25 Tea, Scones and Murder

Toshinori Yagi POV

All For One had been quiet. If he was any other villain I would consider that a good thing, but when talking about All For One, well, nothing he does is good.

He only takes and takes, and he leaves nothing behind.

What was he doing now, I wonder? Was he taking Kyoko apart, piece by piece until she was warped even further into his ideal servant?

Or had she already outlived her usefullnes? Was all that remained of her now a quirk, in the hands of a monster?

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Shigaraki Kyoko POV

I couldn't do it. My legs fell away from under me when I tried to walk, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

Not a single thing anyone could do, except make me bite the bullet and actually stumble along the path of recovery.

My legs were, well, they were fixed, I suppose you could call it.

Except there was no muscle memory there, and when I stepped onto the ground all I saw was the lines spreading there, that weren't there anymore.

The Doctor always made me feel uncomfortable, but having gotten to know him a bit better this last time, he wasn't too bad.

I suppose he is just akward.

And as I fell again and again, Kuro was always there to catch me and ensure I didn't hit the ground.

Like now, even as the ground was getting close I didn't dare to reach out towards those lines climbing up my legs that weren't there, because I could fix my legs and hold my body togheter but my arms, no, no, no, I couldn't do that much not with only fourty seven shadows remaining and All Might closing in and then strong arms caught me, and a deep chuckle rang out.

"Now then, little shadow, I think it's time to sleep."

I gave no protests as he carried me to my soft bed, one far larger then I needed.

"Kuro?" I aksed, and he 'hmmed' in response, a serene smile on his lips.

"Could you tell me a story?" He raised an eyebrow at that before he responded.

"Well, what kind of story do you want to hear? A bedtime one, or a humerous one?"

"A fun one." God knew I needed to have some fun.

"Well then, you know that game 'All For You', that you like playing?" I nodded, and he smiled as he continued. "It was actually based on a book, an old book mind you, one that was published during my own rise to power. Now the funny part is where I got it through censorship."

He continued on with his story, and I fell asleep laughing.

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Toshinori Yagi POV

The lights were on. I thought I shut those off.

My steps down the stairs weren't quiet, but I still heard something close. A door? No, it wasn't that loud.

The refrigerator.

I rushed down the steps and saw that familiar mess of white hair.

"Ah, Yagi, how lovely of you to join me. I made some tea and scones. Please, sit down."

And the problem was that they looked delicious.

"And sadly I didn't bring any ingredients, so I had to use what I could find here." And he said that the most condesending way he possinly could have, as if my food wasn't up to his standards.

"And if I don't sit down?" He smiled, almost happily, as if wanting me to do just that.

"By all means, do so. Just remember that a bit of murder is always on the table, and if you do that I can just tell Kyoko you refused to talk like civilised people without having to lie to the poor sweetheart."

"And what makes you think you will win that fight?"He had lost last time, but for some reason he looked amused this time, and this was not the happiness that was in him when talking abuot Kyoko, no, this was the amusment of All For One when he got another quirk he liked.

"Who ever said the fight, murder, whatever you wish to call it, would be between us? Honestly though, it probably would be, but I think I will simply leave this time when several city blocks have gone up in smoke."

This bastard. I wanted to rip his spine out and strangle him with it.

I still sat down, and while I would never admit it the tea and scones were good.

"So, All For One, how come you are this... pacifistic? Normally you would just level the city to end me."

He actually had the gall to smile at that, as if the deaths he had caused were worth nothing, as if he could be forgiven. "Well, I do owe you one I suppose."

That brought me up short, stunning me into silence, and he continued.

"All those years ago, when I felt my skull crack in I did all I could to survive, but it just wasn't enough. I died, Yagi, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it. There was not a damn thing I could do, as I was held down by pale shadows pretending to be my brothers line of chosen. As I was held down by One For All, inside One For All. Quirks remember, Yagi."

Does that mean master? "So Nana?"

All For One smiled at that, as mocking as he was meant to be. "No, no, she held it for far too short. One For All held stockpiled memories and power exponentially, and I am the only one that held a connection with One For All long enough to be a person, and not just a pale shadow of my former self."

And as quickly as all my hope built up, it fell down into the shadow of despair.

He smirked. "Continuing my story, even earlier then my death I found a quirk that would offset my weakness, but sadly I couldn't take it myself, due to how our powers would interact. I simply had the good doctor copy my quirk, and I gave her the original All For One."

"And then five years later, when you took her hand into your own, trying to comfort her I escaped. So thank you All Might, for bringing me to Kyoko."

I couldn't fall into despair now, no, not when there was no symbol of peace to take my place.

"All For One..." I practically growled under my breath.

The monster infront of me simply smiled at me before he answered. "Please Yagi, call me Shigaraki."

Shigaraki? He named Kyoko after himself?

"Wait, you named Kyoko after yourself?"

His eyebrows receded into his hairline at that, and I saw the beginnings of a happy smile he quickly turned into a smirk, before he answered. "She named herself that Yagi, she simply followed her heart."

Then it hit me even harder.

"You named Tenko after yourself?!"

"He didn't tell you? Well, I suppose he might not have remembered. And yes, I did. Honestly, you should have been happy I took him off your hands. The child was born twisted."

He what. "You what."

"Well, do you know what the first thing he did with the power I gave him was? He killed his family."

This was the All For One I knew. The monster, the murderer and the villain.

"You know as well as I do quirks come with instincts."

"And I know as well as I do that I don't take instincts. I only take the quirk. Plus, it was a first generation quirk, which means there were no instincts attached to it."

"T-that's just a theo-"

His cold voice cut through my shocked voice as easily as molten lava cut burned through organic matter. In a matter of instants, but without the steam explosions.

"No. I know it is not. Before you quote me as an example, I will have you know that I am simply a kleptomaniac. Now, to get back on track, Decay is a quirk that destroys what it's user wants it to destroy, so I can use it in a crowded mall and hurt only the people, or perhaps only one person."

My blood froze as my quirk thrummed to life, One For All pushing itself through my body at it's maximum power, sparks emanating around me due to excess energy, as black and red sparks of pure power spread around the hands of All For One.

Those were not excess no, those were a show of power and of skill.

As I prepared, All For One spoke, almost whispered, in a soft voice.

"First the dog..."

I pushed all power I had into my arm.

"Then his sister..."

The sparks rippling off my arm lit the room up.

"After that... his mother and grandparents..."

I cocked my fist back.

"And for last... Kotaro, the child you replaced."

I swung and his arm snapped up in an instant, swelling as he countered my fist with a punch of his own, his voice clear despite the roaring winds, "One of the few quirks I regretted giving away."

In moments like this I was happy I lived alone, as the trees beyond the place walls had stood bent and snapped. And the house?

For an instant I looked beneth me, beneth the clash of titans, and saw as the floor was crushed into the bedrock beneth, I saw as it cracked into splinters that rubbed against eachother like matchsticks until lit, but it didn't touch us, no, the wind throwing away any fire trying to get near.

I pushed and pushed, until the only thing holding me back was the lack of levarage, as even the bedrock tore apart beneth our feet.

For just a second, I saw something indechiphrable cross the eyes of my nemesis, and his other arm swelled up almost comically at his side, and faster then any human could move it was in my face, red and black lightning almost touching me as I felt my feet leave the ground, and the world around me blur.

And then All For One spoke, and I heard him even as I flew faster then speed.

"But I suppose the hate of a child should be forgiven."

When I returned to the ruins of my home there was no monster hanging there in the air, mocking me. There was only me and the crackling fire.

I actually liked these shoes, I thought looking at the state my slippers, or well, the burning rags that were slippers.

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Shigaraki Kyoko POV

"You want what?" Garaki asked.

"Well Doctor Garaki, I would like to play a game."

I tried to keep the embarrasment out of my voice, I really did. I failed.

Garaki chuckled after looking like he realized something.

"So, Sensei told you that story, huh. Well, I suppose I could get you a computer."

I smiled, my cheeks tinted with red.

"Would you like for me to give you a new account? I think I have a few over thr soft cap."

I was suprised at the fact that the doctor would play a game like All For You, that was really more of a time killer then anything else.

"You used to play?"

"Miss Shigaraki, me and Sensei were quite avid players of that game for a long time. A lot of being a villain, belive it or not, is killing time. I suppose this last time has been more hectic then usual."

Really? I could see Kuro playing it, but not the doctor.

"I suppose using a very basic form of AI, it barely deserves to be called advanced nor intelligent didn't hurt with leveling."

"Doctor, if you mind me asking, how did you and Kuro meet?"

He was hesitant, but he eventually, after a few seconds of what looked like intense internal debating, he answered.

"I suppose if anyone deserves to know, it is you, Miss Shigaraki."

"I was young back then, and I had a theory. The quirk singularity theory, and I got evidence for it. But it was destroyed and sabotaged again and again, because no one wanted quirks to be that dangerous. To be able to be that horrid. No one wanted to think that quirks would eventually grow until they either destroyed the body of it's user, or controlled all of the user's actions."

He seemed so defiant up until here, as if nothing could stop him, but at this point, he simply seemed to run out of energy.

"So I turned to criminals for help, after all my funding was pulled. I did horrible thing after horrible thing, and before I knew it I was at a table, cutting up corpses of children, trying to create quirks for the worst of the world. I didn't know who to turn to, but one day it was too much."

He let out a sigh, one of regret, frustration and anger.

"I turned to Sensei, not for him to save me but for him to kill me. He said no, and that my punishment was living and atoning for what I had done."

"Oh."

"I suppose I unloaded a bit on you, Miss Shigaraki?"

"I guess so."

We fell into an akward yet comfortable silence.

A cut opened up next to us, and out stepped Kuro, and I felt like my spirit jump out of my body.

"Was I interuppting something?" His smooth voice seemed amused.

"No Sensei, we were merely talking about getting Kyoko here a new account of All For You."

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order then, my dear, because you have succesfully made damage over time builds viable again." Now his voice didn't seemed amused, it was amused.

"I have?"

"Yes, you were added as a raid boss, and after Jaku and you subsequently showing more power, the devs decided to add a quite powerful regenerative ability to 'The Shadow Queen, The King's Royal Guard', and yes, that was the title of the boss."

Garaki chuckled abit before stating his thoughts on it. "A bit of a mouthful, no?"

"I suppose, but why would that make damage over time relevant again? Just don't fight that boss."

"Well, my dear," said Kuro, amused, "that is because you are now the first boss to drop the multi quirk serum. How amusing, no?"

Now, the biggest question in my mind was still unanswered.

"But Kuro, if I am the king's guard, does that mean you will be added in the future?"

Kuro smiled and chuckled. "Maybe, who knows?"

And now Garaki chimed in with his thoughts.

"But what era will you be in? Time Twister does make era travel simple, compared to before he was added, but still, it is quite annoying to have to pay so many blood coins. Makes era jumping for refreshing bosses so much less efficent compared to the good old days with Bloodport and Jailed Vista for era travel."

Kuro simply laughed a little at that, before he turned his attention to me.

"Well then, I suppose we will have to make use of the 'Dingy Handgun', hmm?"

The Dingy Handgun?