"Karma is like a rubber band.

You can only stretch it so far before it comes back and hits you when you least expect it."

-Unknown

Deku felt sick. He felt sicker than when he had been forced to swim through All for One's aura; more than all the times Bakugo and his goonies had insulted him and hurt him, and he could do nothing more than to grit his teeth in fear of further damage. He felt sicker than the time he had come home to find All Might on the screen, saying that anyone could be a hero. It was worse than all of it.

No, he'd say that even if you combined all of those sickening feelings together, it wouldn't match the heavy feeling in his stomach that he had now. Stress filled him to the brim and then overflowed; anxiety soared and soared, reaching unheard of heights; his imagination conjured up the scariest and most frightening images he had ever seen. The only reason he hadn't had a panic attack yet was because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

No, the adrenaline was secondary compared to one, sustaining idea:

He couldn't stop because his mom could still be fine. She could still be alive.

And he was the one ticket she had to living.

All for One had been incredibly obvious with his hints. Just following a simple line of thought to its conclusion could give you the answer. Deku had no friends or other people of significance in his life; for it to have an impact on him like All for One wished, there was only one conclusion: his mother.

(There was a slim, minute chance that he might choose to target Bakugo, it would be stupid on All for One's part, but possible. All for One had surely witnessed the events that went on in the bar; while he wasn't nice, anyone with the advantage of knowing his life's story could see the little sprinkles of kindness and reluctance.

But if All for One simply chose to send his goonies after Bakugo he'd be thankful. They'd just be walking straight into their own graves, after all. The moment Bakugo ran out of the hideout, he was immediately put under the protective custody of the multiple top heroes that had gathered for the raid. If All for One himself tried to kill Bakugo, he might be able to, but anyone else wouldn't stand a chance in hell.

That was how he justified running to his mother's location without a second thought. Did he need justification? After everything?

...No, he already knew the answer to that long ago.)

Yes, his mother was the only one All for One could be sick enough to go after. If she really-...

He honestly did not know what he would do, to what depths of madness he would sink to. Because the fact of the matter was, if she... never came back any more, then it would be his fault. Completely and utterly his fault. He wouldn't be able to take it. Just imagining it made him feel sick. There was still hope, though; Shigaraki was very far away, and Kurogiri didn't know where the house was. All for One might have told them, but the neighborhood he used to live in was a very different one than the one that the League of Villains hung around.

If Kurogiri knew the address, it was game over, but if he didn't...

There was still hope.

(He forgot that betrayed hope was the worst kind of despair.)

He flew across the pavement of the road, nothing more than a flicker of light in the corner of people's eyes, flying through the entirety of Hosu City in the blink of an eye. In no less than 5 minutes, he had arrived at the little old house of his childhood, where his mother stayed.

Except, there was something unexpected that he never anticipated.

A police officer was at the door.

"You..! Di-Did something happen to the owner of this house?!"

Deku's mind was in chaos. Why would a police officer be here? Had the worst already happened? Was he... was he too late?

The officer in question had his cap pulled down low over his eyes, his uniform blending into the dark night beside him. His eyes widened in surprise underneath his cap at the unexpected sight of Deku, before an extremely peculiar look shone in his eyes. It was unsettling, to say the least. But even if the officer had been without his cap, Deku wouldn't have had the presence of mind to notice the weird look in them.

"...I just heard a scream, sir, during my rounds. I was simply looking to investigate it. Unless... you wish to help as well?"

Even with Deku's presence of mind as it was, he still sensed something... was wrong. He didn't like it. It was soon shoved to the side as anxiety and anger kicked in again; the man said he had heard a scream. If that was true, he didn't have time for this. He had to enter as soon as possible.

"There's no need for you to come. The woman who owns this house is my mother. I'll go in."

Deku no longer gave the police officer any heed, simply running towards the door of the house, when the police officer caught his arm in a vice grip. Deku felt his anger boil as a frosty look that spoke of death to any that dared to bar his path surfaced on his face. Usually, he wouldn't care about such obstructions, but this was his mother! For him to even waste his time was one thing, to directly stop him was another.

An easy-going and placating smile surfaced on the officer's face, something he had likely cultivated throughout his years in the service. His voice had a child-like tone to it like he was reprimanding an unruly kid that didn't know what was best for it.

"As you can see, sir, I am quite strong. I won't be a burden on this little adventure. It wouldn't be too much of a hassle to simply let me follow behind you, would it? I, myself, know your mother because I have been working with her following your disappearance, Midoriya Izuku-kun. I would like to know if she is okay as well."

He snapped his arm out of the older man's grip, and nodded coldly, no longer paying any attention to the police officer.

He wouldn't waste more time than he already had.

(The fact that he had guessed who he was? Well, that didn't matter either. Only his heart grew a little colder and sadder at the fact she was still searching for him. He didn't even bother to drop by and say he was alright, didn't tell her that he was still alive and that she didn't need to do any of this so 'please stop torturing yourself for me, please'.)

He busted the door down with a single, powerful kick that sent splinters flying everywhere, before running like he never had before through the... his house. It was dim and dark, not rare for the time of night that it was, but it just served to increase his anxiety instead. He knocked over things in his haste, frantically flipping through rooms in search of his mother. Eventually, he came to the living room.

Quickly, he opened the door.

'...Red? What's red, why is it so red, the furniture had always been white-'

The police officer that he had left behind in his frantic searching threaded his arm over Deku's shoulders, posture mocking.

His shoes squelched in the red and he distantly noted that his shoes were red as well, so, so red.

"You know, it really was quite the shock that Inko's missing son, the one who we were searching for all along-"

redredredredredredredredredredredredredredredred-

"-Was actually the same one who killed my wife. We were going to be married in three months, you know? She. She was the love of my life, and you, oh you killed her! Hahahahaha! It's such a joke... Such a big, fat, joke."

"It should be happening now, I imagine."

All Might felt his bad feeling grow as he turned and glared at All for One, who was now bundled up in chains and handcuffs. Each and every one was made out of precious metal that could suppress quirks, and they went ahead and wreathed him extensively in them. The rubble and debris were a reminder of who terrifying and dangerous this man was, and no-one dared to underestimate him.

He hadn't been able to chase after Young Midoryia precisely because of this man as well.

Nothing felt good about the conversation between the two, but he couldn't let this man run free either.

"What did you do, All for One!" He grabbed the cuff of his shirt and snarled, emotions and stress getting the better of him.

All for One just smirked.

"I made sure that Inko Midoriya dies, of course. If Shigaraki disobeyed me, it might not happen, but most likely... she is dead. Dead to a rather interesting fellow, if I might add! Yuganda Itoku. Ha. It started out as nothing more than an ordinary mission, albeit little Deku's first one, but one rather unfortunate lady did get killed. ...Yuutsu Jihi, if I remember correctly? In any case, he's a madman out for revenge now."

"That Shigaraki fellow, he was kind enough to contact me, tell me your name, but in exchange, I had to do something for him. Only then would he tell me your accursed name. It was a shame that Inko had to die, the poor dear didn't deserve that. Simply wished to find her son... Alas."

Itwasred. Whywasitsored? Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-

He leaned over and whispered in his ear, eyes wide and shaky with gleeful retribution.

"It's all your fault, Izuku-kun. Your Okaa-san died because of you."

Myfault? It'smyfaultfaultfaultfault-

He started to hyperventilate, mouth opening but forming not but a word, just soundless gasps for air as his chest expanded in and out - inandoutfasterandfasteruntilthere'snothingleft - and his body started to shiver and seize up in place. But he wasn't aware of that at all. His mind was a broken record. A record that was stuck on redfornowandeternity in this hellscape of eternal torment. It was all he could focus on, could feel, could breathe, could taste, could see, and he could feel something break deep inside but he didn't know what, because wasn't it just red?

(iT wAS jUsT rED, riGhT?)

The hand around his shoulders curved and shook with faint mirth at the current condition of the boy, before they slowly moved to tracing the bulging artery of his neck and Deku didn't, couldn't react to the obviously malicious action. But there was one person that could.

Gray emerged out of the mindscape, where she had been previously trying to call Deku down, with righteous fury and anger flooding through her spiritual body. He was already close to collapsing; if this guy was allowed to continue to do as he pleased, it would only get worse. She had no choice but to leave him alone for now and deal with the damn murderer in front of her.

{Get away from him! You little piece of shi-}

The lightning dissolved the moment it got within five feet of the police officer, although the flash and boom of lighting had forced him away instinctvely.

"Oh, that was indeed quite powerful! Superb, marvelous... Unfortunately, little lightning snake, I am the nature counter for all emitter types; no matter what you do, you cannot break Aegis! It's thanks to my quirk's defensive nature that I was not able to join a hero school, but that, in turn, allowed me to rise up the ranks rapidly as a policeman. My quirk is invulnerable."

His eyes were cold and hollow.

"But enough talking. I've made him suffer as much as my wife most assuredly had been; it's time for you to die now, Izuku Midoriya."

He pulled a pistol from his uniform and fired...

Only to see the bullet be stopped with a furious whip of lightning from Gray.

He unloaded a few more bullets in his fury, but they were all stopped by a similarly furious Gray.

Itoku's features crumpled for the first time, with an ugly look on his face. He couldn't do anything if even his gun was stopped.

"Damn piece of lightning... It seems I need something more powerful..."

His eyes were bloodshot with rage as walked out of the house, Gray helplessly being unable to do anything to the man.

He shouted with such rage as he left the front door, that even Deku in his state of mental collapse could hear it.

"There will come a day when I kill you, Izuku Midoriya! Just like I killed your dear old mom! I SWEAR IT!"

The door closed, and there was nothing left but red, a broken person, and a helpless lightning spirit.

Nothing at all.