Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Midoriya-shounen, I'd like to speak to you later. Meet me at Dagobah Beach.”

“All Mi- Toshinori-san, is there a reason why?”

“I’ll tell you then. See you later!”

He choked, droplets splattering onto the concrete below.

“Toshinori-san? You wanted to talk to me?”

That smile… the sweet, caring smile you always had…

“Yes I did. Please, come sit.”

He had been innocent then, happy, even.

“So… what do you want to talk to me about? Is it about One For All?”

Toshinori had laughed, a familiar booming laugh.

“No, no. Nothing like that. It actually concerns me, Shounen.”

He had worried then, that it would be something big, yes, but nothing as truly devastating as it was.

The stars shone brightly, illuminating the soft, grassy field.

“Are you alright? Did something happen!?”

That forever smile, sad.

“You know I’ve been alive for quite some time,” he had said, not answering.

“Yes… but what does that have to do with anything?”

Burning blue eyes, no longer shining with the same passion.

“Midoriya… no… Izuku…”

The moon looked down upon him, the same moon he had seen since he was a child, illuminating the empty, rolling plains.

“How could I have been so stupid…”

“I won’t be alive for much longer.”

He had broken that day, at first there was nothing, he had been numb.

“Toshinori-san… what do you mean..?”

He knew what it meant, but he wasn’t ready. Not Yet.

Despite no longer burning with the passionate flames, a soft determination had taken its place.

“Izuku, I only have a few more months to live. My time as a hero took its toll, and I’ve already been pushing my life expectancy. Heroes like me don’t live very long, I have far exceeded my limits.”

For once, he hadn’t cried. It was like his body was dry, bare, exposed.

No words would come out, but he was certain the desperation, longing, and disbelief in his gaze had been ever-present. 

Please don’t leave me…

“But, I will be spending the next few months living a peaceful life. For you, for your classmates, for myself. I might not be here much longer, but the time I have, well, I’d like it to be memorable.”

Deep, ocean-blue staring into his soul.

“Will you help me live, Izuku?”

He said nothing. Oh, how he wished he had said more then. He had so much to say, to apologize for, and to thank him.

Instead, he has stumbled forward, dazed, sad, and confused, into open arms.

The arms of a father.

He had whispered, quiet, too quiet. Nobody heard, not even himself.

His breath hitched, but no other sound came out. Silent tears, one, and then the next.

These weren’t the tears of a crybaby, of an injured man, but of a young, broken boy, who had given his all only to be told it would be taken away.

The sound of waves crashing on the nearby shore, leaves rustling in the wind. 

It was peaceful.

It was suffocating.

“Izuku, would you like to do something tomorrow. Just you and me?”

He thinks he nodded, he must have. He doesn’t remember.

“I know it’s a lot, my boy, but my master always told me to look forward, instead of back. There is no need to look back, as if a mistake has been made, and it is worth learning from, it will stick with you, you will not have to go back for it. Instead, look forward, use the knowledge you have obtained and the time you have, to add another chapter to your story, for others to look to and learn themselves.”

The tree bark was rough on his back, he didn’t care.

The tears were salty as they brushed his lips, he couldn’t taste them.

‘Toshinori-san,’ he had thought, ‘there’s so much I want to tell you, but I can’t. Not yet. Before you go, I will tell you everything. My sorrows, my joys, my sins, my thanks. But not yet.’

He had been hopeful then, that although his world was falling apart, piece by piece, he still had time before it all shattered.

‘I still have time.’

They had parted ways long after their arrival, the moon and stars shone bright as ever, yet somehow, it felt like the sky itself was crying too.

 He laughed bitterly, nostalgic wasn’t it?

The next day, it was announced former Number 1 Hero, All Might, had died of an unforeseen heart attack, and a collapsed lung.

He sobbed on the roof of UA Hero Highschool, cursing and screaming to the world, to the gods, to return the man treasured by all, and a father who just left his son.

“ALL MIGHT!” He cried, clutching a photo to his chest, “Why! Why… did you leave me… you said we had time!”

It was a photo of a young, green haired boy and tall, gaunt, male, smiling side by side, peace signs mirroring each other.

“There’s still so much I wanted to tell you…”

And on the same day the world lost it’s hero, Izuku Midoriya vanished without a trace days before his graduation. The only thing missing from his room were photos of his classmates throughout the years, and an old, torn, All Might hoodie.

There were desperate attempts to find the green-haired boy, but his classmates had never given up hope, not even long after the search had ended.

Every year, on the same day, they caught a glimpse of a man in a torn hoodie, standing by All Might’s grave. At first, they had tried to interact, but soon learned the man would only flee if approached. 

It became tradition, after that, to see the man by grave on the 10th of every month, if only for a few hours. Except for the 10th of June, in which the man could be found from dawn until dusk at the sight of a fallen hero.

The concrete slab before him, stood strong despite the years that had passed. 

Flowers. Sad, delicate, at the base of the grave.

They knew the man who showed up was Midoriya Izuku, one of their closest friends and greatest inspirations. Even Katsuki Bakugou, Number 1 Hero, Legacy, had stood by and honored the green-haired male.

He stood up then, the warm air of the month shifting and swirling about. 

The grave was left, but not forgotten, for he would return again in another month. Shorter, this time, than he would on this day in June, but no less important. 

Turning from the sight of the grass, littered with flowers, overlooking Dagobah Beach, Musutafu, where a single grave sat in the stillness of a forever maintained beach, he let himself smile, small, and fragile, for the man who changed his life, gave him meaning, and showed the world what it meant to be a hero.

Toshinori Yagi

All Might

Born: June 10th, 20XX

Date of Death: July 7th, 21XX

A Hero, A Legend, A Legacy.

A Father.