The Flap of a Butterfly's Wings

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Yagi felt his chest loosen as Izuku showed up on the roof, greeting him. He'd been stressed out of his mind that the kid wouldn't show up, especially since he was so sure that this boy in front of him would be the next wielder of One for All. He wouldn't have known what to do if Young Midoriya hadn't shown up.

It was when Young Midoriya started walking towards him that something had shifted. Yagi's skin started to prickle all over like a healing sunburn. It was a sensation he had never experienced before, and he wanted it gone. It made him want to crawl out of his own body. It stopped right when Toshinori was on the brink of not being able to handle it, but it's also when the voices had started.

He hadn't heard them in years, but their voices were a broken record imprinted into his mind.

It was Nana's voice that took over. God, it was her. How he missed her. He thought about her everyday, and not a day went by that he didn't think of the what if. What if she was still alive? What if I got to say more to her? What if I could've saved her?

Toshi... Her tone was loving and sincere. Toshinori wanted to say something to her, but he couldn't. It was like someone placed a lock on his vocal cords, prohibiting him from making the smallest of noises.

I know you know Midoriya is special. I know you've been having dreams of him...

Yes, but not in a long while. He had written them down, hadn't he? It's been who knows how long  since he's even looked at it. The journal had simply... slipped from his mind.

You have to remember him. He needs you to remember.

She could talk about so many different things, but why this? It's then that the dreams flash through his mind, a push provided by Shimura Nana.

The first dream: a rooftop. A boy who wanted nothing else but to become a hero.

Then a different scenery. The smell of blood and smoke and tears. Black spikes coming near him, and he knew that that was his death.

The second dream: A funeral of a boy. He had a red cap and red shoes, but Yagi couldn't remember his name. All he clearly remembered was the fact that Midoriya wasn't there. A purple portal appeared, and that was all he knew.

The third and final dream: he had felt so incredibly empty. The last of his power was gone, but he didn't seem to mind. His successor was next to him. The same boy on the rooftop (both now and before), green eyes sparkling with tears and whispers of promises to make him proud (didn't he know? He was already proud).

Yagi could hardly breathe. Young Midoriya. He's existed before. He's been here before. Different time, but same circumstances.

Good. Nana compliments, Midoriya Izuku has to receive One for All. You know this.

Guide him, nurture him. You will understand with time.

Time. It was always about time. Yagi had a feeling that this had a lot more to do with the seconds, minutes, hours in a day, but something more universal.

Everything fades and then lights up once again with life. The traffic down below was a lot louder than he remembered it to be and he's more aware of the wind caressing his skin. He sees Young Midoriya and comes to a realization that yes, he wanted this boy to become his successor, but now he needs it. Perhaps he doesn't know why this fact was so important and non-negotiable, but he knew then and there that Midoriya Izuku was destined to have OFA. No one else should have it. No one else could have it.

He musters up the strength to transform into All Might.

And asks him the long-awaited question.

____________

It's well after midnight when Izuku comes sneaking through his bedroom window. He and All Might had discussed training, and he wasn't surprised to hear about Dagoba Beach. Disappointed, however, when All Might said his body, while trained, wouldn't be ready for One for All at the moment. He thought he would have been ready with everything he's done, but it turns out that he still wasn't strong enough.