The walk out of Sir Nighteye's office was silent save for the shuffling of feet and the occasional sniffle from Izuku and Mirio. Katsuki moved along at Izuku's side just behind Mirio and Tamaki, and he couldn't decide who to keep his eyes on. Eventually, as the group reached the staircase that would take them down to street level after a 90 degree turn, he settled on looking at All Might. The hero was so impossibly skinny that Katsuki could hardly imagine the figure ballooning up to his usual muscle form. Even picturing a skeleton beneath the lanky frame was somewhat difficult.
Everything felt so disastrously wrong about the situation, and somehow, Katsuki knew that similar situations would just keep happening as time went on and his career as a hero became more and more dangerous. Something had to be said.
"…All Might?"
The professional stopped just at the top of the stairs and looked over his shoulder. Mirio and Tamaki both turned as well. Katsuki kept Izuku out of his line of sight intentionally. Something about seeing Izuku in tears filled Katsuki with unjustified anger, and he wanted to remain as neutral as possible.
"Are you…" Katsuki began, trying to determine if the simplest question would be the best. After a few seconds of thought, he sighed and shook his head. He knew what he wanted to say, and he also knew that forcing the words out would be the only way to get it done. "…look, I know we haven't exactly been… I guess I just want to know if y-"
The sound of a door slamming below caused everyone to jump and turn their attention to the narrow staircase. Heavy footfalls moving in a quick rhythm began to thump up the stairs with purpose, and All Might instinctively put a frail arm out to shield Mirio and Tamaki as he ushered them backwards. With a herculean effort, All Might managed to grit his teeth and puff up into his usual muscular frame just as Enji Todoroki appeared on the landing halfway between staircases. The man's usual flames were conspicuously absent, replaced by a black suit of crushed velvet.
"…so, it's true," Endeavor spat in a booming voice as he began to ascend the final stretch of stairs. He showed no signs at all of slowing his march, and so, the five heroes atop the landing backed up to make some room. "What are you playing at, All Might? Where's Sir Nighteye, and why are you sneaking around to draft amateurs to deal with an emergency?"
Somehow, All Might's footsteps managed to sound heavier than Endeavor's as he moved to block the other man from the students. Katsuki moved over to one side to get a better look at his former idol's face, and what he saw filled his entire body with a chill as though he had suddenly been soaked to the bone.
All Might was scowling.
"Now is not the time for this discussion," All Might said threateningly. "Not every emergency necessitates the response of a team of professionals, Endeavor. We're not going out on an active assignment. You'll be briefed when the time comes. This is personal business, and I'm not ready to discuss it with you."
"When are you ever ready?" Endeavor snarled. "You and I have had to work together for years, and there are still things I don't kn-"
The sound of another door creaking open far more gently caused Endeavor to pause his tirade. The sight of Nejire wheeling an injured Bubble Girl out into the hall was enough to render him speechless. The familiar intern's hostile expression kept him that way.
"Miss Hado…" All Might said apologetically as he looked over his shoulder. "Now might not be the best time…"
"…now is the perfect time," Kaoruko said icily as she rose from the wheelchair. "You may not be ready, but I am. May I?"
"I was hoping that you would be able to rest and get your mind off of all this," All Might said sullenly as he stepped aside.
"I was hoping the same for you," Kaoruko replied as she moved to take All Might's place in front of Endeavor. Though she was far smaller than the muscular #2 hero, she showed no fear or signs of backing down as she stared up at the man. "Sir Nighteye was murdered. We're here because we had connections to him. You weren't informed because this isn't about you. Now move."
A series of clicking noises filled the silence as Nejire went about collapsing the wheelchair. Enji Todoroki's expression of shock slowly turned to one of discomfort as he listened. When Kaoruko walked forward, he stepped aside to watch her descend the staircase without another word. Nejire didn't even bother to look at him as she followed.
"…look, I don't like secrets either," Katsuki chimed in, earning Endeavor's attention. "But sometimes, they exist for a reason. My reaction would've been the same as yours… or probably worse. What actually matters is what you do from here."
Endeavor let out a strained noise as he brought a hand up to his forehead and rubbed. The man closed his eyes, looking almost to be in pain before he finally met All Might's eyes.
"…Toshinori… my sincerest apologies. Is there anything I can do?"
"…I don't know," All Might replied, his expression a cold neutral. "You were on my list to call once I had that part figured out. For now, just… I need space. All of us do."
"Understood," Endeavor answered. "I… should be going. Contact me if you think of anything." There was a pause after which the man's voice wavered slightly. "Please."
"I will," All Might reassured, flashing the other hero a grim smirk. "Just go."
Endeavor took one last, curious look at Katsuki before he turned and descended the steps, the creaking of the stairs sounding heavier than ever before. After the door at the front of the building closed once again, All Might turned to look at Katsuki with an air of confusion about him.
"…thank you, Bakugo. That was a… risky move, to say the least."
"I wasn't sure if he 'got it' after what Bubble Girl said," Katsuki said noncommittally as he looked down at his shoes. "It seemed like a point important enough to emphasize."
"It was," All Might agreed.
Mirio cleared his throat to catch the pro hero's attention.
"Your relationship with Endeavor is…?"
"…strained," All Might finished. "To say the least. We work together somewhat often, but I barely know the man outside of work that stems from sheer necessity. Still, you can tell quite a bit from what you see in the field. He's not all bad. A decent man, but… troubled. So are we all. Bakugo, you were going to say?"
"Huh?" Katsuki looked up caught by surprise as he was busy inspecting the floorboards.
"Before Endeavor came in," All Might reminded. "You were going to ask me something."
"Oh," Katsuki replied flatly. His mind automatically went toward It's nothing, but he knew that it was blatantly untrue. "I was… just going to ask if you were going to be alright. It's stupid. Forget it."
"I wouldn't call it that at all," All Might replied. "And… thank you for asking, Bakugo. In time, I think I will be."
"…yeah," Katsuki said as hastily made his way toward the staircase. "Yeah, good…"
All for One made his way down a dimly lit corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly in the narrow space. The walls were steel on all sides and the floor was grated, giving off a view of total blackness below. Save for the occasional overhead fluorescent bulb, the only light in the area came from a room at the far end of the hallway. All for One adjusted his suit and tie as he approached the opening, fully expecting to see his protégé with his face buried in a monitor once again. Instead, he found something else entirely.
Tomura Shigaraki sat in his computer chair facing away from the door. The man had one leg bent up with his foot planted upon the cushion of the chair as the other pushed against the floor, lightly swaying the furniture from side to side. Though the computer was indeed on, it went untouched while Tomura instead fiddled with something unseen.
"…Tomura," All for One called, his deep voice slightly distorted by the heavy black mask and breathing apparatus that spanned his entire neck and shoulders.
The chair stopped swiveling for a moment before it turned with an audible creak to reveal a skinny young man with white hair and flaky scarring around the corners of his mouth. He wore a black turtleneck and matching pants, though perhaps the most interesting part of his outfit was one that he wasn't wearing at all. In one hand was a pair of bent glasses, one of the lenses spiderwebbed with cracks.
"Master," Tomura answered, his eyes alight with manic glee.
"They're searching the museum," All for One let on, sounding less than impressed. "Your elaborate little art piece is in danger of being found."
"I doubt that very much," Tomura said in a singsong voice as he gave the pair of glasses a little twirl between his thumb and forefinger. "I disintegrated the controls. There's no way back there without quite literally knocking the wall down. Heroes won't go that far, and even if they do… the entire thing was designed to be mobile. My exhibit has been relocated."
"Still. It's a dangerous game you're playing," All for One warned. "Leaving the girl alive was an inspired move, though I cannot help but wonder if you're truly ready for the consequences should she go public."
"I'm ready," Tomura snapped as he leaned forward, his back arching like that of a cat. "If she puts my name out there, so much the better. Besides, don't you want to go for the nuclear option? All this hinting, all this teasing is getting boring. I get that you want to break All Might mentally, but it's not like we need to. You can handle him, can't you? And even if you can't… the good doctor's working on something that can."
"He is indeed," All for One agreed. "Though whether or not my inevitable reunion with All Might goes favorably may be out of my control. He seems desperate. Unpredictable. We need to be ready for every possibility, and right now, I'm beginning to question just how many you have considered in your haste to wound him so deeply."
Tomura threw his hands up in the air before resting the crooked glasses upon his forehead.
"Too fast, too slow… there's just no pleasing you, is there? We've got All Might down to one life, and his hands are sweaty. If anyone's gonna make a mistake soon, it's him. Not me… and it better not be you."
All for One made an amused noise before producing a folder from the interior of his jacket and holding it outward to Tomura.
"…quite a bold proclamation. I'm continuing to prepare. I simply hope that you do the same."
"What's this?" Tomura asked as he cracked open the folder. "A list of activities to make sure I'm not wasting precious time?"
"Not quite," All for One answered, his voice utterly devoid of humor. "A roster of individuals that I suspect would be sympathetic to your cause in particular. Our insider seems to think that each of them has a reason to rally against hero society at large. Pursue them at your leisure."
Tomura flipped through the photos and attached profiles, seeming disinterested. None of the individuals were anyone he recognized.
"What, no big names?" Tomura asked as continued to peruse the folder. "Just a bunch of small-time fodder?"
"You are not yet ready to try to sway any 'big names', as you put it," All for One chided as he straightened his tie. "Succeed with a few of these, though, and I have one or two in mind…"
Tomura sneered before turning his chair away from his superior and rolling forward to his desk. With a few clicks of a mouse and some frantic keystrokes, he began to pull up several windows of information.
"…give me a bit. I think I know just how to find one of them…"
Author's Note:
Next time- the first U.A. arc and Rizumu's job finally begin! Speaking of Rizumu- there's now a 10,000 word prequel story called "Stranger" uploaded that covers the events of how she and Dabi met, as well as a bit of leadup to this story. Check it out if you're interested!
-RD