Chapter Text
All for One was dead.
Kyuudai could do nothing but look helplessly at the corpse on the table, exhaustion finally catching up to him. How long had he been trying to bring Him back from the brink? Hours? Days? Every machine, every procedure, EVERYTHING he could think of. And at the end, it all amounted to nothing…
He could feel tears flowing down his face, crying for what was lost. The greatest, most perfect being on Earth, the one who had granted him such a long life. The one who could change the world like it was nothing. Dead at the hands of some- some pompous, blonde buffoon!
His sobs mixed with screams as he lashed out at everything around him, his fists stinging as they struck at metal. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered, because All for One was DEAD! All those plans, those projects, those prospects, all of it nothing more than dust in the air!
He breathed heavily, strength finally leaving him as his hand went limp. “Forgive me…” There was no answer. “Forgive me for failing you…” There will never BE one…
How?! They- all of it was perfect! The Master said He had him right where He wanted! How could it all go so wrong?! All Might wasn’t even- He saw him there, while he was getting Master away. He didn’t even have the decency to die alongside him!
The rage within him flared up, as he recalled that… that smile. Beaten down, wounded, but still he smiled. He knew then. He KNEW what he did! He KNEW what he deprived the world of!!
Kyuudai kept shaking as he ground his teeth. He’ll pay. He’ll PAY for this! He- there were still ways! He still had- he… he could… maybe…
Yes. Yes, he… he DID have… some ways still. The Noumu Project. Not how they planned it. Not without- but that’s fine. He just- he’ll have to make sure he gets it right the first time.
Yes… Yes, he… he WILL get it right the first time. He had to. He owed it to Master for his failures. The world rejected His order. His grace and mercy. And those who strike at the perfect being… will be punished. As Ra had Sekhmet. As Zeus had Pandora. So too, shall All for One bring them… “...Majin.”
*****
How long has it been since Sensei died? Tomura didn’t know. He couldn’t be bothered to count. Two months, at least.
He’d been pissed at first. Of course he was. He didn’t know HOW many useless NPCs got Decayed over that last week, but it was definitely enough for the stupid Heroes to notice. He had to leave his main Guild Hall to evade aggro. Sensei- Sensei said Tomura was supposed to be the second him. He can’t… he doesn’t know how, but he can’t just give up on that… So, he left. The only fucking good thing was the fact that the Doctor hadn’t yet moved somewhere else.
Though Tomura wouldn’t be surprised if the old fart planned to stay here until it broke down around him. “Oh, hey, Kurogiri, look. The shitty healer got out of his grinding spot.” If the Doctor heard him, he didn’t show it. “You got any new gear there, mister dedicated?” Or whatever the hell he was working on in that lab. He was there every moment that wasn’t spent on his cover; there had to be SOMETHING to break the monotony!
“Damn… brat…” The coot glared at them as he shuffled past. Though it didn’t do fuck all considering the state of him. Tomura swore he looked WORSE each time he left. Paler, thinner, more disheveled, and with bigger bags under his eyes. Which was a real fucking achievement, considering he once stumbled out covered in his own blood.“You’re… lucky you’re the Master’s ward, or I would’ve-”
“Oh, what was that?” He gave the old fart a smile as he moved closer, his fingers suddenly on the Doctor’s throat. At least he had enough Wisdom in that head to freeze. “You sure you want to say things like this?” He let him sweat a bit, then… “Because YOU’RE lucky that this little project is the best plan we have right now.“ He pulled it back, the Doctor sagging. “So, how about you keep at it, and not piss me off anymore?”
“Work…” He gave him one more annoying lok, before he shook his head and kept going, muttering under his breath. ”Yes, work… Have to keep going. There are more important things. More… more…” It was like he forgot Tomura was even there. Maybe that was for the best. Like HELL is he reading any of those bullshit books, just the covers were enough to make his head spin. And he sure was looking on a lot of covers, since the doc filled the whole space with them. Seriously, what the hell even IS that language? Not English or Japanese, that’s for fucking-
A noise above them broke Tomura out of his musing. Right, it was about this time of the week, wasn’t it? Whatever, at least those visits mean something HAPPENS, even if it’s nothing more than a few more books to the pile. “Giran...” The doc looked up, exhaustion immediately leaving his body. “Could it be… finally?” Hm?
Tomura shared a look with Kurogiri as they followed after him. This was way more of a reaction than usual. “Well, look at him. Moving like he just got a rare drop…” He made sure to keep a safe distance away while they moved towards the hidden entrance to the tunnels. When the Doctor’s THIS excited...
“Giran!” He more or less threw the doors open with all his strength. “Is it here?! Do you have it?!”
“Well, someone’s mighty impatient.” He just smiled, lifting a… large, metal box. Tomura could hear water splashing inside. “It’s not good for your age, you know-”
“Give it here, you fool!” The Doctor practically LUNGED at the thing, arms and legs trembling as he struggled to hold it. “Is it everything? Did you get everything from the site?” He kept muttering to himself while he looked around. “Need to keep it safe, need to keep it- can’t risk dropping it, have to- to…” His manic gaze finally dropped… right on Tomura. Well, shit. “Shigaraki! Come here, help me- no. No, Kurogiri! Get this to the lab, now!” The cloud grunted as the box got dumped into his hands, the Doctor shambling back to the lab, still muttering. “Finally, finally, finally, I knew it’ll come to me, I knew-”
...The hell? He turned to look at Giran. “What the fuck is in that box? And don’t give me any of that confidentiality shit, the Doctor will be yelling it the whole fucking week anyway.”
“Would you get anything useful out of that yelling, though?” Oh, this little- “But fine, it’s not like Garaki asked for it.” He hummed, puffing that cigarette like an asshole he was. “You’re not the kind to watch the news, right?” Tomura gave him a flat look. “Right. Well, two weeks ago, there was a pretty big buzz over a meteor shower. One of them actually made it to Earth, sank into the Pacific not far from Japan. The good doctor there was CONVINCED he’d find something interesting in there, so I got in contact with some people willing to look.”
“Enough backstory already…” Tomura groaned. “Just tell me what the hell’s got the Doctor like that.”
“Can’t tell you for certain.” He shrugged. “All I know is that the moment he saw the list of all the things they fished out, and immediately paid extra to get it here as soon as possible.”
“Of course he fucking did…” He growled, shaking his head. “All the fucking money Sensei left us is going to be wasted on his fucking provision grinding.”
“I certainly can’t complain.” Of course, he didn’t. He’s the one milking it off of them. “Not every day do you get this much money for transporting a few rocks, metal scraps, and a weird sea slug.” He gave Tomura a look. “Though… you know, if you’re finding yourself strapped for money, well… I could certainly think of a few people who could use your particular… talent.” What? Is he really trying to draft him like some cheap- “It could help spread your name around, too.”
“...That so, huh?” It WOULD be better than just sitting here all day… “Well, then I guess you better get me something good, right, Giran?” Tomura smiled again. “You know I HATE crappy Quests…”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He laughed again. “Now, I’d love to stay and chat some more, but business calls.” He waved before turning away from him, “I’ll have something prepared next time I bring the books. That set will be particularly good. Got it straight from Arabia.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He huffed, then went back to the lab himself. The Doctor was, of course, already busy working on whatever the hell he was crafting in there. The door was glowing faintly, and he could hear the old fart still muttering in there. From here, it didn’t even sound like coherent words. “Kurogiri. Any ideas how much longer until the Doctor’s done?”
The cloud didn’t answer for a while. “I…” Well? He was waiting… “Believe something in those new materials inspired him to start from scratch, Tomura Shigaraki.”
“What?! After all this fucking time, he-” He growled, scratching at himself. “To hell with it. Kurogiri, we’re going out.” Like HELL is he going to deal with this shit with nothing but his laptop! “If we’re staying here for longer, I’m stealing some proper fucking consoles.” He’s going to Decay all those books if he has to!
*****
Another day, another batch of noobs destroyed. Tomura was honestly starting to get bored without anyone to seriously challenge him… He exhaled, leaning back on the couch and looking at the ceiling. “Is something the matter, Tomura Shigaraki?” Kurogiri looked at him over from where he was sorting through the books.
“Yeah, like you can’t figure it out…” He shook his head, then got up. “It’s been… what, eight months since the Doc got that ‘exciting’ package? Nine?” Closer to the latter, since it was already the end of July. He gestured around them. “You see anything different? Anything actually useful? Because I sure as hell don’t!” He turned to glare at the dorm to the main lab. “He’s still sitting there, behind closed doors and doing who the hell knows what at this point…”
“The Doctor is… simply ensuring the work is done properly. Besides, there IS progress-”
“Not because of him, there isn’t!” Tomura had long given up on getting anything useful from him. “I we weren’t going out there and doing Giran’s quests, we’d still be stuck at level one!”
“Is it not desirable?” The hell is he on about? “You are gathering influence to yourself on your own power.” He kept sorting through the books, putting them away on whatever surface he could find. Big chance of THAT helping, Tomura was pretty sure those damn things could just APPEAR under his foot whenever the hell they felt like tripping him. “I should think Master would be pleased by your progress.”
“...Maybe…” He sighed again. Honestly, this whole shit just… at this point, even Giran’s quests got tiring at times. “It’s all just really fucking frustrating, at this point...” He still hated all those stupid smiles on everyone, but… now that he actually got the chance to start wiping them off, it... he expected something more than THIS. “But Sensei always said to be patient…” Even though he felt like he was REALLY fucking patient with the doc.
For what felt the hundredth time, Tomura considered just Decaying the coot and putting a stop to this. But… well, a part of him WAS kind of invested at this point. Besides, where the hell would they even go if he got rid of him? All Might’s stupid team must’ve already busted their other hideouts… Hm? Was that… laughing, he heard? “Yes!” The doc stumbled out, breathing heavily as he cradled something to his chest. “It’s done! Majin is done!“
…Well, shit, he actually did it. “Good for you, doc…” Tomura walked up to him, the Doctor still laughing while his eyes shone with a manic light. “So, where IS that brand new summon of yours, huh?”
“You don’t see- but of course you won’t.” He kept cackling, straightening away, and rising up something in his arms. “Behold! Behold, All Might’s Doom!” Tomura looked, and saw…
On the doctor’s palms, there was a pile of brightly-colored, featureless gunk. If anything, it looked like a wad of chewed-out gum. It was wiggling a bit.
Tomura was going to fucking scream.
*****
It's been a whole day already and Tomura was STILL pissed.
The Doctor had fell asleep more or less the second he made his ‘grand’ announcement, and hasn’t woken up since. He was THIS close to slapping the shit out of him for wasting so much of his time!
He glared again at the pile of gunk currently… fucking… sliding on the floor, leaving a long trail of slime behind it. “All this time. All this fucking work he put into this shit. And THAT’S the best he can do?!” He nudged the thing with his foot. It didn’t even fucking react. “I should’ve known it would end like this!”
“Calm yourself, Tomura Shigaraki.” Kurogiri was the only reason he didn’t Decay both the doc and his ‘masterpiece’ then and there. Tomura was STILL tempted to do so, for all three of them! “The Doctor must’ve had a reason for-”
“A reason.” He snorted. “Yeah, I bet he fucking did.” He crouched down, giving the gunk a closer look. “He probably just went completely crazy after Sensei died.” He reached out towards it. “What the hell is THIS even supposed to do to All Might, huh?! What, will it fucking- ack!” That fucking slime HURT! Acting on instinct, Tomura tightened his grip and swung his arm, throwing the whole pile away and then wiping his hand.
Then, he watched as a whole bunch of dust flew out of his hand. Right. He used all five fingers. “...Ah. Shit.” He didn’t mean to do that… Like- he wasn’t SAD about it, but now the doc is going to be insufferable once he wakes up. “Welp, guess I’m Decaying him after all.” Maybe it was for the best. He already- wait, this shit burned his shirt-
The cloud of dust shuddered in the air. “...Huh?” Tomura blinked, looking at it. “The fuck?” It kept falling, but… not in the way it SHOULD be falling. It’s like- it’s like it was in a funnel or something, all the dust gathering in one place.
And once it did, the pile of dust… shifted. Tomura watched as, very slowly, it… went back to that same annoying color, then… melted together. “...Well then.“ He walked up to the pile of gunk as it resumed its way across the room. “Maybe… We DO have something high-level on our hands…”
*****
“Finally...” Kyuudai rubbed his hands as he applied the last bits of preparation to his ‘test subject.’ “Commencing the first round of testing!” He set Majin on his face with his gloved hands, then backed away. The sugary water SHOULD be enough of an incentive for it to start its work…
“A dead guy, huh?” That ungrateful brat Shigaraki was still there, having enough gall to look UNIMPRESSED! “Really making sure it gets a no-hand-holding tutorial, eh doc?”
“Mock it all you wish.” He doesn’t understand. None of them understand! “Majin is so much more than you could ever imagine.” But he does. Yes, he does. He just needs to see. To ensure THIS part was working correctly. “This is just the beginning. The beginning of something incredible...”
“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” Oh, that- doesn’t matter. He’ll see soon enough. “So, what’s so impressive about your piece of crap spreading itself over a corpse’s face?”
“It’s not a corpse.” He needed the Quirk Factor in the brain to be intact and fresh. “The man has been in a coma for quite a while. His family had FINALLY made a decision to put him down.” And he had been just WAITING for a chance like this! “It’s a favor for him, really. Now, he’ll become a part of something more.” So much more...
“Well, aren’t you the paragon of Lawful Good-” There! It was starting! Kyudai watched in anticipation as Majin’s acidic slime slowly melted through the man’s head. Almost there. Almost there… “...The hell?”
“Impressed?” He allowed himself to give the brat a smug look. “As I said, you have NO idea what you’re witnessing!” Majin sank a bit lower, getting through the last part of the skull and into the brain. “No idea what it’ll bring…”
The two of them watched in silence until, at last, Majin emerged from the empty remains of the man’s head. “Well, that’s fucking disgusting. I wonder where it got it from…” He trailed off as Kyuudai lifted Majin up again. “Is it… bigger?”
“And so much more than that!” Kyuudai moved towards the machines, putting Majin under one of them while he ran for the screen. It was time… at least, it was time! “Now, let’s see if the procedure REALLY worked…” The machine quickly scanned the DNA, and… “Oh. Oh, yes…” He let out a laugh. “Quirk! Assimilated!”
“...What?” Shigaraki blinked, looking at it again. “It’s… like Sensei?”
“It’s only fair, right?“ He kept smiling, watching his masterpiece slowly slide down to the ground. “They rejected the one who could take them without any pain… let’s see how they’ll like something worse!” And this time, there won’t be a mistake! This time, no injury will stop it! “The Master will have his revenge!” It wasn’t the time yet. Why, the Quirk taken just now was practically useless. How can something with no mind of its own use Hyper Empathy? Still, it was the first. First of very, very many…
“Huh.” Shigaraki hummed, then looked down. Not so smug now, are you, you brat? “Okay, you got me, that’s a pretty OP summon you just got us.” He took one more look at Majin, then… groaned?! “Though… does it HAVE to be PINK?”