A Logical Deception

Nothing strong can be built on a foundation of lies and omissions.

― Isabel Allende

Meetings like this should have been held with shadowed figures, the air filled with cigarette smoke, in the backroom of a seedy bar, as far as Aizawa was concerned. Instead, he was sitting in a brightly lit, well decorated and ventilated conference room in one of the most public buildings in Japan, the Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice. He'd even had to comb his hair and put it in a ponytail and put on a damned suit and tie for this. It was the sort of semi-ironic humor that he enjoyed. Well, that, and dumb puns. He wondered if Fukukado would have found it amusing. Probably. She thought everything was hilarious.

"We're here today to discuss the events in Kamino last week, as I'm sure you're all well aware," the Minister of Justice said, some government toady that Aizawa had never bothered to learn the name of. "And what the implications for the future are."

"Oh cut the bullshit," Aizawa sighed. "I don't want to be here all day. You want to serve my students up like a bunch of suckling pigs, right?"

The Minister shifted uncomfortably in his seat, shuffling his papers and not meeting Aizawa's eyes.

"Straight and to the point, aren't you, Eraserhead?" one of the small time flunkies asked. "I'd tread carefully. We could just decide to lock all your students up. That one who lead the charge, what's his name? Midoriya? Why, he's even quirkless. What's someone like him doing in a hero program? Should we be discussing an investigation of UA's program?"

Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he looked at the greasy grin of the underminister. He glanced at the name plate. Hanabata. That didn't ring any bells. He was just a minor functionary.

"I'd personally be on board with more than a slap on the wrist for these kids," Aizawa said, lacing his fingers together and trying very hard to not deck the snot-nosed idiot who was grinning at him. "They should face serious consequences for what they've done. And you're free to investigate our program. Midoriya is one of the most qualified young men I've ever had the pleasure of teaching, and I think his actions at Kamino more than bear out his inclusion in my course. Legality of those actions notwithstanding."

"Aizawa," Nezu said quietly, putting a paw on his arm. "Calm down."

"Why should I be calm?" Aizawa demanded, glaring at his boss. "You're just as ready to offer these kids up to the vultures in the media as the rest of them."

"There's a reason for that, woof," Tsuragamae said, taking his spectacles off his snout. "They did the impossible. All For One. A bunch of high schoolers took down All For One. That should have been impossible, woof. The best heroes for a hundred years tried to do that to no success. He's defeated literal armies."

"He's weakened," Aizawa argued. "Wounded. He nearly died in his battle with all Might five years ago."

"And yet it is All Might who is dying now," Nezu said, bringing even Aizawa up short. The room quieted, and everyone considered just why they were meeting here.

Swallowing, Aizawa forced himself to ask the question on everyone's mind. "How long?"

"It could be a year," Sir Nighteye, All Might's former sidekick, blessed with the power of the oracle, answered. "It could be months. But I have foreseen it: he will die of this wound, and he will never be able to perform his role as a pro hero again. But he does not have much time."

"Is there no hope?" the Minister of Justice asked, his voice trembling.

Nighteye shook his head. "He's stuck in his weakened form permanently now. He won't even be able to make a televised appearance for a week or more, even then he'll be confined to a wheelchair. Besides, what would be the point? The public has seen through the charade we've constructed these past five years."

"What about Endeavor?" Aizawa asked. "Where is he? He's the new Number 1. Make him your media darling."

"That's an untenable solution, and you know it," the Minister sighed. "The public will never rally behind a man who is so feared and hated."

"What of the boy, Mirio Togata?" Hanabata asked. "He possesses a strong quirk, is charming, and already has hundreds of fans from his victories at the Sports Festival and over Stain. He'd be preferable to a quirkless boy and a collection of young unknowns."

"It's not enough. We pin our hopes on Togata and we'll wind up right back where we started, woof," Tsuragamae pointed out. "All Might buckled under the pressure eventually. He will too."

"He's not the only young hopeful at UA. He's got two strong classmates, Hado and Amajiki," Aizawa argued. "They're better prepared than 1A."

"Hado and Amajiki are strong, but their personalities do not suit them well to being shoved into the spotlight," Nezu sighed. "Hado is prone to, shall we say, verbal missteps, while Amajiki is so petrified of cameras he wouldn't even participate in the Sports Festival. They're not a good option to help Togata right now."

"Then give me time," Aizawa growled. "They're kids still. Midoriya and Shinso haven't even officially joined the hero program yet. Let me train them this year, give the media a few interviews, and next year we can push them out into the field. They're not ready, dammit!"

"Crime is up 10% in the past week," Tsuramae said quietly, his voice a low, worried rumble. "A man calling himself Re-Destro has surfaced, woof, and the Meta Liberation Army appears to be rapidly reforming around him, almost as if they were waiting for All For One and All Might to be out of the picture. Yakuza groups are becoming active in ways they haven't in generations. We don't have a year."

"People are scared and worried, Aizawa," Nezu said quietly. "This is what we train young heroes for. Give me your honest opinion: Can they handle it?"

Aizawa would hate himself for the rest of his life for the answer he was forced to give, through clenched teeth: "Yes. They can. They're the most promising group of heroes I've ever worked with. They have the skills, the drive, and the moral compass that true heroes need. I've known they were something special, but…"

"Then it's settled then," the Minister said. "Mirio Togata, along with Class 1A will be our replacement for All Might." Only Hanabata looked upset, but he quickly schooled his expression to that of a syncopathic smile.

"There's a few things we'll have to take care of," Tsuragamae pointed out. "They did break the law by being there, woof. I'm not out to get them for it, but it is an issue if this is the narrative we're going to push."

"A simple fix. We shall simply claim they were there as interns," Nighteye said. "Several of them had worked with some of the pros there, so it won't even be that much of a lie."

"That's a bad foot to start off on," Aizawa objected. "And it will only reinforce their propensity for rule breaking."

"Then you'll have to train them out of it, and fast," the Minister ordered. "Nezu, your job will be media management. You have to make UA look good, understand?"

"That won't be hard. People were upset about the USJ incident, but if we reveal that Togata was the one to defeat the nomu and release the footage, they'll be too excited to worry about it," Nezu said, scribbling something down on his paper pad.

Aizawa ground his teeth. He hated the media, and this was going to turn into a circus. Still, there was nothing to be done. He had warned his kids, or at least tried too, what the dangers of this job were. They'd all seen it first hand, at the USJ, and then at the training camp. They'd gone in anyway, like heroes.

They were up for this. They had to be.

After the meeting, Aizawa said his goodbyes and shuffled out of the room. Absently, he tried to think of what to do for his students, and how he could prepare him for the nightmare that awaited them. He'd have to scare them straight, somehow.

He made for the stairs, wincing as he descended. He'd taken some hits himself at the training camp. The doctors had ordered him on bedrest, and he'd rewatched a few of his favorite anime series. He supposed he'd do that again when he got home, he was too worn out to really think straight. A comedy would do him good. Should he watch Lucky Star, or Konosuba?

"Hey, you! Why the long face? Don't tell me, you're developing a horse quirk! Haha!"

Aizawa suppressed a smile, keeping his face neutral as he looked up to see Fukukado leaning in through one of the doors above him, a wide grin on her face as she peered down. It wouldn't do for her to realize he actually found her little quips entertaining. "What are you doing here? Surely you didn't come all this way just to bother me."

"No, I came for a date! Why don't we skip the foreplay, and just get married though?" Fukukado laughed, entering into the stairwell.

"I think I'd rather fight the League of Villains again," Aizawa sighed.

Emi's jolly exterior cracked for a moment, concern wiping away her smile. She hurried down the stairs to where Aizawa stood. "I was worried about you, when I heard. How are your kids? I heard about Midoriya. Lost an arm. That's hard."

"He's alive," Aizawa said grimly. "And so are Hatsume and All Might. Despite the idiocy of my students." He turned to continue stubbornly down the stairs, but he didn't make it very far until Fukukado caught up to him.

She slipped his arm over her shoulders, and despite himself he found that he had to lean on her slightly. "I was just here to register my own students for their license exam. The same one we always go to. I was looking forward to our date afterwards. This was finally going to be the year YOU bought the drinks, you know! But then your students had to go and beat All For One! Geeze, guess I lucked out, huh?"

"It's not a date, it's a professional reflection time where we go over teaching strategies and discuss possible joint training exercises," Aizawa said. Inwardly, he winced. He looked forward to seeing Fukukado for those sessions, though he'd never admit it. She needed someone who could bring the same joy into her life she gave to others. Not an old sourpuss like him.

"Pfff, break a girls heart why don't you. Why are you taking the stairs anyway, shouldn't you just take the elevator? You're clearly injured. And they say I'm the funny one, ha!"

"I need to build my strength back up somehow. They're going to throw my kids to the wolves as All Might's replacements. Someone's going to have to try to protect them," Aizawa said.

Fukukado paused, looking up at Aizawa, shock etched in every line of her face. Then she laughed, slapping her knees. "You made a joke! As if anyone would be dumb enough to have a bunch of first years try to replace All Might! Ha!"

"Emi."

She stopped, fear replacing humor. "Shota, you're not joking, are you? Oh my God. But they're just kids…"

"You know what's happening. You're not as dumb as you act. How far from the brink are we?" Aizawa demanded.

Fukukado winced, a haunted look entering her eyes. "We're closer now to the Time of Chaos than we've been since All Might arrived. Even All For One's power base has collapsed... The old order has vanished, and there's nothing holding up society. But...they're just kids. Good kids, I'm sure, and you're a great teacher, but…" She trailed off, swallowing and taking Aizawa's weight again.

"But we're out of options," Aizawa admitted. "They saved my life at the USJ, and again at the training camp. They're strong, Emi. And talented. The best I've ever seen. In ten years, they would have gotten to this point anyway. I just wish I could have protected them for a little longer."

Fukukado nodded. "Well. I guess I'll have to buy you drinks some other time. Sounds like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Well, maybe we should have our little conference. It'd be good to have someone else to bounce ideas off of. Just as long as you promise to take things seriously for once," Aiazawa said.

Fukukado laughed. "When have I ever done that! That's YOUR job! But sure, I'll buy you drinks. On one condition?"

"And what's that?"

"Marry me!"

"Not a chance."

"Ah well, worth a try. But Shota?"

"Yes?"

"Try to smile. If not for me, then for the kids. After all, All Might's gone. We'll have to make our own smiles for now."

Aizawa nodded, forcing a tight grin on his lips. "Yeah. But I'm afraid 1A won't have much to smile about for a long time."