Two of Us
Author's Note from PhoenixScamander: Hey everyone and welcome back to Two of Us! So we got the author issue taken care of so it's now credited to both me and Eustach! This chapter focuses on Toshinori, kinda like the last chapter was Shouta. We will be starting the main story line here pretty soon but we want you to see more into Toshinori's side of things! Anyway enjoy!
Chapter Warnings: Original Character Death mentioned, I literally can't think of anything else other than that I don't think there is anything more either which would apply; apart from many spilling tears maybe xD
Chapter Two: Human by Rag'N'Bone Man
Chapter Summary: Toshinori reflects on the past and where his life went wrong with his son. Now with his successor being a young Alpha, Izuku Midoriya, he starts his plans to try and reconnect with Shouta.
Maybe I'm foolish
Maybe I'm blind
Thinking I can see through this
And see what's behind
Got no way to prove it
So maybe I'm blind
But I'm only human after all
Toshinori stared down at the marked grave in front of him. The grave that held his wife and mate. He had already done the process of cleaning the gravestone and placing red roses onto the grave. He had passed by Shirakumo's gravestone and it had yet to be cleaned. He knew that Shouta and Katsuki would be coming by soon to visit with him. He would leave that for them. He knew how much it meant to Katsuki to visit his father every year.
The blonde Alpha let out a soft sigh as he sat on the ground, his gaze lingering over the engraving on the stone. "I'm so sorry, Kasumi. I should have been there."
Not a day went by that he didn't think about Kasumi Aizawa. The woman that he had met while he was still a U.A. student and the woman who bore his child. Kasumi had been just as married to her work as he was to his. The difference between the two of them? She had managed to be home for their son every single day. Despite her devotion to her jobs, she was just as devoted to Shouta.
When the unloved alarm clock surged to life, Kasumi was already awaiting its turmoil. Wondering that she still bothered to set it up every night, winning the race of time against that clock anyway, she rose from the bed, stood up in her multi-coloured pyjamas, and stretched. Now, her husband in their bed stirred to life, opened blazing blue, deeply unmerry eyes, blinked, then groaned and shut them again.
"Get up, my dear," she said to him, "villains' asses are expecting their due amount of getting kicked."
Toshinori turned onto his other side, away from her. "I already kicked them due-ly last night."
She seated herself beside him, bent over him, and asked softly. "And how will the city survive today? Without its All Might out there." She patted his bare, pate shoulder, and her tone got a tad seductive. "How will I survive?"
"Get your cop's hand away," he said.
"I'm not a cop– " She felt irritable, now, although she hadn't dialled for it.
"Too bad," Toshinori said, his eyes still shut. "Then I'd tell you to do your job properly and could have a sleep in."
"Quirk Crimes investigation has an equal significance in the reduction of criminality." She rose, strode to the alarm clock, and reset it for ten minutes later. "I could have become a full-time pro just like you. But I wanted to help those who would never experience the full term of justice again." The clock set, Kasumi hesitated between just leaving or waiting for Yagi to surely get out of bed.
"Honey, listen, " Toshinori said, turning around to her, one eye open,"I'm sorry. I know how hard you're working, and what I've said wasn't fair." He held his arm up, apologetic, inviting her to snuggle up, which she gladly took. Yagi barely managed to stifle a yawn."It just sometimes feels like they all are kicking my ass."
Where had it gone wrong for him?
He loved and cared for his son with every fiber of his being. Shouta had been a surprise for them. He was only nineteen while Kasumi had been eighteen when he had been born. That didn't change the fact that he loved his son unconditionally.
Yet, he was the world's Symbol of Peace.
He had been more frequent in Shouta's life when he was a child but as he started to grow up, Toshinori would be gone for longer periods of time. He had seen the loathing on his son's face whenever he would drop in but soon have to leave because of another villain. He never could tell exactly what it was that was causing Shouta to get so angry. Had it been his hero work? Being gone too long? Not being around? The villains? He didn't know at this point.
Shouta is grown up now, though. There was no turning back the clock to try and repair what little relationship that they had left. Their relationship at this point was so strained that even Toshinori doubted that they could ever fully fix it. He never wanted that in his life. He wanted to be there for his son but being the Symbol of Peace took its toll on his homelife.
His son harbored so much anger and resentment. Toshinori was at a loss about how to fix anything at this point. He had spent so many years trying to live his dream of being the pillar of support for the world that it had blinded him to what he had done to his family.
He had been an orphan at a young age. A villain attack had claimed the lives of his parents and he was forced to live at an orphanage for most of his childhood. He had met his master, Nana Shimura and his entire world had changed. He became the eighth holder of One for All and would later become the man known as All Might.
When Shouta was born, he had vowed to protect his son from the villainy of the world. He hadn't realized that in the end, he had been the one causing the pain. He had caused so much pain to his son. Mitsuki, Kasumi's sister, had been the one who finally got into his head.
In the end, being the Symbol of Peace caused him to neglect his family. His wife. His son. His own hero work caused him to be away from Kasumi when she was fighting for her life. Ultimately, she died in the end. Protecting the child that they had created together.
Please be okay, Kasumi. I'm coming. He thought as he flew through the air. He had finally managed to catch a villain who had the ability to turn into liquid when he had gotten the message from the Hero's radar. His wife was in a battle against a known serial killer and the odds were not in her favor.
His heart sank to his stomach as his eyes stilled on the fallen form of Kasumi Aizawa. Her hand was on her neck and drenched in blood. A low growl left him as he took one more leap and knocked the villain out of way as he tried to approached the fallen hero. Within seconds, he scooped his wife into his arms and with lightning speed, placed her on the ground at his son's feet. The look of pure terror was written on Shouta's face as he took a quick glance up.
"No need to fear for I am here!" All Might exclaimed loudly before jumping back in action.
All it took was one punch and the villain had been knocked out cold on the ground. Police officers rushed forward to get him restrained as the Alpha turned on his heel to look over to his wife and son.
Time froze around him as cries of desperation filled his ears. Shouta's shoulders shook as he cried loudly, clutching onto his mother and begging her to open her eyes.
He had been too late.
It seemed like all of their lives changed after that day. Kasumi was gone. Died a hero's death but it left its mark. Toshinori's bond mark had faded and was almost non-existent now. Shouta had closed himself off even more than before after that. Choosing to spend most of his time either training or sitting with Stormie. The same cat that Kasumi had gotten for Shouta because he had gotten into U.A.
He had been so proud of his son. His son had beat the odds of U.A.'s unfair entrance exam and passed with flying colors and made it into the hero course. He knew that Kasumi had been just as proud.
With his job and status in hero society, he wasn't around much. He knew that. But that didn't stop him from caring completely about his son's well being. He had butted heads with Mitsuki more than once on it. The final blow out between the two of them had been ended by Shouta.
"Toshinori, you are never here! How can we expect for Shouta to be taken care of if his only living parent is always gone?!" Mitsuki shouted, her face contorted as she stared down at the hero. The blonde shrunk underneath her piercing gaze. The blonde woman was beyond furious as Toshinori argued to keep Shouta in his home. "Shouta might be old enough to take care of himself but he needs to be around family."
Shouta sat on the floor quietly, Stormie in his lap purring as he carded his fingers through the soft fur. Toshinori might be biologically his father but ever since he was a child, the man was hardly ever in his life. Choosing to do hero work instead of coming home. He didn't say a word as he listened to his father and aunt argue back and forth.
"He's my son! I have a say in what happens to him!" Toshinori finally snapped, his large hands slamming on the counter top. His face reddened in anger as he glared at the woman in front of him.
Shouta's head snapped up as he gawked at his father. His own blood boiling at the words. "You finally want to have a say?! You haven't been here! You weren't there for my mother and you surely haven't been here for me!" Shouta growled. Stormie jumped up from his owner's lap as Shouta went to stand. "You finally want to be a father to me? Nothing's going to change! You are still going to be off playing hero while I'm sitting here waiting for you. It's been like that for years."
Toshinori was taken back but the sudden change in tone in his son's voice. Omegas weren't known for their demanding presence but Shouta's voice was laced completely in anger and hatred. His eyes narrowed and emotionless as he stared at his father.
"Toshinori, you are the Number One hero. With how many cases you do in a day, you won't be able to make it home." Masaru added. Mitsuki walked over to where her nephew was standing and placed her arm around his slim shoulders. "Kasumi told us about everything. The house is staying within the family so it will be here but Shouta shouldn't be here alone. Not after what happened."
Toshinori looked between the two adults and his son before he finally settled his gaze onto his only child. "Shouta, what do you want?"
Shouta sucked in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down with a clutch of his fists. "Dad, would you be able to promise me that you could be home? Not just every once in a while? I watched mom break because of it." Shouta questioned.
Toshinori's mouth fell open for a moment before it shut again.
"Exactly." Shouta scoffed. "You are so infused with this idea of being the Symbol of Peace for the world that you can't be home."
Mitsuki smiled down at Shouta. "I don't want to take him from you. That is not my intention but he needs to be at a place where he will not be alone. Whenever you finally decide to see your son. Let me know." She paused, turning on her heel to look Shouta in the eye. "Pack up what you need, grab Stormie and meet me by my car."
Shouta nodded, not giving his father a glance as he left the room.
Toshinori was completely frozen as his eyes remained on the door that his son had just walked out of.
It had been the right choice. All of them had known it. He didn't blame Mitsuki or Masaru in the slightest for wanting to take custody of Shouta. Toshinori had always been gone after all. He wanted to be there for his son but it seemed like a villain was always on the lurk whenever he tried. The hero in him would immediately jump into action. The argument had also left Toshinori completely stunned. It had been the first time that Shouta had ever mentioned how he felt from Toshinori's work. He never wanted Shouta to feel like he was not there for him. He wanted to be able to come home to his son but instead Shouta had made the decision to move in with Mitsuki and Masaru. In the beginning, Toshinori hated it and now he thanked Mitsuki for her persistence on taking Shouta in. She had been right, his hero work had also doubled after Kasumi's death. Since Shouta had moved in with Mitsuki, he had taken on the case loads without a problem. It made coping with Kasumi's death a bit easier after that.
Kasumi had always been there for Shouta when he was not. With her gone, he couldn't promise that he could be there. Even if he wanted to. He had to make the world a safer place for Shouta, especially after his mother being killed by a villain that he could have easily taken down. It had been his fault. He hadn't gotten to her in time to save her.
Kasumi had been born to be a hero. That much Toshinori knew. He also knew that his son would take the same path. Kasumi's death had been a leading cause of Shouta wanting to attend U.A. It had been both his alma mater and Kasumi's. Both himself and Kasumi had been hero course students. Kasumi had been a year under him but they ended up interning at the same agency and had gotten to know each other.
Toshinori smiled as he remembered the first time he met the feisty Beta.
Toshinori raced around the track, using his power at one hundred percent as the dust flew behind him. He couldn't even see the trees or the building as he flew around the track.
He stopped in mid-run, his feet sliding against the ground as he felt a rain drop hit his cheek. It's not supposed to rain, he thought. He looked up to the sky and his eyes widened as he watched the clear, sunny day turn into storm clouds almost instantly. It only took seconds after the clouds appeared for the rain to start pouring.
"Oh God! I'm so sorry!" A voice exclaimed from behind him.
He turned on his heel and it felt as if time stopped. A beautiful girl stood not far from him with curly black hair that fell just under her shoulders and glowing red eyes. So it's her quirk that started this. Her eyes stopped glowing after a moment but her eye color remained red. "It's okay. Feels great!" Toshinori replied, a smile on his face as the girl approached him.
"I didn't know anyone was going to be out here since it's lunch time. Frostbite-sensei gave me free range of the field to work on my quirk." She stated. Toshinori quickly noted that not a piece of her clothes or even a string of her hair was wet.
Toshinori looked up to the sky once more. Lightning flashed around the clouds and light sounds of thunder sounded. The downpour had lightened up slightly but Toshinori was soaked to the bone. Yet, this girl had no trace of water on her. He looked back down to her with a smile. "Is this your quirk?" He questioned.
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, my quirk is called Thunderstorm so basically I can control anything that has to do with a storm." She giggled, reaching out and brushing some of the wet blonde locks out of Toshinori's face.
"It's an amazing power." He said, reaching out with his hand. "Toshinori Yagi. Class 3-A."
She smiled, taking his hand. "Kasumi Aizawa, Class 2-A."
From that moment on, Toshinori found himself getting closer to the girl from Class 2-A. Her quirk was an amazing one. It had taken her a long time to be able to control the lightning that her quirk could produce. Toshinori had been happy for her. To this day, thunderstorms would constantly remind him of her. Thankfully, that was a good thing.
Starting at the end of that school year, Toshinori and Kasumi began dating. At the end of Kasumi's third year, she had told him that he was going to be a father.
Toshinori smiled as he jumped from building to building until he got to Kasumi's home. It was a beautiful traditional Japanese home that had two cherry blossom trees in the front yard. It had been passed down to her by her parents since her sister was already married and lived with her husband.
Kasumi had called him and told him to come by when he was done with his patrols for the day. Toshinori landed on his feet on the paved walkway to the front door and dusted himself off. It had been a successful day. All of the villains he had encountered had been caught and apprehended.
The Alpha got to the door, opening it since the Beta knew he was already coming and stepped into the home. He slipped off his boots and slid on a pair of red, white, and blue house shoes that Kasumi had bought for him before making his way further into the home.
"Kasumi! I'm here!" He called out. A rustle from the family room caught his attention and he immediately turned his direction towards that room. A smile came to his face as the beautiful Beta came into his line of sight.
Kasumi had long, black shiny hair that fell almost to her waist that curled as it flowed down her body. Her red eyes shined as the light hit them. A smile was on her face as she shuffled from one foot to the other. "Hey, Toshi." She muttered, her voice soft once she realized that he was standing in the doorway. She looked away for a split second, her face flushing over pink as she drug a hand through her hair. "I have something to show you."
Toshinori grinned. "What is it?"
Kasumi brought the hand that she had hidden behind her back around her until it was now in front of Toshinori's gaze.
The Alpha's mouth dropped the second he realized what was in her hand.
A sonogram.
"Toshi, I'm pregnant."
Toshinori felt the tears come to his eyes as his smile got impossibly wider. He launched himself forward and scooped the woman up by the waist and spun her around. "Oh my god. You're pregnant. That's my pup in there." He whispered, placing her back on the ground and dropping to his knees. "Hi, little one."
It seemed like the Aizawa family always ended up having children young. Kasumi's grandmother had been pregnant at fourteen, her mother had gotten pregnant with her at age sixteen, Kasumi got pregnant at eighteen. When Shouta had turned fifteen, fresh into U.A., he had told Toshinori that he was pregnant.
He had been shocked when he had found out about Shouta's pregnancy. He hadn't even been sure what to say at that moment. Shouta inviting him to lunch had seemed almost forced when he had stopped at the cafe. Despite that, he had been beyond excited that Shouta had called him for lunch. At the time, he didn't know that Shouta had been pregnant. It was a nice surprise in its own right. He had brought a present with him for his son's birthday when they met up. Due to his work, he hadn't been able to see Shouta on his birthday but he could at least get him a present. One that he knew that his son would like.
Both Kasumi and Shouta had an obsession with cats. With Stormie now residing with the Aizawa family, it only seemed right that Toshinori got something that he knew that Shouta would like. A cat collar that he had specially made to be engraved with Stormie's name and the colors on the collar had been his signature colors. It had also been a way for him to tell Shouta that he would always be with him even if he was not physically there.
He had been late to the meeting. He really tried to get there on time but villany had been afoot. He had no choice but to help. In the end, he supposed he only spiked Shouta's anger even more.
After learning about Shouta's pregnancy, however, Toshinori had sworn to himself not to miss this once in a lifetime- event of his son. He would not miss his grandchild's birth. He'd be there by Shouta's side, and welcome his grandchild by cradling them up in his arms, and promise them the Symbol of Peace will be there for them forever.
When Mitsuki texted him- a freaking text message, not even a call in sight of the event- Toshinori abandoned everything in an instant. The villain he had been about to gently maneuver into detainment got Carolina Smack-ed behind bars. Then he was off and about.
Getting a text message meant things were urgent and time rare.
Toshinori leapt over rooftops and cars, taking his straightest route ever to Musutafu Hospitals. He was not going to miss his grandson's birth. Mitsuki had gladly revealed the baby's gender to him, and Toshinori was yet indecisive whether he was going to take the act and play the surprised one. Admittedly, the fact that Shouta hadn't bothered telling him that much had been a square hit to his stomach. However, he was the elder one, the one with more wisdom and manners, and he was Shouta's father. He had to do the right thing, and be by Shouta's side.
Musutafu Hospital's entrance was quite crowded when Toshinori entered it. Just before arriving there, he had seen to deflate into his not bulked up version in a nearby alley.
Pushing a sweaty pang of blonde out of his face, he made some urgent gestures, and excused his way forward to the reception desk with sorry he was getting a grandchild. Most of the people were receptive to his quarry, and only an elderly woman with a walking aid had to be circumnavigated around in an awkward act of acrobatics and almost tripping over.
At the information counter, Toshinori was huffing and puffing from excitement and slight exhaustion, barely getting the words out, "A-Aizawa...Shouta. I'm...his father...getting...grandchild."
The receptionist looked perplexed at the panting man before she puzzled together the last part of it into a more senseful meaning. Toshinori admitted his semantics could have been preciser, but he couldn't care less right now.
"Aizawa Shouta," Toshinori repeated vehemently, fearing the woman hadn't understood his request meaning-wise or acoustically.
The receptionist, slightly annoyed, waved her hand for him to calm down that she was just attending to his demand at this very moment. Once the room number left her mouth, Toshinori broke out into a run towards the room. He wasn't even in the room yet and he could already hear the shouts from his son. He grimaced for a second, for once he was not on the receiving end of his son's anger.
He didn't even wait before he broke into the room. Shouta's voice stopped mid sentence as his mouth dropped open at the sight of his father. Toshinori gave a wide grin and scratched the back of his head as he heard Shouta mutter, "Dad.."
"You didn't think that I would miss something as important as this, did you?" Toshinori said, proud of the fact that he did indeed make it on time.
Next to Shouta's hospital bed was a tall Alpha boy with light blue hair that resembled clouds with shining blue eyes. "You must be Yagi-san!" The boy practically chirped, bowing in respect to Toshinori. "Shouta talks about you a lot."
Toshinori's eyes widened as he looked over to his son. Shouta was looking anywhere but him with a flush of red over his face. The blonde Alpha had to snap himself out of his stupor as he smiled once more to the boy. "And you must be Oboro Shirakumo."
The boy-Shirakumo, grinned widely. "That would be me, sir. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"
Toshinori wasn't able to say another word as Shouta let out another shout of pain, practically a cry that had him by his son's side in seconds.
There was so much that he wished he could tell his son but if he did, Shouta and Katsuki would both be at risk against All for One. They could never know about his secrets. Not even Kasumi knew. Only a select few people knew about how he got his quirk and how it worked.
All for One… the same villain that put a hole in his stomach. The same villain that shortened his time as All Might. The Symbol of Peace. He had been so adamant back then to continue on being the symbol. Mirai… Shouta… everyone argued against him and he didn't listen. He couldn't. He still had to give the world hope. The world needed him.
The fresh wounds from his fight against All for One wore heavily on Toshinori. He was being in a meekly, sunken version of All Might, leaning against the sterile-white wall of the hospital floor.
With only so much power he had left, Toshinori shimmied along it towards his only destination, outside the hospital. All for one was still out there, and he couldn't lose any time drowning uselessly in self-loathing while citizens' lives were at stake.
Several voices behind Toshinori tried to dissuade him from his intention. Night Eye's voice was the one most tainted in vehemence,"All Might...Toshinori. You cannot go back to him. You'll die. I saw a gruesome, unspeakable death awaiting you with him."
Toshinori slammed a weak fist against the wall. He hadn't the reservoir to fight back with much vengeance, but still hoped his words held some ground, "I'm aware that I am in a weakened state; but as long as All for One is out there, I cannot lay low, no matter the state I am in. For I am the Symbol of Peace, goddammit."
The calm and soothing voice of Recovery Girl backed up Night Eye's opinion, "Toshinori, you must listen to Night Eye. He wishes nothing more than your well-being for you."
To Hell with his well-being. So long, All for One was on the loose, wreaking havoc with this unpredictable quirk of his, there was no being well for Toshinori. Boosted by his conscience, he limped on until a radiating pain lanced through his chest, blood creeping up his throat and past his lips in a burst.
"Toshinori!" Night Eye rushed by his side to support his hero partner."Are you now coming to reason?"
Still refusing to face the facts, Toshinori wiped off the coughed up blood with his hand, and struggled against Night Eye's now firm hold on him.
"Let go, now! My mentor gave up her life for me and for all Japan to stop All for One. Her death cannot have been in vain." Tears of rage at his incapability drove to Toshinori's eyes, threatening to tear the dam down. He held his head low. "Nana entrusted me with One for All because she believed I would carry on her legacy." Toshinori hunched further over, cringing around the pain at his resected stomach and lung. He pressed his free hand against the aching side.
Toshinori slowly wiggled out of Night Eye's embrace, this time his sidekick didn't put up any protest. "I don't think your mentor will ever be disappointed at you. She could never be. You are the Symbol of Peace, Toshinori."
During that argument, Toshinori had no idea that Shouta had been standing directly behind them with Katsuki and Hizashi in tow. He had seen the hurt and pain in his son's eyes. Shouta had begged him not to continue his hero work. That pain had quickly turned to tears. He had only ever seen his son cry once in his life. That had been when he watched his own mother die in front of his eyes. He knew he should have done what he could to sooth his son's feelings. He could feel the distress coming off of the Omega in waves, yet he didn't. He only fought back. The same that he had done with Nighteye. He had only made Shouta angry.
After that, he had left and went on his own for almost five years before he got in touch with Nezu about a potential successor for One for All. Nezu had offered him a position at U.A. The same school that Shouta taught heroics at. If he could find a successor, it would be at U.A.
He had been wrong with that statement. On his first day back in Mustafatu, he ran into a young Alpha. A small, quirkless boy who dreamed of being a hero. That same boy had found out his secret about his injury. The same boy that reminded him what it took to be a hero.
Toshinori was in utter disbelief when he spotted his grandson at the hands, or rather at the slime of the Sludge Villain. Although he knew it already, he still tried to keep looking for the plastic bottle, in which he had put the slimy villain for temporary detention. As had to have been expected, did he find the pockets of his trousers empty and his conscience full of regret. He had to have lost the villain during his talk with the shounen just as he had lost his secret to the freckled boy.
Another cough of blood pushed up his throat to trickle past his lips, and into a hastily yanked hand before his mouth. Some of the reddish substance seeped between his fingers and down the back of his hand, which had some of the pedestrians around him take a disgusted step away from him. Toshinori felt awful. His muscles were convulsing in overexertion from the coughing fit, his lungs constricted, and Toshinori's heart was wretched at Katsuki's miserable sight and his own inexcusable slip up. Toshinori wanted so much to convert his self-loathe into blaming the young shounen for that event, but the truth was that no one else was to be blamed but him.
Some pro heroes on site were gathering in a frantic rush at both entrances of the alley where the slime villain was running havoc with Katsuki in his clutches. One could have thought that the spiky-haired, blonde boy had to have been paralyzed with fear. Instead, though, could Toshinori see the rage clearly radiating from his grandson, as though he was going full beast mode himself. The non-solid consistency of the villain, however, proved to be of Katsuki's disadvantage, so that the young man's explosions met wet ground and were nipped in the bud.
There was so much Toshinori had an itch to do right now. He yearned for springing into the battle head on to whack the slime thing with his Carolina Smash, hadn't it been for his low energy level. One for All was in a solemn slumber Toshinori wouldn't get his powers out of for the next time. He cursed himself for his wasteful and mindless handling of his quantitatively too limited quirk. To have let the young shounen fall prey to the slime villain hadn't been an option either, but Toshinori should have been more vehement with his leave.
Katsuki had almost completely sunken into the villain's body, and Toshinori had to prop himself up against a street lamp. His grandson was going to die! Toshinori's energy and spirit were dwindling as he,in a last desperate attempt, reached out for the last shreds of One for All that had remained him, a swirl of green rushed past him and towards the slime villain.
Toshinori yanked his head towards the flash of green. Wasn't that the young shounen he had just advised he would better off forgetting about his aspirations to become a hero? The number one hero was in complete disbelief as he stood there, useless, watching a quirkless boy putting his life on the line and being the nearest to a true hero than Toshinori was being himself that moment.
Young shounen, what are you doing? You cannot possibly mean to tackle the villain all on your own.
A spark of One for All bolted through Toshinori's chest. He felt some of his energies return back to him, his will to fight return back to him. In a last ditch effort, Toshinori concentrated One for All all over his body, and let his muscles grow to their All Might size.
Some pedestrians around him, just the ones that had disgusted turned their back on his meekly form, were now sprouting in shouts of surprise and admiration. "Go for it, All Might!", they would call out to him. "We've all waited for you." And Toshinori felt sick to his heart. Nobody had payed attention to the heroic, young shounen risking his life for Katsuki. Except for some outraged pro heroes at site screaming after the green whirlwind to get the hell away from there, the people had solely eyes for All Might's spotless, reassuring smile. For the first time, did All Might's smile split more than just Toshinori's face. His heart was split into so many disappointed splinters that he didn't think he'd ever be able to recollect them into their original position.
As soon as All Might had grown to his full glory darted Toshinori off after the shounen. The green whirl had already approached the slime villain, and was throwing his heavy school bag against the opponent in an futile attempt to distract them. Toshinori was amazed at the boy's analytical decision making, even in a situation dire like this.
"Don't worry, young shounen," Toshinori called out."For I am here, now."
Just as the villain launched one tentacle forward to smack the shounen into the ground, pushed Toshinori the boy aside, taking in his place, and stood firm against the assaulting form. Toshinori heard the surprised squeak from the boy whose dreams he had just shattered with his words,"All Might, you're here!"
The surprise was probably more owed to the fact that the boy hadn't expected Toshinori to have his One for All ready for action, but nevertheless was standing there now.
"Young shounen," Toshinori tensed his arm muscles, fencing the tentacle off, "you did well. I was," he sprang forward, reaching out his arm,"on the verge of giving up. But," One for All concentrated in Toshinori's right fist,"you reminded me of what it means to be a true hero."
"Carolina Smash."
The sheer impact of Toshinori's Carolina Smash had the mass of the slime villain lose its integrity, and propell back. As soon Katsuki was laid bare from the slime, grabbed Toshinori for his grandson, and freed him from the villain's fangs. And all that thanks to this young, freckled shounen.
At that moment, Toshinori had set his mind, his heart's splitters recollected into a new formation. He wouldn't be able to tell neither Shouta nor Katsuki about it, but this shounen was going to be One for All's successor.
With his support, the young shounen passed UA's entrance exam, and Toshinori himself was to start at the prestigious school as a teacher; with Shouta as his co-worker. His heart was oh so much quivering.
He could do this. He could do this. He repeated that to himself. This was the best way to not only train his successor but hopefully fix his relationships with both Shouta and Katsuki. He could do this. He took in a deep breath.
He was Toshinori Yagi, he could do this despite how hopeless he felt. He would keep his promise and vow.
All that was left was proving it.