chapter memories

anyways

I wrote like all of this in one day

and at least half was sleep deprived

yAAAAAY XD

---

Letting out a breath, Izuku pulled his hood over his mess of green curls before glancing down at the thin wad of cash in his hands. He frowned, chewing on the inside of the cheek. It had all he had been able to make for the past week - with the help of odd jobs here and there - but it would only be enough to last him a few days at most.

Izuku began to raise his head when, with only the tickle of his palm as a warning, his hand became empty.

The boy's eyes widened, head snapping upwards as he watched someone bolting down the alleyway, hand tucked in their pocket.

Without thinking, Izuku snarled and raced after the man. After all, it wasn't like he could go to the police.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Hisashi had been discovered earlier than he had expected because, without his knowing, he had been expected for a meeting only 2 days after it happened. When the man wasn't available for rescheduling, someone had gotten concerned and called home.

The boy had enough time to clean the place up - and even dispose of the weapon - but he was useless when it came to further erasure that dealt with technology. Not to mention the fact that he didn't exactly have time to stash away the corpse - the thought of it still made him gag - anywhere that wasn't halfway obvious if you bothered looking for it.

Izuku relaxed his jaw, only noticing now that his teeth were grinding together. With a sigh, the boy shook his head and turned a sharp corner that brought him to a dead end.

He huffed as he stepped forwards, watching carefully as the thief glanced around before turning towards him.

"Give that back," he growled out, hiding his trembling hands behind his back.

The figure at the end of the alley paused for a moment before slowly lowering his hands, only to rip a knife from his pocket. They didn't waste any time in turning the blade towards Izuku, immediately charging towards him.

Izuku's eyes widened as the man neared him. In the heat of the moment, he had completely had the prospect of weapons being brought into the fight slip from his mind.

The boy felt as if he might puke.

As soon as the half-angry half-panicked eyes connected with his, a sudden rush of emotions hit him that almost forced him onto the ground. He couldn't help but see Hisashi in front of him, staggering and bloody as he screamed at Izuku with a raw voice.

"YOU KILLED ME!" his voice shouted in his ear. "YOU'RE A FUCKING DEMON!"

Izuku found his breaths quickening, but he couldn't find it in his will to speak.

"MURDERER!" he spat, pointing at Izuku with a taunting, grayish finger. The boy let out a shaky breath as Hisashi's figure stepped into the light - skin practically falling off and bloated. His bloodshot eyes were trained on the boy, piercing through his very being.

"No," Izuku whispered. "It was your fa-"

Before the boy could continue his thought, he let out a sharp, surprised breath, looking down to see a blade digging into his flesh. His vision blurred despite his widened eyes, darkness encroaching at the corners.

"What...?" he croaked, staggering backwards. Slowly - or, it seemed like it, anyway - he raised his head, staring at the man before him. "You..."

The man narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't have followed me, brat. Kids like you are nothing but nuisances."

"I..." Izuku let out shakily, eyes flicking in between the knife and the man. "You stabbed me..."

"Are you fucking stupid?" the man spat, moving forwards to attack Izuku once again. "Get out of my goddamn way!"

Izuku stumbled as the man's hand made contact with his shoulders, falling onto the ground, causing him to glance up with a shocked look. After a moment, he furrowed his brows, attempting to stand.

"Just stay down, you little shit!" the man roared, kicking him to the ground once again. He winced as his skin skidded against the pavement, but he didn't have time to check on his injuries before he found a foot on his chest.

The boy felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, which wasn't helped by the pressure on his chest. He swore he heard a crack.

"Fucking worm," the man snarled, digging his heel further into the boy's skin and twisting up with his shirt.

Izuku grasped desperately at his foot, attempting to pry it from his chest, only to be met with a harsher response.

With a pained grunt, his hands fell to his sides, vision almost too blurred to see.

"This is your goddamn fault," he said, venom in his tone. "You were too fucking stupid to stay back. And all you had on you was a few measly bucks! Waste of goddamn space." He bent down, the pressure drawing the air from his lungs. "Little bitch."

Izuku suddenly froze, ignoring the whiskers that tickled his face - courtesy of the man's quirk. After a moment, he slowly raised his head - an image of Hisashi falling over the thief's.

His figure cackled, causing Izuku's heart to fall into a quick rhythm. "Well at least I know you're not a little bitch anymore!"

Without thinking, the boy gritted his teeth, ripping the knife from his stomach and plunging it into the man's leg. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Izuku roared, heaving as the thief stumbled backwards.

"What the fuck?!" he let out, glancing down at the newly forming blood spot on his leg.

"IT'S NOT ME!" Izuku cried out, still unsure of what he was even seeing. "I'M NOT THE GODDAMN DEMON!"

He shoved the confused man forwards and onto the ground, wasting no time in stomping on his chest repeatedly.

"IT'S YOU!" He shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "YOU'RE THE DEMON! IT'S YOUR FUCKING FAULT!"

After hearing a sputter, Izuku took in several deep breaths, heartbeat slowing. He glanced downwards, freezing as he saw the mess that the man had been made into.

Blood covered his shirt, and his chest was half-caved in from the ruthless force that the boy had delivered. His hood fell backwards to reveal a cold look in his eye that (if it weren't for the other gruesome details) would've revealed his state - whiskers draped drearily across the sidewalk.

Izuku stumbled backwards. "N-no... Not again... I..."

He winced, hand twitching towards his wound. He pressed his palm against the blood-soaked hood, gulping at the red mass that come back.

With a tense jaw and aching throat, Izuku dropped his arm limply to the side, staring at the body in front of him. He ignored the tears welling up in his eyes, falling to the ground and sobbing.

As his tears wet the concrete, he felt his vision fading, and for once, he wasn't afraid of what death might bring. He sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring the faint sound of shoes snapping against the pavement and choosing to resign himself to his fate.

If he really was a demon, then he deserved Hell.

---

A groan escaped Izuku's lips as he awoke, hand immediately twitching towards his throbbing skull. However, when his hand was jerked back, he blinked, lowering his head.

Squinting through the double vision, he focused on his hands, staring confusedly as he saw chains binding his wrists.

"You're awake, then," a voice spoke, though it was barely audible through the ringing in Izuku's ears. Nevertheless, he looked upwards, seeing as a blend of colors approached him before converging into the hazy image of a short man.

"Who are you?" Izuku asked, wincing as his words slurred.

The man - who looked somewhat like a doctor - chuckled. "Sorry about that, but you're on a whole cocktail of drugs right now."

Izuku narrowed his eyes, suppressing the urge to spit at the man.

"My master saved you, you know," the doctor said, clearly amused by the boy's expression. He glanced down at his clipboard, continuing. "You were bleeding quite heavily from just above your hip. By the time you got back here, you were half dead."

The boy blinked confusedly. "So...," he spoke slowly, attempting to keep back the slurring of his words. "Why am... I here...?"

Walking to a nearby table, the man hummed before answering. "Ah, well, we were initially planning on using you to create a basic Nomu. Th-"

"Nomu?" Izuku asked confusedly.

The doctor chuckled annoyedly. "Just as impatient as Shigaraki. Anyways," he said, waving the boy off, "I suppose I can tell you. Nomu are nothing more than an intertwinement of human DNA that eventually creates something... well, inhuman. Nothing more than a mindless puppet," he replied chillingly. "Of course, they're used for their multitude of quirks..."

Izuku froze, blood already running cold from the man's explanation. "...Multiple... quirks...?"

"A Nomu's genetic structure allows for it to handle multiple quirks at once. However, the ability is received by trading in intelligence and will." His lip quirked upwards into a smirk. "Every once and a while, however, we find someone that's compatible with multiple quirks - all without losing their mind. Aside from a reset memory, it's as if they're a normal person."

"I..." Izuku furrowed his brows, not sure if he should feel terrified or enraged. Judging by the way his clenched fist was trembling, he'd have to say his body decided on expressing both. "What... What does that... have to do with me...?" he finally asked, trying to resist the urge to puke.

"At first," the doctor chuckled once again, "I didn't recognize you. After all, you're a rather plain-looking boy." Izuku knitted his brows together in confusion, and the man seemed to find a strange pleasure in the action. "However, after seeing that you were quirkless, I remembered you, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku's breath hitched, and the sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. Inhaling sharply, the boy tried to clear his mind from the fogginess that encompassed his thoughts. "Why do you-"

The man replied before he was able to finish. "Doctor Tsubasa was a pseudonym."

The freckled boy felt his heart stutter. "...Doctor... Tsubasa...," he whispered breathlessly. Despite the drugs in his system inducing a mind-numbing fog, he found himself recognizing the name. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to reach into the void and-

Doctor Tsubasa. His childhood doctor.

His throat became dry. The one...

"Who pronounced you quirkless," the doctor said, finishing Izuku's thought.

Izuku raised his head, eyes sunken. "I don't... understand..."

"My real name is Garaki Kyūdai - All for One's doctor. Though," he mentioned offhandedly, "I suppose you don't know who that is just yet. But," he glanced towards Izuku. "The reasoning behind your... situation," he settled, "Is that we're taking every precaution we can to make you the perfect Nomu. One with thoughts and feelings. One with power and precision. All the while being," he grinned, sending a chill down Izuku's spine, "One who obeys."

Izuku felt as a sour bile began to rise at the back of his throat - tongue flinching at the taste. He was ready. He was ready to just get everything over with and die but now...

The boy shuddered, fingers twitching.

He was only going to be used as a tool again.

The boy squeezed his eyes shut, taking in a shaky breath and hiding his gritted teeth.

There was absolutely no way that he was going to allow himself to be used again.

"Now now," a new voice said, interrupting Izuku's thoughts, "Don't go terrifying the boy now."

A chuckle echoed throughout the room - along with the sound of a sort of rolling that was paired with an ominous and repetitive beeping sound - and Izuku felt a lump rise in his throat.

Although his tone seemed warm on the surface, underneath lay an ocean of vicious poison that begged to be released.

"I'm sure that Garaki told you about a man named All For One," the voice said coolly, a shadow finally appearing in Izuku's vision before stopping suddenly. "That... would be me."

Izuku was sure he heard a grin in the man's voice. However, it wasn't a kind grin. It wasn't competitive, angry, or even fake.

It was disgusting.

It was a vicious grin that told Izuku one important fact: This man was not one to be trifled with.

Once the suffocating tension in the room had settled, All For One stepped forwards once again, body now visible in the dim lighting.

Izuku froze.

The man was clearly crippled in some way or another. Not only was he in a wheelchair (and clearly blind), but he also had a ventilator and heart monitor hooked up to his form. Tubes snaked around his body, intertwining and travelling every which way, reaching their highest point at his mask.

Yet somehow, Izuku felt as if he were facing an unbreakable wall. Someone that filled him with a horrible sense of dread - one that most would immediately refuse to even attempt to climb because they knew it was impossible to surmount before even starting.

That's when another feeling nagged at the back of his mind. A sort of... excitement.

Izuku wasn't sure when it first started, but it had always bothered him up until this point. For whatever reason, whenever the boy had found himself in a perilous or otherwise unnerving situation, he could only feel a sense of exhilaration.

Whether it was the drugs or some other factor that caused him to normalize it in the moment, he didn't ask.

Instead, he found himself preoccupied with having an impromptu staring contest (despite the man's lack of eyes, he somehow gave off the 'bugs crawling on you' feeling that you had when someone stared into your soul) as All For One smiled curiously underneath his mask.

"So," Izuku finally spoke, "...You're the one... creating the Nomu...?"

"That I am," the man chuckled.

Izuku paused for a moment before raising his head. "How?"

All For One looked slightly surprised before laughing once again. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore." He wheeled himself closer, a chilling grin - the corners just barely visible -plastered on his face. "You see, boy, my quirk is called 'All For One,' hence my name. Not only does it allow me to take quirks from people," he said, causing Izuku's eyes to widen, "But I can also give them to others."

Although the words were different, Izuku couldn't help but think that take and give should've been steal and force.

"I... see...," the boy replied, finding himself a bit uneasy. As interesting as the whole situation was, he was more angered than anything. He didn't want to find himself returning to the life of appeasing others and being used as an unquestioning tool.

The man paused for a moment before wheeling close enough to Izuku to place his hand on his shoulder. The boy instinctively winced, eye flicking towards the man's palm, but remained otherwise still.

"Now that we've prepared anything, I suppose there's no use in wasting time."

Before Izuku could even open his mouth to speak, his eyes widened and his fingers began to twitch uncontrollably. A radiating pain began to weave under and over his skin, and an awful scream began to fill his ears.

His scream.

Despite his years living with Hisashi, Izuku couldn't hold back the pure terror that flooded him - the pain that radiated throughout his body and came in unending waves.

Until... It did end.

Left with a throbbing underneath his skin, the boy let out ragged breaths, feeling as if he had just been electrocuted at the highest setting several times in succession.

"That's what power feels like, boy," the man chuckled menacingly. Though, with the pain that continued to spark under his tensed muscles, he couldn't bring himself to raise his head. "I've just given you a quirk that allows you to stick to any surface. Not entirely useful in its own right - though by no means useless - but combined with the others you'll receive...

Izuku winced at the man's tone, barely even processing that he had a quirk.

He wasn't sure what one would feel like, what with being quirkless his entire life, but he couldn't help but feel as if there was a tightness in his skin - the feeling as if something was there that didn't belong.

All For One, likely noticing the boy's discomfort, spoke up. "Considering the fact that you were previously quirkless - and a new quirk in general can be quite unsettling - you should be able to feel its presence. However," he said, clicking his tongue under his mask, "Quirks are part of your DNA. Even if one is given to you, it intermingles until finally finding a place within your genetic code. In other words," the man chuckled, "It's a part of you - not a foreign object."

Izuku wanted to spit at him for the ridiculous pep talk after practically being tortured, but he couldn't find it in himself to move a muscle.

The man paused before humming, wheels lightly rolling over the floor as a pair of shoes - likely the doctor's - followed him. "I'll be back in a few days to give you your next quirk. I'm sure you'll want to be resting until then."

The boy winced as the door slammed shut, leaving him confined to the barely-lit room. He lowered his head, taking in a deep breath as his thoughts lagged behind.

"I need... to get out...," he mumbled to himself.

But the darkness had already swallowed his vision.

---

"You're a strange one, huh, brat?" a voice rasped, waking Izuku. He slowly raised his head, still caught up in his haze, and stared at the blurry figure in front of him.

"What...?" he croaked out, throat dry.

He squinted, focusing his vision on the man before him. Despite the darkness, Izuku was able to make out a few prominent features - namely the cracked, pale skin, glowing red eyes, shaggy blue hair, and, most noticeably, an embalmed hand that was settled over his face.

"You're quirkless, huh?" the man asked in a childish kind of tone, though the clear hollowness underneath caused Izuku to stiffen.

Slowly, he reached his hand outwords, placing wrapping his fingers - besides a single pinky - around Izuku's throat. "I'm Tomura Shigaraki," he said, ignoring the boy's obvious discomfort. "And you are?"

Izuku simply narrowed his eyes in resentment.

Shigaraki's eye twitched annoyedly. "You know, Midoriya...," he said, slowly lowering his pinky, "I wouldn't act so rashly."

The boy's eyes widened as a sudden, aching pain shot through his throat, feeling as if it were falling apart. After a few moments - though what seemed like years - Shigaraki lifted his finger, staring at Izuku with a sadistic glint in his visible eye as the boy panted, sweat dripping down his chin.

His eye flicked at the boy's hands - which were obviously trembling in shock - before settling back on his face. "My quirk is called 'Decay.' Make any stupid moves, brat," he laughed hollowly, a wicked grin spread across his face, "And you'll find yourself as nothing but a pile of ash."

Izuku took in a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut. He gave the slightest of nods, not wanting to set the man off.

"Good," he laughed once again. "Now, I don't know much about you, but you're interesting. Sensei-" All For One? Izuku wondered briefly, "Told me that you were a quirkless child. Those are pretty rare, huh?" He leaned in, a curious yet horrifying look in his eye. "What's that like?"

The freckled boy stared at Shigaraki for a moment, expression souring. Once he noticed the man's increasing irritation, however, he spoke up. "Awful."

"I assumed as much," Shigaraki replied, sighing. "How boring. Hmm..." He glanced back up at the boy. "How do you feel about heroes?"

For a moment, Izuku froze. His immediate reaction was to reply with a sort of childish excitement - to tell the man that he was going to be a hero one day. Flashes of memories in which he had blood on his hands, however, nearly knocked the air out of the boy, causing him to gulp.

Shigaraki raised a brow, his grin sending a shiver down Izuku's spine. "I can tell you like heroes. But you're also just like me..."

Izuku stiffened, looking up at the man. "...What?"

The man laughed, leaning backwards - though without removing his hand from Izuku's neck. "You want to kill them, huh? You've killed before - I can tell. And you liked it. You just have that look in your eyes."

"I...," Izuku choked out, breaths heavy.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Shigaraki asked almost excitedly. "I'm glad you won't be one of those brainless Nomu."

Izuku's fingers twitched at the mention of the name.

Nomu.

Somehow, he had forgotten about the creature that the doctor had described. He almost wished he didn't remember.

But a sort of anger began to bubble up in his stomach before escaping through his throat. "I'm not going to be a Nomu," he said through clenched teeth.

Shigaraki paused before narrowing his eyes. "You don't have a choice, brat."

Izuku growled. "I'm not some toy, Shigaraki. I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you're not going to control me."

"Stop being annoying," Shigaraki hissed back, clearly irritated.

The freckled boy ignored the underlying pain in his throat - neck stinging as the air weaved through the exposed skin. "You're nothing but some childish brat who knows nothing about how the world works," he said, feeling a smile creep onto his face.

As Shigaraki lowered his pinky, Izuku grinned. "You really can't control your emotions, huh? You're just some trigger-happy kid who never learned self restraint. I'd say," he smirked, clicking his tongue, "You've never been told in your life."

Shigaraki was enraged - Izuku knew that much. The man wanted nothing more than to squeeze the life from the boy before him - and that's exactly what Izuku wanted.

As soon as the tip of the man's pinky connected with his skin, he ignoring the hissing pain and jerked downwards, forcing the man to stumble and place his hand on his handcuffs.

It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough time to disintegrate the one on his right. Grinning, Izuku ripped his hand down the rope that coiled around his body and thrust his knee forwards into the man's chin.

Shigaraki stumbled backwards with wide eyes - curses rapidly spilling from his bloodied lips.

As soon as the man was off balance, Izuku took the opportunity to stand.

"Get back here, you fucking brat!" Shigaraki shouted, reaching out his hand.

Izuku winced as his ankle was clamped around in a vice grip - jeans quickly transforming into ash before his skin began to peel away

Biting back the pain, Izuku kicked his other foot forwards, connecting with the man's ribs. When he still refused to let go despite the grunt that had escaped him, he continued, waiting until the man loosened his grasp before running.

Not bothering to look back at the cursing man, Izuku burst from the door, heaving. Sweat dripped down his nose as he glanced around, eyes falling upon a door at the end of the hall.

Gritting his teeth, he raced towards the door, slamming full force into it. Despite the dull throb in his shoulder, he continued using it as if it were a battering ram, stumbling inside once it opened.

After another quick look around, he found himself with two options - try the next door, or leap through the window.

He initially made his way towards the door, but once he heard earthquake-like footsteps grow near - along with the lock and passcode - he ran for the window.

Although his fingers trembled, Izuku undid the latch, opening the window and feeling as the breeze struck his face. He breathed heavily, looking outside, only to freeze once he saw how high up they were.

His vision became tunnel-like, a sickening feeling churning in his stomach as he looked down. "Ah..."

Before he could ponder his situation much, a screeching sound rang throughout the hall, sending an awful chill down his spine.

Izuku quickly turned, eyes widening and heart dropping as he watched a hulking figure near him. His eyes darted around its body - seeing the inhuman muscles, dead-eyes, and an exposed brain.

"Is that...?" he whispered breathlessly.

Shigaraki growled, entering shortly after the Nomu. He had a sort of limp, but despite it, his lips quirked upwards at Izuku's clear fear. "A Nomu."

Izuku took in a rattly breath, hand twitching.

"Which is exactly," he began to laugh wickedly before narrowing his eyes, "What you'll be." After a moment, Shigaraki's eyes flicked towards the Nomu. "Nomu," he spat viciously. "Get him."

It was as if a switch had been flipped off inside the creature's brain - eyes gaining a small shine to them as if it had just been brought to life. And, following Shigaraki's orders, it stepped towards Izuku, the ground quaking with its steps.

The freckled boy slapped his hand against his mouth before looking around, teeth gritted. As his eyes fell upon the window, one thought shot to the front of his mind.

GET OUT NOW.

Without thinking, Izuku whipped around with a sharp inhale and...

He jumped.

---

sorry for that absolute sleep-deprived trash :D

anyways

Thanks for reading! <3

(also ty to WOnderOusWOrlds for editing xD)