Chapter Text
Shigaraki Tomura fell hard to the floor of the bar, still wrapped in Kurogiri's smoky body.
“Ah, I see you're back Shigaraki Tomura” Sensei's voice greeted him from the TV, at the corner of the counter.
“S-Shit, that hurt!!” the villain hissed “I got shot in the arm and both legs, my allies were routed by a class of brats, and Nomu …”
He clenched his uninjured hand into a fist.
“… He was defeated!! The symbol of peace was in perfect health, you were wrong Sensei!!”
“Oh, I assure you I wasn't wrong about this Tomura” All for One replied with a half smile “However, given the results I can admit that our expectations were too optimistic; We underestimated the Heroes”
He paused briefly.
“But at least Kurogiri managed to bring you and the Nomu back”
“Well that was the LEAST he could do!!” another voice chimed in, the doctor “After all the efforts we made to make him as strong as All Might it would have been a sacrilege to lose him”
“No doubt this is a reason to be grateful, doctor” the Master agreed in a tone that sounded almost amused, which made Tomura feel even more frustrated than he already was.
They had lost!! They failed to kill All Might, so why the hell wasn't Sensei angry?!
As he crawled across the floor, stubbornly trying to get up despite his bullet wounds, he felt the fury and hatred burn hot within him.
Hate for failing, hate for All Might, hate for the Heroes who got in the way, hate for those stupid brats.
Especially that little girl dressed in a SPACE theme.
If she hadn't stepped in, he would have crushed All Might to dust.
“Leave All Might Alone!!”
She had distracted him by daring to get in the way and he hadn't even been given the satisfaction of killing her!! The bullets had reached him before his hand could grab her pesky little face.
“Damn it!! It can't end like this!!” Shigaraki yelled waving his arms weakly, like a child throwing a tantrum, while Kurogiri did him the courtesy of lifting him off the ground and making him sit on a stool.
“Don't worry Tomura, it's far from over” Sensei reassured him, grinning “You still have time to get your revenge, you just have to be patient, learn from this experience and …”
“I couldn't agree more” a male voice suddenly whispered, cutting them off.
All for One's smirk faded slightly as he sensed a new presence appearing inside the bar, just a few seconds before Tomura and Kurogiri noticed too.
“What …? Who's there?!" Kurogiri exclaimed, getting immediately on the defensive.
Ghostly whispers mixed with light giggles, each with different tones, as if they came from several people at the same time, floated in the room, along with a light mist, similar to the one emitted by Kurogiri but blue instead of purple.
“The fuck!!?? SHOW YOURSELF!!” Shigaraki roared, nearly falling off the stool.
“Calm down Tomura” Sensei ordered him calmly.
The lighting dimmed considerably casting a series of creepy shadows along the walls.
“Oh, my apologies” it was from one of these shadows that their mysterious guest came out “It wasn't my intention being rude”
To the villains' surprise, a little boy quietly stepped forward.
He appeared to be the age of a middle school boy, with a slight and petite build.
Thick curly dark green hair, from which a single strand of white stood out, framed a face with soft features and full cheeks decorated with a sprinkle of freckles.
His eyes were large, of such an intense blue that they almost seemed to sparkle in the semi-darkness of the fringe.
He wore an elegant long-sleeved jacket, whose style recalled the traditional Chinese ones, dark blue with fine silver and white embroidery along the edges where the buttons are.
The buttons were in silver with a thin and elongated shape, engraved in a way that seemed to want to imitate the shape of a bone.
Simple smooth black pants and flats black shoes completed the picture.
“I just thought I might be at your service” he had a soft, soothing voice, somewhat flutey with an undertone that sounded almost …
… Feminine?
Weird, he was clearly a boy, maybe it was just their impression.
“Service?” Tomura snorted contemptuously “Who the hell do you think you are a brat?! How did you get in?!”
If All for One had been impressed by that mysterious kid's tone and attitude, at least impressed enough to feel a vague curiosity, Tomura would have been lying if he said he wasn't disturbed by the way the brat was smiling at him.
A wide, bright smile, in some ways similar to that of the big blond clown symbol of peace, but at the same time different.
Too broad, too bright, too UNNATURAL.
A cheshire creepy grin.
“Oh, I'm merely someone who thinks that the great King of Demons has been denied of his throne for too long …” he whispered, looking right to the TV’s screen showing only the wording <Sound only>.
As if he was actually looking at the person beyond.
As if he knew …
-Does he know who Sensei is?- Tomura reflected, starting to scratch his neck at the nervousness of the situation.
Weren't the defeat and humiliation of that day enough?
Now he also had to deal with a creepy brat came out of nowhere?
-Umm, interesting- All for One thought instead -I wonder who this boy is and how much he knows-
“… I believe that once you rise, even the so-called Symbol of Peace will be unable to prevent the inevitable” the boy continued “The final destruction of the Hero society”
“Okay I've had enough, Kurogiri kick this brat out of here” Shigaraki roared "You're lucky I got shot, MORE THAN ONCE, or I would have already reduced you to a pile of ashes and rotten bones!!”
“Now, now Tomura, there's no need to be so aggressive” the Master interrupted him “Kurogiri, why don’t you take the leader of our league to the doctor? It's not the case to let him bleed on the counter longer than necessary; In the meantime, I'll talk to our mysterious guest”
“WHAT?! But Sensei …!!”
“Trust me Tomura” All for One said in a gentle but firm tone “I have everything under control, furthermore, Kurogiri will be back the instant after he takes you to the hospital”
The young villian grunted “… Fine”
As Kurogiri and Shigaraki disappeared, All for One focused all of its attention on the boy “Well, you have a sweet way of talking for sure young man; I give you that” he commented “However, as much as I have no doubts in our future victory, I must ask: What makes you think is so easy? After all, the symbol of peace have defeated our Nomu, an artificially enhanced monster we created just for him”
He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, curious “So, what you would have to offer that it could change this result?”
“Oh, I'm glad you asked sir” the boy smiled, reaching into one of the large sleeves of his jacket “I thought maybe we could use this”
He pulled out a small black case which he opened just as Kurogiri returned.
“A syringe?” the smoke villain began, perplexed “What does it contain?”
Inside the instrument there was a luminescent blue liquid and, however absurd it sounded, Kurogiri had the impression that the temperature in the room had dropped by several degrees as soon as he had laid his eyes on it.
“Something that I'm sure your doctor friend will be able to put to good use” the young man replied “Something that will make your creatures even more powerful than they are, more powerful even than All Might himself”
“Really?” All for One murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully “What is it exactly and where did you get it?”
“From my Lady”
-Lady, huh? So he works for someone- Sensei thought, more and more curious.
But before he could ask for further explanations the boy resumed.
“For now, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else” he declared, not ceasing to smile even for a second.
How convenient.
“In that case, I'm sure you’ll understand my skepticism” All for One stated “Why should this 'Lady' of yours help us? What does she want?”
“For now, it is enough for you to know that my Lady doesn't want anything else but to see you fulfill your destiny, my king” the boy said putting a hand to his chest while bowing his head reverently “And destroy this corrupt society of heroes that hurt her so much”
The blue of his eyes seemed to deepen.
“If you can promise that, then I assure you, you will only gain from our cooperation …” he grinned as he took the syringe “… So, may I?”
***
The green-haired boy was on his way home.
He stared straight ahead, a small satisfied smile softening his lips as he reflected on the events of that day.
“Hellooo, I'm home” he announced as he crossed the front door.
“IZUKU!! Honey!!”
The figure of Inko Midoriya welcomed him from the kitchen, along a pleasant smell of Katsudon.
“You finally came back, I was starting to worry" she said, smiling relieved “I mean, you warned me you'd be late but …”
“Sorry mom” the boy smiled at her sweetly “I met one of my school mates on the street and we stopped to chat a bit; Didn't notice the time passing”
“Oh, it's alright” Inko shook her head “Don't get me wrong sweetie, I know you're okay and I'm glad you're making some friends at U.A, I really am, it's just … it's stronger than me I suppose …” she giggled sheepishly, wiping her hands on her apron “I can't help but worry; Plus, I heard about the USJ attack and …”
“I'm in the General Studies Department, mom” her son reminded her “Whatever happened was only for the Hero classes, so you don’t need to worry”
Since Izuku had been accepted into U.A's General Studies Department, giving up on his childhood dream of becoming a Hero, things had gotten better.
Inko didn't know exactly what had happened, she only knew that one evening, a short distance from the end of the last year of middle school, Izuku had returned home and communicated her his decision, emphasizing that he would try the General Education exam.
After all, Quirk or no Quirk, U.A was still one of the best schools in Japan not just for their Hero course, so why not give it a try?
He'd spent the ten months prior to the exam locked away in his room studying.
He worked so hard, and Inko couldn't have felt more proud when her boy returned home with a letter from the U.A which certified his admission with honors.
Izuku looked so happy, happier than she had ever seen him since the doctor had declared his Quirkless status and that happiness had automatically reflected back to her.
The only thing that had puzzled her a little was the sudden interest Izuku seemed to have developed in Chinese culture.
In a few months his room had gone from being full of hero-themed merchandise (especially All Might’s) to containing typical objects of the Chinese tradition of various kinds, especially literature and clothing, some even quite sought after.
Her son didn't ask her to spend a single cent on it though, he had bought that stuff using the money earned from selling the merchandise.
Just for his birthday he had allowed her to contribute to his new collection.
She bought him a collector's edition of the novel “Journey to the West”, one of the most famous novels in Chinese fantastic literature.
He had looked at the book in a funny way at first, so much so that for a moment she was afraid he didn't had like it, but then he smiled broadly and thanked her by embracing her
In any case, it wasn't so strange for a boy who was still so young to change tastes or interests.
She figured it was normal and, again, Izuku was happy.
That was the important thing.
So she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about showing concern just ‘cause she saw him being a few minutes late or for some other nonsense like that.
It was probably a professional bias of being a mother, but she didn't want to ruin Izuku's peace of mind with silly worries.
“You're right honey, I'm sorry”
“It’s okay mom” Izuku reassured her, taking her hands “I understand, really, next time I'll send you a message”
“Thank you dear” Inko smiled “You can go and freshen up now, if you want, it will still take about ten minutes before dinner is ready”
“Okay” Izuku nodded cheerfully.
Then he headed for the bathroom.
The moment he closed the door behind him what at first seemed like a genuine smile changed, becoming more sinister.
His green eyes turned deep blue as he looked at himself in the mirror.
“Well, if it hasn't been a productive day” he commented to himself before rinsing his face with a little cold water.
The hot season was almost over but there were still days when the temperature remained too high for his liking.
He definitely preferred the winter.
-I finally put all my pieces on the board- he thought, grinning while running a wet hand on his neck to cool off -Now, the REAL game can begin, only one thing missing …-
He couldn't get through to that thought as suddenly he seemed to feel sick.
“U-Ugh!! What in the name of the Heaven …?!” he hissed in pain, gripping the edge of the sink with both hands.
His eyes began to flash, going from blue to green and back again, like some kind of glitch.
At the same time a light blu smoke started to float in the little space of the bathroom.
He continued like this for several seconds, breathing heavily as if he were exerting himself physically, until the transition from blue to green slowed to a complete stop …
… On the blue.
“… Ehehe … hehehe … ehahahaHAHAHAHAHAH!!” the boy barely managed to stifle the insane laugh that escaped his lips, not wanting to risk the woman a few rooms away hearing him.
He ran a hand over his face, still chuckling.
“My, my, if you aren't a persistent child?” a distinctly feminine voice came out of his mouth “Izuku Midoriya”
A single, deep, blue eye was reflected in the mirror since the other was still hidden by the hand he raised to his face, along with a broad, amused smile.
Then everything went black.
The bathroom was gone.
Now there was just a black void crossed by a cold blue mist, completely empty except for the presence of only two figures.
One of them was a woman, or, at least, SOMETHING that looked like a woman.
She had a porcelain white skin, red eyes, and prominent cheekbones.
Her hair was white with part of it tied up into a bun while the rest was straight and loose.
She wore a black dress with purple around her upper waist, gray designs at the sides, and white long-sleeves.
A white chestplate with one row of rib bones at the bottom and a gold half circle at the center protected her torso.
Her makeup consisted in a magenta lipstick and medium blue eye shadow.
“Oh Izuku, dear” she sighed “How many more times do we have to repeat this little melodrama?”
The boy chained in front of her, the REAL Izuku Midoriya let out a shaky sob.
“S-Stop, please …”
He was trapped by bright blue chains, kneeling in the center of a demonic seal from which the bonds themselves came.
He was terrifyingly pale, dark circles typical of those who haven't slept for more than a few days marked his eyes, making it evident how tired, how DRAINED he was.
“Ten months have passed” the Lady began, keeping her hands clasped behind her back in an austere, almost regal, position “And yet, you keep trying to resist me child”
Though her tone sounded reproachful, she was smiling.
“I have to admit, I'm impressed; Even if your weakness is obvious by now” she shook her head, looking at him with a pitying expression “You are tired, my child; Continuing to fight me will only bring you pain, why keep doing it?”
“I have to” Izuku replied, somehow managing not to stammer “You're hurting people, using my body”
“You mean villains” the other retorted simply.
“It doesn't matter!! They were still people!!”
“You really are a sweet boy …”
The woman smiled, approaching him.
With each step forward she took the sensation of cold around him grew stronger and stronger, making him feel like he was freezing “… But the lives I took were a necessary sacrifice; I had to restore my power after centuries of being imprisoned in darkness and the Ki of those petty delinquents was fit for purpose”
She knelt in front of him and then gently lifted her chin to force him to look at her.
“Would you have preferred me to choose someone else? Innocents? Maybe your sweet mother, or that explosive brat …”
The boy's eyes widened in terror at the thought, hastily shaking his head “N-No!! I …”
“I really don't see where the problem is” she continued “People who are willing to assault a poor, helpless kid in a dark alley don't deserve your pity, my child, I assure you that”
“You lured them on purpose!!”
“So? I cast a bait but it was their choice to take it”
Izuku opened his mouth to reply, only to realize he didn't know what else to say.
They had been having that same argument for months!! Nothing he said ever changed her mind, no matter how much he pressed or pleaded.
He had lost count of how many people he had seen die without him being able to do anything to stop it.
“W-Why?” the boy asked finally, weakly “Why are you doing this? Why didn't you just let me …?”
He hesitated, but he didn't really need to finish the sentence for her to understand.
“Die?” the Lady's expression seemed to soften for a moment as she recalled the moment she'd taken possession of the body of the child in front of her.
When he was about to throw himself off the roof of his middle school.
Izuku himself didn't remember much, the last thing he remembered was that he was surrounded by a blue mist.
After that, everything went black.
When he had regained consciousness, if you can call it that, it had already been a month.
A blank month in which there had been someone else who continued to live his life, the creature in front of him.
The one who called herself …
… The Lady Bone Demon ...
And that was how his personal hell began.
“Poor sweet child, you still don't understand” the Lady said “Destiny brought you to me, to help me finish what I started; After all, it's exactly for all the suffering souls like you that I'm doing this”
“D-Doing what?!”
“Create the perfect world”
Several seconds of silence passed, in which Izuku could only stare at her without understanding.
“Let me tell you a story” the woman continued, getting to her feet “I have been around for thousands of years, a spirit demon who once belonged to Heaven”
She put her hands behind her back, taking a couple of steps away.
“The gods and the other creatures of Heaven have never really cared about the mortal realm, too happy in their own bliss to care about anything but themselves; Yet I was different” she hissed walking slowly around him, in a way reminiscent of a predator walking around its prey “I've seen the world suffer famine, disease, war, and endless turmoil; An enterniy of needless pain!! My heart soffered so much for them that I felt I HAVE TO do something; So I decided to get down to the mortal realm as a human, becoming the assistant to a mortal emperor”
LBD narrowed her eyes in an annoyed expression.
“I thought that if I helped someone with real power, guiding them to be better, I could make a real difference in the world” she snorted “Tsk!! How naive I was; I spent years trying to make a difference, but it was all in vain!! Those born with power, whether it be wealth, political power or … Quirks, they care NOTHING for those who borns without the same fortune; They’re selfish, foolish and petty and and that's when I understood …”
She looked back at the kid.
“… The only real way to create the perfect world was to start with a CLEAN SLATE"
It took Izuku a few moments to realize the gist of that speech “Y-You … You want to … d-destroy the world?” he stammered in horror.
“Not exactly destroy it, dear” the demon had the audacity to chuckle “I'd rather say reforge it, into something better; Something perfect”
“You're crazy”
“I prefer the term farsighted” LBD replied, looking more amused than offended before resuming her story “However, the Heaven didn't share my vision, so they sent someone to stop me”
Her expression darkened as the golden figure of a humanoid monkie wielding a long gold-edged iron staff flashed through her mind.
“He succeeded, I was defeated” she admitted “At the time I wasn't powerful enough to win, not against HIM”
This time she didn't bother to hide her contempt for whoever this ‘him’ was.
“But I knew it, I knew that I would have been defeated and imprisoned so I took countermeasures, but that's another story …” the woman grinned “What matters is that now I'm finally ready to finish what I started almost a millennium ago; After all, as you humans say: You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right?”
“PEOPLE ARE NOT EGGS!!” Izuku protested, tugging weakly on the chains “They try to live their lives as best they can, they're innocents!! I won’t help you …!!”
An evil smile curved her lips.
“Innocents, you say? Are the people who have been bullying you for years innocents too?”
Izuku gasped violently and his eyes flashed blue for a moment as a series of images, sounds, fragments of his own memories were forced into his mind in a loop.
“Like that explosive brat you call a friend?”
“You want to play at “Hero”, Deku!? You don’t even have a Quirk!!”
“What can a dweeb like you accomplish?”
“It’s best you give up kiddo”
“If you wanna be a Hero so bad, there’s actually a good way for you …”
“I’m sorry Izuku, I’m so sorry!!”
“… Just DIVE OFF the rooftop and pray to be reborn with a Quirk in the next life”
“There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but you also need to see reality as it is”
“N-No, t-that’s … enough, p-please …!!”
“Or maybe the teachers who look the other way because they just don't care? Are they innocents?”
All he could see was darkness with cold blue mist as her voice came from behind him.
A searing pain shot through his head.
“You are so useless deku!!”
“Pathetic!!”
“An evolution failure like you can't be a hero, you'll just get in the way”
“S-Stop …”
Hot tears streamed down Izuku’s cheeks.
“Or the hero who destroyed your dreams?” those last words were spoken right into his ear.
Dragging his mind down, clinging to his form and watching him struggle to breath.
“I’m sorry Izuku, I’m so sorry!!”
“There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but you also need to see reality as it is”
“… Just DIVE OFF the rooftop and pray to be reborn with a Quirk in the next life”
“DEKU!!”
“STOP!! PLEASE!!”
Then, suddenly it all ended.
The sounds, the sights, the pain …
… Only silence was left.
“Sweet child” he didn't even notice that LBD was kneeling in front of him again until he felt her cold hands caressing his cheeks “Don't you see? A world that allows children like you to reach a such level desperation to want taking their own life, is not a world that deserves to be saved”
Izuku didn't answer, still shaking from mild convulsions.
“All I want is a world without pain, no more, no less” she continued coaxing “But I can't do it alone, I need your help”
“M-My help …?”
“However useful, your body was only a temporary accommodation” the demon explained, gently wiping away what was left of the kid's tears with her thumbs “It's time for me to find a new host, a host more suited to what I have in mind”
If it wasn't for the horrible situation he was in, Izuku would have laughed, even though it would probably have been a hysterical laughter.
Even as a demon's host he wasn't good enough.
Kacchan was right, he was really useless …
As if she read his thoughts, the woman shook her head.
“But that doesn't mean I want to abandon you; I was imprisoned for a long time and your deep knowledge of this modern world, especially of the Quirks, has been immensely useful to me” she said “And the willpower you've shown trying to fight me all these months, has confirmed to me that you are able to handle a part of my power in you; I have had a lot of hosts in the past, yet none of them have ever been able to keep their own consciousness after I had taken them; This showed me that it's your destiny to be by my side …"
His destiny.
“… My most loyal servant, my right hand, my champion” LBD smiled softly “Why fight, why consume yourself for a world that doesn't want you? When you can help me create a new one, a world without flaws, without pain; A world that is fair to everyone”
Izuku's eyes started flashing from green to blue again and again as she spoke.
“Isn't that why a hero should fight?”
The moment she heard the sound of breaking chains, she knew she had WON.
***
Suddenly he was back in the bathroom at home, as if nothing had happened.
Except this time he was finally in control of his body again.
“So, do we have a deal, my champion?” the figure of LBD appeared for an instant next to him in the reflection of the mirror, although physically there was no one else inside the bathroom.
“… Yes, my Lady”
......................................