Mirio pulled up to the familiar warehouse, his heart pounding in his chest as he guided his motorcycle up to the gates. The steel fence had been pulled back, almost as though the Shie Hassaikai were expecting him. Coupled with the pouring rain beating down on his helmet and operative suit, Mirio couldn't help but feel that the entire setup was foreboding. That notion only intensified as he realized that there was only one lone guard outside of the hatch leading to the underground. As he coasted his bike closer beneath the worn steel roof and realized just who it was, his heart sank. Getting to Arowana would be even harder than he had anticipated.

Overhaul stood just before the trap door, his curved, beaklike mask hiding his expression for the most part. As Mirio took his helmet off to look at the other man's eyes, though, he felt nothing but sheer hatred radiating from them. Without a word, Mirio set down the protective gear and approached, albeit slowly and ready to engage his Quirk if needed.

"You're no longer welcome here," Overhaul threatened. "I knew from the moment you started getting involved with Dabi and that whore that your loyalty to the cause would falter. It's been weeks since you've done anything to benefit the Shie Hassaikai… and you were told to stay away while our master debates what to do with you. In fact, I'm not even sure why I'm giving you a warning…"

Mirio watched as the other man raised his hands and slipped off one of his silk gloves. The skin on Overhaul's palm began to bubble, as though the hand somehow had a mind of its own. Mirio merely took a long inhale, showing no fear despite what he was feeling as Overhaul began to walk toward him.

"I have information that can't wait," Mirio let on as he held up a sealed plastic case filled with documents. "Both about All Might, and probably more importantly, Toru Hagakure."

Overhaul stopped almost arm's length from Mirio and bristled. His eyes flicked from the case up to Mirio's, and then back to the object once again.

"…Toru Hagakure? Who and what are you talking about…?"

"You don't have to pretend with me," Mirio began confidently. "I know she's a Hassaikai agent, and I also know she's in danger. Significant danger. I'm not the only one who's figured it out, and Arowana needs to know. Toru's related to him, isn't she?"

Overhaul hesitated, looking off to the side and flexing his fingers as the skin of his hand continued to move unnaturally. Whatever internal battle he was fighting, Mirio knew that his own safety was hardly guaranteed. Following his instincts, he stepped forward and put a hand on the underling's shoulder. Overhaul tensed up immediately and raised his hand to grab Mirio's, only to stop with his palm mere inches above the hero's hand.

"Whatever you think I've been doing… I haven't really been getting in great with Dabi and Rizumu, either," Mirio lied in a regretful tone. "I've been fucking up everything with them, and I'm pretty sure they hate me, too. But… I do care about the organization, Overhaul. I do want to prove that I'm loyal. Toru's life is worth the risk of me coming back. Let me in. Please?"

"And risk what little status I have?" Overhaul asked, though he didn't quite seem convinced either way. "I was given specific orders to guard this entrance. The entire compound is on lockdown right now- no one in, no one out."

"What? Why?" Mirio asked as he slowly withdrew his hand from Overhaul's shoulder. "Surely not because of me?"

"No," Overhaul acknowledged. "It's… I'm not at liberty to say. Not to you. You are in no position to ask questions or make demands."

"I want to help," Mirio insisted. "If I was going to get out and reveal secrets about the Hassaikai, I would've done it after the mess at the cannery. I didn't have to come back here. I didn't have to warn you about Hagakure. Just… think, Overhaul. Would I really be here right now if I didn't have a good reason?"

Again, Overhaul fixed Mirio with a glare as he took a moment to consider his options. After a few seconds of silence, he looked away, his ton firm and foreboding.

"Leave. I'm not getting involved w-"

Before Overhaul could finish his sentence, Mirio had already engaged his Quirk. Though he didn't know exactly where Arowana would be, he knew that the man tended to reside far below the surface, and he would have several minutes before Overhaul could find him. For a moment, all was black as Mirio simply continued to plummet through concrete until he emerged from the ceiling of a wide-open chamber that looked to be some sort of training room. Mirio rematerialized close to the ground and touched down, taking in his surroundings and looking for any potential allies… or enemies. In what he decided was the best-case scenario, he found no one, and got to his feet upon the padded floor.

The place was large- larger even than the training rooms at U.A. and seemed to feature far more specialized equipment. Some of it was common to standard gyms, while some of it looked specifically designed to cater to training individual Quirks. Though he was quite interested in the space, Mirio spared only a few seconds of investigation before he took off through the nearest set of doors. The wooden structures gave way to a descending tunnel that looked more like a cave than a hallway, and Mirio figured he was likely on the right track. He still hadn't gotten used to the layout of the place, but there was no time to lose. He had to go deeper.

Mirio ignored any and all branching paths, running for all he was worth as he descended deeper and deeper into the base. Curiously, no alarms went off, and he didn't hear anyone else in the hallways around himself. The base seemed to be entirely deserted, as though the entire clan had simply up and left. Upon rounding a corner, the feeling of isolation became overwhelming- the tunnel before Mirio didn't have any lights at all. The pitch-black pathway seemed to stretch on forever, leading him only to darkness. With a few steady breaths, Mirio reached for his pocket to pull out his phone… only to realize that it had been left up on the surface when he had phased through the ground.

The documents about All Might had been left behind, as well.

With no way to see in the dark, Mirio slowly turned around with the intent to double back and take a different branching path. Before he could move, though, he noticed a slow, swirling plume of grey smoke seeping into the tunnel through a crack in the ceiling. The gaseous tendril lazily worked its way down to the ground, growing in volume and beginning to occupy a good bit of space as Mirio took a step backward into the darkness. As he contemplated simply running deeper into the tunnel and never looking back, a familiar voice echoed all throughout the enclosed space.

"There's nothing for you down there. I would strongly suggest that you step back into the light… and then cease to move."

Mirio did as he was told, watching the gathering smoke all the while. Once the swirling column had grown in size enough to occupy nearly the entirety of the tunnel's circumference, Arowana himself stepped forward out of the haze. The man wore a robe of deep blue and a slatted, wide-brimmed hat to hide his face. He appeared unarmed… but somehow, Mirio doubted that such a thing was true.

"Sir," Mirio said as he bent into a respectful bow. "I need to speak with you. Please, hear me out…"

"Badly enough that you would throw your life away, entering this space while unwelcome?" the man asked, his tone surprisingly neutral for the situation. "Your actions have caused me to believe you to be many things, Togata, but careless is not one of them. I will listen to your reasoning, if nothing else…"

Mirio paused for a moment. He knew that there was a good possibility that he wouldn't walk away from the situation, and there were two possible approaches to beginning to conversation- from a business standpoint, or an interpersonal one. Mirio didn't know Arowana nearly well enough to make an educated guess as to which would be most effective… but he did know that he would likely only get one attempt to get it right. With a hard swallow, Mirio chose his path and began to speak.

"…Toru… Himitsu Hagakure's been found out," Mirio began. "She's been acting suspiciously enough to catch my attention, and that of several others at U.A.. I did some research to try to dig up what I could, and… her parents own a pachinko den in a district that's Hassaikai controlled. That already struck me as suspicious, so I traced the family name, and I saw what happened to the real Toru. Saku informed me that she had a sister, and that the sister is your granddaughter. I don't think she knew that you planted Hagakure at U.A. under a fake name, likely as a backup because you didn't trust me, but… that's what all of this is, isn't it? She's a failsafe in case I double cross you, but now, she's in danger, and not even aware of it. I came here primarily to tell you that her position has been compromised, so you can do something to save your family member. The only reason I didn't go directly to her is in case I'm wrong… but I'm not, am I?"

Arowana remained silent and stoic throughout the explanation, showing no hint of surprise or concern. Mirio couldn't help but wonder if he had entirely misjudged the situation, and the thought of simply slipping through the floor once again crossed his mind as he waited for his supposed leader to speak.

"…while I would like to know the rest of the specifics of how you pieced this all together, such a thing will need to wait until Himitsu is safe," the man said, the faintest hint of an edge in his voice. "You are… quite astute, and accurate in your assessment of her role at the university. Nothing you have said is untrue."

"So… what now?" Mirio asked, shifting his stance a bit. "Some of her classmates are starting to catch on that something isn't right, and I didn't say anything to her directly in case I was totally off base. I don't know what to do for her that would ease suspicion."

"I do," Arowana replied. "She isn't going to like it, but… it is a necessity, at this juncture. You have my thanks for coming to me immediately with this, Togata. You were correct in thinking that something like this shouldn't wait, especially considering it involves family. There is little that could be more important…"

"Yeah, I…" Mirio began, pausing to try to gather his thoughts. "…I want to be here, Sir. I want this to be like family to me, too, and I want to prove to you that I'm here with purpose. That news isn't all, either. I found information on All Might- a lot of information. I don't know if it's what you were looking for, but I left it up on the surface with Overhaul when I… uh, phased through the ground to look for you."

"A bold move," Arowana observed. "Bolder still to withhold that you did the assignment you were directly asked to complete in favor of bringing news about Himitsu. It was the correct decision, but still a gamble on your part. Overhaul tipped me off the moment you went through the ground, and he is indeed on his way here now."

"Yeah," Mirio agreed. "But regardless… I'm sure Overhaul's got it and he's looking for you right now. What it boils down to is that he's… All Might is sick. Really sick, from old wounds, and he might not be able to function as a pro hero for much longer. His move to U.A. is almost a form of retirement, and also partially a way to scout for talent that he can personally train once he's no longer able to take to the field. It's looking like he has six months, maybe a year of public heroism left before he plans to retire and just work as a full-time professor."

"Sick?" Arowana questioned. "With what, specifically?"

"I… don't know," Mirio continued to lie. "There's some data in the docs I have, but much of it is blacked out and classified, even within the U.A. database. There's just enough there to be able to tell that it isn't good, whatever it is, and a lot of levels and measurements that I don't fully understand are way, way off."

"Then we need to move quickly," Arowana replied. "I have another assignment for you, and it is one that I need you to complete immediately."

Mirio straightened up and blinked in surprise at his sudden apparent reinstatement into the Shie Hassaikai.

"I… yes Sir, of course. What should I do?"

"Contact him, right now by phone if you are able," Arowana ordered. "I need you to convince him to come here as soon as possible… or for him to allow me to see him at U.A. University. He and I have much to talk about in terms of forming an alliance behind the scenes."

Author's Note:

"Toru's" name was always supposed to be Himitsu, not Himiko. I went back and changed it in the earlier chapter. Apparently I was just thinking of Toga during that reveal.

-RD