Chapter 3

"I still think you should be the one running, Sir," the young man said, as he adjusted his tie. He was a large man and not an ounce was fat. Muscle filled out his suit giving him a look that reminded many of All Might in his prime.

"We discussed this," his companion said. "You'll give the better impression, Mirio."

"But-"

"But nothing," the former Pro-Hero Sir NightEye snapped back before his protege could list reasons. Except he knew some of those reasons were very real concerns. "You are young, which is a good thing. It gives you a point of difference from everyone and allows you to attract the younger voters."

Actually Mirio was more than young. At twenty-eight, he was the youngest candidate in history, But while that made him unusual, it made him very attractive to the younger voters, those who had grown up knowing heroes. And given that Mirio was a former Pro-Hero and his campaign was being managed by other former Pro-Heroes, that just reinforced that image. Anyone wanted to overturn the Heroes Must Be Heroes Legislation was getting on Mirio's bandwagon.

He was careful to say he didn't want to overturn all the legislation, just the later aspects of it. That additions that had turned it from being beneficial, to being constrictive.

"Yes, but I'm not the only young candidate."

Sir NightEye grinned. He knew who Mirio was referring to. Representative Imoku Kakurete was forty-eight, but still looked much younger. His green hair was untouched by grey and he gave off a good impression.

Yet he was the enemy. There was absolutely no doubt about that. Mirio wasn't running directly against Kakurete. That would be political suicide. Kakurete's constituents loved him to the point where the major parties didn't even bother running an alternate candidate against him. A few minor wannabe's tried, and all got crushed.

Mirio was running in a different electorate, one that had been determined to be as close to Kakurete's as possible. Not in distance, but in social make up. Sir NightEye didn't like to admit it, but in this, they really were learning from the enemy.

"Twenty years is a big gap, and once he turns fifty, he's not going to be able to pull off the young and hip routine, no matter how hard he tries."

The response made Mirio smile. Kakurete never mentioned his age, so they were mentioning it as much as possible. When Mirio got elected, they needed the Government to think that he was the voice of the younger generation, not Kakurete. That would then pull attention from Kakurete and provide Mirio the opening to amend the bill. They needed to remind that Government that Kakurete was now closer to the normal age they expected.

It wasn't going to be that easy. They all knew that, but something had to be done.

"There is also some good news," Sir Nighteye continued.

Mirio looked at him. On the stage, the speech was coming to an end and he was on next.

Sir Nighteye grinned. "Aizawa's found someone for… the more physical tasks."

Mirio translated the statement. When he'd agreed to be the face running for the House of Representatives, he'd made those supporting him promise they wouldn't hide anything. He wasn't stupid, and he wasn't naive but he was surprised by how ruthless the former pro-heroes had been when discussing various aspects. The need for someone to do the dirty work had come up. Whoever it was, had to be strong. Their quirk had to be strong and unspoken was that they had to be disposable.

He could not afford to be associated with them, otherwise… the public was a fickle mistress. They could turn against him quickly.

There were quite a few people who fitted into the strong with a strong quirk category. On those grounds Mirio himself was perfect but… he wasn't disposable. Both because he was running, and because of the quirk he'd inherited. Yagi had been pleased to hear the news that All For One had died, but All Might was also concerned that the ancient villain might have passed on his quirk, just as he had passed on his will to the League of Villains.

"Do I know them?"

"Probably not," Nighteye replied. "It's someone who legitimately failed the psyche assessments. Aizawa says he needed help but he did want to be a hero and has turned to vigilantism."

At that Mirio raised one eyebrow. Vigilantes were not tolerated these days. Heroes weren't either but in practice the Police would look the other way if a former Pro-Hero did something to aid in their case. So long as they weren't caught. He had once held a robber in place until the Police arrived. They labeled it a citizen's arrest and forgot to include his name.

He'd felt good when he'd done it. It felt right, even if the law said it wasn't.

"I'll meet him later," Mirio decided.

"Yep," Sir Nighteye agreed. Mirio was on now. "Remember the spiel. In removing heroes we've thrown the baby out with the bathwater. The risk from villains isn't past, and society needs protection."

Mirio nodded, putting on a big smile as he turned away from Sir Nighteye. The crowd cheered as he walked on to the stage.

Sir Nighteye watched his former sidekick with one eye. Most of his attention was on the crowd. They were marketing Mirio as a political All Might. It was a risk. Physically, Mirio could pull off the kind of stunts All Might had. He had the quirk after all, and his own one. But politically… No, they were well aware that the All Might of politics was Imoku Kakurete.

Who they suspected as being part, if not the Leader, of the League of Villains. Aizawa had the theory but no proof. Events over the years supported the theory but Kakurete could simply be very good at reading the mood of the public. It was better to accept the simple explanation over conspiracy.

Though if he was the Leader, he was doing a very, very good job of controlling them. In the wake of the Vote, the Police and Military had been braced for assaults by the League. A few heroes had been as well, and their activities would have been overlooked if the League attacked. They did nothing. They went to ground.

And then Tomura Shigaraki's body appeared. Speculation had been intense then, that the League was infighting. It wouldn't be the first time a villainous group had fallen apart after getting what they wanted. When no other bodies appeared, it became clear it had been a coup. Whoever was in charge, knew what they were doing. The League didn't attack. The Police and Military relaxed and society moved on from the Vote.

The lack of attacks was the best move the League could make then. No attacks meant no questioning from the public and life went on.

Of course, underground heroes did track the League, some of them at least. They were found to be entering employment. None of it legitimate but enough to make money. The underground heroes couldn't do anything about it and the Police were instructed not to act. Sir Nighteye still didn't know where that order had come from. After all, what the League was doing was still illegal even if it wasn't as spectacularly destructive as their usual ploys.

But life moved on. Sir Nighteye sighed. Even if Kakurete was not the Leader of the League, one thing was known. Kakurete had drafted the Heroes Must Be Heroes bill, which had then morphed and changed until the Vote. After that, he had suggested ways of dismantling the system even quicker. He might only have intended the HMBH Bill to be something to guarantee the mental stability of heroes, but he hadn't held back when it became more. Guilt by association. He was the enemy, in a political sense. The Government, those members of the ruling party, they would follow whatever got them votes and popularity.

They had to show it was no longer Kakurete.

Sir Nighteye smiled, when some of the crowd looked at him. Then he discreetly pointed towards Mirio. They were meant to be paying attention to him! The mother looked slightly guilty, then grinned at him before turning her attention back to Mirio. Still, he hoped the interaction, such as it was would leave a positive impression on her. That's what they had to do.

"Sir." The stage whisper caught his attention.

Sir Nighteye turned. His smile slid from his face as he recognised the speaker. Mikko Kusha was a snitch. At the moment, she was on their side, and payments were being made to ensure she remained on their side. She was a public servant in the Department of Justice.

"You have something?" He demanded.

They'd agreed earlier that pleasantries just wasted time, and they couldn't afford the connection to be known.

Mikko handed hm a thin sheaf of documents. "You need to look at BioSimip Industries, and what they are making for the Department of Justice."

"It's good?" he asked.

"If you can find the right connections, it's pure gold," she told him.

Sir Nighteye nodded and Mikko backed away. It appeared he had some research to do. It was a good thing he was good at it. He was better at research than he was at looking into the future. He huffed. It wasn't something he'd ever let Mirio see. The boy had just gotten over blaming himself and he was somewhat thankful that Mirio didn't ask questions.

Others had, and Sir Nighteye had no answers for them.

He'd never seen this future.

-afop-

Masami Satou looked down at her phone when it beeped. She flicked it to silent before looking at the message. How is your campaign going, Masami? A smile spread over her features as she read it. Imoku was always so thoughtful. She glanced at the time. She had time to reply now, though Kakurete would understand if she didn't. So how was her campaign going…

Not as good as yours, but no one has your numbers. How do you do it? All polling in his region had Imoku leading by a huge margin. He would win by a landslide. He was the Representative for literally the safest seat in the country. It hadn't been the safest when he'd taken it. Imoku had made it that way.

Trade secret.

Masami rolled her eyes, giving a brief snort of laughter at the reply. We are in the same trade. She couldn't help but point out the obvious.

Independent secret? :D She could see the smirk on his face with his reply. The big grin smiley was not needed. It hardly seemed right to think it but Imoku was a ratbag at times!

Masami sighed before she typed her reply. If I thought I'd have any chance as an independent, you know I'd do it. Well… she'd think about it at least. There were days when Imoku seemed to do so much more than she did.

And give up the position as Foreign Minister? There was a lot of doubt in the single text.

Okay, maybe not. There might be days when Imoku seemed to do more than she did, but he didn't deal with the rest of the world the way she did. That was something Masami knew she'd never experience as an Independent. She had to stay with her party for that, and she had been rewarded… No, stuff that! She'd earned her Ministry. She'd worked her butt off for it.

You aren't in any danger are you? There was real concern in the text. The jovial atmosphere of earlier disappearing.

Masami decided to play it up. Are you offering to help? If he could tell her how he kept such good a good relationship with his constituents, that would be a win. That would be something she could tell everyone in her party! Of course… they'd probably use it to try to challenge Kakurete, and then he'd do something outrageous and win back his seat.

And how would I help? Our electorates are very separate. Oh, there was a sting there. It was subtle but she could read it. It sounded like an offer to help, or to assist and Masami knew he would help if he could, but, there would be a price. Still he could help her out in other ways, ways that didn't require a political favour.

You do get the best advertising rates

Ah. The single word conveyed so much meaning. He saw where she was going now.

So? Masami prompted. If Kakurete could help, she wasn't going to say no. And he could help with advertising.

Kunshu owns them, but Kunshu doesn't interfere with their running. Masami could hear his huff. Imoku didn't have to type the words for her to read the prefix 'Must I remind you again'. Imoku's ownership of Kunshu was well known. Kunshu's ownership of other companies was equally well known, as was the fact that Kunshu was merely the owner of stock. Kunshu didn't have a commanding voice in the operations of the companies it owned. Though, there was equally no doubt that if Imoku truly wanted, he could persuade the companies to do things.

Which is why you have full page spreads! At least, he had them in his electorate, and he had a great deal of area specific net advertising. It was one of the reasons polling was so favourable for Kakurete.

Paid for legitimately out of my advertising budget. That much was true, and was known. Campaign budgets had to be declared. As an independent, Imoku didn't have to get approval for his but as an independent they were scrutinised to ensure that he was spending any political donations wisely. And that said donations were properly declared and legal.

… Masami couldn't help but give that reply. He had to rub it in. She had a budget as well. But… Imoku texted a reply before she could become indignant.

I could help you with budgeting if you want.

It was a generous offer but she couldn't take it up, and Kakurete knew it. Party member, remember. Can't change the ratios they deem best. There were good and bad points to that. The party had established ratios on the amount and what to spend it on. They were approved, and most of the parties used a similar ratio. It meant they weren't accusing each other of impropriety as much, when each spent the money the same way.

Well, their ratios are wrong. He pointed it out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Masami smiled again at her phone, already typing her reply. Given your results, I can't argue. No one could argue with Kakurete's election results.

He didn't reply straight away and Masami checked the time. She was up soon but it felt wrong to just put her phone away now.

I just checked the numbers, you will be fine, Ms Minister. Ah, so that's what he was doing, checking the opinion polls for her electorate. On those at least, as he had pointed out, she was winning by a comfortable margin.

I hope so Mr Independent, though I probably will be Ms Shadow Minister soon enough. She was winning by a comfortable margin in her electorate. Others in her party weren't going anywhere near as well.

… yeah, probably. You've had a good run though. Imoku never sugar coated the truth.

At that, she sighed, before replying. It will be odd to be in opposition. You forget, I've never been there. Kakurete was right. They had had a very good run. And that was partially why others weren't doing as well. To the public, Masami thought they just felt stale. They had gotten through quite a few major changes for the country, such as the reintegration of heroes, and the public had supported that for the last ten years but now they wanted a change. Still, Masami was proud of what they had achieved. The country was in a good position, and that's really all any government could boast about.

As an Independent, I'm always in opposition. He always had a counter.

BS! You are one of the best connected in politics. Did Imoku really think that Independents had lunch with the Prime Minister as much as he did? Did he believe that they were as involved in policy as he was? No. She knew he didn't. Masami knew that Kakurete was aware of how well connected he was, but sometimes he needed to be reminded of that fact. And sometimes he needed to be brought back to earth!

Well, even when you are Ms Shadow Minister, I'll still talk to you! Oh! He'd deliberately riled her up! She could feel his laugh in there reply.

Time was nearly up though. She smiled at the phone and typed her response. I know you will. Anyway, I have a speech, and you probably have something to do. Imoku always had something to do. He was probably the busiest Representative of them all, because he still managed to run his companies, on top of a full Government schedule.

True. Good luck with the speech. It was a kind send off. Masami knew Imoku meant it. He wasn't just typing it.

Thanks.

She checked again that her phone was on silent before slipping it into her pocket. Masami nodded to herself as she smoothed her skirt. Even as busy as he was, Imoku made time to talk to her. He made time for her, and her party. He was her friend in a place where she'd been told she would have no friends. Imoku was special, and Masami appreciated that. It's one of the reasons she helped him where she could, because he helped her.

He was a good man. She was proud to call him friend. And she knew, no matter how the election went, he'd still call her friend. In politics, that was rare but that was Imoku.

He was, somehow, impossibly, everyone's friend.

-afop-

Toga was thankful that her Izu insisted she remain fit even though the League wasn't as publically active as they had been. If she wasn't, she would never have kept up. When she'd volunteered to follow ExplodoKill, she hadn't realised how fit the vigilante was. He could move! And he had to stop every now and then to check if there was something he could poke his nose into. She was just following.

This was exhausting.

The other thing she was thankful for was that Izu had insisted on finding the limit of her quirk. Himiko had thought she had a good idea of what she could do.

She knew nothing.

The politician was endlessly curious. He wanted to know everything. And he had many opportunities to ask, and to experiment in the evenings after they ate, when he was visiting his 'mother'. He would never answer how he got some of the blood, but in the first few weeks, there was always several vials of blood waiting for her.

Toga had learned a lot then. She had learned she could change from person to person, without going through her natural form. She learned how long she could remain in one form and she learned exactly how much blood she needed to transform.

Izuku gave her efficiency, and never once berated her for wanting to cut things. His only specification if she wanted to cover him in blood was that it wasn't his blood. No one else would ever get away with such a request. Handsy hadn't. Fire didn't. Misty cheated and never let blood on to him. Izuku didn't mind. And he made her efficient.

He also made sure she was always properly equipped. He was different from Handsy. He always made sure they all had the right equipment. When he'd asked her who she would follow, it wasn't even a competition.

Toga licked at a pre-prepared slide and felt her features shift.

Just in time. ExplodoKill looked back. His eyes traced over her, and Himiko could feel the red orbs judging her. Oh! She wanted to make him covered in blood. It would teach him to look down on her. Toga could tell he looked down on everyone. Even those he saved. He saw no one as an equal.

She licked another slide, shifting again. It was tedious, and her clothing didn't change with her quirk but Izu had made her deal with that as well. She always wore pants these days. Reversible. Along with shirts and jackets that were all reversible. There was always a scarf or something in her kit too. It gave her versatility and she had gotten away with… Well, more than the Police knew.

It was a high. It was a thrill. It was joy. And she loved the fact that Izu had given it to her. No questions, no judgements. His questions were so she got better. His judgements were to assess her skill. He was so much better than Handsy.

Himiko looked back to ExplodoKill. She blinked. He wasn't there. A glance told her the blond wasn't anywhere she could see.

"Gotcha!"

Instinct made her duck. Toga felt the ping of debris hit her back, even as she rolled forward. She pulled one of her knives and slashed haphazardly. It hit nothing.

"Dumb bitch," ExplodoKill growled. "Didn't even notice I was bringing you here."

At that, Himiko looked around. Shit, she knew what he meant now. There was no one around. Except… Toga giggled. "This is my area," she told him as she turned to face the vigilante.

They were in a bad part of the city. It was the area the League made their own. Except Toga knew that the League wasn't here at the moment. It was just her and him because no by standing idiot would get involved.

He snorted at her. "I'm not stupid."

Toga looked at him. He was reasonably handsome and very well muscled. The vigilante had wild, spiky hair and sharp red eyes. There were several scars visible, going under his costume. That was to be expected given his line of work. He wore heavy boots and had something around his neck. He didn't have any gloves but did have gauntlets. She remembered him from the time Handsy kidnapped him. The gauntlets were much smaller now.

Himiko pulled one of her other knives. She resisted the urge to lick at the slide that was inbuilt into the guard. Izu had made her find out how well she could fight in the shapes she could assume. She already knew she didn't get any of their Quirk ability, just their appearance, but Toga now knew she did get a proportion of their strength. Each of her knives had a different slide of blood built in. Each slide was someone different, giving her some advantage.

There was even one that had… urgh! She was not going to use that one. A girl had some limits.

Except… Izu had forced her to know one more thing. Her limits. Looking into the mad red eyes, Toga wasn't sure she could win.

Everyone thought she was insane, and maybe she was but she knew her limits. She knew what she was capable of. The man in front of her… he was mad. There was a light in his eyes that said he'd go through anything.

Himiko didn't let the smile fade from her features. "Just looking, Explody," she told him.

"Yeah, well you can look at this," he snarled, driving one hand forward. Toga could actually see the explosions on his palm.

She ducked under the punch, but didn't see the kick that caught her side. Himiko tumbled. It was no worse than sparing with Dabi or one of the others, though the vigilante was strong.

"You could go easy," she muttered. "I was only looking," Toga repeated.

He grinned at her. It was not a nice grin. His canines caught on his lip. "Oh, I don't think so. You're gonna tell me everything about your slime ball fucker of a boss."

"You could always just ask Dabi, you know!" Himiko replied lightly. "You are a vigilante. We have some things in common." Not that this vigilante would ever join with the League but she needed some time. She kept her eyes on him but split her attention, examining everything she could see. There was a laneway behind him, and several rusty fire escapes. She could… No. she couldn't. This moron could use his quirk to extend his jumping. Putting herself up high just made it more convenient for her to have an accident.

That left the ground. Toga didn't like it, but she was a villain, and she was a true villain. She had no pride, except for the next hit. And Izu needed her.

"Not that shit," ExplodoKill growled. "Your real fucking boss, Izuku."

With her Quirk, Himiko Toga was a born actress. She had no tells. "Who?" Even if she did, she wouldn't betray Izu!

She knew she'd given nothing away but ExplodoKill's expression didn't change. He didn't even blink at her confusion. Which meant he must know some other way… but she wasn't going to confirm it for him.

"That fucking Deku!" He charged.

Toga was ready for him this time. She dodged, avoiding his foot, and this time she gave him a slight push before she ran. Knowing when to fight was what made someone a good villain. It was time for her to run.

"Bitch!" ExplodoKill screamed, and Himiko felt the rush of hot air on her back. He was fast and he wasn't afraid of injuring her.

Well, she wasn't afraid of injuring him! She kept running, reaching into a pocket to pull out a fist full of ball bearings. She dropped them as she ran.

It was nice to hear him slip. It wouldn't be enough to lose him. It gave her distance. Toga ploughed into one of the doors. It gave and she found herself in darkness. She dropped the last of her ball bearings as she moved into the room. She looked around.

Stair well. There. Himiko ran towards it. She pulled out her heavy knife. It was the one with the special blood. Toga jumped down the stairs, going into the basement. There was a roar of anger from behind her. ExplodoKill had found the new set of ball bearings. She looked around desperately and was pleased to see a gatic point. Toga went over to it, and knelt down, putting her hand on it, before she brought the knife to her lips. Explosions came from above her as Toga sucked on the blood.

Her shape shifted, growing larger. She felt muscles form and her hair disappeared. Her clothes didn't rip and for this form she just went with a small loincloth. It didn't need anything else. ExplodoKill leapt down the stairs. Toga snarled. The sound reverberated from deep within her and she was pleased when the vigilante froze for an instant.

She rose, the hand that was on the gatic ripped it up, cracking the concrete. Himiko flung the cover at ExplodoKill. He exploded it. And then gasped. "What?"

"That's just rude," Toga growled, grabbing at the concrete. She hurled it at him. Again he exploded it. "Careful," she warned. The smell of sewage filled the room. From what she could see from the corner of her eye, it was main line. Himiko knew from Izu that you weren't meant to build over main lines, but this was a bad part of town. Little things like planning rules were overlooked.

That got his attention. "Bitch!" ExplodoKill raged. "What the fuck are you?" He added.

Himiko knew what she looked like. It felt odd. This form was literally muscles upon muscles but it always made her feel itchy. Things weren't where they were meant to be. It was partially because the form was male but mostly because it was Noumu. She had to remember not to scratch at her head and the exposed brain.

But the advantage of this form was that it was strong and intimidating. She didn't have any of the Noumu's real power, and it was going to be a pain trying to get a refill for her knife but for this moment it was worth it. And she would be able to do a bit more than just run. She had her pride, and Izu wanted this one dead!

She picked up more concrete and flung it towards the vigilante. He dodged. At least he recognised the danger and Himiko was forced to admit he was far more flexible than she thought. And dangerous.

ExplodoKill advanced, murder in his eyes. What stopped this moron?

She grabbed a larger piece of concrete. It was nice being able to pick it up easily. Toga swung it like a club but ExplodoKill was faster. He dodged and then threw a punch. She was expecting it and blocked with the Noumu's strength. The shock reverberated through her system. He didn't have a strength quirk but he trained.

"You fucking bitch are coming with me," he growled.

"You're not cute at all." Toga swung one huge arm, hoping to catch the vigilante but he was ready and countered with a kick. She was stronger, but it was false strength and she knew if she stayed much longer… She drove the Noumu's claws towards his face. Maybe she'd get lucky. Again he countered, but Himiko was ready for that and she jumped back to the sewer hole.

This was going to be gross, but better than the vigilante. The huge form splashed into the muck. It was warm. It was foul. She hated this. He was going to pay! At least he didn't follow. Himiko moved quickly, splashing through the muck. She kept her ears open for the sounds of pursuit.

It came but she was ready for that. She turned into a connecting line. It was slightly smaller. The bulk of her form almost touched the walls but she could move freely still. She moved down the pipe and listened. He was still following. At least there were no explosions. ExplodoKill had that much self restraint.

Toga pulled a large knife. She readied it. ExplodoKill lunged around the corner. She threw her knife.

The vigilante raised his hands, and Himiko laughed when the knife thunked into one. She didn't wait for any response. "Bitch!" The scream came from behind her.

Hopefully he'd pull back. She picked another adjoining pipe and squeezed into it. The smell was terrible but she couldn't focus on that. Instead, Toga pulled one of her prepared slides and licked the blood. It gave her a smaller form. She moved faster.

Another line, it was was getting too small now and she spotted a manhole.

"Bitch!" the scream reverberated through the tunnels.

Himiko jumped for the shaft, her hands gripping the rungs of the ladder and she hauled herself upwards. At least her hands were dry but her feet slipped when they landed on the steps. She adapted, pushing them up against the sides so that they couldn't slip further. She moved as fast as she could and threw her shoulder against the cover when she reached it. It was smaller than the cover she'd used the Noumu's form to lift. It moved slightly and Toga peered out. A road way. It couldn't have been that far from where they had been. She pushed it further and hauled herself out, looking around.

She was covered in filth. That was the secondary issue. Toga cocked her head. She couldn't hear the vigilante but had to get under cover. She licked at another slide, this time letting the liquid paste that covered her melt away entirely. Thankfully most of the muck went with it, and she delicately stepped over the splashes as she made her way to the footpath. Once there, she ran, passing several laneways before she turned down one.

Toga leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. She waited for a few moments before peeking around the corner. She watched the manhole cover. The road was relatively quiet but a car had already noticed the hole. The driver had stopped before crashing and was currently trying to push the cover back.

Himiko smiled. She'd done it. She placed one hand on her chest as her heart beat returned to normal. Sure, she hadn't killed him but she'd gotten away. That was something. And she had information for Izu! Somehow the vigilante knew who he really was. How did that happen? Toga didn't know but Izu would. Izu knew everything.

And Izu deserved everything. She had to tell him.

Whistling, Himiko continued down the lane. She had a good story to tell.

-afop-

Mirio's phone pinged. He looked down at it. The message was from Sir.

I have it!

He frowned and typed back. What is it?

The dots to indicate that Sir NightEye was replying appeared immediately. An informant told me to look at BioSimip Industries and the Department of Justice.

That meant he had information. What information?

His mind was going over what he knew of BioSimip Industries and Mirio had to admit it wasn't much. It wasn't anything actually. He'd never heard of the company and he wondered what they had to do with the Department of Justice. With a name like 'bio' it was pretty obvious they weren't a law firm.

I'll tell you tonight.

Mirio frowned at that. When they were heroes, keeping information back was a bad thing. You're sure?

Positive. He doesn't even know I'm looking. The House of Representatives Candidate frowned at his phone. That type of answer was one given when things usually went wrong. There was only one reply he could give.

…

Mirio could almost see Sir Nighteye's huff. It wouldn't be obvious. Infact, most would miss it but he knew his former boss was thinking it. That will change when you announce this. I am being careful. There was no italic on the message but there should have been. Mirio could hear the stress on the 'am'.

That wasn't the point. I don't want you hurt. That was the core of the matter. He didn't want Sir Nighteye hurt any further, especially not on what was meant to be a research run. They were dealing with dangerous foes, enemies who wouldn't hesitate and who thought nothing of killing. The just hid it better than traditional villains.

It wasn't your fault. I've told you that before. I'll tell you that again. As many times as it takes.

Ouch. He could feel Sir Nighteye's frustration through the phone but it didn't matter what the former pro-hero thought. It was my fault.

Somehow the dots on the screen showed the way his former mentor sighed. There was nothing that could be done differently. And it's nice. The message came quickly.

Nice? You lost your quirk! It's not nice. Without actually going to a voice call, that was about as well as Mirio could express himself, and there had to be some reason Sir Nighteye had texted him rather than called him.

It is nice, sometimes. Not to see the future. Not to know that there is nothing you can't change.

He hadn't expected that answer. And Mirio reluctantly admitted to himself that maybe Sir Nighteye had a point. He had never thought about what it meant to see the future. Except… Sir Nighteye had never mentioned that the future could change. On the few times they had discussed it, he had been adamant that nothing could change his visions. Is this the future you saw?

…

Another answer he wasn't expecting but it would be too easy to let Sir Nighteye just leave it at that. This was more important. Is this the future you saw? Mirio repeated his earlier text.

No.

Mirio waited for further explanation. He stared at his phone. The dots remained there but nothing came. A minute passed. Two. Then three. Then the dots disappeared. He waited some more. It wasn't the easiest topic but he was owed answers. After ten minutes, he typed a reply. Sir Nighteye owed him that much of an answer. Especially given that he hadn't said anything before. This was meant to be what he saw… if it wasn't, why hadn't he said anything. What? I thought you saw this for me?

There was a long break before the next answer but Mirio could see the dots that indicated Sir Nighteye was at least looking at the screen. He wondered what was so hard to answer. I never saw All Might living past Kamino. I never saw this particular future. I never knew that my visions could be changed. But they can. Which is why no longer having them is a blessing. I have no expectation. I have no preconception of what should happen. That means I can focus on what I want to happen.

Mirio read the text several times. He shivered. He never knew that Sir had seen that future for All Might. Yagi was… Yagi was still injured, and frail but he was still definitely alive. Medical science had worked wonders on the former number one hero. But had Sir Nighteye just admitted the future could be changed? He had practically admitted it previously but this felt different. Seeing it in text, not just implied made it all the more real but Mirio needed confirmation. So, something has changed?

Something has changed. Sir Nighteye knew how to state the obvious… and how to text without saying anything. Mirio had to remind himself to be gentle with his phone before he broke it. The case was reinforced, but he could still crush it into a marble if he wanted.

What changed? He typed, stabbing his finger at the keypad just lightly enough that it didn't break the screen. It took a lot of restraint on his part.

The dots reappeared… and then, the message did.

…

"What?" Mirio exclaimed! But before he could text another response, another message from Sir Nighteye appeared.

I don't know.

It was Mirio's turn to reply with the dots! …

Then he sighed heavily, and typed a more reasonable response. Something more important. Do the others know?

The reply was quick. They've never asked. Knowing the future is not that much of a gift.

That really wasn't satisfying. Something drastic must have happened if they weren't in the future Sir Nighteye had seen but Mirio really didn't know what that event might have been. There was only one person he could think of who might have changed things, and he was someone who'd been dead for years. All Might's nemesis, All For One. The ancient villain might have done something except… what? He'd been incarcerated for years. Or was it the man they were now trying to bring down? Imoku Kakurete. He was a businessman, not the usual foe for a hero but he had influenced the world so much. It could have been him too because Sir Nighteye wouldn't have considered him when looking into the future. Do you think it's him? Have you ever thought about what has changed? Is it Kakurete?

Mirio could almost hear his mentor sigh. I don't think it's him alone. It's probably something All For One has done. Maybe something All Might did. We will never know. It's best not to think about it. On that, I know. Again there were no italics in the text, but Mirio could read them loud and clear. Sir would know what it meant to worry about the future, and the response displayed that he had thought about it. Both suspects were mentioned but neither could be confirmed… Or it could be someone else, someone they never even thought of. The future was a bit like time, there were so many theories but no one knew which was true.

I don't like it. He really didn't like it.

Focus on the future. Don't think of the past because it is the past, and we have to look to the future.

Mirio could see Sir Nighteye's smile through the phone and gave the only reply he could. I'll try.

-afop-