Tamaki remained totally silent as he ascended the stairs leading to the Nighteye Detective Agency headquarters. The sound of the creaking wooden steps behind him echoed loudly throughout the stairwell as Fat Gum followed the boy, barely managing to squeeze through the passage. After ascending two flights of stairs, Tamaki found himself at the door, which was proudly labeled in looping golden script, and paused.

"…Mr. Toyomitsu?" Tamaki asked as he watched figures move about through the frosted glass window on the upper portion of the wooden portal, "If… something goes wrong, and I can't remain your work study student… I just want you to know that I… I've learned a lot over the past few months, and I appreciate it. You've been a great teacher."

The creaking protests of the staircase suddenly stopped, and Tamaki turned to face his mentor, who stood a few steps below him.

"…Amajiki… no matter what All Might wants from you three, he's not taking you from me, unless you want to go," Taishiro insisted with narrowed eyes. "I don't like any of this. He may be the number one, but that doesn't mean he has to get his way. This isn't like him. Just be careful, and we'll sort things out after you return."

"…you would stand up to All Might?" Tamaki asked, his voice even quieter than usual.

"If it's the right thing to do at the time? Of course I would," Taishiro answered as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "And I'd expect him to do the same to me. We're heroes, but that doesn't make us infallible. And no real hero would just roll over when told."

Tamaki nodded and pulled his hood up and over his eyes as he turned toward the door. With a deep breath, he turned the knob and stepped through, only to find an unfamiliar woman waiting for him while seated behind a desk. The unknown hero had oddly tinted blue skin with darker blue hair, and a rather revealing outfit of a white crop top and matching short shorts.

"Suneater, right?" the woman asked with a cheery smile as she stood up and held out a hand. "Do you have your forms?"

"Yes, and… yes," Tamaki said awkwardly as he hunched his shoulders and reached into his vest. He produced the neatly folded forms and handed them over to the woman, before biting his lower lip as she checked for a signature.

"Great! Lemillion and Supercoil are already waiting in the conference room," the woman informed before shifting her eyes to Taishiro with a nervous and almost guilty look. "Fat Gum, I'm sorry, b-"

"I know, Bubble Girl" Taishiro interrupted, his tone much less friendly than usual. "I'm not allowed in."

"Neither am I," Bubble Girl replied with a nod. "So, at least we can catch up a bit?"

"True. That'd be nice," Taishiro admitted with a sigh. "And Centipeder? He in there with Nighteye and All Might?"

"Actually… he wasn't allowed inside, either."

Taishiro merely stared for a moment, before letting out an annoyed snort.

"Unbelievable. He's worked with Nighteye and All Might for years, and even he's getting stiffed like this? C'mon. Let's go and wait downstairs, before I lose my cool."

Tamaki shifted uncomfortably as he stared across the main room to the conference room door, which had a shade drawn over the inlaid window. The sudden feeling of a massive hand upon his shoulder caused him to jump slightly and hunch over, though he could tell immediately that it was only Taishiro.

"Hey. You've got this, Amajiki. I'll see you downstairs."

Tamaki offered only a quick nod before beginning to scurry across the room. The door to the conference room seemed to grow larger and larger as he approached, until the knob was far above his head and the wood loomed over him like a tower. A brief bout of panic set in as he stared at the menacingly tall structure, before he shook his head and swallowed hard to try to clear his mind. After pulling his hood down to cover even more of his face, Tamaki reached out a hand and opened the door, only to freeze in the doorway as he looked at the group assembled beyond it.

An oblong conference table took up much of the space, though one side of it was cleared entirely of chairs. Sir Nighteye sat at the head of the table, his fingers steepled and expression stoic. Mirio and Nejire were seated together on one of the sides, while an unfamiliar blonde man in a blue, pinstriped business suit stood leaning against the opposite wall. His features were gaunt and sallow, as though he was more a skeleton with a loose layer of flesh drooped upon his bones than a human man. Two long, shaggy strands of blond hair hung down in front of his face, while the rest of his coif was short and jagged. The man was worryingly thin, and his deep blue eyes held a mix of emotions that Tamaki identified with all too well. The young man looked away as he closed the door, and quietly moved to take his seat beside Nejire. As he took one last look at the stranger across the table, Tamaki paused and was hit by a sudden, seemingly impossible thought.

"…All Might…?"

The man smirked and let out a singular, humorless laugh as he folded his arms across his chest and met Tamaki's eyes.

"…you're the only one who figured it out on their own. The other two had to be told," the skeletal man answered in a tired voice that sounded just enough like All Might to raise suspicion.

Tamaki shivered as he sank into his seat and spared his companions a nervous look. Nejire was quietly staring down at the table and looking close to tears, while Mirio's expression lacked all of the humor and confidence it usually held. Instead, the light was gone from his eyes, and he looked incredibly serious. It took Tamaki nearly a full minute to decide, but he finally placed a shaking hand upon Nejire's beneath the table. He earned a surprised look for his efforts, and then a reassuring smile.

"…let's not waste any more time," Sir Nighteye began as he lowered his hands to the tabletop. "With the three of you here, and with All Might before you in his… current condition… I am sure you have many questions. But please, allow the man to speak, and I hope that by the end of it, you understand the situation that Japan is in, and are willing to help us."

"…Japan…?" Mirio asked.

"It sounds dramatic," All Might said softly, "but he may be right. To put it simply… I'm afraid I won't be 'Number One' for much longer. What you're seeing before you is the real me- the All Might that the world never sees. Soon, though, it won't be possible to continue hiding this body. Soon, the All Might that all of Japan knows will be unable to last for more than a few seconds."

The room went completely silent once again as the teens did their best to process the information. It was Nejire who finally interrupted the stillness by raising her hand and earning a confused look from All Might.

"…yes, Miss Hado…?"

"…are we allowed to know what happened?" Nejire asked as she slowly lowered her hand. "Why is this suddenly…a problem?"

"Unnecessary," Sir Nighteye said quickly. "We called you here for a r-"

The man trailed off as All Might raised a hand for silence, though neither of them looked happy about their decisions.

"…it's alright. Another half an hour or so isn't going to make a difference. To put it simply, I… made a mistake, several years back. I failed to finish a fight when I should have, and it cost me just about everything. A lung, the majority of my intestines… and the inability to use my Quirk for long periods of time. I can only stay in 'muscle form' for three hours per day, give or take a few minutes. Every time I use One for All, that window gets smaller and smaller. I'm probably one big fight from being unable to use my Quirk at all."

"Then we're about to lose Japan's idol," Mirio pointed out. "At a time when we need him most, as things are on the brink of turning into chaos. The number one hero would become Endeavor, and… if he's the public face of hero society, then the ones committing crimes as a form of protest are only going to get more vocal and destructive. There has to be something we can do, right? Some way we can help?"

"Fortunately, there is," All Might reassured.

Tamaki raised a brow beneath his hood as he watched All Might pluck a single hair from the hanging blond strands in front of his face. With a slow motion, he held it out toward Mirio, who accepted the gift with a look of confusion.

"I… don't think I understand," Mirio admitted as he held the hair at a distance from himself, letting it catch the fluorescent lights from the ceiling.

"It's actually rather simple. One for All is unlike almost any other Quirk in existence- it's a stockpiling Quirk that functions on a permanent basis. Instead of temporarily copying or stealing Quirks from others, One for All has memory… and it can be inherited. As each user passes it to their successor, their Quirk is added to One for All's memory, and eventually, becomes available to the current user. One for All isn't one Quirk, Mirio- it is seven," All Might explained. "And now, I am offering it to you. All you need to do is ingest some of my DNA willingly, and the process begins."

Mirio simply stared at the limp, lifeless strand of hair pinched between his fingers. Nejire kept her focus upon All Might himself as the man returned to leaning against the wall. Tamaki's eyes darted back and forth between Mirio and the hair, his heart rate increasing by the second. Sir Nighteye had his fingers steepled again, their tips touching just beneath his lips as he focused upon Mirio, waiting for the boy to move.

"But… why me? What about other pros? Wouldn't it be better to…" Mirio trailed off, for once looking as panicked as Tamaki.

"…none exist that are a better fit than you," All Might said carefully. "I need not only someone with ability, but someone whose natural Quirk would be a valuable and synergistic addition to One for All itself, when the time comes to pass it on once again. Many pro heroes have Quirks that wouldn't benefit from the ones that One for All would grant them over time, or Quirks that would be incompatible… or result in a progression of potential Singularity."

"Hereditary Quirk Singularity is already becoming a serious problem, as I'm sure you were taught," Sir Nighteye added. "Imagine an individual inheriting seven Quirks of great power, in addition to one of their own. Think about what that would do to a person, especially one who wasn't born with the Quirks they're asked to adjust to. Mirio's Quirk is incredibly powerful… but it's also incredibly subtle. It interacts well with the Quirks that One for All could give him, and would be easy enough to keep separate while he trains."

"…but those other six Quirks," Tamaki said suddenly. "You never use them in public. Is… the ability to power yourself up into the body we're all used to even your natural Quirk…?"

All Might's neutral expression suddenly turned grim.

"…it is… though now, my body is unable to maintain it, as I said. The other six Quirks within One for All fall into several categories, some of which are unable to be seen. A power doubler is among them, and I've been using it since I inherited One for All, along with my own Quirk. The others… I have been unable to master. That is part of why I want to train you, Togata. You're young. Eager. Brimming with potential, and willing to put in the work. I didn't inherit One for All until my late twenties, and by then… there was much within the stockpile that I couldn't handle."

"…Mirio?" Nejire asked as she stood from her own seat. She watched with unease as the boy's hand began to shake slightly, causing the hair to jitter as it hung down over the table.

"I…" Mirio began, only for his throat to suddenly close around the rest of his words. He swallowed hard, before looking up to an expectant All Might. "I don't know if… this seems…"

"Someone needs to inherit One for All, and soon," Sir Nighteye interrupted with a pointed look. "We've been watching you for a long time, Mirio Togata. This didn't begin with your Provisional License Exam. You've been chosen for good reason, a-"

"Then you would know that this is a mistake," Tamaki asserted as he stood up. He kept his hood down and his eyes on the table to steady his nerves, but spoke with an authority not often heard. "If you've been watching Mirio for as long as you claim, then you should know how difficult it was for him to master his Quirk. Learning to utilize seven more could break him. We were taught last year that generational Singularity could eventually lead to the wrong combination of Quirks within a bloodline killing people outright as they unlock their own. One for All has power that even you couldn't master… and yet you think expanding that power with Mirio's is safe? We don't know that One for All isn't partially responsible for your own decline, in addition to your injuries!"

"The chances of One for All doing harm to Togata are small," All Might calmly insisted. "Japan needs a Symbol of Peace, and I have faith that Togata can rise to the challenge."

"Faith?" Nejire asked. "But not proof? You're asking him to put his life on the line for a possibility that could jeopardize not only him, but One for All, and even Japan itself!"

"Japan is in danger now, with the way gang activity and villain attacks have increased," Sir Nighteye added as he stood while placing his hands upon the table. "An option other than a student with potential carries even greater risks! Even among third year students, Togata is the obvious choice."

"You don't get to just make that decision for him!" Nejire insisted as she slammed her own fist into the table. "Look at what you're doing to him! And you want him to decide now? We… we aren't even done with hero training! We barely have provisional licenses!"

"My decline isn't going to wait," All Might reminded while shaking his head. "Believe me, Miss Hado, I wish more than anyone here that things were any other way…"

Tamaki suddenly turned and backed up against the wall, before turning away from the others in the room. He placed his forehead firmly against the wall as Nejire's volume rose, only for All Might to try once again to defuse the situation. Sir Nighteye shot back with something that made Nejire gasp, and from there, the cacophony of voices all swirled together in Tamaki's mind like a blaring siren. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts as his breathing quickened and his throat became incredibly dry. Just as he turned around, Sir Nighteye drew in one last, furious breath and pushed his glasses up higher along his nose.

"…this is a waste of time, All Might."

"Nighteye, don't…!"

There was only a brief moment where Sir Nighteye and Mirio locked eyes before the older man put his hand upon Mirio's shoulder. The professional hero's eyes flashed an unusual shade of magenta for an even briefer moment, and then, they narrowed sharply. Immediately afterward, Mirio made a fist around the strand of hair in his palm and sucked in a breath as his mentor's voice echoed throughout the room.

"…you are about to make a colossal mistake. I'm disappointed in you, Togata."

Sir Nighteye slipped right past Tamaki as All Might looked away, and then exited the conference room without another word. All Might made a noise of defeat as he watched Mirio place his hand upon the top of the table, holding the hair between his palm and the wood.

"Sir?" Mirio said in a shaky voice. "I… can't."

"…I know," All Might answered. "And I… don't blame you. It wouldn't be fair."

A single tear slipped down Mirio's cheek as he grit his teeth and sniffed.

"I'm sorry. This isn't right- and this isn't safe. I'm still trying to understand my own power, and I'm not ready for something like this. I can't shoulder the entirety of Japan, especially when I'm still learning. I don't think anyone could… and I know that by turning you down, I'm just as bad as the villains destroying our country. But… I can't. Maybe if you… maybe someone young, without a Quirk? To avoid the Singularity potential? I don't…"

A long, uncomfortable silence fell over the room as the four remaining heroes merely stood about. Mirio slowly drew back his palm, his eyes on the fallen hair as his shoulders quaked. Before long, Mirio offered another quick apology before he turned and walked from the room, and Tamaki moved to follow without so much as a look at All Might. Nejire remained behind for a moment to exchange a look with the frail hero, before following along and leaving the man very much alone. All Might merely pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply, before taking out his phone and beginning to make a call.

Author's Note:

Getting very, very close to UA. 3-4 chapters from auditions, and they'll all be pretty explosive. Literally.

-RD