Kaoruko wanted nothing more than a nice day off. Was that really too much to ask? Apparently it was. Since Sir Nighteye would be on assignment she along with Centipeder had taken over the day to day running of the agency. This was the first half day off she had had in weeks and she was looking forward to a nice shower and some relaxing mind numbing Korean soap opera. All she wanted from the universe was an hour of peace to herself, but as soon as she sat down with a bag of ships in front of her there came a loud knock on the door. Kaoruko groaned, swore under her breath, and made her way towards he door.

She swung open the door, ready to confront the person who had interrupted her precious free time, but all she saw was very nervous teenager standing in front of her. His wild green curls were tangled and he had a slightly manic look in his eye.

"Eh.. hello" she managed to blurt out "Can I help you?"

"Yes!" she could feel the nervousness radiating off of him "I really need to talk to Sir Nighteye, It's really important."

"Sir is currently on an assignment, but if you need help you can always come by our agency. What is wrong? What do you need? What can we do to help?"

The boy's agitation seemed to increase even further, he was shuffling around muttering slightly under his breath, clearly uncomfortable, but when he spoke his voice was forceful.

"It's about All Might, I think he's in trouble. I know about his power limit and I know about his injuries, you have to let me talk to Sir Nighteye. All Might is in trouble. He has a massive injury, probably the lungs and maybe his stomach and it's severely impacting his fighting style. I know All Might doesn't want to stop being a hero and I know that he and sir Nighteye had a fight, but if he doesn't get help he'll get weaker and weaker. I thought, maybe Sir Nighteye could talk to him and convince him to work together again, so All Might doesn't have to do so much on his own. All Might needs a sidekick, I don't think he can handle it much longer, if he keeps going like this he'll break down" the boy was rambling now, sounding almost desperate.

Kaoruko felt her stomach drop. She had no idea what he was talking about, she had never heard about All Might having a time limit or a chronic injury. She didn't think he was lying, he was convinced that he was speaking the truth, but there were a lot of conspiracy theorists out there. She doubted that something this big, this world shaking would not be out there in the public in some way. Of course she kept up with the hero news, read Twitter and listened to HeroTube and had even ventured into forums once or twice, if only to keep up with public opinion, and she had never even heard of this.

He was just a kid, but the manic glint in his eyes kind of scared her. When she had been at Yūeii she had heard stories about fans taking it too far, of people on message boards making up stories and stalking heroes. She had always wanted to believe that it would never happen to her, but here he was. She let out a sigh preparing herself for the fallout.

"I'm sorry as I said he is out on assignment at the moment, I don't know when he'll be back" Kaoruko tried to assuage the agitated boy.

Before she could say another word, before she could even activate her Quirk he was out the door and down the steps leaving her stunned and perplexed.

This night Kaoruko couldn't sleep, the green boy with his ominous warnings hunted her dreams. Her worried thoughts continued as she made her way to work, narrowly avoiding being run over by a car. By the time she entered the office she was a mess, she just hoped she could use work resources to sort out the mess, before she had to get Sir involved. She poured herself a strong cup of coffee and tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that still persisted. She hadn't even realized how tense she still was until she bumped into Togata kun and nearly spilled her coffee on herself. Thankfully she managed to bubble it up before it could leave a stain on her costume. His normally cheerful face was drawn and his shiny hair hung limply on him. In his arms he held a bunch of notebooks.

"Hey, what's going on with you? You look like you got chewed up and spit out again"

Mirio groaned and pointed to the notebooks. I'll tell you in the office, I think we might need to contact Sir for this. She and Centipeder shared a worried look. What could have disturbed their resident ray of sunshine like that? They followed Mirio kun into the conference room where he sank into his chair, the notebooks and what looked like a flash drive spilling all over the table.

I got home yesterday and everything was fine, I had to go to the store to get some things and everything seemed normal, but when I opened the door I saw these and a note to contact Sir. The note said that All Might was in serious trouble and for Sir to meet him in the Mustafu warehouse and to come alone. Mirio shrugged. I already told the police and they have taken all of the information, but they don't seem to take it seriously. They said it's just some otaku who got a bit overeager making up conspiracy theories. He shrugged again halfheartedly, unsure what to do now that he had brought the information to them.

Her blood froze, her mind immediately flashing back to that weird kid yesterday.

"Have you looked at the notebooks?" her co-worker asked.

Mirio nodded "It's mostly hero analysis, I don't think it was done by a professional. It wasn't quite at that level, but for an amateur it's quite good."

She peered at the book in front of her. The whole page was covered in dense writing interspersed with short doodles and notes crammed in on the side. She had to agree with Mirio, the analysis of Sir Nighteye, her and Centipeder was good, but not on a professional level, at least not yet, she was certain that with time they would grow to be a formidable expert in the field of analytics.

She picked up another notebook. It was a basic overview of All Might, his Quirk, his power level, his recent fights etc. She turned the page and gasped, her mind once again flashing to yesterday's events. Everything he had talked about was laid out in this notebook, from All Might's limited appearances, his changed fighting style to his apparent Quirk fluctuation; it was all written down in that small neat handwriting.

She flipped the page again and peered at the latest entry dated only a week before. She skimmed over the writing, words like massive injury, organ damage, chronic pain, fighting style impacted. decreased quirk functionality, these words flashed in her mind like a warning beacon.

Centipeder peered over her shoulder, just as flabbergasted as she was/ He peered at the note that accompanied the notebooks. "The note said that the evidence is on the drive."

Kaoruko pulled out the little metal drive that had been laying next to the notebooks and put it into the laptop. There were thousands of pictures of All Might all dated and organized with references to the notebooks, there were files on all Might's latest fights on injuries he had sustained, on friends and foes, she had to admit to herself it was quite impressive. However this only solidified her theory that this was a stalker at work.

She told them about the strange teenager that had showed up at her door yesterday. They agreed that they needed to talk to Sir or even get All Might involved, no one else could know about this.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. She spun around so fast that she nearly knocked several of the notebooks off the table.

Erserhead was strolling into the office. She had completely forgotten about their meeting today. He was one of the teachers that were supposed to monitor Mirio kun's internship.

He must have noticed their pale face, because without saying a word he picked up the notebook with the All Might analysis and read through it. The more he read the higher his eyebrows rose.

"What is this?" His voice was cold and dangerous, suddenly she felt like a student again that was about to get expelled, despite having been out of school for years.

"There was an incident yesterday" Mirio explained about the break in and she chimed in with her story about the strange events yesterday. At her description of of the kid, Aizawa stopped her;

"I know him, I've met him before." He quickly explained how he met the kid on some roof in the middle of the night taking pictures, allegedly for some All Might contest."

Mirio interrupted his teacher "The contest is real, but it's only been out for like a week and a half. ''Aizawa snorted and continued his tale. They listened enraptured as he told them about the fight with the villain and the boy's sudden departure at the mention of the police.

"That's exactly what he did when he came to my house too. I tried to stop him and he just ran off before I could stop him, I wonder if that is his Quirk?"

Aizawa shrugged, "He doesn't have a Quirk, he's Quirkles, at least that is what he told me."

"It's pretty obvious that he's been lying" Juzo muttered darkly, by the way he kept tugging at his scarf, he was clearly reaching the end of his patience.

"From his body language I don't think he was purposefully trying to deceive me." Aizawa was pouring over the picture cross referencing them with the various notes.

"Maybe he wasn't lying, because he doesn't know he has a Quirk. I think he may have an undiagnosed analysis Quirk that never showed up and he ended up being diagnosed as Quirkless''

Centipeder turned towards Aizawa. "We need to think of what our next steps should be."

"From what I heard the case is wrapping up, he could be home tomorrow if we asked him" Mirio sounded unsure, but Aiwzawa cut in "There is a high chance that this is a trap and the child is either a villain or more likely is being used to trap Sir Nighteye or possibly even All Might, we can't take that chance"

"What about the information? All of the information speaks towards All Might having a massive injury that could be the end of his hero career."

'What if the information is doctored?"

"We should at least contact Sir and inform him about the situation"

Centipeder quieted everyone with a wave of his hands

"I agree with Togata san, I think we should inform Sir and give him all the relevant evidence and let him make the next decision. Bubble Girl please establish a secure line to Sir and we will proceed from here"

The com line that was reserved for emergencies only, but this surely counted as an emergency. After a few rings Sir picked up. Understandably he was not pleased to be disturbed in the middle of a case, but listened intently to her story. When she went to the part about All Might's injuries and the mysterious package, he interrupted her and told her that he would be arriving by train later today and that he would need someone to pick him up from the train station.

She hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully Sir would know what the best way forward would be

Mirai Sasaki considered himself a rational man who was not normally prone to fits of panic, but Awata's call had made his blood run cold. The interaction with Bubble Girl was concerning, so was the break in, but it had been the information that had been left behind, that had him decide to return to Tokyo as soon as possible.

'Dam it Toshinori, what did you get yourself into now?' He couldn't imagine that he would have been stupid enough to tell anyone of his injuries. He more than anyone else knew how dangerous it was to divulge information like that when it easily could fall into the hands of any villain ruthless enough to take advantage of it, which was most certainly all of them. No, there was no way he would ever discuss this with anyone;

unless

A stray thought hit him and made his body run both hot and cold, a rush of anger flooding through his veins. 'Maybe he finally found a successor.' No it couldn't be; the last time they talked Toshinori had dismissed the possibility out of hand.. quite rudely he might add, no matter how many times he brought it up. All Might had always been too stubborn for his own good.

Even before his debilitating injury, Toshinori had always been a workaholic; he was too, which is why they made such a good team, still ...there were days where Mirai had felt more like a parent or a caretaker rather than a sidekick.

He stared at the sunflowers, their soft yellow petals drifting in the wind reminded him of happier days of a friendship that seemed to be as unshakable as bedrock.

…

It was a beautiful day in Tokyo, the heat of the rainy season had not yet reached Tokyo and the air was fresh and crisp. Two men were walking in the park, one an older with wild blond hair, the other, a younger man with sharp features, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

The evening sun cast long shadows over the vast sunflower field. Mirai and Toshinori strolled through the rows, the golden petals reflecting the sunlight onto their faces. It was one of the rare moments of peace between their endless hero duties.

"You've been pushing yourself too hard," Mirai said, his voice filled with concern. He reached out, lightly touching a bandage peeking out from under Toshinori's sleeve.

The older man flinched but tried to dismiss the matter with a chuckle. "It's just a scratch. I've had worse."

Mirai's gaze remained fixed on the bandage. "Every time you say that, I'm reminded of how many times I've had to patch you up. I'm worried about you. It's not just about the physical wounds. How many times did you forget to eat, how many times did I have to remind you that your body needed sleep." He sighed" I know you have a strong Quirk, but you can't keep pushing yourself like this, not forever, eventually even you will break down"

"There is still so much to do, so many people who still need help" Toshinori sighed and for a moment he looked gaunt and haggard as if the weight of his Quirk was weighing down on him.

"My parents left me when I was just a child, I grew up in a home, did you know that?" Mirai shook his head surprised that All Might would talk about something this personal. Normally Toshinori avoided the topic of his childhood or anything related to the time before becoming a hero. "The world was a dangerous place, a lawless place with gangs roaming the streets, taking what they wanted. Quirks weren't that common back then and the Quirk laws were still daily. The strong oppressed the week and took what they wanted, it was the law of the time. Quirked people took advantage of Quirkless people, since they were perceived as weak and unable to defend themselves and Quirkless people, especially the older generations harbored a great mistrust against anyone with a Quirk, especially those with obvious mutations. I can't even remember how many times I had to fight my way out of a dangerous situation. We had no one to look out for us, no one to care for us, we were all alone in the world. I swore, if I ever became a hero, I would help create a better world where the people had a symbol to look up to, to help them create a world of peace. That's how I met my mentor. Without her I would never have become the hero I am today." Toshinori looked away, trying to avoid the conversation. "The people need All Might. I can't let them down, I can't let her down."

Mirai's hand rested on Toshinori's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. The two heroes stood facing each other among the sunflowers. "But who looks out for All Might?" he pressed, hoping to get through to All Might's thick skull. "You might be the symbol of peace, but you're also human. You need to rest and heal."

Toshinori's blue eyes met Mirai's, a rare vulnerability showing. "I don't know how to slow down, Mirai. This is all I know."

"I know, but that is why I am here, to help you to force you to slow down, but I can not do that if you refuse to listen to me. All Might gave him a rueful smile.

Mirai sighed. "You don't have to carry this burden alone. Let me help. Let others help. And maybe, just maybe, consider finding someone to share the mantle with. Even you may not be around forever."

Something in his gut twisted with guilt and fear, but if he didn't say it All Might would continue as he had always done and run himself into the ground.

Toshinori's eyes widened, the thought of what his death might mean to his friend seemed to have shaken him. Good, he thought, maybe he had finally gotten through to Toshinori, but somehow he doubted it.

His friend gave a sheepish smile, "I'm not planning on going anywhere, Mirai." He knew that his friend was trying to reassure him, but like something out of his dream a vision of a hospital bed rose. It had been the beginning of their partnership All Might had allowed him to look into his future and what he had seen had horrified him. Something would all go wrong and they would all pay for it. That was the problem with a Quirk like his, the future was an open book. He knew he would not be able to prevent it, but perhaps he could hold it off as long as possible.

"I know, but promise me. Just in case." Mirai knew he couldn't, but just for once he wanted to change the future to keep this man in his life for as long as possible, to let him shine as long as possible

Toshinori sighed, giving his friend a soft smile. "Alright, I promise."

The older man put a hand on his shoulder,"I mean what I said, I promise, Mirai, I'll consider what you've said. We'll figure this out together."

With a broad smile on his face, the kind that reached his eyes and made them twinkle with mischief, he took one of the sunflowers and playfully placed them in Mirai's hair.

Mirai felt his anger melt away, if only slightly, still the irritation at his reckless behavior remained. He was sure that All Might meant what he had said, but as soon as the next case arrived, as soon as someone else needed help he would be out there no matter the cost for his own health.

'We will figure this out together' he thought, just as we have always done. He sighed again. Clearly Toshinori did not want to push the topic of successors, so he would let it go for now, but he knew that this was a conversation they needed to have and one All Might would not be able to put off together, but for now he would enjoy this unexpected moment of levity and freedom from responsibilities.

….

He had been so happy to be part of a great team, but sadly their partnership had only lasted another year, before the whole world that they had built had come crashing down around them, the day that horrible day that had changed their lives forever. He closed his eyes trying to forget, but the images of that horrible day wouldnot leave him no matter how much he tried to forget.

…

He had been in the office at the time, looking over documents for the Suzuki trial when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Nighteye. It's Torino."

Something cold went down his back. Torino never called unless it was a dire emergency. The urgency in Gran Torino's voice immediately put him on edge. Still, he forced himself to remain calm and professional.

"What's happened?"

He thought he heard Torino's voice shake, just a bit. The floor under his feet had vanished and he was standing in the air over a cliff with nothing between himself and the ground.

"It's Toshinori. He was injured. Badly."

Why was there ringing in his ears? His whole body felt as if he was floating. This could not be real, this had to be a bad joke .

No, no one would be cruel enough to make a joke like this. He had known for years that this moment was going to happen, had seen it happen in front of his eyes every time All Might put his life at risk, but to see it playing out in front of his eyes was heartbreaking. He had hoped he could draw it out, could even prevent it, but he should have known better than to let himself hope, but letting people hope for the impossible was something All Might was good at, it was both it was both a blessing and a curse.

In that moment he felt dazed and sluggish, his brain disconnected from his body. The phone threatened to slip from his shaking, sweat-soaked hands. He knew that in times of crisis people went into shock, but until now, had always thought himself above such things. He had always considered himself a calm and rational man, but right now all he wanted to do was scream, scream loud enough to make the earth shake and rouse any Kami who might be listening. No! He chided himself, Toshinori needed him. He had to be there for him, to support him, just as he had always done.

With great effort, he managed to refocus his attention on Torino's voice.

"What do you mean 'badly'? What happened?"

From the other end of the phone, he could hear silence... then;

"He was in a fight with a villain, a tough one. He lost half a lung and most of his stomach. The doctors are doing everything they can, but it's touch and go. Nighteye, you need to come here," Torin's somber words were followed by labored breathing almost as if he was holding back tears.

"This can't be happening." Only too late did he realize that he had spoken his thoughts out loud. Once again, the line went quiet.

"I'm at the hospital now. He needs you, Mirai, this may be your last chance," he was searching for words... "your last chance to say goodbye."

"I'll be there! Which hospital?"

By the time the words are out of his mouth, he's already halfway out of his office, taking three steps at a time.

"Tokyo Central Hospital. But, Mirai... you better prepare yourself, it's not a pretty sight."

As if he would ever care about that. All he wants is for Toshinori to recover, for things to return to normal, and finally wake from this nightmare that he's trapped in.

"I'm on my way, and if Toshinori wakes up, tell him that I...", he's not sure how to continue the sentence, but Torino's gruff voice cuts into the silence.

"You tell him that yourself when you get there." Mirai gives a shaky laugh, as if trying to dispel the horror happening before their eyes. "I will, I promise."

"Toshinori is tough, always has been. If anyone can make it, he can," the older man sounds like he is trying to assure himself as much as Mirai.

As All Might, Toshinori had always been so unshakable, and now... he was lying broken and bleeding in some hospital, possibly dying. What could have happened that could have broken such a great hero, this symbol of peace, the foundation of all of the Hero Society in Japan?

He arrived at the hospital not ten minutes later. The door was partially open and Mirai entered quietly so as not to disturb his friend. The room was dark, lit only by faint overhead light and the various machines surrounding the bed. The air was tangy, filled with the smells of blood, sweat, discharge and disinfectant, he fought with himself trying to stave off the wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm him.

Slowly he made his way to his bed. Kami was so still, lying there as if he was already dead. Mirai had never seen the man stay in one place, not as Toshinori and certainly not as All Might. The man had an almost compulsive need to touch, to help, to fix and now, now he was just lying there still as a statue, fighting for his life.

For the second time this day, he felt as if reality had left him and only a disembodied spirit remained behind. The only noise was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. He sat down by his side absentmindedly taking his friend's hand.

Gently, Mirai pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down, taking a moment to collect himself, trying to make sense of it all, the absurdity that All Might of all people could be lying here, only a hair's breadth away from dying.

He reached out, placing his hand over Toshinori's own, feeling the cold touch contrasting sharply with what he remembered – the warmth, the vigor, the joy and the feeling of safety that seemed to surround the man at all times, both in his hero and his civilian form, all of it was gone, replaced with a lifeless imitation. Mirai's vision blurred momentarily as he fought back tears.

After a long moment, Mirai spoke softly, his voice a gentle whisper in the hush of the room. "Toshinori, it's me, Mirai. I'm here now. You're not alone."

He knew that Toshinori could not hear him, but he hoped that somehow it would reach his friend, to reassure him that he was not alone, to help him fight his way back to consciousness.

"I told you, didn't I? That you shouldn't push yourself so hard," he whispered, voice tinged with regret and concern. "But you never listened. Stubborn to the very end."

A faint smile curved on Nighteye's lips. Despite his ability to foresee futures, he always held a soft spot for optimism when it came to Toshinori, he hoped Toshinori would continue to beat the odds as he had always done..

Although no response came from the unconscious hero, the steady beep of the heart monitor was a quiet reassurance. Mirai leaned back in his chair, settling in for a long night, watching over his friend and mentor, praying for his recovery.

He heard the door creek and saw Gran Torino make his way into the room. Without turning his head he greeted the older man. There was a comfortable silence created by years of association.

When Torino spoke his voice was "I'm glad you came. You know me, you and Tsukauchi, we are the only people he has in his life."

Mirai nodded, in spite of his popularity, and his gregarious and kind nature, that drew anyone he came into contact with into his orbit, All Might had always been a very private man who would not share his problems and concerns unless they impacted others. He kept himself separate from others, never above them, but never a part of them either. Mirai felt blessed that he was one of the few people who had seen the real all Might, the man beneath the cape.

Nighteye nodded, tears once again threatening to fall. Torino placed his hand on Toshimori's own.

"He's the only one I have left after Nana…after she died. He loved her, you know, she was a mother to him, even if he never got the opportunity to tell her. She.. Well, after her husband died in a villain attack, she was too traumatized to let anyone close to her, but he came into her life like a ray of sunshine, he made her smile again. It had been so long since I saw her smile, a real smile I mean. I know I've always been harsh on him, but you know what he is like, throwing himself into danger as if his life doesn't have value, bah no consideration for himself or the people around him, but he made Nana happy, he gave her hope and she gave him a purpose."

He wasn't sure what to say. Neither Toshinori nor Torino ever talked of their friend and mentor. Toshinori would usually just change the subject. He had been unwilling to intrude on his friend's grief, for Torino to willingly share such vulnerability, it clarified the seriousness of the situation more than ever; just how close he had come to losing his friend forever.

They might have had their differences and diverging philosophies, but when it came to their friend and comrade, those differences were set aside. In that room, at that moment, they were united by their shared concern for their friend.

…

He still shuddered remembering this night. Toshinori had recovered, but looking back that night had marked the beginning of the end for their partnership. As the years moved on they had grown apart further and further, mistrust, resentment and stubbornness had eroded until the foundation had broken under all that strain. Over the years both of them had tried to repair it, to make amends, but something had always held them back, how could something so fundamentally broken be repaired.

He sighed and forced his gaze away from the sea of yellow flowers and the dark thoughts they brought with it.

This was not the time for wool gathering he needed to think about his next step. His first action upon his return would be to check on his sidekicks and determine how the strange boy had gotten his information. The note had said to come alone and to meet him in an abandoned warehouse in the south of Mastafu.

On the one hand this was one of the oldest villain tricks in the book. There was always the chance that the kid, whoever he was was a front for an organization of villains, But ont he other hand he was the only one who knew of the validity of the claims sruounding All Might's health so it would be wise to confront him alone and to have his sidekicks close at hand in case it turned out to be a trap, but the initial meeting and information gathering would have to be done by him alone. Mirai chuckled to himself, how ironic, he had always chided All Might for running of half cocked on his own, and here he was, running off in what could very well be an obvious trap, the hypocracy was not lost on him.

No matter despite everything, this was a lead he needed to follow up on his own. Despite everything that had happened between him and Toshinori, he owed him this much at least. If All Might's secret got out, not only would hero society break down, his life would be in immediate danger and Mirai could not let that happen, he would do anything necessary to keep his secrets. This was not just about duty; it was about preserving the reputation and legacy he shared with All Might as his former sidekick and trusted friend.

Notes: I hope you guys liked this chapter chapter. I hope the flashbacks weren't too cheesy, I just wanted to show their partnership form Nighteye's perspective. I just wanted to thank all of you who read this story and support it, you guys are amazing and I just love all of you. Also much love to Casey and Simone who are my non fandom readers and helped me make improvements with my dialog and scene flow. If you have any constructive criticism please don't hesitate to comment I wont mind. I don't know when chapter 6 is coming out. Work keeps me pretty busy at the moment so I don't have much time, but I'll do my best. Byeee