MHA: Whatever Happened to Toga Himiko?

Author's Note: This is a story set many years in the future and doesn't spoil anything from the manga because I've only seen the anime up to the beginning of Season 6. If it does spoil anything beyond that point, it's totally by accident, I swear. Ochako is bisexual and if you stick around until the end there will be fan service.

Morimoto Hana straightened her outfit and double checked the address in her phone to the one on the house. Finding it was correct she walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. It didn't take long for the door to swing open, and a tall man stood looking at her, a bright smile on his face.

"Good day," said the man. "Can I help you?"

"Good day, I'm Morimoto Hana," said Hana, pulling out a business card and handing it to the man. He took it and studied it. "I have an interview scheduled today with Uraraka Ochako."

The man looked over his shoulder. "Ochako," he yelled into the house. "It's the reporter you were expecting."

"One minute!"

"She'll be right over," said the man. He looked back to her and sighed. "You'd think after all these years she'd be better at being on time." He flashed a bright, playful smile. "Women. Always got to put on the right look."

"Appearances are important." said Hana, unsure how to take the man's comment.

The man nodded. "Agreed." He gained a thoughtful expression. "Maybe I should try harder on my appearance too?"

Hana studied the man. Tall, well built for his age with long braided dark hair. He wasn't particularly notable beyond his eyes which were heterochromatic with one green and the other red. She knew from her research that this was Uraraka Kotarou, husband to Uraraka Ochako. No notable facts recorded; beyond that he'd taken his wife's family name. Just a regular guy to be found anywhere.

"Sorry for the wait." A short woman with a bright smile walked into the entryway. Brown hair, brown eyes, dimples for smiling and a well-kept but pleasantly filled out figure. This was her; the famous Pro Hero Uravity who Hana had come to meet. "How do you do?"

"I'm well. No worries, I arrived early," replied Hana. She pulled out a card from her pocket and presented it. "Morimoto Hana, reporter. Thank you for agreeing to this interview on your day off. I know how busy you are as a pro hero."

Uravity flashed her a bright smile. "I'm always happy to answer questions." Her expression became more solemn. "Plus, with the topic pitch you gave me for this interview, I felt like it was something I couldn't refuse." The hero stepped back and gestured inside. "Come on in and get comfortable."

"I'll go get the tea," said Kotarou, kissing Uravity on the cheek and walking out of the room.

The Pro Hero led her to a coffee table with a couch on one side and a pair of soft stuffed chairs on the other. Hana sat in one of the chairs and Uravity took the couch. Taking a quick look around, she saw it was a nice house. Simple, but comfortable. Well lived in and furnished. She turned her attention back to Uravity. Fifty-six years old and still an active Pro Hero specializing in rescue operations. She also worked as an instructor at the Gunhead Martial Arts school. And she was the winner of several Martial Arts competitions, both with and without the use of her Quirk. Her popularity was still high on the charts, and she did a lot of interviews, but no one ever asked her the question Hana wanted to know the answer to.

"Hero Uravity," said Hana. "Thank you for having me. I'm a huge fan." It was the truth. She'd grown up with Uravity merch covering her room. She still had some of it on her desk, and a little figure on her keychain. Would it be appropriate at some time in the interview to ask her to sign her collector's edition Uravity card?

"My pleasure," replied Uravity.

"Would you mind if I recorded the conversation?" asked Hana, pulling out a small recorder.

"Of course not," said Uravity. "Go ahead. But do understand that I can't talk about any ongoing investigations or sensitive information about certain topics. If pressed I will not answer, understood?"

"Thank you. Nothing like that should come up," replied Hana. She turned on the recorder and put it on the table between them. "Zero Gravity Hero Uravity, I was curious if you could talk about a villain you fought in the past." Uravity sat up straighter, her eyes focusing on Hana. "Do you remember Toga Himiko?"

A nod. "I'd never forget her," replied Uravity. "She's been dead for thirty years, but I can still see her at night when I sleep. Why the interest in such an old villain?"

"I'm writing an article on the League of Villains and their ultimate fates in memoriam of the 40th anniversary of their defeat," said Hana. "The details of Toga's defeat have only ever been given in vague reports that are mostly redacted. The only information publicly available is the date she died and that it was in Japan. I realized I needed to find someone who might know the truth."

"So, you came to me."

"In the public eye she was always considered your villain. Would you say that's true?"

A laugh. "I guess that's one way to put it. As much as anyone is anyone else's, I guess. We dealt with each other more frequently and more directly than most heroes and villains do. If you'd asked her, she probably would've said I was her hero."

"And now you're my hero," said Uravity's husband, setting a tray down on a table between them. He poured three cups, handing one to each of them and then took a seat next to his wife.

"Thank you," said Hana. She blew on the tea, the frosty breath of her Quirk cooling it down enough for her to drink. It was good and she said as much. "Do you feel you were the expert on her then?"

A shrug. "I guess? As much as anyone could be." A wistful sigh. "Toga Himiko was a complicated person. We first met when I was a first year at UA when she attacked our training camp. She cut my friend, tried to cut me, and stole some of my blood. That definitely left an impression on me."

"Sounds like an exciting start to your rivalry."

"I'm not sure I'd call it a rivalry," said Uravity. "It was more of an obsession."

"She was obsessed with you?"

A quick flash of a complicated emotion crossed the hero's face. "Yes. As the battles with the League of Villains intensified, we kept meeting again and again."

"Was it terrifying, knowing there was a villain who was obsessed with you like that? One who was a serial killer who consumed blood. That must've been a lot to deal with so young."

A pause. Then, "I wasn't scared of her because of any of that. It was a lot to take in, but mostly I was scared about something else."

"What was that?" asked Hana, her curiosity piqued.

"How excited I was to meet her each time."

That was a surprising answer. "You were, excited? Why?"

"Because of how fascinating and confusing she was as a person. I'd never met someone like her before and haven't since. When we first met it seemed like she could see right through me, and I wanted to do the same."

"You wanted to get to know a villain?" This was not what she'd been expecting to hear, but it made the story much more interesting.

"I did," replied Uravity. "I think it's become a lot more common in recent years to try to understand the villains we apprehend, why they became as they did and how we can fix society to possibly address those issues. I think if Toga Himiko left a mark on society, it was in that way."

"You're contributing a positive trend in society to a villain?"

"In part. Obviously, it was due to more than just her, but her story became a large catalyst for several Quirk Acceptance Laws and abuse statures. I've testified on and supported many of those laws because of my experience with her."

"It seems she had a large impact on you."

A tender smile. "I wouldn't be who I am today without her."

"It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type," said Kotarou with a toothy smile. It turned into a frown. "Like Toga was."

"Did you know Toga Himiko at all?" asked Hana, looking to Kotarou.

He shook his head. "Only stories. I met Ochako long after Toga Himiko had left the villain scene."

"You just said that Toga was the jealous type. What did you mean by that?"

He glanced at his wife. "Well, this is all second hand, but she was the type of person to fixate on others. I've heard stories about how she stalked Ochako. Some of their meetings were accidents. Many weren't. Imagine a villain declaring that they love you. My wife is a saint for not freaking out about that."

"It wasn't quite like that," said Uravity. "We were two teenagers still learning about the world and while we weren't really alike, we both saw something similar in each other and wanted to know more. It wasn't equivalent, but it was mutual."

Hana considered the couple and decided to venture a more personal question. "Uravity is famous for a lot of reasons, but you're also known as one of the first openly Queer pro heroes in Japan. Your interview where you talked about being bisexual was hugely impactful in the community. Did you discover that because of Toga Himiko?"

It had probably been overstepping a boundary, but the reaction she got was worth it. Uravity turned bright red and started stuttering. She also ended up floating a foot above the couch. Next to her, her husband had been drinking his tea. When he heard the question, he immediately started laughing, coughing, and sputtering the liquid for a moment. Uravity glared at him as he stood and walked out of the room, still laughing loudly through gasps.

"Sorry," lied Hana. "That was probably too personal. But there were always rumors going around about the nature of your relationship. Unsubstantiated, of course."

Uravity got her Quirk under control and descended back onto the couch. "It was just unexpected," replied Uravity. "But in a way, yes, she did. Seeing someone loving so freely, talking to her about her crushes and being herself openly, that meant a lot to me. She gave me a new way to look at the world around me. And I wanted to pass that along to others as well."

"It's interesting to hear you talk about her in such terms. Most coverage about her has been negative. Fearful or tragic."

A laugh. "She was someone to be feared. And she had a tragic life. But like all of us, there was more to her than that."

"Interesting," said Hana, taking note of that. She was getting a lot of good material. Building a better idea of who 'Toga Himiko' was. "A little more on track, I was wondering if you would talk about her last days. To help set the record straight of who she really was."

"I'll tell you what I can remember, it's not like I can ever forget what happened. What would you like to know?"

Hana thought for a moment. "I guess with the fact that Toga Himiko was the only League of Villains member not captured or killed in the final showdown with the League. Her death was reported as ten years after that. What was she doing that entire time?"

"Probably lots of drugs and orgies," said Kotarou with a big smile, sitting back down next to Uravity.

The hero glared at her husband for a moment before refocusing on Hana. "That period of activity is mostly unknown. There were few rumors or sightings. She didn't commit any major crimes or kill anyone."

"That we know of."

Uravity sent another glare to Kotarou. Then she was back to smiles towards Hana. "I met her only five times in that entire period, two of those times she was in disguise, and I only found out after the fact."

"She visited you in disguise?" asked Hana

Uravity nodded. "The first was my graduation ceremony from UA. She attended disguised as a janitor from the school. Luckily, she only knocked him out and took a small bit of blood, nothing serious. The second time wasn't in disguise, although I think that's because she just didn't expect to get caught. It was two years later. Toga had snuck into my apartment and left a note, but I came home early and caught her."

"A note?"

"A love letter," said Kotarou. "Makes me jealous just thinking about it."

"It was a goodbye," said Uravity, ignoring him. "She was leaving for somewhere overseas, she didn't tell me where, but I'd later learn it was the United States."

"Did you fight her?"

The hero shook her head. "No, that time didn't come to blows. We talked, and she left before I could do anything. Toga wasn't just a master of disguise. She was also agile and able to escape from almost any restraints that weren't rock solid. If you lost sight of her, then that was it. She could suppress her presence so no one without a special Quirk could find her."

Hana frowned. "Is that a part of her Quirk as well?"

Uravity shook her head. "No, just a skill she developed." She went silent for a moment and steepled her fingers together. "I think it had to do with her past. Being a criminal on the run can help lead to such skills, but she was so successful as a villain because she'd already mastered those skills before ever becoming one."

"As a civilian?" asked Hana. "How does that happen?"

"By having to hide your true self," replied Uravity. A sigh. "To some degree it's something we all do. But for Toga Himiko it was a survival mechanism. She had to do it to fit into normal society. With the blood-based Quirk she had, and her own unique personality she was everything considered abnormal. It wasn't an environment friendly to her. So, as long as she inhabited it, she needed to hide. To pretend to be someone she wasn't. That is why she was so good at being a villain. Society shaped her into the ultimate weapon."

While she'd been talking, Kotarou had taken her hand and given it a reassuring squeeze. When she was done speaking, she smiled at him and did the same.

Hana processed what she'd just been told. "That's a pretty harsh critique of society. Do you think Toga doesn't bear any responsibility for her actions?"

"Of course she does," said Kotarou, frowning.

"Understanding doesn't necessarily mean forgiveness," said Uravity. "And forgiveness doesn't mean abdication of responsibility. What she did is her actions. It's our job to understand why and change the world to prevent it from happening again."

"That's a good point," said Hana, writing that down. That quote alone might move the article. Stick it at the top of the expose about the League of Villains. A perfect quote to introduce the piece. Her editor would be pleased. "You said you met her three more times after that?"

A nod. "Correct. Police were unable to track her movements into and through the United States, but it seems she moved around a lot. While there she fell in with a newly forming crime syndicate which wanted to expand into Japan. Six years after she'd left Japan, they sent her back into the country in disguise and she started to set up their new branch office. It was a shell corporation pretending to provide medical goods and services while facilitating drug manufacturing and running. From recreational drugs to Quirk suppressants. They had a villain who had studied the notes of several defeated science villains and synthesized their work. She was possibly one of the biggest threats in the world after the fall of the League."

"You're talking about the infamous Doctor Butterfly?" asked Hana.

"I am," replied Uravity. "Despite the name, she was cruel, cunning, and brought death everywhere with her. The third time I met Toga was on a bust of one of their warehouses. We fought, but the warehouse had been rigged to explode in case of heroes breaching it." Her expression clouded over. "I only survived because Toga pushed me out of the way. She…she was heavily injured in the blast. When I recovered, it was to find that some goons had taken her with them and fled."

"But why did she save you?" asked Hana. "She was your enemy and a villain. You were trying to arrest her."

"I wondered the same thing," replied Uravity. "After it happened, I was unsure if she was dead or alive, and I couldn't help but ask, why? I needed to talk to her again, and I hate to admit it, but I became obsessed with finding her."

Kotarou spoke up at that moment. "From what Izuku told me, your friends had to force you to take a day off."

Uravity laughed. "They did. Mina and Toru came to my apartment, dressed me up in nice clothes and took me out for a girl's night." Her smile faded. "It was that night I met Toga the fourth time. A woman came on to me at the bar and I was pretty desperate at the time, so I let her keep me company. As she left in the morning, she said goodbye. It was only once she was out the door that I realized who she was."

"Toga Himiko." This was some juicy material. Hana knew she wasn't going to include it or even tell her editor, but it helped paint the picture of events in her mind. She was starting to understand who Toga Himiko was. Who Uravity had been to her, and vice versa. Her wildest fangirl dream conversation. "What happened next?"

"We found their hideout and confronted them," said Uravity. "Doctor Butterfly and Toga were there. Along with a bunch of super soldiers she'd created in experiments. It was rough and nasty. Some of the greatest heroes in the country were pushed to the brink. Inevitably I found myself drawn to Toga and we fought. I was so focused on dealing with her that I had to be informed of the ongoing events later."

Hana leaned forward in her seat. "Did you get the answers you were looking for?"

"In a way. See, the reason we'd been able to find the hideout had been information from Toga that she'd leaked. She'd been a spy the entire time, given passage out of the country all those years previously in exchange for infiltrating and informing on the crime syndicate. While we were attacking the hideout, a dozen other operations were being carried out internationally. All because of Toga Himiko. While we fought, she told me a lot of things."

"But wait," asked Hana, confused. "If she was a spy, why was she still fighting you?"

A shrug. "I think she wanted to prove something. I apologize if I gave the wrong impression of knowing everything about her thoughts and motives, but there's some things I just don't know. This was one of them."

Hana nodded at that. She had gotten that impression, but she realized if she'd learned anything during this conversation, it's how complicated the woman they'd been talking about was. "This was where Toga Himiko died, correct?"

"It was," replied Uravity. Hana saw her squeeze her husband's hand tightly. "The super soldiers were defeated, but Doctor Butterfly activated a device or something. The ground split open and Toga fell into the gap." A grimace. "She reached out for me, wanted me to take her hand. I was too slow; I couldn't catch her. She plummeted to her death, and there was nothing I could do to save her except watch the end of Toga Himiko."

It was this moment that the tears finally came through. It was surreal, watching her childhood hero crying over the death of a villain. Her husband put a comforting hand on her back and rubbed it to help her calm down. When the tears had finally stopped, Hana stood and bowed deeply to the hero.

"Thank you so much for telling me all of this," said Hana, feeling emotional herself. "I swear I'll use your words to give justice to the life of Toga Himiko."

She straightened and saw a bright smile. "I'm sure you will." Uravity held out her hand to her. "Thank you for coming to talk to me."

"It's been an honor."

After exchanging some more parting pleasantries, and asking about that autograph, Hana walked excitedly out of the house and down the street. She'd been given the interview and story of the year. She knew it. So many questions buzzed in her head. What did it mean to be a villain? A hero? She didn't have the answers, but she thought that writing this article could give her the answers. She could hardly wait to get to work.

Ochako finished off her now cool tea, swallowed it and let out a deep breath. Morimoto seemed like a nice young woman. The childish look on her face when Ochako had given her her autograph had been adorable. Kotarou had offered to give his, but the woman had politely declined. Ochako giggled, thinking about her partner's pout at the slight. And also, how disappointed Morimoto would be if she only knew what had just happened. Regardless, the whole ordeal had been emotionally taxing and she was looking forward to a nice calm night.

"You done talking and thinking about your ex?" asked Kotarou from behind her. "You ready to pay me some attention?"

"I pay you plenty of attention," laughed Ochako. She turned around and was shocked to see him running right at her from across the room. She braced herself as Kotarou jumped, mass slogging off him in a muddy slurry, and then caught Himiko as she landed in her arms. Naked.

"My hero!" said Himiko with a bright smile, throwing her right arm around Ochako's neck and kissing her on the cheek. The hero felt her face burning with embarrassment. "I knew you cared! You always catch me after all."

"Of course I do," said Ochako, sighing. "Sorry if any of that was hard to listen to earlier. I know you said I could tell her your story, but that got more personal than I'd planned."

"Eh," said Himiko, dismissively. "She seemed like a nice kid. I'm sure she'll write something nice." A predatory smile. "And if she doesn't…"

"You'll do nothing," said Ochako, firmly. "Like a good girl."

Himiko mock saluted her with her left arm, only a short portion from below the elbow still intact. "Yes ma'am! Woof woof!" They both broke into peals of laughter. She started to carry her partner down the hall to their room. Another hungry smile. "Oh? You going to teach me a lesson this early in the day?"

Ochako smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to get you some clothes and we can eat a nice dinner without you catching a cold."

"Boring."

"Then after dinner," it was Ochako's turn to give a hungry smile. "Then I can teach you a lesson."

"Yay!" Himiko waved her arms around in the air, almost causing Ochako to drop her.

Ochako laughed to herself as she put Himiko down gently on the bed. Even after all these years she hadn't lost the playful part of her personality that had eventually endeared Ochako to her. Himiko lounged naked on the bed, her similarly amputated right leg kicking through the air, as Ochako started to pick through her clothes for something comfortable to wear. And easy to take off.

"Thank you," said Himiko from the bed.

"For what?" asked Ochako, not turning around.

"For being my biggest supporter."

"I wish I'd been there for you sooner. You spent ten years alone."

"You might not have been there psychically, but you were in my mind the entire time." A pause. "Do you remember what you told me when I left the country?"

"I do," replied Ochako, picking out a shirt and tossing it over her shoulder to Himiko. "You told me you were leaving, but wouldn't tell me where or for how long. I told you that I would be there when you returned. To take care of you."

A laugh. "You meant it in all senses. That honesty and conviction allowed me to keep going. I finally had someone to return to, who was waiting for me. It didn't matter what form that would eventually take."

Ochako picked out a simple skirt, turned and brought it over to Himiko. The woman presented her naked bottom half, a very tempting sight, and while she lay there, Ochako put it on her. "You motivated me in the same way. Waiting was tough. And If I'd known what the Commission was making you do, the blackmail and danger…"

Another kiss on her cheek. "It's all in the past," said Himiko, whispering in her ear. "They're gone and we're here together." Himiko sprung off the bed and twirled around on one leg, her balance still impressive all these years later, showing off her simple outfit. "Plus, now I get to spend my days married to you and as a composite of my favorite people." She counted on her fingers. "Izuku, Tsu, Stainy, Jin…"

Ochako brought over Himiko's leg, and she put it on, stabilizing her stance. "I have mixed feelings about the experiments you had to go through to develop your abilities like this."

"I count them as a blessing," said Himiko. She was all smiles. Honest, toothy ones. "I thought I'd lost these memories of Jin when he'd passed, but knowing that my body was able to remember," she swallowed and took a deep breath. Her words full of emotion, "that meant everything to me. I get to be him every day."

"From what you told me, he'd be happy to know you can."

Himiko laughed. "He'd be happy I'm happy, but he'd probably freak out to see a guy with sorta his face and body right in front of him. He'd be like, 'ah! They've come to finish the job!'" More laughter. "He'd also probably go, 'I look good with Tsu's hair and Izuku and Stain's eyes."

Ochako leaned in and kissed Himiko. "You look good as anyone. Yourself included."

Another toothy smile. "You sure we need to eat dinner? Bed's right there."

Ochako lightly slapped the back of her head. "Yes," she said with a laugh. "Now come on. Food now. Bed later."

"Yes ma'am! Woof woof!"

End Note: Thank you for reading. This story was inspired by the comic book "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?". Let me know how long it took you to figure out the twist. Here's the original joke that I made right after having the concept for this fic. I cut it because it utterly ruined the tone of the fic once I'd actually finished it:

"As Ochako's husband I'm not sure I appreciate you asking all these questions about her ex-" He was cut off with a grunt as Uravity's elbow quickly jabbed him, "-villain. No matter how sex-" another grunt, "mysterious her disappearance."