Chapter 53: Future Changing

The nightmares came again.

"Why didn't you come sooner?" Eri cried, blood leaking from long, deep cuts on her arms and legs. She tried to walk toward him, hand outstretched. He was frozen in place, stiff with terror. "Why didn't you come back for me?" she demanded, but she was taller now, her hair darker…she had transformed into his little sister, Akane.

"Why didn't you come back for me?" Akane repeated, looking angrier and angrier. Doko couldn't move. "I…" he tried to say. "I…" I don't know! I don't know what to do!

Along with her arm and leg cuts, blood leaked from her head as well. The gashes grew larger and larger and redder and redder, until they had spilled over her body entirely and were now filling his vision, and they grew dark, like seams, openings in reality, and Doko looked into the mouth of madness and saw the things crawling down there once again, like maggots in a deeply infected wound. They whispered up at him foul things, and fouler, and fouler.

I have to wake up. I have to wake! UP!

Images flashed before him. A glowing baby in a crib. A mother holding a different baby, a shadow over her face. "It's not a disease," the mother said in a soft voice, smiling down over her child. "It's just a little…quirk."

He saw two brothers with grey hair, one standing over the other with a grim smile, forcibly pressing his palm against the other's face, passing some strange dark energy between them. The other brother tried to fight, but could do nothing.

Doko gasped in-dream. I recognize that grin!

The man turned toward him, still smiling, looking directly at him. His eyes were cold and inhuman.

Doko felt fear seize him, and suddenly he was being swept sideways, retreating as far as he could from that strange, unsettling scene. He was moving down a line of people. Men, heroes. All with a different colored glow, until he passed a muscular woman with dark hair, and then something very bright and yellow…

He stopped short, looking directly into some very familiar green eyes. When they looked back, they widened. They recognized each other.

Doko yelped, and awoke in a cold sweat.

He blinked, looking around Mina's room, taking in the cool air. The dark blue of the nighttime and the pink decorations clashed together to cast everything in a strange grey light.

He passed his hands over his face and sighed softly, leaning against the headboard. Next to him, Mina stirred, blinking slowly and smacking her mouth. In the darkness, her golden eyes glowed. "Whassamatter?" she murmured, not sitting up.

Doko frowned. "I've been having troubling dreams. I think it's just because of the battle with the yakuza."

"Oh…" Mina cooed, scooting forward and wrapping her arms around him. "What happens in them? I'm here if you want to talk…"

"I'm…" Doko stared at the opposite wall, quiet. "I'm not sure…they fade as quickly as they come…" He knew he'd seen his sister, and Eri, and some other things…but they were already nothing but a hazy memory. He'd recognized at least two other people in the dream, one right before he'd woken up…who had it been?

Mina leaned over to the bedside table and pressed the home button on her phone, checking the time. "It's still four in the morning. We have a little while longer." She put her arms around him again, pulling him down into the lying position. "It's warm like this, huh? Sleep, Doko. I'm right here with you." Her eyes were already heavy and closing, snuggled up against him and breathing softly.

Doko relaxed a second later, returning her cuddling and letting himself drift off. The rest of the night went on by soundlessly.

…

There was a very strange air over UA that morning. Not just among Class A themselves, but the whole school.

Not for the first time, crowds of protesters and reporters now stood outside the UA campus, beyond the barrier. Their noise was like a distant faraway rumble, a buzzing that annoyed the edge of one's ears.

Meanwhile, inside the school itself, all was oddly hushed. As Doko, Mina, Toru, and Shoji walked to class together, students in other groups gave them stares and whispers as they passed.

Everyone had seen the news report. It had now spread over the whole country. For those outside UA and outside the hero circles, it was a breach of trust, an outbreak of outrage. How could UA have let a traitor slip through and cause so much trouble? And why were they continuing to be quiet? Where was the statement from the principal, the board of directors? What about the students who were now stuck at UA's dorm system, apart from their parents?

For the students themselves, things had changed as well. Class 1A, who had been the "trouble class" for months, resented by some and idolized by others, now had a reason for all the trouble. It was now understood why villains had always attacked Class A: Class A had been home to the traitor.

Doko was at least somewhat aware that he was one of the "faces" of Class A; that is, someone from the class that everyone knew about. Since he had won the sports festival, whenever people thought of his class, he was one of the first people thought of. Does that give me a duty to set an example of some sort?

He couldn't help but wonder such a thing as he walked with his friends to the next lesson, as people gaped and whispered at them.

The vibe within the class itself was somber and detached, after yesterday's revelations. No one really knew what to say, even those who had said things the previous evening. Kirishima and Jirou seemed particularly withdrawn.

It was the period before lunch, and Midnight had briefly stepped out of the room to answer a summons. The class was alone with themselves in the classroom.

Ojiro snapped his fingers, as if coming to a realization. "I just realized…the Sports Festival!"

"Hmm?" Toru asked, leaning in. "What are you talking about?"

"Kaminari…when we both got brainwashed by Shinso for the cavalry battle. I was the one who decided to drop out of the final tournament. I thought of it first, but then Kaminari jumped on my idea and said he would too. I only just realized…it's because he didn't want to draw any attention to himself! He didn't want to get into the finals and into the public eye…"

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Jiro muttered weakly.

"And at final exams, too!" Sero put in, ignoring her, leaning into the conversation. "He tried to fail us both on purpose! He wanted to be kept away from the training camp because he knew the attack was coming!"

Jiro opened her mouth again to say something, but Iida spoke up first. "I believe you two ought to be quiet," he told them.

Sero appeared to want to say something else, but he nodded and leaned back, conceding. Ojiro, however, looked annoyed. "What, are we just not supposed to talk about it? As if that will make it go away?"

"Talking might help you and others, but for some people it only harms," spoke up Momo from the back of the room. "Can't you see you're upsetting her?"

Jiro looked back at Momo with a wide-eyed blush. "I…I'm okay…it's fine…"

"It's not fine!" she said sharply. "They are being inconsiderate of your feelings-"

"Really, Yaomomo, I appreciate the help, but I don't need you to protect me either."

Momo recoiled, as if offended. Her face had grown a bit red as well. "I'm not trying to-"

Doko looked back at Iida as the argument grew more heated. The class rep was looking back and forth, as if lost. He doesn't know what to do. He…

I need to step up.

"Why don't we all calm down?" Doko suggested, and everyone turned to look at him. "Being standoffish about this is not going to help anyone but the villains."

Jiro looked at him with almost dead eyes. "That's frustratingly pragmatic," she muttered. "It's easy to stay calm now when you already knew about it for weeks."

Mina opened her mouth in indignation, as if she meant to defend him, but he placed a hand over hers.

Doko narrowed his eyes. "Which is exactly why I know the following: time heals all wounds. Talking might help, staying silent might help, but ultimately time is the healer. This is the first day, and the worst. Everything seems bad right now because it's fresh. I'm not telling you to skip straight to acceptance, but do remember to look to the future. A future we'll all work toward, where this situation will be behind us and we've become better." He hadn't meant to make a speech, to incur the attention of everyone in the room, but now he had. They were all looking at him with wonder.

"At least…" he said more quietly, averting his eyes and leaning back. "That's what I think, anyway…"

"I agree," Midoriya said, more loudly. "As someone who got a good look at the real Kaminari…I think the worst thing we can do right now is take out our grief on others. In the middle of battle, he took advantage of an argument between Mr. Aizawa and me…he electrocuted us both and escaped. Our opponents want us divided. That's what the reporters out there don't get."

After a moment of silence, a few other people murmured their assent.

"Thanks, Midoriya," muttered Kirishima. "And Katayama, too."

Iida leaned back into his chair as if in relief. Jiro and Momo exchanged another loaded glance before turning away.

Uraraka remained silent at the back of the room, a shadow over her face.

At that moment, Midnight walked back in, and class continued until the lunch bell rang.

…

Doko ended up at the back of the lunch line, and was the last of the group to arrive at their usual table. He sat down between Mina and Tokoyami, while Sero spoke animatedly from the opposite side.

"...It's no coincidence that Tokoyami has joined up with us! Every loner will need allies now more than ever!" the tape user was babbling.

Tsuyu rolled her eyes. "You're delusional, ribbit."

"What are we talking about?" Doko asked.

Toru snorted. "Our dear friend Sero, who is very intelligent, was offering up an explanation for Tokoyami beginning to sit with us and joining our group chat."

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here," Tokoyami muttered, leaning over his food. "Also, I do not put friendships into such detached terms like allies."

"It does seem like the kind of thing you would do, though," Doko pointed out.

"That's…beside the point."

Mina groaned. "Tokoyami's here because Shoji invited him. And Shoji invited him because they're friends. And they're friends because of how alike they are. Like Toru and me!"

"Aww," Hagakure cooed.

"But that's exactly my point," said Sero, leaning in over his tray.

"Dude, chill with the crazy eyes. I'm shivering with terror," Doko told him plainly.

"Shut up for a second! I'm telling you, this group we have here is the biggest hodgepodge. The catch-em-all, if you will. You have the cool silent types in Shoji and Tokoyami…"

"Thank you," both Shoji and Tokoyami said at the same time.

"...then the bubbly types with Ashido and Hagakure, and then you have us blunt, dry types! Me, Katayama, and Tsu!"

"Okay, but what does all this achieve, exactly?" Doko asked.

"It's part of my Unified Friend-group Quadrant Theory. That in any given class of about twenty students, four groups will be created. One group of the more confident kids, another group of the more studious kids on the opposite of the coin, a third group that is more of a melting pot such as ours, and finally, the loners."

"So…you've placed all of our class into one of these four categories? Ribbit."

"Of course!" Sero whipped around to look at Tsu at lightning speed. "Have you seen the Dekusquad? Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki. They were joined at the hip before the work studies started up! Not so much anymore, but still…"

"Of course I know about that," Tsuyu replied dryly. "They're my close friends too, almost as close as you guys. Would you count me out of the…what did you call it? The Dekusquad? I like to talk to everyone. And so do Mina and Toru, the social butterflies. Why must we group things together arbitrarily?"

"For the sake of organization," Sero answered, tapping his forehead. "And yes, I see your point, as the second group is one that I myself have some overlap with, as well as Ashido. The Bakusquad. Bakugo, Kirishima, Sato, and now Jiro, who's been hanging out with them recently."

"But Jiro also hangs out with Yaomomo," Doko put in, chewing. "At least, they did before that little spat in the classroom earlier."

"Let me finish," said Sero. "If Kaminari were still here…"

"Oh, joy," Toru muttered.

"...and wasn't actually a traitor…"

Shoji sighed and used a spare arm to rub his eyes.

"...then he too would be in the Bakusquad. However, now he is gone. And everyone in class is realizing the relevance of attaching themselves to a group. Jiro is drifting away from Yaoyorozu and toward the group where Kaminari would have been."

"I see," Tokoyami muttered. "It is an explanation of social behavior. So does this mean that Jiro no longer qualifies for loner status?"

"Wait." Doko looked at the bird boy side-eyed. "Please don't tell me you're buying this nonsense. You were supposed to be one of the smart ones."

Sero snapped his fingers. "That's correct, my feathered friend! And now that you're here, you don't qualify either!"

"So even though Jiro and Yaomomo hung out as a pair, sort of, and hung out with us girls as well, they still counted as loners?" Mina asked.

"Right. And Yaoyorozu still counts."

Mina frowned. "I'm confused."

"Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Koda, and Ojiro are the remaining loners in the class. In my theory, the loners either remain in that quadrant, join a group, or form their own group, which is incredibly unlikely."

Tsuyu's eyes widened.

"Wait, no," said Doko, noticing. "No, no. Don't come to a realization. Please."

"The four people you just mentioned are the ones who most often take their meals inside the classroom instead of coming here, ribbit," Tsu said. "So, the cafeteria is the main factor of the theory. It all relies on the cafeteria."

Sero gasped. "You're onto something!"

"Why are you guys like this?" Toru complained. "Just talk to whoever you want to talk to…dammit!"

"Well done with the curse word," Doko said. "You sounded like Bakugo."

"That seems all very sad to me," muttered Shoji. "Ojiro and I have had several conversations in the past, and I think he would enjoy eating with us."

"Maybe invite him, then?" Mina suggested. "He probably doesn't want to intrude."

"Same with Koda," Doko put in sadly. "Even if he wanted to hang out, he's just so timid. As for Aoyama…that guy's an enigma. I think he just eats in the classroom because the cafeteria food upsets his stomach or something."

There was a strange buzz in the cafeteria.

Mina noticed it first, turning around and looking at the other tables, where people were murmuring, looking down at their phones, gasping to each other.

She turned back, and checked her own phone. She went to her social media and then looked at trending, and gasped.

Doko leaned sideways. "What is it?"

The headline read as follows.

ULTIMATUM DELIVERED: UA CULTURE FESTIVAL CANCELLED, SCHOOL TO CLOSE AT THE END OF YEAR IF LEAGUE OF VILLAINS STILL AT LARGE

Doko went pale. "Uhh…"

The wave of sound was growing louder and louder. More and more people beginning to talk in the same tone about the same thing that they were all seeing. The light of individual phones dotting the landscape.

"What?" Sero leaned forward. "What is it?"

Toru had just checked her phone. "Oh, my god," she gasped.

A loud second year had stood up in a different part of the cafeteria, and was shouting at people. The volume level was reaching fever pitch.

Shoji cringed and backed himself against the booth, turning his limbs inward. "What's going on?" he asked.

"UA…" Tokoyami breathed, looking at his own phone. "It's…closing?"

"Huh? Let me see!" Sero got his phone out of his pocket at lightning speed. "Uhh…oh, what? It's closing if…if we don't catch the League before the end of the year…fuck's sake, Tokoyami, don't scare me like that. I thought you meant it was closing right now."

"I think we should still be scared though…" Tsu muttered, looking out over the increasing chaos.

"What? Speak up!"

"We should still be scared, ribbit!"

"But we can catch the League before the end of the year!"

"Can we?"

"Who decided this, anyway?" Toru asked loudly, having trouble over the din of the cafeteria. "Who 'delivered the ultimatum'?"

"It's an official statement from Nezu," Mina answered, still looking down at her phone. "From the principal himself. This is real."

…

An assembly was called on the campus grounds, with all the classes standing in formation. Unlike the assembly at the start of term, where everyone had been perky and obedient and bright-eyed, this one was filled with mutters and shifting around, restless.

Nezu laid out the facts. The festival was cancelled. All work studies had been cancelled. Parents would have the opportunity to pull their children out of the school if necessary, but for those who stayed, dorm restrictions would be tightened for safety.

And of course, the school would be closing if the League was still at large by the end of the year.

At this announcement, some students, mostly second and third-years, actually dared to shout questions up at Nezu.

"Why is the League the school's problem?"

"What about our education? Do we have to transfer high schools or something?"

"Who even decided this?"

"It was not my decision," Nezu said, answering that question immediately amidst the storm. "The Board of Directors have made it."

"Is that supposed to appease the reporters and protesters?! They're still out there, you know!"

"I cannot speak to their intentions. I am only reporting the facts as they stand. We are currently working on, first of all, a solution to the League issue. We are also working on solutions in case the school does end up closed. Ways you will all continue your higher education. But make no mistake…" Nezu narrowed his eyes, and suddenly his aura spread over all of them, freezing them to the spot. "...I have no intention of letting this school close. Plan B will NOT come to fruition, because Plan A will be successful. We will defeat the League of Villains, and you will all grow up to be great heroes. That is my biggest priority as principal, no matter what changes from here on out."

The assembly was disbanded, but clearly no one was fully satisfied as the students walked back up the grounds en masse, their school glittering on the high hill above them.

Doko tilted his head up to look at it. UA was more than just his school. It was his home now, by all accounts. He could not go back to his old home.

Akane…

Mina fell into step with him, the two of them among hundreds making that restless, muttering walk. "Doko? Is everything okay?"

"What happens if the school DOES close?" he muttered. "Where will I go? To an orphanage?"

Mina frowned. "I…I'm not sure. You could always come to my house, if it comes down to it."

He smiled bitterly. "I doubt your parents would take kindly to that."

"I think they might, actually. They've already called me and said they're standing behind UA," said Mina. "I'm proud of them. I can't help but feel like your words at dinner may have affected them in a good way. They trust the school. And Nezu…" She bit her lip. "You and I know firsthand how smart he is. If he says something is going to happen, I'm inclined to believe it."

"Katayama!"

Doko looked back. Midoriya was running to catch up to him, followed by Todoroki, Kirishima, and a few others from their class.

He blinked. Looking at Midoriya's green eyes had given him a strange bout of de ja vu. "What is it?" he asked, ignoring it.

"Our work study is cancelled…we can't go back to Sir Nighteye."

"And I can't go back to Fat Gum," Kirishima said, frowning.

"That one can't be permanent, surely," said Mina. "If they want any hope of defeating the League, they'll need to send us to work studies."

"What?" snapped Bakugo, as he caught up as well. "As if you work study brats would help at all! Defeating the League is a cinch! They're just a little group of freaks in a warehouse somewhere! There's no point in being a doomer about all this shit!"

"I dunno…" Kirishima frowned. "The League has those yakuza bullets now. Who knows what they're capable of."

"I just hope the work study rule does not extend to our extra provisional lessons, Bakugo," said Todoroki. "Because we do really need to be catching up as quickly as possi…"

"I ALREADY THOUGHT OF THAT, DAMMIT! WE'LL JUST HAVE TO ASK AIZAWA OR SOMETHING!"

Kirishima winced, leaning away from his friend. "Too loud…"

Suddenly, more shouting made itself known up ahead.

The crowd parted somewhat, as Doko walked closer to the scene. "What's going on?" he muttered.

At the foot of the hill, two older male students were shouting at each other.

"My mom might make me go home, dude!"

"Yeah, well, poor you! None of us are gonna get to finish and get our damn diplomas, anyway!"

"And the festival too! It's like they want to suck all our hope and happiness away!"

One of them suddenly noticed the Class A students walking by. He turned to them.

"This is all YOUR fault!" he roared, stepping toward them. "Your class…it's always YOU GUYS ruining everything for everyone…"

Doko froze on the spot as the boy approached him, unsure of what to do.

"Go piss yourself somewhere else!" Bakugo snarled, stepping up to match the older boy, but Kirishima held him back. "It's not worth it, dude!" he advised.

The murmuring crowd around them had hostile gazes. Doko's eyes danced everywhere nervously. Should I do something about this? Iida and Momo are nowhere in sight…

He passed in front of Mina, to the pink girl's surprise, and got beside Bakugo. "Step away, please," he told the other boy, who he took to be a third year, perhaps in the support or general studies course.

The boy snarled. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Remain calm, for one. Do you think it's a good look for you to be raging like this in front of everyone?"

"Tell that to your own classmate there, dipshit!"

"I have, numerous times. Now I'm telling you." Doko kept his face level, refusing to let this guy get to him. "Back off. Shouting at everyone will get us nowhere."

"Yeah, it must be easy to stay calm, first year. You haven't been to a school festival before. You don't get how much everyone was looking forward to it. Maybe if you had you wouldn't have ruined it for everyone."

"How do I have anything to do with ruining it? Kaminari could have been in anyone's class, you know."

"But he wasn't! Aren't you hero kids supposed to be smart or something? You couldn't even sniff out a villain in your own damn class!"

"And neither could the teachers sniff out the same villain," said a voice from behind them.

The crowd parted, gasps echoing around the area. Nezu was making his way toward them, smiling, his arms folded behind his back. Flanking him were Aizawa, Present Mic, and Vlad King.

The third year's face faltered. "Principal, I…"

"Were doubting the abilities of Kaminari's former classmates to detect his betrayal. Which means you must think even less of us faculty, no?" Nezu's eyes glinted.

"N-no, I would never think less of…"

"Good. Now disperse."

The boy slouched, and backed off. The rest of the crowd began to spread, muttering. The Class A students stayed put, staring at Nezu and the other teachers that had just arrived.

Doko realized then that it looked like he and Bakugo had been instigating a fight. "Principal," he began, stepping backward. "I…"

Nezu waved a hand. "I heard most of it, Katayama. I would hardly think it worth punishing even if your class hadn't already suffered enough."

"Katayama, Midoriya, I need to speak to both of you," Aizawa said. "Come with me to my office."

The two of them looked at each other, and then back at Aizawa, who was already heading up the hill the rest of the way.

Midoriya left first, and Doko followed, waving goodbye to Mina. "See you later," he said. Classes were over for the afternoon, so everyone else would be heading back toward the dorms.

"Bye," Mina called, and followed the rest of the class in a different direction.

…

Aizawa turned to them on the other side of his desk, remaining standing with both his hands flat against the desk. "Sir Nighteye wants to speak with the both of you, and Togata."

Midoriya's eyes widened. "But work studies were…"

"Work studies were cancelled. That does not mean you have to decline an invitation to a pro hero agency just to talk, although I doubt the subject of conversation will be anything but the work study."

Doko had not spoken with Sir Nighteye since the hospital. "Did he ask for us before or after this news dropped?" he asked Aizawa.

"After. The new dorm restrictions go into place tomorrow morning, requiring you to do much more thorough checks before leaving campus. So I suggest the three of you go this afternoon. Togata has already been notified."

"Alright," said Midoriya. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank you," Doko echoed. "And, um…"

He just realized that Midoriya would have no context for what he was about to say. Well, maybe it's time I told him anyway.

"Sir?" he asked Aizawa. "If UA does close, what will happen to me?"

Eraser Head raised an eyebrow. "That, among other things, is part of the Plan B we are working on. Don't worry, Katayama. At the end of all this, I promise you that you will have a home. I do not plan on sending you to an orphanage."

Midoriya gasped, and his eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You're both dismissed. I believe you'll find Togata near the campus gate. Be wary of whatever protesters or reporters may be left."

Doko nodded and turned out of the office, Midoriya following behind.

They left the building, and Doko pulled out his phone. He quickly shot Mina a text. Going to meet with Sir Nighteye quickly before the new rules get put in place. Going w Midoriya. Should be back for dinner or earlier.

"Katayama?" Midoriya asked. "P-pardon my asking, but…"

Doko lowered his phone and slowed down, allowing the green-haired boy to catch up to him. He knew what was coming, but he thought he should let Midoriya get the question out first.

"If the school was to close…why m-might you be going to an orphanage? I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it, it's just…"

"I'll tell you," he answered softly. "I was switched at birth, you see. The people who ended up raising me were Quirkless and bigoted. They didn't understand why I had a Quirk, and they…well, they abused me. I was taken out of that home by the government after the Kamino incident. I am currently a ward of the state. The UA dorm is my home."

Midoriya's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "That…that explains a lot, actually…n-not in a bad way!" he cried quickly, waving his hands frantically. "I just mean…how conservative you were with your Quirk to start with…some of your behavior…I always thought you might have had a b-bad home life before coming here…but…your parents were Quirkless?"

"Not my biological parents, but yes. The ones who raised me were. For the longest time I believed I was some kind of weird mutation."

"Huh." Midoriya's mouth went flat. "I…know how that feels. Because of the strain my Quirk initially dealt to my body, you know…breaking it and all…I n-never used it. And so everyone in my middle school thought I was Quirkless…including Kacchan…"

"That explains his behavior at the beginning of the year," said Doko. He'd already pieced some of it together in his head. "And yours."

"Ha, I guess it does…but yeah. I was kind of left out of a lot for being Quirkless…but my home life was fine! I mean, my dad's n-not around, but…my mother has a Quirk and she's the nicest woman ever, so…I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine Quirkless people being…I just…I just didn't know." Midoriya frowned, clearly deep in thought. "But then…what happened to your biological parents? Do you know who they are?"

Do…do I tell him?

For some reason, Doko thought of the dream he'd had last night. He didn't know WHY he thought of the dream…but he did.

"My real parents…were killed by All For One," Doko said shortly. "He told me himself, at Kamino. I think I was meant to be some kind of pawn in his plan. Whatever it is, it didn't pan out. I'm no pawn." I'm no pawn, he repeated to himself, refusing to think about the voices in his head, or the possibility that his Quirk might be…using him.

Midoriya was silent for a long, long time. "So that's why they took you from the camp, along with Kacchan," he finally said, but then was silent for another minute. "All For One, huh?" he muttered, mostly to himself. Doko wondered what he was thinking about specifically.

Maybe I should have said that my real dad might still be out there, if AFO was telling the truth. But that seemed extraneous. Doko didn't really know if he cared about finding his father. And by the sound of it, Midoriya's dad isn't around either, and he seems fine with it…

Yes, probably best to just say they were both dead and leave it at that. In Doko's mind, his dad was as good as dead, even if he wasn't. Especially if he really was working with the villains somehow.

"Kurogiri has my mother's Quirk, by the way," Doko said. Aizawa hadn't told him to keep this a secret, so he figured he'd say it. "He's not a natural-born person. He's more like a…really intelligent Nomu, I guess. Formed from my mom and some other people, I think."

Midoriya shuddered. "So that's why he has a weird connection to you, huh? All For One must have given your mom's Quirk to him, if he killed her. I mean, uhh, not to jump to conclusions! But…"

"No, you're exactly right. That was another thing All For One said."

Another bit of silence. They were closing in on the gate now, and would come upon Mirio shortly.

Midoriya half-blurted, "I'm sorry all that happened to you, Katayama. I'm sorry that All For One meddled with your life."

Doko laughed it off nervously. "Hey man, it's fine. As long as I still have a home when this is over, I'm good with it." Don't think about Akane. "Don't worry about it, Midoriya. I realize you just approach every situation like a hero, but…the way you talk about All For One, it sounds almost like you're responsible for him. Which you're not."

Midoriya had a strange expression in response to that. If Doko could put it into words, he would say it said something like: if only you knew. Which he found to be strange, and more than a little intriguing.

"You're right, of course," Midoriya said aloud, straightening and exhaling a deep breath. "Sorry about that."

They found Mirio at the gate. "Midoriya! Katayama!" the blonde waved at them. "Crazy day, huh? Hope you guys aren't struggling too much with this. I know it sucks to not be working with Sir anymore, especially since we just started. But hey, at least we saved Eri, right? And I trust the principal and the heroes. We'll catch the League, I'm sure of it."

Doko and Midoriya looked at each other while Mirio babbled, both grinned, and then looked back at him. "Thanks, Togata," Doko said.

"Thanks," Midoriya echoed.

The three of them took the train together to the Nighteye agency. When they arrived, Bubble Girl bid them hello and escorted them up the stairs, back to Sir's office.

The man himself, still lanky, with that impeccable suit and oddly gold-streaked hair, sat at his desk, hands folded under his chin. "Welcome," he said to all of them. There were three chairs spread in front of his desk. "Please, sit down."

Doko, Mirio, and Midoriya all did so, watching him carefully.

"I realize you're all probably upset to a degree about the work study being cut short," Nighteye began. "And it is true that this will be our last meeting for a while. But it is not goodbye. While I am not affiliated with UA, I do not imagine that the school will keep you students out of work studies forever, especially since they are the best way to train you for practical work. And the school will want to train you up as much as they can now, with the time limit imposed on them to defeat the League."

"So, if the rule is lifted, we can come back, sir?" Mirio blurted.

Nighteye nodded. "When the studies begin again, all three of you have a place here. I want to make that clear. However, I will not resent you if you choose to go elsewhere. During my high school years, I too was fickle, and was a very different person practically week-to-week. Priorities shifting constantly. If you find that a different agency might be a better fit, please do not hesitate."

"And even if the work studies don't come back, we still might work with you in the future, right?" Doko asked.

"Right. No matter what agency you work at, there is always the possibility of collaboration. While a hero alliance as big as the one we forged to raid the Eight Precepts of Death is somewhat rare, they are becoming less and less so with each passing month. I sense a much larger battle on the horizon, one in which we will all participate…" Nighteye adjusted his glasses.

"Is that your Quirk telling you that, sir?" Midoriya asked. "Or just…intuition?"

"In my head, it's hard to tell the difference. But actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about. I feel that at the hospital…I did not do a good job of talking to the three of you, and giving you the credit you deserved. I think I was mainly just shocked at…how alright you all were."

"What do you mean?" asked Mirio.

Nighteye sighed, and stood up, beginning to pace. "My Quirk showed me a different future than the one we got. A future where Chisaki escaped with Eri, and tragedy struck for the four of us. In the future I saw, Mirio lost his Quirk to the bullets, Katayama was hit by Eri's Quirk as collateral damage and rewound into nothing, and Midoriya and I were slain in battle by Chisaki himself."

Midoriya gasped. "But…didn't you say…"

"The futures I see cannot be changed, yes." Nighteye stopped walking, and turned to look back at them over his shoulder. "Up until then, I had no evidence otherwise. All my tests to alter a future I'd seen had failed. I assumed we were all doomed. But…then Katayama saved Mirio by warping the bullets. Mirio saved him right back by catching him after he was struck by Eri's Quirk. And Midoriya…you saved us all by coming in and defeating Chisaki alone. If you had not kicked him upward like that, away from everyone, and away from objects he could use his Quirk on, the casualties may have been severe. And they would have included me. Yet here I stand, alive." His face softened, to a degree that Doko had never seen it before.

"You three altered the course of the future. Your power…I am unbelievably lucky to have somehow snagged all three of you. I believe that the most promising future heroes are in this room right now."

Doko felt bright inside. He'd kind of assumed that Nighteye had dismissed him as a goof or just a child, especially since their argument after the first patrol. To hear this acknowledgement from him…

"Thank you, sir," he said. Mirio and Midoriya murmured assent.

Nighteye began walking back toward his desk. "I know Eri has woken up at the hospital," he said. "And she wants to see all three of you. UA's restrictions are about to tighten, but I believe that if I give my permission…"

"Nighteye," Midoriya blurted, interrupting. "If the futures you see in your Quirk can be changed, then I believe you should speak to All Might."

The pro hero lifted his head, and his glasses were covered by a white sheen. Doko froze, feeling an unfathomable tension in the air. He heard Mirio gasp next to him.

Then, Nighteye simply nodded. "I believe you're right," he said. "I should speak to him. I am quite busy at the moment, but I will make an effort to do that as soon as I have the time."

…

The apartment was dark, save for the blue light of the computer monitor. The woman tapped away at the keyboard, murmuring to herself.

She heard footsteps behind her, and the unmistakable scent of a cup of hot tea. It was placed delicately beside her workspace with a clink.

"Thank you," she murmured to the man.

"How goes the reception?" the man asked, in his deep voice.

"You've got two hundred views so far! But…there are more dislikes than likes, and all four comments have a complaint of some kind…"

"You sound afraid to tell me this information, as if I might lash out in anger. Do not worry. I understand the reasons for these things, and I already know my solution."

The man leaned in front of her and took the computer mouse, clicking to a news site where a headline read: UA UNDER FIRE, PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL MAY CLOSE OR SEE MAJOR REFORMS SOON DUE TO TRAITOR SITUATION

The man's lips curled into a smile beneath his mustache. "I must capitalize on the hottest topic of the day, no? That is the best way of villainy, La Brava. That school will be locking down more than ever, meaning that the people who manage to sneak into it will be revered in the annals of villain history for centuries to come."

She gasped. "Gentle! You can't mean…you want to sneak into UA High?!"

Gentle Criminal nodded, retaining his shadowy grin. "That's right, La Brava. And it must be soon. Our next job. For the storm of the news media never lasts long, and soon our window of relevancy will be lost."

…

AN: The writer's bug is actually a firefly, and I am trying my best to catch it in a jar.