Heading to Tartarus the following morning in his hero outfit, Izuku made his way inside and about thirty minutes later, was sitting across from Himiko. Izuku studied her features carefully. It had been another month into her blood weaning therapy, but she seemed somewhat more depressed than last time. Her usual smile seemed somewhat drowsy, her eyes a little clouded. It seemed she had begun hitting serious withdrawal.

She tugged at her prison uniform, the fabric highlighting her generous bust. "I didn't know my doctor's appointment was coming up. I would've asked for some makeup."

"I try to come by when I can," Izuku said. "Need to check in on you. See how you're doing. How are you feeling about your diet?"

Himiko began pouting, head drooping down. "It's garbage."

"But you did get a sample of real blood like I requested for you, yeah?"

"Sure, but they only let me have it once. It was quirkless blood, I could tell. Some old dude in his fifties. Not into that."

"Uh huh..."

"... I wouldn't mind it if it were somebody else's though. Somebody like you, perhaps."

A wry smile stretched over Izuku's face. "I'm not sure about that one, Toga. I've told you before. You haven't proven I can trust you with that yet."

Himiko's eyes turned into slits. "What would it take to convince you?"

Izuku hesitated before answering. He weighed his options. He was hoping that Himiko would ask him for his blood again, and now that she had it had given him the opportunity for a potential deal. And he knew she would be unable to use One for All, but he was still cautious. Was having her depend on his blood truly the best course for her recovery? Considering the complications her powers presented, it could possibly worsen her obsession with him.

Clenching his fist beneath the table, Izuku came to a decision. Images of Ochaco, Eri, Momo, Itsuka, Mina, Rumi, and Kyoka flashed through his mind's eye. All laughing and smiling, clear affection in their eyes whenever they turned toward him. This was a gamble he had to take, for everybody's sake.

"There's a reason I'm visiting you a little earlier than normal. I was hoping to get some valuable information out of you."

Himiko chuckled darkly, leaning back. "Tomura, huh?"

"Yeah. He asked for me specifically, and I think he's preparing to do something really bad. And you guys being friends, I was hoping you could tell me."

"I feel kinda icky about betraying him," Himiko said, but the craving she had in her eyes whenever she looked at Izuku had become noticeably more potent. Izuku grew somewhat uncomfortable. Almost like she was dissecting him in her head. She bent forward on the table and held her head in her hands, licking her lips as she stared at Izuku.

"But before I got in here, Tomura told me something I didn't really understand."

"Really? What was it?"

"That I should pursue my own happiness no matter what. I know you two are never going to get along, but you've never been around to see how good of a friend he can be. He's honestly just as reliable as you, in his own way."

Izuku kept his features blank as she explained. "Tomura said that if the time came, I shouldn't hesitate to abandon him. And I've been doing a lot of thinking about what that meant. While I can't say I owe a debt to him, we're still of the same mind when it comes to heroes. We don't agree with this system."

"And we've been making changes to it," Izuku said. "If you really want my blood, I'll need you to take a leap of faith. Because I'd be doing much the same on my end if we go through with this."

Himiko surveyed him cautiously. "Tomura will never bow his head. He sees himself—"

"As a king, I know," Izuku cut in. "He's chosen who he wants to be. The question is, Toga, if you want to be somebody else. And I don't mean becoming me through my blood, I mean becoming somebody who can help us improve society. That's what I'm asking of you."

Pausing for a moment, Himiko relented with a sigh. "Well, I suppose if you ask me like that..."

"Is that a yes?"

"Not yet. These talks are already so rare. You're a special boy to me, Izuku. I want to talk more too. Remember what I said about being free to do so much when I get out of here? But I won't be able to do that for a long time. Promise me you'll come here three times every week to make up for it."

"Three times?" Izuku's discomfort was beginning to spike. "Uh, that's a lot of back and forth for me, sorry. How about a commitment of once a month?"

"Hmph. Once a week then, at least."

"That's still a bit much for me, sorry."

"Every two weeks. That's twice a month. And they have to be at least two hours, minimum!"

"An hour is all I can spare," Izuku said. "That good with you?"

Noticeably less pouty than before, Himiko leaned back in her chair. "Yeah! So why don't we get started? Make this our first real date! All you do is ask me about how I'm doing, but I never get the chance to ask you? I want to get to know you, Izuku!"

She had begun bouncing in her seat, excited over their new arrangements.

"Okay, but after you need to tell me what you know about Shigaraki's back up plans."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but Izuku? If we're going to have these talks, there's one other thing I want you to do."

Izuku cocked his head as Himiko began blushing. She tried to speak up but ended up meekly pressing her fingers together as she stared at the ground.

Izuku's discomfort began receding as amusement began taking its place. This may have been the first time he'd ever seen Himiko act like a regular girl. "You can say it, Toga. I won't mind."

"That's not a lie, right? What if I end up saying something that freaks you out?"

"I have a feeling that isn't what this is."

Blushing, Himiko suddenly seemed to grow much more comfortable. She found the reassurance she needed to say what she'd been thinking.

"Call me by my given name. Himiko. I just... want to close this distance, even if it seems like some foolish dream. If you'd let me, at least..."

Izuku pondered it before nodding. His smile grew wider. "Sure thing, Himiko."

Her features lighting up as he said it, Himiko nodded. "I've waited a long time for that..."

Their topic of conversation continued, with Izuku carefully relaying details about his current life. Himiko seemed fascinated by all of it, eagerly drinking in every detail. It was the first close-to-normal conversation they'd ever held, and it gave Izuku real hope that his plan was a success.

Afterward, however, what Himiko had to tell him with all their small talk out of the way did nothing but alarm him. Thanking her and saying goodbye for the time being, he headed out of the interrogation room.

"At least she didn't talk about Hawks this time," Tsukauchi said as he walked up to him. They headed to the elevator.

"That was the best session yet," Izuku said.

"Yeah, and your blood is the price. Only you could find a way to help save Japan by going on dates with a serial killer."

Izuku shrugged. "Being the number one is a bit of an ambiguous job description. You just get the job done however you can."

"And how is Uraraka going to feel?"

"Don't remind me. Hopefully, I won't be dating two serial killers by the end of the day," Izuku muttered nervously.

At the bottom of Tartarus there was but a single cell. Previously, the bottom level had housed the most dangerous inmates in the whole facility, All for One being the star guest some years past. Recent events had called for an entirely new level to be dug, and in there resided Tomura Shigaraki.

It was a short trip from the elevator to the first door in which opened to a small room with a plexiglass window on the wall. There was a single chair in front of it. Beyond the glass it was pitch black.

"I need to speak with him alone," Izuku said. "Thanks for the company, though."

"Understood. We'll be watching him from the security feeds. Good luck."

Izuku nodded and Tsukauchi slammed the door behind him. Upon taking his seat in the chair, the room behind the window lit up. Beyond it was a blank, plastic cell. Sitting in a chair with a dozen restraints bolted to wall wrapped around him in addition to his straitjacket sat a young man with a mop of flowing white hair. He nodded awake with the lights on, wrinkled eyes blinking. He fixated on Izuku, chapped lips spread wide into a smile.

"Came to drop by? I'm touched."

"You called me here for a reason," Izuku said, cutting him off. "What is it?"

"Ooh, so cold! That's not very hero-like of you."

"I'm in no mood for games, Shigaraki. Answer my question: what is your reason for wanting to speak to me."

Shigaraki shuffled about as well as he could. "You found one, didn't you? One of my little presents? They're my pride and joy."

"If you meant the Nomu, then yes. It was quite a surprise."

"Glad you liked it."

Izuku laced his fingers and hunched forward, staring at Shigaraki. "How many more are there?"

Shigaraki shrugged. "Well, there could be just the one, or there can be five, or a dozen. Maybe a hundred, even. The question is how many could you handle."

"We handled you as well as we could, from what I remember," Izuku said. "What are you scheming."

Shigaraki tried to blink the crust out of his eyes, yawning. "Ohhhh, man. I was having a nice dream too. Interrogated so early in the morning, yeesh. I tried to ask for you midday so we could talk before I nodded off, but I guess I lost my sense of time when I did. My sleeping schedule is terrible."

"Don't dodge the question," Izuku said with more force. "How many facilities do you have, and where? I want to know."

Cracking his neck, Shigaraki began grumbling. "Sheesh. Your first visit in months and it's just as boring as last time. Can't even make small talk..."

"Answer me!"

Shigaraki stared at him blankly. "What are you going to do? You gonna come in here and beat up a guy who can't even scratch his own ass? You have absolutely nothing on me. No leads, no connections, no nothing. You shoved me in this artificial little hellhole of yours and you still come crawling back begging, 'Oh please, sir! Please don't destroy every little thing I hold dear!' Is that what you're doing? Because I didn't ask you here out of interest to you."

"Toga's upstairs," Izuku said.

"Yes, yes, I overheard your little conversation where she told you I was looking into transferring copies of All for One into different Nomu. I'm actually happy she's decided to help you out. All things considered, it's her best option."

Izuku froze. "... Overheard?"

Shigaraki shifted around in his straitjacket. "You thought you closed the connection between us, didn't you? Our quirks aren't so easily kept away from each other. They attract one another again and again, until one absorbs the other. In a way, it's the purest form of conflict there is."

"How often?" Izuku pressed.

"How often do I spy on you? Well, I admit, it's not a hobby of mine, considering how difficult you've made it. And by the by, it's also because you are not that interesting despite what you may think, but I can manage to get through that thick skull of yours if I concentrate really hard. It's like a really tough level in a game. Sure, you hate playing through it, but over time you grow somewhat... attuned."

Izuku tried not to let any fear show on his face, but his mind was racing. Previously, he thought he had been able to forcibly end the psychic link between One for All and All for One after training with his predecessors in the vestige dreamscape, but he hadn't accounted for Shigaraki being able to train himself all on his own. The man in question smiled eerily at him.

"Although I will say, recently your life has gotten much more interesting. Congratulations for going for the true ending route! I really mean it. It's a pain, having to save scum and go through all the individual endings before you see the real one, but you're making admirable progress."

Shigaraki's eyes held none of the mirth he was speaking with. They were instead mocking and spiteful. There was no mistaking it: behind each syllable was a hidden threat concerning the girls. His girls. Just looking at his mannerisms confirmed it for Izuku. Why he wouldn't come right out and say Izuku had a harem for the guards and Tsukauchi to hear, he didn't know, but he clearly knew about it.

"I brought you here to give you a message. In person." Shigaraki leaned as far forward as his restraints would let him, red eyes wide with malicious glee. "At any moment, at any time, in any way, I can reach out and wipe away everything you've rebuilt. Your happiness is dependent on my mercy. Deal with the All for One Nomu how you will, but even if you succeed, just know that my destruction will remain forever imminent so long as I live."

Determined not to let him run away with the conversation, Izuku held fast. "I can't imagine you possessing the ability to command them from here. This all seems too disorganized to be any sort of real attempt from you. What are you actually planning?"

Shigaraki remained silent, staring at him coldly. Izuku chuckled. He knew he'd get no more from him.

"We're done here. Sorry for interrupting your nap."

"Ah, but before you take your leave... tell me, do you feel as much of a failure as All Might was?"

Izuku stood still halfway between the chair and the door.

"He was so weak in the end, he couldn't protect anybody. But that must make you even more pathetic, right, Deku? All that power and you still can't put a proper stop to me. It must be very frustrating, seeing your life's work in the palm of my hand."

"You haven't grasped a hold of anything since you came in here," Izuku said, wheeling around. His eyes bore holes into Shigaraki, looking at him with cold fury. "Save your bravado. Us heroes aren't so weak we'll topple over and kneel for mercy. We beat you and your army once. Even if you're making another, we can do it again."

"I look forward to your attempts, at least," Shigaraki said in amusement. "Be well, Deku. For as long as you can, anyway. I mean it."

Izuku had already shut the door behind him and Shigaraki was left in darkness once again. He sighed.

"He makes this too easy..."

Mina stretched herself out in the afternoon sun. She was out on patrol alongside Toru, having finished renovating the house a couple hours earlier. Work had been slowed due to Izuku's unexpected departure, but they had managed to get the job done well enough. The boys, and especially Katsuki, had ended up working extra hard to make up the difference and they were finished before lunch.

"So Midoriya had to head somewhere, you said?" Toru asked her.

"Yeah, it was pretty serious," Mina said. "It involved Shigaraki, so I know he wasn't particularly thrilled to go. But any lead we can get right now helps."

"Mhm," Toru said. She clapped her gloves together as they walked past a crepe shop, and they both ended up getting in the short line.

"So I know it's been a while for us, but I was kinda curious about your dating situation," Toru said as it became their turn to order. They were quickly handed two crepes and went along their way. They bit into them.

"Well, things have gotten a bit different for me lately," Mina said after having a few bites. "But it's kind of a secret."

"Oh my God, that makes we want to know even more now! What's he like!"

Mina began chuckling. "Oh, well, he's the kind of dream guy people don't appreciate at first. Always willing to pay attention to you, earns respect from everybody, knows when to take charge or stay quiet. And he's clumsy and awkward in all the right ways, so even when it gets to be a bit too much, it just makes you love him even more."

"I didn't know that was your type, Mina."

"For a while, I didn't either in all honesty. But now that I've taken the plunge it's just..." Mina blushed as she smiled. "I don't know if I've ever felt this way before."

"Dang, serious commitment alert! Girl, you've gotta introduce me!"

"Like I said, it's secret," Mina giggled. "Anyway, how's your dating life? Find anybody?"

"Ughhhh..." Toru's other glove dropped to her side as she began gloomily munching at her crepe. "It sucks! It's like I scare every guy away after the first date! I have no idea why! I mean, I'm a hero. I do well for myself. Guys should be all over me, in all honesty!"

Mina remained silent as she ate at her crepe, resisting the urge to meet Toru's eyes. This didn't go unnoticed.

"What?"

Flinching at her deadpan delivery, Mina struggled to come up with an answer. "Well, I mean... you can be uh..."

"Spill it, alien girl. Why do you think I'm a dude repellant?"

Mina took a deep breath. "Look, I thought I've always thought I was the designate party girl of our group, but—"

"No, not this again!"

"Toru, seriously! You become way too much when you start drinking! I've personally seen guys break down into tears having to deal with you."

"Name one instance."

"Well, you told that one dude's boss he thought he had rat teeth after a party."

"O-oh... But I recommended him for a better firm and he's doing much better now."

"And then there's the Mercedes you put into neutral and totalled when you were looking for your wallet, which was in your purse."

"Um... yeah, that was bad, but I covered the cost and got him a couple new cars..."

"And then you pit that last guy you went with to the gala against Hound Dog in a wrestling match. I mean, seriously, girl? Did he look like Superman to you or something?"

Toru scratched her invisible cheek. "Yeah. That one made me feel really bad... but he got out of the hospital with a full bill of health!"

"He shouldn't have been in there in the first place," Mina said.

"Eh, that's all in the past! I'm gonna be working hard on creating a new me so I'm not than unapproachable when I'm drunk!"

"You said that last time," Mina muttered.

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing!"

They continued walking. "Honestly though, I'm pretty jealous of you," Toru said. "Everybody wants that perfect relationship, and it's so hard to find. But you know it when you see it. Like with Ochaco and Midoriya. That's something you know is going to last."

Toru finished her crepe, dumping the wrapper in a trash bin. "Hey, don't tell anybody else this, but if I had to go for who my ideal guy was... I've been thinking it would probably be Midoriya."

Mina grew startled as she threw her own wrapper away. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! I probably would've gone for him right after the war was over, but there was a fat chance of that happening. Ochaco scooped him up before I could even try to get closer to him. I mean, she got luckyyyyyyy! Bagged the number one hero before the game even started."

"Well, they always had that thing ever since they met," Mina said. "Couldn't be helped."

"At least they look cute together," Toru conceded. "But man. I'd really like something like that, you know?"

"Mhm," Mina said. She eyed Toru out of the corner of her eye, the woman swinging her arms without a care. As things stood, Toru was, in her own words, a dude repellant. Hell, if she were dating her she knew she'd never have the patience for her. There was only one man on Earth she knew was capable of handling her, and said man clearly wasn't disinterested in taking on more lovers.

Taking a deep breath and resolving for a verbal lashing from Ochaco and Kyoka later, Mina let her matchmaking plan kick into effect with a few simple words.

"Say, Toru? What if I told you I could hook you up with that kind of guy? With a few ground rules, at least."

Harem List:

Ochaco Uraraka

Momo Yaoyorozu

Itsuka Kendo

Kyoka Jiro

Rumi Usagiyama

Mina Ashido

Yandere Pseudo-Girlfriend List:

Himiko Toga

Another chapter! More plot, more Toru set up. Sorry for the late upload, got started on this yesterday and ended up writing into the night. I will put in some smut next time, I promise, but I needed to put some pieces in place these past two chapters first. Things are getting pretty serious, as you could tell!

Harem order: Ochaco, Momo, Itsuka, Kyoka, Rumi (Mirko), Mina, Toru, Mei, Tomoko, Tsuyu, Nejire, Nemuri (Midnight), Ibara, Ryuko (Pixie-bob), Kaoruko (Bubble Girl), Melissa, Yui, Camie, Shino (Mandalay), Setsuna, Moe (Burnin'), Ryuko (Ryukyuu), Pony, Yuyu, Reiko, Kinoko, Himiko.

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you're staying safe. Don't forget to fav/follow if you enjoyed this and if you want to stay more up to date on my work, be sure to follow me on Twitter at MilHypotheses. Until next time!