A/N: My Master's degree keeps me busy.

Beta by Yuilhan.

Discord:25BTet3

Beyond and more

For some people, it took years under pressure to have a mental breakdown. For some, it was only one bad day. For some, it took an entire wasted lifetime. For Izuku, it was over the course of a week that he considered the worst time of his life.

The thirteen-year-old Izuku could feel the impact of a fist against his face, with enough force to knock him off-balance and make his back hit the floor.

"Damn you, Main!" Another Izuku, dressed in ragged winter clothing, cursed as he stood over Main while other Izukus and Izumis rushed in to pull him away. "It's because of you that my mom died!" The Izuku still kicked and screamed as he was dragged away while another Izuku, an older one, came in to help Main stand up.

"Goddamit, calm yourself, Yaga!" one of the Izumis restaining 'Yaga' ordered. "Just tell us what's wrong!"

The Izuku with a canine-like face and features (who was now known as 'Yaga') took several deep breaths, but even with each passing second, his murderous intent toward Main did not decrease in intensity. Still, he had stopped struggling, so the other Midoriyas let go of him.

"Fine, you all want to know what happened?" Yaga hissed at the assembled Izukus and Izumis. There were about ten of them left in the hall since the meeting had been concluded for about fifteen minutes now. He pointed at Main with his mutated claw. "He happened."

"What are you talking about," the Dimensional Traveler asked, baffled. "If your village has a shortage of food again then, I can-"

Yaga only laughed bitterly at him. "Ha! There's no village left! It was wiped off the face of the Earth! No one is left now." The alternate Izuku's voice became quieter. "Well, except me."

"Wah, what happened?! And why does Main have anything to do with this?" one of the Izukus asked

"Yeah, and if I remember correctly, Main helped your world, right? Surely, he isn't the one at fault," another one voiced.

"Oh, he helped alright. Helping us die faster, that's what!" The mutated Izuku shouted at Main; "You think you can just come into other people's world, believing that just because you have all the knowledge you can help. Well, guess what?! You don't, you only make things worse."

"Hey!" one of the Izukus shouted back at him. "How about you just tell us what fucking happened!"

"And what world did you come from? Sorry, but I can't really remember, I have a lot to remember already," another, and blunter, Izuku requested.

Yaga took a deep breath and stared into Main's eyes. "My world is a harsh, eternal winter wasteland, where only the strong survive; the only way to get food is hunting and foraging. It was a world of no tomorrow, where there is only the now. Then Main came along." The Izuku gave a low growl at Main. "He thought he could help bring my world the seeds of a plant that can resist the harsh constant winter, so we could solve our food problem." Yaga narrowed his eyes.

"Guess what, it made things worse," Yaga spat. "The elders of my village started stockpiling food and 'grains'? , and they weren't willing to share. Other villages took notice of us, and they tried to raid us to get the food. After all, any place that can provide stability in that hellhole of a world would surely become a major power. In the end, our 'government' caught wind of this and rolled in. Everyone in the region was scared shitless. To try and appease them, the villagers killed anyone who had a part in a plan to make proper fields for growing food." Yaga paused. "They stoned mom to death."

The reactions in the room were immediate. Shock, distress, and many other emotions spread through the assembly. Main, however, could only look at the floor in disbelief.

"And they killed us anyway. The government rolled in, massacred the whole area comprising several villages. They scorched the earth too. For them, food doesn't matter, only control."

"B-But why go that far!?" one of the Izumis questioned.

"Hell if I know," Yaga replied.

"It is likely because seeds spread. It's not an animal or mineral; once the seeds of a plant make it to the wild, there's no way to control it," an Izuku with glasses speculated. "But to go so far as to cause extinction rather than attempt to control this plant for agricultural advancement? Your government must be really ideologically extreme or insanely paranoid to choose to go so far as to exert that much control, maybe more than Oceania or even Panem."

"Is this really the time for yet another one of your crackpot theories, 'Intellect'?" the blunt Izuku from before asked.

'Intellect' merely sighed. "And you could stand to be less condescending, 'Corpo.'"

"I honestly find both of you condescending," another Izuku interrupted them and became a new target for their glaring.

"I don't give two shits about what you shitheads think," Yaga told his arguing alternate selves. "Nothing is left for me back home."

Caretaker stepped forward. "Then you are welcome to st-"

"No, I am not staying here, not with so many of these… idealists," Yaga informed.

"Hey! The whole thing isn't Main's fault alone," one of the Izukus called out. "You're the one who accepted his offer about those seeds, gladly too, if I remember correctly!"

"It's because I was blind! Swept up by all of your people's notions about 'Heros', and a 'better tomorrow', and all the other stupid nonsense! Fuck that!" Yaga screamed at the top of his lungs at the assembly.

"My world isn't worth saving, don't you people get that?! It's the kind of world where only the strong survive, with no way for anything short of resilience could even hope to last a few days! The kind of world where they would stone a person to death without remorse just to appease the black heart of a government! The kind of world where there is nothing, nothing at all, to life other than just living day by day without a future—without any real 'tomorrow'! Yet you people think that just because there is life, that means it's worth trying to help!? That wasn't life! That was a mistake given flesh!"

The canine Izuku turned to Main with fury in his eyes, his predatory teeth bare for them all to see. He grabbed Main by the collar and lifted him to his eye level. They said that the eyes were windows to a person's soul. Right now, Main could see Yaga's soul burning with fire as hot as stars. Yet, it was also the same as Main's eyes. It was the same pair of emerald orbs. Despite having almost nothing in common with any other Izuku, it was this feature that told the Izukus he was one of them; Yaga was him in a way, and always had been, and Main was reminded now of this fact.

"But I hate you most of all, Main. I will never forgive you, as long as I live. You know why?" Yaga's rage didn't fade, merely condensed into a more silent, more controlled one. "Because thanks to you, I now know there are other, happier worlds out there. Even if those worlds have their own peril, at least there are happy moments to be found. In mine? The very concept of happiness does not even exist; living for another day does even give you any joy… And yet you tried to save my world…. What is wrong with you?"

There was silence between the two of them.

"...can I… help you somehow?"

Yaga pressed his snout against Main's nose, his fangs were bare, sharp, and ready to bite. "...you have... some nerve offering me help after everything."

"...what else can I do?"

Another silence fell. Every Izuku and Izumi were poised and ready to intervene if the need arose.

"Live," Yaga said, and with that word alone, he cursed Main. "You want to make amends? Live, and hold your head high as a survivor… But, knowing you, that's probably still too much to ask." The canine Izuku walked away, toward Caretaker. "Can I borrow… Nah, that's not the right word, can I take something from the armory?"

"Well, umm, what do you wa-" Caretaker was cut off.

"I've got you covered, Yaga." An Izuku dressed in a dirty duster with modern armor underneath, and a high-tech rifle holstered on his back, approached the bestial Izuku. [1] He possessed a rough visage for an Izuku and. "I saw your eyes when you came in today. I thought you're gonna try and kill Main, but-"

"Not that far off."

"-I glad you didn't," the Izuku continued without care. "Though that would mean you don't intend to come back here, do you?"

"Yeah… You always had a sixth sense for this sort of thing, Courier, I swear."

"Well, when you wander the Mojave Wasteland for so long, you can tell what people think just by looking them in the eyes. So… here," 'Courier' pulled his holstered rifle from his back and presented it to Yaga. "Took this from the armory." Courier quickly turned to Caretaker; "Already paid for this," he reassured the other Izuku. "This weapon has unlimited ammo and will explode if this pin here is taken out." The older Izuku pointed at a pin on the rifle. "Happy hunting, Yaga."

"...Thanks. At least someone here can accept things for what they are." Yaga turned to Main; his contempt was still present. "Send me home."

"Wait, hold on," one of the younger Izuku said. "I- Why do you want to go back?"

"Why else? I will end it all, and I will take as many of those Gov bastards down with me." Yaga's explanation seemed to shock most of the room.

"H-Hold on, don't just throw away y-"

"Just let him go," Phoenix herself cut in. "This place isn't his home, and that hell he came from isn't home to anyone. The only real peace for him now is in death." Being one of the more important Midoriyas, most of the room fell silent with Phoenix giving Yaga the permission to die.

"At least there are people here who can understand me." Yaga turned to Main. "Well? Are you letting me go or not?"

Main opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say something, but nothing came out. He simply closed his lips, eyes filled with sorrow, before looking down at the ground. He pointed at the wall behind him.

"...go," Main muttered, but it was loud enough for Yaga to hear.

The bestial Izuku walked past Main and toward his exit. Before he walked into his hell of a home, however, he paused. "And don't you dare forget Main. Live." And he was gone.

The entire hall was silent for several minutes afterwards. Some Izuku and Izumi left, though most remained, still feeling uneasy.

"I-It's not your fault, Main," Weekender consoled. Main didn't reply, still looking at the ground with a broken expression.

"It's no one's fault really," Courier said. "Reality is just being what it is: a bitch. Whether you helped Yaga or not all the way back when you found his world doesn't really matter, no amount of aid you give will make his world any better. That's why he was so angry with you, you gave him hope when there wasn't any… although I doubt you can see through that yourself. Yaga wasn't wrong about some of the things in his speech. You need to stop seeing things as black and white. Sometimes, it's all three shades: white, black, and grey—the good, the bad, and the ugly."

Courier turned around, readying to leave. "Remember, the world, or the universe even, couldn't care less whether we help or not. Sometimes it is better to help, and sometimes helping will only do more damage. You're still young, Main. Try to learn from your mistakes."

"...learning?" Main finally spoke. He lifted his face up a little, it was obvious he was trying to hold back his tears. "Learning at others expense?"

"Yeah," Courier answered earnestly. "Humans such as us always gain at others expense. We Izukus and Izumis are no different. Most of us are human, aren't we? Learn, Main. Learn at their… no, at our failure and get stronger, faster, better."

"...to what end?" the broken Izuku asked.

"To survive. What else can we do but that? Yaga does ask that of you as his last request, doesn't he?" Main and Courier stared each other in the eyes.

Main eventually turned away bitterly. Weekender glared at the post-apocalyptic Izuku, but Courier merely shrugged before walking away.

Afterwards, no one ever saw Yaga ever again, while Courier seemed to come to Sanctuary much less.

Main still mourned the fact that it was his actions that had not only resulted in his mother's and Yaga's deaths to this day. Worse, he was left with a curse.

To live.

"You look rather gloomy today," Mr. V commented at the boy standing in front of him and his table.

Izuku was in V's office, an office located beyond space, where even Death could not reach, where Time ignored, and where Life could not see. The greenette just sighed, it had only been… What? Half-a-day? Since the event with Yaga happened. Of course, V would notice.

"Yeah… something happened at the Sanctuary," Izuku revealed but didn't go into the details. "Say, Mr. V?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think… that helping people in the Multiverse-"

"A good idea?" Valentine cut him off. "How should I know what you have or want to do?"

"I mean…" Izuku looked hesitant. "You have been living for a long time, and, I mean, I could ask Professor Paradox, but I already know what kind of answer he would give."

"Is this one of those 'talks', young, indecisive, conflicted teens usually have when they are down? Because, I am telling you right now that the answer you will get won't be to your liking," V warned.

"...try me," Izuku challenged.

The two stared impassively at each other for a few moments before the corner of Valentine's lips turned upward. Not in a cruel or smirking manner, but rather it was a sign of satisfaction.

"My answer is they are all irrelevant. Whether you help them, or if you don't, it won't amount to anything meaningful. Period."

Izuku looked shocked for a moment then tried to compose himself and replied, "How would you-" V didn't allow him to continue.

"There are infinite numbers of the same universe, Midoriya. For example, your Prime world where you become All Might's successor, which plays out almost exactly like in your manga, has been repeated and will repeat for an infinite number of times, and for every major branch, there will be even more of that branch repeating. To put it more simply for you, if you save one of your alternate selves from dying, you just help one branch of that Izuku; that said branch becomes a unique one, because you have interfered and because you're one of the unique Izukus as far as we are aware. It will just be an exception in the status quo, so to speak. Despite that, the other branches of the same 'storyline' will play out just the same, with your alternate self dying or whatever. That's why whether you help, or even harm them, is irrelevant. Because it doesn't really affect anything in the grand scheme of things."

Izuku opened his mouth as if to say something, yet Mr. V cut him off once again.

"If you're wondering what Paradox would answer, he would probably say something along the same lines as I. The only difference would be that you should 'still help them, but just keep those facts in mind,' and then he'd probably try to give a speech to turn those depressing energies into something productive; productive in his view at least." Valentine leaned back in his chair. "You won't get that from me. The universe is meaningless, it doesn't take a genius to know that. Even our ancestors figure that out. Our actions, unless it is against something that's truly significant, are meaningless. Like that time you went back in time to save your mother for example."

Izuku looked surprised for a moment before his expression turned deathly, but V did not even flinch.

"What do you mean?" the greenette asked his tone still.

"Come now. You are not that ignorant and certainly not that delusional. You know as much as I do that your mother—who you have saved—is just one of many on the paths, but I am not here to be mean-spirited, just being honest in reminding you that even if you pour every fiber of your being into it you cannot save every last one of your mothers." Izuku's knuckles turned white and he had to bite his own tongue to prevent himself from lashing out.

"You should spend your energy somewhere else. One way or another both your alternate selves and alternate mothers will die, the same as mine and everyone else's alternate selves. Let it go and go do something more productive," V finished. He noticed that Izuku was shaking with thinly veiled rage. "I will take five million off your debt and you can take today off? Consider it a little well-being service."

Seeing this, Izuku took a deep breath. Wasting Funny Valentine's goodwill was incredibly foolish; even he remembered that.

"Thank you, Mr. V. I... will be off then," Izuku bid the blond farewell. Valentine merely nodded.

What happened next was a bit of a blur, but Izuku realized that he was sitting alone in the meeting hall. He looked around. It was so strange to think that what had happened with Yaga had only happened yesterday.

Midoriya didn't… want to go home and meet with his mother… not now. He contemplated V's words. Main looked outside the windows upon the thousands of tombstones outside; his eyes were becoming more and more lifeless every day. He knew, he supposed, that V was right. He could not save all of his mothers… that was impossible… but…

"Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit!" Izuku screamed with increasing volume.

He can't! He just can't! That memory had been burned, engraved, permanently inflicted into his brain. There wasn't a single night he didn't think back to that day. The day that had led him down this path; the day that he was hit by the full force of what the multiverse was really about.

Even now… to this day… he still remembered it…

The eight-year-old Izuku walked back into the living room and went over to the sleeping body of his mother.

"Mommy, it's time to wake up," he said, and began to shake her arm gently to rouse her into waking.

Yet there was no response of any kind. As he continued to shake her, Izuku finally noticed that something was off about his mother. Her chest didn't rise and fall, her arms and legs were too still, and her skin… it was very, very cold.

Now Izuku understood that his mother was not well. He needed to call an ambulance.

Before he could reach for the phone, however, he saw something on the table. A note with his name on it.

Despite his urgency to call for help, Izuku couldn't control himself. He reached for the note.

'Izuku. If you are reading this then it means I am already dead.'

Izuku's whole world turned into nothingness. For that moment, he could hear nothing, feel nothing—not even his heartbeat—and see nothing. Nothing, save for the accursed note in his hand.

'I am sorry. I am so sorry. My baby boy, I am so sorry. I know you are trying to help, I know you are doing your best. But I can't, I couldn't, I can't see you and move on. Every time I see you, it's a reminder that you are not him. You're my son, but you're not my son. It's agonizing. I hoped that one day you would stop visiting and let me sink back, back into the dark and rot like I should, but you kept coming back. And the last time you visited, I could barely control myself; you're not him.

I don't know what to do, I don't even know what I will do. I don't want to hurt you, not your kind heart or your body if I ever snap again. So I… decided to go. I calculated the time you normally come to visit and decided on the day, then the method.

I didn't want you to see me hanging from the ceiling; I want you to forget me, and not have the image of my body burning into your brain. So I overdosed myself with some drugs; it's quick, clean, and you don't have to see anything too disturbing.

Please forget about me and move on sweetie. I will already be dead before you find me. This is just the inevitable conclusion. But you gave me a few more happy moments to remember, and that's more than enough. Please, forget about me and… become the hero you have always hoped, no, meant to be. Do it for me.

I am sorry. I am not strong enough. I couldn't bear it, that you're not him; please forgive me and then forget me.

I love you, always.

Goodbye, my dear, forever.'

Izuku's hands trembled. He gasped, trying to take in more and more air with each breath and trying to calm down. It didn't work. He turned to the lifeless body of his mother.

"Mom! Wake up!" Izuku shook her again, with more force this time. "Please wake up! This is a joke, right?! A prank, right?!"

The dead did not answer, for they could not.

Izuku continued to shake her body, unaware that tears had begun rolling down his face in extreme quantities. His signal to stop came when his mother's arm slipped off the couch and hung over the edge of the cushions like it was nothing but a lifeless piece of meat.

Izuku backed away quickly and then collapsed to his knees. He turned his face to the ceiling, mouth opening wide—and though he tried to command his jaw shut, it simply did not.

There was no sound, no sobbing, no sniffing. Izuku didn't know what to do. He wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything, anything that would bring his mother back, but… there was nothing he could do. And when that realization truly hit him, he finally let out the full force of his lament. [2]

"MOTHER!"

Main didn't realize that tears were rolling down his face, but even if he did, he wouldn't care. Back then he'd just wanted to help his alternate mother, who had lost her Izuku, recover from grief, but instead, he only brought upon her more misery; misery that ultimately led her to end her life… and scarred him for eternity.

And now… the situation with Yaga had brought back that damned memory.

Every single moment he closed his eyes, he could still remember it.

That's why he gave away his ability to truly sleep. Every single time he closed his eyes and tried to succumb to slumber, the memory just had to play out. Sometimes he dreamt of a worse conclusion to that event, it was an absolute nightmare… sometimes a better outcome played out just to taunt him…

He had always known he had only saved one of his mothers on that branch of the multiverse. The rest? Rotted away, as fate had decreed.

That is why he had never felt happy, even though he had rescued the one he had interfered with, there were thousands more! And with that image of his dead mother burnt into his brain, what was he to do?! Sit idly and let her other selves die?! Letting what he saw repeat itself on an infinite scale?! Fuck that!

But what if… what if his helping… wasn't really helping? That's what V had been telling him… that was also what he already knew, wasn't it?

The more he helped… the more it looked like the graveyard outside seemed to grow. Was he even 'helping'? Wouldn't it be better at this point to just… stop?!

NO! NO! HE REFUSED! HE-

"S-Sir," a low voice interrupted his thought. Main turned around to see Caretaker. "Y-You have been… screaming for a few minutes now… everyone downstairs is… a little… worried."

So his thoughts weren't just thoughts anymore. Great. Everyone knew.

At that moment, reality glitched and, for a few seconds, Itsuka replaced Izuku. Her eyes were just as wrong as Izuku's. The glitch disappeared as fast as it came.

Main inhaled in a hiss before exhaling normally. "Right, sorry about that. I have… a lot on my mind right now."

"T-That's understandable, sir." The Izuku looked hesitant for a few moments. "Sir… there is… an incident that needs your input, right now."

"What is it? Is 'Meme' breaking the windows by playing 'Bury the Light' at high volume again?"

"... nothing so light-hearted, unfortunately, sir."

Main immediately knew that this would be a shitty week.

"'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.'"

"Amen," a group of ten people said. Most of them were teens or younger children.

"Let's take a breather here," an Izuku, with a hardened visage, clad in medieval armor and long brown parchments kept in place by wax seals, which adorned his breastplate along with a few strips of white fabric with the symbols of Christ printed upon them.

"Thank you, Paladin," Main thanked, and the other Izuku nodded.

The sound of a little girl sniffing could be heard. "Mom," she paused to sniff again, "Dad." The girl had inhaled her snot back in. She was around five or six, the youngest in the group, with leafy green hair, in which, a few closed flower buds nestled, green eyes, and a freckled face.

One of the older kids, a girl around her thirteenth year, sporting a short green bob, freckles, and a perpetual rosy blush on her cheeks picked up the younger girl and embraced her. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Chiyo." she hushed as she stroked Chiyo's hair.

"I-" She paused to sniff. "I just want mommies and daddy, Nemuri-nee." Nemuri hugged her sibling tighter.

Today was a funeral for their alternate self, and the services had yet to end. The Izuku who was giving the sermon cleared his throat to let them know that it was time to continue.

"'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time'…"

The people couldn't help but stare at the names of the departed on the tombstones even as the sermon went on 'Izuku Midoriya (Alias: Charity). A great Hero, a loving husband to his wives, and a great father to his children.' and 'Ochako Uraraka. A wonderful wife to her husband and wife, a great Hero, and an even greater mother.'

While the sermon continued on, on the nearby hill filled with graves an older Izumi in a high-ranked military uniform and a younger Izuku in a white formal military uniform were laying down a bouquet of flowers. The tombstone was engraved 'Izuku Midoriya (Alias: Ross). He dies as he lives, protecting those he cherished.'

"Counting in the one in the ongoing ceremony, that would make this the seventh one this month," Izuku sighed.

"At least Ross died fighting, Admiral. More than half of our alternate selves didn't even get the chance," the Izumi replied.

"Well, that is to be expected I suppose. There are hundreds of us, so no matter what some will be destined to pass away," Admiral admitted. "There are even a lot of worlds where we were already dead before Main discovered it." A silence fell between the two. "Something on your mind, 'Granger'?" Admiral asked, using her codename. It was her surname after changing it to match her grandfather (on her father's side), guardian, and teacher, Malcolm Granger, a General who specialized in the Air Force working for U.S. Military in her universe. Imagine her surprise when they just used her surname as a codename because no other Izuku or Izumi had that surname. [3]

She looked over to where the ceremony took place, the Izuku followed her gaze."Whose funeral?" the Izumi asked.

"A standard Heroic Izuku, who got into a polyamorous relationship with Ibara and Ochako, obviously marrying both. I heard he and his Ochako died trying to capture a bunch of terrorists with suicide-activated Quirks."

"And his Ibara?"

"Survived, but in pretty bad shape. Main has already dispatched Healer and Doctor to fix her up," Admiral explained, his eyes turned soft for a moment.

"God, I hope they will be alright." The Izumi wished.

"Who specifically?"

"Everyone, the kids, Ibara, their friends, all of them."

"Wishful thinking, but… all wounds heal eventually."

Another quiet moment passed between the two before Granger asked another question.

"...you have been with Main from the start, haven't you? Since his Quirk manifested," Granger began. "How does he… do it?" She gestured at the graveyard before them, stretching as far as the eyes could see, past even the horizon. Mausoleums, tombstones, totems, and many other religious iconographies that marked final places of rest dotted the entire landscape. Dark tall obelisks stood on the edge of the horizon, and if one were close enough one could see thousands of names engraved onto them in place of the bodies that could never be found.

"Do you mean why he created this place?" Admiral asked for clarification.

Granger nodded slowly. "Yes… and how does he… have such a willpower to keep burying everybody here without going crazy?"

Admiral was silent for a good minute. "If I am being honest, I am not really sure." The Izumi turned to him sharply with a raised brow. The Izuku noticed this and corrected himself, "I meant that I know when and how this place came to be, but I myself cannot fathom his reasoning or how he keeps on going after everything he has witnessed. I know for sure that it started with just one body, but for the rest…" He went quiet for a moment. "There is a lot of muddy history about how the Sanctuary's massive graveyard came to be. You might get more information if you ask Caretaker, though…"

In truth… he did know why Main had created this graveyard, but it was something of a safeguarded secret—for everyone's safety. There was one thing Granger got wrong in her assumption.

Admiral eyed his fellow military alternate selves. There were only a handful of Izukus and Izumis who served directly under the military, surprisingly, few enough for him to remember from the top of his head. Since he was here first, he was something of a de facto commander of this group of like-minded Midoriyas, dubbed the 'Militarists'.

In her world, 'Granger' moved in with her grandfather and her grandmother (a Japanese immigrant), which paved the way for her military career after her Inko passed away due to an accident, and her father just upped and disappeared. The bottom line was that she had lost her Inko, and thus would likely understand Main a bit more than most Midoriyas. So telling her the truth shouldn't be too much of a risk?

Admiral didn't get the chance to finish his contemplation when a shadow passed by behind Granger. He blinked and looked over, which didn't go unnoticed by the Izumi.

"'Charon'," Admiral muttered to the Izumi.

Charon didn't pause and continued to march toward the ceremony. Most of Charon's body was hidden behind a black cloak, only his glowing green eye was visible. His trusty oar was ever-present in one of his hands.

"Is he…" Granger asked, but didn't dare to finish. They all knew the Greek myth of 'Charon the ferryman of Hades'. If he was here then that would mean…

"Hmm, no. His trip to the underworld is already finished, else he wouldn't be here," Admiral answered. They continued to observe Charon in silence as the ferryman walked over to the ceremony.

The cloaked Izuku approached Main who was at the tail-end of the group. Charon stood beside Main and observed the funeral for a few seconds before leaning his head closer to Main.

"Hnnnnggg… it is… done," Charon said. His voice hissed like liquid metal dripping onto a cool surface. [4]

"I see... " Main sighed. He dressed as formal as he could, but he was in no mood to care for… much of anything really. "At least his soul is in a better place now."

"Hmmm." Charon nodded. There was a short silence between the two.

"Would you be staying for the wake?" Main asked.

"Hgggg… No… Just another soul… carried away… nothing special… isn't worth… the time…"

"Excuse me!?" one of the children suddenly yelled and turned away from the wake and toward Charon. The whole ceremony halted. The teen in question possessed a similar visage to Izuku but was enchanted by his mother, as evidenced by his sharper eye shape and more leaf-like hair. He looked like he was in his mid-teen, likely early high school or late middle school. "May I ask you, what do you mean by 'isn't worth' your time?!"

One of his siblings, a boy only a little younger, ran up and grabbed his chest. "Yagi, please calm down," the younger brother, with puffy auburn hair, freckles, and brown round eyes, urged.

"No, Daigoro, I refuse to calm down until this man explains why just staying for his own self's funeral isn't worth his time!"

Every eye turned to the commotion, even the preaching Izuku had stopped.

Charon looked at the teen for a moment before, presumably, lifting an eyebrow—it was hard to tell since one cannot see his face. The ferryman stretched his arms outward. "Look around… you." Some who did as he instructed saw the same thing, graves after graves in the field of graveyards. "Though I do not… mean any… malice… the reality is… that your parents… are just another… dead soul here. Their life… no, our lives," Charon shot a glance at Main, "don't really matter."

"Take that back!" another of the children joined in, a girl that resembled Ochako and Ibara (made possible with advanced technology) with a round face, vines for hair, and pads on her hand as she pointed at Charon accusingly.

"Nana, please," Daigoro begged, but it fell on deaf ears.

"They-my parents are great Heroes, they saved countless lives, improved the world around them, and now you are saying that their lives don't even matter?!"

"Yes…" The sheer bluntness threw the children off and allowed Charon to continue uninterrupted. "I have met… every dead person here… I have ferried thousands of… them to the… afterlife. For me… whether they live… or die… it makes no difference."

"How can you say that?!" Nemuri cried out, holding Chiyo even tighter. "They are people! Regardless if they are the same person as you or not doesn't matter! Their lives matter!"

"You're all being… hypocritical. Your parents are dead… what more… do you want as… a proof of… our irrelevance?" His words have an immediate effect. Pained expressions painted themselves onto the children. "Take heart… that at least… your Ibara will… survive. Thanks… to Main."

Despite being praised, Main didn't really want to look at any of this. He knew Charon didn't really mean anything malicious, but the ancient ferryman was not the holding back type when it came to words.

"But I want Ochamama and daddy!" Chiyo suddenly yelled. The little girl took a moment to stiffen a hiccup. "Can't you please bring them back?" the little girl begged. "I miss my daddy and Ochamama. Can't you please bring them back? Me, Ibamama, and my siblings would be happy if you do. You're also a daddy as well, so please help my daddy."

Charon paused for a moment then his hand reached for the edge of his hood. "Girl…Do not make any… mistakes." He pulled his hood up slightly, revealing his face. One half of his face was nothing but a skull, while the other half was mummified. "I am not your father." His words cut through the heart of the children like a hot knife. His scary appearance seemed to also scare Chiyo into silence, rooting the rest of the children on the spot in fear.

"We may be… the same person, but… beyond that there's… no connection between us. Natural order… will not be… broken. If I did not revive the… others here, yours… parents will… not get that privilege… either." Charon put his hood back on before turning to leave; no second thought or doubt, just uncaringness.

Because of that remark and denial, Chiyo could no longer compose herself and let out a harrowing wailing befitting of a child who had lost their parents. Nemuri tried her best to calm her sister down, but soon it became pretty clear that her little sister was beyond being consoled. Soon she broke down herself, holding her sister as tightly as possible for comfort. Each of the siblings stepped in to try and help them, but ultimately they ended up in the same trapping. Before long, all five children of the departed Heroes huddled together to cry in each other's arms.

As Charon walked away, with Paladin following and barking at him about what he had done, Main could only stare at the crying children and realize that he should have stepped in earlier.

Now he was just left with crying children who need comfort from… someone… But who? Him? Their father… Wait, was he really their father? It was as Charon had pointed out that, besides being the same person, there wasn't any real connection between him and them. Subconsciously, he refused to even think that he was the same person as any Izuku here, after all, to do so he must acknowledge the… vermin of his alternate selves' existence.

Yet could he really abandon these children to tears as their world crumbled down around them? He looked on and on as tears fell down their cheeks and the only things that held them together as functioning people was their bond as siblings.

So, when Main came to a certain realization, he almost felt like throwing up.

That even though he wanted to help, to reach out and comfort them even just a little, ultimately, deep down… he didn't care…

They were not his children. Never were, never would be, and their parents were the one six feet under. Him? Just a look-alike with the same DNA, there was no familial bond between him and the children here.

Well… just him at least.

"Hush, hush, everything is gonna be alright," someone came up to the group of five, someone sizable enough for their arms to wrap around all five children, no, not children, siblings. "Everything will be fine."

The person who had come to comfort the five children was a much older woman, likely in her late 20s. She was not one of his alternate selves, but rather someone related to him. After all, he had allowed the children of his alternate selves to come here as well. She possessed pale green hair, dark skin, a pair of bunny ears and legs, and a face that while soft also seemed to radiate confidence (along with some freckles); it didn't take much guess that this was his and Mirko's daughter.

"Ruri-nee," Nana cried and hugged her older, alternative sister.

Out of all the children he had come across, Ruri was probably the most Heroic, and tended to have these calming effects on her other alternative siblings. He wouldn't say she was his strongest child, but she had seemed to become something of a leader among his children, which was probably why she'd attended this funeral, despite having no connection with the deceased or the family.

Behind her was another child of his; a son who was in his late 20s and Ruri's closest associate/alternate brother, he had a mixture of red, white, and green hair (though still predominantly white hair), which made it pretty clear that he was produced from his union with one of the Todoroki siblings. But his facial features and heterochromatic eyes (grey and turquoise) alone wouldn't be enough to tell who was his other parent beside himself.

"Not joining in, Takao?" Ruri asked.

"No thanks, sister. You got this," Takao said evenly.

True to his word, Ruri managed to calm down the five siblings. When Paladin returned, they continued with the ceremony and finished it fairly quickly so the children can go back to rest at their home dimension. Plus, a little bit of good news has just arrived as well.

"Ibara is now fully healed," Main informed as he spoke to the children, preparing to send them home. "She should be waking up in an hour or two, and remember if you are ever in need of anything please don't be afraid to contact us."

"We will, sir, and thank you," Daigoro said, but it was fairly obvious that the siblings would rather head home to see their sole surviving parent than be here.

"Right, take care then." With that, Main stepped aside and let the children walk back to their reality.

As soon as they were gone, Main exhaled the sheer scrap of whatever energy he had left; he looked like his soul had left his body right there and then.

"Are you okay, dad?" the voice Main recognized as Ruri's asked from behind him.

"...you didn't really have to call me that, Ruri," Main told her.

"Come on now, I have been calling you 'dad' since we met, nothing's gonna change that." Even without turning, he knew she was smiling. "You look really down today though… more than usual."

"I heard that one of your alternate selves caused a ruckus. Is that what bothers you?" Takao asked.

"...I have a lot on my mind right now, so yes… not exactly feeling much of anything right now," Main admitted as his shoulders slumped.

Ruri turned to Takao who nodded.

Main soon found a sensation of warmth on his back, startling him a little. He glanced back and found that both of his alternates' children were hugging him.

"Dad, you did your best," Takao comforted.

"Without you, even more of us, your alternate selves, and so many more would have died. Thank you," Ruri hushed.

It was so strange to Main that his children, who were about double his age, were comforting him like he was their guardian or parental figure. He wasn't. Yet that never seemed to deter most of his children in giving him one thing he never asked for; unconditional love.

If Main was being honest… he didn't deserve it.

His two children broke away from the hug. "Hope that… made you better, somewhat."

"...thanks," Main said, but it was obvious that the physical contact didn't have much effect.

"Dad… please don't be too hard on yourself," Ruri requested with a concerned expression. Main didn't reply.

"Let's give him space, Ruri. We still have one more thing we have to do," Takao reminded. "Atago should be at one of the Groves already."

"Right, we will see you around, dad." With that, the two siblings departed.

Main sighed. So much seemed to have happened within this week. He just wished that this was it. His emotions might be running on high, but, like everything, they would slowly fade away. So, with a deep breath, he turned around and was ready to leave himself.

That was until he noticed something on the ground, a small Mirko keychain, probably belonging to Ruri since he was fairly sure no one else here would bring this with them.

With another heavy sigh, he picked up the fallen item and marched after his children. He reached his destination, a large tree with a wall of vines formed a thick dome in a small area. This was one of the Groves, the most protected type of landmarks within the Sanctuary.

The reason? Those who were buried beneath.

Main used his arms to part the wall of plants and stepped into the sacred ground.

It was a circular chamber, with the tree where the vines which enclosed the area grew from in the middle. The place was lit by multi-coloured paper lanterns hanging from the wall of vegetation, giving it a cheerful appearance. Yet on the ground, the tombstones that were common within this dimension could still be found. Unlike the ones outside, however, these graves were smaller in size and were decorated with paper drawings, toys, flowers, figurines, or even some stickers on the tombstone; in fact, there was always some type of memento or offering left on all the graves here.

'But whose graves were these?' one might ask. Well, one has to merely look at the names. 'Riku Midoriya-Ochako', 'Manami Midoriya-Yaoyorozu', 'Arai Midoriya-Tenya', 'Yagi Midoriya-Tokage', 'Nana Midoriya-Takami', and so on, and so forth.

These were the graves of children, his children.

Well, alternate selves children at least.

With another sigh, which Main swore took a year out of his lifespan, he looked around and spotted Ruri and Takao, along with a girl that looked almost identical to Takao, likely his twin, Atago. Main wasted no time and marched up to them.

He didn't want to be here. Each grave he strolled by seemed to have done the impossible of sinking his mood down even further.

Upon passing the grave marked 'Tendo Midoriya-Kendo', reality glitched again. Unlike last time where Itsuka imitated Main, this time tears flowed down Itsuka's cheeks. She wished to stop and hug the grave, but she was merely reliving the past and not controlling it. Soon, everything continued to play out, and she had not choice but to live it.

"Hey, umm," Main said quietly, but, with Ruri's level of hearing, she could detect him just fine.

"Oh, hey, dad," Ruri greeted him.

"You forget this." He presented the keychain in his palm.

Ruri gasped and quickly took the memento from his hand. She pressed it against her chest as her long ears flopped downward. The woman then looked at him with relief and gratitude before throwing herself forward and hugging him.

"Thanks, dad!" She cheered.

Main arms instinctively moved, they moved behind his child and was ready to return the embrace, but once Main took in the sight of all the graves surrounding them, he lost strength and his appendages just hung from his side limply.

Ruri looked at her father with a bright smile, but when she was met with only emptiness from her alternate parent, her smile fell and was replaced by confusion.

Main shifted in her arms and Ruri let go of him.

"...I am sorry." That was all Main said before he walked away.

Neither Ruri nor the twin behind her knew what to do. So after minutes passed, Atago spoke up.

"Let's just… finish it up here," she said.

"...you're right." Atago nodded before she and Takao took off to do their task.

Ruri began her own as well, taking up a basket filled with toys, drawings, Heroic merchandise, and other mementoes. She knelt down before a grave with the name 'Hikari Miroriya-Usagiyama'.

"Hey, there, sis. It has been a while since we last talked, but I can make up for that! Look what I got for you!" Ruri took out a rabbit doll. "I sewed it myself! I hope you like it!" She laid the little white bunny on the grave of her little alternate 'sister'. Alongside the doll were some items: a few other stuffed toys, some flowers that would never rot upon the grave, a locket showing a grown-up Izuku, Mirko, and a young child with green hair and rabbit ears in their arms; Hikari.

"This should keep you company until I come to visit again." Ruri went silent for a moment. She laid her hand on the tombstone. "I wish I could have met you, but… I don't think you want me to sulk over here, do you?" She managed a faint smile. "Well, I will see you later then. Goodbye, Hikari," the woman bid her goodbye.

Ruri got up. Before moving on to other of her siblings, she took a moment to look around the Grove and took in reality. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She always cried whenever she visited here.

A family that was lost, the sibling she would never have, the bond that could never be forged.

It broke her heart.

A/N: The original chapter was too long. If I had kept writing, it would've reached 20k; a dissertation length. That's too long for a chapter. So the true breaking point will have to be the next chapter. But take heart, half of the next chapter was already complete when I decided to finally cut this chapter in half.

[1] Izuku who is the Courier from Fallout: New Vegas.

[2] If you wonder why I repeated that entire segment from chapter three. It's because I intended for it to be a little revision of the past event, especially since Itsuka has to see it. Plus, the upcoming massive chapter will also be posted separately as its own off-shoot (so I can properly credit the authors due to the sheer amount of Izuku and Izumi cameos from other fics), might include some part of this chapter to give people who only notice that fic some context.

[3] Like 'Thrax', she is inspired by one of the generals in 'Command and Conquer General: Zero Hour', Malcolm Granger, the airforce general. I thought about using 'Air force' as her codename, but that could clash with any Izuku who could use wind power or is a pilot.

[4] Inspired a little bit by 'Hades' (the game) Charon, but mostly based on the more mythological root version.