Chapter 7

He woke up again, still attached to the chair. The snapping sounds of the tweezers rung in his head once again. He eagerly looked at his hands. He still had his fingers. The only sign that was left that indicated that what happened was real was the scars that ran across each of his knuckles on his hand where the fingers started. He wiggled his toes freely. 'High-speed regeneration.' All For One said as if reading his thoughts. 'Don't get me wrong, I only gave you the quirk so we could get things done quicker. I can break you over and over again only to have you heal back up. Quite interesting isn't it?

'Well now that the first option has been completed. Which one will you chose next?' He pointed to the knife and the black box.

'The- The box.' Izuku stuttered.

Hisashi smiled. 'Excellent choice, Izuku.'

He grabbed the box and slowly opened it. Izuku immediately regretted his choice. He pulled out a giant centipede that extended a slightly shorter distance than his forearm. It's body curled at the ends and it's red, long, tiny legs squirmed. All For One grabbed his hair and pulled his head upward. He dangled the centipede by his head letting the sound of its squirming fill his ear. 'You don't have to do this. Father, please don't. P-please just let me go. I can't. Stop.'

'This is what you wanted. Was it not?'

'F-F-Father, please!'

Despite his pleads, All For One let the centipede slip through his ear and into his head. He could feel the centipede traveling through his body as its legs brushed against his insides. Izuku opened his mouth as if the centipede would climb out of it and started screaming. He banged his head against the chair once again and shook his head side to side eagerly, trying to take it out from the place where it had crawled in. 'TAKE IT OUT! TAKE IT OUT PLEASE! I CAN'T KEEP GOING. PLEASE, IM BEGGING YOU!' The centipede rattled in his head the way a brain would have if gotten a concussion or whiplash, only to escape into his stomach. His stomach churned. His stomach clogged and everything came out through the top. He hurled onto the floor and onto All For One's shoes but he still felt the insect crawl. All For One tsked and wiped Izuku's face and then his shoes. 'You said you wanted it out, correct?'

Izuku looked up at his father with tears in his eyes.

'Please... Anything. Just get it out.'

'Certainly.'

He grabbed the knife off of the tray and lifted up Izuku's shirt and brought the blade up to his chest. He dug the blade in, barely missing his heart. He dragged the knife down his stomach. Izuku flinched but stayed silent. He took it out of his stomach and dragged it horizontally across, intersecting with the vertical cut. After minutes of additional cutting, All For One took out the blade and placed it on the table.

'I'm sorry, Izuku. I couldn't quite get it out. We're going to have to try tomorrow.'

I'm going to give you some new rewards for now. If you do good next time you might get some more rewards.'

And alas, Izuku Midoriya fell asleep... Again.

He awoke with a throbbing headache. His stomach twisted and turned and even with the absence of All For One his body still ached and creaked, crying out for help. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. Today was different. He was blindfolded and gagged, and instead of being tied to the chair, he was chained against the wall with shackles clasped onto his wrists and a chain collar wrapped around his neck. His scarred arms were pulled back against the cold brick wall behind him. His shirtless torso was scattered with scars and stitches.

He had been thinning. His body still had slight muscle but was extremely underweight. His ribs peaked through and roughly raised and fell along with his breathing like a harsh tide of water on the beach, lifting and quickly submerging.

His body tensed and stung. His body temperature rose and his heartbeat increased. His body burst into flames. He screamed in the black obscurity. Winds swirled around him in the small dungeon cell. They slowly eased the flames, eventually canceling them out. Breathing heavily, without the blindfold he looked down at his chest. Ash marks littered the ground and a slight breeze blew in his face. His body stayed unscathed aside from the scars he had received earlier.

All For One came through the door with a delighted grin on his face. 'I see you've gotten some of my rewards I gave you.' Midoriya lifted his head to look at All For One but put it back down.

'Let's continue from where we left off, shall we?'

It continued for a year more. The same process over and over again. Inject, break, cut, "reward", and an occasional stop for food. He had finally gotten used to it. Granted, it still hurt, but as a small stinging. He didn't scream, didn't flail. Just watched. He didn't talk after that. Months went by without him opening his mouth.  He couldn't. All for one had threaded a thorn necklace along his throat. He awaited All For One's arrival. The door swung open as he had anticipated. But he saw no one walk in. From behind the door, a young girl peeked her head through. Her curly green hair went down to the ground. She looked so similar to his mom. Tears fell from his eyes and he smiled. He opened his mouth to talk. Nothing came out. Just small wheezing as he forced breath out from his throat.

She walked out from behind the door and placed a finger onto his lips. "Don't. Save your energy." She reached up to the chains and slid the key inside. Izuku fell to the ground as his chest hit the cold cement. "I'm going to get you out of here, I promise." She unthreaded the necklace with a needle and dropped the pieces onto the ground.

Izuku nodded his head to the side. "Y- you need... to l-leave." His voice came out raspy and hoarse.

"I can't just leave you here. Our father has done horrible things, I can't just sit by and watch these things happen to you." 

A loud knock on the door startled them both. The girl frantically unlocked the shackles on his ankles.

"Please! Leave me!  I'm begging you! I don't want to lose anyone else!"  Izuku pleaded.

"Don't worry. I know he won't kill me. But he will not hesitate to kill you. I can't take that chance." The door swung open and All For One stormed in. His stern expression mashed against his innocent features. He glared at the girl with a gun pointed to Izuku's head. 

"Kira, step back." He demanded. "It's dangerous." The girl-Kira- dragged herself in front of Izuku and protected him. "What did I say?! You useless little..."

"I love you, Brother."

He backhanded her and she went flying to the side.

"Izuku, What were you planning? Were you planning on using her as a sacrifice in order for your escape? Would you really throw your own sister away for the sake of your survival?"

His head fell. "I hate you. I hate you, and the heroes. I hate Kira. I hate myself. I SAID I HATE YOU ALL DAMNIT!" Izuku yelled.

He stood up from the ground. "All you people with all the power you want. You abuse it and take it for granted. You don't deserve it. I will rid you of your disease." 

He grabbed Hisashi's face. His grip smushed his cheeks together. Hisashi burst into flames and he dropped to his knees as the fire dissipated. Izuku stepped on his limp body and smiled.

"You and I are the same, now. This is your punishment, you will follow in my place and bear the weight of my power. You can't go back now. You've snapped, and you can't be pieced back together." All For One smiled.

Izuku's eyes widened and his smile twisted into a frown. He grabbed his hair and pulled his head upwards and he stared straight into his father's eyes. "Die you bastard."

All For One grabbed a gun out of his side pocket.  He placed the barrel onto his head. "As you wish, My Lord."  He pulled the trigger and fell. Blood splattered onto his hands, clothes, and onto his face. He laughed.

His laughter ceased and he looked down at his hands. He wiped the blood off his face. His expression turned frightened and he whipped his head to the side, where Kira lay on the ground, leaning against the wall. Izuku dropped to his knees. Kira ran to his side and kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you, Izuku. I will never leave your side. No matter what. That's a promise."

Izuku and Kira closed their eyes and fell into the black abyss of unconsciousness. They clung together as they lay on the ground. They were sure, they would never be separated.