48

The quaint apartment was nothing spectacular, typical on-base housing, ones for those of elevated position compared to the new recruit students, who were humorously labeled 'squids' by drill sergeants, who were stuck in a giant long-house with bunk beds and monitored under strict rules.

The senior had been through that already, and upon gaining a better status, with more responsibility and more pay, Satoko Hisashi swooped up the first opportunity he could to get a place of his very own, seeing as he was adamant about moving his younger brother there with him and out of their family home, where the environment had soured because of their father who wouldn't speak to Saya, who wouldn't even look at him.

All the hard work Sashi did, every move he made, it was calculated, pristine in direction, with nobody in mind except Kasaya. He'd even helped Saya get an on-base job at the time, under one of the generals, Hoga, to just occupy his time after classes at UA.

Helping his younger brother, caring for him, housing him, providing for him, trying as best he could to keep him out of harm's way, out of Ashley's grasp, dosing him up on vodka and cigarettes, even that had it's purpose: the only items dulling his mind's memories from flooding, which would revert him back to have a needing for her, a wanting of her.

It was substance abuse that had long started while under her control, as she'd forced it on him, like she had everything, but Hisashi let it continue since it was the only thing that seemed to keep him in-check, his head stable.

This made the shorter Satoko a highly functioning alcoholic, but the circumstance was what made it only 'okay' in Hisashi's mind, and with Kasaya under his wing, in his hands now, just as their father had said, if some tobacco and liquor helped (while unable to find a replacement or a path back to sobriety) then so be it.

It'd be something for him to figure out later, because what was more important was keeping him level, on a plateau, and out of the girl's cruel claws.

Those words from his father, Hisashi would not let that fall on deaf ears, even if the meaning was that he'd given up on Kasaya.

He was sure that that was what that meant: 'He's in your hands now.' And he'd smacked Saya across the face with a crisp white glove, one of his navy uniform; thick alabaster leather, with a metal button at the wrist.

His father did not go easy.

He smacked him hard.

And Sashi seen the clear wince on Saya's face, the tremble on his lower lip.

And so, Hisashi took on the role of caregiver, watcher, advocate and friend to his long-haired bro, dead set on trying to revert him back to the kid he once knew, trying to get him back to a place mentally where he could be freer once again, a place similar to before, before all this crazy shit happened, and to help win him a friend.

He wanted to see those smiles, hear those laughs, see that face all joyous and silly like it used to be when they were younger, like that summer when he'd picked out that book from the library, a fantasy novel with a dragon in it named Apollo.

Hisashi remembered it clear as day.

He even hoped he'd maybe go back to baseball.

And while on ship over December, all Hisashi could do was think, as all airforcemen and navy did, because all they had was time.

Since Saya had become friends with that shitstorm blonde, whose name was none other than Bakugo Katsuki, one who Kasaya used to text him about occasionally upon moving into the dorms, telling him how much of an angry asshole this roommate made himself out to be, his younger brother really had evolved and moved into a person who was more himself than the newly, Lance Corporal Hisashi (a promotion while on-ship), felt he'd been in a long time.

As he laid in his rack below deck, with his arms stretched behind his head, trying to relax on his downtime, while the ship rocked him in it steady back and forth, he recalled moments in his head, letting his thoughts roam.

He had began to see life in Kasaya's eyes, he did hear that voice sounding 'awake' again rather than plain on the phone, and he did witness smirks and laughs, and that dumb sarcasm and cussing he'd always had? Even as a kid?

It had started to show it's face more abundantly in Kasaya's verbage, filtering, and laced back into his words.

Even in his texts before he left out-to-sea, Kasaya spoke of Suki like a bestie, and so, Hisashi gathered that they did everything together, even martial arts, and that the crazy ass explosion lord had truly and wholly accepted Saya's inflicted past for exactly what it was: horrible...

But as only the past.

And so, the soldier was beyond happy he sort of 'forced' them to get to know one another, advocated for a friendship between them; that night at and after The Golden had been wild, but the evening of drinking, even the revealing of them as being descendants of Masamune Date in the suites, Disaster revealing itself, and hauling the drunken Kasaya into the dorms secretively, that all made Hisashi see that Bakugo might be rough around the edges, but he certainly wasn't worse than his military buddies, his normal uniformed crew.

Katsuki's demeanor actually reminded him a lot of his comrades on base. What he seen in Kugo was relatable, and something he could just laugh at, because he was already so used to being around spit-fire airmen daily.

Like the sailors, his fellow pilots and ground stationers cussed like no tomorrow, and listening to Suki growl and grovel on like an animal with rabies foaming at the mouth brought a smirk to his lips.

Even when he'd asked in the limo for Bakugo to take his phone number and follow up with him if something happened with Kasaya, and even later down the road, when he got texts and a call that Eraserhead was soon going to be involved; Bakugo took the lead, was in-charge of all of it, so that every move that was made was his with his younger brother's best interests in mind, and not Eraser's.

Hisashi began then, to gather an understanding that a shift had happened between his brother and his roommate, one where deep trust was established in their friendship.

So, when duty called and he had to leave over December holiday to live on an aircraft carrier in the ocean for a month out-to-sea, much like their father, who was also at-sea currently, he knew that he could leave the estranged Kasaya in Katsuki's grasp, that he could let those morning 'Here' texts from Kasaya go for a month while he was absent.

Katsuki being there with him sated his anxiety.

Even with The Merge, which he knew his younger brother still needed to do, as he hadn't figured out a way to get it taken care of yet, through that even, Suki would be there in his stead. Also, if Bakugo and Kasaya trusted this Eraserhead with it, that it would be completed and done correctly, then Sashi had no other option except to allow it.

Now or never at all.

He wouldn't have Kasaya continue being looked at as a mentally ill person in society by the state; the government.

But as soon as his ship docked, and he got back in touch with the two seventeen yearolds on the exact same day, mid-January?

He expected to hear that everything was great.

That everything was fine.

But it wasn't.

First of all, The Merge had happened.

It was complete.

But it had been rough for Kasaya.

Bakugo described some things on the phone that occurred after they 'shooted-shit' for a minute, caught up talking, Hisashi telling him about his promotion: An awakening of power from the depths so overwhelming that Kasaya tore at his shackles in the bed, seen things from his past that brought him to tears, screams, but that his abilities were now unified, but not until the 'Disaster' was satisfied he could take it. He went on to describe Kasaya's skills, things that he could do, but also, what the other side of his brain had put him through.

A river of blood?

That went over Hisashi's head a bit, as he was a fairly practical person, not gathering some of the concepts behind it. A bit dense he was, a lovable, caring person, but basic.

Bakugo of course, began noticing the senior not 'getting it' all, and changed the subject matter.

It then eased into why they did not want to stay in the dorms for a few weeks, hiding out in an abandoned building on campus, and why for the next two weekends they wanted to stay at his apartment with him: Disaster was an entity that had came conscious, but now it was combined into one consciousness, with Kasaya's, Kasaya's consciousness being the dominant one, the only one. But, Disaster (the took-over half-a-brain) actually was the power? The quirk speaking? And Disaster was actually a power called For One's All? And because it was one of the top three powers in the world... that was why it was able to speak on it's own, and form it's own personality?

It was a steep up-hill swoop for Hisashi that resulted to him not being able to understand that either, it was beyond his understanding.

All he got was that Kasaya who was strong, was even stronger, more powerful than nearly everyone in the world, and that they somehow did not trust Eraserhead and Toshinori anymore, as they felt back-stabbed because of they had told Kasaya that he was one of these very valued three.

Sashi could only think of it in layman's terms; simplistic. He could understand how to fly a fighter jet, but he could not understand the logic behind most of this stuff that they were talking about.

But what the uniformed one most adamantly protested on about was what he could grasp: How dare they even think it safe that Saya step off campus period!?

The two teens passed Kasaya's Michron phone back and forth, explaining, and they eventually won him over (after three hours of arguing, which was unlike Hisashi with how easy-going he was).

That was how they knew the pilot meant business.

And of course, they did not want to tell the Lance Corporal about the releasing of the last emotion control of Ashley's: LOVE.

Because that would give it all away: That the right mix of agape and eros had happened somehow, and Kasaya Satoko had felt it on his own, in the deepest way, and so, the LOVE emotion had released off of him, had let him go out of it's web.

And the only person closest to Kasaya that Hisashi knew of was... Bakugo.

But this (now past) emotion control was the reason why Hisashi was going nuts over moving Kasaya off campus, he was under the assumption that his younger brother was still knees deep in that control.

And Bakugo and Kasaya were not in a position to say anything about their relationship. Not to Hisashi... not yet.

They had too many other things to attend to, and telling Kasaya's brother about how deeply they felt about one another would throw six thousand wrenches in the bucket and probably wouldn't allow the straight-laced military man to focus.

So, as Hisashi started setting the ground-rule, and that was NOT having them leaving UA grounds without a transport; a guarded Humvee (two of Hisashi's trusted comrades in arms), to come and pick them up on both weekends; the two teens agreed.

It was to be supervised as well (as the older Satoko was worried of sneak attacks from the Connelys), and it was armed.

Rudoka, or Roo, as Hisashi shortened it, showed up a mess in his mechanic jumpsuit as he was always working on planes, covered in oil both weekends, but just as all military personnel were, he was punctual. Inside the vehicle, Rudoka who was the driver, carried a combat rifle, and in the back, sat another comrade who was 'packing' as well.

Not to mention, even though they carried large guns, these two in particular had powerful physical quirks that could stop a small set of villains if need be.

It was a necessary precaution in the older Satoko's mind. It was one he was used to, as this was how he used to make sure that Kasaya got back and forth from the base to the UA campus before he was able to live on it.

He knew also that Saya was comfortable around Roo and Rox (Roroto) already as they always drove him his entire sophomore year.

But no matter what, every single time it happened, the transport to and from UA, Hisashi was an anxious mess, always worried and concerned something would happen to his little brother. Never had it, as he assumed the villains weren't stupid, and could weigh the fact that they would be creamed, as the military had talent of its own as well like UA, but he was hoping that with Kasaya's move to UA that he would never have to use a military Humvee transport again, and that being the concerned brother he was, that he would never have to experience that anxiety once more, that feeling that at any moment shit could go down, and he could loose his little bro back to Ashley.

What provided him extra comfort this time was that Bakugo would be coming too, both weekends, and if he was as rabid and physically well-trained with his explosion quirk as Saya said, then any villain would be a stone-cold moron, dead in one second or less if they attempted anything rash, or if they knew at all...

A fact that Hisashi always banked on as well was that plenty of military vehicles drove through the city, and stopped at UA for various reasons dealing with the heroes that worked there as the military, pro heroes, and police and SWAT teams correlated in unison.

That fact made it was easier to hide Kasaya. It always had been. His drop-offs were disguised as normal, clandestine armored drop-offs of goods, resources, information and soldiers to UA.

The military knew the Super Pro bunker was on UA, it was top-level secret information, but to the civilians, it was just a school only.

Kasaya came in the side unnoticed (of course this was before things got more strict and they needed to do blood pricks at the gate). This deal Hisashi had bargained with the dean for hours on (it took much time simply trying to heckle for an appointment to get it set up), but when it did, Kasaya got the go ahead, and he had got on and off campus this way.

Hisashi didn't reveal much information to the dean, but just enough involving his past juvenile record and his wanting of Kasaya to move on from it and into a better life, and the worry Hisashi had that someone would be after his brother because of it.

The dean, a good man, a hamster mutant, agreed. The calculations were easy for him. It was one kid in and out the side door, there were cameras and it was monitored by security.

Lance Corporal had a notion to call the dean again to inform him that a Humvee would be picking Kasaya up, Bakugo also this time, but with how they spoke about wanting off UA a few weekends, back-stabbed by the Toshinori and Eraser, he figured the dean probably already knew.

That dean was into everything.

So, rather than a bothering call to the dean, instead Hisashi set up calls.

Rox would give them a buzz, and in the moment the Humvee pulled up, they'd bolt out the front gate early in the morning rather than the side door which Kasaya hadn't had clearance for since last year. And at 4 AM sharp, before literally anyone was awake on campus, they'd hop in.

They had a ten second window of time that Hisashi would allow.

You could imagine the looks on the faces of the front gate security.

Kasaya made sure to mumble out something random both times to them as the vehicle pulled up.

The first weekend: "My brother's military! Ceremony this weekend, sorry!"

The second: "We're gunna visit him again!"

Of course, UA security had to scan their IDs. So, they knew that Aiwaza could find out if he thought of filing paperwork for the front gate's in and out logs.

But it was a chance worth taking.

Hisashi assumed by saying these things that they were just trying to make it look as normal as possible, he guessed? As normal as two students getting picked up by a large ass armored Jeep could be, that was.

Good thing the Connelys never tried to blow the vehicles up, that'd be worse for the teens, for UA, not to mention create a stir for the gate security.

Hisashi assumed that that was because that would create a shit-storm with the government and they knew that the military then would begin to monitor the streets, and the Connelys were dumb if they wanted things to get harder for them.

Calculatable the small Connely family was; they leveraged decisions, and that was how Hisashi knew that the current climate in Japan was fearful.

The villains were smart; it was a given that the Connelys had ties to the LOA.

All the more reason to protect Kasaya so.

That was how the younger Satoko had lived daily for a year, in and out of military vehicles, to and from campus, but damn, Hisashi did not want to go back to that.

But, the two roommates assured that they needed off-campus, at least for a couple weekends, because they needed that time to go through the court case paperwork that the elder had stored up in a now, rather over-filled box at his place.


The first weekend, when the long-haired Satoko greeted the military student brother of his, set to graduate in May...

Kasaya said his name.

He waved a small wave first upon stepping out of that Humvee once he spied the elder.

"Hey! Dipshit!" Hisashi looked up and mouthed off to him from the dead garden across the huge frozen lawn; soon it would start blooming, only another few months.

"Hisashi! What th'fuck are you doin'?" Kasaya mouthed back, biting sarcasm in his tone. His older brother was sitting all dainty and proper with a cup of coffee at 5 AM, a huge scarf, and a book outside. "You look like a hoity-toity soccer mom!" He hollered grabbing his camo duffel out.

Bakugo cracked a loud laugh behind Saya somewhere, grabbing his black one.

The blonde had missed how these two fuck around with each other! It was a very manly, 'I'll beat the shit out of you' way that they had between them. He was glad he was sort of a part of it because this was the type of family 'love' he could stand; rough around the edges, but caring deep down.

With Eraser he had been this way, but also...

Bakugo shook his head quick to wipe out that thought. 'No.' He could not accept that crying ass shit, not from him, not ever again.

He'd only accept it if it was something said by Hisashi, or from Saya to him.

His fiance's sweet caresses and phrases he'd let seep in, but that was also partial romance as opposed to one hundred percent familial. But sooner than later... it would be familial; he'd marry Satoko Kasaya, he was certain of it, but for now he made sure Saya hid his ring away inside his duffel.

Hisashi froze watching them grabbing their stuff.

Kasaya hollered over again. "Hisashi! What th'fuck? You just gunna sit there? 'Er what?"

It was the first time… in years.

It had been years since he'd heard, 'Hisashi', in his younger brother's voice.

Heat came to the soldier's face, he dropped his book on the outside table, it falling haphazardly, abandoned, and his light blue eyes began to stream, and he felt a pain like an arrow to his chest.

That voice! That tone!

Peppy. Happy. Biting.

It was Kasaya!

How he used to sound!

The metal garden chair screeched out, and from the garden awning to the driveway, he sprinted in full uniform, shiny new Lance Corporal medals swinging, and upon meeting him, he instantly ripped Kasaya right up off the ground, tossed him over his shoulder like a doll, laughing loud, joyous, tears moving in small creeks over his high cheekbones, and he began smacking him square on the ass as many times as he could!

The teenager began to beat on Hisashi's back with his fists, long hair flailing everywhere. "Pu! PUT!" Another smack on his butt. "Ow!" Beating, screaming. "Put me down! Ow! FUCKKK!"

Hisashi started tickling.

Kasaya squirmed, giggling. "PUT ME DOWN! Y'!" He laughed harder, his fists clenched and banged. "HISA! HISASHI! Y'YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!" He always was so fucking embarrassed when his older brother did this shit!

The elder knew, The Merge really was complete! Kasaya, he had control!

Bakugo chuckled in the background, a hidden smirk. It was... good to see the soldier. 'Good.'

But as soon as Kugo stepped close, enough for a proper bow to the uniformed one, (a greeting that the blonde thought he deserved to do for him, since he hadn't seen him in awhile even though he knew Hisashi was informal as hell, only formal when he needed to be), the Lance Corporal swung an super fast arm around his thin waist too and roughly tugged him up on his other shoulder, the swoop so fast that Bakugo knew what was happening, but was unable to stop it, and began protesting immediately just like Kasaya.

"I'll blow... BLOW YOU UP! YOU fuckin' peice of SHIT!" Bakugo screeched.

Hisashi poked their sides while swinging them around in a circle.

He was so tall that they had no chance to get loose.

Kugo squirmed. Laughed. "FU' QUIT!" Fists pounding too. "Le'me GOOOoo!"

Kasaya whined and began poking his brother back, trying anything he could to get loose. "HISashi!" His face was pink, and the attempt to tickle resulted in nothing because his uniform was too thick. "Y' FUCKIN'!" A giggle. "Fuckin' QUITtttTt!"

Roo leaned over the steering wheel laughing his head off, and Rox sat in the back of the Humvee, window rolled down, arms over the opening with a cigarette perched. He had a stupid smile on his face, and began hooting at the scene: "Get'em Sushi! Ge'em!"

Sushi was their stupid nickname for Hisashi.

They were typical military men watching other military men reunite with their civilian family; usually, it was either emotional and gripping or fucking hilarious.

This time a combo of both.

Nevertheless, they were whole heartedly entertained!

It was a warm feeling.

Hisashi began smacking Kugo's butt too like his younger brother's.

Bakugo squealed out a hurricane of horrible words.

Hisashi had the mother of all grips, and even though both teens were wailing like banshees and smacking on Hisashi's back like kids in their 'terrible twos' stage, cussing up a storms like sailors...

Kasaya could of used his power, For One's All, who was just himself now, to make Sashi do what he wanted, but he didn't, and Bakugo could of set him on fire, blown him completely apart, but he didn't.

And so, Hisashi knew he was getting away with it.

The two mid-height boys were carried in the building by the over 6 foot soldier, letting themselves be at the mercy of the elder Satoko. And with deflated, bemused looks on their faces they just let him.

Roo and Rox cracked up at them giving into the pilot, still hooting, saying how much they 'loved' him if they were letting him do this to them! Whatever he wanted!

"SHUT UP YOU FUCKERS!" Was all that was heard from the biker cut as the door slammed closed to the small Satoko Hisashi flat.

Rox and Roo lost it.

They looked at each other and barreled over in gut wrenching laughs, so hard that they began to cough and sputter.

Roo actually cried it was so fucking funny.


That was the good weekend.

It was the second weekend though... that Hisashi really dug in, started grasping the gravity of this situation.


He finally got his head around it, creeped into his skull what being this 'For One's All' meant, and Hisashi started getting desperately emotional.

Which was unlike him.

If he was emotional at all he usually had a decent hold on it.

He'd cried when he heard his name come out of his brother's mouth for the first time in years, but this?

Unbearable.

It was so much for him that when he got back from guard duty that last day, Sunday, he completely ignored that the boys had cut each other's hair.

Normally, he would of taken the chance to make fun of Bakugo for buzzing a section out of the right-side of Kasaya's head (and Saya allowing him to), and instead… broke down right in front of them.

One good weekend, one very very awful, bad weekend.

This was the worst day... in his entire life.

Lance Corporal Hisashi laid his head on the table with the paperwork, letting the one page he was holding fall, just like he had that book on the garden table the previous weekend.

And amongst all the strewn out photos, evidence, documentations, he began to mourn.

He couldn't 'keep it together'.

After all this time spent being the pillar of light, strength, a cornerstone for Kasaya to fall back on, thinking that he could save him, that he would save him, that Saya would get his justice... his whole being began to crack.

The mortar broke.

His dam busted.

His heart was absent a beat. Face gone pale.

Shattered.

"Wh... why... why?" Why did this have to happen? The soldier's hands, cold, were over his face. He couldn't let Kasaya see him this way! He couldn't let him see him as a failure! He couldn't let him see him falling apart!

He felt Saya trying to wrench his palms away from his face, but he shook his whole body away and jolted back, the chair like nails on a chalkboard shrieked out, and back back back against a wall in the kitchen he went, turning so his nose was to the corner, a weak attempt to hide. Then to the floor he slunk down, on his knees, in a position like he was praying to a god in a temple, but he wasn't; instead he was losing his senses, numbing out, overwhelmed with crushing despair.

Saya slammed up out of his chair and instantly slid behind him on the floor, a leg on both sides of his crying older brother, his chest to Hisashi's back. "Please Sa... Sashi. Pl' please." He tried to coo, arms so tight around his waist.

But then, as those words came out in Saya's voice, Hisashi feeling weightless, useless, lost his fight. A stark depression rapidly swept over him, and that made him worse, so so much worse. His hands fell, and his head lulled back, as he let his shuttering and shivering body's weight fall backwards, all on Kasaya.

He wanted to be held, as if this was the last time they could hold onto one another. As if, this was the last time the Satoko brothers could be this way together.

He wanted Kasaya's warmth all over him, around him.

His head fell over into Kasaya's nape under his long hair, and there he let himself go. His wet face cried, split open, hidden under those long locks, and all that was heard was intense sobbing.

To him, this was a certain end.

He'd just felt like he'd gotten the old Kasaya back somehow!

And now?

Like he was loosing him all over again.

His head floated to the worst vision: a headstone with Kasaya's portrait engraved in it, leaves falling as he held Bakugo's hand, solemn as they put a baseball and a mitt across that Satoko name, poured out a little bottle of vodka over it, into the grass, but their father was not there, as Kasaya had died before he had a chance to regain his title back as a member of the family.

And soon, Bakugo stopped coming; he'd moved on.

And there, only Hisashi was left, sitting by that beautiful marble marker alone, listening to the wind; empty in life without his little brother, wondering why he was still alive, if it was only to try to save him.

Was there no way to keep his Kasaya here in this world, on this plane of existence?

Breathing?

The one he shared the Date lineage with? The one with the same blood? The same hair? The same parents?

Had it really been ripped away from him that quick?

Saya was breathless, unable to move, his older brother! He'd NEVER seen him this way! His gray eyes were huge as he wiped at his forehead, wiped his tears, Hisashi blank and unmoving.

Kasaya cried himself, his heart slammed heavy and weighted in his chest.

He couldn't breath, he couldn't breath. He couldn't... breath.

"Hisa..." He tried to use his last air.

He wanted out of this shell!

He wanted to escape as a mist for awhile!

But he could not... and should not use it as such; he wanted his brother to lay on his physical form, to be able to feel the life in him still!

"His... sashi." A hand to a face.

It was not heard.

Hisashi was absent himself.

"This! This… FUCK!" Bakugo screamed seeing the older Satoko this way, Kasaya's life in mind, a puff of smoke coming out of his hand like usual when he raged; crackling sparks jolted out, fizzing. "THIS! FUCKIN' ERASER! ALL MIGHT! F'FUCKIN' AROUND! TELLIN' US THIS! SHIT!" Bakugo screamed. "HE! THEY COULD OF JUS'SHU'TH'FUCK UP!" He tugged at his blonde, shorter hair.

Speechless the two Satokos were, nestled in the corner together, backs to the raging lion in the apartment. A tiny hump of life-form on the floor they were, as small as they could be together, like hiding from an air raid, bombs from above in a war, huddled.

Kasaya was fully aware of why Katsuki was blowing his lid so, the other, unaware of the 'relationship' between them, but too hazed right now to feel even alive. Neither responded, Saya only held Hisashi's shivering hand, grasping it the tightest he could.

He'd never, ever, ever seen Hisashi this way!

Not even when he'd smacked him and was crying which lifted the DEPRESSION emotion control off him in the basement of their family home, holding a rag down on his fresh wound on his groin that could of bled him out had it not been treated.

Then... the military student had hope still inside him.

Now... he did not.

And Kasaya seen that; his brother's sky blue orbs were dull, lost.

"KASAYA! Y'you'll… we've gotta…" Bakugo got lower registered, was watching his words, not to let out hints of their relationship, but he was in despair also, which had somehow led to anger unlike Hisashi. He paced like a panther in the small kitchen, his quirk causing steam to roll off of him. "Is th… this! It's!"

"Awful." Kasaya spurted, swollen lids on his brother's heavy, broken body in his lap, on his shoulder, in his hair. He could not contain his sorrow with Sashi in his arms, who was as informal as he could go, dressed exactly like the UA students: casual, in sweats and a tee, feeling as if he was already dead to him. That's when Saya wheezed. "I... I can… try to fight him."

Hisashi was emotionless. Blank. He wasn't even blinking. Nothing that could be said would turn this around for him, not right now.

"WHAT?!" Suki blew up, noticing. "ALL FOR ONE?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"What other option do I HAVE?!" Saya suddenly let go, stood, his brother's form falling to the hardwood floor, a deep emphasis he put on 'I HAVE'.

What other options did he have? It was hard! This was hard! Hisashi had been nothing but a pillar of gold for him, pure gold! And to see him cry like this! To see him act like this!

He turned and the Lance Corporal was a corpse, no sound, eyes blank on the floor, the lashes did not blink, the mouth slightly open, did not move, a puddle of wetness on the floor by his eyes already.

"THIS! IT'S! That's TOO MUCH!"

"IT'S A RISK I KNOW!" Saya turned back around. They never fought like this! It was blowing up!

"YOU'RE GUNNA DIE YOU FUCKIN' IDIOT!" Bakugo screamed in Kasaya's face. His cheeks were beyond heated up.

"I'm gunna die regardless." Kasaya mumbled. He felt hopeless in a way also. "Probably... maybe."

"NO!" It came out as a whimper. The blonde was growing teary.

Kasaya's eyes swirled at that squeak.

Bakugo cleared his throat.

The room awkward, quiet.

A fluorescent light flickered.

A clock ticked soft.

Staring.

A vehicle drove by.

A pitter of rain.

Silence.

Gray into red.

For an eternity it seemed.

The space between them cold.

Silence.

That was the moment when Kasaya decided: Hisashi was clearly too upset, overboard. Bakugo too angry and blaming. Both too irrational in their heads to make decent decisions. So, out of all the people, if anyone could help at all, it had to be Aiwaza.

His eyes watched those little flecks of yellow inside of Suki's rich wine colored depths. They silently stirred and altered as different emotions rushed uncontrollably over them like a waterfall. Kugo's cheeks puffed, his chest heaved from the massive intakes of oxygen from his screams.

"I…" Kasaya went on to state that thought, about Eraser, but stopped himself. He couldn't tell him that.

He couldn't.

Bakugo was blaming Eraserhead for saying the truth, just as Eraser always did, but now that it directly affected Bakugo and their relationship, and Hisashi, it had gotten so much more serious, so serious and emotionally insane that Bakugo could not stand it; would NOT have it.

He could not stand the thought that his fiance, his love, would have to or want to purely give every ounce of his life away, the unpredictability of being a hero like that, rather than one with specific goals (like they had together); the percentage of loss in Katsuki's mind was TOO great.

And so, Eraser and Toshinori were the TWO in Bakugo's mind who were killing his partner, putting him to death.

And Satoko Kasaya knew and understood this.

But, it wasn't Toshinori.

And it certainly wasn't Shota.

It was only him. It was just Kasaya.

This For One's All... it was who he was.

Eraser hadn't done this.

All Might hadn't done this.

Stella hadn't done this.

The power went where it went.

It could of been any of the newborns.

It was his overwhelming circumstance.

Only Kasaya's.

It effected others, yes, but what the fuck else could he of done?

The only quick resolution Saya could think of?

He could of never been born.

But he had been, and so... it was moreless fate to Kasaya Satoko.

'Fate.' He yanked his hair into a shitty bun, bangs falling in his face and he sat in the chair again, stuck in his own head at the table while Bakugo went right back to pacing and screaming in the kitchen as soon as their stare was broke, but the yelling just became background noise now to the younger Satoko man.

Kasaya laid his head on the table, just as his brother had done, just as his brother's form was doing on the kitchen floor.

Aiwaza and Toshi hadn't chosen him to be For One's All, all they had been was the messenger of the knowledge, and as they say in most tales: 'you never kill the messenger'.

Eraserhead had said that he would back him in court, and if Eraser promoted himself to truly be a hero, one of purity, strength and sacrifice, one that Satoko had recognized as such, so much that he begged him to be his role model?

Then he really was the only one that he knew of that could help, if at all.

But... Saya needed bread crumbs, he needed a trail back to him, a way to trust him fully again.

But as for Eraserhead, he knew Shota would need something, something again to be able to trust him once more too.

Eraser would need to see that he, Satoko Kasaya, was telling the truth and would not run away.

"PIECES OF SHIT!" Bakugo huffed. "I SHOULD OF CUT'EM OUT A LONG TIME AGO! JUS'US THREE! NOBODY ELSE!"

No way Suki would approve going back to Shota.

There was no talking to him when he was like this.

The dragon Apollo would burn all that there is to complete ashes in the name of Satoko Kasaya, as he was branded under that name. A large K and S was sizzled into his scaly armor. The heavens and the skies, even stars would not be able to make their escape as Suki burnt them all down. Comets would fall to the crust and explode.

Nothing would remain, only a void, and there Bakugo would choke out, still not satisfied.

Never was a dragon's rage satisfied until it's master satisfied it; none of that had changed. But instead, the rider on it's back wished that the beast reorder it's mind, just as he was doing now in-the-moment.

Saya sat blankly. 'No.' He swallowed, not listening to the rampage. 'I have to commit.'

It was the only way.

If Eraser is a hero... a true one, then Kasaya knew he had to become that also.

It presented a better chance to free himself in court, a slim one, yes, or he'd die by ordered uthanization after the reveal of his past in combination with his new, forever-status as For One's All. Or, he'd die saving others in the process of fighting the LOA and All For One; lose his life fighting the most powerful being on the planet and his most powerful subordinates.

No matter, giving up on your own hopes and selfish desires... risking it all, Kasaya got it loud: That was what it would take to defeat All For One.

Complete and utter sacrifice.

That was Kasaya's conclusion.

He touched the healing lily tattoos on his inner thighs nonchalantly through his athletic pants that they'd hid from Hisashi. It'd been a week and they were sore still, he'd touched them earlier in the day too when Suki was cutting his hair. They'd peeled the plastic off of them, and he'd decided not to use his power to heal them, let them heal on their own, naturally, letting the pain of the healing burn a permanent reminder in his head of how Bakugo feels.

A mark of Bakugo on him, on his skin, one that takes time to complete.

'Time.' It was short. Possibly shorter for him than expected. More than possibly. Which was why Suki... and their relationship would have to stop. 'Sacrifice.' He would have to give up his life, and so, with Suki, he would have to halt it.

Because Katsuki Bakugo needed to have a life outside of him if he wasn't to survive.

He'd become Suki's drug, his addiction, and that was all fantastic, beautiful and sexy all the same, but never had Saya thought he'd be faced with something so challenging that he would have to make a choice to either stay or walk away.

But Katsuki the dragon, wouldn't let him go.

That he knew.

That fire-breathing creature, it would follow him, sniff out his footsteps, walk the same trail all the way to hell even, just to find him.

And so, he knew he had to walk away and off into the field of complete sacrifice without him.


The secret Super Pro base on UA was abnormally swarming with activity, a few more people were here than usual.

"Welcome back." Toshinori creaked the side door, as he saw movement from a small window, he had a somber tone even though it was a greeting to him, holding it open wide.

Kasaya hadn't seen Eraser or Toshi since the hospital a few days ago with Tati and her daughter; he was more lively then, now made no expression at the older, fit blonde man, understanding fully the depth of what he'd given up to become All Might. He breathed in shallow, unable to get air, just as it'd been for a few days now, his chest tight, so tight. His feet were heavy there in the cold, holding the box with his court case's paperwork, things for later.

Hisashi, behind him, was the one that had brought the box to campus for him, and also, as Kasaya, he was a solid, but shaking statue of a person. He had his uniforms in a clothing bag slung over his shoulder, much of his immediate stuff, just as his younger brother affront him. As long as he made it to work and class on base, he had clearance to be wherever now as a Lance Corporal, also Roo and Rox had his back.

Both boys were set on moving into the bunker; Toshinori noticed their mountains of things.

With wet glints in both their eyes, dead leaves and chilly air blew in the space between them and that open door.

The Satoko brothers would be together no matter what.

Hisashi would be there until Kasaya's very end, if it came.

Til the very, dismal end.


Saya had gotten his brother alone, as Bakugo slammed a door open and ran out of the on-base Satoko apartment in the night, and he took that chance to explain to Hisashi that he felt that Eraserhead still could help, that he would have to give up everything he had as Disaster or For One's All to fight All For One, but that there was still a small chance in it if he did so, all dependent on how it'd favor in court.

But that... it was better to expose the Connelys, to try to put the LOA and All For One down.

Because in this... he could save Japan with Izuku, save the world, save everyone.

Out of complete desperation, Hisashi nodded, not saying a word. For as depressed as he was, he still desired a climb out of this.

He longing. He craved. He starved for that tiny chance.

Even if it was a broken ladder that was pushed down into the damp hole he was in, its rungs rotted and cracked... he'd grab it's sides then instead, and try to desperately tug himself up, force his body upward until he could see that sky again.

Eventhough he felt hopeless, Hisashi chose Kasaya's words over Bakugo's angry ones.

Kasaya pulled a blanket over them on the kitchen floor and they laid together for sleep there, crying into each other's arms.

Tomorrow he would leave early. "I'm going to a hospital before school in the morning." He swallowed whispering in Hisashi's ear in the dark. "It's something I have to do. That I want to do."

"Pl..." He beckoned. "Be... be safe." He wouldn't hold him back anymore. He had no will to.

His brother... was For One's All, and a Disaster just the same.

Kasaya brought his arm up around his brother, hugging him close, tight. The floor was warm under them now, since they'd been lying there all night. "I love you." The long haired one felt lanky fingers curl with his, he heard sniffles.

Without a word back, he knew his brother felt the same.


Before Saya left for the bunker, Bakugo met him at their room, as usual, but... the blonde seen a packed camo duffel again.

He knew before Kasaya could even say.

His fiance had disappeared a few days ago, leaving Katsuki confused and alone in that Humvee ride back to UA on Monday morning.

Why Kasaya was not present, this packed bag spoke it now.

They'd barely said words to each other over the past few days. No touches. No warmth. Slept in separate beds.

And to top it off, Bakugo had to forcibly go to class because that fucking Eraserhead had stopped online assignments!

All day he'd ignored his Hero Classmate's concerned phrases to him.

'Where ya been Bakugo?!' 'Yea! What happened?' 'Were you sick?' 'Surely you were ill, right?' 'Wow! I like the new hairdo Bakugo!' 'Yea! It's really cool!' 'Hey! Bakugo! Did you hear me?' 'What's up with you?'

'Are you okay Bakugo?' Pinky said. That line was the only one that really stuck in his head.

He huffed away from all of them. Turned his chin upward, nose to the ceiling. "Leave me th'fuck alone!" He'd snapped.

Midoriya and Shota did not dare approach, knowing.

And at that sudden pissed remark, the Hero Classers all skittered to their desks and sat, but their eyes did not leave him, traveling back and forth from their work to the blonde student.

Right now, looking at Saya and at his repacked duffel, he was unsure the words to speak.

Kasaya tried to start it as a heart-to-heart conversation, an attempt: "I'm meeting Hisashi shortly."

"Wh... what?" Bakugo's backpack fell lifelessly from his shoulder, the strap trickled out of his grasp, and landed on the tile, fingers losing touch on it.

That tone: Hurt.

Kasaya knew this wouldn't end well, the heart-to-heart would not happen. He stopped it early, and just grew quiet. He couldn't keep it secret: He'd chose to align back with Eraserhead, he'd chose to give up everything he had, his life to fight All For One, and if any slim margin remained after (and he was still alive), and somehow he was saved from being euthanized, than that was worth it.

It was worth it to give up his all to save people from All For One; to give those trapped in evil back their lives. If he died fighting for that, than it was worth giving his all. And if Suki did not believe in him, in that small tiny ass chance, could not let him give his life willingly to this... He had to leave him.

Gray eyes remained firm as crimson ones grew wide, slowly going into shock.

A pale face got paler. "Sa...ya." A weak plea.

Kasaya shook his head slow. "No."

It was a death sentence. Kasaya was sentencing himself to die! Katsuki put a hand on the bed rail, failing to stand properly, tears began to quake down his face.

He wasn't! He hadn't! He didn't!

Did he not listen to him at all?!

In this moment, Satoko Kasaya to Bakugo Katsuki was writing his name on a ledger to get in a line; single file order right to the chopping block.

Sick.

Bakugo felt his stomach leech, a nasty taste entered his mouth.

'Are you okay Bakugo?' That girl's voice in his head.

Katsuki wavered in his step, almost falling, overcome, and as he looked to Kasaya's face, those gray eyes in a quick flash vision grew black, the skin rotted to a skeleton. He was losing it, his hold on reality. "No." He mumbled.

'Are you okay Bakugo?'

He fell into the bathroom, to the tiled floor.

His Kasaya; it was suicide. He had no faith he'd live.

'Are you okay Bakugo?'

No.

He was not.

Not okay.

He slammed the lid up to their room's small toilet and began to throw up, the door swinging shut behind him.

Completely lovesick, heart broken.

He began to empty his contents as if he was on drugs again.

A broken fucking man.

Kasaya sat on Suki's bed, not going after him. Nothing he could say would fix this, and he couldn't go against his word to Eraser.

He would not.

He knew Suki was feeling like he was being abandoned in more ways than one.

Kasaya's head fell into his palms; reverting to just as he used to think: He was a lost cause, the exact reason why he'd crumbled that paper that Ibara had given him with her and Uraraka's room number on it.

It always was this: It was always because of who he was.

Before it had been because he was fucked up, now it was because he was For One's All; a power above all others, haphazardly thrown atop a pinnacle with Midoriya Izuku. Together they held hands there, looking across it to All For One, ready to kill him.

He couldn't have friends, a relationship, nothing. He felt alone again in a way; similar to how he'd felt before, his brother was behind him though, so was Eraser (just as he said: One step right behind him), so was Izuku and All Might.

So, why couldn't Katsuki be?

Because it was too much for him.

He breathed, whispering. "Please understand." He slipped his engagement band off his finger and put it in a small envelop. "Please see through all this possible death that I have coming to me. See that I'm taking the only narrow tight-rope I have left to freedom, and that it's for everyone in the world. See that even if I die before I make it to the case fighting All For One, or even if I'm put-to-death after the case, that the struggle was worth it, and that at least I was able to help people, and leave a good mark on this earth."

Kasaya pulled one last thing out of his trench coat's pocket: A ring. He'd bought one for Suki once he got out of The Merge, had it delivered to the dorm mailbox secretly, but hadn't given it to him yet. He had been waiting for a good time to get on his own knee, and slide that band on Katsuki's finger. He wanted to watch his facial expressions as it happened.

But now, he felt he shouldn't.

He put it inside the little small vanilla colored envelop too.

He looked at both of the rings inside.

It was a melancholy feel, sublime.

Sadly, he contemplated what to write on it. He felt he should at least do that.

He thought of, 'Keep these for when we can.' But there was no guarantee he'd be alive. He thought of, 'I'll see you then.' or 'Someday'. But it was the same, and he could not force Suki's hand in that way, stringing him along, especially if he was to die in the middle somewhere or in the end.

He wrote instead: 'It was only, ever you.'

He kissed the envelop, a tear escaping his eye that landed in one wet dot on it. He stood and took one last look at the closed bathroom door, standing for a few. Satoko closed his eyes, grabbed his duffel and turned, walking out... and away.

Away.

Further.

Distance.

Heavy in his step.

Every stride his chest banged harder, he felt as if to fall.

The ripping.

But he could not look back.


Yagi was in his typical suit, therapist's clothing. "Kasaya?" He noticed now, a sword case was swung over his shoulder as well. The Satokos were just standing there outside in the cold, the soldier was just as unmoving as the younger. Toshinori noticed both looked lost in their heads, probably for similar reasons: the heaviness of it; what walking through this door meant.

Toshinori knew, and quietly waited, he'd wait as long he had to, letting the stark, early February wind blow into the bunker.

It was all words... until this moment.

Aside healing Tati, coming through this threshold was the physical manifestation for Kasaya Satoko; the physical representation that he was not going to run, that he would stand and give up his life.

'It was only, ever you.' Repeated in Kasaya's head, he kept seeing it being written, that tear land on the V of 'ever'.

Dead leaves skittered on the pavement in the gap; the huge one between the Satokos and Toshinori Yagi. It blew their coat bottoms up, it fluffed Kasaya's hair. Their light colored eyes looked completely indescribable.

'It was only, ever you.'

It was no promise. No asking him to put his life on hold for him, rather, it was simple: A short sentence telling Katsuki that in this life that he'd lived so far, even if it be shortened with impending doom, that Suki alone... was the only one he'd thought of in that sort of way, the only one he'd ever feel that type of love for, the only one he'd ever feel passion for.

The one and only.

Katsuki was the light piano melody in his ear growing tragic.

Katsuki was the perfect vision behind his eyes in the night fogging.

Katsuki was the heated touch on his skin slowly fading.

It was a selfish and/or selfless decision doing this depending on how a person looked at it, but he had to disregard Bakugo's feelings due to circumstance, he had to look at it non-personally. This was business now, and he hated that, deeply hated that it had to be that way.

'It was only, ever you.'

Kasaya Satoko took a step forward.

Halted.

Yagi waited.

He swallowed, closing his eyes.

Was one man's hurting equivalent to the whole world's pain? How many lives would end if he didn't give his entire being?

He bravely took another step, clenching onto his sword; another step, the other right behind him. Ten minutes of trudging, inch by inch, and he made it to the doorway from the end of drive. Fingertips touched Toshinori, and he collapsed into him, a rocking cataclysm of shivers. "All Might." The younger Satoko whispered in his ear, his chin landed on his shoulder.

"You're the two who smile now." The older shaggy blonde reeled him in, hugged, held.

This made Saya bust open wide, cries leaked.

All Might, he'd always smiled, when inside he was always scared. A smile to tell the world that everything was okay because he was here, but now, he was passing the flame.

He was telling Satoko it was their job to smile now.

Eraser peeked up from a PC and looked over, wearing his large tortoise shell reading glasses, and when seeing who it was that was there at the threshold, he jolted up and moved fast over, nearly jumping and tripping over a table and a chair, pushing everything out of the way, he bolted to the teen.

He'd showed up!

Instantly Kasaya was also into Shota's consuming, welcoming grasp.

"I..." He began to cry to Eraserhead. "I'm here." He spurted, bottom lip shaking.

Hisashi was a mess of tears behind his brother, the soldier's hand reached and went on Kasaya's shoulder. His younger brother. He was good man; a fucking great man. He was a hero.

"Yes." Shota held him. "Yes... you are." He picked that shaky chin up to face his face. "Satoko Kasaya is."

Kasaya shook his head in a teary nod.

"Satoko Kasaya is." He repeated to the teen grasping him into an embracing hug; he was proud of him.

Proud of his strength. Proud of his realizations. Proud of his understanding. Proud of the acceptance of responsibility. Proud of his ability to be reasonable, understandable. Proud because in this moment Kasaya Satoko was shouting at the world: "Here I am All For One! Izuku and I are coming for you! You mother fucker!"

Kasaya was choosing that deaths of the people end, choosing that the pain stop, the chaos halt.

Because he was here as All Might had once been.

He was here now.

And if both him and Midoriya died?

Then the rest of the heroes would kick ass too, and they'd die just the same. They'd fight until they fell; until their knees also were kicked out from under them.

There was no guarantee that Satoko would make it to see his court case, but Eraser would be there. He would fight for him in that way, if it come. He'd help prepare it, organize it, he'd put effort into it. In hopes that they'd get there.

And did he hope!

Aizawa also realized Bakugo had not come, but Eraser was not expecting him, his eyes were set only what laid ahead of them, his eyes were only on the Satokos.

Izuku looked up from a table, watching Kasaya pull back, leading the way, making the choice to walk in, the others in tow; he stood at it. Bowed.

Kasaya watched him formally acknowledging, this stopped him in his tracks. His counterpart was already here and soon, he knew this guy was going to 'know' much much more. Satoko lower his shoulders, dipped his head, and bowed back to him.

"Hey." Deku broke the ice, his green eyes wide as they both straightened back up after a few minutes.

"Hey." Disaster responded back, shifting his backpack off his shoulder, setting his duffel down, sword too. Navy hair swooshed behind an ear, long fingers gentle.

The room was quiet.

Two equal but different powers, from the same source, were meeting on the playing field for the first time, together in like-mindedness: The understanding of the sacrifice.

Eraserhead and Toshinori Yagi were frozen, so was Hisashi, he had been filled in on who Izuku Midoriya was, and the meet and greet, it was too much for him.

"I'm going to go lay down somewhere." The Lance Corporal bubbled out.

Saya nodded, and so did Aiwaza, except the raven-headed hero also directed the brother to a back room with cots, he assumed this was Hisashi Satoko, but the introductions could wait. It was the same ones that Bakugo and him had slept in while Kasaya was merging. Quickly, he came back though after he saw the soldier settled.

"I..." Saya cracked, his eyes unwavering from Midoriya's, setting down his court case paperwork on the table too.

"I didn't say anything to anyone."

"I know. Sorry if... I..." He fummed not sitting just yet. "If it had... y'know..." He swallowed. "hurt someone you care about." He was referring to the dome incident.

"It did."

Satoko sighed. He knew it had. That one brown-headed girl, Uraraka, Ibara's roommate. She'd hit her head really hard and practically passed out.

"Yeh." Kasaya slowly pulled out a chair. Awkwardly he seated himself.

"So..." Deku just changed the subject. "You're it?" This was a new concept to him, that there was another.

"Yeh..." He paused. "I am."

Midoriya suddenly smirked. "Can we just... start over?"

Saya crunched his eyebrows in, not in anger but in deep sorrowful contemplation. A nod.

"One For All, Hero Deku, Izuku Midoriya." He bravely held out his hand, it trembled, like it was afraid to touch.

A breath, slow. He was shaking on the inside, but his hand trembling came up as well. "For One's... All, I'm the... H... Hero Disaster or Diasuta, Satoko Kasaya."

"I guess... this is it, huh?" Deku mumbled.

Their fingers touched across the table.

Satoko bit his bottom lip in. "Yeh."

Midoriya's face paled.

But then the palms touched, and in a instant, rather than a shake, they felt: A strange buzz.

Curiously their hands slid up to the wrists, and grasped hard across the table's flat surface. A sudden electricity went through their veins between them and it caused their eyes to lock onto one another, both looking as if to cry.

It was homely, the feeling; it was a caressing, melodic droning between them, in the webbing of their fingers, in their brains, behind their eyes, they could feel it, even in their toes. Strongly they held it, pressing their fingers deep into each other's skin. Their hearts picked up speed.

A chemistry of true, passed-down power intermingling, touching.

"I..." Deku spurted. "I can feel it."

"I so can I..." Satoko wavered. "So... so that's why." He didn't look at Yagi, but was addressing him.

Toshinori furrowed an eyebrow, confused.

"Remember... when we were playing cards on Christmas?"

"Yea." Toshinori shook his head.

"You t t'ouched me, and I felt... strange. I felt a weird static from you, that was why I'd asked you to get back, because it was overwhelming at the time. I'd just merged."

The therapist nodded at him. He got it, but Satoko spoke it:

"It's because you still have One For All inside you."

Toshinori nodded again. "I've given it all to Midoriya, but the power still lingers in me and I can use it still as All Might... sparsely."

Satoko looked back down at Deku's arm, riddled with scars. "It's much stronger with you, you..."

The shorter, green-headed teen nodded.

"I am the power." Satoko mumbled, still grasping tight. "Are you?"

"It's different for someone with a physical quirk. I just have it..."

"For me... it's my identity, just as much as my own name."

Deku smiled. "I like that. Would you mind if I tried to work towards feeling the same?"

It was true, he needed to gain a better understanding and hold on One For All, and if it meant it becoming his own identity as much as his own name, if that would help him become more ingrained with the strength more, then he wanted that. Maybe that would help him break his limbs less.

"I think... it's possible." Satoko smiled. He knew what Midoriya was proposing, it was to teach him about how he'd came to be the way he was; to just 'be'. "It's a deal."

Aizawa and Toshi smiled at each other.

They let go of each other's arms, instantly out of whatever trance they were in.

The other two in the room noticed that too.

Some sort of rope had been wound, and suddenly it had bound them together.

It had been over ten years since these two powers were together.

This was monumental.

They blinked away from each other, suddenly aware of their surroundings again.

Toshi never would of suspected that something like that... happen, that it exist, that kind of instant bond. He'd never touched Stella. But the powers, they always had been mysterious, their puzzles deep. Perhaps Satoko and Izuku together could unlock the deepest parts of them somehow.

"Do you have lightning?

"Yeh, navy."

"Mine's green."