My Hero Academia

Paying the Price: Prologue

All Might defeated his rival, All For One, but the price was higher than anyone could have imagined. The symbol of peace is dead, and the world has become a darker place. Izuku struggles with the destiny forced upon him, while Uraraka's life is thrown into turmoil by the collapse of her family business. Izuku/Uraraka. Darker world. Death. AU, non-canon characters. Rated M.

All for one was defeated.

In an emotional and shocking turn of events All Might had defeated his greatest enemy. The world cheered as they watched, helicopters soaring above him in the cloudy, dust-stirred night sky live-streaming the event. All Might slowly rose to his feet, a gigantic, triumphant smile on his face and stuck a finger out to the cameras.

"Next, it's your turn!"

Two hours later, All Might passed away.

Izuku watched the fight between his favourite hero and his arch nemesis unfold on a large television surrounded by some of his classmates. He was reaching up on his toes, trying to crane his head above the taller adults that surrounded him. When All Might finally won, devastating his opponent with his ultimate move 'The United States of Smash!', Izuku cheered as loudly as the rest of the world did.

He walked away from the scene with his friends. Bakugo was strangely quiet, and Todorki was as pensive as ever, but the others made enough noise to compensate for their friends. A buzzing in his pocket alerted Izuku. He withdrew his phone, which had an All Might keychain hanging off the end and an All Might case wrapped around the expensive device. Izuku slowly drew back from his friends to answer it when he saw the dialler name on the screen.

"A-All Might? Are you alright? Should you be calling me right-"

"Midoriya-kun!" All Might began, but he broke into a series of violent coughs. Even over the phone, Izuku could tell that All Might was in a lot of pain. Despite the pain, All Might continued to talk.

"I do not have much time, young Midoriya-Kun," All Might said weakly. "I need to see you. One more time. Please, can you come to the infirmary."

"What? All Might? What are you talking about?" Izuku shouted. His exclamation made his friends turn around, worriedly looking at him.

"Please, young Midoriya-Kun. I'll explain when you arrive. Grant an old fool one last wish."

"O-Of course! I'm on my way!" Izuku replied quickly, but All Might broke into another series of lung retching coughs, and the phone was disconnected. Izuku wasn't even sure if All Might had heard his response.

"That was my mum," Izuku shouted to his friends. "I've got to go pick up some food from the shops for her. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Wait, Deku, you useless piece of shit!" Bakugo shouted, but Izuku had already activated Full Cowling, and had dashed away from them. It was obvious that his friends hadn't believed him, but none of them had the energy left after tonight's ordeal to chase after Izuku.

Izuku dashed to a wall of a building and dug the edge of his boots into an uneven crevice in the brickwork. He launched himself upwards towards the rooftops. He ran directly to UA academy, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. All the while, adults drank and ate in the small, familiar restaurants beneath him. Izuku heard the sounds of celebration and the echoing shout of "kanpai", as people everywhere celebrated another one of All Might's victories.

The cheers left Izuku with a heavy feeling in his gut however, as the uneasy silence after the shout while people downed their drinks made the city seem like it was missing something important.

He arrived at UA, panting, and feeling more exhausted than he had all night. Most of the campus lights were off, and there were definitely no other students around this late at night. The only sign of life was the illuminated window on the first floor, and the soft glow of hallway lights creeping out from the curtained window. Izuku ran to the front doors of the main building, wondering how he was going to get inside until a dark shadow fell in front of him.

Tired eyes surrounded by bandaged and long messy hair stared at Izuku. With a slight nod Eraserhead pointed to a nearby window. Without another word Izuku jumped through the window and ran to the infirmary. He blew through the door, surprising the occupants within. A part of Izuku's perceptive mind noticed that the UA teachers in the room immediately jumped into a battle stance and only settled when they recognised their student.

However, most of Izuku's concentration was on the thin, feeble man lying on the bed. Blemishes of blood marred the otherwise bleach white sheets that All Might lay on. His breathing was harsh, and ragged. He seemed to struggle with every breath and was clenching his whole upper body as he gasped for air.

"Young… Midoriya-kun. Thank you… for coming," All Might wheezed. He twisted his head slightly on the pillow, glancing at the space behind his green haired pupil. "Thank you, friends, for being here for me, but I'm afraid I need some time alone with Midoriya-kun."

Recovery Girl tried to protest, but All Might interrupted her.

"I know."

She swallowed hard, her eyes glistening as she looked away from All Might. She ushered everyone out of the room, until it was just Izuku and All Might left.

"All Might, I-"

"First, Midoriya-kun," All Might interrupted, "I must applaud you on your wonderful efforts tonight. I have never been prouder of anyone in my life than when I saw you rescue Bakugo without injuring yourself in the process. It was an incredible sight for your teacher to see."

Izuku felt his cheeks reddening as All Might praised him. He dropped his head to the floor, unable to look into All Might's eyes, but rough, calloused fingers slowly pulled at his chin, tilting it up.

"Second," All Might continued, staring directly at Izuku. "Izuku, can I call you Izuku?"

He nodded, and All Might's face broke into a grin, which quickly disappeared as he began coughing again. Blood splattered the front of his shirt and more of the white bed sheets, but All Might simply wiped his lips and continued speaking.

"Izuku, I must apologise. I haven't been… entirely honest with you, and I'm afraid my cowardice has now put you into a situation you never deserved to be in."

"All For One had been defeated, but his legacy lives on. Just as you were my successor, Izuku, All For One had a successor. Tomura Shigaraki. It seems fate has entwined you two, as you have already had several encounters."

Izuku recalled the time at the shopping mall, when Tomura had taken him hostage. He could recall the man's flaking, thin fingers itching around his throat. He remembered his primal fear and anger when Uraraka had appeared. He didn't know what he would have done if Tomura had attacked her.

"Just as I passed One For All onto you, Izuku, Tomura Shigaraki has inherited All For One."

Izuku felt cold dread seep through his body, chilling his bones. The fight between All Might and All For One was still clear in his mind. He had felt relief that All For One was gone, and that no one would ever have to worry about such an horrific quirk. He had been wrong.

"And just as I was destined to fight All For One, you will eventually have to face Tomura Shigaraki. I'm sorry, Izuku. I never wanted you to shoulder this burden."

"Then why didn't you tell me!" Izuku shouted. "You could've told me at the start. Before I swallowed your hair. You should've let me know that you were just training me up to fight a madman."

"Izuku-" All Might coughed, more blood spurting out, "There's… more…"

"There's more?" Izuku asked. He knew his mentor was in pain, and he knew he was being unreasonable, but he was struggling to remain calm.

"Tomura Shigaraki, is my master's grandson. Please, when you… finally face him… try and save him."

"Save him? But All Might, he tried to kill you! He threatened to kill me!" Izuku thought of the way Tomura stared at Uraraka, the way his eyes narrowed as he contemplated killing her. Izuku shuddered. He knew that he would never be able to save Tomura. He was beyond saving.

"I know… that it's a selfish request, but it's my… final request."

Suddenly, Izuku realised how much pain All Might was in. The thin man was shaking. His blond hair was sprawled over his pillow. There was so much blood staining the sheets. Izuku finally realised why All Might had truly called him over here.

"Izuku. You were like… my son… to me."

All Might drew one last ragged breath.

"Live… plus… ultra… Izuku…"

That was the night that the world lost their symbol of peace.

Semester holidays, although usually a joyous occasion for students and teachers alike, was an unusually somber period. Without the symbol of peace protecting the world, everyone felt the world darken. Alleyways felt darker. People crossed the road when they saw hooded figures walking towards them. Crime was on a rise for the first time in 17 years. The cold winter weather additionally sapped away any relief Izuku was hoping to feel during the break.

UA academy had three weeks off for the semester break. Izuku spent most of the time either working out or sitting in his room staring emptily at the ceiling. Other friends from the 1-A classroom occasionally messaged him, but he either ignored them, or replied with very simple messages.

Surprisingly, his mum had been very happy with Izuku's subdued behaviour. After all of the times she had seen him come home injured, bruised and battered, a return to the quiet, mundane Deku was a relief for her. She spoiled him by making his favourite meals every night (mainly chicken katsu with rice), and the two of them spent many quiet nights simply watching movies and comical television shows.

The day before school began, the two were in the middle of their movie watching (a superhero movie, it just so happened to be), when Inko brought up the conversation they had both been avoiding all holiday.

"Izuku," she began gently, "are you sure you want to return to UA this semester?"

"Mum, what are you saying?" Izuku exclaimed.

"It's just… a lot has happened recently," she replied sadly. "You always come home with broken bones and blood on your clothes. I always thought you'd be safe because All Might was teaching at the school, but now…" She trailed off, especially after seeing Izuku's face drop after hearing his master's name.

They watched the movie in silence. The hero was being defeated by the villain. It didn't seem like there was anything the hero could do to win. The whole world was at stake and the villain was winning.

"I don't know mum," Izuku eventually said softly. "All my life, all I wanted to do was be a hero. To be like All Might. But now, I don't know what to do."

"Why not sweetie?" She asked, resisting the urge to leap over the couch and wrap her son up and bawl into tears.

"I-" Izuku paused. His mum didn't know about One For All. She didn't know that he was All Might's successor. He had been able to keep the secret so far, but the recent events were too much for him, and his emotions overflowed.

"All Might lied to me. He told me he chose me to inherit his quirk, but he never told me what would happen when he did. He never told me I'd have to fight All For One. I didn't ask for any of this!" Izuku grabbed a pillow and threw it at the television as hard he could. Before the pillow could collide with the television, it slowed its descent, before hovering into Inko's outstretched arms.

"Usually, I'd be quite angry," Inko said softly, her fingers digging into the pillow. "But, even if All Might irresponsibly dumped this all on you, I've never seen you happier Izuku."

"For every day you'd walk through our door wrapped up in bandages, another day you'd walk through grinning from ear to ear, regaling me story after story of your friends and All Might. As much as it hurt me, I had to let you be the person you were meant to be."

"Mum, I'm not the right person for this. I'm not All Might. I'm not the person to save the world," Izuku said angrily.

"Not yet sweetie. But one day you will be." Inko shuffled over the couch towards Izuku, and wrapped her arms around him. "And when the time comes, I know that there's no one else in the whole entire universe I'd trust to protect us more than you Izuku."

And with that, Inko lost it, and burst into tears. Izuku, in similar fashion, burst into tears as well. It was the first time he had cried. All the emotions he had been holding in since All Might had passed away all came flooding to the surface.

The movie was finished by the time both mother and son had composed themselves.

"Listen Izuku, I want you to go back to UA," Inko said firmly.

"What? But mum-"

"I don't like it! I don't want to see you hurt. I hate it every time I hear you've been in a fight. But it's the only place you belong. I want to see you smile. I want to see you full of energy, trying to protect the world. And if All Might isn't around to be your motivation, then you'll just have to find something else to keep you going."

"Mum, I-"

"And I know that 'that something' is at UA. It's a mother's instinct Izuku, and I know you must go back.

"Mum-"

"I'm not taking no for answer. You're going back to UA Izuku!"

There was an awkward silence in the air. The television at this point had flickered over to the generic power saving mode, and Izuku watched the small television logo bounce around the screen.

"Thank you, mum," Izuku said softly.

"I'll always be your number one fan Izuku," Inko said proudly.

"I need to get ready for school tomorrow! I'm not ready at all. I don't even know where my uniform is." Izuku stood up in a rush, beginning to mumble and show his first signs of panicking. Inko smiled. He may be panicking but he was back to his normal self.

"I just washed it sweetie. It's sitting on your bed."

"Thanks mum, you're the best," Izuku shouted from his bedroom."

"That's what mums are for," Inko said to herself softly, before picking up the newspaper from below the coffee table. At the top of the page, in large bolded messages, the top news story glared at her.

"Fire quirk wielder burns down another home, family of four proclaimed deceased," Inko murmured to herself.

"Oh Izuku. Please be safe."

Uraraka Ochaco lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Usually she'd be on her phone texting Tsuya or Iida, or maybe even Deku, but currently she had no phone. In fact, she had little of anything.

For the past few years, her family hadn't been doing well. Her father owned a construction business that he had inherited from his father. What was once a renowned, wealthy company though had fallen apart. Her family had been in debt.

Uraraka had tried to help by entering the hero course, and eventually end up as a wealthy hero, pulling in large amounts of money. Her parents had been very supportive at first, and happily paid the expensive fees for her to attend UA academy. She had been performing extremely well, even managing to enter the top 8 students during the UA sports festival. Everything had looked to be on track.

Then All Might died.

The changes were subtle at first. Her father had to pay some more for building materials. Then her mother stopped buying her sweets and new clothes during the semester break.

Then, three days ago, the debt collectors arrived.

The money that her father owed belonged to a loan shark. Although the deals made between them, from what Uraraka could tell, had been under the table, the deal had always been respected.

Now crime was on the rise. Without the symbol of peace, villains all over the place were becoming bolder and more active. The debt collectors had ransacked the house, taking whatever belongings they wanted. Uraraka grimaced as she remembered that a lot of her personal clothes and undergarments had also been taken by the creeps.

She rolled over in the bed and buried her face into the pillow. She refused to cry. She was stronger than that.

In addition to her privacy being invaded, they had also taken her phone and laptop. Even if she wanted to contact someone, she wouldn't have been able to. The only thing safe was her hero suit, which was tucked between the mattress and the floor.

"Tomorrow will be better," she whispered to herself. She turned her light off, curled into bed dressed in her last set of pyjamas and pulled the blankets around her.

"I'll get to go to UA, I'll be able to talk to my friends, Izuku will be there, and everything will be better."

She didn't really believe it, but she had to tell herself something to get herself to sleep. Nevertheless, despite how much she lied, she still fell asleep thinking about a certain green haired boy with cute freckles.

Hello world of ff. What's up. For those who don't know, I've been away for a long time. I may have put up the occasional chapter for a harry potter ff, but it's been pretty weak. However, I'm back. I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing, and My Hero Academia is an awesome anime, so I feel some potential here.

This piece is... a bit unique. It follows anime canon until the All For One/One For All fight. I haven't read the mange (no spoilers please), and everything from here on else is not canon. It's going to be a pretty strong romance story (I ship deku and uraraka so much 3 ), but with a lot of darker tones, and a lot more villains.

All and any feedback is welcome. I've received enough "fuck you you suck" reviews in the past that I'm not afraid to hear more of them 🙂

All reviews will be rewarded with a border collie puppy carrying a basket full of your favourite krispy kreme donuts and $194.39 entering your life ;) (Please read the terms and conditions, not all rewards guaranteed upon completion)

With any hope, you'll here from me again within a few days.

Cheers,

Council