Initial notes: Hiya! This section was originally published on AO3 on March 23rd of 2021 as a standalone companion to 'I Am a Heart on Fire (and All the World's a Fuse),' titled 'I'll Be What You Wanted (Kept Inside, I Won't Let Go, 'Til I Burn Beyond Control).' Because FFN does not have a system to organize a series of works, I have chosen to include it as additional chapters on this site instead. This is from Mirio's perspective and is a somewhat lengthy meditation on his relationships with Izumi, Nana, and the idea that 'Mirio would have been a better Ninth Bearer of One for All than Izuku' in canon.
I'll Be What You Wanted (Kept Inside, I Won't Let Go, 'Til I Burn Beyond Control)
Can I Still Be a Hero (When I Don't Know Right From Wrong or Up from Down)?
"All my life, they let me know how far I would not go. But inside, the beast still grows, waiting - chewing through the ropes. Who are you to change this world? Silly boy! No one needs to hear your words; let it go…"
('Carnivore' by 'STARSET')
Little Mirio was six when he asked his mother the biggest question of his life.
"Hey, Mom?" Mirio said, and his mother looked over from doing the dishes. "I wanna be a Hero someday!" His mother hummed approvingly at the idea. "Can I really be a Hero when I have… I have a weak quirk?"
His mother slowly finished rinsing the dish she was working on and set it on their plastic drying rack. Then she turned the water off and wiped her hands off on a little towel there. She was always working so hard - both of his parents were, he'd noticed even so young - and he admired them for that. His mother had given him his blonde hair and blue eyes but he got his unusual eye shape from his father, who was at work that afternoon. Both of his parents were such bright and kind people and Mirio loved them so much.
His mother walked over and crouched to be level with him. Mirio wore a yellow t-shirt and some cargo shorts and he smiled bashfully at his mother as she placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Well, son, I would ask you why you wanna be a Hero, first," his mother said calmly. He thought about it for a few moments.
"I wanna save people! I wanna save all the people. Maybe… maybe even one mi… mi…"
"Million?" His mother prompted, and Mirio quickly nodded. His hair was already getting long and he had it in a little ponytail, courtesy of his mother, which bounced with his motion.
A million was the biggest number he'd ever heard, at that age. He'd learned it at school just the other day, and to Mirio, a million might as well have been infinity. He would save everyone. That nice pro Hero had saved him from the river just the other day, so he wanted to save people the same way!
"So why do you want to save people?" His mother asked gently, and Mirio scrunched up his face as his train of thought was interrupted.
"Isn't that… Isn't that the right thing to do?" Mirio asked, and his mother smiled and nodded gently.
"It is, honey. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's why you want to do it." She reached out and lightly, lovingly bopped his nose with her index finger for good measure, smiling as she did so. Mirio giggled then thought very carefully, chewing on his bottom lip slightly as he looked up to the ceiling.
"I wanna make people smile! All Might makes people smile and they feel safe! I want people to go to bed knowing that I'm there, just like him!" Mirio pumped his fist in excitement after he spoke, imitating the version of All Might he knew and loved from Saturday morning television, like most Japanese children his age.
"That's a good motivation!" His mother said encouragingly. "I think if that's why you wanna be a Hero, then you could be a Hero with any quirk. But it might be hard, so you should think about training soon!"
Mirio nodded quickly. He and his father had talked about this the other day, how his father struggled with his own quirk and gave up on being a Hero. But Mirio knew he could do it and his mother's encouragement made him feel better. His father had told him that no matter what Mirio wanted to do, he would support Mirio, so Mirio was sure now.
With his parents' love and support, Mirio felt like he could do anything he wanted. He would become a Hero, no matter how hard it was. He would train as hard and as much as it took so that he could save people.
He would save a million people and put smiles on their faces.
He would become their Symbol of Hope.
Little Mirio was eight when he met the love of his life.
Mirio did not know it at the time, though, when he saw little Tamaki Amajiki struggling with his introduction to the class. But Mirio saw someone who needed help and, maybe more importantly, someone who needed a friend.
"I'm… Ama… I… wanna… be… a… he…"
Amajiki was so hard to hear and he ended up going to his desk and slumping over it for the rest of class. Mirio watched him and frowned, thinking that Amajiki was both the prettiest boy he'd ever seen and that somebody so pretty and capable of happiness shouldn't look so sad and alone. So when class ended, Mirio brought his friends over and reached out to Amajiki, offering to be his friend as well.
Amajiki, too, wanted to be a Hero. That was what he'd been trying to say in his introduction and Mirio had figured it out. Amajiki looked so confused and, Mirio might've said, awed when Mirio figured out what Amajiki had wanted to say. Like Mirio understood and like they were kindred souls.
The two were inseparable after that as they struggled with their quirk training. Elementary school became middle school and, even when both Mirio and Tamaki struggled with their quirks, they struggled together. Mirio wondered if they were like two halves of a whole heart and the thought made him smile.
Mirio often remembered that day when they were walking home and he almost told Tamaki the truth.
"You're always building me up while underestimating yourself. Saying silly stuff, like how I'm 'the sun.'" Mirio turned to Tamaki and smiled as they walked home from middle school together on the sidewalk in their black uniforms. "But I know the truth. Deep down, you've got real talent. The truth is, you're a fun guy with a bright side of your own!"
"You're gonna be even greater than any regular ol' sun! You'll outshine any sun out there! Anyway… you get the picture." Mirio's smile became sheepish but not quite a thin line on his face. "Be confident, Tamaki! You're 'suneater!'"
Mirio so badly wanted to tell Tamaki the truth at that moment: how he really felt about his best friend and how Mirio wanted their friendship to be more. But in the end he lost his nerve, standing in the sunset on the sidewalk with Tamaki, and instead tried telling Tamaki how amazing Mirio thought he was.
When Tamaki announced, in their first year at UA, that his Hero name was 'Suneater,' Mirio had a stupid smile on his face for weeks.
Little Mirio was seventeen when he defeated his first villain solo.
It was his second year at UA and it had just been his birthday a few weeks ago. He and his class had taken the Provisional Hero Licensure Exam and passed with flying colors. It was so cool to be a true Hero-in-training and Mirio was beyond excited to start his new internship.
His internship that second term was with a slightly strange Hero named Sir Nighteye. Mirio had done his first term Hero work-study with Sir Nighteye as well and Sir Nighteye was quite enthusiastic about teaching Mirio. It was with his help that Mirio passed the Provisional Licensure Exam, Mirio was sure, and he was grateful. That didn't make Sir Nighteye any less weird but Mirio was weird, too, so that was a good fit in his opinion.
The fact that Sir Nighteye had been All Might's sidekick was very cool. But Mirio didn't respect and admire Sir Nighteye for that. What Mirio respected and admired him for, most of all, was how he was somebody with a 'weak' quirk or, at least, a quirk that was not immediately, obviously suited to combat. Despite that, he was one of the most capable Heroes Mirio had ever met and Mirio thought that was suitably impressive. Maybe more importantly, it was something he aspired to emulate.
Today, however, he was on patrol alone, wearing his fancy costume they made for him that wouldn't fall off when he used his powers. He had to cut his hair short again to give them materials to work with but maintaining his decency in public was worth it. He had his yellow visor up and his red cape billowed as he walked and smiled at civilians on the street.
People were always so happy to see a pro Hero on patrol. Mirio took immense pride in the fact that he made them feel safe. He was fulfilling his dream and he couldn't be more excited for that.
"Ah! Help!"
Mirio was already moving, hearing the voice. He rounded the corner and found a woman and her young child. Above them, there was a man whose quirk appeared to make him look like a rhino. The man spun, holding the woman's purse, and glared at Mirio.
"Get outta my way! This is my ticket out of this city!" The rhino man yelled. The woman held her daughter close and Mirio frowned at the villain.
"So you're going to steal from this kind lady and her kid? That's not very nice," Mirio said absently. The man threw a punch and it went right through Mirio's chest, then he lazily stepped to the side - and through the man's arm, too.
"Yeah, and I was gonna get her jewelry, too, before you interrupted!" The rhino man said. He charged forward with his horned head down and Mirio simply let him phase through entirely.
"Well, it doesn't seem to be going so well for ya, buddy," Mirio said as he spun around and kicked the villain. The kick carried enough force to send the rhino man crashing into the wall. Then he fell to the ground, dazed, with chunks of brickwork falling on top of him.
Mirio stood calmly and waited, then a loose brick fell and conked the man right on top of his head. He slumped to the ground, out cold, and Mirio moved over and retrieved the purse from the man.
"I believe this is yours, ma'am," Mirio said with a smile as he reached out and handed it to the woman. Then he offered her hand so she could stand up. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No, no, thank you. You came just in time," the woman said with a return smile. She hugged her daughter close but the little girl looked up at Mirio with awe and wonder.
"Mister? Could I have your autograph?" She said shyly, and Mirio smiled at her.
"Of course, young lady. I'd be honored," Mirio said, entirely sincerely. The mother dug through her purse and pulled out a little notepad and pen, then Mirio wrote down his name on it.
Lemillion. My first autograph, to the first little girl I ever saved. Thank you for being you.
The little girl began to cry tears of joy when she read it and so did her mother. But Mirio was slightly preoccupied, finally getting a chance to check on the villain. He was still breathing but he was unconscious and Mirio sighed as he cuffed the rhino man.
Purse snatching. What a sad, pathetic reason to go to prison. All because the man needed money to move away, probably to escape some problem at home he felt trapped by. Mirio frowned as he hauled the man up and prepared to wait for police to come and pick him up.
It was so wasteful for someone like Mirio, who was trained by the top Hero school in the country, to be set loose on petty thieves. Petty crime was something that could be avoided if the government were more organized and compassionate. Instead, they relied on people like Mirio to clean up after the fact. To push the petty thieves off the street like they were trash.
Mirio wasn't sure what to do with thoughts like that. He wasn't supposed to question the order of things as a Hero. He wasn't supposed to question if it felt like there was something off with the world.
But he did, sometimes. And he felt guilty that he did.
Little Mirio was still seventeen that winter when he finally got to tell the truth to Tamaki.
He, Tamaki, Nejire, and Yuyu were at an amusement park, on what Nejire had jokingly called a 'double date.' Mirio had scowled at Nejire when she said that - just because she and Yuyu were a stable couple didn't mean she had to be mean about it - but she had just giggled and went on her merry way. Now at the park, Mirio was thoroughly incensed.
Nejire and Yuyu got into the park and promptly abandoned them. Now it was just him and Tamaki and poor Tamaki was nervous around the crowds. Mirio scowled after the two girls as they retreated and didn't miss the cheeky grin that Nejire threw over her shoulder on the way out.
"H-hey, Mirio?" Tamaki said, and Mirio spun to look at him with a smile that was only slightly forced. "I'm, uh… I'm kinda nervous."
"No problem, buddy, I know how it is," Mirio said, and at least that much was true. His annoyance at Nejire could wait until later. "C'mon, let's go play some games, yeah?"
Tamaki nodded but, when Mirio started to turn, he didn't move. Mirio stopped and turned back to look, curiosity on his face as he tried to figure out what was wrong. Tamaki coughed awkwardly, his cheeks dusted lightly with pink, and stepped out of the way of someone walking too quickly on his right.
"Could I… Could I hold your hand, so we could stay together?" Tamaki asked, shyness and embarrassment in his voice. Mirio's face immediately went red and he felt like he was gonna die.
He wasn't sure if he was gonna die because he really, really wanted to say yes or if it was because his poor heart couldn't take the idea that Tamaki was only asking because he was nervous. Still, Mirio loved Tamaki and he would do anything for Tamaki, so he forced himself to smile through his fluster and offer his right hand. Tamaki smiled, a small, barely noticeable thing, and took the offered hand, then they made their way into the park together.
At first, their night was uneventful. Mirio brought Tamaki over by the games and they played a few. Most of them were rigged but Mirio was pretty good at the ball toss, the airgun target shooting, and the one where he had to hit the plate hard enough to hit the bell. In the end, he managed to win enough tickets to go back to the main plaza and get Tamaki a little Fat Gum plush and Tamaki was ecstatic.
He had done his internship with Fat Gum and planned to go back if the pro Hero would have him. Mirio was sure that Tamaki would appreciate a memento of that and, sure enough, Tamaki blushed and even jumped up and down a bit in excitement.
Next, they tried some rides. Tamaki was rather nervous, at first, to be getting on. They started out with easy ones, like the spinning tea cups and the carousel, and slowly Tamaki looked more comfortable. Mirio was about ready to suggest the big drop ride - he'd never done one of those and he didn't quite buy the stories that people told him about how they weren't safe - when Tamaki blurted out a different suggestion.
"Ferris wheel?" He asked quietly, almost so that Mirio didn't hear him over the other people around. But they were walking close together, hand-in-hand, and Mirio was used to picking out Tamaki's quieter voice over others. Mirio smiled and nodded, then they walked over to where the line for the ferris wheel began.
It was kind of long and Mirio pretended not to notice that Tamaki didn't let go of his hand when they were safely waiting in line. Part of Mirio took immense joy in this time they spent together but part of him was… sad. He wondered if he'd ever work up the courage to confess to Tamaki and if Tamaki would ever feel comfortable with a relationship like that.
Mirio wasn't strictly sure that Tamaki even was interested in other men romantically. He'd never been brave enough to ask and Tamaki never mentioned having a crush on anyone else. But Nejire was convinced that Mirio had a shot and she had a sixth sense for such things, Mirio had learned in his time at UA.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he was startled when Tamaki squeezed his hand to get his attention. It was their turn to get in and suddenly Mirio was a fair bit more nervous about how small the little carriages were. Still, he resolved to be brave because that was what Tamaki needed from him in this place full of people.
So they stepped in together and Mirio sat on one side while Tamaki sat across from him. He didn't stop holding Mirio's hand and he gave a small smile as the ride operator shut the door and moved away so that the ride could shift and allow the next group on. It moved up slowly, jostling the two teenagers slightly, and Mirio blushed when he knocked knees with Tamaki and got a bit too close by accident.
"I think I'm… supposed to be the nervous one," Tamaki said with a smile, only the slightest teasing in his voice. Mirio huffed a laugh through his nose and adjusted himself in his seat; Tamaki liked to tease him and be more open when it was just them.
The thought made Mirio grin as he looked out toward the city. For a moment, he was lost in thought again and his thoughts wandered to strange places as he looked out to the city lights in the night. He wondered, once more, if there was something off with the world; something deep, something distant and metaphysical, that he couldn't place.
He wondered if there was something missing… or, his mind provided unprompted, if there was something taken.
But Mirio had no idea what could possibly be taken from his life, as he turned back to Tamaki. In this moment, everything felt right, like it was just him and Tamaki in the little carriage for the ferris wheel and the rest of the world had ceased to exist. Tamaki was surprisingly focused on him when he turned and Mirio raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Nejire told me that I… needed to be brave for you," Tamaki said cryptically, and he leaned forward slightly. Mirio made a confused noise but, in spite of himself… he leaned forward a little bit, too.
"What for? You're plenty brave when it counts, Tamaki," Mirio said with a smile. Tamaki leaned forward a little bit more and Mirio would've sworn he fluttered his lashes; Mirio wondered if Tamaki even knew he had done that.
"I'm not… so sure about that," Tamaki admitted in a quiet, shy voice. "It's hard to face your fears when it might mean losing someone important. When it might mean losing the most important person."
He leaned forward more and his breath mixed with Mirio's. Mirio wondered idly if he were dreaming. If this were some preposterous lucid dream and his brain was providing him with a dream too beautiful to really want to wake up from-
The carriage lurched once more and Mirio went right into Tamaki. Tamaki chuckled and, for the first time in what felt like forever, released Mirio's hands to catch him on his shoulders. The ferris wheel began to move smoothly and Tamaki was right there, smiling like Mirio was his whole world.
Or maybe, like Mirio was his sun.
Then, Tamaki performed the greatest act of bravery Mirio had ever seen or would ever claim to see in his entire life. He leaned forward and kissed Mirio right on the lips. It was a chaste and light touch, almost questioning - is this okay? - and Mirio leaned in more, hoping to convey that - yes, it will always be okay - and then-
They were home.
The ferris wheel kept moving and sometimes it would lurch a bit. But Mirio was lost in the feeling of Tamaki's lips, so soft and warm, as he brought up a hand to gently cup Tamaki's cheek. Tamaki hummed in approval and the act vibrated against Mirio's lips, so he smiled into their kiss.
They reached the apex of the ferris wheel's arc, still kissing, and Mirio decided that he didn't ever want to stop. There was no more being a Hero, wondering about whether it was right to use his power against petty thieves, or wondering if there was something missing and taken in his life. There was just… Tamaki and the bliss of this moment for the both of them.
When the ferris wheel came to a stop at the bottom, they were still kissing; Mirio wasn't embarrassed at all… but Tamaki was, just a little bit.
It was early January of the next year that little Mirio was summoned to Sir Nighteye's agency on the weekend.
It was Sunday, so they didn't have classes, and Mirio brought Tamaki along. He and his boyfriend were now inseparable and the class had openly cheered for them when they walked into class holding hands. Mirio and Tamaki both had stupid smiles on their faces for weeks and it was wonderful. But now, walking down the sidewalk towards Sir Nighteye's agency, holding hands with Tamaki, Mirio was… pensive.
There was a pressure in the air - a strange feeling of both warmth and frigid cold, entirely unrelated to the weather - that felt off to Mirio. He wasn't sure how to articulate such a feeling without sounding like a crazy person but, when he told Tamaki, he just nodded. He admitted that he felt no such thing - nothing felt strange or off to him at all - but he believed Mirio without question and for that, Mirio was enormously grateful.
When they walked into Sir Nighteye's agency, his receptionist smiled and directed them upstairs. Mirio and Tamaki walked in silence save for Mirio's quiet, gentle humming. Both wore casual clothes - jeans and sweatshirts, as today was a nice chill rather than freezing - and both felt reasonably good about the day.
Tamaki was sure that Sir Nighteye was offering Mirio a long-term position at his agency for the coming school year and the internships of their last year. Mirio was not quite that presumptuous but he knew that he had made a good impression on Sir Nighteye, so he was hopeful.
Mirio opened the door to the conference room first, then held it open for Tamaki. Tamaki smiled and walked in but he stopped after only a few steps. Mirio frowned at that and walked in after him to see what the issue was.
"Hey, Sir! Long time, no see," Mirio said to announce himself. Sir Nighteye sat at the end of his conference table with an unusual blonde man that Mirio had never seen before.
He had the most striking blue eyes that Mirio had ever seen, though. They were like the ocean and they contrasted sharply with his relatively normal dark gray business suit and plain red tie. He was so gaunt and skinny, almost like a skeleton, and it was strange how familiar he looked in spite of that.
Sir Nighteye raised an eyebrow at Tamaki, but the blonde man leaned over and whispered something. Whatever he whispered, Sir Nighteye's response was to slap his face with his hand, as if something had gone wrong. The blonde man shrugged rather sheepishly, but did not look apologetic at all with his toothy grin.
"Did, uh… Did something happen?" Mirio asked cautiously as he walked over to take a seat on Sir Nighteye's right. There were two chairs between them and Tamaki took the seat immediately to Mirio's left. They held hands under the table and Mirio squeezed Tamaki's hand for good measure. He wasn't sure if he was doing it more for his own sake or more for Tamaki's sake but it felt nice to do all the same.
"You could say that," the strange blonde man said, even though he was smiling in amusement. He leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands together; Sir Nighteye looked like he wanted to say something but he held his tongue. "Young Togata, a question, if you would?"
Mirio nodded cautiously.
"Why do you want to be a Hero?" The blonde man with the piercing blue eyes said, and Mirio couldn't help but smile softly.
"How can you contribute to society? How can you be useful to others?" Sir Nighteye added under his breath as clarification, and Mirio nodded firmly.
"I want to save people - as many people as I possibly can - so that people know that…" Mirio trailed off for a moment, squinting at the blonde man.
There was… a warmth coming from him. A warmth that was familiar, that Mirio remembered from hazy dreams and phantom memories. Suddenly, Mirio was struck with an almost overwhelming sense of déjà vu and, though what he had been saying was the truth, he decided to change course.
"Sometimes… I feel like the world is off, Sir," Mirio said, looking over at Sir Nighteye. "Sometimes, I feel like something is broken or damaged… and I wanna fix it. I want the world to know that I'm there when they sleep at night and that, no matter what is broken… I will fix it."
The blonde man stood up and smiled at Mirio. Then he turned his head to look at Sir Nighteye, who returned the gaze with a questioning expression. Mirio had never expressed an idea like that to Sir Nighteye but it felt like a satisfactory answer to the blonde man, as he nodded at Sir Nighteye and walked around the table.
"Young Togata," the man began, as he clasped his hands behind his back. "My name is Yagi Toshinori. And I wanted to ask you if… you've ever thought about the future of our society and whether you think you could be a pillar for it. But it seems like you've already thought about that idea a great deal, haven't you?"
Mr. Yagi reached the other side of the table, standing at the corner near Sir Nighteye, and smiled. Mirio smiled back and nodded. Tamaki squeezed his hand, not willing to interrupt, and Mirio squeezed back.
"Normally, I would've liked to have this conversation with you alone. But I suspect this young man is important to you, no?" Mr. Yagi asked, gesturing with his chin vaguely behind Mirio towards Tamaki.
"My name is… Amajiki. Amajiki Tamaki," Tamaki said shyly. Mirio felt his grip on Mirio's hand tighten. "I… He's my…"
"Tamaki is the most important person in the whole world to me," Mirio said to assist, and Tamaki made a small noise of shock. Mr. Yagi just smiled, though, and nodded.
"That's good. You'll be better off, having people like Young Amajiki, than not. I didn't have anybody when I worked to be the pillar of society and it was… harder," he said, and Mirio raised an eyebrow, not understanding. This frail, skinny man was some kind of… Hero?
Mr. Yagi's grin was toothy and wide, then… he began to grow.
He grew… and became All Might.
"Young Togata, I would like to make you an offer. If you're interested to hear more?"
Mirio and Tamaki both gasped and leaned back in their chairs and Mirio was torn between shock, horror, confusion, and awe. All Might was unperturbed, waiting for Mirio and Tamaki to process. After a long pause, Mirio did process. Then he nodded, his expression becoming confident.
In the end, Mirio Togata would become the Ninth Bearer of One for All.
Little Mirio was eighteen when he learned the truth about what was off with the world.
At first he didn't realize it. Staring down All for One, the girl who would be queen, had been scary enough. But what was scarier still was that she wasn't what he expected her to be like at all. He had expected her to be… well, villainous. To be cruel or evil and how their society generally told him major villains were.
Overhaul had been villainous, cruel, and evil; All for One reduced him to ash because of it. Mirio was still having trouble reconciling that fact as he laid in his dorm room bed a few days later.
This isn't about me. This is about Eri. Can you help me fight him? Mirio, he used Overhaul on Eri. Again and again. I will kill him whether or not you help me; it's up to you if you want to help make things right.
'To make things right.' That was what she had said. Did she know the truth, though? Could she have known the truth? Mirio wondered if All for One and One for All were still tethered through the fabric of reality itself and if All for One could still feel the draw of One for All through the vestiges. He wondered if she experienced All for One's vestige and what that was like.
He wondered if she experienced the vestiges as he had experienced Nana Shimura, the Seventh Bearer of One for All, and her ocean of sorrow, overwhelming almost to the point of madness. But the new All for One had a strong will and Mirio suspected that if anyone could challenge the vestige of All for One and push it back into hell where it belonged, it would be her.
Mirio hadn't quite put all the pieces together yet, however. The imagery from Nana was vague and confusing and Nana rarely used words where memories would do. It was like swimming in a sea of stars, surrounded by images of a past that never was, and Mirio wasn't sure what to make of it. He had gathered that All for One was important-
She was important. I needed her.
Mirio coughed and sputtered, covering his mouth to try and keep his noise down in Heights Alliance's 3-B dorms. After he got his coughing under control, he leaned up in bed and reached for his water bottle on his night stand. Every time Nana did that - which was more frequent, since he began the case to save Eri - it took a lot out of him.
Nana had spoken when All for One confronted him, too. He hadn't told anyone but her words haunted his dreams.
You must protect her. If you can't save Izumi, save Eri.
Those words were what convinced him to work with All for One. The words were stinging and sharp, laced with the sorrow of failure. Nana knew, she knew, that she had failed to save 'little Izumi,' as Nana so fondly called All for One. The failure gnawed at her soul, held in the flames of One for All, and Mirio had wondered idly, since he had received the sword borrowed across generations:
Had Nana become god… or was she trapped in hell? He wasn't sure if the answer was 'yes' to both.
Mirio rolled over and sighed, then decided to try and sleep. He didn't sleep well these days and it wasn't for lack of trying.
Mirio Togata is dreaming, a vivid, lucid dream. He's seen these before… but this one is different.
It is him, standing against Overhaul in that awful pit. He is standing as a ghost and looks down to see that he is wearing his Hero costume. He looks up and sees himself, frozen in his Hero costume as well, and the effect is nauseating and disorienting. This memory is fresh, like a wound still open, and he almost doesn't need Nana's help to remember it perfectly.
"Hello, little Mirio."
Maybe not. Maybe this is something very different, after all.
Mirio turns and sees Nana Shimura herself for the first time. Well, no. He's seen her - seen her pictures - when he discussed in vague terms what was going on with Sir Nighteye and All Might. For some reason, Mirio didn't feel like he wanted to tell them exactly what was going on then, like maybe Nana didn't want him to.
"Or like maybe… I am too ashamed to tell them the truth about what was lost, little Mirio," Nana says, and Mirio frowns as he walks towards her. He is unafraid of Nana Shimura; she may now be the avatar of sorrow and shame, the personification of One for All, the angel of death, but towards him, he feels nothing but love from her.
I'm… I'm sorry, Nana. Can you… tell me, at least, the truth? About what's going on? I wanna help…
Nana smiles and her smile is like the sun. There is a radiant beauty and warmth to this ethereal unreality of the dream of One for All, like it is home and Mirio… He isn't just a visitor here but rather, it feels like he belongs, yet not at the same time. Like he is house sitting for a good friend and, though he is not sure they will ever come home, he feels safe in their home, even if it isn't his home.
The thoughts come unbidden to him as he stands within a meter of Nana, provided by the dream itself in a different voice. Her smile slowly falls. Then she begins to cry.
She cries and cries, then sobs, and reality itself begins to shatter under the weight of her sorrow. Overhaul and All for One and the dream Mirio, Sir Nighteye and Eri: they all fall away in pieces, like broken glass and the pieces of Nana's heart. All that is left is Mirio's consciousness and Nana Shimura, standing together in the starry night of true infinity.
Then, Nana flickers and is replaced by a new person. A new person Mirio has never seen before.
"Togata Mirio," the man says. He is beautiful and feminine, with light-colored hair and a kind face. He is also shorter, wearing a simple long-sleeved t-shirt and pants, but Mirio feels impossible power radiating off of him. "My name is One for All and All for One was my brother. All for One is now my niece. Welcome to our reality."
Mirio frowns, then holds out his right hand. He is unsure how else to introduce himself to someone who knows everything about him. Someone who knows things about him that Mirio will never know because they happened to a version of him that doesn't exist, yet also which exists right now and will exist one day yet soon. Someone who is the personification of power itself, tethered to multiple realities like the thread of hope.
Mirio isn't thinking in his own voice anymore as he shakes One for All's hand. He is thinking in Nana's voice but the effect is pleasant. Her voice is like warm velvet and it feels like love in the back of his mind. He wonders if he will ever experience such a pure love as the love that the vestiges of One for All have for him in that moment again. He hopes that he can share that kind of love with others, one day.
"You won't be able to defeat my niece," One for All says in an idle, quiet voice. "She is the girl without a fate… and you are the boy damned by fate."
Mirio tilts his head, confused and not understanding what One for All means. One for All doesn't smile as he looks out into the starry night, searching for words. The dream provides where One for All cannot, assisted by the other Bearers: Nana Shimura and the vestiges of One for All destroyed little Izumi's fate and now Mirio cannot possibly hope to stand against her because his own fate is fixed while hers is infinite.
She may not know the nature of her fate but her power is overwhelming. Izumi is now true infinity and Mirio wonders if everything he ever knew is doomed. He wonders if anyone could hope to stand against All for One… and, if not, what has even been stopping her so far.
No. I refuse. I will stand up to her to protect the people I love.
One for All turns back to Mirio with a sad expression.
"I know you will, Togata Mirio. Because that is what a Hero would do. And that is what I am afraid of."
And then, like that, Mirio wakes up.