Prologue

Shigaraki Tomura has been in the same prison cell for years. He had been doing the same routine every day, without fail—without change for almost three years. It seemed like being cooped inside murky concrete walls and pale tiled floors that overwhelmingly smelled of antiseptic really did take a toll on him. He used to fight against the guards and used to be more aggressive towards the warden, but it did more harm to himself rather than pissing off the guards out of spite.

He swallowed the last ounce of his dignity after they refused to serve him food for weeks and gave him just enough water to keep him barely alive. The beatings from one of the guards would have killed him if his body had reached its breaking point from the lack of food. Tomura decided that he would survive, even if it means that he'll keep quiet and stay put. Thick metal cuffs were used to bind his hands together and an ugly white collar was placed around his neck to prevent him from using his quirk.

Every day felt like a tedious chore.

He was locked up inside a tiny cell— left there to rot and suffer for the rest of his life. His movements were highly restricted and monitored; he couldn't do much with his arms bound together. He was lucky that his quirk didn't get permanently erased, he knew that some other prisoners got their quirks completely removed. So Tomura considered that keeping his quirk was their last attempt of showing him mercy. But it can also serve as a warning of what will happen to him if he misbehaves any further.

He was still thankful for that, of course. This destructive quirk that got him to the path of villainy, guided him towards this inevitable fate. He knew that fate is cruel even more towards those who try so hard to reject it. But it did make him see that there were so many like him, struggling and fighting so hard against their own miserable fates. To create a path where they wouldn't have to hurt.

His quirk was his symbol of strength and power… of what he once was.

He achieved more than enough and even if he failed; there are many more who will take the same path as him in the future. And maybe one of those villains will succeed.

It's only a matter of time.

Without this quirk— he would have just crawled into a hole and left himself to die. It was his last burning desire to continue what he had started.

He huffed as he stood up from the tiled floor he was sitting on only to push himself back to his uncomfortable bed. The soft whirring noise coming from the vent on top of the cell's ceiling was the only thing he could never get used to, never has it given him a single moment of silence. It's a constant annoyance on his part and he wished had something to shut off that noise.

A loud echoing click snapped him out of his dazed state and he immediately snapped his head towards the locked metal doors. He didn't have a clock in his room nor any device that tells him the time or date but he knew it wasn't the time for food. They also did their daily inspections earlier.

The familiar face of his guard, a burly man wearing the prison's uniform greeted him.

Tomura scratched the back of his neck in annoyance, the metal rattling along with his fingers "What do you want?" he asked in a low voice. Making sure that he sounds as level-headed as possible, he learned that this particular guard gets offended at the smallest sign of hostility from Tomura. In this shithole of a place, pissing off his guards was a terrible experience… he doesn't want to live through it again.

The guard took a step forward with a fierce glare "Someone came to visit you. Stand up." he hissed.

What?

During his first year in prison, some pro-heroes came to interrogate him but the numbers soon dwindled after they slowly realized that Tomura would never cooperate with them. In the following years, he knew one fact;

He doesn't have any visitors. He never did. This isn't some low-level prison where visitors could come and go; this is where they keep the most dangerous villains in Japan. No one here gets visitors.

"Hah?" he sputtered out.

The guard– Sato, as it was written on his uniform's name forcefully grabbed him by his arm "Stand up." he ordered. He pulled Tomura from his bed, his grip on his arm was way too harsh. He knew that it would leave a terrible bruise later, Tomura didn't even bother to flinch—he was used to this type of treatment.

Sato pulled him outside of his room before slamming the metal doors shut. He dragged Tomura through the dimly lit hallways of the prison, each of the cell doors was made of thick metal and locked with an advanced security system. There were no windows or gaps for prisoners to see anything outside of their rooms. It was particularly quick before they reached the end of the hallways. Sato's death-grip on his arm got worse too, if any more pressure was applied then Tomura's pretty sure that it'll dislocate his arm.

He led him in front of a white-painted sliding door that stood out differently from all the cells on this floor. He then noticed a clean silver engraving at the side of the door with the words "INTERROGATION ROOM" written neatly in large letters. He almost outwardly let out a frustrated groan.

Great. This is really great.

Are they really expecting him to say anything?

As if he could. He was locked up from the outside world for years, with no contact from anyone, except for the occasional conversations he overhears from the guards. But all the information he has now was nothing that anyone from the outside doesn't know.

He doesn't know anything. Interrogation will get them nowhere.

Do they still expect him to know anything?

Do they still expect him to have some sort of sinister plan?

If it's one thing he knew right now; he has nothing left to spit out.

The guard unlocked the door and pushed him in. There's a sort of metal barrier inside, another security protocol inside the prison. The door opened mechanically, Sato walked in and gave a quick bow to whoever was inside. Tomura raised an eyebrow, the rude guard looked… self-conscious somehow. A quick and painful tug on his shackle snapped him out of his thoughts "Be respectful." he whispered to Tomura. His grip tightened for a second but Tomura yanked his arm away as Sato let go of him before leaving him inside the room.

His arm stung with a numb pain, he wanted to at least massage it but it was impossible with the cuffs. He slowly walked inside the mechanical door, he didn't notice the figure sitting patiently on the chair until he let out a soft cough "Um, excuse me." an overly familiar voice called out to him.

When he locked eyes with the sitting man; he froze on the spot.

Tomura didn't expect anyone to visit him, in fact, he wouldn't care whoever it would be.

He didn't expect anything.

But this was too much for him to process, he almost couldn't believe it.

He was met with bright green eyes he knew from long ago. He had the same messy hair although it was slightly longer now. And that damned smile that showed nothing but his sick admiration for the so-called heroes.

What he didn't expect was Midoriya Izuku— What the hell is he doing here?

"Nice to see you again, Shigaraki Tomura." he smiled.

Gone was the bashful, stuttering student of the past, the one that Tomura knew. He was definitely older now; he was taller than Shigaraki even if he was just sitting down. He had an aura of confidence and maturity surrounding him. Midoriya Izuku looked strong, inarguably and he knew that. He knew what he could do with that strength of his.

Words died down at the back of his throat and the only thing he got out of his pathetic mouth was an incomprehensible "W-What?!" that sounded more like a garble than anything else.

Midoriya tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes crinkling in what seemed to be amusement "We need to talk." he motioned casually to the chair opposite of the table where he's facing. Tomura wanted to protest but the strange glint in Midoriya's eyes made him stop before he could say anything. He hesitantly sat down on the chair as he glared at the pro-hero but Midoriya didn't seem bothered by it at all. The atmosphere between the two of them was suffocating, Tomura decided to keep his mouth shut.

Whatever reason Midoriya came here for; whether he's mocking Tomura or rubbing his face into the dirt. He'll make sure that he'll never have the satisfaction of succeeding. The green-haired hero eyed Tomura's cuffed hands but didn't comment. A strange feeling of confusion overwhelmed Tomura when he saw the hero's eyes–

Midoriya looked disappointed.

Why does he look like that? Shouldn't he be laughing at Tomura's state right now?

That's what the other pro-heroes did, looking down at him with satisfied smirks and wolfish grins.

"...Can you talk now?" Midoriya questioned him, unsure.

Tomura glared at him but he decided to reply "What are you doing here?" he asked, not making eye contact. Midoriya's face lit up in relief and gave him a bright smile. Tomura's stomach dropped at the sight, it reminded him of a certain pro-hero.

"I need your help."

Tomura did a double-take and choked on nothing. The shock that ran through his body made him jump a little, almost tumbling down his chair. Midoriya laughed at his response. It was light and casual as if they were just friends joking around with each other. He wanted to put his hand over Midoriya's lips to stop him from saying such ridiculous things.

Was this some sort of sick joke?

If this was some sort of scheme to ruin Tomura, then they'll be playing in circles. He had nothing more to lose.

It was obvious that there were cameras inside the room. It would be dangerous to talk about things like this where each and every single movement he made are being watched. Even if Midoriya didn't know there was a camera, shouldn't he be cautious enough to not talk to a person he doesn't trust?

Midoriya continued "I want to destroy this country's rotten system." he spat those words out like poison. It surprised Tomura to hear bitter words coming from the pro-hero's mouth. He leaped from his seat and leaned towards Midoriya with a scowl "There are cameras here, damn it." he whispered in a low voice. If they did get caught, Midoriya wouldn't have to suffer anything. Tomura would be the one who's punished.

Midoriya shrugged and leaned in closer to Tomura "Don't worry, I had a friend take care of it." he reassured with a sly smile playing on his lips. Something inside Tomura's stomach lurched and his expression changed into shock. Midoriya seemed to have noticed it and his smile grew wider.

His eyes burned with something Tomura couldn't recognize, they were making eye contact for a long moment but it didn't take a genius for him to know that this Midoriya has changed. Not because he grew older but he had completely changed into a different person. As if it was another soul wearing Midoriya's face.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Midoriya as he pushed himself away from the pro-hero. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, if this carried on then their conversation would just spin around in circles. He bit his tongue to stop himself from talking, strange anticipation filled Tomura's body.

Midoriya gave him a thankful smile and took it as a sign to continue "You see, being a hero is way different than I imagined." his lips curved into a frown "I felt like everything I have learned was wrong." he paused, the confidence he had earlier was gone. For a moment, he saw sadness flash in Midoriya's eyes and there was a single second of vulnerability. That hesitant expression reminded Tomura of Midoriya Izuku he knew;

A timid young hero who couldn't form a sentence without stumbling with his words.

Midoriya gave him a sad look "Allmight's efforts were wasted." his lips quivered. Tomura almost felt sorry for him… that look certainly made pulled his heartstrings. Still, he tried to keep that same smile on his face.

"Some people are just trash that pollutes this world." He heard Midoriya snarl under his breath. Tomura saw a quick flash of green light flickering in-between Midoriya's fingertips that were placed on the table. His eyes widened when the table shook, if it wasn't metal then it would have been blown into pieces. He saw utter despair in Midoriya's eyes, a part of him wanted to laugh. His heart hammered inside his chest.

"He's dead?" Tomura asked in a low voice.

Midoriya froze for a second as if he was calculating his answer then nodded his head "Aren't you glad?" he grimaced. Tomura didn't bother to hide the wide, toothy grin forming on his lips. The green-haired hero seemed to have expected his reaction too and didn't look offended by it.

Finally, That damned old man is dead.

"His death brought a whole change to the country. Everything came crashing down." He ignored Tomura's grin. He knew how much Tomura hated Allmight.

Midoriya understood.

"So, who's the symbol of peace now? You?" Tomura asked snarkily. It was meant to be a joke, something to get to Midoriya's nerve. He's a villain so why would he sympathize with a pro-hero? But his smile fell when Midoriya gave him a knowing look. Then he chuckled, it sounded forced— sarcastic even. Tomura didn't like it one bit.

"Hmm. I guess I am," he said with a lazy drawl.

Tomura would have cursed— The number one hero is sitting in front of him. And he doesn't even seem like a hero anymore. His tone wasn't what Tomura had expected, it didn't have the sense of pride that most heroes have. Most certainly, the number one hero… but Midoriya's didn't have a single gloat in it.

But then it was just a title.

Nothing more than just a few words to appeal to the public. To ease their fears… because there was someone strong protecting them. A way to relieve their fear of the ruin that will come towards them. They became cowards.

His brows furrowed and his face showed his unfiltered confusion. Tomura couldn't understand what the hell has happened to Midoriya. He clearly remembered this boy to want nothing more than to be a hero. He had a stupid sense of justice and morals even when he graduated from UA Tomura could see the same naivety within him.

But now, this Midoriya Izuku in front of him has been hardened by his experiences. His gaze was sharper and his smile just a facade. Maybe he is a different person wearing Midoriya's face.

He couldn't care less. That would be the most suitable explanation anyways.

"You see," Midoriya started and the heavy silence between the two of them faded naturally "It's almost two years since my mom died." his expression darkened in a flash as if he's remembering those moments in the past "An accident they said." he choked out. At first, Tomura thought he was crying but he saw the way Midoriya's knuckles turned white and his teeth clenched in pure anger; he realized it was resentment.

"They said I couldn't have done anything to prevent it." he said numbly "I believed them, of course. I thought it was my fault for not being good enough. For not trying hard enough." he tapped his finger on the table. Tomura was sure he saw something black and murky behind him but it was gone in a flash. Midoriya's lips twitched, he couldn't make it out if it was a grin or a frown.

"I buried myself in guilt and tried to ease it by doing my job as a hero the best as I could. If I couldn't save my mom, then I should save others. Then they wouldn't experience the same thing as me."

"Is that how you became the number one hero?" Tomura cut him off and immediately felt shame when Midoriya gave him a wide smile before letting out a snort.

"Yeah, yeah. Surprise, surprise." he said in a nonchalant tone before chuckling once more "I finally became the number one hero by my own determination and hard work!" he exclaimed in an overly enthusiastic voice. Tomura realized that Midoriya was ridiculing himself, laughing as if his position was just a joke.

"Being the number one hero made me see things in a different light. The corruption, the greed, and the cruelty of those who think they are better than the rest." Midoriya shuddered, a look of disgust spread across his face "I couldn't believe I was surrounded by those people." he absentmindedly rubbed his hands as if he was washing off non-existent dirt from his hands.

"I hoped other heroes aren't like this." he muttered "But I was terribly wrong. I saw how easy it was for them to be corrupted by power." he lets out a soft sigh. "I saw the people I trusted get blinded by their own greed and became nothing more than just self-absorbed heroes." The disappointment in his voice made Tomura flinch. "Maybe I'm the strange one?" he asked rhetorically "I can't understand them anymore." his voice shook as he anxiously played with his fingers.

"I don't want to." Midoriya sneered.

He shook his head as if he was stopping himself from saying any more rude things towards the other heroes and brushed off his thoughts "Anyways…" he fanned his hands in an unconcerned manner "My mom's death wasn't an accident. They staged it very well, though. Making sure that there would be no witnesses. They did it because they weren't approving of my actions. So they made me vulnerable so that they can mold me and make me submit to them." he spat out bitterly.

"I mean… I did! I followed their orders like the fool that I am. I thought how could they ever be wrong? They were heroes, like me." his tone was laced with fake passion that made a shiver run down Tomura's spine in disgust. He cracked Tomura a smile.

"And when the truth hit me…." he trailed off, looking to find the right words "It was… devastating."

The understatement of the year, Tomura thought.

"Wouldn't it be better to crush them all? And build a better system from scratch." Midoriya faced him with a warm smile "Who else could help me better than you; Shigaraki Tomura."

Then he gave him a sheepish look "I finally understood that you were fighting for the better cause." he rubbed the back of his neck shyly "The suffering of the masses was not caused by villains, because villains are the result of all those unfortunate circumstances. Heroes are the ones who make them suffer, they forced them to believe their own ideology."

Tomura saw the mask of the pro-hero crumble down in front of him. Midoriya Izuku indeed changed but he grew and it was for the better. It was breathtaking to hear those words come out of this man's mouth.

"Heroes are the ones who made villains." Without them, there would be a need for villains.

Tomura Shigaraki couldn't help but grin. There could have been no one who understood it as well as Midoriya Izuku did.

Midoriya's expression softened as he let out a sigh of relief "Well… that was great!" he exclaimed as he clapped his hands together "I finally got it off my chest." he stood up from his chair and stretched his arms "Thank you for listening, Shigaraki. Even if they were mostly my ramblings… I really did a monologue."

Before Tomura could even reply, a flash of green briefly entered his vision. The cuffs that he got used to for years fell down the floor with a loud thud. His red eyes widened in shock, Midoriya gave him a lazy grin and placed a hand around Tomura's neck, his finger tracing the metal collar "This might hurt a little." he warned. Tomura's eyes instinctively closed.

Snap.

A painful click then the white-collar snapped off his neck. Painful is a very mild word to describe it; it was utterly agonizing. He fell down the chair, writhing in pain as he let out a pained scream. The dizziness that filled his mind made his head feel like it was going to burst. In a span of a few seconds, a loud alarm blared all over the prison. A warning that an inmate might have gotten free.

The guard, Sato– came dashing inside the room. His expression showed nothing but fear.

"Midoriya, sir!" he panted out as he stepped inside the room. Only to be met by Tomura crumpled in pain on the floor, clutching his head as his quirk was slowly coming back to him. The pro-hero stood near the writhing inmate on the floor, curiously fumbling with the collar. He placed a hand under his chin, eyeing the detail of the collar "Look at the technology now, the quirk suppressants have definitely gotten better . How cool." he mumbled quietly under his breath.

"What's happening?" Sato demanded. He was frozen on the spot, the door locked behind him. Midoriya shrugged in response, dropping the collar before giving it one last look and crushing it with his shoes. He moved his glance towards Tomura who was still heaving heavy breaths on the floor. His whole body seized in pain as he struggled to look up at Midoriya. The green-haired hero gave him a reassuring smile before skipping playfully over Tomura's body.

"Let's not fight here, Sato-san." he coaxed, arms raised in mock surrender. In a moment of clarity, Tomura realized that Midoriya was playing with the guard. He saw the way Midoriya looked at the man with pure sadistic intent, something he didn't know Midoriya was capable of.

The guard was horrified but Tomura knew he had a strength-related quirk, he was able to dodge Midoriya's attack on him– well it was just a flick of the hero's finger. A singular coin flew towards Sato's direction with the speed of a bullet. The coin lodged itself unto the wall behind the guard.

"What the hell are you doing? What the fuck?!" Sato yelled, his legs shaking with fear. Who wouldn't be afraid of the number one hero's wrath?

Midoriya frowned "Come on, Sato-san." he taunted "I'm just here to free Shigaraki Tomura. Nothing more really." he said calmly. But the burly man had already taken out his gun and shot towards Midoriya's way, the gunshot echoed along with another flash of green light.

When Tomura blinked, Midoriya was already in front of Sato. His hands gripping the man by his head, it looked effortless but the way Sato was struggling against him showed how much power he has. He moved Sato's face closer to him, the guard's feet dangling in the air. Midoriya took a moment to watch Sato's fearful expression before he slammed the man's face on the floor.

A sickening crunch revibrated through the room. The disfigured head of Sato bounced along with his body as Midoriya let go of his lifeless body.

Tomura was able to compose himself, the pain turning into an unpleasant buzz throughout his body "He's dead?" he asked dumbly. Midoriya took a quick glance and shrugged "Not yet." he stretched his arms out leisurely then held one out to Tomura; helping the inmate pull himself from the floor.

After a quick second of hesitation, Tomura now has his quirk back. He made sure to hold out on pinky as he took Midoriya's hand. This will take some time to get used to again.

"Isn't he innocent?" Tomura asked as if he cared about that guard. The man always had a bad temper and took it out on prisoners. Midoriya looked at him with a puzzled expression "No… not really." He took something out of his pocket before throwing it to Tomura "Catch–" he called out "--Cases of graft, accepting bribes, and domestic abuse." he listed. Tomura managed to catch whatever Midoriya threw at him, only to realize it was a leather glove. He gratefully wore it and a sense of relief filled him, his quirk was back and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Midoriya walked out the door, avoiding the cracked tiles and the dying body of Sato on the floor as if he didn't do it in the first place. He paused then turned his head to Tomura "Can you finish him off?" he asked. There's an unknown glint in his eyes along with the dangerous smile playing on his lips. Tomura knew it wasn't just a question but an order… now that he has been freed by the pro-hero.

Tomura eyed him for a second before letting out a shaky sigh as he removed his gloves. Sato's body was barely even breathing, the blood pooling out of his head, red seeping through the cracked tiles. He kneeled and placed his fingers on the man's arm, watching with sick amusement as the disintegration starts almost way too quickly. Sato's body twitched one last time as it faded into dust.

A satisfying feeling filled him as he watched his quirk work.

"That enough?" he asked.

Tomura had nothing more to lose. But if he was given a chance to continue what he started then he'll take it in a heartbeat. Even if the one who's leading used to be his enemy. What's the harm in trying again?

Midoriya lets out a soft laugh as he wiped the drop of blood off his cheeks, he gave Tomura a warm smile "Good. "