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I Know What I Have To Do Now	By : Fullmetal_Masochist Category: +M to R > My Hero Academia Views: 2664 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters within this story. No profit is being made from this story.

Chapter List
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"I have some hero work that will be occupying my time for the next couple of days, so I asked Midnight to come in and teach classes in my absence. I expect you all to behave yourselves while I'm gone," said Aizawa as he finished his lecture for the day. Todoroki was already aware of the reason he'd be leaving, so the news didn't surprise him at all compared to the rest of the class. He just gathered his things and left the school like any normal day.
"Todoroki... Hey, Todoroki! Damnit answer me when I'm talking to you, Icy-Hot!" yelled Katsuki Bakugou as he approached Todoroki, who had been so focused on mentally preparing for the mission that he didn't notice his classmate calling out to him.
"What is it Bakugou? I'm busy." As he turned around he saw that Bakugou's friend Eijirou Kirishima had tagged along as well.
"That's what I'd like to know. You've been acting different since that damn nerd disappeared. Now you're in a big hurry and claim you're 'busy.' You didn't react when Aizawa mentioned leaving out of nowhere, either. Which means you know something about where he's going, and I'm betting it's got something to do with Deku, doesn't it?"
Damnit, this guy is more perceptive than I give him credit for... Todoroki looked away from his classmates. His plans to go alone were now in danger of being revealed if he didn't do something.
"They're raiding the new hideout for the League of Villains. Midoriya is with them now, but I'm going to find out what really happened. I don't believe for one second that he'd give up on being a hero. If you're going to stop me, then try. Otherwise, I'll be leaving now."
Kirishima looked at Bakugou, then at Todoroki. "Not by yourself, you're not! If there's a chance I can be helpful with bringing Midoriya back, then I want in! I'm sure Bakugou here feels the same, right buddy?"
"I've got a lot I need to say to that bastard, so don't think you're stopping me from going, either."
Todoroki didn't have to think about it for long. All three of them had a connection to Midoriya, as well as the fact they were all present when All Might met his end. It'd be wrong to try to persuade them to stay behind. Besides, it may not be as easy as walking up to Midoriya and talking him out of whatever lies the villains had been feeding him over the last few weeks. Strong allies would be useful in this situation.
"Alright, but we have to make sure we're not seen by the teachers or heroes. I overheard when and where they plan to move on the location. If we can get there early enough to find Midoriya and get him out of there before the heroes move in, we may be able to help him avoid getting in any further trouble or danger. I'll fill you both in on the details on the way to the station. We've got a train to catch."
Even though he had seen the news when the leak about All Might's Quirk was released, Midoriya still couldn't believe it. For so many years the existence of One For All had been kept a secret. But now it was all out in the open. The whole world knew that he was the reason All Might was gone. The guilt he had attempted to bury deep within him was exposed once more, like a fresh wound that wouldn't heal. He'd barricaded himself in his room, refusing to step out for anything. He had a suspicion that someone in the League was responsible for the leak, so he couldn't trust those he had been living with for the last month anymore.
Shunning his dreams of being a Hero and now feeling betrayed by the villains that took him in, Midoriya felt lost and unsure of himself. Even if he managed to redeem himself and return to UA, now that everyone knew where his power came from, there's no way he'd be able to live a peaceful life. His thoughts continued drifting further towards despair, which is exactly what Shigaraki intended.
"Midoriya, you've been in there quite a while, why don't you come out and get some fresh air. Take a walk with me," said Shigaraki as he knocked on the door. Now would be the best time to gauge whether he was ready to hand over One For All yet. The sooner he could take possession of it, the sooner he could be rid of the boy and move on to fulfill his plans. Then he could return for All For One and make him a free man. He'd managed to maintain their organization well without his direct guidance, but Shigaraki still felt insecure without him nearby.
The door opened slightly, revealing half of Midoriya's face. The dark shadow under his eye and disheveled hair made it obvious that sleep had evaded him for quite a while. "I'm not feeling up to it, Shigaraki. Maybe another time."
"You look horrible, kid. Just step out with me for a moment. You've obviously got something on your mind, so come out and talk about it. I'm assuming it's the leak about All Might and the Quirk you inherited from him, right?"
Midoriya's reddened eyes narrowed as he decided to go with Shigaraki. Perhaps by talking with him, he could get a better idea of what his next move should be. He slipped into his hoodie and followed him to the courtyard of their new headquarters. It had rained recently; the dampness still left its scent in the air and the grass squeaked lightly as they walked through it.
"I don't envy you, Midoriya. Now that the whole world knows your secret, all eyes will be on you. Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look to be in the best frame of mind for that kind of attention."
"I know. If I go back, they'll all come after me, heroes and villains. If this Quirk couldn't even stop the evil in this city, then what's the point of having it in the first place!" Midoriya yelled as he grew more agitated. For the first time, he felt regret over accepting All Might's ability. It had only caused pain and suffering in the end, no better than the Quirk it came from, All For One.
If neither one existed, then how many lives could be spared the heartache that they bring? Yes, this is what I'm really meant to do. I see that now, and I have a villain to thank for helping me reach this conclusion.
"Midoriya, there's a way to avoid that, you know. Passing it on to another would make those problems go away. I'd be willing to take that burden off your shoulders."
I knew it, he was after One For All this whole time. That's okay, if I go along with it, he'll never suspect it when I take All For One instead during the transfer.
"I-It would be too much for you. This power is too great, even with you having possession of All For One now. But I can't keep doing this, hiding away. You would really do this for me?"
"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise, Midoriya. You deserve some peace of mind after all that's happened to you lately. Come, we'll get something to eat and then I'll accept your Quirk as my own."
Before they could leave the courtyard, several alarms alerted them to the presence of trespassers getting too close to their hideout.
"Damnit, we're too late, they've already started to move in on the building!" yelled Todoroki.
"There's no one over on that side of the street, maybe we could cut through that alley and circle around to the back," Kirishima said as he pointed and started running in that direction. Bakugou just sneered and followed him along with Todoroki. They couldn't risk getting involved in the main fight, but they'd come too far to give up on trying to save Midoriya.
Kirishima's guess had paid off; their access to the rear of the building was clear, and they cautiously approached with Kirishima and Bakugou covering the left side and Todoroki to the right. The fighting hadn't spread to where they were yet. They entered the building, sweeping each room before moving ahead. In one of the side rooms, Todoroki found a notebook on a small desk. He recognized Midoriya's handwriting and opened it to reveal a villain-themed version of his Quirk notebook.
"He started keeping notes on the villains... Look at this, all this information and detail..." Todoroki flipped through quickly, then slid it into his shirt and secured it against his waistband. It could be invaluable if they had to face a villain whose Quirk wasn't immediately familiar.
"I don't give a shit about his little homework assignments, let's just find the damn guy so I can beat some sense into him," Bakugou growled.
They could hear the heroes and villains fighting closely now. Checking around the corner, they finally saw Midoriya as he engaged in close combat with one of the sidekicks. He didn't hold back as he quickly beat him down, giving the novice hero little time and even less mercy as he kept slinging punches at him.
"Deku! You think you're some tough shit now that you crossed over to their side?! That pisses me off more than the thought of you trying to surpass me! Get your ass over here and fight!" Bakugou stepped closer, with Todoroki and Kirishima positioned on either side of him. Midoriya started to walk towards the group, wiping the small spatters of blood off his face, staring at Bakugou with intense, killing intent.
"Wait, it doesn't have to come to this, you two!" Kirishima begged as he stepped forward and put his arm out in front of Bakugou. "I can't imagine what they could have said to convince you to be here, Midoriya, but they're only using you! Villains are villains, their intentions can't possibly be noble or manly! Please, just come back to UA with us and we'll get this all straightened out, okay?"
Midoriya's eyes never left Bakugou's when he answered. "You're wrong. The villains are the only ones that can see where the problems are! They helped me realize the best way to fix everything that's wrong with this world, too. I have the opportunity to change the world, Kacchan! In a way that I couldn't as a hero! I had to fall to realize just where I was needed most. If you intend to stop me from realizing my goal, then I'll put you down right here!"
"You think you're better off as a villain? Look at yourself, Deku! I can't believe that the one All Might chose to succeed him would turn into this mopey piece of shit. He'd be ashamed of what you've become if he were here to see you now!"
Fire ignited in Midoriya's eyes and heart as he heard those words. With an ear-piercing scream, he charged towards Bakugou and activated his Full Cowling. Bakugou pushed Kirishima away and blasted himself towards Midoriya at full speed. Just before impact, Bakugou aimed his hands directly at Midoriya and sparked up an explosion. Midoriya narrowly dodged the blast and gut-checked Bakugou with his shoulder. He slammed Bakugou into the nearby wall, effectively decimating it. Blood sprayed from Bakugou's mouth as he struggled to take in more air.
"We've gotta stop them, Todoroki, they're gonna kill each other if this keeps up!"
"I know that, Kirishima! But neither of them is giving us a chance to get close!" Each time they tried to approach, Bakugou would set off another burst of explosions or Midoriya would swing a punch with enough wind pressure behind it to take them off their feet.
Both young men were covered in blood, sweat, and debris as they clashed again and again. Midoriya had managed to severely injure Bakugou's right arm and kept targeting that side in his attacks. He landed a kick that sent Bakugou flying against another wall. Battle-weary and struggling to breathe, Bakugou attempted to sit up but couldn't manage it. The lull in the fight gave Kirishima the chance to rush to his side and check on him. As Midoriya approached, Kirishima turned to face him while hardening his body to protect the two of them from their old friend's next attack.
"You-You're right, Kacchan. I know that's how he would feel if he saw me today. But it's the fact that he's not here anymore that's brought me to this point. If this world didn't depend on heroes or put so much pressure on one single person to maintain the peace, then his death could have been avoided. The world can't maintain this system anymore. There are too many pointless deaths being caused by it!"
Todoroki stepped in and yelled back, "So you think his death was pointless? That him risking his life to save us was worth nothing?! What's the matter with you? The Midoriya I know would never believe such nonsense! This world needs heroes now more than ever! Isn't that what we've been training for our whole lives? Are you saying that all the pain I've had to live through was meaningless?! This isn't the real you, Midoriya. I refuse to believe that you could change your heart and your ideals so easily!"
"How could you possibly know my heart, Todoroki? After all that I've been through-"
"I SAW IT DURING THE SPORTS FESTIVAL WHEN YOU FACED ME! You had no reason to care about anything other than advancing to the next round in the tournament. But you tossed aside that objective and instead pushed me to remember things I'd long forgotten and realize my true potential as a hero! You saved me during that fight, Midoriya! Your heart didn't want to win, it wanted to save someone that you knew needed help! There's no way in Hell that you could have changed so drastically, even after losing your own hero and mentor! I know that you still want to save people, Midoriya, but you won't be able to do it on that side! I don't want to fight you after everything you've done for me. But if it will get you back, I'll do whatever it takes! Today, I'll be the one to save you!"
"I DON'T NEED SAVING! I made this choice to come to the League of Villains. You just can't see that I had to become the villain, so I could bring a peaceful end for both sides! I know what I have to do now, and if going through you is the only way, then so be it!"
Midoriya was exhausted from his fight with Bakugou, but still displayed the same intensity as he approached Todoroki, who could only look at his friend with sadness. Todoroki could see that as Midoriya started to attack that he was doing so wildly and without focus. That alone told him that he had the advantage in this fight. Allowing Midoriya to get close, they traded blows quickly. Todoroki kept himself well guarded while Midoriya cared little for how much damage Todoroki did to him. Weakening his knee, Todoroki trapped Midoriya's foot in a patch of ice before tackling him and pinning him face down.
"Give it up Midoriya, you've lost!"
Hearing him start to whimper, Todoroki let up the pressure on the back of his head, cautiously giving Midoriya the chance to move. As he turned his head to the side, Todoroki saw tears flowing freely from his eyes. Through his sobbing, Midoriya began to speak.
"I was going to end it, Todoroki. All For One and One For All. The two powers that no one should hold anymore. Once I took possession of them both, I-I was going to end my life. Dying with those Quirks would free the world of their repression and danger. I could save everyone by sacrificing myself, Todoroki. I know he'd be ashamed of me, but I think All Might would have understood that it was for the greater good."
Todoroki started to tremble, then slapped Midoriya across the face. "You damn moron! What makes you think killing yourself could ever be what's best for this world?! Did you even stop to think about the ones you'd be leaving behind?! Your mother's been worried sick ever since you went missing. The girls back in the dorm, especially Uraraka, have been crying and wondering if there was anything they could have done differently! Our entire class has felt empty without your presence! No matter how sound you think your reasoning is, it's not worth hurting so many people that care about you!"
Midoriya cried harder at the mention of his mother and how the others had taken his absence. He had only thought of how best to end his own pain, not how it would have brought more pain to others.
"But... What am I supposed to do? I was so sure of what I had to do to stop Shigaraki and fix things. I-I don't think I can go through with it now."
"You don't have to do anything, Midoriya. You've done quite enough," said Shigaraki as he appeared from the corner of the room. "So, you had planned to double-cross us this entire time, then? I have to say that you had me fooled. I was so sure that we'd tapped into your despair well enough to control you like the puppet we needed. My original goal was to attain One For All and join it with All For One, but now that I doubt you'd willingly pass it on, I'll just settle for killing off that half of the power. You'll fulfill at least half of your dying wish that way, right?"
"He isn't dying today, bastard," said Todoroki as he rose to his feet and braced himself for battle. Stepping up next to him was Kirishima, hardened with his arms jagged and sharp. Bakugou had even made it to his feet and took a place in front of Midoriya, sparks flying from his hands.
"Well isn't this a heart-warming scene? The three of you defending a traitor! Looks like I'll get a chance to try out this new power after all, Midoriya. Why not take some notes while I steal all of your friend's Quirks!"
"You won't get the chance, Shigaraki," a voice from the shadows echoed. It was Aizawa, who had been pursuing Shigaraki since the beginning of the fight. "Get out of the way boys, now!" His hair was standing on end, which meant he had his Erasure active and was currently erasing Shigaraki's Quirks.
Todoroki offered Midoriya a hand up, but the boy could only stare at it through teary eyes. He didn't deserve this after the terrible things he'd done as a member of the League of Villains. There was no redemption waiting for him at UA, only judging eyes and attempts on his life and his Quirk.
"Take it, Midoriya. It's time for you to come home. We all missed you."
Crying once again, he wiped the tears away with one hand while grasping Todoroki's hand with the other. Once on his feet, he slung his arm over Todoroki's shoulder and hugged him close. "Thank you, for everything."
Drying his eyes once more, he pushed Todoroki to the ground and ran towards Shigaraki. Powering up his Full Cowl, he gathered one hundred percent of the power of One For All into his arm and swung at Shigaraki with all his might. The blast was devastating. Aizawa and the rest of those surrounding them were blown clear of the impact. As the dust began to clear, Todoroki could see that Midoriya alone had managed to stay on his feet, with Shigaraki laying broken and beaten beneath him.
Quickly getting to his feet, Todoroki rushed to Midoriya and was horrified at what he saw as he got closer. Midoriya's arm was lying limp against his side, gruesomely twisted and bleeding heavily. But that was nothing compared to the wound on his left side. Shigaraki must have managed to use his Decay Quirk once Aizawa lost his focus and disintegrated a deep wound through Midoriya's torso.
"MIDORIYA!" Todoroki yelled as he barely made it in time to catch him as they fell to the ground together.
"Aizawa... His Quirk wasn't going to... Last much longer. No one else could stop him, I had to... Is he gone?"
Todoroki looked at the body next to them. There was no mistaking that Shigaraki Tomura was dead. He slipped his fingers against his neck to check for a pulse to be sure but found nothing but blood.
"Yeah. It's over, Midoriya. You didn't have to do this. You've destroyed your arm, and..." he said as he looked for a way to stem the flow of blood from Midoriya's side. Ripping his sleeve off, he fashioned a makeshift bandage over the wound for the time being.
"I can't go back, Todoroki. They all know about me and how I got my Quirk. They'll blame me for his death. And all the things I did while I was with Shigaraki and the villains… I'm so ashamed of it all now. This is for the best, Todoroki. Just... Let me go," he said as he weakly attempted to push his friend's hand away.
"Shh... Don't overthink it, Midoriya. No one is blaming you for anything. So what if they know the origin of your power? That should make you proud to wield it. This doesn't have to be the end, just hang in there!
Midoriya sniffled as his tears began to dry, "When Shigaraki first approached me, I knew whatever he had to say would be trouble. But he had me thoroughly convinced. It wasn't all lies though, Todoroki. Our hero society isn't perfect."
"Yeah, I know. But I think now that our generation realizes it, we can all put forth an effort to make it better. No one has to shoulder such a heavy burden alone anymore, okay? I know that's what you believed because that's what All Might did. But this world is meant for everyone to protect, so don't think it's all on you."
"I know you and everyone else will do great things as heroes," Midoriya said as the hand he had reached out toward Todoroki fell against him. "Thank you, Todoroki," Midoriya whispered with a smile. "You did end up saving me after all."
"You can thank me when you're better!" The sound of sirens grew closer and Todoroki looked up to see the flashes of light through what was left of the walls of the building. It didn't take long for the first responders to find them as Todoroki flagged them down, wildly waving his free arm in the air. "See, the medical team's here, I'll let them take over now. See you soon, okay?" But as Todoroki looked back to him, he saw that Midoriya was already gone, the smile still present on his face.
Sitting in front of the grave, Todoroki gave no heed to the rain falling steadily around him. He stared at the stone where Midoriya's name was etched and tried his best to figure out just what he wanted to say. Everything he had wanted to tell him had been swelling inside of his head for the last few days, but now that he was here, he struggled to put them into words.
"They, they're regarding you as a hero, Midoriya. But we all knew that's what you were from the start, right? Even during your darkest times, you still wanted to protect this world. You were never a villain, not for a moment." He wiped his wet sleeve across his nose, sniffling a little before continuing.
"With Shigaraki and All For One gone, the villains are scrambling in the shadows to find out who will rise to take their place. Fortunately, the heroes are all taking the responsibility upon themselves to stop each threat before they get too severe. The information from your villain notebook has been invaluable in that regard. No one will have to shoulder the burden alone anymore. The world's already changing for the better, Midoriya. It's all thanks to you. We won't let your sacrifice be in vain." Todoroki felt a little self-conscious and slid his hands back through his hair to wring out the excess water.
"I've been looking in on your mother for you, Midoriya. She misses you dearly, but she's managing well. She's a very strong person, I can see where you got that trait. She's so very proud of you, just like everyone else. I hope that knowledge brings you peace." He lost himself in his thoughts again, closing his eyes as he focused on the drops of rain pattering all over him, providing a suitable camouflage for his tears. It was with the sudden halt of that sensation that he looked up to see Bakugou standing over him holding two large umbrellas.
"They're asking for you back at the dorm. It was getting annoying, so I decided to come get you myself." Bakugou shifted his eyes from Todoroki to the grave before them. "You tell him everything you wanted to say?"
"Yeah. You should try it, Bakugou. You knew him longer than any of us. I'm sure there are things you'd like to share with him."
Bakugou stepped in front of Todoroki and offered him a hand, pulling his classmate up with little effort before handing him one of the umbrellas. "Hmph, I doubt that anything I have to say would make either of us feel better. And if I were to do that, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you about it!"
"Yeah, I guess not. Just keep it in mind, for the future."
Bakugou grunted in response and started to walk back to the dorm with Todoroki following behind. He looked back to Midoriya's final resting place one more time, hoping that his words had given his friend a sense of peace. He resolved to visit him often to share what was going on in their small part of the world. He wanted the person who showed him what it truly meant to be a hero to share in all of his successes and failures moving forward, just as he would have if he'd still been there.
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