A Pillar of Lies

Chapter 4: Just Formalities

Toshinori Yagi sat calmly in a chair beside the young Shimura. The room was bathed in the gentle afternoon sunlight, casting a warm glow on the surroundings. Sterile hospital scents and the distant hum of medical equipment filled the air. Tenko, seated on a wide blue hospital bed, nervously adjusted his new gloves. They were sleek and black, double-wrapped with a protective material that left the index and thumb fingerless, courtesy of the government. Despite his reassurances, Yagi could see the unease that had settled within the boy. The gloves were meant to restrain his quirk, to offer him control and safety, yet he did not doubt that the memories of young Tenko's recent ordeal still haunted him.

Yagi's eyes were fixed on the boy, his expression a mixture of concern and understanding. He offered a faint smile, accompanied by a reassuring squeeze of Tenko's arm. However, beyond the facade, his thoughts were a tumultuous swirl of old memories. In these quiet few moments, he couldn't help but reminisce about his mentor, Nana Shimura. She had been his guiding light, his hero, and his dearest friend. The weight of her legacy weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he was determined to safeguard the small remnants of her memory that remained. Yet, those cherished memories seemed to crumble like fragile glass in his grasp.

Nana's family, her very lineage, had been cruelly ripped into a thousand little pieces in a single unpredictable moment, their undoing brought upon by her own grandson. Yagi understood that it wasn't Tenko's fault, that the true malevolence resided in the unpredictable nature of quirk emergence. No one could have foreseen the tragedy, and there was little anyone could have done to prevent it. He grasped this truth rationally, but a persistent inner voice whispered doubts. It accused Tenko of being responsible, urging Yagi to abandon the boy when he had the chance. But… All Might was unwavering; he followed his heart, the same heart that had guided him to save young Tenko, and the countless lives throughout his career. He would stand strong.

Crreeeeaaak.

Yagi turned his head around to face the door which slowly crept open.

'Hello…' a nervous voice spoke up, her bright blue eyes peeking from the side of the door, with a clipboard in hand. 'I- I'm nurse M-Mori sir.'

A drop of sweat trailed down Yagi's side. 'There's no need to be shy, miss! I'm sure you have important duties to attend to.'

Her eyes lit up in response, as if she just remembered something important. 'Yes! Of course!' she exclaimed, ditching the cover of the door, nervously walking in.

'I will be looking over Shimura Tenko for the remainder of his stay here!' she cried, bowing profusely before All Might.

He nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes shifting back to Tenko. The boy had gently pressed himself into the bedframe, an unmistakable nervousness lingering about him, although there was a gradual easing.

'I entrust his care to you, nurse,' Yagi stated with a reassuring smile.

Yagi took to Tenko's side, offering reassurance during the checkup and commending the young Shimura for bravely enduring the blood sampling. It wouldn't be too long now, he thought to himself. Soon the boy's checkup would be over and the detectives would arrive for some light questioning. A shiver crawled down his spine—was there something he had forgotten, perhaps? His thoughts were abruptly cut off by a buzzing sensation emanating from his pants pocket: A phone call… is here! A phone call… is here!

Acting on instinct, Yagi fumbled for his phone, hastily flipping it open to answer. Who could be calling him on his personal phone at this time?

The caller identity quickly popped up on screen, causing his heart to sink.

Shit!

In the split second of opportunity, Yagi swiftly slammed the phone shut using One For All, its frame cracking from the force, startling everyone in the room. Why was his teacher calling now of all times?

Yagi's legs began shaking involuntarily. If he was calling now, then… does teacher know? The constant buzzing from his phone put him further on edge. He couldn't put his teacher on air or- A phone call… is here!

'I-I'll be right back!' Yagi stammered, hastily leaving the room. He had only a fleeting moment, taking it to compose himself before flipping open the phone once more.

'You stupid disciple!' His teacher berated, shouting through the phone. 'How long were you intending to keep this from me? Did you think I wouldn't find out?'

'I'm very sorry!' Yagi apologised, bowing profusely as if his teacher was in front of him.

He heard as his teacher sighed in a long-winded fashion, his agitation clear and cut. 'Explain everything, from the start.'

-tdr-

'Atopic dermatitis around the neck. Severe head trauma and concussion. Signs of memory loss. Malnutrition…' Naomasa mumbled to himself, his brow furrowing as he flipped over a page of the document.

'What's that, partner?' Eizo questioned, briefly eyeing over the boy's medical assessment as the two paced down the vacant hospital wing.

Worry etched Naomasa's features as he glanced at his partner. 'Are you sure it's alright to ignore standard protocol? Considering the victim is only seven years of age, questioning him on such short notice is…'

Eizo let out a tired sigh, the weariness evident in his voice. 'What are you worrying about, Tsukauchi? HQ has already given the go-ahead for questioning.'

That raised questions of its own—why would HQ be so involved in this case?

'Don't worry too much about it,' Eizo deflected. 'If anything, this means less paperwork for us.'

'But what if the victim's quirk goes out of control again?'

'The HPSC has already dispatched a hero to deal with him if that happens,' he refuted.

'But—'

Eizo placed a hand on his shoulder, 'It'll be fine. Just some light questioning, and we'll be out of here in no time.'

Naomasa flipped over another page of the document and briefly scanned the rest of it. He had to be as prepared for the interview as possible, else he could accidentally provoke an illicit reaction from the boy. Even if someone had been sent to deal with that possibility, it was best that he remained careful.

A familiar voice cut off his line of thought, looking up to face the two heroes before him. 'Tsukauchi!' All Might greeted. 'It's been far too long! How've you been?'

'It has! I just wish we could have met under better circumstances.'

Eizo's brows raised in bewilderment. 'Since when were you chummy with the Number One Hero?'

Naomasa ignored his partner's protests, giving his old friend a firm handshake. 'So do I. But I'm glad it's you on the case.'

'So this is that friend of yours, Yagi?' the second hero piped. He was a foot shorter than the number one hero, his white costume accentuated a powerful build. Yellow boots, gloves, and cape added splashes of colour, while a black mask concealed his eyes.

All Might acknowledged the older hero, but something about his expression looked odd. Was Yagi… afraid? Why—no, no—he must be imagining things. What would All Might of all people have to be afraid of?

He brushed that thought aside, extending his arm out to the older hero. 'And, you are?'

The older hero crossed his arms together refusing to shake his hand, 'You can call me Gran Torino, detective.'

Eizo butted in breaking the awkward silence, 'I don't know about you, but I'd like to get home early today. Did you get any statements from the victim?'

All Might spoke up, a dark expression forming on his face. 'When I found the young Shimura he was screaming how he killed his own family.'

Naomasa couldn't help but sympathetically gaze over to the patient's room. He had a sneaking suspicion this was the case, but to think any child would have to go through such a traumatic event was—no—he should just be glad they found him when they did.

'This matches up alright,' Eizo grumbled. 'But quirk awakenings as dangerous and unexpected as this are hardly found anywhere; there's not much we can chalk it up to but bad luck.'

'How's Shimura doing?' Tsukauchi asked.

Yagi glanced back at the room, 'He's been quiet since he woke up—nervous and agitated—but after all the boy's been through, his condition could have been much worse.'

Naomasa gave a light nod. This was the best they could have hoped for. Although he was sure the boy would need some serious therapy and time to grieve for his family—by the way Yagi described him—he seemed to be stable, at least, for now.

Tsukauchi gestured to the patient's room. 'Can we go and meet the boy?'

All Might nodded and the detectives followed the two heroes to the door before turning back to face the detectives. 'I'm sure you know what you are doing Tsukauchi, but keep your questions to a minimum.'

'We'll be in and out before you know it,' he reassured.

All Might gave a brief nod, before entering the room, bursting through the doors with his iconic pose.

'I AM HERE!'

Naomasa entered quietly from behind, catching a glimpse of a faint smile on the boy's face in response to All Might's exclamation. The toll of recent events was evident; the boy's head was tightly swathed in bandages. Glancing towards the corner, he noticed a figure in all black with dishevelled, long hair, leaning against the wall. A strip of white cloth encircled his neck, and heavy bags shrouded his eyes. He seemed to pay no attention to the heroes walking in and remained silent, his eyes focused on the boy.

Must be the hero they sent in.

His partner then entered and Gran Torino followed from behind, and quickly took seat whilst All Might walked over to the boy. 'These gentlemen here just have a few questions. Do you think you could answer them for me?'

The Shimura boy's eyes shifted toward the detectives, displaying hesitation. However, Yagi's reassurance seemed to alleviate some of the boy's concerns, and he offered a tentative nod.

In and out. You've got this, Tsukauchi.

Tsukauchi took a deep breath, repeating the mantra in his head as he prepared himself. It was his first time questioning a kid, and he knew he needed to approach the topics with care.

It'll be fine.

'Greetings young man. I'm detective Tsukauchi working with Japan's National Police Agency. I would just like to state that you did nothing wrong. You're not in trouble, young man. We just want to know what happened. Do you think you could do that for us?'

Tenko gave a reserved nod.

'Is there anywhere you would like to start?' Tsukauchi questioned. It was useful to let the victim start where he felt comfortable in doing so. It would give him a chance later to weave the questioning in the direction he wanted to without stirring him up.

Tenko was unresponsive, looking away from the detective.

'Is there anything you could tell me about your experience?'

Tsukauchi couldn't help being a little nervous as the boy sat looking away from him. If Shimura continued to be unresponsive, this whole interview could go up in the air. He had to be a little more cunning.

'Were you hurt?' he asked, hoping the simplicity of the question would elicit a response.

That seemed to get a reaction out of the boy—albeit small—barely visible, unless one was trained in interrogation techniques.

'Did someone hurt you?'

The boy looked down, clenching a fist while using his other hand to scratch his neck. He appeared troubled by something, but there was an uneasy air. Shimura lightly shook his head, casting worried glances around. Tsukauchi was thinking along the right train of thought. It wasn't likely that his quirk emerged with such violence without some sort of catalyst. He had to dig deeper. Abuse from a family member possibly?

He should have stopped there but the detective inside him wanted to get to the truth.

'Was it… your father?'

Tsukauchi immediately regretted his words as the air became heavy with dread, suffocating Tsukauchi like he'd been thrown into the middle of a burning building. The Shimura boy who had been all but quiet until now had covered his face, holding his head in his hands, visibly shaking. Everyone present remained still, unsure of what to do or say before—the boy began wailing in agony, his bedsheets began crumbling, the very air before him flaking away as his wails filled the room and the boy's emotions spiralled uncontrollably. Something inside him told him to run but his body wouldn't listen.

The Number One Hero wasted no time to close the distance between him and the boy despite the aura of decay expanding out from him. A flash of red ignited in the weary hero's eyes, the white bandages around his neck unravelling, floating in the air like spectral wisps, and the suffocating feeling just a moment prior, vanished.

Tsukauchi took a moment to compose himself, the feeling of dread taking a heavy toll on him. Despite the distress, he couldn't shake the nagging thought that he might have jeopardised the entire interview. He looked to his partner for consolation, but Eizo could barely answer him, his breathing short and tentative, sweat dripping down his forehead.

He'd give his partner a moment. By the looks of it, everyone needed one.

As the young boy's wails gradually calmed down under the comforting presence of All Might, a quip from the older hero cut through the air. 'Is that what they teach in the academy?' That stung Tsukauchi, but it was well deserved given his mistake.

'I apologise, Gran Torino, All Might. That was quite unprofessional of me.'

The older hero snorted, 'We're not the ones you need to be apologising to, detective.'

Ah, of course. Tsukauchi got up from his seat and made his way to Tenko- who had all but calmed down- before bowing towards him. 'I'm very sorry, young man! My judgement failed me and I asked something I shouldn't have. I hope you can forgive me!'

The boy couldn't eye the detective, but he gave a light nod before turning back to the Number One Hero.

Yagi looked up at him with a mix of care and concern, 'I think we should stop the questioning, detectives.'

Naomasa couldn't help but agree after that disaster.

Eizo scratched the back of his head, 'And here I thought we'd get something useful outta the boy. What a pain.'

'We'll be counting on you then, All Might, for an official statement on the incident.' Tsukauchi requested, turning towards the Number One who nodded in response.

'That'll be fine. I'll entrust the rest to you.'

'Ahem.' Eizo coughed, gaining the attention of the pair. 'There's still the matter of guardianship to address. Do you know of any uncles or aunties that can take care of you for a while, young man?'

The boy—unsettled—merely leaned his head down, shaking.

'And no living relatives documented,' he mumbled. 'Seems there's no choice but to—'

'I'll do it,' All Might spoke up, his tone serious, shocking everyone in the room. 'I'll take legal guardianship of—'

'You?' Naomasa blurted out. What was he thinking?

Even the hero in the corner who had done nothing but keep a watchful eye on the boy couldn't help but turn his attention over, mumbling something under his breath. 'How irrational.'

But it was Gran Torino out of everyone who appeared the most affected, his face twisted in a foul scorn.

'You stupid student!' the older hero snapped. 'Do you really think you're capable of looking after the boy?'

'It's my responsibility—'

'But what of your responsibilities as the Number One Hero?'

'I'll find a way—'

'And what if a villain decides to take the kid hostage? You have plenty of enemies and you know who is still out there! Did you not learn anything from Nana's sacrifice?'

The boy briefly perked up at the mention of her name, but remained silent, scratching his neck.

'I'll… find a way,' All Might repeated, slowly wavering to the scolding of the older hero.

'He's right, All Might. We all know how busy you are. Adding the responsibilities of raising a child on top of everything else would be ludicrous. You'd never have the time for both.' Naomasa reasoned. He was sympathetic to his friend's position. The only living relative of his deceased mentor is orphaned. Of course he wouldn't want the boy put into foster care, but the Number One couldn't do both, nor could he abandon his position. 'You can't All Might.'

Yagi remained in dead silence as his brows furrowed. It was clear he couldn't let this go as he seemed to contemplate his options.

The older hero sighed, and all attention was brought onto him, 'I'll do it.'

'Teacher?'

'Nana would scold me to no end if I let her only grandson end up orphaned and nowhere to go. And, it was about time I considered retirement anyways. Can't keep up with the youngins these days.'

The Number One Hero looked deep in thought for a brief moment before looking the older hero confidently in the eyes. 'If it's you, teacher, I'm sure the boy will be in good hands.'

Eizo quickly got up from his seat, patting his partner on the shoulder, 'Alright, I think we're done here. I'm going to need a few drinks after this whole mess. You coming?'

'Just give me a moment, Eizo.'

'Suit yourself,' he waved off, heading out the room.

Taking out a pen from his front pocket, and a scrap piece of paper from his notebook, Tsukauchi began writing down a phone number before handing it off to the older hero, 'This is the number of the social worker designated to this case. If you call them up I'm sure they can help sort out the legalities.'

The hero gave a tired nod before taking the paper from his clutches.

'Take care, Yagi. And if you ever need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out.'

All Might gave a firm nod, and with that Naomasa swiftly departed, hurrying off after his partner. He was never much of a drinker, but after such an intense and disastrous interview, he felt the need to unwind. And what better than a shared drink with his old-time partner?

-tdr-

'Oh? What is it, doctor?' Hisashi regarded Dr. Garaki, awaiting his response with patient interest.

The doctor had been hunched over his desk, feverishly typing away, seemingly oblivious to his liege.

Garaki was a long-time associate of the enigmatic villain and a genius in the field of quirk biology. He'd been given unprecedented freedom by All For One—freedom from the shackles of ethics and finance to delve into his research, producing results well beyond anything contemporary. However, despite the doctor's immense value, his unrestrained enthusiasm occasionally grated on All For One's patience.

'Ahem.'

The doctor's wide-eyed gaze shifted over his shoulder as he swivelled his chair in an instant. 'Hisashi, you've returned! I've completed the analysis as you've asked,' he declared, a wide grin etched on his wrinkled complexion. 'The results are truly fascinating. They're even greater than what we could have ever hoped for!'

'And what might those be?' All For One inquired.

'The quirk has the potential to absorb the quirks it's stolen, with nearly endless capacity! If allowed to develop without hindrance, it could become a quirk singularity in a matter of decades!'

Hisashi chimed, this was exactly what he had hoped for. All that time searching for the perfect genetic catalyst wasn't a waste after all. The cogs of fate were moving slowly but surely in his favour, and his long lasting dream would finally be realised. However, there were still some problems at hand.

'Does he have the capacity for quirk transference?'

'No!' His passion remained unfazed by the matter-of-fact statement; if anything, he appeared pleased. 'Even if he possessed the ability to grant quirks, they would ultimately merge permanently with the original!'

'That's quite troublesome,' All For One remarked. Even if this aspect of his quirk granted Izuku the potential to endlessly consume quirks, it wouldn't be sufficient on its own. Nor could he start from scratch either, his lifetime of searching would all be in vain for what was already a success.

'This matter can be solved with due time,' Kyudai continued, his voice echoing in the dimly lit laboratory. He leaned forward, hands clasped together. 'Despite my repeated failures to replicate All For One, I've managed to piece together parts of it. If we can stabilise Izuku's body before his quirk kills him, he—'

'Excuse me?' Hisashi interjected, glaring at the doctor.

The doctor's demeanour shifted, a subtle retreat as he shrunk down into his chair. 'Well… ever since its awakening his body has begun slowly deteriorating. Izuku's hardware is just not capable of handling its power, even in its infantile state.'

All For One nodded thoughtfully, his crimson eyes narrowing in contemplation. 'So, the situation is more delicate than anticipated.'

Dr. Garaki, regaining some composure, leaned forward. 'Indeed. The quirk's potential is exceptional, but I admit the extent of its toll was unprecedented. If my analysis is correct, there will only be a month's time-window to administer treatment. Beyond that, I'm afraid it'll be impossible to repair his body.'

This was a concerning development of events, but the doctor's mannerisms suggested he held a partial solution. 'How long until you can fashion a working treatment?'

The doctor gave a confident smirk before explaining. 'I considered there may be some early backlash from his quirk, and so I've been working on an experimental treatment to fix this. However, the RNA modification required is much more extensive than my original calculations. I'll have to alter the core of his genetic makeup, so that his body is capable of keeping up with his quirk. It'll require a couple of weeks of preparation at the minimum.'

'That is fine doctor, proceed as planned.'

Garaki gave a quick nod before returning to his computer, the feverish clattering of keys resuming almost instantly. All For One stood still, the rhythmic typing fading into the background as his thoughts drifted inward. Trials and tribulations were inevitable along his path; yet, as always, he would crush them with his own hands. Nothing, and no one, could prevent the inevitable tide of change that would follow in his awakening.

Even their so-called pillar of hope couldn't stop what's to come.

(***)

A/N: Tenko isn't doing so hot, but he's now safely in the hands of the heroes and… yes, I did just pull a Gran Dad. There's also something terribly wrong with Izuku's physical condition but Garaki's got him covered, right?

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With that said, till next time.