All For One's back came at him from both sides, but Toshinori quickly batted away the tendrils on his left. In a flash he gathered the tendrils on his right into both hands and redirected them, stabbing them straight through All For One's chest, kicking him away.
"What was that about Hyper Durability?"
All For One ignored him and charged back over, his punch effortlessly blocked by Toshinori once again. This time, however, dozens of tendrils lashed out as All For One continued to strike at the hero with astounding speed.
All Might barely reacted as he deflected every hit, bobbing and weaving without giving any ground, the forest shaking with every connected hit. All For One's arm grew in size, throwing one last punch, combined with his Air Cannon, sending Toshinori flying back through the trees.
Yet, the hero continued to give no indication of struggle as he skid backwards on his feet, maintaining his balance. In a burst of speed, All For One was on him again. Crescent Blades grew out of All For One's arms, his tendrils taking them and throwing multiple at Toshinori.
All Might leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the razors as All For One followed him above the treeline. Their fists collided, their strengths seemingly equal in the moment.
With his air advantage, All For One flipped around Toshinori with his Spear-Like Bones protruding from his fist, throwing a wide haymaker towards his opponent. Toshinori smacked it away, shattering the bones in the process.
Toshinori punched the air, sending him back towards the ground and All For One further up. The villain grunted in annoyance, floating his way back down to the ground. But, just before he could even reach the trees, All Might attacked again, punching clean through his left side. All For One landed back down on the field of dirt that used to be forest land, turning back to see All Might land as well.
Sitting between them, a few dozen yards away, was All For One's dismembered arm.
All For One looked down at his left side, blood gushing down from where his arm was broken off clean from the shoulder. He chuckled, looking back up to his enemy, "You've certainly gotten stronger. Perhaps I should have taken a trip to America as well."
"It was pretty stupid not to follow me to America when I was much weaker," Toshinori responded, cracking his knuckles.
"And risk my exposure in a land not my own? I don't think so."
"You could've blown up my flight."
"..."
*ZWOOOM!*
"Ignition!" A concentrated combustion fired directly from All For One's back, sending him straight at All Might. But, Toshinori merely bent backwards, letting All For One go over him. All For One swiveled around, skidding on the dirt and turning it black in the process.
His eyes widened, surprised to find All Might already coming at him at unexpected speeds. They clashed once more, warping the terrain around them like a stick through sand. They continued to speed through the land, colliding again and again with neither able to land a solid blow.
Even with his Rivet Stab and Black Lightning, All Might was able to avoid or simply overpower his attacks.
Toshinori suddenly dived into a sliding kick, tripping All For One and sending him into the air. He stopped his ascension, but was immediately tackled and sent further up. All Might grabbed All For One's throat, repeatedly slamming his fist into his face. The villain could feel his skull crack with every punch.
His rivet tendrils shot out of him like a porcupine, but All Might was just too fast, quickly using All For One's chest to leap away. All For One shot his Air Cannon down at Toshinori, sending him plummeting towards the ground and crashing dead center into the cabin.
Using his Ignition again, All For One rocketed into the cabin, his arm expanding as he punched down at All Might's body. But, Toshinori weaved his head to the side, causing All For One to only hit the floor.
All Might countered, slapping both of All For One's ears, blood exploding from his ears as his eardrums exploded. With his opponent stunned, Toshinori slammed his fist into All For One's nose, sending him skyward.
But, before the villain could get too high, he reached up and grabbed All For One's leg, and proceeded to thrash him around like a ragdoll, Spear-Like Bones and Rivet Tendrils shattering in the process.
With one final swing, All For One was sent through the cabin walls and careening through the forest, up the mountainside, coming to a stop in the air with his levitation.
"Oh...Whoops!" All Might yelled out, his voice reaching All For One as his regeneration restored his hearing. "Do you want this back?! Or can I keep it as a souvenir?"
All For One scowled at the sight of Toshinori raising up his dismembered leg, waving it around in the air.
He had seen All Might fight on TV. He always had some sort of inane banter or prattling to throw at his criminals, he never seemed to shut up. But, now he seemed oddly quiet, outside of a few taunts here and there. He wasn't giving All For One the back and forth he expected, all in a petty effort to annoy him.
...It was working.
Humming to himself, All For One floated back down to All Might with a sigh, "Perhaps I've underestimated you too harshly. But, even so, while your confidence is admirable, it is mistaken. You took my arm and leg, yes. But, perhaps this will be a grim reminder of who exactly you're up against."
His tendrils shot out, taking his leg back from Toshinori and moving further away to retrieve his arm. Toshinori merely watched with interest as his enemy's limbs returned to him, being placed back on their bloody stumps and quickly reattaching and reforming to his body. With a grunt of effort, all of All For One's injuries healed back, leaving him smiling.
"Good as new. Impressive, isn't it? Oh, but so frustrating for you. Every ounce of damage you deliver is for naught. Even after all these years, all this training, you are a man of finite strength and stamina, punching, kicking, and flailing at a river in an attempt to stop its flow. I truly don't know what you were expecting; what any of you were. Decades and decades of this back and forth, and each and every one of you continues to believe I can be beaten. What's the point? Ju-"
"You done?" Toshinori cut him off, becoming increasingly bored by the second. "I didn't bring anything to take notes on. Is there gonna be a quiz? Or, can I start trying now?"
All For One glowered at Toshinori, sighing deeply, "...You're right. I think we've warmed up enough."
All For One's body began to glow bright white, wind rushing behind him and ripping the land behind him to shreds.
"Multiplier times four! Kinetic Boosters times four! Muscle Augmentation! Spring-like bones! Ignition!" All For One's voice came reverberated out, his body overflowing with power. "I can feel your rage, All Might. You want to humiliate me, make me suffer, make me feel helpless. Hahaha! A desire I can admire! But, it has become your downfall. You should have killed me when you had the chance! Now, prepare for-!"
*CRACK!*
All For One's head snapped back at the hit, sending him flying backwards, falling to the ground as he skidded to a stop.
Toshinori stood back up straight, rolling his shoulder back, "You know, I'm wondering when you're going to realize that your love of never shutting up leaves you wide open constantly."
"I don't need your insolent words of wisdom," All For One growled out, rising to his feet as his arm grew in size. "I JUST NEED YOU DEAD!"
All For One punched the air, sending a shockwave at Toshinori, with the hero dodging to the side. Even without using his Air Cannon, the sheer force of the attack tore through the terrain and blew a crater into the mountainside.
"HRAAH!" All For One launched into All Might, with Toshinori putting his guard up, the force from the hit shooting Toshinori into the exact same crater. All For One followed up the attack with another charge of Ignition, plowing both of them through the mountain and out the other side.
As the mountain crumbled apart behind them, All For One continued his onslaught, dragging Toshinori across the treeline, leaving flaming leaves in his wake. He threw Toshinori up into the sky, more crescent blades and Rivet Tendrils flying at him.
He used his telekinesis to alter the flight path of the blades, having them circle All Might in an effort to distract him. An effort that proved mostly fruitless as Toshinori grabbed one of the blades in the air, his physical strength stronger than All For One's mental grasp on them, and began to cut away at the rivets with blinding speeds, even as he was uncontrollably rising in the air.
But, he could use this window.
Adding his Multiplier to his Ignition, All For One flew into All Might as a streak of light. His Spear-like Bones shattered on impact, but the hit still landed, causing All Might to fly high into the clouds.
But, All For One was still faster.
All For One sped up to All Might, his knee slamming into Toshinori's stomach as Black Lightning coursed through their bodies and into the clouds around them.
He smiled widely, moving all of his quirks into his arm and hitting All Might square in the face, sending him speeding down to the Earth below, crashing in a mushroom cloud of dirt and rock. The shockwave from the impact shook the forest for miles, with dust and debris inhabiting the open air of the unrecognizable forest.
All For One returned to the ground with his Levitation, his Ignition no longer able to sustain itself. Once his feet hit the ground, he reached behind him to inspect his back, finding the damages as bad as expected.
His entire back had burst open in multiple places, charring his skin to a crisp as sputtering smoke coughed out of his crimson red flesh. No wonder the poor bastard he took this quirk from wanted it gone. It seemed his Multiplier quirk had overspent his Ignition. This would slow down his regeneration, but thankfully, it seemed worth the ris-
*CRASH!*
All For One jumped in shock as All Might jumped from where he had crashed, landing back on the battleground with ease.
All Might slowly stood back up, wiping the blood dripping from his lip to his chin. "...That's it?"
All For One rolled his eyes, taking everything in his being to hold back a tired groan, "What game are you playing, All Might? This hasn't been a fight. Are you trying to tire me out to find an opening? Because, I can assure you, that's not going to work."
"Hmhmhm, no, you were right the first time. Those words make me want to vomit, but I have to admit it. You were right. I want to make you suffer for everything you've done. To me, to thousands, to this world...You're not leaving this life without bleeding first. A drop of blood will be spilt for every life you've taken."
"Hahaha, is that so? Well, we'll be here for quite a while, then."
"The first step to that," Toshinori continued, ignoring the reply. "is to finally make you feel fear."
All For One slowly smiled, seeing the hatred grow in All Might's eyes. He could feel the fury emanating from Toshinori like a thick steam in the air. He had to respect how much All Might was holding back his desires to lash out with everything he had, all in an attempt to deconstruct him.
...It was time to fix that.
"This is so unlike you. What would all the little children that look up to you think after hearing those words? So hateful. So spiteful. So vengeful. What would the old man think?" All For One smiled, moving both hands up to his head, lurching forward and covering his face as he began to change. His skin rippled, his hair grew out, and his voice became lighter. He finally raised his head, his transformation complete.
Toshinori remained expressionless as All For One's face became Nana's, along with a matching, mocking voice.
"What would I think, Toshi?"
"..."
"I thought you were going to avenge me? You were supposed to beat him! You were supposed to save us all! And now look at me..." Spear-like bones protruded from Nana's arm as she slit her own throat, letting blood spurt and flow onto the ground. "You let me DIE! You left me behind! You were supposed to be stronger. You were supposed to bring peace! Over twenty-years later, and look he's STILL ALIVE! What have you been doing all this time? Running around America? Fooling around with a murderer? If you had been better,
I might still be with my real son."
"...You know, I'm well aware that you're baiting me. The problem for you is, you have absolutely no idea what you're asking for." Toshinori took a deep breath, exhaling with a low growl, "...So, just remember, All For One...you asked for this."
"Hahahahaha! Then by all means! Show me exactly what I-"
All For One couldn't even see Toshinori move as a fist was suddenly impaling his diaphragm, exiting out his back and shattering part of his spine into dust.
"SMAAASH!" Toshinori then fired his next fist into All For One's jaw, shattering most of his teeth into nothing, and taking most of his jaw with them as the villain was hurled through broken boulders and fallen trees. "You didn't let me finish. The second step to teaching you fear is to show you just how powerful I really am."
All Might was on him again in an instant, with hundreds of punches wracking his body in a matter of seconds, All For One couldn't even counter. He was blown away, bits of his body being left behind in the process.
"TEXAS!" All Might caught up to All For One, grabbing him by the arm and spinning him around at such a speed that a twister began to form. He threw All For One, the air dispersing as All For One's skin began to tear away from the force of the wind. All Might sped past him, pivoting around to meet All For One's body with his fist. "SMAAASH!"
The punch landed directly on All For One's chest, his heart practically exploding out of his back as he was flung into a cyclone of air that ruptured everything in its path. All Might entered the cyclone with ease, a flurry of punches hit All For One so fast that it seared his skin.
"It ends today!" All Might grabbed All For One's foot, stopping them both as they skid across the dirt. He used his other hand to grab the back of All For One's neck, raising him up and slamming his upper back over his knee with a sickening crunch. "No more people will die because of you!
He grabbed All For One's face, slamming it into the dirt, and repeatedly slamming wide, but powerful haymakers into his head.
Again.
"No more fathers!"
And again.
"No more mothers!"
And again.
"No more children!"
And again.
"And! Not! ME!"
Toshinori slammed both fists down into All For One's chest, caving in his entire chest in the process. He stood back up, looking down at his handiwork with both pride and disgust. It was a horrible sight, and doing it to someone was awful...but, for All For One, he would make an exception.
For once, just once, he would deem extreme brutality a necessity.
He could see muscles slowly trying to heal back into place. All For One's left arm shakily raised up, black and red beginning to spread across his fingertips, but Toshinori stomped down hard on the villain's bicep, crushing the arm and separating it from the body. For good measure, he grabbed All For One's other arm, ripping it off with ease and tossing it aside.
Toshinori raised his fist up, piercing blue eyes shining in the night being the last thing All For One would see. "I hope you've made your peace, because where you're going, you'll have none."
All For One gasped for air, but all that came out was gurgling as blood filled his collapsing lungs. He couldn't feel most of his left side, realizing that most of it was probably gone. His own Spear-like Bones were stabbed into him, and his regeneration didn't even know where to start as he tried to activate it. One of his eyelids was gone, along with most of that side of his face.
All Might was far beyond any expectations he could have set for him. He was biting off more than he could chew. His plan was backfiring, and would completely fall apart if he didn't find the perfect opportunity to execute it. If he failed, he still had the Self-Destruct quirk. If he truly was to die here, then he wouldn't give All Might the satisfaction of finishing the job himself.
He forced his Multiplier upon his Regeneration quirk, but it wouldn't be fast enough to heal his entire body. So, he focused it on one place.
"United States of-Hah!?"
A mess of unfinished flesh and bone shot out of All For One's right side in the form of what could be considered an arm, aiming directly at All Might. 'Im-...pure...beam...'
Toshinori's vision was filled with a blinding white light, emanating from All For One's remaining arm. He dodged to the right as fast as he could, but it was too late.
Toshinori felt an unimaginable pain slice right through his left side. He felt something burst open in his body, a searing hot pouring out of the wound with rivers of blood. He slid to the side, slamming into a tilting tree, the only thing that could keep him upright.
It turned out that he didn't need to look. All he needed was a sloshing sound in his abdomen, and the feeling of something large threatening to slide out of his injury.
His legs suddenly felt weak, his body began to shake and his breathing became hoarse. His pain numbed as his body went into shock. He didn't even want to look.
All Might clutched his stomach, or what was left of it. He fell to his knees, wheezing out blood as more of it poured out of his side.
All Might could feel his intestines shift in his grasp, begging to fall right out of his body. The edges of his vision began to darken as blood-mixed bile shot out of his mouth and onto the ground before him.
It was a sensation nobody should ever have to feel.
All For One raised his head, blurry eyes finding All Might before resting back on the ground, wheezing and gasping as his right side began to slowly grow back from the bloody, burnt mess it turned into.
"Hehe-urgh! Hehe! Hahahahaha! Ha-grh...Has all that bravado spilled out with your intestines? Do you even comprehend the quirks I have stored inside of me?" All For One pushed himself into the sitting position, his flesh slowly reforming. He grunted as his skull began to reform back into place, and his arm bones began to return. "So confident, so powerful, and yet your pitiful desire for revenge blinded you from something so simple. Did you really think I would show you my entire hand from the start."
"And do...you...urgh...think I'm finished?"
All For One typically found useless struggle amusing, but this was insane.
The villain got up on wobbly legs that still hadn't finished regenerating, slumping against a fallen tree and coughing up a concerning amount of blood, even for him. His healing quirk wasn't able to keep up with all these injuries, it was too slow.
"E...Even I must admit...your tenacity is something to be admired. You've become far more than any of the weaklings before you." All For One managed to get to his feet with a groan, shaking his head. "But, no...we're done here."
"I...said..." All For One turned around, his eyes widening at the sight before him. All Might was back on his feet, one arm pressed against his side, blood flowing down his side as flesh and guts could be seen between his fingers. Toshinori spit blood on the ground, his gaze returning to his opponent's. The rage and determination in his eyes had not diminished, but intensified tenfold. "...we...are not...done."
All For One stumbled back, his body barely holding on as his injuries began to outpace his quirks. In all his many years on this planet, he had never met a man with such tenacity, such a strong will to fight.
Any other human with their intestines threatening to spill out of you at any second would have given up, or at least tried to make a run for it. But, the look in All Might's eyes made it seem as if he wasn't injured at all.
All For One gazed on in astonishment, refusing to believe the tiny pit in his stomach was any sort of semblance of fear, "...What are you?"
"...I am the Almighty man. The world's Symbol of Peace and Justice." All Might stepped forward, standing up straight, his shoulders back, a wide smile on his face. "The conclusion to your story."
Was Toshinori ignoring his pain?
Hell no. He couldn't even if he tried. Apparently going into shock could only do so much, because what he really wanted to do was scream at the top of his lungs with every muscle he moved.
But, he couldn't afford that.
He was a dead man if this continued for much longer. He just needed to make sure All For One died with him.
Nana was relying on him. Torino, David, Nagant, Nighteye, the past wielders, the whole world, even if they didn't know it, was relying on him.
This needed to end.
NOW.
All For One was weak, but only temporarily. He had to act. This wasn't Justice or Vengeance anymore, this was survival.
"SMASH!" Toshinori rocketed into All For One with a clearly unexpected punch, as All For One was sent back flying, his body already falling apart again. His regeneration was slowing down, and it needed to stay that way.
Blood spewed out from his mouth again, and he could feel his guts slipping around in his hand. He would almost rather take the pain over the discomfort at that point.
All For One stopped in the air, looking back at Toshinori with panicked rage. "How?! HOW?!"
His Rivet Stab fired from nearly all directions of his body, curving their way towards Toshinori. All Might batted them away with his free hand, the rest shattering from the shockwaves his hits sent off.
Thankfully, even with all of those quirks at his beck and call, All For One wasn't exactly creative.
All Might jumped straight at him, once again being too fast for All For One and blowing right through the villain's side, giving him a taste of his own medicine.
The pain that attack caused him made Toshinori fail the landing, tumbling to the ground and clutching his abdomen in pain as All For One was launched further up into the air.
All For One gasped as his stomach ruptured, blood pouring down the ground. He turned around, looking down below at the struggling Toshinori with blinding rage.
By almost every account, All Might should be dead. Seven other users. Over a century of dealing with these people. But, none of them, not one, was like this man.
This man was clinging to life, and yet he still managed to push All For One back.
He still managed to land blow after blow. He. Just. Kept. Fighting.
So, the only question that clouded All For One's mind was: ...Why?
"WHY?! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIIIIE?!
With his wail of rage, All For One raised out his hand, the Impure Beam firing to the ground below at Toshinori. The beam made impact, a shining flash of light emitting into the sky as All For One's arm burnt to a crisp.
Flaming trees and chunks of debris were blown into the air as the shockwave from the blast further dug out the barren land their battle had turned the forest into.
All For One's eyes widened as the dust cleared, seeing All Might was no longer there. All that was left was a small, barely visible trail of golden lightning trailing up towards him...
...and behind him.
All For One's world slowed as he saw Toshinori's silhouette almost completely cover the moon, his bright blue eyes piercing in the dark shadow.
He could feel the power emanating off of Toshinori in the air, his own bones, even in the hero's near fatal state. He could not dodge. He could not counter. It was too late.
This was it.
For the first time in over a century, All For One felt fear.
"UNITED!"
All Might's fist slammed directly into All For One's temple, a squelching crunch echoing throughout the forest as blood and gray matter spewed out of the villain's head and into the air as a mist, painting the starry sky as if the heavens themself had been gutted.
All For One went numb, feeling the connection to his body lost. He couldn't see out of his left eye, if it was even still there. He could feel his cheekbone caving in, his teeth shattering to dust, and his skull shattering like glass as his brain spiked in pain, and then began to lose all feeling.
As they rocketed towards the earth below, the villain could feel the skin on his right side begin to burn and tear from the sheer speed of their descent.
"STATES OF!"
In his right ear, the only one that he had left, All For One could hear a loud boom from above over the harsh winds. The breaking of the sound barrier.
If this truly was to be his end, then he had to give All Might this...
He made it one hell of a spectacle.
"SMAAAAAAASH!"
All For One's world went black as Toshinori finally delivered his body to the ground. Toshinori slammed the villain's head through the dirt, ripping the Earth open as the world around them imploded from the force of the impact.
Like cloth being whipped, the surface rippled and crumbled for miles and miles, being picked up by the colossal tornado that only continued to grow from ground zero. Trees became nothing more than leaves in the wind, and the surrounding mountains began to erode away from the wind.
The Earth cracked open as earthquakes shook the forest, ripping open a gorge clean through what was left of the nearby forest and miles beyond.
Toshinori grabbed onto a rocky ledge, barely able to hold on as the ground beneath him collapsed. He watched All For One fall deep into the canyon, a long stream of blood flowing from what most couldn't even consider a head anymore.
All For One's body vanished into the darkness, into the depths below. Dying as he lived, where he belonged.
The winds above eventually stopped, allowing Toshinori to painfully pull himself up, clambering to the nearest spot of safe ground.
Toshinori got onto his knees, clutching what was left of his stomach as the edges of his vision began to darken. He looked up into the sky, seeing the circling dark clouds his cyclone left behind as the rising sun peeked on the horizon.
"...Not a bad view to die with, I suppose." Toshinori sighed, spitting up blood into his lap. "Urgh...but, I guess I really can't have anything good, can I?"
Toshinori struggled to his feet, stumbling into piece of rubble after rubble. Trees and rocks continued to fall from the sky, an aftermath from his punch. After all that, if Toshinori died from a falling rock...well, at least his death would be funny.
He could do this. He was just...many, many, many, many, many miles from the nearest hospital, but he could do that.
Who needs a stomach anyway? His diet wouldn't really change.
...No alcohol though.
"Oh, God-damn it, no alcohol...Does saying that mean I have a problem? Wow, maybe this is actually a good thing. Just keep coping, Toshinori. Just keep distracting yourself from the insurmountable pain. Just keep walki-Urgauff!" Toshinori fell over, coughing up even more blood. "Crawling. Just keep crawling...and bleeding out."
"Toshinori!"
"Oh, thank goodness."
Toshinori looked up to see Torino rushing over to him, jumping over the newly formed canyon to reach him. He slid on his knees as he reached Toshinori, his eyes widening at the sight of his student's stomach.
"H-...Holy shit, kid."
"D-Don't worry, I think it's not as bad as it loo-Guaagh!" Toshinori doubled over, more blood and bile exiting from his mouth. "Urgh, I don't even have a stomach anymore. Where's it all coming from?!"
"C'mon, Nighteye is on his way. He can get us to the nearest hospital. Alright, c'mo-Augh!" Torino growled out as he put Toshinori on his back, already knowing he was going to regret it in the morning. "God-damn it, I'm old."
"Heh-...Hehehe..."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up back there. So, is it done, or should I be walking much faster?"
"Ask the bits of his brain still on my fist."
"Holy hell, kid," Torino grunted out, continuing to carry his student. "I didn't think you were gonna take the whole 'unrecognizable mess' thing so literally."
"You can't say I'm not efficient...By the way, sorry if I throw up on your shoulder."
"Don't worry about it, just stay awake." Torino continued to trek across what was almost a damn wasteland. If it weren't for the distant forest that remained untouched by the battle, he wouldn't even know where he was.
"Hey...Maybe I'm just loopy from all the blood loss, but...She's proud of me, right?"
"Nana was never not proud of you, kid. I never was either."
"Hahaha...that last part's a lie."
"Hehehe...Yeah, it was."
...~AIV~...
The image of Toshinori and Torino walking away faded into a black mist, leaving Izuku and Nana alone in the void once more.
"Well..." Nana turned to Izuku with a shrug, "that about wraps it all up. You know the rest. What are we thinking?"
"I'm thinking that I'm going to appreciate my stomach everyday for the rest of my life."
"Pfft, yeah, me too...If I had one. But, seriously..."
Izuku sighed, furrowing his brow as his gaze fell to his feet in deep thought, "I'm thinking...that I'm even more terrified than before. All Might was stronger, faster, but All For One could have quite literally anything at his disposal. And, this was All Might at his prime, but I'm nowhere close to being ready to face that kind of power. This isn't even including the fact that All For One could have collected any number of different quirks since then. But...But, getting to watch him fight, I can see that even with all of these powers on hand, he can't manage everything. He still relies on basic instinct. He tries to overwhelm you on all fronts, giving you no room to breathe. He seems to enjoy the fight, or rather the idea of his opponent suffering because of it. He could have used his trump card, or however many he has, at any given point. But, he didn't. He relies more on pure raw power than being tricky. He believes he doesn't even need to bother outsmarting his opponent."
Nana blew a raspberry, conjuring a chair beneath her to sit on as she rested her cheek against her fist, "Unfortunately, he's not entirely wrong to think that. Wits will only get you so far against power like that."
"That's true, but we have our own power to back us up. Maybe...I don't know, we can overwhelm him instead? At the end, he was panicking, and All Might made it clear he's not invincible."
"A cornered animal is when it's the most dangerous."
"Yeah..." Izuku sighed, crossing his arms. "All Might was right and wrong about Torino. A one v. one fight against All For One isn't good, but anyone who doesn't have the power to keep up can be more of a detriment than anything."
"I have a strong feeling Jirou won't like hearing that."
"She's smart. She already knows. It may frustrate her to no end, it does to me too, but I just...I'll keep thinking. We have time...I hope."
"It's a start," Nana chuckled.
"There is one positive thing to come out of this," Izuku finally cracked a smile. "My whole life I've idolized All Might. Once I got to know him as more than just the hero, the image, he slowly started to turn more into the man underneath it all. But, seeing everything he's been through, his pain, both physical and mental, he's even more of my hero now than ever before. I didn't even think that was possible."
"He has that effect on people."
"How are you feeling? You know...about that photo?"
Nana frowned as she shook her head, "Don't put much stock into it. He was in my home, remember? That photo was pretty much destroyed, most likely from the explosion. He was trying to mess with Toshi."
"...And if he wasn't?"
Nana sat silently, leaning back and crossing her legs, resting her hands on her knees, "...Then what can I do, anyway? What could anyone have done? So...just until proven otherwise, let me believe he's still out there, okay?"
Izuku nodded, deciding not to push the subject, "I understand. We won't let him get in our head."
"Not anymore. But, I guess this is the end of our little memory escapades. For now, at least."
"You're not going to disappear on me and go back to only talking to me in flashes?"
"Not on your life," Nana reached up, grabbing his head and bringing him down to kiss his forehead, "Anytime you need me, I'll be here. But, I have a feeling you've missed the feeling of actual sleep."
"I-It does kind of feel like I've been awake for days. And yet, at the same time, I don't feel tired."
"Don't think about it too hard. Just follow Toshinori's advice and just go relax. But, also, don't let your guard down."
"...Isn't that kind of a juxtaposition?"
"I think it's more of a fine balance. Now, get out of here, kid. I've got some of my own thinking to do."
As Izuku's image of Nana began to fade, he did catch one last glimpse of the Vestige Space morph into another memory.
Nana watched on as a teenaged Toshinori played in the backyard with a little Kotaro, her husband at her side.
...~AIV~...
Izuku gasped as he jumped awake, his eyes meeting his bedroom ceiling. The lack of light in the room showed him that the sun had gone down long ago.
At least this time he didn't have explicitly bad news.
It was just...worrisome. But, what else was new?
Even though All Might was alive and he did technically defeat All For One, even if only temporarily, all he found in this story was tragedy.
Nana was dead, her husband was dead, her son was possibly dead, Lady Nagant was in prison for murder, Torino was just as paranoid and closed off, and All Might was alone with dwindling powers.
And, to top it all, All For One was apparently still alive out there.
What kind of monstrosity did he agree to be a part of?
The worst part of it all, is that unless All For One was stopped before whatever he was planning came to fruition, then there would be death. Lots of it.
Especially if All For One was still at the same level he saw in the memories. Izuku just knew he had to avoid it. Somehow.
In his glimpse into the past, all he found was tragedy. Tragedies that still left echoes in the present. The words of All Might as he repeatedly bashed All For One's face were on loop in his head.
"No more," Izuku whispered to himself.
He looked up to one of the remaining All Might posters he had left on his wall. He was supposed to be better than this man? It felt impossible, but...
The time to doubt himself was long behind him now.
In a year's time, he had somehow gone from somebody who felt like they had nothing to lose, to someone who had absolutely everything to lose.
All Might kept fighting, even with his intestines pouring out of his body. Even with his heart broken. Even when he felt he had nothing to lose.
People always said to fear a man with nothing to lose.
But, you should also fear the man with everything to lose, and would do absolutely anything he could to keep it.
Or, at the very least, keep it safe.
To save the world, to save the ones he loved, there was no limit to what he could endure. He had to remain steady, immovable, and unyielding. There could be no pain he could not suffer through.
He had said before that obtaining One For All, getting into UA, and finding Kyouka had spent all of his luck for the rest of his life.
He didn't care what it took. If he had to pay back that price, take on the responsibility of someone else's battle, die for what he loved...
Well, then...
...~AIV~...
(Kyouka's Room)
Kyouka tossed and turned, almost reaching the point of giving up on any sleep.
She eventually sighed, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling, barely able to see it with the moonlight being the only source of light. As it turned out, sleeping without Izuku sucked, and she just wasn't aware until he was gone.
Well, that's what she wished was the only thing preventing her from sleep.
Izuku's literal walk through Memory Lane was incredibly fascinating at first, but then completely turned on her, twisting her stomach into every knot one could think of. It was bad enough that All Might's description of All For One was that of an damn-near unstoppable force, but now One For All decided it wanted to make things interesting and grow even more disadvantages.
What did Izuku do to deserve any of this? Why did he have to keep suffering?
It was part of why she hadn't brought up her own issues for a while, outside of her own instinct to keep it to herself still lingering in her mind. With everything that happened with Izuku and Inko, and now all that was happening with One For All, she felt bad for even bringing up her body.
Izuku was still constant with his promise to slowly change her mindset, but that just showed how pure he was. Even in times like this, with everything he bore on his back, he tended to her without even needing to be asked, because he knew she would never ask for it outright.
Kyouka knew she did a lot for Izuku, as he always insisted that she did. She tried her damndest to be everything he needed, whenever he needed it. It was the absolute least she could do for him.
But, she just couldn't do it all, she knew that.
Being a supportive girlfriend could only go so far. He still was the one with all of the weight on his shoulders. She still remembered what Inko had said to her the night after the midterms.
She just needed to be with him, and the impossible would become child's play. They would find a way. Inko had to be right, there was no other option. They had to find a way. If there was just a way to help Izuku carry these burdens, she had to find it.
Izuku had suffered enough. He didn't deserve any of this. After over a decade of hell, he got a miracle.
...This would be the part where Izuku would say that he received a miracle, and One For All wasn't so bad either, referring to Kyouka as said miracle, like the dorky bastard he is.
And, for some unknown reason Kyouka still could not figure out, it would completely work on her and her insides would melt like butter.
That's what she was at risk of losing. What the world was at risk of losing. They might lose their greatest hero before they ever even knew him.
...She refused.
Did she have a solution? No, not now. But...somehow.
She didn't care what it took. For Izuku to get the proper second chance he deserved, if she had to take on the responsibility of someone else's battle, die for what she loved...
Well, then...
...~AIV~...
(Yagi Residence)
Toshinori popped his vitamins into his mouth, flushing them down with water, sighing as he set his glass down and leaned against the bathroom counter. He took a deep breath as he ran a hand down his face, drooping his head low.
All these ghosts coming back to haunt him wasn't what he expected out of his summer vacation.
When he encouraged Young Midoriya to go down the One For All Memory Lane, he didn't think he would be dragged along for the ride. It wasn't that it was altogether bad, but he just wished he could just remember the good times, and not...
Toshinori looked back up into the mirror, lifting up his shirt to see his old wound.
God, that thing was ugly.
He was so stupid, not getting the continuous proper treatment.
Back then, he was sure All For One was dead. He had earned some recovery time. Hell, if he had just called David, he would have come to Japan in a heartbeat and fixed him up in a thousand different ways.
If he could just stop for just a little bit, get more help, get his diet back to normal, gain some weight back, regain his strength, maybe he could feel more confident in his odds against All For One's inevitable return.
But, he had missed his window, all because he was a stubborn jackass that couldn't sit still.
What would it cost him?
He wanted to see Young Midoriya grow into the hero he was born to be. He wanted to watch AMP become the most renowned duo the world had ever seen. He wanted to see Young Midoriya and Jirou get married. He wanted to see them find true peace, and not be plagued by his mistakes.
...But, as long as All For One remained, it wasn't possible.
That needed to change.
He didn't care what it took. For those kids to get the proper second chance they deserved, if he had to take responsibility for his inability to finish the job, not get to see all of those wonderful things and die for what he loved...
Well, then...
...~AIV~...
"So be it." / "So be it." / "So be it."