"Todoroki."

Dabi stiffened at the sound of his family name, and he was far from the only one to do so. He hated that his identity was an open secret among the higher ups of the Shie Hassaikai, and he was still unsure as to how it had gotten out to begin with. Despite the fact that seemingly everyone within the inner circle knew who he was, no one would dare to invoke his family name for fear of retaliation.

No one but the man who had just done so without a second thought.

"Yes, Grandmaster?" Dabi asked as he let go of Rizumu's hand and stepped forward.

Arowana watched through a haze of smoke as Dabi sank to a knee before him. The young man, who was somewhere in his early 20s so far as the leader of the Shie Hassaikai could guess, kept his eyes on the floor. Both of them knew that it was protocol when addressing the Grandmaster of the clan. Both of them knew that when Dabi kneeled before him, it was anything but a gesture of reverence.

The wizened leader remained silent as he took a thoughtful pull from his pipe. A stream of smoke left his cracked lips as he blew outward, somewhat obscuring Dabi before him. He could see the tension in Rizumu's stance as she watched the scene play out from her place within the crowd of gathered bosses and figureheads. Arowana narrowed his eyes and drummed the fingers of his free hand upon the armrest of his large leather chair, tapping out a consistent rhythm.

"…Mirio Togata. Tell me what you think of him."

"He's an idiot," Dabi answered immediately, keeping his gaze low. "Idealistic, naïve, trusting… every part the hero in everything but name. He's trying to walk a line halfway between hero and villain, but he's too much of a boy scout to commit to our side. Yet."

"But you see potential," Arowana stated matter-of-factly in his signature low, gravelly tone.

Dabi sucked in a deep breath and finally raised his head to look up at Arowana before narrowing his eyes.

"With all due respect… since when the hell do you care what I think about anything?"

Footsteps echoed throughout the chamber as someone stepped forward behind Dabi and thrust out an accusatory finger.

"You ungrateful, melting wretch, how dare you address our leader w-"

The voice from behind Dabi and the subsequent footsteps toward him were silenced immediately as Arowana raised a knobby hand. A harsh, throaty laugh reminiscent of heavy boots on gravel escaped the leader of the Yakuza family as he lowered his hand. He slowly brought the other back up to raise his pipe to his lips before taking another pull and letting out a river of smoke.

"In truth… I don't, Todoroki. Not when it comes to matters involving our family, that is. The thoughts of yours I'd like to hear concern whether or not you believe Togata has the potential to become something more than he is now. Something more loyal and focused on the will of the Shie Hassaikai than you, with any luck."

Dabi made a noise of contempt and thumbed his nose.

"In that case, I don't see why you would ask me. Get someone more loyal to tell you whether or not they think he can follow in their footsteps like a good little dog. Why not have Rappa size him up? Or Chrono?"

"I'm asking you because unlike so many others in this room and throughout this complex," Arowana said pointedly with a sweeping gesture to his attendants, "you are not complacent with maintaining the status quo. You can also read people, and that is a valuable skill that many others lack. Valuable enough to keep you around despite your tendencies. I know you read me better than most. Is that not why you keep your distance every time we speak?"

"…fine," Dabi resolved as he stood tall and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Togata's already bent for me once, when he believed a supposed innocent to be in danger. I got him to extort Jiro without so much as lifting a finger. You want him molded into the family? The groundwork's been started. Keep bending him, and he'll reshape. Do it too quickly, and he'll snap. It's that simple."

"Hm," Arowana mused as he raised his unoccupied hand to stroke at his wispy white beard. "Then perhaps it would be best to give him a foundation to warp around, for now. Saku."

Rizumu stepped forward to stand at Dabi's side, immediately linking her fingers within his once again. The gesture didn't go unnoticed.

"The next time you're available to run a job, take Togata and Chisaki to the cannery. Give our former hero a villain to keep his eyes on. Distract him from anything that might cause such a break here."

"Understood," Rizumu answered with a nod. "But… the cannery? You're confident that now is the time, and with just a party of three…?"

Arowana took one last drag from his pipe, the smoke leaving his nostrils as though he were a posturing dragon looking to intimidate his prey.

"If what rumors I'm hearing within our network are true… any other time would be too late. It sounds to me like Togata still needs a 'villain' to focus on, lest his guilt forces him to turn his attentions to us. Let's help him along by giving him one."

"I mean… it's not so bad, right?"

Mina kept her eyes on the rotating ceiling fan, the back of her head planted firmly upon Eijiro's sweaty chest. She let the squeaking of the rotating device above her fill the room for a few seconds before letting out a wistful sigh. Eijiro rubbed at Mina's shoulder as she began to speak, both of the teens unsure how to feel.

"Yeah… I mean, we're only separated by one floor, and we'll have some classes together and stuff," Mina considered. "It'd just be nice if we'd gotten lucky and been placed in the same group. That, and I'm not sure how I feel about rooming with Yaoyorozu. She seems nice, but she also seems like… a rule-follower."

"Mina," Eijiro deadpanned. "We're heroes. We're gonna all have to be rule-followers, especially this coming year. We don't really have a whole lot of ground to stand on if we do something stupid, and the professors responsible for each class have a reputation for not putting up with stupidity… especially Professor Aizawa. He's notorious for kicking people out. I hear he booted three people from 1-A last year…"

Mina shifted uncomfortably, the bed creaking below her as she brushed her dampened hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, I heard that too. Be careful, Eiji."

"Of course!" Eijiro said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I'm not all that worried. If anyone's gonna screw up and get thrown out, it'll be Mineta. At least I can use him as a smokescreen for a while if I do something dumb."

"Yeah. If," Mina teased.

"Pff. Besides, I can't be too stupid. I'm sure Bakugo'll keep me in line."

"Yeah…" Mina replied with a thoughtful lilt in her tone as she rolled over to rest her chin firmly between Eijiro's pecs. "What's your read on him, anyway?"

Eijiro simply stared into Mina's raccoon-like eyes for a moment, taken off guard by the question.

"I, uh… I'm not sure. I was actually going to ask you. I can't really figure him out. He always seems like he never wants to be wherever he is, and when we were fighting that giant robot during the auditions, he seemed kinda… panicky, maybe? Like he totally loses it while under pressure."

"I actually got the opposite vibe on that last part," Mina began as she lightly swirled a finger around Eijiro's chest. "It's more like he knows what to do, but he kinda 'snaps' to make sure people will listen to him or stay the hell out of his way if they don't. I think it's an act to maintain authority."

"Really?" Eijiro asked, eyes wide.

"Really. I know boys," Mina said playfully as she gave Eijiro's skin a pinch. The boy flinched and bit his lip as he watched her hand disappear beneath the covers, trailing downward. "I think he's got issues, but if you stick with him, he'll appreciate it and come around. Just don't expect him to initia-"

The sudden ringing of Eijiro's phone atop the nightstand caused them both to jump in surprise. The covers slipped down their bodies as Eijiro reached over and plucked his phone from the nightstand. With a flick of his wrist, he turned the screen toward himself and did a double take.

"It's… him…"

"…well, fuck me, then," Mina muttered in shock. "Answer it!"

Eijiro did as he was told and put the device on speakerphone as he and Mina both hunched over it.

"…Kirishima?"

"Yeah! Hey, man!" Eijiro answered, a bit more loudly than necessary. "I didn't expect you to call! What's up?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but I figured we should probably talk about the dorm. Figure out who's bringing what, lay down some ground rules. Avoid any surprises. Are you alone?"

Mina nodded emphatically as Eijiro gave her a questioning look.

"Uh… I mean, actually, Mina's with me, if that's cool…"

Mina threw her hands up and rolled her eyes before slipping out from beneath the covers and into an overhead stretch.

"Hey, Bakugo!" Mina called loudly enough to be heard through the line as she bent low to gather her clothing from where it had been hastily strewn about the carpet. "I'm getting in the shower, so you boys can talk without fear of me knowing your cute little secrets!"

There was an uncomfortable pause, and for a moment, Eijiro thought the call had been disconnected.

"…yeah. Hi. Whatever."

Mina planted a kiss upon Eijiro's cheek before turning and walking out of the bedroom with her lingerie cradled in her arms.

"Heh, sorry about that," Eijiro said quickly as he watched his girlfriend disappear through the door and close it behind herself. "She was just joking about secrets and stuff, she's totally harmless."

"Alright, whatever," Bakugo replied impatiently. "That's probably something we should figure out, too. Is she going to be coming around the dorm often?"

Eijiro swallowed nervously, suddenly not liking where the conversation was headed.

"Um… uh…"

Sir Nighteye kept his thumb and forefinger pinched upon the bridge of his nose as he tried to determine what to say. The tension between the two men sitting within the room was palpable and had steadily increased despite the other's efforts at making peace.

"…All Might."

"…is that the point we're at, now?" Toshinori Yagi asked from across the table. "Please, don't do that to me…"

"It is," Sir Nighteye said icily as he finally lowed his hand. "Ever since that boy refused to inherit One for All, you have made decision after decision that has placed us all in jeopardy."

"I've made decisions in the best interests of the individuals around us!" Toshinori replied, his smile faltering. "I've taken into account who could benefit most from One for All while simultaneously keeping us as safe as possible!"

"A message was written in blood in that mall, All Might," Sir Nighteye reminded. "It was addressed to you."

"We don't know that," Toshinori insisted. "It is likely, yes, but jumping at shadows will do us no favors."

"All for One will make a move sooner than later," Sir Nighteye replied. "And when he does, whatever blood ends up smeared across a wall in a message to you next time may as well be smeared across your hands as well. Izuku Midoriya, a Quirkless child, had no business inheriting your power. There were other candidates. Did you even consider giving i-"

"I did!" Toshinori interrupted, raising his voice as he slammed his bony hands into the table and stood up. "And I took everything into account, including the fact that One for All may be too much for someone who already has a Quirk!"

"And you believe you have the time to properly train someone totally inexperienced in harnessing one Quirk to wield something that powerful?" Sir Nighteye asked. "You're dying, and he is planning to take advantage of that fact."

"I know that," Toshinori spat. "I don't need a reminder… and with the friends and professors that Midoriya has, I won't have to do this alone. It would be made much easier with your help, Mirai. Please, don't cut me out like this. If you're right… we don't have time. That boy could use your help, regardless of whether or not you agree with him having One for All."

Sir Nighteye let out a weary sigh and shook his head.

"…I'll think it over. For now, just… go. I have an investigation to carry out tomorrow morning."

Toshinori shook his head and headed for the door of the meeting room. He turned to look at his friend once again as he lingered in the doorframe.

"Fine. But be quick about it. Be careful."

Sir Nighteye gave Toshinori a small nod and watched him leave without another word.

Author's Note:

Next time- The Incident.

-RD