All For Myself Chapter 45

Nana felt her leg subconsciously jump in place as she scratched at the scar on her neck.

She was currently watching the TV and she felt her heart drop as her red eyes peaked through the gaps in her brother's fingers.

It was happening. Ryoto was going to leave her, and he might never return. It's just her now.

The itch on her neck got worse as she watched the one who saved her fight the one she hated most.

She was scratching frantically at her neck and the hands weren't enough to calm her nerves at this point. She wanted to turn away. She wanted to hide in a corner with her fingers stuck in her ears. She wanted-

Her hands were cut off from clawing her neck ragged by a strong hand that guided her limited attention away from the screen.

Nana found the culprit to be that damned redhead who seemed to have convinced herself that they were friends somehow.

Staring into the blue eyes of Kiruka Hasaki, Nana found herself feeling jealous of the woman. She was pretty, and had kind eyes, and didn't wear a hand on her face most of the time. She wasn't the only one in the outhouse they were staying in, but she was the only one who decided to watch Ryoto fight with her.

She can't say that she liked her very much. But, then again Nana didn't really like anyone very much.

In fact, the only person she really did like was about to be sent away.

She's openly told Kiruka that so many times... and yet she hasn't left Nana's side.

"You'll see him again soon enough, just wait a while."

Nana snatched her hand away, but she didn't go back to rubbing her neck. Instead she held her arms by the elbows, practically glaring a hole through the television.

Nana could hardly even make herself sit still as her fingers dug into two of the nine hands that hung off her body. The itching was getting worse, but Ryoto wanted to see her throw the hands on her body away by the time he next saw her, she didn't know why, but she found herself wanting to be rid of them too.

She was wearing nine hands at that moment. The ones on her arms are grandmother and grandfather. The one on her face is Tenko. The fingers which linger over her neck are fathers. Her mother hangs off her shoulders. Finally a stranger stays on the back of her head.

She doesn't know much about what they are, but for some inexplicable reason, calmness is washed over her whenever they touch her skin. It's strange, but her itching is quelled whenever they hang off her frame, not entirely, but enough.

Touching the hands makes her mind spin. Even now, watching Ryoto fight, her brain is focused on... something else.

"Hana don't cry, you'll make me cry too." Grandma spoke softly, comforting her as the sting from father's bruise lessened.

Nana's mind is suddenly filled with bitterness and spite as she subconsciously activated 'Decay', causing the two hands on her biceps(grandmother) to scatter into the winds as nothing but dust.

The itching on her neck lessened slightly.

"Here Hana. These rice balls will help make things better." Grandpa told her, smiling happily to try and cheer her up, to draw her away from the reality that she had to lie to her friends at school, daddy would be in trouble otherwise.

Kiruka turned away from the tv when their leader launched a powerful laser attack which made the weather change. But, her eyes widened in shock as she noticed that the hands on Hana's arms had crumbled away into nothing, leaving her with just five hands on her body.

The red haired woman also noticed that Nana had almost... visibly changed with the disappearance of those hands. Her sharp eye could pick up that her posture had straightened up a bit, and the shine in her red eyes was slightly more coherent. It was as though the blue haired woman was just a tiny bit more sane than before.

Kiruka will admit that when she first saw Nana she figured that the girl had a few screws loose, but acted nice to her because Ryoto ordered it. Now though? She thinks that maybe there's more to her than meets the eye.

Nana noticed the stare of the other girl and just asked." Is something wrong."

Kiruka noticed that she'd been looking just a little too long to be considered normal, so she shook her head in disagreement." No, I'm just wondering how Ryoto could give us such a stupid plan. I trust his judgement, but he's put a lot of trust in us. It's... well shocking really."

Those words made Nana narrow her eyes at Kiruka's musings. "Do you not trust him?"

"I never said that, it's just strange is all." Her words make Nana's eyes stop going narrow, but the tension in the air is heavy. Kiruka continues after a moment. "I've known him for a few years now, and if there's one thing that I do know about him, it's that he thinks ahead. Really far ahead. He's also so powerful that he wouldn't rot away in jail if he didn't want to. Even if we fail, I doubt that he'll stay down for long."

Those words did do something to reassure Nana. It was true, Ryoto thought insanely far ahead. Every move he made had some form of backup, even if they failed there's a solid chance that he would be alright. She would probably see him again.

He promised her afterall, and he never breaks a promise to a friend.

She needs him to live, so that she can tell him how she feels.

----------------------

"Is this seriously all you can do?!"

All Might has spent over thirty years as a Pro-Hero. He's battled enemies of all shapes and sizes, yet none of that, absolutely none of that could have properly prepared him to fight All For One. That man was beyond powerful, he was the result of stockpiled power which amassed itself throughout over a century and a half. A multi-Quirked monster whose limits were unknown, maybe he had none.

The very fact he won that fight was a fact he's still sometimes amazed by. Even if he was at full power, All For One still put a hole through his guts and, if not for his habit of monologuing, would have managed to defeat him. Truly, more than anything else, he was lucky.

But, this second All For One didn't have nearly the same amount of experience or Quirks as the original, by all means, he should have been able to overcome the inexperienced young man. He should have been inferior to the old one in every way.

He was not.

Apparently this one could control the weather, and given how horribly it's been hailing ever since, he can likely do it to a large extent. The lightning strike he created tore the ground apart and the buildings in the area have laid in ruin. Innocent people weren't caught in the crossfire though, so he counts himself lucky for that.

Gritting his teeth, Toshinori swiftly dodged an armada of purple lasers that were shot through the fingers of his opponent, whilst his other hand responded by unleashing a flurry of black tendrils poised to tear him to shreds. Luckily, those proved to be rather fragile, one blast of air pressure was enough to shatter them like glass, though he still had to withdraw since he couldn't punch his way through a laser beam. He had to get away.

"New Hampshire SMASH!"

Yelling the name of an American state, he punched the air in front of his, propelling himself backwards with the force of his attack.

In response though, Ryoto merely scoffed as he activated a Mutant-type Quirk that caused wing-like appendages to sprout on his back with white spikes on the flesh. His suit seemed to bend around the new limbs somehow, ensuring that his attire wasn't torn.

Toshinori felt horror and recognition as he saw that Quirk. He remembers that particular power quite well, it was one that All For One used in his battle six years ago.

"Where did you-"

All Might was cut off, as Ryoto flew forward at high speeds, a cold look in his blood red eyes and his wings shining with a black charge of electricity.

Inwardly, Toshinori saw a chance in front of him. This was it, All For One never liked to get very close in their battles, the cowards battle style centred around launching powerful long-range attacks. But, when All Might got in close he could always dish out a lot of punishment.

All Might hit the ground and, with his enhanced strength, he launched himself directly at the enemy, feeling nothing but confidence that he could accomplish his goal and put his opponent down.

Using 100% of 'One for All' was likely unnecessary, but Toshinori didn't have much care for the consequences at that moment. He held back last time they fought, and as a result his enemies doppelganger fled the scene and returned later. He had to take this villain down, even if it meant killing him.

Toshinori threw his fist forward with all his might, screaming his lung out as he yelled, aiming for the head of his opponent to finish them in just one fatal blow.

"DETROIT SMAA-"

He never had a chance to finish. This was because, his opponent had lunged out and physically put a stop to his blow halfway, their hand firmly grabbing the inside of his elbow.

He was at 100% yet Ryoto managed to stop him from finishing his attack!

In response to his failed attempt, a sinister chuckle escaped Ryoto's lips." Sorry, I interrupted you. I believe you were about to say something like-"

He then cocked his right fist back and, aiming right for his stomach, punched his weak spot with extreme ferocity.

"MUSUTAFU SMASH!"

The fist of the winged man became buried in where his stomach used to be, the world came crashing down on All Might as white hot pain echoed throughout his being and the world passed him by. Before he knew it, his back was thrown onto the hard ground, the back of his head bashing against the concrete, which only added to his turmoil.

What was that punch?! It felt as though it was him that threw that strike, but that can't be!

But, his thoughts were cut off. By what exactly? It was Ryoto laughing. Though, it lacked any humour, it was hollow and empty. His empty cackling being heard by the blonde Symbol as he endured the mocking of his opponent." What's wrong All Might, has fighting weak opponents for years on end made you grow rusty? Or, maybe you were never even that strong to begin with. Ironic that you value power over everything else, yet you've grown so pitiful" He seemed to spit those final words with venom thick in his accent.

Coughing up blood, All Might struggled to his feet, and glowered up with hatred in his gaze." What right could a Villain like you possibly have to judge me? Do you even know what you're talking about?" Honestly, he's met so many ignorant fools like this before. They talk so much about morals, but at the end of the day they're nothing but monsters. Ones that needed to be locked away.

In response, Ryoto sneered at All Might, before spitting out." 'Without a Quirk you just won't cut it. Pro's risk their lives every day, and I simply cannot say that somebody without power can be a Hero. No, I don't think that a Quirkless person could be a Hero.' Does that sound familiar Toshinori?"

All Might's eyes were wide as saucers when he heard those words. How did he know about that?! He was certain that nobody was nearby when he scolded that boy, and if he was close by then why didn't Ryoto attack whilst he was vulnerable?!

But, for whatever reason, his mouth just moved on it's own and he answered his enemy against his will." Yes. I said those words to a Quirkless kid who wanted to become a Hero, he asked me if he could be me one day, and I said no. A Quirkless person cannot do what I do."

All Might's eyes couldn't get any wider as his face paled, steam coming off of his skin and Ryoto grins sadistically upon hearing the fake tell what he really feels in front of the world." Oh, then do enlighten us. Do you consider the Quirkless as lesser than those who do have Quirks?"

All Might tried to cover his mouth, but he couldn't help himself for whatever reason, and once again answered the enemies line of questioning." Yes. I do consider them lesser than people with Quirks, they're weaker, they're fewer in number, and someone without a Quirk would never survive a day as a Hero."

The smirk on Ryoto's face stretched as All Might spoke, each word digging a deeper grave for his enemy. Once again, he tried to question his enemy." I see, well, I heard that you used to be Quirkless yourself. Tell me, is that tru-"

Upon hearing those words a surge of rage clouded Toshinori's mind as he lunged forward, fist cocked back, to destroy his enemy and cut him short. Whatever he was going, All Might didn't like it. He was actually speaking the truth to the person in front of him, he was actually being honest, completely without filter, to his enemy.

This was bad, if the public saw this, then-

The cocky look on Ryoto's face remained unchanged, and, almost as though he anticipated the attack, his wings all pointed down at Toshinori.

Dark energy surrounded them and each individual point shot off a blast of energy that joined together and combined to form a powerful attack which Toshinori narrowly avoided as he thrust forward with intent to bring an end to his opponent.

But, Ryoto had different plans, he brought his two palms together and thrust them forward with a bright light shining on both of them.

The result was near instantaneous. Twin explosions of light erupted from his hands, they covered a wide radius and blew All Might away, building around them toppling over and collapsing as the strongest Hero was thrown about like a ragdoll and imprinted himself into an apartment building.

Seeing this, even Ryoto was a bit surprised by the destruction which he created. Perhaps he went a tad overboard with that attack.

All Might coughed, trying to hold back puking more blood up his gullet, but still crawled out of the broken apartment and jumped down onto the ground. He looked in a sorry state though, his costume was torn and his pride was battered, his normally exquisite bangs were shaggy and bruised, plus his muscles were emitting steam.

He was almost out of time!

"I do hope that you're pleased with yourself! All of this destruction, all of this chaos, you can't possibly tell me this will make the world a better place!"

Almost casually, Ryoto looked down like a god at the destruction below his feet, and shrugged before he simply says." I know it is, but maybe I did go a little overboard. Good thing I can just fix it."

He smirked as his body and eyes started to glow with a brilliant golden light, so damn bright that Toshinori had to stop himself from shielding his eyes. What was he doing?

Ryoto brought his hand up and, just for dramatic effect, snapped his fingers.

"Reversal + Restoration + Expanding Force!"

Then Toshinori was left aghast as the golden glow around Ryoto dispersed rapidly into the area surrounding them, the ground beginning to glow that same hue of yellow. He jumped when it passed over his feet, though it didn't seem to spread to him like it did the buildings.

What happened next, Toshinori could only describe as a miracle.

The destruction around them began to undo itself, building putting themselves back together like puzzle pieces, missing materials appearing out of thin air to replace what was completely destroyed. It took a whole few minutes, but once that was done the entire destroyed area looked brand new! As though it weren't completely destroyed just minutes ago!

All Might's jaw hung loose, gaping at what just occurred before him. Though, he quickly snapped out of it, settling for staring up at the one responsible for the act.

This- this was something beyond terrifying. All For One had accomplished some insane feats in their battles together, All Might had seen many unbelievable feats in his many years as a Hero. But... to put an entire ruined city back together as though it were a children's puzzle?

That really takes the cake. Just what did he-

"I assume that you're impressed? You wouldn't be gaping like an idiot otherwise." Ryoto grinned down condescendingly at All Might, snapping him out of his starstruck daze in the process." What amazing abilities I possess, to think that I was once just a Quirkless boy, how people can grow if they let go of everything else."

"What are you?" All Might felt scared to ask, forgetting that steam was dripping off his body and that his time was nearly up in that moment.

Just what was he even battling? If All For One had tried what that boy just did then he'd practically be crawling on the ground, yet Ryoto wasn't even fazed at that moment. Even All For One had his limits?! But, this was beyond even that!

In response to this, Ryoto's musing were cut short as he tauntingly stared down at All Might." This is what happens when you have the ultimate hardware that can more than accommodate your endless software. My body has gone plus ultra Toshinori, I have no limits. My power is beyond 'One for All'." He declared, silent arrogance oozing out of his body as he grinned down at All Might.

Hearing those words, Toshinori gritted his teeth." I'd hardly call it your power, your just using the power which you took from someone else. You're nothing but a thief." He bit back, feeling some satisfaction at his own words.

But, instead of looking mad, Ryoto just snorted." And what about you? 'One for All' isn't your Quirk if we choose to go by your logic. If I'm a thief then you are as well, armed with the weapon of pity you stole 'One for All' from Shimura. That correct?"

Hearing the name of his master on the lips of his enemy pushed the blondes anger even further." You aren't fit to speak her- aaargh." He tried to step forward in defiance, only to fall down clutching his bleeding stomach, with the damage he'd taken doing it's job and corroding his muscle form.

Ryoto ignored this, and kept on speaking." What really happened was this. Shimura heard your naïve dreams and, being the idealistic little idiot that she was, just decided to hand her Quirk over to a loser like you. Because, you couldn't do anything on your own. But, now your body can't even handle that power and your stubbornness is the only thing that keeps you running! Is that correct!"

"SHUT UP!!"

"I don't think I will Toshinori. Because, you're a liar with shallow ideals that were only ever good for a temporary peace! What did you honestly think a system run by one man would accomplish?! Did you think it would be what's best for Japan, or were you just so eager to fool this entire country into worshipping you like some kind of god?!"

Hearing that made the blonde mans chest swell with rage." That isn't true, I only-"

"You turned Japan into your own personal cult that does nothing but praise you, because you keep them blind to the truth! They don't even know the real you, because the real you is just a regular human being- no in fact you're just a skeleton man, one who can't accept that maybe the world doesn't revolve around him."

The bubbling hatred in his chest amplified the moment those insulting words left his lips. He never did what he did to turn Japan into a cult, he never did what he did for the fame! He wanted to drag Japan out of the dark ages and become a Symbol for the newfound peace in society.

His way might not be the best way, but it's kept the worlds peace for as long as it has! He never did anything wrong!

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

It wasn't an action becoming of the Symbol of Peace, but in that moment he didn't care. He was out of the public eye, and the man in front of him was responsible for the desecration of everything he stands for.

He forced his Quirk past it's limits, bulking up and cracking the ground with the sheer strength of his leap. He was packing as much power as he could into just one attack to destroy his opponent, he'd have closed the gap between them in just two seconds. If he just landed his attack then he would have destroyed his enemy!

But, it never did land.

His opponent smirked as he held up his hand once again, and when he saw that attack his mind went blank. Black sparks and red energy surged around his hand as the energise plasma charged up in a split moment.

He remembered everything about that day when he started to use that Quirk. The same one that killed his master. The red sky, the ruined city, the way his most hated opponent lorded over them and seemed to relish in ending the life of his mother. All he could do was watch in that moment as he thanked her for amusing him, and then... then he launched an attack so large that all he could do was call out to his master as a second sun of pure red lit up the city and-

The momentary flashback was enough to cause him to falter and a mere moment later the very same attack that killed his master was unleashed and his world blacked out for a moment... only for a sharp pain that originated from his stomach to wake him up, wind was running through his hair and his arm was skinnier than it should have been in his muscle-

Toshinori crashed onto the concrete road, his bones cracking from the impact as his mostly destroyed muscle form cushioned the impact, but regardless his bones were still cracking and splintering from the impact, his Hero costume tearing, and his pride buckling.

He feebly tried to muster his strength, 'One for All' failing him in the process, he was doing this in an attempt to get up and win against his nemesis. But, he failed. His arms shook and failed him, along with the strength 'One for All' provided him as his muscles deflated and his true fragile appearance flinched mildly in pain from the still falling hail.

He was done. He was beaten.

Floating down in a tranquil manner, Ryoto's feet touched the ground just by All Might's head, and he didn't look cocky in that moment. Perhaps a touch smug, but mostly he was just looking down on the utterly beaten man in front of him.

"Are you done?" The suited man questioned with an eyebrow raised, seemingly not impressed with the performance the legendary Symbol of Peace had put up. It could hardly have been called a battle, it was more of a one-sided beatdown that would only have ended one way. Because, Toshinori was weak, old, and overconfident.

All Might weakly groaned, once again trying to push himself up. But, he wasn't given the chance to when Ryoto grabbed him by the collar and lifted the shrivelled shell out of his hole.

Toshinori had accepted his fate in that moment. He couldn't pump anymore juice out of 'One for All' and his skinny form was much too weak to do anything to basically anyone. He was completely at the mercy of his enemy in that moment.

He was done now, he accepted this as fact. But he wouldn't let Ryoto get the last laugh.

"You look seriously pathetic right now, you know that? But, although pitiful, at least this version of you is honest. If you had just been Toshinori then maybe we could have even been friend... but no. You chose to hide behind a façade for years whilst putting down the weak, like Izuku Midoriya. You'll get what's coming to you."

Toshinori used what little strength he had left to glare up at Ryoto, but that fire soon fizzled out when his eyes met with something that made his heart drop.

It was a drone, casually hovering in the air, capturing a video of him whilst frail and weak. Toshinori didn't need to be a genius to figure out what Ryoto was planning.

With fear clear in his blue irises, he glanced up at the one who had him at his mercy, and was met with a predatory grin that told him everything he needed to know.

"That's right Yagi, why don't your adoring fans get to know you a little better?"