Disclaimer: I do not own MHA.
Chapter 03: What is Worth…
It has been months since his true form was revealed to the public. At the start, whenever people saw him out and about, there was an instant frenzy of requests for autographs, picture taking, and a few words for the papers.
As much as he tried to be cooperative like the many times before, it was exhausting keeping up the whole 'All Might' persona while as 'Toshinori.' During this moment, he had grown to miss the privacy 'Toshinori' had brought him.
So, Toshinori was thankful when he was able to move to the dorms. It meant less paparazzi traffic. Of course, the one thing he couldn't avoid was his monthly doctor visits at the hospital.
There was some noise, shouts and squeals, and Toshinori was nearly late for his appointment. And don't even let him get started on the paparazzi waiting for him outside. He was forever grateful to the janitor who showed him a more discrete exit so he could leave.
As the months went by, the visits thankfully returned to be uneventful. There would still be people flustered to see him in person, but they generally kept their distance and the paparazzi had finally grown impatient and moved on.
This visit was no different.
The soles of his dress shoes clicked against the shiny, marble floor as Toshinori headed to the receptionist. The woman manning the desk was a sweet one, Toshinori recalled, always talking nicely to anyone, whether it be the elderly, new or concerned parents, and little children.
"Good morning," he greeted her. Her nametag read 'Hanaka'. "I'm here with my appointment with Dr Kenji Yakushi?"
"Welcome back, Mr. Yagi," the woman greeted back, the two flowers on the sides of her head spinned a little. "Dr. Yakushi is available at this time. Please, make your way through those doors."
"Thank you." Toshinori thanked and went on his way.
Unbeknownst to Toshinori, someone had been eyeing him the moment he came into the waiting area.
With eyes that bore the rage of fire.
Aizawa was enjoying his morning nap in the common area after Eri had gone to enjoy her day, so he was surprised to awaken to seeing Izuku returning to the dorm already with a worried look. He was also accompanied by Shinso, which made things a little more curious.
"Midoriya," he spoke, startling the young man as he came over to the two students. "What happened this time?"
"Oh, um…"
"Someone from my class was giving him a hard time," Shinso said.
"How so?" Aizawa asked.
Shinso looks over at Izuku. "Um…well, he was saying some stuff about All Might," Izuku said.
"Like what?"
"Like…that he was responsible for his father losing his job after the battle at Kamino."
Aizawa closes his tired eyes. "That is completely irrational."
Shinso nodded in agreement. "It's not the first time he spoke up like that."
"Really?" Izuku asked him.
"He didn't like how someone else was still talking about how incredible All Might was during the fight at Kamino. He winded up saying some unsavory things before our teacher sent him to the principal's office," Shinso said. He looks at Izuku. "From the look of things, he hadn't learned his lesson about respect."
"I see. Would you like me to speak with your teacher?" Aizawa asked Shinso, who shook his head.
"No need. I've already called her about it," Shinso responded. "She said she'll speak with him again."
Aizawa nods. "Good."
Izuku watched back and forth at the exchange, somewhat bewildered by the similarities between the two, right down to their uninterested tones in their conversation.
"I'll be going now," Shinso said, turning to leave. "Later, Midoriya."
"R-Right. Later, Shinso," Izuku said.
After the door clicks shut, Aizawa turns to Izuku, noticing that he still looked concerned over something. "What is it now?"
"It just…just something about what the guy said, about those villains who stole from his father's company and burned it to the ground…" Izuku said.
"Do you believe that All Might was directly responsible for the criminals' to act like they did, stealing and burning an office building down and costing many to lose jobs?" Aizawa asked.
Izuku looked horrified by the statement. "What? No! What happened was completely random," he said with defiance. "There's no way All Might was responsible."
"Then what he said was biasism," Aizawa said. "He wanted to pin the blame on someone present and easily accessible since the actual crooks of the crime got away in an effort to feel good about himself."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Izuku said. He looks down. "But…why though? After everything All Might has done…"
"I won't deny the fact that All Might's retirement had caused a ripple effect in society, but in the end, it's beyond anyone's control, including All Might's," Aizawa said. His eyes grew dark. "However…there will be people who'd think otherwise."
"Wait…are you saying that there's gonna be more people blaming All Might for their troubles?" Izuku asked, his heart racing from the anxious thought.
"People don't want to blame an invisible and untouchable string connecting events to one another," Aizawa said. "They want something…someone they could easily set their sights on. To jeer and point fingers at to say 'they are the cause of our trouble.'"
"They want something tangible to blame…" Izuku concluded solemnly.
'If All Might hadn't shown how weak he is and retired, then my father's company wouldn't have been attacked. Then a lot of people didn't have to lose their jobs. If he had just remained our Symbol of Peace, it would've made our lives a whole lot easier!'
"Mr. Aizawa?"
"Hm?"
"Had…had you ever felt that your life could've been easier if All Might was still the Symbol of Peace?"
Aizawa stared at him for a moment. Izuku couldn't read minds – well, that depends on his next Quirk after Float and Black Whip – but if he did, he would've seen what Aizawa was thinking.
Garish colors.
A smile that Aizawa hated because of how fake it was.
Nosy reporters.
Overzealous dreamers.
A dead friend who turned out to be not so dead after all these years…
"Not really," Aizawa said. "My life was neither improved or worsened by the appearance of the Symbol of Peace. I was just living. My only complaint was that fake ass smile of his that I saw plastered on every billboard and jumbo screen. They were eyesores. So, good riddance to that."
Somehow, a small smile was able to turn up on Izuku's face at the typical Aizawa answer. Looking back on it now, Izuku's life wasn't easy at all due to his Quirklessness. Heck, he remembered that fateful moment between him and Toshinori, when he asked the man the – honestly foolish – question if he could become a hero like him without a Quirk. He was devastated by Toshinori's answer, sure, but soon came to understand it. Now, as a provisional student hero, Izuku now understood the harsh life of a hero. A Quirkles pro in this day and age would not last long. What happened during the Shie Hassaikai Raid further proved it. And yes, Mirio continued to fight despite losing his Quirk, but he inevitably couldn't keep going and had to leave the rest to Izuku.
To think that Toshinori – that All Might – did everything he could over the last, perhaps, 30 years to help people live peaceful lives. He sacrificed so much to be the Symbol of Peace, the Pillar of Hope that everyone depended on…
But now…people are hurting now…more than ever…and they wanted someone to blame.
So…why did it have to be Toshinori?
"Everything seems to be in order, Mr. Yagi," Dr. Kenji Yakushi said. "You have been taking better care of yourself over the last few months. Retirement has done you good. Everything is in the green."
"That's good to hear," Toshinori said, fastening his dark navy vest back over his white dress shirt. He reaches for his coat as the doctor continues.
"I'm happy that you are starting to settle down," the man said, his eyes wrinkled with a smile on his face. "Seeing you here in previous years had been one issue or another due to your hero work. Sometimes, I've wondered how you were able to continue working as long as you did after your injury."
"I wonder that too sometimes," Toshinori said with a wry smile as he put his gloves back on.
He kind of does know, actually. Sir Nighteye's prediction of his death had Toshinori just do whatever because he knew he wasn't going to die yet. So, why not skip a meal here and there? Why not dismiss his missed dosage of medication? It wasn't going to matter at the end of the day. He had a confirmed death date.
But…things are different now. Toshinori has a new reason to live and he has a future pro to raise…who is not his son.
"Well, keep this up and you're in for a long life again," Dr. Yakushi said.
A sense of unease washed over Toshinori from hearing that.
There is a bit of hope that his deadly future could be avoided. What happened with Izuku during Eri's rescue proved that. But, there is also a chance that what happened with Izuku was a one time thing. After all, all of Nighteye's previous predictions had a 100% accuracy. Never before had a prediction been wrong before Izuku. Toshinori wanted to continue to hope that the same could happen to him. He was starting to love his new life. But…
A part of him still dreads the outcome.
"I'll do my best," Toshinori said, wrapping his scarf around his neck and taking his bag. "Thank you."
"Have a fine day, Mr. Yagi. And be mindful of the cold air," Yakushi said.
"I will. Have a nice day."
Toshinori heads his way down the hall, occasionally greeting a passing person as he did. He returns to the waiting room.
"Appointment went well, Mr. Yagi?" Hanaka inquired.
"It has, thank you for asking," Toshinori said with a light bow. "Have a nice day, Ms. Hanaka."
"See you again in a month, Mr. Yagi!"
A pen clattered on the floor.
"Hm?" Toshinori looks down to see the item roll to him. He kneels down to pick it up. He looks over to the chairs to see a couple, a man and a woman. The man was holding a clipboard in his left hand while his right hand was clenched into a fist. Did he lose the pen? Toshinori walks over to the couple with the pen in hand. "Excuse me?" The woman looked up from her phone to see Toshinori standing there and nearly squealed at the sight of him. The man paid him no heed. Toshinori holds out the pen to the man. "Sir? Did you drop this?" Toshinori asked, giving the man a friendly smile.
The man, however, glared at him. "Why the hell are you still smiling?" he asked, his voice gravelly and deep. The woman next to him frowned.
Toshinori's smile faltered a little. "Huh?"
"There's nothing to be smiling about, you fake," the man spatted.
Toshinori was too late to stop the flinch he did at the word. Fake? …To be honest, it's not the first time someone called him that. That honor went to Aizawa. Toshinori recalled Aizawa's disdain of the image All Might presented himself and Toshinori didn't blame him in the slightest. All Might – at least the All Might of the last five-six years – was, in a way, fake. It was Toshinori trying to bring back what he was losing while trying to keep up a facade.
So…why does this feel different?
The woman the man was with clearly didn't like his attitude.
"That was rude, Ichiro," she chided. "Please, forgive him, Mr. All Might. He's been a little irate after hurting his hand in an accident a week ago."
"Yeah, an accident you caused!" Ichiro accused Toshinori.
"Ichiro!"
"I…caused?" Toshinori asked in confusion.
He wishes he didn't.
Ichiro roughly hands the clipboard to the woman and rises up to his feet. He wasn't tall. He was probably shorter than Aizawa, but his heated glare started to make Toshinori smaller. He holds up his left hand, removing the glove to reveal the bandages wrapped around it.
"You see this? Some punk tried to dine and dash at a cafe and smashed my hand with the door!" he yelled. "Broke several bones, too!"
"Ichiro!"
"Sir, please refrain from yelling in the waiting room!" Hanaka urged. The rising tension was making nearby people anxious. Toshinori notices this and decides to try and diffuse the situation.
"I'm sorry that has happened to you. If you'd like, I can pay off whatever you need taken care of. Medical bills, physical therapy, pharmaceutical purchases, and the like," he proposed. It wouldn't be the first. Thanks to his years of heroism, he was vastly wealthy, probably one of Japan's richest heroes. But, the monetary gain didn't appeal to Toshinori. After all, he was in it to save people, so he'd use the majority of his wealth to pay for damages to a disaster and medical bills and charities.
The man merely scoffed. "It's a little too late for that. The perp was caught and arrested, but I still got laid off at work." Ichiro scans Toshinori up and down. "You seem okay to me…Came back with that dumb smile of yours…so, then why the hell did you have to retire? There's nothing wrong with you," the man accused. The woman gaps at him.
"Ichiro, that's enough!" She turns to Toshinori. "I am so sorry, Mr. All Might!"
"I-It's okay, miss," Toshinori said, trying to ignore rattling nerves. "I am retired from active duty, but I still help out with anything I can. Right now, I'm teaching this nation's next generations of heroes." A ghost of a fond smile found its way on Toshinori's face at the mention of his students. "They each have the heart of a true hero. I have no doubt that they'll grow into fine heroes. Finer than myself, I bet."
But, Ichiro didn't seem convinced. "It's not enough," the man said in a low tone. Toshinori's warm smile dipped slowly to a frown. The man continued on. "Things are just going to get worse...People's lives are gonna get ruined because of this…I can't wait for a bunch of kids to grow up for things to get easy again." Ichiro moves close to Toshinori, who watches motionlessly as the other man grabs him by his biceps, his grip turned vice-like. He looked like a mix between anger and desperation. "All Might…why did you have to retire…? Do you realize what you have done? So many people are having a hard time now…" Toshinori barely noticed the tightening grip as he watched the man with an alarmed stare, his own grip tightening around the strap of his messenger bag. "Bring us back our peace…be the Symbol of Peace again!"
Toshinori finally found his voice again from his moment of stunned silence. "I…I can't," he said with a slow shake of his head. He mentally berated himself for how his tone quaked slightly.
Ichiro looked angry, his eyes burning from Toshinori's response.
"Can't or won't?"
It didn't matter the answer, Toshinori started to realize. This man, Ichiro, will be angry regardless.
"...I can't. I…can no longer be All Might," Toshinori said in a near monotonous tone, his eyes peering down at the man with a look of resignation. "I'm sorry."
Ichiro glared up at Toshinori and tsked. He shoves Toshinori out of his grip. "Get the hell out of my sight, hack."
The woman takes a hold of his arm. The look on her face showed how displeased she was of Ichiro. "Ichiro, let's go into the hall for a moment." The pair walked past Toshinori, the taller man caught a glimpse of the woman giving him an apologetic look.
Then…Toshinori noticed the eyes looking at him.
He had forgotten there were other people in the waiting room. And they have witnessed what just transpired. They all had the same, worried expression. He then started to register the possible reasons why some of them were here. One was a young child with a gauze wrapped around his head, another was an older gentleman with a cast and a pair of crutches, and there was a teenage mutant girl with a prosthetic. As for the rest, he wasn't sure as far as he could tell.
A dreadful, intrusive thought found its way into Toshinori's mind.
Were these people victims of his sudden retirement?
Was he the cause of their current suffering?
Are they starting to think that too?
In his mind, he started to hypothesize the causes of the injuries: The young boy got hurt falling out of a tree because All Might didn't hear the tree branch threatening to snap, the gentleman was jumped by a thug who broke his leg because All Might didn't find the man, the mutant girl was brutalized by someone prejudice against mutants and All Might couldn't hear her cries for help…
A part of him told him how ridiculous it was to imagine these scenarios, as they were all unlikely to have happened and/or he was not at fault if they did. That same voice also reminded him of his conversation with Izuku about how Toshinori knew full well that he couldn't save everyone.
Toshinori wasn't oblivious. He knew that now that he had stepped down, criminals that went into hiding will likely take the chance to do whatever they want. He can only hope that the current heroes can stay vigilant and do whatever they can to stop them from wreaking havoc.
A havoc that…All Might left behind…
A havoc that…his kids will one day have to deal with…
"Mr. Yagi?" Hanaka's voice brings Toshinori back to reality. He almost couldn't hear her from the ringing in his ears and his thudding heart against his chest. His muscles ached from tensing up. "I hope you didn't mind, but I called a taxi for you." She moves closer to speak more in a quiet, cautious voice. "You should hurry on out of here before he comes back."
"...Thank you."
Without a moment of hesitation, Toshinori leaves briskly, ignoring the eyes that followed him.
Hanaka watched the man leave, feeling worried for him. Her hand clutched the fabric of her shirt, just over her chest.
Toshinori was grateful to find a bench outside of the hospital because all the adrenaline pumping in his system from the encounter left him with shaky legs and needed to take a seat to catch his breath and calm his nerves and shaky hands. He breathed in and out slowly. By the third inhale, he starts coughing roughly from the dry and cold air. He was thankful that no blood was spurting out.
He covers his mouth as he tries again to catch his breath, but also to block the cold air from entering his lungs. He removes his trembling hand from his face and looks at it with disdain.
"Damn it…damn it all…"
He hears a car slow to a stop in front of the hospital building. It was the taxi that Hanaka called. Toshinori rises back on his feet, still slightly weak, but evened out as he walked to the vehicle. He opens the back door. The driver was a young man, a heteromorphic type, from the looks of his wildcat ears and eyes and the stripes all around muscled body.
"Um, excuse me. Are you here for Toshinori Yagi?" he asked, wanting to make sure this was for him and not someone else.
The driver turns to speak, his voice somewhat young sounding. "Yes, that's–" He gasps. "A–All Might?!"
Just the mention of his hero name didn't seem right anymore. "Er…Yes. That's right."
"I thought the name rang a bell! Hop on in!" Toshinori climbs into the back, holding his bag close, and takes his seat. "Where are you heading, Mr. Might?"
"...UA High," Toshinori replied, putting his seatbelt on and clamped his hands together. They were still shaking a little.
"Yes, sir!"
Toshinori felt the cab drift into drive. Like how it took a while for him to get to the hospital, it's the same back, though perhaps longer due to late morning traffic. A ten to fifteen drive it may be, then.
He takes his phone out his pocket to see if he had any new messages. There were none. Not even a reply from Izuku.
Me: I'm at the hospital. I'll text again when I get out.
Oh. That's right. Toshinori was supposed to text Izuku back after having his appointment. He uncovers his thumbs to properly operate the touch screen, preparing to tap in his message.
Me: I'm out. On my way back.
Toshinori lowered his phone and sighs to himself, leaning back against the seat, feeling the cab move along the route to UA. To home.
He feels…utterly exhausted…
His blue eyes shift to the moving environment outside the cab. He sees other automobiles drive by and pedestrians either walking, running, or anywhere in between, going at their own pace.
Were any of these people affected by him stepping down?
Will they be affected?
What about the driver of this cab?
Was it a good idea for Toshinori to be in this vehicle?
What if he brings misfortune to the driver too?
What if–
Toshinori was suddenly wretched from his thoughts when the taxi came to an abrupt and screeching stop, causing him to jerk forward. With a light cough, he glances up to see that they had stopped at a green light and he just started to notice the chorus of honking horns around them, along with frustrated drivers shouting at something…or someone.
Toshinori looks forward and looking through the car in front of them, he sees someone standing still in the middle of the intersection, dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants. The unknown individual's features were obscured by the hood and seemed to be unbothered by all the noise.
And…
In the unidentified person's hand was some type of canister with a needle sticking out.
I hope everyone has a safe Halloween!