The Emperor's Dragon

Second Difference

The Emperor of Japan's, and many other countries, Underworld could not resist the urge to rub his eyes when a familiar portal appeared before him.

"What is it, Kurogiri?" He asked tiredly, though he was positive he already knew.

"I'm sorry Master, the usual," the black mist replied. It was still swirling, meaning that the portal hadn't fully formed. Kurogiri was always polite. He could just let the Warp Gate deal with the issue but... That went against his earlier instructions.

"Send them through," the super villain known as All For One instructed, pulling his hand down and settling himself more comfortably in his chair.

Kurogiri flared wider for a moment before the misty villain condensed again, taking form behind the two children he had delivered into the office.

All For One was silent as he examined them.

Tomura looked at him defiantly but he was uneasy while Izuku was studying the carpet.

All For One heaved a theatrical sigh. He much preferred dealing with adults, where he could be completely logical. Children were emotional and once again he reminded himself that these two were an investment. If he wanted absolutely loyal followers, raising them gave the best results. At least while letting them keep their minds. For now, he had enough mindless followers.

"We've gone over this, haven't we?" The Unseen Emperor asked softly.

He saw Izuku gulp but instead of apologising, he remained stubbornly silent. That was new. He shifted his gaze to Tomura. Gold eyes stared back but quickly faltered.

Tomura turned to the other, younger child. "I'm sorry, Izuku," he said softly. Even All For One could hear the note of resentment in his tone but the words were what was needed. Tomura lifted one gloved hand to his neck and scratched. The gloves were designed to negate his quirk. They were double layered and left his forefinger and little finger exposed. That way he couldn't complete the circuit that activated his quirk.

Still, Tomura knew better than to offer Izuku his hand.

"You're not."

The white haired man felt his eyebrows threaten to rise. It appeared Izuku was in a mood.

"I am!" Tomura's cry was plaintive.

"Izuku," All For One murmured softly.

"He's not sorry!" Izuku objected. "He just wants his quirk back!"

"Of course I do! It's mine." It might have been better if Tomura remained silent, but the fine art of tact eluded most nine year olds, and the boy was no different.

"Izuku he has apologised," All For One reminded his son.

Izuku looked up at him, eyes wide and quivering with unshed tears but he was holding his ground. "He didn't mean it." The almost five year old said stubbornly.

At that, All For One let one eyebrow raise in obvious question. Children were as much attuned to body language as they were words and it was just as easy to use that. That's why they could be harder to fool than adults. You could say one thing but your body said another, and while the child might not know the lie, they would know that something wasn't right. Adult's convinced themselves of what they wanted to believe.

"I'm sorry," Tomura repeated. It was slightly more sincere sounding this time. He was getting better with his acting.

There was a pause while they waited for Izuku to answer. Eventually the smaller boy huffed. "I'm sorry too," he murmured, completing the ritual. The two boys had to apologise to each other. "Daddy, can you give Tomura his quirk back?" Izuku asked softly, taking a few steps forward so that All For One could reach out and touch his forehead.