Disclaimer: This is the only time I'll say it, because it won't change; I do not own Boku no Hero Academia, nor do I have any profit being made from these fan-works.

Sorry about being gone for so long. I'm currently working on all the chapters toward everything, but in the meantime, there was something I wanted to start. This isn't going to be a long story, unless something changes, but it's just something I want to write in the meantime. As for my absence... well, my ex-girlfriend was seeing someone else while she was with me, so I haven't really felt motivated to write, and I apologize for that. I shouldn't let that stop me, but ultimately, I wasn't in the best place, so excuse my absence.

That being said, moving on. This, like all my stories, has a bit of darkness to it, but will also hold some light. It'll take place just after the Stain Arc, and deals with the explanation of All-For-One, and One-For-All. I'll be taking liberties, but if you aren't up to date with the manga, it might be important to note that there may be spoilers upcoming.

Otherwise, this is a MinaxDeku fic. Weird, because I love Uraraka, but I have plans for this, so... without further wait, let's begin!

Chapter 1

A Twisted Destiny

When the afternoon bell rang across campus, Mina Ashido thought she'd be walking with her friends to the train station, laughing about the rescue exercise they'd all had to perform in, and rubbing it in Kaminari's face that he was one of the least mobile heroes in the class. She figured she'd be making plans to grab some sweets with everyone sometime later, before the midterm exams began hanging over her head, since she knew that her grades could use a little improvement. They weren't terrible... well, that was a lie. They were terrible. She wasn't exactly staying afloat, and her parents would probably be fairly unhappy when they found out.

Instead of doing all of that - like she planned - she found herself frowning, groaning, and almost dragging herself toward the Teacher's Lounge, in order to talk about her poor performance on the latest English test, curtesy of Present Mic. While their loud-mouthed teacher was typically relaxed, he had been fairly annoyed when her grade was the lowest in the class; not that she knew why, of course. She'd... tried to study. It wasn't her fault the language was so difficult! There were several ways to spell and pronounce every word!

She sighed heavily and pulled herself up the stairs, eying the numbers of each lounge carefully - lest she want to accidentally intrude on Mr. Aizawa and be forced to have a second teacher breathing down her neck. He was doing enough of that as it was, despite his cool exterior, and she really didn't need to add to it if he found out about her latest grade.

Her stomach gurgled quietly, drawing a pink hand to the offending area, and eliciting a soft groan from the pink-haired girl. She hadn't had time to eat much lunch, as she'd been too distracted by trying to frantically finish up a homework assignment that was due for Mathematics. It was reluctant, but she was beginning to think she'd need to desperately change around her priorities. While she loved watching movies and hanging out with friends, it was slowly becoming clear that this school was no middle school, and that she couldn't just idly by like she had in the past. It wasn't a matter of intelligence, either. She knew she was capable of knowing everything - after all, she had passed the written exam to be selected for the heroic department.

She just needed to try a little harder.

A familiar number brought her out of her mulling as she reached forward to open the door, but paused when she heard a familiar voice.

"T-then don't tell me, the h-hero killer has One-For-All now...?!"

Ashido came to a screeching halt; she recognized that voice. The panic, mixed with the pitch... there was no mistaking it... that voice belonged to Midoriya - the Class 1-A mystery. But what was he freaking out about now?

It was hardly a mystery that Midoriya was a bit of a spaz. He got scared over the simplest of things, he could hardly make it through a sentence without stumbling through his words, he had no ability to maintain eye-contact when he wasn't talking about heroics, and he was known as a hero fanatic. But... Ashido wasn't one of aimless gossip - she knew he was better than those trivial things. He was strong. His analytics in battle made him a rather dangerous opponent, second only to his inhumane strength and speed.

Watching him fight Todoroki was terrifying for several reasons. One, he was willing to break his bones to win.

But two; he was smart. He seemed to know what Todoroki was going to do before he even reacted. It was the same with his first fight against Bakugou - who would later establish himself amongst the top of the class in combat-related skills. Midoriya was smart - in both the book sense, and the combat sense. And when you put together brain and brawn, it made for a rather formidable combination.

She'd been impressed with his fighting skills, and while she didn't really fawn over it too much, his personal growth was something even more remarkable than his initial abilities. Today was a perfect example! He'd gone from someone who shattered his limbs, one-by-one, to leaping through an obstacle race with the speed of Iida, and the precision of Sero - all while keeping his limbs intact! It was like he was a totally new person!

That excited Ashido. It also made her a tad self-conscious about the developing gap between her and the top of the class, but she did her best to ignore it. After all; it wouldn't stay that way. She could close the gap. She just needed to apply herself.

The subtle musings of a man drew Mina back from her thoughts, though his voice was too low to hear without straining. An idea popped into the pink-skinned girl's brain, though her conscious immediately protested. Why not just spy?

'No,' she said to herself. 'No hero would be caught eavesdropping.'

But, as she peeked behind her, and saw nobody coming, she found herself gently sneaking up closer to the door, to her left - one away from the room she needed to be in- trying desperately to hear closer to the conversation, so she could better understand Midoriya's freakout. After all, if he was in danger, wasn't it her job to save him? That was what heroes did. So, in a weird way, she was just looking out for him.

"... cannot be transferred unless the bearer wishes it. It cannot be stolen by force."

'Transferred...? Stolen...? What?'

None of it made sense. She didn't even recognize the man's voice - though, whoever he was, he somehow had significance to Midoriya.

In the back of her head, Mina knew she should leave. It wasn't right to eavesdrop. She was clearly violating Midoriya's privacy... and she would definitely be annoyed if she found out someone was eavesdropping on her. But... something drew her in like a moth to a flame. Maybe it was his mysterious history, or maybe it was the confusing nature of his quirk... maybe it was even him.

No matter the reason, she found herself practically against the door, practically holding her breath as the man spoke again.

"... a special quirk."

Mina cursed; the man's voice was too soft for her to clearly hear him speak. Whether he was doing this on purpose or not, that remained to be seen. Another pang of guilt ran through her heart as she delicately took a step backward, the afternoon sun basking her in a golden light as it cascaded through the hall window. She knew how dangerous this was. If she was found... she would be in a lot of trouble.

But Midoriya's nature - the nature of his quirk, of his unknown origin - it just called to her. He was never open with any of the rest of the class. Even Uraraka and Iida had no clue as to what his history was like. Only Bakugou seemed to have an idea... and that idea was not a very positive one.

"Quirkless bastard!"

How many times had Bakugou called Midoriya quirkless? How many times had an angry tic appeared on his face whenever someone casually brought up Midoriya's quirk in class discussion, or when they were all spectating an exercise, and he began to wield it? It wasn't just a passing whim that the explosion-user called him quirkless - it seemed much more than that. Ashido's fist clenched.

She had to know more.

"One-For-All was derived from a certain quirk that existed in the past."

"A quirk that..." Midoriya's voice was much quieter; whether from being scolded, or the surprise having faded, Ashido couldn't tell. But she frowned as she struggled to hear her classmate speak. He was known for being soft-spoken, though this was one occasion that she wished he wasn't.

The man began to speak again, his voice slowly picking up volume. In the back of her mind, she felt like she recognized that voice. It was... deep, almost familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. "The name of that quirk was All-For-One. A quirk that could steal quirks from others and make them the holder's, and one that could give those quirks to others."

"W-wha...?" Mina mumbled, her eyes growing in size, until they were nearly the size of dinner plates.

A quirk that could take away someone's quirk...? And then give it to someone else? Did something like that really exist?

Ashido knew she shouldn't be that surprised. After all; the world was a very big place... with quirks beginning to travel through multiple generations, certain quirks were beginning to manifest that had no correlation to the quirks from the parents. Mina's, for example, was of no relation. Her mother's was very basic - she could alter the pH of anything she touched, though it wasn't a drastic alteration. Her father, on the other hand, had horns, though they weren't really controllable or anything. Her parents were perfect examples of people that had simple, casual quirks, and then she was an anomaly.

Mina realized she'd been too caught in thought, having drifted away from the door, and was missing the explanation. She quickly got back into position, though now she was much more interested in the mysterious quirk-stealing quirk, and who this man even was.

"... what made someone a normal human crumbled away. With just that, laws lost their meaning, and the progress of civilization stopped. It was literal decay."

"'If superpowers never existed, then humans would be taking interstellar holidays by now.' Someone important said that in the past." Midoriya's voice was still soft, but the tone was something that Mina hadn't really heard him use. It was... calm, but ominous. Thoughtful, but almost reluctant. He didn't stutter once, and it seemed like he was at peace, despite the conversation's growing gravity.

The man spoke again. "That's right. During that chaotic period, there was someone who was the first to unify all people." A pit of dread grew in Ashido's stomach as she had a feeling she knew what the man was going to have. "I'm sure you've also heard of him. He stole quirks from people, and with his overwhelming power, he spread his influence. He moved people in a calculating way, committing evil acts to a heart's content. In the blink of an eye, he became the leader of evildoers, and ruled over Japan."

A shaky hand made its way to Mina's slightly gaping mouth, and she covered it as tightly as she could, trying her best to manage her racing breathing. To say she was lost was an understatement.

'Who is this man... how does he know so much...? What are they even... talking about? A man that ruled... when quirks first appeared? One who can steal quirks? Can this even be real?'

It was a lot. And if it really was Midoriya in there - which, she practically had no doubt it was - then why was he not... freaking out?! He, of all people, should have been losing his mind the most! But yet, he wasn't. If anything, he was more composed than she'd ever seen him!

"I... often see rumors about this online." Ashido paused. That made sense. He was a hero geek... maybe he'd just heard these rumors before...? But even then... to find out it was true? Midoriya spoke again, shattering Mina's thoughts. "But, isn't this fabrication? It isn't in the textbooks, or anything."

To hear him have his own doubt was a bit reassuring, even if it was far more controlled than her raging thoughts.

"They can't put secret dealings in textbooks, can they? If people get powers, they look for places to use them."

There was a sharp intake of breath - presumable from Midoriya, and a slight shuffling. Then, Midoriya spoke, and Mina was reminded of the topic that had first caught her attention.

"How does this relate to One-For-All?"

There it was again. One-For-All. Was that a quirk? Was that Midoriya's quirk? It didn't really imply much from the title; nobody would guess it was a strength enhancing quirk, so why would he name it so... cryptically? When she'd picked the name Acid, it was because it was simple, straight-forward, and easy to say. It got the point across, unless she wanted people assuming her quirk was like, Pink-Skin, or something ridiculous that appealed to her appearance and horns.

"I said that All-For-One could give quirks to others, right?" Mina's heart began to race. Was he implying...? "He made others trust him or surrender to him by giving them quirks. But apparently, there were many given quirks who could not bear the burden, and became living dolls that couldn't speak. Just like the Nomus."

Repressed memories of the gigantic purple monster came flooding back, and Ashido had to actively replace hissing as she recalled its grotesque form, serrated teeth, lifeless eyes... how terrifying strong it was. She had come to U.A. to become a hero - and she'd stood up to a villain before, though it wasn't a fight she'd been locked into - but seeing that monstrosity, even from a distance, etched fear into her heart. She hadn't been able to sleep well for a week, thinking about how close she and her new friends had come to dying. And that giant purple 'Nomu' had been the center of that fear.

When three more had attacked Hosu's downtown district, she was ashamed to admit she was glad she hadn't been there. While police accounts stated they were nowhere as physically capable, the fact remained that their appearance was simply... terrifying to look at, and she still hadn't exactly come to terms with fricken' All Might nearly dying at its hands.

Her stomach lurched; this man that could take and give quirks... was he responsible for the Nomu's they'd encountered?

'That's impossibe - he'd have to be dead by now! This was... at least two or three generations ago!'

"...small and sickly, but he had a strong sense of justice." Mina faintly registered that the man was talking again, so she swallowed a wad of saliva, and tried to ignore the fear that churned uncomfortably in her stomach, which was growing larger by the second. "It pained him to see his older brother's deeds, so he kept resisting him. He forced a quirk that could stock power onto his younger brother. At this point, it's kind of impossible to know if that it was out of kindness, or to force him into submission."

"Don't tell me..." It was barely above a whisper, but the world seemed to stop moving, and the deafening silence that fell upon the school made Midoriya's words so much louder than they intended to be.

"Yeah," The man said ominously. "He was thought to be quirkless, but there was something else inside of him. Something that neither he himself nor those around him noticed. He had a useless quirk that could pass on quirks!"

Ashido felt her breath hitch as the man's words grew louder.

"The quirk to stock power, mixed with the quirk to pass on other quirks. That was the origin of One-For-All!" Midoriya's gasped, and Mina couldn't blame him. She was... beyond flabbergasted, at this point. This almost seemed like a weird dream. "Ironic... that justice always comes from evil."

"Hey, wai- I understand how that came about, but why... are you bringing up an evildoer from so long ago now?"

That was the real question, wasn't it? It wasn't Ashido's first question, but after hearing the story... it was one of her primary questions. Sure, his power sounded terrifying... and he definitely sounded like he could create those Nomus, but after such a long time, surely he would have died? Unless...

"He can steal quirks, you know. Anything goes. A quirk to stop aging... he probably stole something like that. The Symbol of Evil was pretty much immortal... with the huge difference in their combat abilities, and the state of the society at the time, the defeated younger brother decided to entrust his quirk to future generations. He believed that even if he couldn't win then, if he slowly cultivated the power, then one day, it would become strong enough to stop his older brother. And then, when it was my turn, I was finally able to defeat him! At least... that's what I thought, but he survived, and has started moving again as the brains of the League of Villains."

The man sighed, and his voice became more distance, but it was still audible. "One-For-All is power inherited to defeat All-For-One, so to speak. You may have to fight against this great evil... this is harsh on you, but-"

"I'll do my best!" Midoriya said firmly. "I'll do whatever you ask of me, no matter what it is! As long as you're with me, I can do anything! That's what it feels like!"

Ashido staggered backward, no longer able to listen to anything further. She'd heard... too much. Far, far too much. She wasn't meant to hear any of that. This was more than just accidentally hearing about two friends dating in secret, or some scandalous little rumor being true. This was more than hearing that your friend was talking bad things behind your back... this was... literally Earth-shattering.

Her heart was racing, threatening to beat straight out her chest, and the pink-skinned girl wouldn't have been surprised if her uniform couldn't conceal the organ pushing against her chest. The angry churning had came to a halt, replaced with a blanket of nausea that was associated with... fear. She was afraid. The things she'd heard... they weren't normal.

Bakugou had been right. Midoriya was quirkless. This... this man - whoever he was - had passed on his quirk to him. One-For-All. Midoriya, the sweet, innocent-looking, nervous-but-heroic classmate that she barely knew, was being assigned the task of trying to defeat what was possibly the world's most sinister evildoer in the history of evildoers... and he was completely okay with that.

He was literally being groomed for... a single fight. He was training for a single fight. One single fight - the winner lives, the loser dies. And he, of all people, said he was willing to do whatever he needed to.

It was too much. He was given the purpose of what sounded like a suicide mission! How was he okay with that?! How... how was that fair?!

Why was he okay with that?! He wasn't doing it for the glory - he hated attention. He certainly wasn't doing it because he enjoyed fighting. Was the only thing that compelled him... his sense of justice? Was that the only thing that drove him to such lengths? A pure heart?

Mina felt a tear come to her eye, and she aggressively brushed it away. She wasn't sure if it was fear from learning... everything, or maybe it was frustration that a guy as young and innocent as Midoriya, was tasked with the immense burden of having to end the reign of Japan's greatest threat (something NOBDOY else had managed to stop, over several generations).

She wanted to take a seat, and breath. She wanted to possibly wake up, and discover everything she'd heard was just a dream, and that in the morning, she'd come to school and nothing would be any different. But she knew that was unlikely. It all made too much sense.

Rumor had it that Midoriya was a 'late-bloomer', as he'd mumbled. Aizawa was very direct in his desire to have Midoriya learn to harness his immense power, lest the teen want to live with shattered bones for the rest of his life. For someone to be in High School, and not have control of their quirk was rather insane, but now it all made sense. It wasn't his quirk originally. He had no idea how to use it, because up until receiving it, he hadn't even had a quirk.

Bakugou wasn't lying. He hadn't been wrong about Midoriya being quirkless. It all made... so much more sense. And... All Might?

Mina frowned. How did All Might play into this? All they had were similar qui -

The pink girl actually felt herself beginning to faint. It was outlandish. It was impossible.

The reason the man's voice seemed so familiar... the reason he'd been so insistent on Midoriya's growth, and seemed to watch him more carefully than any other student... the reason Midoriya had broken his body, in an effort to protect All Might during the USJ Raid, according to Kirishima, was all because...

All Might was Midoriya's predecessor.

Before she knew it, her vision turned dark, and she was on the ground in a heap.