I'd say that the next few weeks were peaceful, and that was the fact that wigged me out the most. They weren't supposed to be peaceful! Shigaraki was supposed to have caused an incident and Stain was supposed to have continued his spree, but the day passed when the incident took place and…nothing. Stain didn't kill Native either.

And as for why I knew nothing happened, I had Ochako to thank for that. Not only was she a cheerful friend, she let me know the exact week internships were, which was very convenient. So I ended up patrolling Hosu for a good week, and after Ochako texted me to say internships were over, I let myself into my apartment and promptly had a good long freak out.

WHAT THE FUCK

Ow! My ears :(

Right, I forgot that it can hurt you when I yell. But still, what the fuck?

No Hosu incident, right?

Yeah, and no Stain either. It's like after he was stopped from murdering Ingenium, he just…vanished. That is not good, considering he's murdered at least forty heroes.

Maybe some of them deserved it?

I don't know. Maybe. But still, with how unhinged he is, I doubt most of them deserved it. And even the ones that did really could have been handled a lot better than plain murder.

Himiko hummed in thought for a moment before she spoke again.

I guess you're right. Still, it would have been satisfying to stab Black Dove a few times.

I smiled a little at that.

Yeah, but then we stopped Kaito from doing exactly that, so maybe we shouldn't be thinking that.

Boring :(

No stabbing, how tragic :(

I'm so glad we agree :)

I shook my head and focused back on the topic. No Hosu incident, that was probably a net positive, right? I guess so. No property destruction, no Native murder, no Iida getting scarred.

No opportunity for Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki to bond, but considering that kid's magnetic personality, they would find other opportunities, preferably ones that didn't involve fighting a dangerous serial killer.

Said serial killer was also a wild card. Stain was a psychotic lunatic who had such a strict moral code that he would probably kill almost every hero in Japan if he could, but he also didn't tend to work with other villains. Even he recognized how bad their goals were, even if his weren't much better.

I doubted he could be talked down, not unless said person gave incontrovertible proof that Stain was wrong. Even then I was sure it would be an uphill battle.

Still, there were worse threats out there. Like Shigaraki and his Sensei. All told, I was more angry at AFO rather than Shigaraki. The guy had essentially kidnapped a child after his quirk killed his whole family (and if some theories were to be believed, caused the incident in the first place) and raised him in a way to guarantee an emotionally stunted and violent individual.

I really didn't want to know what All For One had done to that child, but I had no doubt it would likely qualify as extreme abuse. No kid should have to go through that, especially considering the trauma of his family's deaths being always held over him with those hands.

It was up in the air whether Shigaraki could be redeemed now, but knowing what happens later, right now is the only real time where there may be even the slightest opportunity. Maybe if Shigaraki was captured now, and his connections to All Might's nemesis were revealed, then he might, might get the help he needs.

I had always wondered what I would do when Giran called to tell me about the League. Use the meeting to capture Shigaraki? Take out Dabi before he tried to incinerate his own brother? Meet All for One and cut his tubes?

But now one idea I had was one that interested me most. UA had a mole. That was a sure thing, though I hadn't heard who it was by the time I ended up here, so what if the League did too? And I don't mean Hawks, though I could take a page from his wheelhouse. Leak the League's hideout and movements once everyone's together, get them captured before All for One could interfere, get All for One's Nomu factory shut down, and prevent the PLF from ever forming. Then I could work on getting the MLA taken down.

I could only hope that the League could get the help they needed now, before they were too far gone. I doubted most of them couldn't be talked down at this point. Spinner might not even need to get jail time since as far as I know he never committed any crimes before joining the League. Everyone else? Likely jail time, but less than if they tried to destroy society.

Speaking of which, that leads to a difficult dilemma on my part. The extent of the murders I committed was still hard to tell, with the memories themselves being covered in red, like a haze, but I knew there had to have been at least ten. Ten murders. The thought made me shudder, not just due to the guilt, but also the fact that thinking about those bodies, covered in blood, sent very uncomfortable feelings all over my body.

I needed to do something about it. But what? I still had things I needed to do, but what should I do after that? Turn myself in? Admit to several murders? Would they even believe a teenager about that, even with my history? I could try and give details, but even trying to recall information just led to the one thing I knew. Faces. And not very clear ones.

I shook my head. That didn't matter. Those families deserve closure. So once things were stable, I was turning myself in and doing my best to cooperate with the police. Maybe that, plus my own memory issues could lead to a lighter sentence. Maybe even bring dad down too, bring to light what a piece of-

I stopped myself at that. I'd plan for that, but going down that particular lane of thought wasn't productive. I could plan things out, but not in that state of mind. But first things first there, I could write a statement.

I looked around my apartment. There had to be a notebook somewhere. I found one, lightly scribbled in, and tore out those pages. I sat down at the kitchen counter, and started to write.

My name is Himiko Toga, and I killed at least ten people. I won't make excuses, but I will explain myself. I think the best way to do that is to talk about family. I think things started when I was five…

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I made sure to write in that notebook at every chance I could. It felt cathartic at times, though doing so may have actually accelerated the merging, as more and more memories bled in and I had more and more trouble telling which were originally mine.

Still, I kept doing it. It was the least I could do.

Ochako was a light, too good for this world. Even when I was in a pretty dark place she was there, though her hero studies kept her away for a lot of time. Still, she was great, dropping by the store often. It was nice to have a constant aside from Twice.

Speaking of my uncle, he still called frequently, though it was appreciated he kept up. He wasn't the most steady presence but it was welcome to have family with me, even family that had major issues of their own.

It was inevitable, but my plan finally kicked off with a call from Giran.

"Hello~ How's it going, Giran?"

"Fine. Business as usual. Look, I've got an opportunity for you. There's someone interested in recruiting, and I think you fit the bill. Interested?"

This was the League. It had to be. I smirked to myself.

"That's kind of sparse on details, but you know? I've been looking for something more fun~"

Giran sighed.

"Alright. Just meet me in Kamino, the Kisaragi department store. This monday, 6:00. Don't be late."

I giggled.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

He hung up soon after and I sighed in relief. I would have to play up the crazy if I wanted to get in. Might as well get some practice. I walked to the mirror and smiled as crazily as possible. I recoiled after the sight made me incredibly uncomfortable. Okay, got that down at least. Too easily.

I sighed to myself. We're gonna have to do a lot of acting. I hope we can pull it off.

I hate acting :(

Well then good thing I'm the one doing it.

I know, but the words you and I are basically meaningless now.

We?

Maybe. It gets really hard to tell.

Like right now?

Exactly. It feels like one person's having a conversation.

That was a good point. I slumped back in my chair and groaned loudly to no one in particular. This suuucked.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

It was near torture waiting for the day to come, but it did, and I made sure to use original Toga style.

Buns? Messy. Cardigan? Washed. Several knives tucked in inconspicuous hiding places? Sharp. School uniform I still wasn't sure how I'd gotten? I lost it so not here.

Kamino was really a sight to see at this time. Not completely dark just yet, but the low sun in the sky gave the lights of the ward a prominence that made it beautiful. I took it in as I walked through the streets, looking for the location Giran had mentioned.

I spotted him easily. The guy was hard to miss when you looked for him. Standing there looking casual in his usual get up, casually smoking a cigarette and staring at a store display. I didn't make much noise as I approached, curious as to what he was looking at.

The store was displaying Stain scarves. That was pretty strange, considering Stain's whole last stand speech never happened and thus never got put up online. Then again, I hadn't been keeping up with the news recently, busy with other things, like doing research as to the eye tattoo on my hand and turning up almost nothing aside from a vague mention of "Metis", helping Spotlight gather information on a corrupt hero, and texting Ochako.

Giran didn't even say anything when he noticed me. Just a slight nod with his head. I decided to speak first.

"So, now I'm here, wanna tell me what kinda party I'm walking into?"

He smirked at me, giving the seemingly ever present sleazy grin I knew too well. I could never be sure what he was thinking.

"Be patient. We're waiting for one more addition before I start talkin'. Don't wanna have to repeat myself, get it?"

I nodded. Right. Dabi.

Weird name.

Not his real name.

Yeah, I got that. Who the hell would name their kid "cremation"?

Exactly. Bet you can guess his quirk.

Fire?

Ding ding ding!

Pretty obvious.

Yeah.

I was cut off as I saw someone walking toward us, and as soon as they got closer, it was easy to tell who it was. Those scars didn't belong to anyone else after all.

In all his hot topic-looking glory, Dabi approached, looking his usual level of disinterested in everything around him. His eyes briefly flitted over to me before fixing on Giran.

"This better be good."

Giran nodded, before turning around.

"Follow me."

Dabi huffed, but he began walking fast. I followed, doing my best to keep up with the strides of the much taller men. It was times like this that I missed being a guy, a taller one at that.

It didn't take long to arrive at a pretty nondescript looking building. Giran turned, smile still on his face.

"You ready?"

We both nodded and he pushed open the door, leading us inside to a pretty sparse looking room. It reminded me of a doctor's office and for some reason that sent a shiver down my spine. Giran led us past an abandoned desk and toward a door in the back. Opening it up, it appeared to be a stairwell, and up there was a simple hallway with only one door at the end. Giran gave us a serious look, unusual for him.

"Now let me introduce you, okay?"

Dabi just shrugged, and I nodded, keeping a smile on my face. Giran nodded back and pushed the door open, leaning in slightly. I could see the familiar setting of the League's bar, but no one just yet, aside from a shock of light blue hair. Giran's voice was even as he spoke.

"Shigaraki. You all have been the talk of the town for a while now. I hear you're starting something big."

The raspy voice that came from inside wasn't a surprise, but it was strange, hearing it again after only having heard it during the USJ.

"Cut to the chase Giran. Who the hell are they?"

Giran nodded to us before stepping inside. I followed his lead, smiling widely, while I heard Dabi coming behind me. Soon we were in front of Shigaraki himself, looking just a little different. No hands, for one, the gloves from the USJ were on, and he was wearing a nondescript black hoodie.

He looked us up and down, the wrinkles around his eyes prominent as well as some dark outlines under them. The neutral look on his face conveyed disinterest, but there was more to it than that. I couldn't get a handle on it though.

The other occupants of the room were both unsurprising and surprising.

Kurogire stood neutrally behind the counter, cleaning a glass, though I could tell they were ready to move at a moment's notice.

The other one was surprising. Stain. Just Stain. Sitting on one of the stools. Drink in hand. Hair pulled into a loose ponytail. The casualness of it was what made me nearly lose it. At least that explains why he wasn't seen for a bit, and why there wasn't a Hosu incident.

I did my best to seem excited, and that wasn't too hard.

Dabi spoke, first, trying to seem casual, even as I could tell from his eyes he wasn't expecting Stain to be here. While he wasn't as obsessed as Spinner, he was an avid follower of his ideals. Must be weird to be in the same room as your hero. His words were clearly directed at Shigaraki.

"You're the leader? I saw a picture of you, but you're gross in person."

I tsked at that.

"Says the guy with scars like that?"

"You're the hand guy! You're friends with Stain, right? I mean, he's right there. Hi Stain!"

Said individual huffed, seeming annoyed, before getting up and walking past us, leaving abruptly. I watched him go, but turned back.

He simply glared at me, but I shook my head and gave a smile.

"Will you let me join? The League of Villains is the name, right?"

Shigaraki's eyebrow raised before looking at Giran, who simply shrugged.

"She's eccentric, but she can be of use."

It occurred to me that I hadn't introduced myself yet.

"Oh, right! My name's Himiko Toga! It's nice to meet you hand guy!"

He grunted in annoyance.

"My name's Tomura Shigaraki. Call me that, not 'hand man'"

I nodded quickly. Giran simply continued, gesturing to Dabi.

"This is Dabi. He hasn't done anything major yet, but I think you'll like him."

Dabi simply huffed in annoyance, looking over at me.

"You sure you're following Stain's ideas if you're letting her in?"

I gasped in shock.

"Dabi! How could you? I thought we were friends!"

Dabi just raised an eyebrow. Shigaraki just scoffed at his statement.

"Least she had the decency to introduce herself before insulting me, asshole."

That speech pattern really didn't feel very…Shigaraki, but as someone who didn't know that, Dabi just glared.

"Don't test me."

Shigaraki glared at him for a moment, before sighing.

"Look, if you want to join, fine. But drop the attitude before I have Kurogiri warp you to the middle of the fucking ocean."

Dabi simply grunted, but didn't argue. I sat down on one of the stools next to Shigaraki.

"So, now that it's settled, friends?"

I held out towards Shigaraki for a fist bump. He looked at it a minute before closing his entire hand around my fist, then smirking.

"Sure, crazy lady."

I giggled a little. This Shigaraki was not what I was expecting, but then again, he wasn't exactly the same during the USJ either. I leaned over on the counter, looking at Dabi expectantly. He sighed and took the seat two over away from me and Shigaraki.

"You got any actual drink there?"

Kurogiri nodded. I looked at him and a question popped out of my mouth.

"So, are you like, all mist, or do you have a body too?"

Kurogiri stopped a moment, seeming to think, before speaking.

"I believe I do have a corporeal form, though I am not sure myself."

I hummed in curiosity. It was interesting. They had to have somebody to him, but there were times they appeared intangible aside from their collar. Kurogiri simply went over to the drinks on the shelf behind them.

"Do you have any preference, Dabi?"

He shrugged.

"Something strong."

Kurogiri tilted their head in acknowledgement, seeming to pick something out before pouring a glass and warping it to Dabi, who looked at it before taking it and drinking slowly. I wasn't sure what to do now, so I just kind of stared. He didn't seem to pay it much mind if he did notice, just seeming to stare over at the powered off TV.

"So what's with the scars?"

It was impulsive, but I found the question tumbling out just like with Kurogiri. Dabi didn't even pause what he was doing, responding curtly.

"None of your business."

I whined a little, but looked away, over at Shigaraki, who was now staring at a photo. I leaned over slightly, to get a look, and my eyes widened.

It was the eye. Not just any eye, the one on my arm, though it didn';t have the now two lines mine had. I looked over at Shigaraki, who just noticed I was looking at him with wide eyes.

"The hell are you staring at?"

I rolled up my sleeve quietly, and showed him the tattoo. His eyes widened and he gestured to the door, getting up. I did the same, and Shigaraki gave dabi one last look and a simple parting.

"Don't drink yourself to death."

Dabi just grunted in response, still on the first glass.

Shigaraki pushed the door open and I followed, as he walked down the hall and paused at one of the doors.

"Tell anyone what you see in here and I will punch you so hard your grandparents will feel it."

I nodded sagely, as if he hadn't just threatened me. He nodded back and pushed the door open to reveal… what was likely Shigaraki's room.

I wasn't sure what I would expect from him, but this wasn't exactly it. The hands were piled in a corner, along with some other clothes. The walls had a few game posters, and a tv, along with several consoles was set up as well. It looked like the room of any gamer you'd find in the world.

Shigaraki walked in and sat on the bed, gesturing me inside. I just mutely walked in, closing ths door behind me.

"Is that a Playmation 8?"

He grunted.

"That isn't the point, but yes."

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What's more important is this. Who the fuck are you?"

"Himi-"

"No, who are you really?"

I sighed.

"Complicated."

He seemed unconvinced.

"Then explain."

I sighed again and plopped onto the bed next to him. He scooted slightly, and motioned for me to go on.

"It's not technically a lie when I say I'm Toga. Just not the full truth. If you're like me then you already get it. I've got memories from me, then Toga's memories just bleeding in, making it hard to tell who's who."

He nodded.

"I get it, but what the fuck is your name?"

I shrugged, but I did answer.

"It was Evan."

Hearing my old name was weird. I hadn't heard it used in a long time. I had gotten used to being called Himiko or Toga so much that it was basically my name.

Then Shigaraki's eyes widened, and he seemed to scowl.

"What?"

I tilted my head, curious.

"What?"

He shook his head, seeming confused.

"No way."

Now I was just confused.

"No way?"

"You can't be him."

"I can't be him?"

"I mean…"

"You mean…?"

"WILL YOU STOP WITH THE ECHO?"

I put my hands up in mock surrender.

"Sorry, just confused. I think I would know who I was…kind of."

He sighed too, seeming to calm down.

"Sorry. Just…fuck."

I giggled a little, as I put some of the pieces. The profanity, the snapping, maybe…

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Ben, right?"

That got him, as he perked up, but still seemed skeptical.

"What happened on my seventeenth birthday you swore not to mention to anyone?"

I thought for a moment before said memory came up, before promptly falling over laughing. He glared at me, but I didn't care, taking about two minutes or so to calm down.

"Sorry. Just…I can't believe you thought you could impress a girl by giving her a pocket knife."

He scowled before realization dawned and he smiled. Then he got closer and pulled me into a hug.

"It's you."

I sighed.

"It's me. Just different."

He let me go after a moment.

"Okay then. How the fuck did you get here?"

I recalled my first day.

"Woke up in an alleyway, stumbled around before realizing what happened, ran into Twice, then I passed out. You?"

He chuckled.

"Woke up here,"

He gestured to the room.

"Didn't realize anything was wrong until I nearly decayed Kurogiri."

I giggled a little, before my face fell.

"So you've been…"

"Stuck with Ass for All and arguing until I got other Shigaraki to cooperate? Yep."

I put a hand on his shoulder, frowning.

"Must have been hard. Other Toga was just kinda glad to have a friend."

:D

Shigaraki shrugged.

"I guess. The worst fucking part was dealing with the memories. Let's just say I get why I used to be so fucked up."

My frown got even deeper, and I knew this was getting him angry too. He had the covers in a death grip. We both didn't say anything, with me just rubbing his shoulder softly, trying my best to comfort him. After a bit he spoke again.

"At least you're here. I've got a Player Two now."

I grinned.

"Yeah. And I think I know what you wanna do. Get more people and then wreck the final boss."

He nodded.

"Yeah, but now I'm playing a different game."

We both smiled at each other, before I decided to move to something else.

"So, you find anything on the eye? I saw you looking at that picture."

He snorted.

"Nothing that was any fucking help. That was the only picture of it I could find, called it 'the Eye of Metis' or some shit."

I nodded.

"That lines up. The only thing I could find was 'Metis'"

He groaned.

"Damn."

"Yeah."

We sat in silence for a bit before I got up.

"You wanna go talk to Dabi now?"

He sighed.

"Yeah. Might as well. Maybe Stain's in there too."

My eyes widened as I was reminded that Stain was now in the League."

"How did you pull that off?"

He huffed in annoyance.

"A very long debate where I got stabbed three fucking times before I finally got rid of the damn sword."

I gave him a worried look, but he just shrugged nonchalantly. I took that as a sign that he was okay.

"How's Kurogiri?"

"Nice. Kind of boring to talk to, but he takes care. Cooks good too."

I smiled at that. I had basically been subsisting off of my own mediocre cooking skills for a while (plus the occasional meal brought in a container from Twice), so it would be good to see some good food for once. If I could get him to cook for me.

Not much had changed in the bar, Dabi was there, still nursing a drink, with Kurogiri back to cleaning a glass. Giran was gone, and looking back he'd been gone before I left too. Must have just made his exit without anyone noticing. Slippery bastard.

Tomura looked around, sighed, and sat down on the stool at the end of the bar.

"Kurogiri, did Giran say anything before he left?"

Kurogiri paused their cleaning and seemed to think for a moment.

"He did leave a note. However I believe his intention was to exit unnoticed."

I nodded as I took the seat next to Tomura. Just what I'd figured. Kurogiri did seem to put a hand into their jacket pocket, drawing out a note.

"He did give this to me while you were talking."

They handed the note over to Tomura, who looked at it before showing me what was written.

I'll probably be bringing some more talent by soon. Stain's inspired a lot of people ya know?

See ya soon,

Giran

I shook my head.

"Vague as always. That does mean we'll have some more friends soon, right?"

Tomura seemed to think before smirking.

"Yeah. Maybe someone a bit more warm than Scarface over there."

Dabi glared, but didn't leave. I just smirked at Tomura.

"You'll let me help with interviews, right?"

I had a feeling some of the more murderous members of the league weren't going to be making it this time. Tomura just nodded.

"Sure. You guys are League now. That means you get to make sure any old NPC doesn't go thinking they can join the party."

Dabi rolled his eyes but didn't object.

We simply sat there for a while. The core of the League was assembled. Now it was time to build out the rest.

Hopefully for good this time.

As had been common recently, the future was uncertain.

In this case, I'd take that as hopeful.