Happy new year! :D

Alright, first of all, I'm sorry this took so long.

Second of all, this chapter is double the length of the usual chapters we've had so far. I thought I could make this story bite-sized, but halfway through writing this chapter, I realized I can't properly write a chapter in just a 3k range. So from now on, 5k-6k will be standard chapter length, so I'm really sorry if you've gotten used to the bite-sized chapter length :')

Well, anywho, here's the new chapter. Hope you like it.

「「「・」」」

The endless darkness enveloped his body. He floated aimlessly, no rhyme nor reason to his existence in the void between creation and uncreation, in the sea of nothingness yet of everything all the same.

He wasn't alone. There were others, floating without direction just as he was. But they were fearful, terror encompassing every one of their being.

Why? What could be so scary?

When Takato's eyes opened for an instant that lasted an eternity, he bore witness to a creature lying unconscious inside its translucent egg. It was small, barely the size of his palm. The others were scared, screaming with no voice nor a face. And then they were gone, and the creature grew to fit snuggly into his embrace.

Ao Shun.

Elysium.

Unintelligible chants rolled off his tongue. Were they a string of a name, or were they something else? Takato didn't know.

In the sea of nothingness, he floated without aim, the eternity slowly washing away any knowledge he had of himself.

...huh, who was he again? If it mattered, would he figure it out once he woke up from this dream? He hugged the creature close, listening and humming to the beatiful yet unutterable song of silence.

Ao Shun.

Elysium.

...Megidra.

「「「・」」」

"Before I died," Hikari said so casually as if talking about the weather. "There was this invisible string tied to my pinky."

She looked at her hand and wiggled said pinky. Izuku listened in rapt attention, making sure to write everything down in his notebook.

"I didn't know where it extended or why I had it in the first place. One day, I decided to see for myself where the string led to.

"I read about the red string of fate once in a magazine. So I thought maybe I could find my soulmate if I followed it to its other end." She giggled before staring off into space, a nostalgic smile gracing her lips. "After travelling from Odaiba all the way to Shinjuku, I met Takato. He was six back then I think, not sure if he even remembers. But do you want to know what else I found?"

Izuku looks up from his notebook to see Hikari nonchalantly humming a tune despite her serious tone.

"The pinky thread, it doesn't lead you to your soulmate." She shook her head. "When I met Takato, I also saw another thread connected to his other pinky. I followed it and found another person who had a thread of their own. I followed that too. And the next. And the next. Can you guess what that means?"

Izuku scrunched his brows and paused from writing, a thousand thoughts running through his mind.

"Are you saying the quirk is passed down through those threads?" he looked down to his own pinky, the thread was invisible to his eyes. Come to think of it, Takato couldn't see it either. Otherwise it'd have appeared in the boy's memory.

Hikari replied before he could ask. "The threads are a safeguard. When one of us dies, it latches on to the next person in line. This way it'll live forever. Or at least that was what the previous user told me after I died. Himekawa Maki, was it?"

"Himekawa..." Izuku jotted down the name just in case for future reference. "What else did she say?"

"Just that the quirk seems to be getting stronger the further down the line it gets. Looking at it now, she was probably right. I couldn't forcefully rip souls out of anyone's body like Takato can."

Izuku followed her line of sight towards Tsubasa who was still fast asleep. He smiled as he stroked her, the cat's soft fur pleasantly brushing against his skin. Sensory deprivation had made him appreciate the little things he'd taken for granted.

Under the lofted bed opposite of Takato's collection of comics, there was a small mirror stuck to the drawer, a fact Izuku took advantage of by studying his face. Or rather, Takato's face staring right back at him on the glass surface. Every smile, every frown, every single creases he willed onto it appeared like it was his own. But it wasn't.

he excused himself for a toilet break seeing as nature was calling. And boy, did Takato drink a lot last night. Moving in general felt strange what with shorter legs and smaller body, so he considered it a win if he didn't trip while walking down the stairs to get there. Like, he only stumbled once or twice... or thrice.

Here he was, going from haunting a toy to becoming the stereotypical horror villain possessing an innocent child.

He was pulled out of his musing when Hikari made her entrance by passing through the mattress. He didn't think he'd get used to the alternate colors she– and likely other ghosts– sported.

"Does it feel weird wearing somebody else's body?" She asked when he couldn't stop glancing back at the mirror. He couldn't agree more with her phrasing.

"Yeah. I wonder if I'll feel like this too once I get my new body. Must be strange to live inside an artificial creature's skin." He chuckled at the mental image before turning to Hikari again. "Do you miss living? I can ask the kids to include you in our little project. I'm sure they won't mind."

To his surprise, Hikari laughed. "You should take your own advise. The dead should stay dead, didn't you say that?"

Izuku's face heated up enough that it showed on the mirror. "I-I mean– That was–"

"I'm messing with you, silly." His blush subsided when her ghost hand patted his shoulder. There was a familiar sad look on her face despite her smile, one he'd seen often on his own. "Thanks for the offer but... I'll stay like this until I fade away. Living once is enough."

"Fair." Izuku nodded in understanding and latched onto another piece of information to switch the topic. "What do you mean by fading away?"

Hikari was more than glad to answer if her returning smile was any indication. Anything that allowed her to educate him about the afterlife seemed to brighten her up.

"The longer one's former lifespan is, the longer their ghost stays. Once that time window passes, they'll disappear. Deader than dead, you could say."

Izuku pursed his lips. "How old were you when you passed away?"

"Eleven. I died when Takato was around seven, so that leaves me with..."

"Nine more years." Izuku hummed. Takato activated his quirk just some good months ago which means... "I assume the quirk takes time to kick in, huh."

Hikari shrugged. "Beats me. It has a mind of its own. I can't give you any satisfying answer if that's what you're looking for."

"Yeah, I figured that." Izuku looked one last time at the mirror. "Now, a more important thing. How do I spend a whole day as Takato without looking suspicious? I'm stuck like this after all."

He said that but he was actually looking forward to spending it as a living person again.

"You should take a walk, see what you missed. In the meanwhile..." She floated to the veranda and passed through it until only her head was visible. She grinned. "I have some place I need to be. You take care. See ya!"

Izuku raised a brow when her head disappeared as well. He followed her, hoping to see where she'd flown off to... only to gasp when he stepped onto the ledge and saw a small glimpse of the main road.

Ghosts. All with the same strange color alterations as Hikari's, every single one od them just casually passing by among the living in early morning foot-traffic.

Izuku's lips shook in excitement. "Fascinating."

「「「・」」」

Masquerading as a nine-year-old proved difficult now that Izuku had no access to said child's memories. Every mannerism he tried to imitate would either be exaggerated or too stiff to be natural. If he ever had a dream to become an actor, the dream should die now.

"Takato?" The boy's mom addressed him.

Breakfast had been quiet, owing to Izuku's nerve and the Matsudas' argument regarding Tsubasa's presence in the bakery. If Takato's parents were concerned their son was polite throughout and even washed his dishes unprompted, then Izuku hoped Takato would fix it by returning to this body tomorrow.

"Yeah?" he rinsed his hands by the sink and looked up to see her pointing at an untouched bowl on the dining table. It was filled with pieces of fish. Takato's dad watched the scene unfold with a small smile.

Takato's mom's expression didn't change, but there was gentleness to her firm exterior. "I made an extra fish. Give it to your cat."

"O-oh?" Izuku blinked from the kitchen's entrance. His confusion was answered with a sigh from the woman.

"Keep her clean and she can stay. But she can't come into the bakery area. Got it?"

If Takato's dad's growing grin was any indication, then they must've been discussing it at length all for the sake of their son. What a sweet family.

Izuku hid his amusement behind a smile and nodded.

"Got it," he said, hoping the excitement on his face was enough to placate the concerned parents. Tsubasa had already woken up when he returned to Takato's room. She gave him a curious glint from atop the bed, her eyes switching back and forth between him and what he assumed to be the Impmon plushie.

"Figured you'd notice." Izuku said and held up the bowl. "Here, breakfast."

"Mrow?"

After some hesitance, Tsubasa's hunger convinced her to jump off the bed... and promptly lay splayed on the floor. Izuku panicked at first, suddenly remembering he wasn't the obly one with motor skill issues. Guiltily, he carried the cat with him to the veranda overlooking the alley.

"Sorry."

"Mrow..."

When he was sure she'd be fine, Izuku leaned against the rail, watching people and ghosts alike passing by the bakery. It felt amazing just sitting here while cool breeze brushed against his hair and skin.

"You can see them too, right? The weird colored people?" Izuku said to the cat peacefully eating her meal. Whether she understood or not, his question prompted her to respond with a nonchalant mewl. "Do you think I should meet them? Ask them ghostly stuff and all that."

"Mrow."

"Yeah... Asking you is pointless." Izuku smiled and stroked her behind the ear. "Hikari told me to take a walk. Maybe I should just do it to see the sight. Wanna come with?"

"Mrow."

"I'll take that as a yes."

After asking for permission from Takato's parents, Izuku stepped outside the bakery with Tsubasa. Then he took another. And another. And another until he was running so fast Tsubasa had to claw into his shirt, his grin never wearing off of his face. The wind was gentle, beckoning him to move forward with the temporary freedom he'd been given.

Everywhere he looked, it was a similar sight to the one he'd seen through the veranda; a ghost kid following a group of teenagers; another ghost floating before a woman and shouting in her face; an elderly-looking ghost looking over who he believed to be his grandchild.

All of them had one thing in common; They all stuck around the living.

The living people they were following had to be those who were part of their life, he reasoned. Perhaps there was an emotional attachment at work.

He wished Hikari could've been his tourist guide into this new supernatural world. He had a lot of questions to ask and had he less common sense, he'd have marched towards the nearest ghost and started some troubling rumors Takato wouldn't appreciate when the kid woke up. As it was, Izuku only watched ghosts of all fashion and bad fashion that he passed by. Tsubasa didn't appreciate him speeding up every chance he could.

His run came to an end when cramps began to set in, reminding him of his humanly limitation. He panted and leaned against a wall, though it did little to diminish his sastisfied smile.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," a woman's voice said.

"Oh, I just–" Izuku turned around to look at the person only to realize he wasn't looking at one at all.

The ghost woman smiled sweetly at him, but it wasn't a friendly one in the slightest. In fact, with the inverted pupil and sclera, any other day the way she was looking at him would've made his skin crawl. Tsubasa too thought the same and seek refuge behind his leg.

"Now then," the woman put her hands on her hips. "What is a naughty ghost like you doing possessing my daughter's friend?"

Under normal circumstances, he would've panicked and tried to explain his situation. But perhaps it was from all the adrenaline and the realization he was talking with a real ghost– He still couldn't get over Hikari, honestly– that Izuku couldn't help but smile as a response, much to the ghost's confusion.

"You're... Juri's mom, right?" Izuku guessed from studying her facial features. Looking around them, he could see a house repurposed as a bar of some sort behind them. This was Juri's house if he recalled what he'd seen in Takato's old memories.

"And who are you?" she pressed on, her expression undecided between a frown and a look of bewilderment. Not that he could blame her.

Under her stare, Izuku took a deep breath and introduced himself in a manner befitting his age rather than an excited toddler.

"Midoriya Izuku. I'm borrowing Takato's body for today." He bowed politely after he was certain no one was watching.

When he was standing straight again, he found himself at the forefront of her newly acquired glare. He continued.

"When I attempted to jump off a building, Takato saved me using his quirk. I've been haunting his stuffed toy since then. I didn't know I could even possess his body like this, but the quirk seems to have a mind of its own."

"His quirk?"

Izuku nodded and gestured to the cat cowering in his arms.

"This is Tsubasa. She should be dead, but Takato's quirk allows him to manipulate souls from living beings and place them elsewhere. He revived the cat's body by putting in Tsubasa's soul inside. That's why she can see you too." As if prompted, she glowered at the woman.

He continued.

"I'm only here for today before Takato's quirk lets him have his body back. Until then, I'm pretry much stuck like this. I'm not some kind of evil spirit, I promise."

There was a slight shift in her expression after his explanation. She softened her face but kept a wary look in his direction.

"How old?"

"Huh? You mean my age?" Izuku blinked at the sudden question. "Uh... fourteen."

Izuku supposed a tragic tale was enough to pull anyone to his side, so the pity in her eyes wasn't unexpected. What was unexpected however was when she suddenly turned around and ordered him to follow.

"Walk with me."

Izuku had a right to disobey a stranger he'd barely known less than five minutes, but when that same stranger was offering an encouraging smile in his direction, he couldn't help but find himself wanting to follow. He patted the still-scared Tsubasa and marched up to keep with the woman's pace.

「「「・」」」

Walking down the road of West Shinjuku, Izuku was treated to the sight of this small part of Tokyo he'd only ever seen in Takato's memories.

The walk had been Juri's mom's idea, but the impromptu tour did calm him down from all the adrenaline. Tsubasa too had warmed up to the woman enough to comfortably ignore her while she "napped" in his arms. She didn't make a good actress feigning unconsciousness the way she did, especially when her ears kept moving to listen to their conversation.

"To be honest, the Takato boy had always struck me as odd," the woman said and pulled his attention back to her.

"How so?" he asked.

"I think it was about two years ago. I saw him at my daughter's school, and somehow, he always knew how to avoid bumping into other ghosts. They said he was quirkless, but I knew something else was at work. Good to know I was right."

Two years ago. That coincided with Hikari's death. Izuku hummed, taking note of the new information in his mind.

"So tell me, is my daughter's recent "dates", as she calls it, came about from this whole quirk thing?" Juri's mom continued.

Izuku chuckled a bit at that. "The six– Well technically five– of us usually meet up to think of ideas for... Would you believe we're looking for a way to make an artificial body?"

The idea sounded ridiculous, so he didn't blame the woman for finding it amusing.

"Coming back to life, not the first time a ghost has had that idea." She smiled down at him. "But to actually do it, now that's a first. But I supposed with the proof in front of my eyes I can't deny the possibility." She looked curiously at Tsubasa.

"So it's okay to do that? Like, the dead shouldn't interfere with the living, is there no ghostly code like that." He looked up with the utmost seriousness only to see her smile breaking into a grin.

"Who gave you that idea?" She snickered and it took all of Izuku's willpower to not sink into the ground right then and there. He appreciate her not pointing out his blushing and continued to speak like normal. "Of course we ghosts try to interfere with the living, that is, to a varying degree of success. I'm more successful than the rest though."

Izuku could still feel the heat in his cheeks, but his embarrassment could do nothing against his curiousity.

"You can interact with the living? How–" He paused, recalling another entity that belonging to the Katou household. "You and Jeri can see each other?"

He had an inkling of doubt whether a ghost and an invisible living quirk could perceive each other, but the woman's nod proved otherwise.

"That child has been helping me raise Juri. She was born mere moments after I died, and I couldn't be more thankful. Juri needed a friend after what happened."

"But she doesn't know about you, does she?"

"The child actually offered me to speak through her once. I almost accepted... but that'd be too cruel for my family. So I've just been watching from the sideline, instructing Jeri to do what I cannot. A mother's job continues even after death."

"Mothers are amazing," Izuku nodded at her words, finding himself smiling along.

She chuckled as she guided him through a shoutengai. The foot traffic was unkind to her what with everyone passing through her body. Not that it seemed to bother her.

The stores around them bustled with visitors, all chatting loud enough to drown Izuku's own voice talking with an invisible ghost.

"Why did you bring me here? Do you need something to give your family?" Izuku didn't mind lending a hand, but this was a roudabout way if that was her intention.

"Something like that. See that confectionary store over there?" She gestured to the small store selling various kinds of treats next to them.

The interesting thing about the store was its signboard. It had this weird mismash of Kanji plastered on its corners: 進、優、太、and 光. Eight Gods was a strange name for a store selling sweets, but who was he to judge?

"So what do you–" Catching him by surprise, Izuku briefly stiffened when she ruffled his hair. Though it did nothing and neither of them could feel it, it was a nice gesture Izuku had sorely missed getting from his own mom.

"Get inside, I'll show you what to buy." She smiled and led them forward. Izuku nodded dumbly and put Tsubasa down on the floor, the cat suddenly "waking up" before immediately latching to his feet to hide from the ghost. He made sure to not step on her when he dragged her inside as well.

There was an old woman watching over the store, the owner, and for some reason her eyes grew increasingly wider every time Izuku imitated Juri's mom and pointed at the sweets she wanted. He ignored the woman and reached into his pocket to pay... only to realize he hadn't brought any money.

"It's on the house." The owner suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?"

She put the sweets into a bag and handed it to him. "The sweets, they're free. Take them."

"T-thank you." He bowed awkwardly and carried the bag outside where Katou-san was waiting. He picked Tsubasa up and when the three of them were out of the owner's curious eyes, Izuku voiced his confusion.

"What was that about?"

"That was an old friend. She visited me at the hospital before I died and promised to give me my favorite sweets if I got better. As you can see, I never did." She chuckled at her joke before sighing in amusement. "Seeing a child suddenly asking for those sweets, in that exact order, can only mean it's a divine intervention. Or so she's gonna rationalise."

Izuku raised a brow. "So ghosts do pranks too, huh?"

"Where do you think my daughter got her mischievous streak?" It didn't look intentional, but he swore she suddenly increased her walking pace just to have him chase her again with his shorter legs.

He groaned and took larger and larger steps to catch up with her.

"Here we are," she announced when they arrived at a park. Izuku blinked in confusion when she then led him to a nearby bench and sat there. She patted the empty spot beside her. "Come on, sit."

He did as told, setting Tsubasa down on his laps where she immediately took refuge on the furthest corner away from the woman. His confusion only doubled when she spoke again.

"Eat."

"Huh?" Izuku was beginning to think this was going to be his new catchphrase.

"The sweets. They're not for my family. They're for you." The woman smiled at his look of surprise and patted him on the head. Her smile gradually took on a sad tinge as her shifted away from him to look at the sky. "When I died, I started to remember all the things I'd taken for granted, these sweets among them. You understand, don't you?"

Izuku nodded, if still confused where she was going with all this.

"You chose to end your life that day, and at least from what I've seen, suicidal ghosts tend to not want to be reminded of their past life. But you're the opposite. Why is that?" She turned back to him, a curious but concerned look in her inverted colored eyes.

Ah. So that was what this was about.

"Why are you asking if you already know?" He mirrored her sad smile from earlier and popped one of the sweets into his mouth. At once, sugary sweetness exploded in his mouth and brought slight comfort to his aching heart. He looked away, unable to face someone who reminded him of his mom. "I'm doing this for someone else. Takato saved me that day, and I don't want to disappoint him. And... and I want to fix things with my parents."

"Guilt, huh." Katou-san nodded, an understanding look on her face. She sighed. "Sorry for asking that out of nowhere. You're a good kid."

"I hope you'll get what you seek." He braved himself to look her in the eye again and saw the kind eyes he simultaneously wanted and was scared to see. She stifled a chuckle at his blush when she carressed his cheek. "Being able to live again is a gift. Use it well. I'm rooting for you."

"Katou-san..."

She lifted herself up to her feet and ruffled his head once more. "You seem to like me doing this, so I hope it's enough to make you feel better."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "It does, thank you."

She nodded. "Well, then. I'll take my leave. Enjoy the sweets."

"I will."

Izuku sighed when she finally left, undecided between smiling or frowning considering the recent topic. He ended up somewhere in the middle, his mouth constantly shifting shapes as he munched on another sweet.

"Mrow?" Tsubasa looked up at him in her catlike wonder, breaking him out of his musing. With the ghost woman, she was back to being herself again.

He shook his head, smiling despite his sigh. "It's nothing. And it's not like you can understand."

As if challenging him, she climbed his chest and rubbed her head against his chin. She purred, her body pressed against his in a clear attempt at cheering him up.

"Come on, that tickles..." He chuckled. He wrapped his hands under her front limbs and raised her until they were eye to eye. "If you keep doing this, Takato will get jealous I'm stealing his favorite pet."

"Mrow."

"Alright, alright. We'll keep it a secret between us." He grinned, his frown leaving his face the more he played with the cat. He'd never understood the appeal of having a pet, but he was sure getting more and more open to the idea.

「「「・」」」

The walk back home was silent with the occasional hiss from Tsubasa, the cat trying and failing to walk straight on the wall-fences around them without him providing support. Izuku at least had the luxury of possessing a human, so he couldn't fault a bird trying its best in a cat's body.

He was glad he was fast enough to catch her when she fell.

"Want a ride?" He offered. She didn't contemplate for long before immediately climbing atop his shoulder and hanging herself there.

"Mrow..." she flicked her tail in obvious frustration. Izuku patted her.

"You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure."

Her whines were lost to his ears when Hikari appeared from the sky and frantically floated towards him, all the while shouting his name. Her action caught the attention of other ghosts around them who thankfully only watched and left them alone.

"Izuku, there you are! I've been waiting for you!"

"Mrow."

"Yeah, yeah. You too. Anyway, remember the truck that almost ran you and Takato over?"

"Yeah." The poor boy had a nightmare from that, how could either of them forget? He then blinked as a thought occured to him. "Wait, if you were there too... Have you been tracking it the whole day?"

"Yup." Hikari nodded cheerfully. "I actually followed them that day. Turns out they were criminals smuggling some stuff. I just checked, they've been hiding at the same place for the last two da– Huh? Something wrong? You look upset."

Izuku shook his head, chuckling. "No no no. This is a good thing. Great, even."

"If you say so…"

He waved off her concern with another chuckle, not that it lessened any if her concerned look was any indication. Regardless of the face he was making, this was information that would've otherwise gone uncovered had he not been shoved into Takato's body. Truth be told, the guilt still ate at him for essentially taking over the boy's life, even if temporarily. With this, there was at least something he could do to make up for it.

He patted Hikari's head and didn't see her reaction before he walked ahead. If he did, he would have seen her slight blush at the action.

"Come on, let's go report it to the police," he said and started sprinting much to Tsubasa horror.

"H-hey, wait up!"

The report ended up taking half a day with Izuku forced to stay at the local police box giving his– Technically Hikari's– testimony alongside a harsh reprimand for recklessly following criminals' trails, the policeman saying something like "what if they saw you and take you hostage?!"and whatnot. Hikari apologized to him for getting him in trouble but he didn't mind. He was just glad he could make up for all the headaches he had been making Takato suffer through.

Takato's parents weren't amused either when they learned of the whole thing from the policeman. Their son could've died two days ago and stayed silent about it, why wouldn't they be mad? And thus began another scolding session until the policeman had to step in in his defence. The whole thing was amusing if anything, not that he could show it in his face lest he get another earful.

When all was said and done, the day was almost over and Izuku finally returned to the paradise that was Takato's bed.

"Ugh, so tired." He groaned when he finally got the taste of sweet sweet pillow and mattress. The day had taken a lot out of him, and he hoped to end it by returning Takato's body to its rightful owner. He hugged Impmon close, hoping he'd get sucked inside immediately.

"That's not how it works, silly." Hikari giggled. "You have to fall asleep first."

"Sleep, take me." He tried again and was only rewarded by Tsubasa climbing his head and burying it deeper into the pillow. "I said sleep, not a child that sleeps (Neru ko = Neko)."

"Mrow."

Hikari giggled again and took a seat beside him. "Want me to sing you a lullaby?"

He shrugged and rolled over, careful not to crush the cat glued to his head.

And so she began, her ghastly voice singing a mournful song about four great Chinese dragons of times past.

Ao Run who roared to the world.

Ao Qin who danced across the sky.

Ao Guang who ruled them all.

Ao Shun who lamented its sins.

He didn't understand it one bit, but the gentle melody combined with Tsubasa's purrs created soothing waves that eased the tension in his muscles. Slowly, the waves drowned him and only darkness remained.

「「「・」」」

If All Might brought smile onto people's face and terror onto villains' heart, then Yagi Toshinori did almost the exact opposite. Unless his old friend Nighteye had a skewed understanding of social cues, then the frown on the man's face was not the warm greeting he'd wished to see.

"All Might." Nighteye nodded coldly, as if hesitant to acknowledge him. Yet Toshinori could see that the respect the man had for him stood unwavering despite their difference in opinions.

The room was bleak, what with the walls' old paintjob cracking and peeling at every corner. It used to be even less welcoming when Toshinori first bought it. It wasn't a place meant to hold a reunion, but he was glad his old friend was willing to indulge him enough.

Toshinori smiled from behind his desk, the only colorful object in the room. "I'm sorry for calling you on short notice."

"I sure hope you're not calling me to help paint your room."

It was hard to discern sarcasm from jokes sometimes. This was one of those times.

Toshinori coughed awkwardly. "I-I mean, that'd be nice, but of course, I invited you here for something else. Something... I've been running away from for a long time."

His hand clutched the fabric covering his stomach, the shirt being on the only thing shielding his delusion from reality.

The cold in his friend's eyes dissipated as a curious look took over his face.

"What is this place? You making this your new agency?" Nighteye looked around the room with a thinly disguised curiousity. The sorry state of the room did little to discourage him from admiring it. In fact, it seemed like gears were already running in his head trying to think of ways he could decorate it with All Might merchandises. Even after these five years, Toshinori could still see the fanboy hiding behind Nighteye's cold and serious exterior. How nostalgic.

"A support centre for quirkless individuals." Toshinori replied. He added as an afterthought, "Well, a will-be support centre for quirkless individuals."

Nighteye frowned, though his shoulders sagged as if a heavy burden had only now been lifted off of them. His look of relief lasted only as long as his pride allowed.

"Are you really retiring, then? Are you looking for a successor among quirkless individuals?" Nighteye asked, a smile threatening to pull at his lips despite his best effort to conceal them.

Toshinori couldn't help the amusement from showing on his face. It had been so long since they had talked like this.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to the temporary plastic chair on the other side of the desk. When they were both eye to eye, he spoke again, though with much more lethargy affecting his body language. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Mirai-kun."

"Y-yes, All Might." Nighteye stiffened at being addressed by his civilian name. "Is something wrong? Are you not doing well? Don't tell it's your injury."

Toshinori shook his head at the gradually panicking man. "No, no. I'm physically fine."

"And mentally?"

Now that was the one million question, wasn't it.

Nighteye's stare bore into his soul as he sat there in silence. Instead of answering, Toshinori pulled out the All Might figure he'd been holding under the desk and sat it before them. He appreciated Nighteye allowing him to speak first despite his confusion.

"This belonged to one of my fans... He was fourteen."

Realization dawned on Nighteye's face. It would be no stretch to say that the man was a genius to figure out so quick what was affecting his conscience.

"A quirkless kid died, and that pushed you into retirement. Did I get that right?"

"He talked a lot, was a nervous wreck all the ten minutes I knew him. He honestly reminded me of you... And then I saw the kid's corpse splat on the ground."

Toshinori considered it an achievement he managed to break Nighteye's aloof mask multiple times today.

"Same day as the infamous sludge villain incident, I presume?"

Toshinori didn't have the energy to respond more than a slight quirk of his lips. Who knew All Might not smiling would make such a headline?

"All this time I was fighting to keep everyone's smiles... Only for me to catch a kid on his bad day and take away his reason for living." He paused and wrapped the figure in his hand again, the sensation of the hard plastic against his palm keeping him grounded. "The kid put me on a pedestal. I was perhaps the only thing keeping him standing on his two feet before I broke his hero fantasy–No, his hero dream ."

Nighteye frowned. "If you think I'm going to do the same just because you're imperfect, you've forgotten that I know how bad your dad jokes can be."

"Oh, I thought you liked them."

"Who said I don't?"

The shift towards a lighter conversation brought some relief to the tension in the air. How Toshinori wished it could last longer.

"Mirai-kun, what does the Symbol of Peace mean to you?" He crossed his fingers and rested his chin on them, carefully looking at Nighteye's minute reaction through his frown.

"What I've always believed it to be. A grand individual standing at the top of the world, someone with a smile so bright it inspires those around him. Someone who can spark even the littlest hope in one's darkest hour. Someone like you."

The admiration with which the man answered brought a sad smile to Toshinori's lips.

"I believed that too. But now I wonder, is that what the Symbol of Peace truly is?" He heaved a weak sigh. "A symbol like me is only as strong as I am healthy, and that I'm certainly not."

"Which is why I suggested you choose a successor like you–"

"And then?" Toshinori challenged. Nighteye paused and threw his own frown when he continued. "Tell me, how long are we going to do this? Another fifty years? Another century? All spent living in fear of threats the symbol puts at bay?"

"If that's what it takes to keep the peace."

"But what if that isn't the answer? What if it's a bandaid not meant to be maintained for this long."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the Symbol of Peace is a relic of the past, a crutch that hinders society from standing on its own feet! A society that depends on a single man to chase all the bad guys away would drop into chaos when their trust on that man is gone."

"Then we'll make more!" Nighteye stood up and slammed his palm onto the desk, unrelenting fire burning in his eyes. He huffed. "We'll make two symbols, we'll make three, we'll make a whole lot of them! If one man cannot handle the weight alone, then we give him people he trusts to carry that burden together.

"The Symbol of Peace is not a crutch." Nighteye put on his glasses back and continued in a calmer tone. "Something that gives people hope and puts fear in criminals' heart is a symbol by any other name, no matter if it's a person or a system behind it. It's a necessity."

Despite being shut down so passionately, Toshinori still found a smile pulling at his lips, proud of the man he was honored to call a friend.

"I wasn't expecting to lose this little debate but," Toshinori laughed so hard he transformed into his All Might form. His voice boomed in the small room, his growing grin threatening to split his face into two. "I'm certain now I made the right choice choosing you. Then, Sasaki Mirai. With your vision, would you... become my successor?"

Toshinori extended his hand towards a bewildered Nighteye, the man reeling from shock at the sudden proclamation.

「「「・」」」

Takato yawned and gently lifted the bundle of black and white suffocating his face. The sun was up, and though he was sure he went to bed early last night, he still felt incredibly exhausted. It was like he just woke up from a long dream, but he couldn't for the life of him remember anything about it.

Izuku didn't greet him, meaning the boy was probably on his occasional ghostly sleep schedule.

Something was itching at his brain, though he wasn't sure what. He couldn't muse on it for long before mom called from downstairs.

"Takato! Li-san is coming to pick you up so get ready!"

Tao was coming to pick him up? Takato blinked. Yesterday was Friday… right? The weekly check-up shouldn't be until Sunday.

"Takato?"

"Y-yes! I'm awake!" He scrambled to his feet and climbed down his bed. His mouth also felt oddly stuffy. Did he not brush his teeth last night?

"Takato, hurry up!" mom called again.

"I'm coming!" he said and ran downstairs. The weirdest thing was the chill he felt when he left the room. Why did it feel like somebody was staring at him?

…it was probably his imagination.

While he was brushing his teeth, something else caught his attention when he absentmindedly looked at his hand's reflection in the mirror. There was nothing there except his hand... so why was there a red thread tied around his pinky when he looked down?

「「「・」」」

We've seen One for All Mirio, we've seen One for All Ochako, and now I present to you, One for All Sasaki Mirai! Banzai, banzai! (ﾉ'ヮ')ﾉ*.

Anyway, this chapter is kinda heavily packed so I hope it doesn't confuse you too much. Do ask in the comments if you need any clarification.

While this chapter is mainly about Izuku, if you notice, I've spread out some stuff related to Hikari because she will be important in later arcs. There's also the mention of the four great dragons, so do think of it what you will, cause I'm not spoiling ehe :v

In regards to timeline, Hikari was 8 when her quirk activated, 4 years older than Takato. She met him 2 years later and died another year after. Takato received the quirk when he was 7 but it stayed dormant for the most part until he was 9 a few months before the story started.

See you guys next update! (人•͈ᴗ•͈)