In downtown Tokyo, Koto City, an adult ghoul sat silently in a coffee shop. His pale blue hair, filthy and matted, dipped into his drink. Coffee, as sweet as his body could handle.

"It is nice, isn't it." A second ghoul murmured. "That at least we have one drink fit for consumption." He leaned over the first in an almost maternal fashion, laying a hand on his back. "A gift, from a generally unkind universe."

"Hmm." The first tipped his head back to take a long sip. His hands shook, and rivlets of warm dark brown liquid dripped from his cracked and bleeding lips. He set the cup back down with an unnecessarily rough thump, then swiveled around to look at his friend. "Shirajiyu?"

Shirajiyu, a willowy thirty-year-old man with a tired smile, could sense trouble approaching. Best tread lightly. "Yes, Tenko?"

"I will have my revenge, right?" Tenko tilted his head back to look up at Shirajiyu. "All for One said so...he said…"

Shirajiyu relaxed with a soft sigh. Just the usual concerns. "Of course." He murmured. "You will. You just have to be patient."

Tenko closed his eyes with a faint whine. "I just…" One of his kagunes whipped out, blue-white and shaped like an elongated skeletal finger, and speared the empty coffee cup. "It's taking so long!"

Shirajiyu stepped away, picking at a stray thread in his waistcoat, thinking. "I can't know when All for One wants us to make our first move. We have to be patient."

Tenko hopped off the stool and marched over to the shop-front window. Outside, hundreds of humans passed by. "All for One saved me for a reason. He said I could help take out All Might." He turned to face Shirajiyu, eyes wide. "If that's what he wants, and that's what I want, then why don't we do it now?"

Shirajiyu titled his head. "Perhaps the time just isn't right. Maybe we need to wait until All Might is weaker?" He's as strong as ever. But surely, any day now, the moment will come. At least that's what Chiyo told me. "Just wait. Soon enough, you will have All Might dead at your feet. I promise."

"I smell a lot of blood." Aizawa remarked as he hurried across the rooftops toward the injured human. "What are you going to do if it's already dead?"

"I believe 'it' is a 'he.'" Toshinori snapped back. "And I don't know."

"Well I do." Aizawa stretched his kagune out further to catch up with Toshinori as the two of them leapt over the streets below. "We bring it back to headquarters for dinner."

"So I can watch all my students eating my failure?" Toshinori glanced at Aizawa with pleading eyes. "Couldn't we just...I don't know...drop him in a cemetery or something?"

Aizawa bristled and suddenly slammed to a halt, leaving deep gouges on the roof from his claws. "Toshinori." His voice was dark. Toshinori halted, huffing in exhausted frustration. His panting changed to a shocked squeak as Aizawa grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in closer. "Toshinori. Maybe a fake, artificially created ghoul doesn't understand this, but we don't waste food. Especially when it could help feed our family!" He let him go, then turned and continued across the rooftops.

Toshinori groaned in frustration and ran after him. "But that kid has a family too! And every human being! Why does our family matter any more than theirs?" He gasped, struggling to breath and to force himself onward. I'm really not what I once was.

'"Is that so?" Aizawa's voice dripped with sarcasm. "And what about that corpse you were cuddling when I found you?" Toshinori's face paled, and he glanced away. A part of me wants to really ruffle his feathers over this. After all, I can't begin to count how many times he's guilt tripped me over a simple meal. But now isn't the time. He clearly isn't very stable. "Never mind, we'll talk later."

Toshinori cleared his throat, forcing himself not to think about his friend's words. "I can smell him too. He's close."

The two of them continued in silence, until Toshinori suddenly halted at the lip of a rooftop. "Aizawa." His voice was hoarse and hopeless. Aizawa, anticipating the worst, walked over and gazed over the edge. In the street below, a twenty-something ghoul was rabidly gulping down fistfuls of organ tissue. A small lake of blood pooled out around the boy on whom he was feasting. He was pretty small and frail looking, probably only twelve years old.

Aizawa glanced over at Toshinori. The ghoul eating was too riled up to even see them looming over him. "Toshinori. Come on, let's go." He turned away, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Let him enjoy his meal."

"But…" Toshinori closed his eyes, tears welling up. "He called out for All Might…" His voice was so quiet and broken, Aizawa didn't almost hear.

"Yeah, and he didn't come. Thank God." Aizawa sat down on the opposite side of the roof from Toshinori. "If he had shown up, all of us would be dead." He glanced over his shoulder to shoot Toshinori's back a glare. "And I wish you wouldn't call him by that human name."

Toshinori heard him, but didn't respond. He just stared at the gorefest a few feet below him, eyes shining with tears. He was so brave...he ran to save his friend, even in a lose-lose situation. One where he knew he couldn't possibly win. Even when everyone else is running.

In the academy, they called that the true mark of a hero. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. You could have gone so far...but when you called out for All Might, he was too busy stuffing his face full of human flesh to care! The thought echoed in his mind, making him shudder. I always say 'I am here.' But I wasn't. I was off doing exactly what All Might would never do! I...failed.

He sighed in resignation. As much as I hate to admit it, Aizawa's right. At the very least, we can bring what's left of him to the students. But suddenly, a faint noise came from him from below. "All…" He stiffened, looking down. The boy was somehow still speaking through the gallons of blood pouring out of him. His eyes gazed sightlessly at the sky, reflecting the grey-orange smog obscuring the stars.

Not even bothering to notify Aizawa, Toshinori flung himself at Hedero, slamming him to the ground. Hedero sputtered in shock, scrambling away. "What the fuck are ya doing!?" He screeched. "Back off!"

"I'm here." Toshinori muttered under his breath. Despite how ashamed he felt, the familiar words still brought a smile to his face. Hedero gave him a blank look, then shrugged.

"Whatever you say." Hedero grabbed his shoulders and flung him to the ground. Toshinori grunted as his bony shoulders connected sharply with the cement. "What is your deal, Toshinori?" His breath suddenly caught in his throat as he met Toshinori's gaze. "Wait…"

Toshinori smiled ruefully. He always appreciated the moment when another ghoul caught sight of his eyes. Only one was red and bloodshot, while the other was an entirely human blue. "Yes, you saw that right." He croaked, blood dribbling from his lips. "I'm a one-eyed ghoul."

"But one-eyed ghouls are supposed to be incredibly strong." Hedero growled, stepping back. "And you-"

He was cut off by a blur of black pouncing on him from above. Aizawa, who had apparently decided to step in, grabbed his head in the grip of one of his clawed kagunes. Hedero barely had time to let a short gasp before Aizawa easily crushed his head. Blood, bone, and bits of unidentifiable flesh sprayed across the ground and walls, staining them even more.

"Well that was lovely." Toshinori grunted, struggling to his feet.

"You're welcome." Aizawa's voice dripped with sarcasm as Toshinori hurried over to Izuku. "So...we bring him back for dinner?"

"He's not completely dead yet." Toshinori insisted. He grabbed Izuku's shredded arm, then tensed as his eyes focused on the torn flesh. "Unless…"

Aizawa sighed and grabbed Toshinori's shoulder, steering him away. "You're exhausted, and you haven't properly eaten in weeks. But I know from experience, you'll never forgive yourself if you eat him."

"I…" Toshinori shook his head, forcibly retracting his kagune. "I was not thinking about that!" Yes you were. "Regardless, I think you should take him to the hospital. I really can't right now, for...reasons."

"Guess I have to now, huh?" Aizawa rubbed his neck with a heavy sigh. "Fine. But the hospital is far away enough, I'm gonna have to ask someone for help. And not a student, I don't want them seeing this."

"Do whatever you need to. But...I need you to take Hedero with you, two." He gestured weakly with his foot to the dead ghoul.

"For what?"Aizawa eyed him. "Are you completely off your rocker? Even if he could be saved, which at this point he can't, it's not as if any hospital would agree to help him."

"Just trust me. Take him to Ningen no Hinansho hospital, and ask for Dr. Chiyo. Tell her I told you to come, and tell her it's code yellow. Ok?" Toshinori stared imploringly at Aizawa, who just looked annoyed.

"I'll do what I can." He grumbled, bending to pick up Hedero's lifeless body. "For now, you go finish your dinner. Catch up with me when you're done." Toshinori nodded in agreement, and turned to walk into the shadows.

He collapsed in front of the human he had been eating earlier. Still plenty of meat on him, though Toshinori could barely move at this point. All he could do was stare into his victims face, thinking. Is this what Nana Shimura wanted? Is this what she intended, when she saved my life and cursed to live like this? He closed his eyes with a sigh, resenting his own resentment of her. I should be thankful.

Forcing himself to stand up, Toshinori slung the ragged body over his shoulder and made his slow back to the warehouse. He had overexerted himself, refusing to eat for weeks. And every day, he found himself surrounded by bleeding humans, begging for help. When the ghouls were slain, when it was just him and a human near death...the temptation to take a bite was almost overwhelming.

I got overconfident. I let myself believe that I had enough self control to make it home without hurting anyone. But after saving that kid and his friend from Hedero the first time, I was so starved….when I saw this guy, alone on the street, absorbed in his phone...I couldn't stop myself. He sighed regretfully and heaved open the warehouse door. Inside was the usual thick dust and muted orange light. Home sweet home.

He dragged himself into a little office area off to the side. A ramshackle bed was set up, plus a laptop and a small coffee table. He dropped the corpse on the table and sat down with a heavy sigh. Guess I'd better eat. He weakly reached over to pull a chunk of flesh from his shoulder, then stiffened as something suddenly vibrated.

Heart pounding, he stuck a hand in the man's pocket and pulled out a bloodstained phone. It was buzzing with a call from someone, someone named Etsuko. Hands shaking, not sure what he was doing, Toshinori pressed answer.

"Hideki? Oh thank God, are you ok?" Her voice sounded frantic and terrified. He tightened his hand around the phone as his palm grew sweaty. He glanced at the dead body lying on his table. So his name was Hideki. "Harou is so worried about you! Where are you?"

Toshinori felt his heart pound as he gazed down at the body. He had a child…

Not sure what else to do, or what exactly he was doing, Toshinori brought the phone closer. "Um…" I suppose the very least I can do is tell her he had a noble death. "He fell into a manhole and died. Sorry." Panting with terror, he ended the call. "Oh my God…"

He put the phone down with a heavy sigh. "I was supposed to be a hero." He murmured to himself. "Nana Shimura meant for me to bring people together." He lifted his head to stare at the ceiling. "But maybe I won't be the last…"