Mirio leaped from rooftop to rooftop, waiting for All Might to pick up. He didn't know which street East of the bar the factory would be on, so he moved in a serpentine path across the city. With the phone to one ear he strained to hear sounds of a struggle coming from within any building he passed. Shigaraki had said he would hear the commotion, but Mirio wasn't sure what kind of scale they were talking about.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of ringing, the call connected. "Hello?" All Might said groggily, sounding half asleep.
Dimly Mirio realized it was after eleven. The hero must have already been in bed, after spending all day working the kidnapping case. He felt guilty for a moment, then shook it off.
"All Might," he said urgently as he ran. "I need you to get to Kamino Ward, Yokohama City in Kanagawa Prefecture. I'll send you my location when I find what I'm looking for, but you need to be heading that way now."
"Young Toogata," All Might began, then interrupted himself with a yawn. "What's this about? I though you were meant to be spending the day with young Midoriya, not galavanting about-"
"I can't explain right now," Mirio cut him off, changing direction in order to snake back the other way, covering as much ground as possible. "I'm looking for Midoriya, and when I find him we'll have to fight All for One."
"What?!" snapped All Might, suddenly sounding very awake. "Young Toogata, you don't mean-"
"I'm sorry!" Mirio said, knowing the sentiment was horribly weak. "I know you don't think I'm ready but there's no time! He took Midoriya!"
"Young Toogata, stop!" All Might shouted into the phone. "Stop moving and stay where you are!"
Reluctantly Mirio landed on a rooftop and stumbled to a stop. Every part of him ached to keep going, to keep up his momentum, to find Midoriya and help him. He knew his zig-zagging path was costing him time, but he couldn't afford to overshoot. Pausing in the middle of that progress was agonizing.
"I can't stop now!" Mirio protested, feeling lightning crackle along his limbs as the energy in his body demanded action. "I have to find Midoriya! He's alone facing All for One, I can't let him do this by himself!"
"You mean to tell me young Midoriya is fighting All for One, alone, right now?" All Might demanded. "How did that happen?"
"He warped Midoriya away!" Mirio cried, guilt gnawing at him. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't follow him! The warp quirk he used wouldn't let me!"
"If he could simply have warped young Midoriya to him from anywhere, why bother sending the League of Villains after him?" All Might wondered.
"I don't think he could have," Mirio told him, insides squirming as he realized he'd have to come clean. "We went to the League's headquarters-"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" All Might interjected forcefully.
"-and he saw us there on a camera," Mirio continued without acknowledging All Might's question. "Then he warped Midoriya away, alone, and he has him somewhere nearby. I need to find him!"
"Why did he take young Midoriya and not you?" All Might wanted to know.
Mirio drew a shuddering breath, pain welling up in his chest as was forced to put his realization from earlier into words. He'd known, in the back of his mind, that he would have to face this sooner or later. Being forced to stop and confront it now, while Midoriya was still in peril, made it feel even worse.
"Midoriya told All for One that he was the successor," Mirio explained. "He went through with Sir's plan. I don't know whether Sir knew or not, but I . . . I know All for One is fighting like he expects Midoriya to have your quirk."
There was a pause, and sounds of a deep breath being drawn and released on the other end of the phone.
"Young Toogata," All Might said firmly. "I will be there as soon as I can. In the meantime you need to go to the police station and-"
"I'm sorry," Mirio said, and took off running for the edge of the roof. "I can't!" "Wait-" All Might began hurriedly, but Mirio hung up on him.
He continued his zig-zag pattern, snaking back and forth across a few city blocks as he listened for sounds of a struggle. Shigaraki had said he couldn't miss it, right? That he would be able to hear the commotion from a kilometer away? Maybe further? Mirio had only mastered using about 20% of his power comfortably, but he pushed that limit now. First 25%, then 30%, then 35% Full Cowl. He felt brickwork break under his feet as he took off and landed, and spared a moment to hope that he wasn't doing more harm than good.
A faint crash up ahead drew his attention, and he looked up to see a cloud of dust going up in the distance. Judging by the size of it, a building had collapsed, albeit one that was still far away. It gave him the direction he needed; Mirio stopped serpentining and made a beeline for the cloud. The dust settled quickly, but he kept his eyes on where it had been. He wasn't sure how far he'd already gone, but he estimated that the destruction was about two kilometers away. His steps were getting harder, and he was definitely leaving big footprints on the roof of every building he landed on, but he was only coming down every second or third building now.
He was just beginning to wonder if he'd lost sight of his destination when a high jump revealed the empty lot where a building had once been. There was nothing there but rubble now, but it was still too far to make out if there were any people. Mirio concentrated on his forward momentum, and in three more long leaps he was there. The two buildings around the empty lot also had considerable damage to the sides nearest the action, so Mirio came down two roofs away and dropped to street
level. From there he ran, arriving at his destination in the blink of an eye and barely managing to skid to a stop before he overshot.
"Midoriya!" he called, turning as he spoke, then paused.
The destruction was incredible, the entire building collapsed in on itself like all four walls had been blown out at once. Damage to the buildings to either side and the road in front supported that version of events. A handful of people were out on the street, having fled the other two buildings, and sirens were blaring in the distance as police and heroes made their way to the battlefield.
Two figures were to be seen amongst the wreckage. One was Midoriya, his clothes torn but with no obvious injuries, laying motionless on the ground. His limbs were sprawled out around him, and his eyes were closed. His force lance lay discarded some feet away, as though it had been carelessly tossed aside. The other figure was wearing a black suit, but he couldn't accurately identify it as a man. It looked beyond ancient, a withered husk of a person, like they had begun to decay before even realizing they were dead. Two bony hands covered its face, obscuring the features, and a wreath of twisted metal hung around its neck.
It looked almost like . . .
"All for One?" Mirio breathed.
It couldn't be. All for One was the greatest villain of all time, an all-powerful monster, ageless and immortal. This figure looked old and feeble, covering its eyes as though to hide from something it could not face. It looked frail. It looked broken. It looked . . .
Dead.
All for One looked dead.
A groan caught Mirio's attention, and his eyes snapped back to Midoriya. Tiny pieces of rubble shifted and fell as Midoriya began to stir, but he didn't lift his head or open his eyes. Recalled to himself, Mirio stumbled forward, climbing over the rubble to reach his friend.
"Midoriya!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside the fallen hero and pulling Midoriya into his arms. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Midoriya's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open.
"Say something!" Mirio begged. "Midoriya wake up, please!"
Midoriya frowned, but didn't open his eyes. His mouth opened a fraction and he drew breath as though preparing to speak. Mirio leaned in close to listen.
"Ragdoll," he breathed, then went limp again.
"Midoriya wait!" Mirio said, shaking him a little. "What does that mean? Is Ragdoll here? Where
is she? Midoriya please don't die! You weren't even supposed to be in this fight!"
Midoriya didn't answer him, his head rolling uselessly from side to side as he was shaken. Fearfully Mirio shifted and placed two fingers to his pulse, and found that it was present, steady and strong. Still Midoriya would not wake, and Mirio felt tears running down his face.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, head bowed over Midoriya's chest. "This is my fault. It should have been me. I'm sorry."
For a minute or two Mirio could do nothing but hold Midoriya, trying in vain to stem the tide of tears. How could he have been so unprepared? So blind as to not see that Midoriya would risk himself like this? So weak as to need a first year hero student to fight his battles for him?
"Kid," said a voice, and a hand landed on Mirio's shoulder.
Mirio's head jerked around, bringing him face to face with a hero he didn't recognize, a woman in a purple mask and a tan and purple bodysuit, with purple horns poking out of her blond hair. She was bent over him and Midoriya, giving him a concerned look.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently. "Were you inside the building when it collapsed?"
"No," Mirio shook his head, "but my friend was, and I think there's someone else trapped below the rubble."
"Give him to me," the hero instructed, reaching out both hands. "I'll get him to-"
"No," Mirio said, tightening his grip on Midoriya. The idea of giving him to anyone seemed ridiculous, inexcusable even. "I can carry him."
"You're in shock," the hero told him patiently. "An ambulance will be here in a minute, I can take care of him until-"
"He's my responsibility," Mirio cut her off.
"A hero really should-" the hero began, but Mirio shook his head.
"I'm a UA hero student," Mirio insisted. "I have my provisional license. I'll get him to the ambulance and then I'll go with him to the hospital."
"OK," the hero sighed, then looked over at the other figure laying in the rubble.
Mirio followed her gaze, to find another two heroes kneeling over the fallen villain. One of them felt for a pulse, then shook his head at the other. No pulse. All for One really was dead.
"Do you know who that guy is?" the hero tending Mirio asked.
"He's the villain," Mirio said. "His name is All for One. He brought down the building."
"Is this some kind of coordinated attack?" the hero wondered. "There's a fire halfway across town, and the scanner said it looked like arson. Not sure how you can tell its arson before an investigation, but-"
"The flames are blue," Mirio explained absently. "It could only be a quirk." "You know about it?" the hero asked, interested.
"Yeah," Mirio nodded, realizing he'd left something out of his report. "As soon as I'm in the ambulance I have to call All Might."
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later, and Mirio carried Midoriya to the street and laid him on the stretcher. Then he climbed into the ambulance and they took off for the nearest hospital. Letting the paramedics get to work, Mirio pulled out his phone.
"I'm sorry," he said by way of greeting once All Might picked up. "I couldn't-"
"Young Toogata, where are you?" All Might cut him off frantically.
"I'm in an ambulance," Mirio told him. "I'm headed to the hospital with Midoriya. That's not the important thing though-"
"What happened?" All Might demanded. "Are either of you badly hurt? Where is All for One?"
"I don't know," Mirio admitted. "I'm not hurt, but I don't know about Midoriya. He's unconscious right now. All for One . . . All for One's dead."
There was a pause, then, "What?"
"All for One's dead," Mirio repeated, louder and more sure. "I saw his body, the heroes on the scene said he had no pulse. I think . . . All Might, I think Midoriya beat him."
There was silence on the other end of the phone. Distantly Mirio could hear a whooshing sound, like All Might was standing in a high wind. Finally he decided he couldn't wait any longer.
"There's something I forgot about," Mirio said, shaking his head to clear it. "I left Shinsou and Todoroki behind at the League of Villains' hideout-"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" All Might roared.
"I'm sorry!" Mirio curled in on himself as guilt and shame roiled in his belly. "I thought Midoriya was in more danger! They had a plan though. One of the villains was going to burn the place down, and Todoroki was going to ice himself and Shinsou into a room on the first floor. The ice should protect them from the fire, but they have two villains in there with them-"
"WHAT?!" All Might repeated.
"Shinsou has them caught in his brainwashing," Mirio assured him hurriedly. "They should be fine until you get there, just make sure the heroes are ready to contain someone with a warping quirk."
"Young Toogata, I-" All Might began, then cut himself off with sputtering. Mirio waited a moment until All Might calmed down enough to give a deep, weary sigh. "I started your way as soon as our last call ended, and I'm nearly at Kamino now, so you are going to send me the address of the hideout and then I will see you at the hospital as soon as I can!"
By the time they had reached the hospital the paramedics had determined that there was nothing medically wrong with Midoriya, apart from the fact that he was unconscious. When they reached the hospital a few cuts and scrapes were bandaged, but throughout the process Midoriya didn't even stir. He was given a room, hooked up to machines to monitor his heart rate and oxygen level, and Mirio was allowed to wait with him.
The first news articles about what was going on wouldn't be up for hours, and someone would likely call him with an update long before the press had any information, so Mirio found himself staring at Midoriya. He looked so peaceful in sleep, deceptively calm and docile. Not at all like he would defy instructions to make himself a target of a hundred year old villain. Not at all like he could take on that villain and win. What had he done to survive the collapse of the building? What had he done to defeat All for One? It was as though All for One's body had finally shown its true age, like all the youth and life had been sucked out of him. What had Midoriya done to achieve such an outcome?
Eventually the thought occurred to him that this might be a trick. Perhaps All for One was only playing dead, and intended to rise again as soon as they left him alone. He didn't want to leave
Midoriya, but he also didn't want a hospital to collapse the same way the Nomu factory had, so he got up and left the room, planning to go to the morgue and keep an eye on the villain's remains.
To his surprise, he found Sir out in the hallway.
"Mirio!" he called, striding purposefully down the hall toward Midoriya's room. "Are you alright? Thank goodness you weren't hurt! How is Midoriya-"
Sir stopped short, nearly running up against Mirio's body. He had clearly not been expecting Mirio to put himself directly in his way and not move aside for him.
"Did you know?" Mirio asked, and was surprised to find how threatening his voice could be. He sounded low and dangerous. Like All Might.
"Did I know what?" Sir frowned in apparent confusion. "I've just come from the morgue. All for One is dead and definitely going to stay that way. If I could just-"
"Did. You. Know?" Mirio repeated. He didn't think he could put words to what he was asking, but Sir ought to know already. This should be the only thing on his mind.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sir insisted. "Mirio, do you know what you've achieved here? The worst villain who ever lived is-"
"Midoriya did that," Mirio corrected coldly. "He did it, because All for One decided to fight him instead of me. Do you know why?"
"Midoriya?" Sir repeated, looking surprised. He adjusted his glasses, staring into the middle distance, then smiled. "Well, that's certainly unexpected. How did-"
"Is it unexpected?" Mirio said, voice rising in agitation. "Did you not expect him to be able to win? What did you think he was going to do, when All for One warped him away and left me behind? Just die?"
Sir paused, staring at him. "Mirio," he said carefully, "Midoriya and I have only ever wanted to protect you."
"At what cost, Sir?" Mirio demanded. "How far were you willing to go for my safety?"
"As far as it took," Sir said dismissively, as though this were natural and obvious. "I will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
"Whatever it takes?" Mirio shouted, taking a step forward. Sir took an answering step back. "Does that include sacrificing Midoriya? Does that include making him the decoy, so that All for One would go after him instead of me? That was your plan, wasn't it Sir?"
Sir didn't answer him. Instead he angled his head just so, hiding his expression behind the glare of his glasses. Mirio decided he didn't like that, so he shoved Sir in the chest, making him stumble back several steps and look Mirio in the eye again.
"Midoriya called himself number nine to All for One's face," Mirio said venomously. "All for One didn't seem the least bit surprised. Midoriya went through with your dupe scheme, the one you came up with, so I will ask you one more time! Did! You! Know!?"
"Mirio," said Sir, very pointed and calm. "You're upset-"
"DID YOU SET MIDORIYA UP TO DIE FOR ME!?" Mirio screamed, then shoved Sir in the chest so hard he slid several feet back along the polished floor.
Sir came to rest near a place where their hallway intersected another. He had to grab onto an empty gurney to stop himself from falling over, and quickly turned aside so that Mirio couldn't see his face. In an instant Mirio was standing in front of him again, not sure how much of One for All he had used but knowing there was plenty more strength left if he needed it. When Sir looked back at Mirio his eyes were wide and frightened.
"I couldn't let it happen to you!" Sir yelled, his voice desperate and afraid. "I couldn't let the same thing that happened to All Might happen to you!"
"Couldn't you, Mirai?" came a voice from down the adjacent hallway.
Mirio and Sir both looked over, to see All Might coming down the hall toward them.
As soon as Toogata hung up on him Toshinori launched himself out of bed. He didn't bother to get dressed, he just threw on a robe and jammed his feet into slippers, and then he was bounding out into the night. Neither a car nor a train would be fast enough, so he went under his own power, taking great bounding leaps across first city and then countryside in the direction he had been given.
He couldn't afford to waste time. His students were in danger.
As he went he made phone calls. First he called Tsukauchi and had him mobilize the heroes he had already assembled for the rescue op. Only a handful had answered his summons so far, but they were ready to move almost immediately. Apparently not one but two locations of interest to the investigation had been destroyed, one with a fire and one by the building collapsing, so Tsukauchi set the heroes to checking those out to see if either one had been the site of the battle Toogata had mentioned.
Once that was done he called Nezu and explained the situation as best he could. Nezu promised to coordinate with Tsukauchi, and to make sure all relevant parties were informed and kept updated. With that Toshinori put the League of Villains out of his mind. He had to focus on All for One.
Then Toogata called again, and Toshinori had to adjust his thinking.
It seemed unlikely that All for One was truly dead. That was probably some trick to mask his escape. It meant he was out of the way though, so it could be dealt with later. Right now he had to focus on getting to the hideout that was burning, and rescuing Shinsou and Todoroki. He called Tsukauchi back to update him, and have him redirect as many heroes as possible to the site of the fire. Then he looked at coordinates Toogata had sent him and adjusted his course.
When he arrived at the hideout it was almost entirely burned down, and firefighters were working to put out the last of the blue flames. There was a massive pile of burned wood and crumbled plaster where the first floor should have been, and heroes were already picking through the smoldering debris. He received a few funny looks -- only then remembering that he was still in his undershirt and boxers, and had lost one slipper in transit -- but he didn't waste time. Immediately he began tearing through the wreckage, digging a few inches deep in various places before moving on, trying to find what he was looking for.
It only took him a few minutes to find ice.
"Young Todoroki!" he called down, scooping huge handfuls of burned wood and rubble away until an area of ice the size of a manhole was bared. "Can you hear me? Stand back, I'm going to punch through-"
A faint glow from below the ice was his only warning, and he moved aside just in time for a jet of orange fire to break through the frozen barrier and shoot for the sky, leaving a perfectly round hole in its wake.
"All Might?" came Todoroki's voice from in the hole.
"Yes, I am here!" Toshinori said, poking his head over the edge of the hole to see Todoroki's face, covered in patchy frost, looking up at him. "Give me your hand!"
"We have two villains down here!" Todoroki told him, shaking his head in denial. "Hitoshi has them in his quirk, but we need to secure them first! One of them is the warp villain!"
"Edgeshot!" Toshinori bellowed, turning his head to search the company. "I need Edgeshot over here!"
A long, thin line streaked over to him, then began to loop and layer itself until Edgeshot's head appeared in the air before him. The man didn't speak, but waited for instructions.
"There are two villains down there," Toshinori pointed into the hole. "Incapacitate them, but be careful of the children."
Without wasting time to acknowledge Edgeshot dove into the hole. There were a few pained grunts, and then labored breathing. Edgeshot reemerged.
"The villains have been neutralized," he reported. "I used a special technique to make them both fall unconscious, and the children seem to be completely uninjured."
Toshinori nodded, then reached back into the hole. "Young Todoroki!"
Instead of taking the offered hand, Todoroki held up Shinsou, who looked a little dazed and did not reach back for him. Toshinori took the boy by the arm and lifted him up, setting him on his feet on the surface. Shinsou swayed a moment, but kept his footing, then looked back down at Todoroki. This time when Toshinori reached down Todoroki took his hand, and Toshinori pulled him up out of the wreckage.
"Are you boys hurt?" Toshinori demanded. "That was a very foolish thing you did, I hope you know that!"
"We know," Shinsou said hurriedly. "Where's Izuku? Did he get away from that villain?" "He's on his way to the hospital, at last check," Toshinori assured him. "Toogata is with him." Shinsou and Todoroki both sagged in relief. Toshinori turned to Edgeshot.
"Were we able to capture any other members of the League of Villains?" he asked.
Edgeshot shook his head. "They all escaped, apart from the two down there. The fire likely caused them to flee when they realized police would come to investigate, but I can't see why the fire started if there doesn't seem to have been a fight."
Toshinori looked at Shinsou and Todoroki. Both boys looked at the ground and said nothing. The
flames had definitely been blue, meaning that Todoroki hadn't started the fire. The boys had already been caught trying to infiltrate a villain hideout on their own. What more could they have to hide?
Toshinori shook himself. Now wasn't the time to be questioning his students.
"Keep looking," he instructed Edgeshot. "Comb this area carefully then spread out and check a five block radius. They could still be nearby. I'll take these two to the hospital and check on the other students who were in on this ill-advised rescue mission."
Edgeshot nodded, then whirled off.
First Toshinori presented Todoroki to the police, and once they had seen that he had been properly rescued and were calling in to report the impromptu mission successful Toshinori took both boys to the hospital in only a few short hops. There was no point in having the boys checked over immediately. They didn't have any obvious wounds, and neither of them would calm down until they saw Izuku. Toshinori checked with the front desk to find out where Izuku was being roomed, and thankfully being All Might allowed him to bypass any awkward questions about his state of undress. Then he led the boys to the elevator.
When they reached the correct floor Toshinori's attention was drawn by shouting. Someone was yelling up ahead, where Izuku's room was meant to be, and it sounded like Toogata. As they approached the corner around which the room should have been, an anguished cry came echoing down the ward.
"DID YOU SET MIDORIYA UP TO DIE FOR ME?!" Toogata's voice screamed, and suddenly Mirai slid into view.
He steadied himself on a nearby gurney, then a moment later Toogata appeared before him with all the speed Toshinori remembered from his prime. Toogata looked livid, and Mirai looked back at him with a stricken expression.
"I couldn't let it happen to you!" Mirai shouted, and Toshinori remembered that tone of voice. It was the one he had used just after Toshinori's injury, when he had tried to make Toshinori give up being All Might. "I couldn't let the same thing that happened to All Might happen to you!"
"Couldn't you, Mirai?" Toshinori demanded.
Both Mirai and Toogata whirled around to stare at him as he approached. Toogata's face was red with anger, but Mirai looked white as a sheet. He was taller than Toogata, but he had to look up at Toshinori, and he ended up with his head tilted back when Toshinori walked right into his personal space to tower over him.
"All Might-" he began shakily, reverently, but Toshinori didn't let him finish.
"Young Midoriya went through with your plan," he said, with deathly calm. "An entirely reckless plan you came up with. That is more than enough for you to atone for, and I will see that you do. However, you will answer me one question and you will answer it honestly. Did you know that Midoriya had baited All for One, and keep it from me?"
Mirai looked up at him, his lower lip trembling like a child. "I had to uphold the symbol," he said quietly. "Someone has to look out for-"
"Answer me Mirai!" Toshinori snapped. "Did you try to sacrifice the life of a child in my name? In my successor's name?!"
"Midoriya is alive!" Mirai protested earnestly, but squeaked when Toshinori gripped him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
"One more chance," Toshinori growled. "Answer the question."
Mirai looked at him imploringly, but Toshinori's expression did not soften. Finally Mirai hung his head.
"It was Midoriya's choice to go along with the plan," he tried vainly. "I didn't force him to-
Toshinori drew back from the wall and threw Mirai aside. He fell to the ground on his back, sliding a few feet, then looked up at Toshinori with wide, confused eyes.
"Get out," Toshinori said simply.
"No, please!" Mirai sobbed, leaping to his feet and rushing to Toshinori's side to grab the sleeve of his robe. "Please don't send me away again! I know I can still help you!"
"GET OUT!" Toshinori roared, flinging out his arm to shove Mirai away. "For what you've done there will be consequences, the extent of which will be determined by whether or not young Midoriya wakes up! If he doesn't, I swear I'll have you tried for murder, and it's the least of what you deserve for throwing that boy to the wolves!"
"You mean he's the reason Izuku got warped away?" Todoroki demanded, and Toshinori turned back to the boy just in time to see Shinsou grab Todoroki around the waist to hold him back. "He's the reason Izuku had to fight alone?"
"Shouto calm down," Shinsou said urgently, even as small flames began to blossom on Todoroki's face and hair. "We're in a hospital, you can't fight here!"
"Get out," Toshinori told Mirai one more time. "If I have to smash you out to avoid getting this young man in trouble don't think I will hesitated for a moment."
Mirai looked at him, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, but Toshinori watched him impassively. Eventually he sniffled, then hurried back past Shinsou and Todoroki toward the front entrance to the hospital.
"Young Todoroki, please calm yourself," Toshinori said, turning to the boy with all the concern he could summon up after his fury. "You do not want to start a fire."
Todoroki was leaning on Shinsou, breathing deeply with eyes closed. The flames had died down, but he was trembling. Shinsou had his friend wrapped in his arms, and was making gentle shushing noises, but he too looked distraught. Finally the two of them calmed enough that they were able to untangle themselves.
"OK," Shinsou said softly.
Toshinori turned to Toogata. Immediately the boy snapped to attention, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
"All Might," he began, "I'm so sorry-"
"Did you know?" Toshinori wondered.
"Of course not!" Toogata shook his head vehemently. "But-"
"Then there's nothing to apologize for," Toshinori assured him. "Just take us to young Midoriya."
As soon as they were through the door Shinsou and Todoroki ran to Izuku's bedside. With Todoroki on the right and Shinsou on the left they began to shake him gently, jostling his arms as they pleaded with him to wake up.
"Izuku, please be OK!" Shinsou begged, voice quavering with emotion. "Don't die, please I can't take that!"
"Open your eyes!" Todoroki insisted, and his scar stood out starkly against his white face. "Please, it's all over, you can wake up now!"
Izuku did not respond. Through all of their efforts, he remained deeply asleep.
After a while, once the boys had calmed down and settled in to sit by the bed and wait quietly, Toshinori went out to seek more information. Someone he didn't know brought him a suit, and Toshinori could only assume that was Nezu's doing. Even though he hadn't told the Principal that he had left home in his pajamas, Nezu was crafty enough to deduce that much. As he put it on he found himself grateful it wasn't a hero costume. He didn't want one scrap of credit for this.
A police officer who had been stationed outside was kind enough to radio for more information about the two destroyed buildings. At the burned hideout, two villains had been arrested, but the others had all escaped. The two captured had been Shigaraki and Kurogiri however, so the League of Villains was likely no more, the remnants leaderless and scattered. At the collapsed building, remains of Nomu had been found, and another hero had been pulled alive from the wreckage. Apparently she was the pro that had vanished from the training camp, and something had clearly been done to her, but no one was sure what. Toshinori had a bad feeling he knew.
Toogata had told him that Mirai had confirmed All for One's death. Toshinori still wanted to see for himself, but Mirai had no reason to lie about that, and Toshinori doubted he was mistaken. After finding out that his nemesis had survived their battle from five years ago Toshinori had begun to wonder if anything could kill him. He couldn't fathom how Izuku had accomplished such a thing.
He was just thanking the officer and starting to head back inside when a disturbance at the press line drew his attention. A low barrier had been set up to keep the reporters out, guarded by police, but the crowd had scattered as someone tried to force his way through.
Someone that was on fire.
"Out of my way!" Endeavor barked, shoving past the barrier and in between two police officers. "I have business inside!"
"Endeavor!" Toshinori called, running to meet him and stopping short a few feet away when Endeavor gave him a murderous look. "I assure you, your son is perfectly well! I rescued him myself, but he's sitting with a friend so-"
"Out of my way, moron," Endeavor attempted to shoulder past him. "As though I would trust you to handle my masterpiece. I need to assess the damage myself."
"You're going to have to extinguish your fire then," Toshinori insisted, moving to block his way again. "There's oxygen lines everywhere in there, and one spark could-"
"I'm not going to surrender my costume at the door," Endeavor looked Toshinori up and down contemptuously. "Just because you're content to dress like a desk jockey doesn't mean the rest of
us don't have pride."
"Pride has nothing to do with safety," Toshinori told him. "You don't want to put people already unwell in more danger, do you?"
"The only patient in this hospital worth my time is my masterpiece," Endeavor spat. "I put too much work into him to waste all that effort, and if he loses respect for my power he's as good as dead to me."
Toshinori could have blamed what he did next on the late hour. He could have blamed it on stress, or overwork, or the fact that his time limit was swiftly approaching and he hadn't been able to properly reset it with a good night's sleep. He could have blamed it on the fact that one of his students might be dying, or that it was someone he'd though was a friend who was at fault for that tragedy.
As it was, he blamed it mostly on Endeavor, and being 110% done with his bullshit. "Endeavor," he said flatly. "Go home."
"You can't order me-" Endeavor began, but Toshinori cut him off.
"Either turn off your quirk or forget about getting into that hospital," Toshinori snapped. "And if I hear you call that boy your masterpiece instead of your son one more time, I'm going to Detroit Smash your lights out, got it?"
Endeavor stared at him a moment, stunned into silence. Then the two police officers he had pushed through gently pushed him back, behind the barrier and the police line, to where the press were gathered. All around him cameras were flashing, but even the reporters narrating to their video feeds fell quiet. Then someone said "Endeavor!" very loudly, and then suddenly all of them were talking at once, shoving microphones in his face and crowding around him, heedless of the fire rising off his hero costume. Dumbly Endeavor looked around as though not sure what to do or say, and Toshinori turned and left him to the tender mercies of public opinion.
Eventually word began to spread of what had happened in Kamino that night. The news started reporting on the events, as Toshinori saw on a waiting room television, and though they were getting a number of things wrong, they at least got the word out that Shouto Todoroki had been safely recovered. Nezu called to update him that he had notified the staff of the students' unchecked excursion, and that he could expect some of them to arrive shortly. He thought for sure that Yamada and Aizawa would be the first, but as it ended up Tiger was the first hero from the training camp to come bursting into the hospital anxious to see one of the rescued victims.
"She's still catatonic," the nurse said as she led Tiger to his teammate's room, Toshinori trailing behind. He had a feeling he would need to explain a little as well. "She's clearly awake, but she's non-responsive, just staring into space. It's possible hearing or seeing someone she knows will rouse her, but don't get your hopes up."
"I'm prepared for whatever I find," Tiger insisted. Toshinori wasn't so sure of that.
The nurse led them to the hero ward, then opened the door of a single-patient room and stood back to let them enter. On the bed lay a woman with light green hair and golden eyes. Her eyes were open, but her face was slack, and she was staring at the ceiling. Toshinori had seen several victims of All for One's power, what happened when he forcibly removed or implanted a quirk. Either
process could leave the victim in a vegetative state. Whether it persisted or not was up to the individual, and usually became apparent very quickly.
Tiger immediately ran to her bedside.
"Ragdoll!" he cried anxiously. "What have they done to you, my friend? Speak to me!"
Ragdoll did not stir, her eyes staring unseeingly past him. Tiger sat on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her upper body against his chest.
"Please!" he said earnestly. "Please say something! You have to pull through Ragdoll!" Again there was no response. Tiger bent his head, clearly trying to reign in his emotions.
"You can't leave us here!" he insisted. "Pixie-Bob hasn't woken up yet! Mandalay can't lose two teammates in one day Ragdoll! I can't lose you both!"
For a moment nothing happened. Then, slowly, Ragdoll's eyes slid sideways to focus on Tiger's face.
"Ti . . . ger . . ." she said weakly.
"Yes it's me!" Tiger said, shoulders shaking as he tried to hold in the way he was trembling. "I'm here Ragdoll! Speak to me!"
"Can't . . . see . . . " she said, and her slack face began to twist, taking on expression of distress. "You can't see?" Tiger asked, perplexed. "But, you're looking at me right now?"
"I see you . . ." Ragdoll said, her voice growing stronger, her eyes misting over with tears. "But, I don't see you . . . can't see . . . your stats . . ."
"You mean Search?" Tiger probed. "Is something wrong with your quirk?"
"My quirk!" Ragdoll repeated, and with that she struggled to get herself upright. She looked around at the other people in the room, becoming more agitated with each person she looked at. "I can't see my quirk!"
That settled it then, Toshinori thought as Ragdoll continued to panic and Tiger continued to fret over her. All for One had taken her quirk. He had robbed her of her power, and then promptly died, denying even the smallest chance that she would ever get it back. She was quirkless, and would remain so for the rest of her life.
Toshinori bowed his head, and tried to find the words to explain. *
Hizashi had stayed in the hospital.
A few pros had to stick around, to guard the students that were still there. The chances that the villains would come back were slim, but then the chances that they would attack the camp were slim, so there was no telling what would happen. Even though Izuku didn't want to see him Hizashi had opted to stay and protect him. If he hadn't he would only be at home, wishing he had.
He took to staring at the app on his phone that showed him the location of the tracking device, watching the little dot that was Izuku stay firmly in place at the hospital. It made him feel guilty, a
little bit. It also made him feel secure. Knowing that Izuku was nearby, that he could at least try and fix things between them if he got up the nerve, soothed his worry for the kid. Knowing it had come at the cost of Izuku's good opinion made that feeling hollow, turning his calm into unpleasant numbness.
He was just staring at the app, watching the little dot pulse gently, when Yawara announced that he would be leaving. Tomoko had been found, though apparently in bad shape, and he was going to go see her. Shino would stay with Kouta, and Yawara would report back as soon as he knew more. They had no other information at present, so Hizashi had no reason to think he would be needed, and hence he loaned Yawara his car to get there faster.
"Are you sure?" Yawara asked as Hizashi held the keys out to him.
"Just try not to get a ticket," Hizashi instructed, shaking the keys to make them jingle. "Call me when you know more."
Yawara nodded gratefully and took the keys.
Shouta, who had stayed with him to keep an eye on his injured class, asked that the television in the waiting room be turned to the news, and he and Hizashi kept an eye on it. Something was happening in Yokohama City, but the news was a little vague on what. Apparently two buildings had been destroyed on opposite ends of Kamino Ward, and there was talk of a coordinated attack, but the press got sidetracked by some outburst of Endeavor's, and it took them forever to confirm that the kidnapped Shouto Todoroki had been rescued.
"They could have informed us if they had a rescue op put together," Shouta huffed, but Hizashi could hear the relief in his voice.
"The important thing is he's back," Hizashi said.
And Izuku won't be tempted to do anything foolish, he thought.
He continued to watch the stationary dot, wondering if Izuku was monitoring the news and knew that Todoroki had been rescued already. It occurred to him that Izuku might be more interested in a reconciliation now that the crisis had passed, especially if Hizashi was the bearer of good news. He had almost talked himself into going upstairs to talk to Izuku when Nezu called.
"We saw the news," Hizashi said instead of a greeting. "We've seen that Todoroki was rescued." "Did you see that it was three of our students who did the rescuing?" Nezu wondered.
Hizashi choked. "What?!"
"It seems Midoriya, Shinsou and Toogata launched a rescue mission of their own," Nezu said. "They burned down the League hideout where Todoroki was being kept, and Todoroki and Shinsou were pulled from the wreckage. Midoriya and Toogata were found at another League stronghold that seems to have mysteriously collapsed, and Ragdoll was found buried under the rubble."
"That's impossible," Hizashi shook his head. "I'm tracking Izuku, he's still here in the hospital!"
"He's in the hospital in Kamino," Nezu corrected. "You'd better get there. Apparently he hasn't woken up yet."
"I'll call you back," Hizashi said, standing up and heading for the elevator. "I need to check
something."
Shouta trailed after him as he made his way upstairs, asking what was wrong. Hizashi didn't answer him just yet. He could barely hear the questions over the ringing in his ears. When they got to Izuku's floor Hizashi walked briskly to the right room, barely remembering not to run in his haste. He threw open the door, not letting himself be scared of what he might find.
The bed was empty. Izuku wasn't there. Instead, sitting in a chair in a corner, was Izuku and Shinsou's support course friend Hatsume, reading something on her phone. The news, if he had to hazard a guess.
In her lap was the pocket knife.
"I guess you know then," Hatsume said, tucking away her phone.
"I gave Izuku that as a gift," Hizashi said, raising a shaky hand to point at the knife.
Hatsume picked it up and held it out to him, almostly pointing the sheathed blade at him in an accusatory manner. She was frowning.
"Gifts don't have tracking devices," she said disapprovingly. "It only took a little fiddling to find it, after Izuku made such a point of leaving it behind."
"Where did they go?" Hizashi asked stupidly. He had the strangest sensation in his stomach, as though he were falling.
"Kamino," Hatsume told him. "They got an address texted from Todoroki's phone, and they decided to check it out."
"They what?!" Shouta demanded, hair floating up around his face as his quirk activated on instinct.
"I haven't heard from them," Hatsume continued as though he hadn't said anything, "but the news says they found Todoroki, and that pro that got kidnapped too."
"Why would he do a thing like that?!" Hizashi burst out, making the windows rattle. He slapped a hand over his mouth, then spoke again, softer. "Why wouldn't he tell me?"
"Best guess?" Hatsume said, sounding unimpressed. "If you don't trust him, he doesn't trust you."
Hizashi turned away from her and Shouta, raising a hand to lean on the doorframe. He definitely felt like he was falling now, or more like his insides where being dragged downward out of him. His chest felt tight, like it had when he'd been paralyzed and couldn't draw breath to use his quirk. He had been trying to protect his student, but all he'd done was kill Izuku's faith in adults, and now he'd gone running headlong into danger and it was all Hizashi's fault!
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hizashi," he said. "We have to get to the hospital."
"I'm coming too!" cried Hatsume, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her leap to her feet.
"Yes you are," Shouta snapped, "and you're going to explain to Nezu and the police why you chose not to tell a single adult about this!"
Hatsume stood her ground.
Yawara was already in Kamino with Hizashi's car, so after securing Shino's promise to call more local heroes Shouta shepherded Hizashi and Hatsume to the train station. It would take two hours by train to reach Kamino. Hizashi didn't think he could wait that long. He thought he would actually go mad with worry before they reached their destination, but there was nothing to be done. Nezu would call them with news if there was any to be had. All they could do was get there as fast as they could.
Shouta filled the time by grilling Hatsume on what she knew, interspersed with lecturing her on the many flaws in Midoriya's plan as she understood it. Distantly Hizashi could tell he was just taking his frustration with the situation out on her, but it certainly did nothing to improve her opinion of the two of them. Eventually she stood up and announced that she was going to find another seat, then stalked off to the other end of the car. She pulled earbuds out of her pocket and put them in, then laid her head against the window and closed her eyes.
Hizashi found himself staring out the window, watching the darkened landscape go by. He felt as though he were weighed down by a thousand pounds of lead. Even his thoughts seemed to be dredged up from the bottom of an abyss. He couldn't concentrate on anything but his guilt.
Izuku wasn't awake yet. What if he didn't wake up? What if he had been so badly injured that he couldn't continue with his hero career? What if Hizashi had killed Izuku's dream of being the first quirkless hero? What if he had killed Izuku? What if-
"Hizashi," said Shouta's voice in his ear, and Hizashi turned to find his friend leaning in close. He pulled back when Hizashi straightened up, but he did not take his eyes off Hizashi. "Talk to me. I know when you're lost in your own head."
"It's my fault Shouta," Hizashi said quietly. He couldn't even think of holding back. "I made sure Izuku didn't trust me, right when he needed someone to lean on. I made him distrustful of adults, of UA. I drove him to this."
"Midoriya made his own choices," Shouta insisted gently. "They're on him-"
"They're on me!" Hizashi interrupted agitatedly. "Izuku's a child! He acted like a child! I'm the adult, I should have been watching him!"
"He didn't want to see you," Shouta reminded him.
"And who's fault is that?!" Hizashi shot back. "I betrayed his trust and left him completely unprotected!"
"We expected Toogata, a third year, to keep an eye on him," Shouta said, "not to join in with his little rescue party. He should have been more responsible."
"They're both still kids," Hizashi shook his head. "I can't expect them to behave like adults trained in hostage negotiations procedures! Not even third years have learned that stuff yet!"
"You couldn't have predicted that the villains would contact him," Shouta protested.
"I should have predicted he'd try something reckless!" Hizashi countered. "I should know him well enough by now!"
"Hizashi, you're overreacting," Shouta said firmly. "You can't blame yourself."
"Watch me!" Hizashi said, voice going high and hysterical. "What kind of teacher, what kind of hero am I to-"
Shouta kissed him.
It took Hizashi a moment to register that he'd stopped talking because Shouta's mouth was slotted against his own. It took him another moment to realize that it was a kiss. Shouta's eyes were closed, and his lips moved against Hizashi's with patience but persistence. Hizashi let his own eyes fall shut.
When Shouta pulled away, both of them were breathing raggedly. Hizashi opened his eyes dazedly, to find Shouta staring back at him. He had a look of earnest concern on his face.
"You're a great hero," Shouta said seriously, "and a great teacher. Izuku is lucky to have you. Both of you made mistakes, but you'll both have the chance to correct them. History will not repeat itself."
Hizashi swallowed, trying to find the words to reply, but he couldn't think of a single thing to say. While he was trying to find his voice, Shouta reached over and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.
"You should know I've always admired your way with people," Shouta murmured, looking down at their joined hands. "The way you make them like you so effortlessly. The way you make them listen. The way you're such a good influence on everyone you meet."
"You never told me that," Hizashi said quietly.
Shouta smiled wryly. "I guess I thought you understood."
They stayed like that for most of the train ride, leaning close together, their hands joined and their voices low. Both of them had been dancing around this for years now, both waiting for the other to make the first move. They agreed they'd wasted too much time. They also agreed that a factor had probably been that they might have been a triad instead of a couple, and that their missing third member would certainly not have waited this long.
Eventually Hatsume got over her annoyance and came back to sit in the seat across from them, and that forced them apart. Soon after that they arrived in Kamino, and from there took a taxi to the hospital. All Might was waiting for them in the lobby, in his skinny form, and he ushered them quickly upstairs. Hizashi knew immediately when they reached the right room, because Shinsou and Todoroki were standing outside, talking quietly together.
"Sensei!" Shinsou cried when he saw Shouta approaching.
If he was going to say any more than that it was lost when Shouta's capture weapon wrapped around his upper body. With a little yelp he was dragged down the hallway, feet sliding along the floor, until he slammed against Shouta's chest. He made a surprised noise, however, when instead of coming face to face with Shouta's quirk, his teacher's arms went around him and held him tightly.
"Idiot!" Shouta said, face buried in Shinsou's purple hair. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"Yes sir!" Shinsou squeaked.
Shouta pulled back and held Shinsou at arm's length, trying to muster up a glare. When he failed he made a frustrated noise and hugged Shinsou again. After a moment's hesitation Shinsou's arms went around him in turn, and they clung to each other with all their strength.
Hizashi turned to Todoroki. "You alright 'lil listener?" he asked.
"Fine," Todoroki said, watching Shinsou and Shouta with interest.
Hizashi put a hand on Todoroki's head and ruffled his hair. "Rockin'." Todoroki gave him a surprised look, but didn't pull away from the caress.
All Might opened the door to the hospital room. "Young Midoriya is in here."
They all crowded into the room, Shinsou and Todoroki going to take up position on the opposite side of the bed from the door while Hatsume ran to the near side to jostle Izuku urgently, commanding him to wake up. Toogata had been sitting in a chair, but he stood when he saw his teachers, eyes misting over with tears. Izuku lay on the bed, looking for all the world like he was simply deep asleep.
All the guilt that had not quite been suppressed by the train ride welled up in Hizashi's chest, until it inevitably bubbled up his throat and came out his mouth.
"Izuku!" he cried in anguish.
Izuku's eyes popped open.
"Sensei!" he shouted, looking wildly around the small room.
"Izuku!" screamed Todoroki, Shinsou and Hatsume.
"Midoriya!" sobbed Toogata, wiping at his eyes.
"Young Midoriya!" All Might exclaimed in surprise. "You're awake!"
"Sensei!" Izuku repeated urgently once his eyes had landed on Hizashi. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before, but I have something really important to tell you!"
"What?" Hizashi asked, halfway between deliriously happy and completely bewildered. "Oboro Shirakumo is alive!" he yelled.
If he had said that Oboro Shirakumo was an alien from outer space Hizashi didn't think he could have been any more surprised.
"What?" he repeated dumbly.
"I had a vision!" Izuku explained breathlessly. "I saw him! He told me his body was used as a base to make a Nomu, and that Nomu is Kurogiri!"
"Kurogiri's a Nomu?" Shinsou narrowed in on a facet of that statement that seemed completely random to Hizashi.
"He can talk though," Todoroki protested. "He replied to Shinsou, and that's how we were able to capture him."
"You captured Kurogiri?" Shouta looked at Shinsou, impressed. Shinsou flushed and looked away.
"Hold on!" Hizashi said, loudly but without using his quirk. "You had a vision? Like, of the afterlife?"
"Not the afterlife," Izuku shook his head. "It was a liminal space between my mind and All for One's mind, so I could talk to some of the people he killed. They helped me beat him."
"You went into All for One's mind?" All Might realized, sounding slightly terrified. "How did that happen?"
"He tried to jam a bunch of quirks into my body to make me braindead," Izuku pointed at his head. "It created a link? Like a door. I made it open the other way too."
"Can we go back to the part where Kurogiri's a Nomu?" Shinsou requested carefully. "And also, like, made out of someone we know? Are the Nomu made out of dead people?"
"He's not dead," Izuku insisted. "He's alive, and we might be able to save him!" "Hold on," Hizashi repeated. His head was spinning. "You spoke to Shirakumo?"
"Yes," Izuku said decisively, then turned to All Might. "I spoke to Nana Shimura too. She said to tell you she's proud of you."
"Master," All Might whispered, placing a hand to his mouth. "Did she really?"
"But, Midoriya," Toogata piped up for the first time. "How did you beat All for One?"
Izuku paused a moment, one hand coming up to tug at his lip as he considered something. They all waited silently for his decision. Then he looked up at All Might.
"Where's Ragdoll?" he asked. "She was buried under the rubble of the factory that collapsed. Did the heroes rescue her?"
"Yes," All Might nodded, eyes wide. "She's hospitalized here, just down the hall." Izuku sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Take me to her."
It took some negotiation to get Izuku up and out of bed without his heart rate and oxygen monitors, and Hizashi had to work his charms on a nurse to get her to deactivate the machines just for a few minutes. He noticed Shouta glaring at her when he thought Hizashi had looked away, and realized they were going to have to talk about their relationship more than how long it had been coming. Once Izuku was up and walking however, All Might led the way to Tomoko's room. All Might and Izuku entered first, while the rest of them crowded around the door, and Hizashi was just able to see Yawara seated at her bedside, and Tomoko with her head in her hands.
Tomoko looked up when the two of them entered. "Midoriya," she said, trying to put on a happy face and not quite managing it. "You're awake!"
"You don't have your quirk do you?" Izuku asked without preamble. "You haven't been able to use it since you woke up?"
Tomoko blinked at him in surprise. "No," she admitted, "but, what do you-" "Give me your hand," Izuku instructed, reaching out to her.
Tomoko hesitated a moment, then carefully placed her hand in Izuku's. For a moment nothing happened, and then suddenly Tomoko's hand clenched Izuku's tight as her whole body went rigid. Yawara yelled her name, but as abruptly as the seizure started it stopped, and Tomoko sagged against her teammate. When she opened her eyes to look at him they were vacant and out of focus,
but quickly her gaze sharpened and she looked around the room in apparent excitement. "My quirk!" she cried gleefully. "My quirk is back! I can use Search again!"
Izuku turned to the congregation in the doorway. "That's how I beat All for One." There was a thud, and Hizashi looked over to see that All Might had passed out.