"So, what should we talk about?"

An unease hung over the area while the patrons all slowly turned to the speaker. Clad in her usual cardigan and a pair of black leggings, Toga slid off her chair and walked to the center of the space. Her hair was down, as opposed to the usual buns, still slightly damp from the shower she had just taken. Her day had been a quiet one, having completed one small pick-up job with Twice for Giran, before training with Tomura in the early afternoon.

When Shigaraki had told her about the trip he'd be taking then, she struggled to contain her excitement.

"A new member?! Someone else will be living here with us?"

He shrugged, stretching out his sore shoulders, "Who knows? He's sensei's kid and apparently, his mom just died. I guess I'm just supposed to check in and try to get a feel of what he's about."

Her eyes caught the contemplative look in his crimson eyes, "What's there to worry about?"

He snorts at the comment, "If he's anything like his dad then I have no clue what I'm walking into. And I also have no clue how I'll be able to get a good read on him."

She rolls her head in thought, "Be pushy, maybe try to throw him off."

He glances back at her, "Pushy?"

She nods slowly, dragging her right foot in a heart-shaped motion on the matted floor, "I'd love to shatter masks when I went to school. Everyone would put up these walls, acting how they should and not how they wanted. Except me! But being real around people like that wasn't fun. So I'd push them, slowly cracking at the exterior until… Boom!" She makes a wide gesture with her hands, "They'd crumble and be the real them! They'd scream at me and point their finger, all real emotions and feelings opposed to fake ones."

Shigaraki runs a hand through his hair, "So they'd just end up getting pissed at you? Where's the fun in that?"

Toga hums, skipping over to the sink to refill her water, "You can't love fake people, Tomura. Nothing genuine comes from the masks that people wear to fit the rules that hang over the world we live in, ya know? I'd rather deal with real anger than fake happiness. I could love someone who is real and hates me, but I could never care for someone fake and kind to me."

Shigaraki stares at the girl for a long moment, his understanding slowly building, "Huh, I think I get it." He then turns away, looking back at the mat they had just sparred on, "So what about us then, Toga? Are we real to you?"

She stills at the question, "I-I don't know. It's too early to say, I guess."

Tomura nods slowly and then turns back to her, his face unreadable, "Yeah I guess it is pretty early isn't it?" The boy then glances down to his watch letting out a slight tsk, "Damn, I'm going to have to skip lunch if I'm going to get there at the right time now." He then walks over to the far side of the room to retrieve the sweatshirt he had worn originally.

Making his way to the exit, his head turns back to the girl, "Thanks for what you said, and I hope you find the real people that you're looking for."

Himiko's lips part at the comment, uncomfortable emotions bubbling within her, "Sure thing, Tomu."

Back in the bar, the girl looks to others in a desperate attempt to drum something up in the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"We could play a card game! Shoots and Ladders!"

She turns to Twice who bounces slightly in the booth that he's in. The man is wearing his mask halfway down his face with a blank white shirt and washed jeans. A half-empty beer bottle sits to his left.

"That is a great idea, Twicey! Does anybody have a card pack to play with?"

Dabi shifts slightly, an amused half-smile on his face. "You think the boss man has a set of cards laying around here?" He turns to the woman who sits at the other end of the room, her hood up and the brim of a baseball cap peeking out from underneath, "Well Takasugi? Does he have any that we could play with around here?"

Takasugi does not acknowledge his question, staring at the empty glass in front of her, her right index finger slowly tracing around the rim.

"I thought Kurogiri said this wouldn't take long. They should be back by now."

The burnt man scoffs at her thought, "Is that all that you think about? Is that all that you are?"

Toga sees the woman's grip on her glass tighten, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Dabi throws his hands in the air, taking a few steps closer to the figure, "Maybe if you told us something about yourself, then I-"

"And you're not any different?" Nagant snaps, her temper steadily rising. "All you've given us is a fake name, that's it. It's not like you're here more often than me, based on what the others have told me. So why get on my case, when you're no better?"

Blue fire flicks from Dabi's wrist and he takes another step closer, "Your attitude is starting to piss me off. What gives you the right to call me out when you're not even a part of our little group?! You might have Shigaraki wrapped around your finger but I can see what you are and what this is."

Takasugi takes a sharp breath, "You think I'm playing with him? I've known him longer than almost all of you so maybe you should take a step back."

The man stood still, a few feet from where she sat. Himiko glided closer to the scene, slowly wrapping her arm around Dabi's torso.

"C'mon Dabi, even if I don't know you, we're still besties, right? I mean all of us here have things that we'd like to keep to ourselves. Maybe the pretty lady won't tell us who she is but I don't think you'd have to worry about her turning on us."

"How could you know?" Dabi mutters as he shakes her off.

The teen gives him a toothy grin, cheeks slightly flushed, "I just know! So how about-"

She's cut off as a chill manifests in the air and all eyes turn to the dark purple portal that cuts through space like a knife. A moment later Tomura makes his way into the bar, followed by a younger boy with dark green hair.

Shigaraki appears weary, his hands shoved into his pockets with a slight slouch in his posture. He turns to look at them, revealing that the far side of his face is stained in dried blood, the bandages on his neck also seeming to have been torn off. The boy behind him mimics Tomura and stops as well, the front of his pale face covered in crimson, sharp viridian eyes flicking over everyone before returning to the back of the man he was following.

"What the hell happened to you?" Dabi asks incredulously, his shoulders slightly shaking in amusement.

Shigaraki stares at him for a moment before looking down at his shoes, "We had to sort some things out."

Nagant slips out of her chair, taking a step closer to the two, "Are you alright? Your bandages did it-"

Tomura waves her off with his hand, her eyes catching the way his fingernails are painted with more red, "I'm fine, the cuts aren't deep." he then turns to the boy and quickly surveys him up and down, "Do you need someone to fix your nose?"

The teen shakes his head, his thin fingers slowly assessing the damage on his face, "I can fix it."

Tomura eyes the kid once more and nods slowly, then turns back to the rest of the room, "This is Midoriya, 'Giri's making dinner and you're all welcome to join."

The caretaker takes a step forward, looking at the two boys and then back to the rest of the crowd, "These two need to shower so we'll plan to eat in about half an hour."

"What are we eating?" Twice blurts out.

Kurogiri studies him for a moment and then turns his gaze to the kitchen, "Katsudon."

Midoriya flinches slightly at the word.

Kurogiri looks back at the group, "Twice, please show Izuku to a room and bring any spare clothing you can find. We'll all meet back here in twenty minutes once the food is done."

Tomura nods at the comment and makes his way through the bar entrance with Izuku and Twice, all three on their way upstairs. Dabi watches the three depart and that heavy door closes before letting out a 'tsk' and turning back to the bar. His eyes shift back to the two remaining in the area, frowning at the one standing closer to him.

Toga stands only a few feet from him, both her hands cupping her cheeks almost trying to contain the flushed coloring and pink skin that spreads over her entire face. He twitches at the slight drool he can see on her lips.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

The words don't seem to reach her, her eyes still laying at the spot where the Midoriya and Shigaraki stood previously, her breath heavy.

He then takes a step toward her, waving his hand in front of her eyes, "Are you deranged? Why are you acting-"

"D-Did you see them?"

Her tone is dreamlike, breathy, and not all there.

Dabi eyes her slowly, "Who are you talking about?"

She sighs, "They were in all that red, they were just covered weren't they? Did they wear it for me?"

The man grimaces at the words, "You're a freak, you know that?"

She smiles and finally looks back at him with half-lidded eyes, "At least I'm real."

~Revelations~

The table was set by the time Izuku made it back to the bar area. His shower had been a quick one, used mostly to reset his nose through his quirk and then clean off any of the blood that was still sticking to his skin at that point. The one who showed him the room, Twice, was an interesting study. A man that uttered contrary phrases almost simultaneously, had to be suffering from some sort of psychosis. The scarring on his forehead seemed to play to this theory - a traumatic event had altered him in an almost irreparable way.

He wondered how many of the others living with Tomura had a similar story.

After the shower, Izuku found a baggy sweater and sweatpants, both in black, folded neatly on the bed for the room he had chosen. He frowned at the clothing and took a look back at the soggy and crimson-stained dress shirt he wore previously. He then emitted a sigh and pulled on the garments.

He tried to ignore how comfortable he felt.

The building and bar were both dingy. Crack wood panels covered the floor of the bedroom he changed in, the hallways more of the same. The lighting was poor as well, light green walls being painted mostly in shadow.

When he arrived at the bar, he found Twice, along with the three others that were around when he had first arrived. He didn't know any of their names.

"Izuku, I hope that the shower was alright for you?"

Midoriya suppressed a shiver before turning and finding Kurogiri hovering behind him.

"It was fine, thanks." The teen took a moment to glance back at the room, now all eyes were on him from the patrons. "Um, should I sit down, or…"

The butler's eyes flickered as if in recognition, before nodding slowly, "Tomura didn't introduce everyone else, did he?"

Izuku shrugs, his gaze bouncing between the man covered in scars, the blonde girl with twisted buns, and the third figure wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Kurugiri cleared his throat before pointing to the man Izuku had not looked at, who still sat in a booth to the left of him, "You've met Twice already. He's been here the longest outside of myself."

Kurugiri then raises a shadowy arm to the figure who sat at the bar, turned slightly so they weren't fully facing the pair, "That's Takasugi, we wouldn't consider her a member of our group but the help she still provides could be pivotal in the future."

The woman chooses to not acknowledge the comment outside of a slight nod, then turns back to the half-finished drink that was in front of her.

"That's Dabi," the caretaker mentions pointing to the man who was still hovering to the outside of the group, his only gesture being a slight 'tsk' before he looked down to pick at the flaking skin inside of his palm.

"And the last is-"

"Toga! I'm Himiko Toga," The girl bounces over to them, almost trembling in excitement, "But you should call me Himi! All my friends call me Himi, like Jin!"

She points to Twice who tries to wave at the two but instead knocks over the bottle of beer that was placed on the counter. The man curses loudly and jumps to his feet before running to the kitchen.

Izuku doesn't think much of it until he returns with a vacuum.

Kurogiri sighs, "Twice that's not necessary, please use the rags behind the bar to clean it up."

"Okay! I'll never listen to you!"

The group watches as he runs back to the bar with the appliance and then returns with six different wash rags.

"Is he okay?" Izuku whispers to the butler, mildly concerned.

Kurogiri shrugs, "Probably."

"Anyways," Toga butts back in, still bouncing on the balls of her feet, "Can I call you Izuku? Or Greeny? Or.." She freezes for a moment, eyes widening and cheeks somehow becoming even more flushed, "Izzy?! Oh wow, please let me call you that! Pretty please?! You're an Izzy if I've ever seen one!"

Izuku flinches back slightly, struggling to maintain eye contact with her manic features. With the girl being this close up he also notices the sharp canines that protrude out from her jar.

Some kind of biting quirk? Or a quirk that at least requires a nutrient to be ingested through-

"Well, Izzy?! C'mon, it even rolls off of the tongue! And I can even forgive you for cleaning away all of that red you had earlier! Gosh, you were looking so pretty I could have just gobbled you and Tomu-"

"Oi. That's enough."

Everyone turns to find Shigaraki standing by the door, clad in a baggy crimson sweatshirt and black sweatpants, his hair still slightly damp from the shower he just took.

Izuku's eyes flick to the fresh bandaging applied to his neck. He figured that was the reason why Tomura took so much longer than himself.

"Let him breathe, Toga."

She snaps her head to Shigaraki and then scampers to his side, her fingers prodding at the sweater he wore.

"When did you get this Tomu?! And why didn't you get one for me?! You know this is my color!"

He sighs, brushing her off slightly with his arm, "If you can calm down maybe I'll tell you." The teen then turns to Kurogiri who still hovers near Izuku, "Is it ready yet or are you slacking off?"

Kurogiri scoffs, "Unlike you, I'm not one to laze about if I have something to do."

"Tch."

Shigaraki looks to the table and makes his way to one side, gesturing to Izuku to take the head of it.

Izuku frowns, looking back at Tomura who sits to the left of the head, "Are you sure?"

Shigaraki smirks, "It's just a table; you're a guest right now."

Midoriya looks at him again and then slides into the chair. Twice ends up taking the seat to the right of him with Dabi sitting on the other side of the masked man. The other woman, Takusugi, slides across from Dabi to the seat next to Shigaraki. Himiko then sits to the left of her, immediately reaching with one hand to take off the baseball hat that covers much of her face.

Takusugi slaps the hand away in an instant.

The blonde giggles at the gesture, "Ouch! You can hit pretty hard for a girl, Takusugi! But why do you gotta be so mean? I just know you're hiding such a pretty face underneath-"

"Ms. Toga, if you'd like to eat at all this evening perhaps it would be best to keep your hands to yourself, hmm?" Kurogiri hums from the bar area.

The girl pouts while turning to the caretaker, "Maybe if the food was ready then I wouldn't need to be causing all of this chaos?"

Shigaraki snorts while picking at a lone loose thread from his sweater, "She's got you there 'Giri, how about we pick it up in there?"

A 'tsk' is heard from the cloud and a moment later, portals cut through the air and full plates are gracefully dropped at each attendant's seat. Midoriya gazed at the portal curiously, viridian eyes scanning for any residual gas left when the connection to the kitchen was abruptly cut.

The others wasted no time, immediately snatching utensils and digging into the katsudon. He felt his lips curl slightly downward, a twist rising in his stomach from the sight. Companions all eating a home-cooked meal, a genuine time for people to catch up and converse about their days.

Has he ever done anything like this before?

It would always just be Inko and him at dinner, surface-level discussion to fill the silence but there was never any substance to it. It always felt a touch forced, a needed action to simply tune out the clinking of utensils scraping against their plating.

He looked back down to the katsudon. He was no longer hungry.

"Is something the matter, Midoriya?" Kurogiri, who sat at the opposite end of the table, tilted his head quizzically. The others then turned to him, all watching with half-empty plates.

The teen looks back down at the table not wanting to meet their eyes, "D-Do you all do this often?"

Tomura shrugged, "Now and then; we're not all here often, so if we are then Giri will usually throw something together."

Izuku looks at him, "Where would you be otherwise, school?"

Dabi snorts at the question, picking at the pork with a spoon, "Can't say you're going to find any scholars here."

"Hey!" Toga bursts in, locking eyes with the older man, "I was a student at one point, I'll have you know!"

"And how did that end up?"

The girl took a moment and nodded slowly, "Well, it certainly could have gone better."

"See? So unless Mysterioso over here," Dabi gestures to Takisugi who frowns under her cap, "is some sort of rocket scientist, you're not going to find anyone that made it past high school in this bar."

Izuku scans all of them, "So you're all working in the underground, then."

Twice nods emphatically, "You betcha! Besides Shiggy's friend, who Toga told me was a blimp pilot in the-"

"She's not a blimp pilot," Shigaraki cuts in, "And yes Midoriya, we've got a broker who gives us jobs, which is how we've been spending most of our time." He pauses for a moment, running a hand through his pale hair, "But like I mentioned earlier we're moving on to the next level here, you see? It's time we start doing things for ourselves, start taking advantage of how the world has gone to shit the past few years."

"Next level?" Dabi voices, looking at Shigaraki, "What the hell does that mean?"

Tomura grins, "When we all met I said I wasn't going to live in a world that rejected me. That rejects people like us that fall through the cracks and are left to rot. I think all of you feel the same so it's time we start doing something about it."

Midoriya shakes his head, "Rejecting the world, how would you even do that?"

"The key to action is starting big and then breaking it into more manageable pieces." Shigaraki cuts off a piece of katsudon, "Your pops taught me that."

"Tomu you know Izzy's father?! Is he here - can I meet him?!"

"He's dead." Izuku states, blankly staring at the table, "He's been dead for a while now so let's move on."

"Pops?" Takasugi questions, looking back to Shigaraki. "You mean he's the son of All for One?"

Tomura nods slowly, "Doesn't seem like they're particularly close but yeah, he's my sensei's kid."

"All for One?" Dabi looks back to Izuku, "Do you have his quir-"

"No. I don't."

"Aww, don't worry about it Izzy," Toga chirps, "I hated my parents too! Look it's something we have in common, I wonder what-"

"We're getting off track here," Shigaraki interrupts, "We can all chat about how much we hate our family's later alright?" He looks back to Midoriya, "What I want is achievable, I just know that it won't be easy and will take time and pieces."

He raises a hand to the others, "We've got a party here that I think can take people by surprise. I mean they're all assholes, but we've also all got strengths that can make an alright raid group."

Midoriya sighs, "And you think I'm a missing piece?"

Tomura drums his fingers on the table, "I don't know enough about you to make that call. I just think you sticking around for a bit could do everyone some good. You don't have to join and if you want, Giri can warp you to anywhere in the world, but I know that at least this has to be better than that apartment we were at."

"Why are you doing this? Is this all just for my dad, you just pay up a debt that you think you owe? He's dead, Shigaraki. Why not just leave him in the past?"

Tomura looked back at him, "I visited your apartment out of respect for your dad, but the rest of this had been just me and Kurogiri being who we are. We've got rooms here and I think you need a place to stay, right?"

Izuku ran his fingers over the wooden table the group was resting on. He noticed when he first sat down that it was a higher-end model, just beaten up due to years of use and no proper care.

He wondered how many dinners his father and Tomura had here.

All for One. He had heard of the figure, like most of Japan, but knowing that the King of Criminals was his father made his hands shake and blood run cold. Was that what he would be one day? A demon that looms over all in the shadows, killing and maiming anyone that stood in his way? Was that what they expected of him?

Is that what this group wanted him to be?

"Midoriya," Kurogiri hums gently, "As Tomura mentioned, you are not here because of your father, but because of our curiosity in you," Izuku's eyes widened at the comment.

"You're a smart kid who was tossed aside by this world for your entire life. Never truly accepted due to the issues you had with your quirk, you were outcasted before you could even realize what was happening."

The caretaker slowly rose from his chair, "Your mother was worked to the bone by a job that never respected her because of her perceived lack of strength. But was that the case? Would someone weak do what she did? Worked as she worked? Most likely not. And what did she get from it?"

He was now standing beside the teen, Izuku's eyes locked onto the table while the others watched on in silence. The teen grit his teeth.

"You're alone now, Midoriya. We think that we can help you and you might be able to help us with that mind of yours."

Izuku can feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise at the words. Faint buzzing hums between his ears and his fingers slowly clench forming fists in his lap.

The words made sense. This place seems safe. The people seem fine.

He knew he wouldn't stay here forever. He'd be sure to leave this group before they left him. But for right now? Maybe there were worse places to be when he'd think of his next move.

He nods slowly, then picks off a piece of the meal before him and places it into his mouth.

His voice wobbles slightly, "Kurogiri, this katsudon is delicious."

Tomura nods lightly and Himiko beams at him from the other side of the table.

Kurogiri hums again and then back off, making his way back to his seat.

"Good. So what shall we talk about next?"

~Revelations~

"What do you really think is going on here, Endeavor?"

Todoroki Enji stared blankly out the window. It had been a week since he had been released from the hospital and the conversation that he had with his children. He made them a promise.

He intended to keep it.

He knew that he'd need allies if he was going to survive this war against the kaiju and whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes. He had already pulled aside Burnin, Kido, and Clair Voyance, who all came together to form an inner circle he could trust to watch his back. But he needed more.

He takes a breath and turns back to the two men who sit on the couch opposite of him. The three were currently in the basement of Endeavor Agency, a room that he had blocked off to ensure no snooping or bugs could be planted by unwanted eyes and ears. Hakamada Tsunagu gazed curiously at him, a dark turtleneck covering most of his torso and long neck. Each strand of his hair was perfectly parted, just like the fibers that made up the rest of his clothing. He sat with a straight posture, hands nursing a mug of tea that had been poured sloppily by Burnin a few moments ago before she slid over to a side table and hopped up on it.

Next to the well-dressed man sat Kamihara Shinya, the smaller man slouched over in an oversized hoodie that partially covered his face to the rest of the room. His eyes were sharp, almost bearing into Enji as the flame hero slowly reached for his mug of tea.

"You both were ordered on missions that took you out of the Nagoya region the week of the attack, no?"

Best Jeanist slowly places his mug down, "It was an unfortunate coincidence, Endeavor. But to suggest that we were purposefully drawn away from the region for the sake of destroying the city is simply irrational. I thought you weren't one to jump at conspiracies?"

Shinya looked to the man to his left and back at Endeavor, "You didn't answer my previous question, Todoroki. What do you think is happening here?"

The Flame hero takes a slow sip of tea, "I think that the HPSC has displayed a consistent pattern of throwing assignments at us whenever we ask to work on the Kaiju attacks. I know that both of you have been asked to complete jobs during three of the previous five Kaiju attacks by the HPSC, with the other two instances happening when you were still both incapable of making it to the scene on time. And I know that the HPSC assigned the job to their heroes to keep all of the data and files in-house. Something is wrong here, and I can't keep ignoring it for the sake of wishing it wasn't true."

Edgeshot nods slowly, "You believe that the HPSC is connected with the attacks?"

Todoroki sighs, lifting a scarred hand and running it through his hair, "I think that they know more than they've let on. And if that's for the sake of ensuring their guys are the ones that end up on top, or something else entirely is something that I need to find out."

Jeanist slowly brings up his left leg and crosses it over his right, "You want us to help? That's why we're here and you're telling us this all on your own?"

Endeavor nods slowly, "I thought I could do it all on my own before Nagoya. That I could be the same guy that was number one before me. That I could maintain the world that he spent so long creating." Enji could feel his fingers curl into a fist and his mouth twisting into a grimace, "But I'm not him. And I'm no longer sure if I really can save this world from what is to come."

He can feel Burnin's eyes on him from across the room, along with the two who sat in front of him, both all doing their best to contain the emotion that was threatening to break loose.

Genuine concern.

"I need allies," Enji continues, now looking at both, "I need people to help me figure out what's going on here. And, if it comes to it, fight with me for the sake of this country and everyone that lives in it. I can't-" Todoroki can't stop the faces from playing in his mind again, lifeless eyes staring back at him, peeling skin that had been burnt black from the attacks in Nagoya.

"I can't afford to lose anymore."

The flame here glances up to see Kirihara's leg bouncing slightly, his hand flexing slowly at his side, "You think this is something right, that it won't just be some wild goose chase?"

"He's not wrong," Burnin cuts in, slowly sliding off the desk to walk over, "So if you both don't agree to help him out then you're actually the stupidest-"

"Please ignore her," Endeavor butts in awkwardly before turning back to Edgeshot, "You see it don't you Shinya? This all can't just be happening for no reason, there has to be a greater meaning."

Kamihara nods quickly, the hood of his sweater shaking ever so subtly, "What you're saying makes enough sense to at least look into a few things."

The two then turn to Jeanist who leans back into the couch, slouching almost as he runs a hand through his blonde bangs.

"I just can't believe that the HPSC would be behind this any more than just wanting to see their stars be the ones to end this all."

Endeavor nods slowly, his eyes flicking over to the sidekick who slouches over in defeat.

"But," The Flame Hero turns back to the current number three, who has sat back up in his seat and almost leaning forward to Todoroki, "I'd never forgive myself if I sit on the sidelines and something is going on here as you say."

Enji leans back in his seat, eyes closing as he takes a long breath. It was by no means a victory, but this was the first moment in a long time when he felt like a winner. Time and time again, he lost and failed, never fully able to grasp the full narrative at play behind the scenes.

It irritated him to no end, being a puppet in this grand show, acting as expected, and trying to save as many people as he could in this slowly crumbling country. All this time he had been focused on trying to save whoever was in front of him, a narrow mindset that's gotten him nowhere.

He was just a lesser All Might.

All Might never worked with others, outside of his lone sidekick, the man tried to do everything on his own, as if he was Atlas holding the entire world on his back. And where did that get the number one hero?

He died alone, his only company being the greatest villain Japan ever saw.

After the attack in Nagoya, it became clear that he had to reject the current path he walked if he didn't want to suffer the very same fate, that he needed to open himself up to those that were around him.

His coworkers were the easiest to follow. He remembers Burnin and Kido ugly crying into his shoulders when he finally confessed to how he had been feeling, both of them begging for Enji to use them in any way he saw fit in the future.

He struggled to maintain a straight face when he heard that.

They were people that could potentially be top heroes in their own right someday, pledging themselves to him; a man who had destroyed his family and failed as the top hero in Japan. What did he do to deserve this kind of loyalty? This kind of support?

After speaking to a few more members of the agency, he began looking outside. He had known Jeanist and Edgeshot for over 10 years. He had watched both men meticulously climb up the rankings through diligent work and superior talent.

They were extraordinary heroes.

They also had no ties to the HPSC.

Because that's where it all began, wasn't it? If the organization wasn't going to let him investigate the kaiju case, then he was going to start investigating them. No other single group in the country could be more blamed for the current state Japan was in. Upon All Might's death, the HPSC had asserted themselves as the top dog and then built a world where no one else would ever be able to catch up.

They controlled schools across the nation, had ties to media and news outlets, and even concerning connections within the current diet party.

They never trusted him, so why should he trust them?

He would need even more allies to take on a group like the HPSC; he knew this.

But right now, he was going to take a moment to revel in an actual step in the right direction.

He hoped there would be more to come.

~ Revelations ~

Her throat felt scratchy as sharp eyes watched her from the other side of the car that she sat in. For as long as she could remember they had this vehicle, a driver compartment in the front, with a passenger area behind that had two rows of seats that were facing each other.

She was used to being alone in the passenger section.

The back of her legs stick to the leather finish of the seat, still damp from the shower she had just taken. Her hand raises subconsciously to graze the raised skin under her eye, a harsh bruise starting to take shape.

She bites the inside of her lip in frustration; she should have been better than this.

She shouldn't have to look like this in front of her.

"How do you feel, Momo dear?" Her mother asks from the seat across from her. The older Yaoyoruzo holds a mirror in one hand while she brushes some of her loose bangs from her face with the other.

It was the first time she had come to pick up Momo from practice. The teen gulps in her seat.

"I-I'm fine mother, I just made a mistake toward the end." Momo sees a twitch in the older woman's lips and feels a weight begin to drop in her stomach, "B-but I've already made sure I w-won't make the same mistake again; it was just a one-time thing, and it won't happen again!"

The woman continues to play with her hair while Momo fidgets in the chair.

"You were careless, weren't you?"

Momo stares blankly at the floor of the vehicle. Her bleached white shoes are a stark contrast to the dark floorboard.

"I just… slipped up is all, mother."

She hears the click of the mirror case and looks back to see the matriarch of the Yaoyoruzo family staring at her closely. The woman wears a large black overcoat with a gray dress underneath. She leans closer to Momo, the younger girl freezing up in her seat as the elder places her hand on her knee.

"You know that your father and I care about you so very much right, Momo?"

Yaoyoruzo nods, taking shallow breaths as she continues to watch the hand on her knee.

Her mother's lips slowly turn upwards, a small smile forming on her lips.

"We want the world for you, Momo. You are our everything, our shining light, our true hero."

The girl flinches slightly at the last word, her mother either missing the movement or choosing not to comment.

"It's because we love you so much that we're pushing you right now, do you understand? It's because we know that you can achieve anything, Momo; you have been blessed with abilities that people could not even fathom 100 years ago."

The teen feels her mother's eyes bearing into her, as the woman gently squeezes her leg.

"You are the chosen one, Momo! Your father and I both believe that you'll reach heights that we wouldn't dream of hitting ourselves. So as your parents, it's our responsibility to nurture you and lead you on a path that will allow for all of your wildest dreams to come true."

The teen feels her mother's hand lift off of her knee and rise to her face, gently brushing against the bruise that was forming.

"We're not putting pressure on you, we just want you to see what we can, my dear. We just need you to believe in yourself as much as we do. To truly recognize what your future holds."

Momo nods slightly, "I do understand, mother. I'm getting stronger every day, I can see this future as well, I promise!"

She feels her fingers slowly pull away from her face, the daughter instantly wishing for the warmth they brought to return.

"I'm so happy to hear that Momo." Her mother smiles again, "But if you do believe in this future, I need to know, do you think you're currently doing everything that you can do to achieve it? You're not taking any half measure at such an important time in your development, are you?"

"H-half measures?" The teen freezes slightly at the question, "I don't think so, everything that I'm doing right now, I'm putting my absolute all-"

Her mother's words finally click and it all comes together. She raises her hand to the bruise once more, her fingers prodding the skin. It was an ugly mark that was ruining the rest of her delicate features. Something that she wished to be removed, taken away, and never seen again.

"I'm dealing with her, mother. I wouldn't expect for her to continue to be in my way for much longer."

Her mother chuckles, no levity behind the sound, "But are you putting your all into this obstacle, Momo? The girl still is in front of you, and there will be plenty of others that you'll need to surpass if you are going to achieve your destiny."

The girl believed her plan with Nana would work. Shimura was now tearing at the seams, her reality being chipped away at with the world forcing her to ask questions she's never thought of before. Questions she never wanted to hear before.

However, despite everything Momo had planned, the girl was somehow still standing.

And it seemed the Yaoyoruzo family was becoming impatient.

Momo's fingers slowly curl into the seat cushion, shame burning on her face, "I c-can see her breaking, it's only a matter of time before she completely falls apart. I'll be better than her in no time, mother, and I won't hesitate to move past anyone else that stands in my way. I swear it, I'll become everything you and father want of me!"

The car is silent again, the aspiring hero taking a breath to regain her composure. It was frustrating to not see what her parents had been telling her, what her parents could see her becoming. It was pathetic that she was still lagging, being in reach but still being unable to pull the Golden Girl of Japan down from her heights once and for all. She had to finish this all soon.

She had to finish this all for good.

The elder Yaoyoruzo reaches into her pocket, pulling out a dark pair of sunglasses as the car rolls to a stop in front of the Yaoyorozu Corporations' headquarters. The cameras already begin flashing from the outside as media photographers work to get a picture of the matriarch.

"You're going to be greater than her, aren't you dear?"

Momo snaps to her mother who has already opened the door, signifying that she wasn't looking for an actual answer. Clicks are heard and more flashes are seen as the door is shut abruptly, leaving Momo to now be alone in the passenger cabin. Her mother's words echo in her head and she grits her teeth as the car slowly begins to speed away, on route to bring her back to the estate.

The message was loud and clear.

The clock was ticking.

Author Notes:

Wow, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Sorry for the unplanned hiatus but I felt stepping away could help me come back a bit more refreshed to take on act 2. I'm aiming to get back on a more regular writing schedule so I'd expect the break between chapters to be a bit shorter for the next upload!

This first arc in the second act is really working to set the stage, so we'll continue to bounce around to some of our main characters to see where they stand after the Nagoya Incident that happened at the end of the first act.

Thanks for reading!