Chapter Text
Izuku stood still in front of the mirror as Uncle Yoichi placed the kimono over his shoulders. The green silk garment had a hemp leaf pattern. Toshinori had given the kimono to Izuku on his sixteenth birthday. The real gift was the series of magical protections woven into the fabric: magic to maintain his disguise even if his potion wore off, to warn him of danger, to enhance his senses, and to allow him to heal exceptionally fast. The magic had a limited time use, so Izuku only wore the garment on special occasions.
Yoichi wrapped the kimono with the left side over the right, then tied on a thin belt to prevent it from opening. Next he fastened the obi, a thick green sash, and tied it into a flat knot on the back. The knot would have been difficult for Izuku to tie on his own, and the magic didn’t work properly if it came loose.
Looking over his shoulder in the mirror, Izuku said, “Thank you, Uncle Yoichi.” Underneath the kimono, he wore a darker green shirt and striped hakama pants. The face looking back at him had the black hair and big eyes of his Mikumo disguise. A slit in the back of the kimono let out his black bat wings, which were common enough that he did not need to disguise them.
“You look like a very handsome young man.” Yoichi ran a comb through Izuku’s hair, then formed it into a traditional bun with a silver headpiece. The unused locks flowed loosely around his face, shoulder-length. “I thought I’d have at least a few more years before potential suitors started beating down the castle doors, but this outfit will have them fainting at your feet. Let me know if anyone bothers you at the party.” Yoichi put his arms around Izuku and tucked his head on his nephew’s shoulder, winking at their reflections. “Or if you need tips on how to seduce one you want.”
“Uncle!” Izuku protested, flushing and flailing.
Yoichi nodded sagely. “Yes, that cute blush of yours would certainly do the trick.”
A potion that morning had transformed Yoichi into his pink-haired Kazuki disguise. His very rare white wings had turned red and scaly. He wore a pale lavender kimono with a pattern of pink flowers. Only someone who looked closely would see the tiny venomous snakes peeking out from the blossoms. They had the ability to come to life and attack on Yoichi’s command.
Izuku grumbled, “Gang Orca is throwing a baby shower, not a ball. There probably won’t be many other teenage demons there, if any at all. We’re not planning on staying long enough for you to write an epic romance novel starring me. We just need to deliver our congratulations and gifts.”
Yoichi put a hand to his cheek. “So you’re saying that I’ll only need to pack a couple dozen poisoned needles to throw at anyone who stares at you too long?”
Izuku groaned.
“Or would you rather stab them yourself?” Yoichi asked.
Izuku knew that his uncle was only teasing him to distract him from his nervousness. Although Izuku had attended formal events before, this was the first time that he would be representing his adopted father, Toshinori Yagi. And it had happened entirely by accident.
Toshinori and Inko were away on a trip to celebrate the anniversary of the day they’d made their fake marriage real. Tomura was attending a leviathan racing event, his latest sports craze. Lord Kugo Sakamata, titled Gang Orca, had invited the house Yagi to the baby shower for his first child. Gang Orca was one of Toshinori’s major allies. It would have been extremely rude not send a member of the family to deliver the gift.
But for Izuku to attend as his father’s representative was different from normally attending a party. Older demons would test him and try to trick him into making promises on his father’s behalf. How Izuku behaved would reflect directly on Toshinori’s reputation.
Just thinking about it had Izuku working himself up into a sweat. Gently, Yoichi squeezed his nephew’s shoulders and said, “I’ll be with you the whole time.” Yoichi would be delivering a gift on behalf of Lord Kaiji, his husband and lord of this mountainous domain.
Izuku nodded, his throat too dry to speak. After Izuku’s blood father had discarded him, Toshinori had stepped in to fill the void. Toshinori had unfailing been kind and loving toward Izuku, yet for years Izuku had struggled with a fear that his adopted father might abandon him if he made a mistake or disgraced himself. Toshinori had been so happy that he’d cried the first time Izuku had called him Dad. It had made Izuku ashamed of waiting so long because of his insecurities. After years of unconditional love, Izuku knew his fears had no basis in reality. Even so, Izuku did not want to embarrass his beloved dad at the party. He must uphold the good reputation of the father of his heart.
“Hey, look at me.” Yoichi spun Izuku around to face him. He tilted up his nephew’s chin. “I see a talented, brilliant young demon with a natural gift for magic. Every lord there will be jealous of your father for having such a great son.”
When Yoichi said it, Izuku could sort of believe it. He swallowed down his nervousness and smiled. “Thanks, Uncle Yoichi.”
A lock of hair slipped out of Yoichi’s bun. He scowled at his reflection. “That had better not be a split end I see! Not right before the party.” Yoichi ran out of the room, shouting, “Sanzou! I need help with my hair.”
Kaiji stuck his head into the room. “What sent Yoichi running out of here like his tail feathers are on fire?”
“Hair crisis,” Izuku said.
Shuddering, Kaiji stepped into the room and shut the door. “Then I’m hiding in here with you until Sanzou has that sorted out.” Kaiji had donned bamboo armor with a sword strapped to his waist. He would be heading out soon on an expedition looking for a dangerous beast that had been killing livestock in his territory, hence why he and Sanzou couldn’t attend the party. Kaiji said, “I wish I could go with you—”
Izuku snorted. “No, you don’t.” Kaiji hated parties and diplomacy. Izuku had a strong suspicion his uncle had deliberately found an excuse to avoid this one.
“No, I don’t,” Kaiji admitted. “I’ll be happy to miss out on all the sniping and backstabbing and even those pretty hors d’oeuvres that are never substantial enough to fill up a demon’s stomach. But you’ll have to tell me all about your debut afterward.”
“Yeah,” Izuku mumbled, looking down.
Kaiji clapped him on the shoulder. “Kid, you’ve got this. Between everyone in the family training you, you’re strong enough to wipe the floor with every last demon at that party.”
Izuku snorted. “That would start a war, Uncle Kaiji. I’m not supposed to fight anyone, I’m supposed to subtly outmaneuver them in a game of wits.” His wings sagged.
“You worry too much,” Kaiji said. “Remember how you outfoxed Yoichi in last night’s board game and cornered his king? Yoichi is the craftiest player I know. If you can outwit him, then you can handle any demon.”
That brought a small smile to Izuku’s lips. He ducked his head. “I’ll do my best.”
Yoichi opened the door. “Dear, how does my hair look?”
“Perfect,” Kaiji said.
“That’s what you always say.”
“Because it always looks perfect.”
Sanzou stepped around his two husbands while they were talking. He handed Izuku a gift wrapped in red tissue paper. “This is an enchanted music box from our treasury. I’m certain Gang Orca will like it.”
“Oh, thank you. There’s no time for me to return to Dad’s domain, and I don’t know how to pick out a proper baby shower present anyway, and I can’t risk this going wrong…” Izuku gulped down his mumbling. “I’m sure everything will go perfectly,” he said, trying to convince himself.
Sanzou smiled gently. “You realize it’s okay if you screw up? Not that I’m expecting something to go wrong, but it wouldn’t be a big deal. Kaiji will blame someone else for making you screw up and Yoichi will insist that whatever you did was perfect, then they’ll both team up to hunt down the scapegoat who dared harm their precious nephew. I give my solemn word that we’ll annihilate anyone who crosses you before your dad and mom get back from vacation so they never need to find out. The other demons at that party should be way more afraid of the consequences if they mess up your big debut than you.”
“Actually, that does make me feel better. Thanks.” Izuku smiled. Even in the worst case scenario, his family would still have his back. It was such a contrast from how he’d lived in All for One’s court during the hard days after he’d lost his father’s protection.
Yoichi waved Izuku over. “The portal is ready. It’s time to go.” Yoichi had a yellow bag tucked under his arm.
They walked into the transportation room, a small space with red walls and a glowing pentagram on the floor. Yoichi kissed each of his husbands goodbye, then stepped across the glowing line and vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Izuku followed his uncle.
Izuku emerged through the portal into an underwater palace. The hallway had a green carpet with a blue seashell pattern. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls let in a view of the coral reef outside, with colorful fish darting around waving fronds. Each glass panel was divided by a white marble pillar with algae growing up the side. Glowing balls of light rested in pink seashell perches on the pillars.
The end of the hallway led to a large round room. Lichen glowed off the light blue walls. Demons in traditional clothing crowded around the white-clothed tables. The tables had no chairs, encouraging mingling, but each had a platter of fish on a stick. The long table in the back held a variety of drinks.
Gang Orca sat on a green jade throne with the back shaped like an octopus. Two tridents had been carved into the armrests. Gang Orca was a sea demon, so he had no wings, but rather the head of a killer whale. He wore a white suit and a red tie, the traditional formal wear for the underwater domains. His wife, sitting on the throne next to him, was a cecaelia with green octopus tentacles instead of legs. Little tentacles poked out of her hair. She barely showed her pregnancy—just a bump on her shimmering green dress.
The newest arrivals had lined up on the carpet before the throne to present their gifts. Izuku breathed a small sigh of relief, because the room was full of either sea demons of minor rank or people he recognized as allies to his family. It was unlikely that anyone here would start trouble with him. Uncle Kaiji was right—Izuku worried too much.
As they got into line, Yoichi whispered a commentary into Izuku’s ear. “See Selkie over by the wine table? I’m glad he could make it, he’s been dealing with some incursions of sea monsters into his territory. Sirius and Mick accompanied him today—ooo I love Sirus’ dress! Rumor has it that she might be thinking about striking out and building her own domain, but she’s staying until Selkie’s sea monster problem is sorted out. Ugh, who let Odd-Eye in here wearing a trench coat? He isn’t even missing an eye—he wears an eyepatch because he thinks it makes him look edgy. But he’s far from the biggest embarrassment present. I’m shocked that Death Arms had the nerve to show his face after he got his ass kicked by a harpy.”
They reached the front of the line. Both Yoichi and Izuku were of high enough rank that they did not bow. Izuku held out his gift. “My parents and older brother send their compliments and congratulations on the birth of your first child.”
“Little Mikumo!” Gang Orca laughed and leapt up from the throne to hug him. “My, you’ve grown up so fast. I hope my future child is as well-spoken as you. You can tell your father that I’ll be counting on him for parenting advice.”
Gang Orca handed the gift to his wife, who opened it. She smiled. “What a lovely music box! How thoughtful.” She placed the gift onto the pearl table next to her, where it vanished, moved to a holding box. It went politely unspoken at these events that all gifts got screened for any curses before used.
Yoichi presented his gift and kissed the lady’s hand. “I love your hairpiece.”
She laughed and touched the pearl headband. “Always such a flatterer, Kazuki.” She pulled off the tissue paper. “Oh, you sent so many anti-scent charms. They must have cost a fortune, you shouldn’t have.”
Yoichi said, “My husbands also sent me with promises to babysit. We love being the fun uncles! We’ll load the kid down with sugar and then send them back to you.”
Gang Orca chuckled. “Yes, Toshinori did warn me about you three doing that.”
From the doorway, a dark voice said, “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by without an invitation. I was in this area tracking a leviathan.”
The chattering room went dead silent. High Lord All for One stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing a black coat. His casual clothing suggested that he had, indeed, been in the area, and demonic laws of hospitality did say that any high-ranking demon was allowed to stop by a castle for a meal. However, from Hisashi’s smirk, there was little doubt that he’d shown up knowing that he wasn’t welcome and reveling in causing trouble.
Izuku felt electrified. His teeth chattered. He remembered that mocking smile when his biological father had cast him out to the cruelties of his court. His disguise suddenly felt fragile and easily seen-through. What if the potion wore off abruptly, as had once happened to his uncle Yoichi? Although his family had tried to hide the full details from him when he’d been a child, Izuku knew that his father had ordered his death. All for One was capable of carrying out the sentence here and now. A mad pulse throbbed through Izuku’s body, shouting Run run run!
“You may be welcome,” Gang Orca said coldly, sitting back down on his throne with a stern look. It would have been very rude to say anything else. And All for One was the sort of demon who would remember such insults for centuries and take just as long to plot his revenge.
Hisashi said, “I didn’t come prepared, but I can’t possibly fail to offer up a gift.” He stepped forward. The demons in line scattered before him, suddenly finding the food tables fascinating.
A strangled sound came from Yoichi. Izuku looked over. His uncle was shaking slightly. Sweat stuck a pink lock of hair to his forehead. His eyes were glazed over. Yoichi was having a panic attack.
Funnily, Yoichi’s panic erased Izuku’s own fears from his mind. In that moment, Izuku’s need to protect his uncle surpassed all other emotions.
Izuku turned to Gang Orca. “Please pardon me, but my uncle is feeling unwell.” He stuck an arm around Yoichi’s shoulder. “I don’t think I can support his weight if he collapses…” Izuku made his eyes wide and pitiful.
“I’ll take him to a guest bedroom to lie down.” Gang Orca leapt up and lifted Yoichi into his arms. Especially in his shorter disguised form, Yoichi looked like a child cradled in Gang Orca’s massive grip. “I’ll be back in a moment, love,” Gang Orca said to his wife before shooting away.
Izuku knew he could trust Gang Orca with his uncle. Even if their families hadn’t been friends, Gang Orca was the type of person who would leap up to help a sick guest without hesitation.
Now Izuku needed to distract All for One. It would be better if his father never wondered why this particular guest might pass out at the sight of him. Better if Hisashi never got a close look at Yoichi. If Izuku thought about what he was doing, he would panic. So he just did it. Stepping directly in front of All for One, Izuku bowed his head at the precisely appropriate degree. “Welcome to the party. I’m Mikumo Yagi.”
Hisashi looked down at the little dark-haired boy with mild amusement. Yagi’s whelp, eh? His parentage made this boy the closest person in this room to Hisashi’s rank, so it would be considered good manners for the boy to introduce himself. However, everyone in this room would have forgiven a child for cowering away like the rest of them. It was typical of Yagi’s son to have more bravado than sense. The boy probably felt like he needed to be a buffer for the common riff-raff now that Gang Orca had left to help some idiot who had fainted. (People fainted in Hisashi’s presence all the time, it was nothing noteworthy. Natural selection would have let the weakling fall and hopefully smash his head open on the tiled floor.)
Since it would be amusing to watch Yagi’s son faint, Hisashi unleashed a small amount of his aura.
To his surprise, Mikumo remained unaffected. The boy didn’t even show any outward signs of shaking in terror. Hisashi increased his aura, enough that demons around the room flinched away. Mikumo’s smile remained on his face. He stepped aside and gestured the high lord toward the clear path to the throne.
A little annoyed at not being able to intimidate a mere child, Hisashi stepped forward and held out his hand. A crystal formed on his palm. “Magical power for you,” he said, tossing it carelessly at the lady.
Her face only a little pale, she added the crystal to the table. “How generous.” The power was indeed rare and valuable, forcing her to go through the motions of gratitude. “You’re welcome here. Please let me know if there’s anything you need.” Unspoken, she was asking him if there was anything he needed into order to aid his journey away from here.
Hisashi had not intended to stay here long. He’d wanted to see if they’d insult him so he’d have an excuse to retaliate. If they’d turned him away, then he had countless interesting curses to bestow on their unborn child. But since he’d been forced to give a real gift, he might as well get his fill of the food table. As he moved, the crowd parted for him like minnows before a shark.
There was not much to appreciate about this waterlogged place, but the food was delicious. An anxious crowd watched as he ate. Hisashi finished off three sticks of roasted halibut and two sticks of grilled octopus in rapid succession, then used a gift for perfect aim to toss them into the trash can. By total coincidence, the trash can was sitting at the feet of an unimportant demon who went by the title of Death Arms.
“Iieeee! All for One is attacking!” Death Arms shrieked. His arms glowed as he picked up the nearest table and hurled it at Hisashi.
What idiocy. Hisashi remained standing perfectly still, planning to let the table hit him so he’d have an excuse to take offense. Then this party would turn more entertaining. If Gang Orca refused to let Hisashi kill Death Arms, then Hisashi would have a lovely justification to expand his territory under the sea.
Mikumo shot forward in a flash, grabbing the table before it could touch Hisashi. Magic hummed in the air as Mikumo righted the table and each food item floated back into place with no damage.
Coldly enunciating each word, Mikumo addressed Death Arms. “I suggest you leave before you force our hosts into the indignity of throwing you out.”
Red-faced, Death Arms protested, “He threw something at me!”
“He threw a stick in the trashcan.” Mikumo raised an eyebrow. “I’m impressed at your valor in believing that you could fight High Lord All for One. Word of how you almost defeated a harpy has spread across the land.”
A chuckle ran through the crowd. Death Arms slunk off.
Mikumo turned to Hisashi and inclined his head. “Since you could have easily handled that fool, you owe me no debt.” The subtle implication was that he knew All for One had been looking to start a fight.
“Gracefully done,” Hisashi said, acknowledging both the prevention of a conflict and the double-meaning in the boy’s words. “What gift do you have?” It seemed like something that involved both strength and speed, a powerful ability.
Mikumo grinned. “Your knowledge of magic is legendary, my lord. Why don’t you guess?”
Gang Orca stepped forward and clapped Mikumo on the shoulder. “Well-done. Your uncle has been asking for you, please follow me.”
Hisashi gazed after them as they left the room. He couldn’t help being impressed at such poise, confidence, and magical control in a teenage boy. Hisashi’s mind flew to his own treacherous and long-missing son, Izuku. Unfortunately, Izuku had been a weak thing, spoiled and prone to crying. Hisashi felt a twinge of envy that Toshinori Yagi had such a fine son. Although Hisashi had never particularly wanted a strong heir, he hated when someone else had what he didn’t, especially the blond oaf. Ugh, if only Hisashi had gotten Mikumo as a son and Yagi had gotten stuck with crybaby Izuku.
As Izuku walked down the hallway, his breath came out in gasps. He’d been forced to use multiple gifts at once—and then told All for One himself to guess what ability he had! This entire evening had come so close to disaster, including what nearly could have turned into a war thanks to Death Arms’ idiocy. Izuku would never again believe anyone who told him that he worried too much. He hadn’t even come close to imagining the party could go this badly wrong!
Mistaking the reason for Izuku’s pallor, Gang Orca said, “Your uncle is recovering. He feels quite embarrassed about making you worry. He’d like to head home to see a doctor.”
Yeah, Izuku would bet that his uncle wanted to go home. Izuku shared the same sentiment. “I’m sorry for keeping you from your party.”
“Don’t let it concern you, it’s my duty as host to look after everyone,” Gang Orca said. He pushed open the door. “You and Kazuki can use the portal to head back home. I’d better go keep an eye on All for One.” He turned and left.
Yoichi lay in a big poster bed, propped up among pillows. A glass of water sat on the end table. Upon seeing his nephew, he leapt up. “Iz—” Even though they were alone, Yoichi did not finish the name. Instead, he flung both his arms and his wings around Izuku and held tight.
“Let’s go home,” Izuku said, patting his uncle’s back.
Yoichi took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. “How are you? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe that I left you alone with him.”
Izuku half-shrugged. “I had it covered. I’m fine.” To his surprise, it was true. Seeing his father again had not roused any old feelings of attachment, only disgust and annoyance. The All for One in Izuku’s memories had loomed large as a monster. But the present day Hisashi had only been another demon—a powerful, difficult demon, but Izuku had met many powerful demons. His real father was stronger anyway.
“I feel so embarrassed. It’s not even the first time that I’ve run into him since…” Yoichi looked down.
True, but the other times had been at large public events where Yoichi had known in advance that All for One would be there and had always been able to stay well away. Izuku ventured a little honesty to make his uncle feel better. “If you hadn’t panicked first, then I might have. I don’t blame you. You had to deal with him much longer than me.” And under worse circumstances. The older Izuku had gotten, the more creepy his memories of the birdcage had become.
Yoichi patted his head. “You handled him wonderfully. Though I wish you hadn’t needed to face him at all. Everything went wrong today. I had a bad feeling from the moment my hair started frizzing.”
Izuku said, “It could have been worse. We could have sent my big brother with the gift.” Ever since Tomura had learned the full story of what had happened to his family, he’d been consumed with rage. He might not have been able to resist trying to decay All for One.
“Fair.” Yoichi chuckled. “Let’s leave before anything else goes wrong.”
As they walked down the hallway, Izuku quickly filled Yoichi in on exactly what had happened. Yoichi nearly doubled-over laughing at Death Arms’ embarrassment. It was good to see a smile back on his uncle’s face.
Yoichi must have already sent a message to his husbands, because they were waiting on the other side of the portal. Without a word, Kaiji and Sanzou swept Yoichi up into an arm-crushing hug.
“Stop, you’ll make me pass out again,” Yoichi said in a muffled voice.
Kaiji let go and turned to Izuku. “You did incredible, kid.” A broad smile spread across his scarred face.
Sanzou nodded. “After facing down All for One, you should never doubt yourself again.”
All three uncles pulled Izuku into a hug. He basked in the warmth of knowing he was with people who loved him and wanted him.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: In Which All for One Continues to Try to Make Fantasy into Reality
Hisashi: Hey, I don’t suppose you’re going to insult me by excluding me from your party?
Gang Orca: Not a chance, I read Sleeping Beauty. Come in and try not to eat all the food.
Hisashi: Aww, I’d been practicing my Maleficent cosplay.
#
Omake: Cool on the Outside, Anxious on the Inside
Hisashi’s POV on the party: What a clever and skilled young demon! He’s completely calm under pressure.
Izuku’s POV on the party: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
#
Omake: If Hisashi had Talked to Yoichi
Yoichi: Pleased to meet you, total stranger. My name is Kazuki. I have very little in common with anyone you might remember from the past. I’ve never finished a novel in my life, I believe that the strong deserve to do whatever they want, and all younger siblings should obey and be grateful towards their older siblings.
Hisashi: Whoa, we have such similar views on sibling dynamics! You slightly remind me of my little brother even though you’re way more sensible. If I hadn't found out that Yoichi is still alive then I would have kidnapped you as a replacement.
Yoichi: (Through clenched teeth) I’d be honored to be kidnapped by such a strong demon lord.
Hisashi: Adorable. I just can’t resist. You can come live in my birdcage until I find my real brother. No need to thank me. Aw, he just passed out from happiness.