The obnoxious sound of a blearing alarm clock startled Hisashi awake. The middle aged man groaned, slamming his fist down quite violently on the poor device. He groggily straightened himself in the bed, getting into a sitting position. He made a few grabs at the bedside table, talking hold of his phone and scrolling through the notifications. He'd made sure to get himself a hotel room that was a reasonable distance from UA for the sake of convenience. His plan was made in advance and it was quite simple, really. Fly to Japan, find a place to stay, and wait out the few weeks before the UA Sports Festival. Somewhere between 4 to 6 weeks before so he would have time to settle back into life in his home country. Then he'd surprise his wife and son by showing up at the apartment. They'd have a hug and most definitely a cry. After that, the reunited Midoriya family would live happily ever after. It was concise, and had a low chance of falling through. But of course, as Murphy's Law dictates, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

He wasn't able to find a flight or a hotel in time, which made him 3 weeks behind schedule, leaving him with 3 more to get everything else in order. Of course there was also the issue of obtaining a ticket for the well-documented event that was the UA Sports Festival. Even getting one was a task of herculean proportions. There were always those who would buy several and then auction them to the highest bidders. At this point, he was regretting not buying them much earlier in the year. It was made clear by the school principal himself that they were up for grabs as soon as the school year started. Though his luck did take a slight turn for the better when he did obtain them, only to find out that they were the worst seats possible. 'I can't really complain though. Curse me and my procrastination'.

He groaned once more before vacating the bed. Hisashi proceeded to the bathroom of his hotel room to freshen up, and get ready for the tiring day ahead. Working quickly through his morning routine, the man exited about twenty minutes later. He grabbed his briefcase and closed the door to his room. The breakfast bar was quite lack luster to say the least, so he figured he'd just obtain his sustenance on his way to his workplace.

-XXX-

The train ride there was as underwhelming as it had always been. Even after years of not being in his home country, he slipped into a familiar pattern. It was as if he'd never left in the first place. Though, it'd probably take a bit of time before he got used to hearing Japanese so frequently, seeing as he'd spoken and listened to English for the past 8 years. People on their phones, vendors and store owners advertising their goods, and kids ranging from elementary to high school chatting amicably with each other. Going on with their morning without a care in the world. It made him feel a bit better. God knows he missed the bustling city of Musutafu.

Walking to stand in front of the building that touched the sky, he face broke into a small smile. 'Home. Well, more like work, but that doesn't really matter.' Ceasing his thoughts to focus on the present, he trudged into the building, scanning his ID to be let through the turnstile gate. He felt the day would go well.

In the Kamino Ward of Yokohama City, trouble was slowly brewing. At the epicenter of it was a seedy bar tucked away in an especially shady alleyway. In which there was a man who appears to be made up of a deep purple mist standing behind the bar. He seemed to be cleaning an already sparkling shot glass. A black vest and dress pants, as well as a white button-up shirt adorned his smoky frame. A metal brace of sorts was wrapped around where his neck would be, almost as if it was what was keeping him from dispersing into the open air. Yellow eyes, piercing and glowing, were the only other tell for what direction he'd be facing at any given time.

A much younger man sat on a stool across from the one made of mist. Skin dry as a dessert, and lips so chapped they began cracking. Pale grayish-blue hair fell in a ragged mess atop his head. He had blood red eyes that burned with hatred and rage. They smoldered like the surface of the sun, pinning anything that came into their line of sight with a glare unmatched. He only wore a black long-sleeve shirt, as well as black pants.

At the end of the bar a monitor crackled to life, the screen filling with grey static. In the corner of the screen read the words, "Audio Only".

"I assume you were able to obtain some information during your little distraction?" The voice was grave. It possessed an undercurrent of malice that would make damn near anyone shiver; evil and guile in its purest form.

Shigaraki hummed noncommittally, tilting his head slightly while eyeing the monitor. "Yeah", he shrugs, "I was able to get my hands on the class schedule while it was happening." The pale young man pauses for a brief moment, as if to parse through his head for a specific memory.

"There was something else though". His words came to a stop yet again, only this time, the reason was the slightly intrigued sound he'd gotten from his sensei. Clearly, the man wants to hear more, so he continues.

"While I was in the teachers lounge, I felt the faintest trace of a holy presence."

"And you're sure it wasn't part of your imagination?" The question itself seems innocent enough, but there's a slight edge to it. A warning.

"I'm pretty sure. I think it may have even fluctuated", Shigaraki confirms.

"Well, if that really is the case, then you need to be much more cautious with the upcoming invasion." It's a no-brainer, really. While the man responding from the monitor was widely known and feared in the underground world, he had to admit that any conflict with holy beings would effectively bring his reign to an end. Though, this would only be the case if he weren't prepared. All for One was a patient man; and above all else, he was always thinking about his next move. Therefore, he'd anticipated the small likelihood of an angel or something of the sort at UA, no matter how small it was.

"I will grant you permission to make use of Experiment D as well as the Nomu. Both should be much more than enough to deal with our winged enemy". Shigaraki visibly stiffened. The fact that his sensei was willing to give him access to such a volatile and powerful shocked him. Despite the fact that any and all beings of light had been a problem in the past, he thought it would be overkill. The rising villain, didn't dare speak his thoughts aloud. It was either that or him ending up being completely erased from the waking world; he found living to be quite nice, sue him.

"I'm in heaven". Hitoshi's voice came out slightly muffled. The reason being a cat that was perched right on his face. The boy's body lay on the floor of the cat cafe, felines of different sizes and colors making their way to him, piling on as if trying to bury the teen. He, as well as Izuku, Inasa, Jirou, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu figured they'd distress by going to a quiet place. Each was more or less doing their own thing. Izuku, being the cinnamon roll of a nerd, dove into his homework, Inasa chattering away beside him. The angel responded to his friend ever so often. Yaoyorozu and Jirou conversed about music and other such topics, while Tokoyami read quietly at the end of the booth.

Izuku snickered slightly, "I'm pretty sure heaven doesn't look anything like this".

The indigo haired teen rocketed straight up, dislodging the multiple cats that had effectively covered his entire body.

"SACRILEGE!" Hitoshi exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the greenette. Inasa snickers at the action and Tokoyami's looks on in fond bemusement. The girls are trying and miserably failing to hold back giggles and snorts respectively.

"I'm just speaking facts", Izuku said while smirking at his companion.

"How would you know what heaven looks like anyways?"

Izuku froze. 'That's right, they don't know what happened to me. And I'm not even sure if I can. Though Ezra didn't really say anything about telling, and since I told mom about it, it's probably fine. The thing is, I'm not sure how they'll react, and while I trust Inasa and Hitoshi, I haven't gotten a good enough read on the others.' His thoughts cease the moment something warm clasps his hand. He looks down at it only to find a much larger hand holding his. Inasa is smiling at him. Not his wide grins, that you would usually associate with him, though. This one is tremulous and so much more genuine.

Hitoshi sobers up almost immediately after noting the pause, face growing more concerned with every passing second. The others also take note of the silence looking back to the rest. The silence that has enveloped their once noisy group is laced with tension. Izuku goes to speak but Inasa squeezes his hand, almost as if to say there was no need.

"It probably has something to do with your scars, right?" The gentle giant is much more subdued, looking at his friend with warm eyes. Izuku nods minutely in confirmation, his vision panning to Hitoshi, then the rest of his groups.

"And you're not ready to talk about it yet?" The boy shakes his head in response. Without another word, Inasa pulls his friend into his lap, giving the most gentle and comforting hug he can. Hitoshi joins a moment later. A few moments after, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, and Tokoyami join, admittedly slightly awkward.

Izuku feels the warmth of the embrace, all the tension leaking out of him like a faucet. While he might not be ready to share his past with them yet, the hug affirms that they'll stick with him until he is. A tentative smile pulls at his lips. For the first time in a long while, he feels comfortable and safe around people who aren't his family. And with all his heart, he hopes it stays this way forever.