Done and Undone

Hawks deployed his feathers to get a sense of their surroundings. His method was as effective as echolocation, but useful outside of water. Hawks stumbled to a stop as one of his feathers found its way to the hall. He held his arm out to signal his colleagues to stop as well. "Nobody's there," he said in a quick voice, as to not betray his true feelings. Revulsion, horror, and fury told him to press forward and fight the League, but these were instincts that he quelled for the millionth time since he began his double-agent role. He didn't think the more heroic people beside him would be able to turn away. "We have to go back. The roof's our best bet."

"Fine, let's make it fast," Shoto said shortly. He knew that ducking in cover and meandering the whole way, however stealthily, wouldn't help his aunt. Though he knew he was getting reckless, that didn't slow his stride as he rushed down the hall. Nobody thought to question why Hawks had them turn so suddenly.

Shinso wondered if the officers had checked for the heroes and didn't want to show up without backup. He couldn't fault them. For quirkless or beings with non-battle quirks to show up alone would be suicide.

Only minutes had passed, but Shoto felt sure he'd return to a corpse. Bakugo would never admit it, but he cared about Flint's mortality. Seeing her bleeding and dying had made him feel weak, useless, and completely out of his element. During all of their training and internships, all of his classmates had avoided life-threatening injuries.

Izuku managed to repair the damage done to Tokoyami's cloak. Cauterized cells can't regenerate, so is this technically some sort of restoration quirk? He wondered as he stared at his palms. His empathy alerted him to the three approaching figures. Judging by their worry, they definitely weren't villains. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow discovered them at the same time. When the four of them drew near, Dark Shadow extended to include them. From the outside, they simply appeared to be a part of a darkened landscape. Within the shadow the light was dimmer, but everyone within was visible to the other denizens.

The moment he could, Shoto searched for Flint, expecting the worst. Likewise, Bakugo and Shinso sought their teacher. "What? How?" Shoto looked at Tokoyami, as if his old classmate had been hiding some of Dark Shadow's abilities throughout school.

Tokoyami shook his head and gestured to Izuku. "Midoriya?" Bakugo growled, feeling the familiar stab of envy whenever One For All evolved. Shortly after All Might's death, he and Izuku had discussed One For All. Though Bakugo was rarely of any help, Izuku had gone to his friend and spoken freely of his abilities. Through it all, Izuku had confided in Bakugo not only as his oldest friend, but as a trusted comrade. "What's it matter?" Bakugo declared decisively, as if the matter was closed. "Don't look the gift horse in the mouth, Half and Half. Now let's get out of here."

All For One descended the stairs to the agents' basement. As he opened the coded door, he was he found several technicians working busily to dissect Ujiko's quirk. He kept away from the men and women at their lab and circled around to the cells. There, All For One found Toga in a holding pen with clear walls, metal framing, and a double lock system. On top of a manual key-lock, it also required a handprint passcode.

In her pen, Toga fidgeted with her costume and bobbed her head to a tune only she could hear. All For One found her complete lack of fear refreshing after his encounters with Izuku and the suits upstairs, all of whom had been as twitchy as squirrels. All For One pressed the intercom button on the wall and began their conversation. "Why do you work with the Villain Alliance?"

Her yellow eyes slid over his figure, looking him over like he was a hunk of meat. Since he knew her blood fetish, All For One found her intense scrutiny amusing.

"Don'cha mean the League of Villains? It's good. Shigaraki trusts us and he lets me get all the blood I want!"

What a simple creature. He wouldn't have to work hard to manipulate her. "The League will be going through a few changes. We'll not only have the tower, but now we'll expand to include these so-called agents." Ken Yayorozu had kept tabs on all of his workers and there was undoubtedly blackmail on all of them. As he'd aged, All For One had found that most people with a half-decent quirk would abuse their power if they were told there would be no repercussions. Using his foresight, he'd encouraged the Yayorozu family to run the organization. Though the agents generally went after his villains, they were too small and too secretive of a gropu to be a true threat.

"Ohhh," Toga cooed. "You mean Shigaraki's going to let us do more?"

All For One placed his hand on the scanner and used his master key to release Toga from her tank. "Shigaraki's no longer in the picture. I am All For One, the original and once again leader of the Villain Alliance." He pulled a vial of blood from his pocket and handed it to Toga, along with a burner phone.

"You have approximately one hour to arrive at your destination. Once you're there, drink the blood and try to convince Mirio Togata that you are Izuku Midoriya." All For One felt it was his fatherly duty to see what sort of influence his son had been exposed to. With the phone, he would be able to hear every word.

Judging by the redness on her cheeks and broad, stalker-smile on her face, she'd wanted to become that particular person for quite a long time. "It would be my pleasure."

Mirio hadn't worried for the first two hours. Every minute from then had stretched on and on. Mirio called Sir Nighteye. "Heeee-yo," he said, smiling through his anxiousness. "Deku hasn't come back to see you, has he?"

"No, why would he?"

"Oh, no reason," Mirio said with perfectly feigned nonchalance. "We unclogged a sewer and got separated. I'm back at our apartment." The duo had mutually agreed to live together for the sake of safety, as had many other hero and sidekick pairs did the same. "But he hasn't showed up yet." Mirio had made himself take three showers before he was convinced he'd scrubbed the putrid smell of sewer as best as he could.

"Midoriya's death isn't for many years to come," Sir Nighteye declared in his usual condescending and factual tone. Mirio could imagine his old mentor shoving his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Mirio chuckled and kept face. "You're right, Sir. Thanks for putting my worries at ease!"

"Get some rest. You had a busy night and you're overthinking things," Nighteye ordered. He hung up and the conversation died, but none of Mirio's worries went with it.

He pulled up his tracker app on his phone and looked at Midoriya's location again. What could he be doing for so long at the coffee place? Is it a girl? Mirio had no shame and even fewer boundaries. I'll just take a peek to make sure he's okay. He needs to shower. Mirio didn't expect to do hero work, so he put on a white shirt and pair of green khakis, like what All Might use to wear on his days off.

Mirio and Izuku were undoubtedly some of All Might's biggest fans. Every centimeter of their walls were covered with posters of the hero and every story of his achievements. Mirio admitted to his sidekick that he'd copied the hero's hairstyle from a young age, save the bunny-ear bangs.

Though he didn't plan to do any work, Mirio tossed his suit in a black backpack and wore it out into the city. They lived in one of the more bustling and safe neighborhoods of Tokyo where could rest easy at night, but still rush off to their work with a minimal commute.

Mirio didn't have to go far. The coffee shop hosted cats for adoption and was one of Izuku's favorite haunts after a long and stressful battle. He saw his friend sitting amongst a pack of felines, oblivious as always to the dirt on the well-trafficked floor. "Long time no see," Mirio teased his friend. "You forgot to take your suit off." To make his point, Mirio made a show of pinching his nose and fanning his palm.

"Oh, sorry," Izuku responded. He offered a tired, apologetic smile. Mirio could tell by his sidekick's face that he was deep in thought.

"Is something up? Why'd you come to the cat bar?"

"I just wanted a place to think," Izuku answered honestly.

Mirio could sympathize. "What'll help us the most is a good night's rest," he said, offering his hand to help Izuku up. Izuku took it, and Mirio made a show of sniffing. "But first, you need a few showers," he chuckled.

The mixed group of pros, agents, and sidekicks managed to find their way to the roof. Thankfully, Flint's quirk kept the door from locking, even after they left. "Hawks frowned and tried to twist the handle from the outside. "It's far too obvious that an earth user was here," he remarked. "Tsukuyomi, do you think you can clear the sand?"

Dark Shadow slipped from Tokoyami's navel and engulfed the mechanism. There was a shower of grains and the click of a lock engaging before Dark Shadow pulled himself back out. Tokoyami tested with a single twist and nodded once, satisfied with the smooth turn.

The moment the door was closed, they were on the move again. Kamui used other buildings to latch on and swing from arm to arm. "My agency is close," he called, directing the others to follow him. Shinso was by far the slowest, since his way of moving involved a scarf, running, and jumping, but he managed as well as always.

"I'll meet you guys there," he called out. "I've got to go do paperwork."