The Boy Who Wont Forget

The sun seeping through the broken ceiling wasn't warm or inviting; it was flat and gray, lighting the dancing dust motes that seemed to have been part of the decoration in the air. Ren stretched lazily; his arms pushed against the stiff mattress groaning beneath his weight. The brown-stained patch of plaster on the ceiling was still there-not that he expected it to change. He was starting to think he'd memorized every crack up there.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he let them land on the cold floor. The coldness made his toes curl instinctively. The room still smelled of its usual mildew, rust, and slight scent of dampened wood. It was not ideal, but he wasn't losing sleep over it, either.

Ren ran a hand through his messy black hair, yawning as he stood. His clothes from yesterday hung loose on him, the sleeves of his shirt brushing his wrist in a way which told him that he hadn't grown into them yet. His pants stayed up thanks to a knot he tied around the waist. It wasn't fashionable, but it worked.

That leaky pipe in the corner had been dripping constantly. It was like the beat of his fingers against his thigh as he made his way to the tiny window. Outside, the world was no less desolate than it had been when he first opened his eyes to this hellhole: cracked concrete, smoke from a factory somewhere off in the distance, and a sky that looked like it couldn't make up its mind to rain.

He stretched once more, with a neck-cracking sound. His back was sore, though that was old news. It had been warring with this mattress since Day One.

A faint smell of food was drifting through the door, not exactly appetizing but good enough. Probably that same insipid gruel they had fed him now for weeks. His stomach growled, but he did not hurry. Breakfast was not running anywhere, neither was he.

Routine was a weird thing. At first, he'd thought it would drive him crazy, but after months of waking to the same sights and smells and general sounds, it had all just faded into background noise-nothing worth thinking too hard about. He leaned over and picked up the half-empty bottle of water beside the bed, took a quick swig, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

The cold floor sent another shiver up his spine as he shuffled towards the door, paused, and gave the room one last glance. Same peeling wallpaper, same cracked mirror leaning against the wall, same pile of worn books in the corner. He could walk around this place blindfolded if he had to.

He twisted the door handle and stepped out into the hall without much behind it, precisely. Whatever today had in store, it could wait until after breakfast.

The hall was dim, with the smell of old metal and damp concrete present. Ren walked at an easy, open pace, neither in a hurry nor lagging behind. The floor below was uneven and chipped in places, where years of neglect had left their marks. He rounded a corner and headed toward the common area, the smell of food growing stronger.

A few others were there already-mostly low-level grunts, sitting at rickety tables and talking low over their bowls of whatever today's special was. Ren ignored them, snatched up a bowl off the counter, and plopped himself down at the table furthest from the rest. Food was as tasteless as it always was-thick porridge-like mix that coated his tongue. He ate without complaint, taking slow bites while he kept one ear on the conversation going on beside him.

"Did you hear?" one of the men mumbled around a mouthful of food. "Something's going down tonight. Big plans."

The guy next to him nodded, lowering his voice. "Boss is moving. Might be All Might again."

Ren didn't bat an eyebrow, but he filed it away for later. There had been rumors of something big brewing for days. If All For One was going to try and clash with All Might again, it wasn't exactly a surprise. But that did mean the climate around here would change-people would get jumpy, tensions would rise, and there would be opportunities to exploit. That was always the way it went when things got chaotic.

He cut up the last bit of food on his plate, stood up, and placed the plate on the counter-noiselessly as always. As he turned to walk away, Kurogiri appeared in the doorway, swirling black mist filling the entrance as if it were a life form of its own.

"Ren," he said with a calm tone, full of authority. "Boss wants to see you."

Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He wiped his hands on his shirt and walked toward the doorway, the soft echo of his footsteps against the floor. The room they led him to wasn't much different from the rest of the hideout: dim lighting, cold concrete walls, and an ever-present sense of something lurking in the shadows. Ren walked inside, his gaze sweeping across the room before landing on All For One, who was seated in a chair with his hands clasped in front of him. His posture was relaxed, but the air around him was suffocating. Even sitting still, the man had a way of commanding the room.

Ren," All For One said, his voice warm but detached, as though speaking to a student from behind a professor's desk. "I trust you're settling in well these past six months."

Ren gave a slight nod. "As well as anyone can, I guess.

He apparently wasn't one for small talk, Ren thought. He indicated the chair opposite him. Ren sat down, his face impassive as he studied the masked face opposite him. It was impossible to tell what All For One was thinking-and that was probably the point.

We have something important happening tonight," All For One said, smooth and measured in his tone. "I won't burden you with the details. All you need to know is that you'll be accompanying me." Ren leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. "What do you want me to do?

"Nothing—unless I say otherwise," All For One replied. "You are here for formality's sake, to watch and learn. But if it does call for you to act, then I expect nothing less than an immediate reaction."

Ren's fingers drummed idly against his arm. It was not much of an explanation, but that was normal. They never told him everything, and truthfully, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Knowing too much around here was dangerous.

"Understood," Ren said shortly.

All For One seemed taken in by the answer. He stood then, looming over Ren despite the man's casual stance. "We leave in an hour. Be ready.

Ren stood and headed for the door without waiting for further instructions; outside, Kurogiri was waiting, ever the silent observer. As Ren walked past him, he couldn't help but think about how little information they let him in on-and just how many influence points he could snag if he played his cards right.