The long-awaited day had finally approached.
The trip to Tartarus; the highest security prison where they stored the scum of the earth. Where the heroes had shipped Shadow Jack, with the expectation he would remain put.
Strong hands stir you from your sleep, you snapped your eyes open at the sudden touch. The sun had yet to crawl over the sky. All Might weakly smiled, letting you know it was just him. You had fallen asleep on the couch in the common area, your class had a movie night.
Rubbing your tired eyes, you glanced around seeing your friends had fallen asleep on the couch too. Mina's head rested on your good leg; your head leaned against Katsuki's shoulder. Kirishima passed out on the floor with Kaminari, Sero and Sato.
"We have to get going." All Might whispered, not wanting to wake anyone. Mainly because he didn't wish to deal with any of the students wanting to tag along, All Might glanced over to Katsuki, he was really the only one he didn't want to argue with.
Carefully lifting Mina's head, you placed her against the couch then covered her up. Silently you tiptoed around your friends before shuffling towards the elevator with All Might. You didn't know what time you would be going today, as you got dressed you supposed going before the world had a chance to wake up made the most sense.
"Are you ready?" All Might asked, putting his phone away seeing you walk out of your dorm room.
"Yeah." You nod, All Might walked over placing both hands on your shoulders.
"You do not have to do this if you don't want too." All Might clarified, "We can find the other locations some other way." You shook your head in response.
"I have to do this."
"(y/n)-"
"It's the right thing to do." You smiled, "It may not be the easiest option, but it still has to get done...that's what being a hero is right?"
"I am so proud of you." All Might breathed pulling you into a hug. "I am going to be right by your side the entire time, Aizawa will also be there...you have nothing to worry about."
"I know-" A small smile on your face, "-I know you have my back."
"Now and forever." All Might grinned, wrapping an arm around you. "Aizawa and Mr. Principle are waiting for us outside."
The two of you loaded into a sleek black car, traffic was low due to the early hour. The drive was silent, you kept staring at Mr. Principle who drove, questioning how he was driving with this mouse like body. Your questions were shortly evicted when the mouse man pulled into a drive through for breakfast.
"(y/n)-" Aizawa's voice pulled your attention away from your sandwich, "-if you don't wish speak you don't have to."
"Yes." Mr. Principle agreed, "All Shadow Jack said was he wanted you there, not that you had to hold a conversation with him."
"If you feel at any time, you can't do this-" All Might added, "-just tug on my arm and we will leave."
"Ok." You nod.
"We are meeting Officer Maeda at the prison-" Mr. Principle explained what would happen. You rolled your eyes hearing the name, great...not only did you have to deal with facing Shadow Jack, but you also had to deal with that twat bucket.
You leaned between the two front seats, gazing out the window as the prison came into view driving on the bronze bridge, which is the only way on and off this little island of joy.
The four of you were searched, sent through a machine to check if you were harboring anything, you were forced to sign a contract before finally being allowed into the metal building.
"It's about time." Officer Maeda turned, his arms over his chest leaning against the wall.
"Traffic was horrible!" All Might lightly joked.
"Are you ready?" Officer Maeda looked past the adults' locking eyes onto you.
You nod.
"It's your job to get the information we need from Shadow-"
"No." Aizawa stepped in front of you. "Don't tell her that."
"It's not her job to do anything but show up which she did." All Might added, "Don't place unnecessary pressure on her."
"Let's go." Officer Maeda rolled his eyes, you followed him as well as eight other guards all dressed in combat gear. You blindly followed the dozen adults through twisting hallways until you reached a large metal door. Two guards were posted outside, once they saw you and Officer Maeda gave the go ahead, they opened the door.
The room was shockingly bright and crisply clean.
You felt the air from your lungs being stripped clear the moment you laid eyes on him.
He was heavily restrained, sitting on the other side of bullet proof glass so you weren't truly in the same room as him, but it all felt trivial. Any second if that man wanted to you knew he could break through those chains and rip through that glass like it was tissue paper.
Right?
Were you giving Shadow Jack too much credit and the heroes not enough?
His lips curved into a familiar smile; one you knew all too well. One you were so used to seeing after an experiment went well and meant you could go through another one. Your stomach twisted itself inside your gut.
"(y/n) (l/n) is here." Officer Maeda stepped forward, breaking the thick silence. "Now tell us where the other children's locations are."
His deep voice chuckled sending thorns ripping through your flesh.
"How amazing-" He finally spoke, "-only a few short months in their possession and they have already ruined you."
"What?" You stupidly replied.
"Your eyes-" Shadow Jack lifted his head, through the strands of his dark hair his yellow orbs glowed. "-they were so beautifully devoid-"
"Enough." All Might stepped in front of you. "Where are the other warehouses? Where are the other children!?"
"All Might...the number one hero..." Shadow Jack's grin smudge into a sneer. "...funny..."
"What's so funny?" All Might was tense.
"You had such a hyper focus during your youth on becoming this shining symbol of peace for the world." Shadow Jack's eyes traced over All Might's outline, "You never had time for the family life huh?"
"Stop changing the subject and answer the question! Where are the other kids!?"
"Do you really believe I will allow you to use (y/n) to fill the role of your daughter?"
"She is my daughter!" A growl ripped through All Might's chest. You stared at the back of his head, your heart filling full.
"She will never be yours." Shadow Jack retorted, all amusement draining from his face. "I am the one who raised her-"
"The only thing you did was scar me and give me trauma!" You snapped, stepping around All Might you felt pure uncut rage filling your veins, forcing your heart to pound faster as you felt your body heat up.
"Trauma made you the strongest-"
"No." You shook your head. "My trauma made me weak, it gave me flaws no person should ever have to bear! I am the one who made me strong, not you! I was the one who dragged myself out of the darkness you put me in, I am the one who dealt with damage that wasn't my fault!"
"I gave you a gift-" Shadow Jack looked into your eyes; "-others will always try to adopt the darkness but unlike them you were blessed enough to be born into it-"
"No, I-" You shook your head.
"You-" Shadow Jack licked his lips, "-can never be like other people, for when danger lurks from around the corner, they will run. But you, you will look into the darkness and smile because that is how I raised you."
"You didn't raise me." You breathed, "You tortured and beat me until I was near death. You allowed that psychopath to slice into my flesh and play God!"
"I saved you Peach-" Shadow Jack shook his head, "-stop this nonsense, drop this ridiculous act and free me-!"
"What!?" Officer Maeda spun around; his muscles instantly tightened. "I knew it!" He stormed towards you; he should have seen this act a mile away!
"What?" You turned, "No, I-"
"Don't touch her." All Might warned getting in Officer Maeda's way.
"Restrain her!" Officer Maeda called out to the eight guards. Instantly they turned from friend to foe as they locked their sights on you.
"Back off!" Aizawa restrained a guard.
"I-I didn't do anything!" You backed away from the approaching guards, your eyes widened watching one lift the rifle in his hand, slamming the butt of the gun against the side of your face.
Pain erupted inside your skull, white filled your vision, you lost control over your body as it fell to the ground. You felt foreign hands restraining you.
"Enough!" Mr. Principle shouted over the mixed voices. All Might and Aizawa were trying to pull the guards away from you, but it became an all-out fight.
Mr. Principle patted his feet over towards a black rifle just abandoned on the sidelines. He swiftly picked it up, pointed it away from the grappling group all clustered together, each side trying to gain the upper hand and fired.
The shots were deafening, leaving your eardrums ringing.
"What the hell-!?" Officer Maeda spun around on his thick boot.
"That is quite enough." Mr. Principle gently placed the weapon on the ground. "You are giving into everything this criminal wants."
"But-"
"(y/n) is no longer affiliated with Shadow Jack in the slightest. Instead of jumping to conclusions you should have looked to me or the other two pro-hero's standing beside you before attacking a student."
"I-"
All Might didn't care about Officer Maeda or Mr. Principles' argument, he pushed past the two guards dropping to your side before scooping you up in his muscular arms.
"(y/n)!?" All Might's eyes were wide, his heart tight feeling he failed to protect you. Slowly you opened your eyes, the side of your face hurt right down to the bone.
"I'm alright." You breathed, licking your lips. All Might's eyes were filled with regret and pain as his fingers brushed over the open gash on your soft skin.
"Why-!?" All Might belted tears filling his eyes as he cupped the side of your injured face, blood trickled down your cheek. "-why did you do all of this!?"
"Simple." Shadow Jack answered, the sour smile on his face burned the heroes, seeing he got everything he wanted. "I am raising the next generation who aren't afraid to be the first to fall!"
"Your insane!" You yelled getting to your feet. "You didn't raise anything; you just bought a collection of tools-"
"I didn't buy you-" Shadow Jack replied, "-I adopted you, you have been and will always be my daughter."
"What?" You gasped, hearing his words made the contents of your stomach curled as your head spun with questions.
"Your wrong." All Might wrapped an arm around you. "(y/n) is my daughter, she may not hold my blood, I may not have been by her side during her first steps, but I am here now, and I fully intend to raise her as my own. She will never be any part of you."
"That is where you are wrong hero-" Shadow sneered, "-she already holds pieces of me."
"There are no other locations-" Officer Maeda tasted salt on his tongue. "-are there?"
"If there were-" You licked you dry lips, "-they're long dead, aren't they?" Shadow Jack held a vile smirk.
"I suppose in the meantime-" Shadow Jack glanced to All Might, "-I'll allow you to play the father figure."
"You're not-!" All Might stepped closer to the glass.
"Until next time-" Shadow Jack bypassed All Might locking eyes with you, "-I'll be watching you through the shadows Peach."
"Enough of this!" Officer Maeda waved his hand, "Get this piece of filth back to his cell!"
"Yes sir!"
"And get these four out of here."
"On it!"
Three guards herded you and the three UA faculty members through the hallways, not even bothering to apologize for breaking your face.
"(y/n)-" Aizawa said your name once the four of you sitting in the car, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah?"
"-why did he call you peach?" Aizawa asked. You glanced out the window as Mr. Principle put the car in drive.
"It's slang-" You answered, "-they called us that sometimes."
"What for?" All Might wondered, deflating into his skeleton form.
"It's short for petri dish." You went on, "He called the ones who passed the experiments this because all we ever were to him were tools to be used. I don't know why he went on about raising me and being a father."
"He is unstable." Aizawa muttered, leaning against the head rest, the tension in his body slowly decreasing.
"We should get you to Recovery Girl." Mr. Principle noted, looking through the review mirror at your bruising face.
"No." You whined, "That'll just make me sleep."
"Your face-"
"I have been hit worse." You replied looking out the window. "I'll be fine."
The three teachers all glanced at one another; their faces reflected the worry they all felt. This theory of Shadow Jack having other warehouses with other people like you, it was all just a well-developed ploy to get you to Shadow Jack. The question now was, did he really mean what he said?
Would he not rest until he had you back in his grasp?
What did he mean about raising an entire generation? That statement alone should be enough to back up the theory there were more people out there like you being held captive, right?
Why did he say he would see you in the shadows?
All these spinning questions left All Might feeling tense and unedged, he just got you in his life, he couldn't lose you now.