Mirio Togata wasn't thinking straight. The entire drive to the hospital was a blur as he tried to follow both the instructions from the GPS app on his phone and the flood of texts from Tamaki and Nejire at the same time. Both of them had arrived at the hospital before he and Dabi did, partially due to the fact that he had almost missed several turns while distracted by texts. His companion was less than amused with his scattered focus, and Mirio eventually just stopped apologizing as he noticed the efforts only angered Dabi further. There were just too many things to pay attention to at once, and too many questions that were as of yet unanswered.

The very moment the car parked in the multi-story garage outside of the massive building, Mirio undid his seatbelt, threw open the car door, and began to run. With no time to throw on his modified suit, the young hero had no option but to forgo his Quirk that would have made descending the structure much faster. He wasn't sure if Dabi was going to wait in the car or not, as the two had stopped talking entirely save for directions. Mirio couldn't imagine that the man would have interest in Rumi's situation, nor did he hear any protest as he ran. A mental note was made to coordinate with Dabi after arriving in the hospital room.

Mirio wasn't entirely sure whether he would or could remember to do so, with everything else going on.

There was no slowing down once Mirio had exited the garage. He sprinted toward the emergency room doors and slipped inside to hurriedly ask the receptionist the way to Rumi's room. It briefly occurred to him that saying such a thing so publicly and in a panic definitely alerted those in the waiting room, but it was too late to take it back. All that mattered was getting to the room quickly and, much to Mirio's chagrin, safely. There was only so much rushing one could do within a hospital wing, after all, and though the journey took far longer than he would have liked, Mirio eventually made it to the correct room. The door was closed and a paper shutter was drawn over the small window, but he could hear muffled voices inside.

Three knocks was all it took for the door to be pulled open immediately. All Might seemed to be standing guard, screening who was allowed inside.

"Togata!" the man boomed, his heroic voice in full effect as he stood sentinel in his muscle form. He looked back into the room where Nejire, Tamaki, and Keigo were gathered in various positions around the hospital bed. "Welcome! This should be everyone, correct? Most of the pro circuit is aware by now, but I've asked them to keep their distance…"

"Fat Gum is also coming," Keigo answered as he flexed his massive red wings behind himself. "If you're pulling us into all this shit, we're pulling him in, too. Rumi and I are working out of his agency for the time being."

"Working on what, exactly?" Toshinori asked as he led Mirio into the room proper where Nejire immediately scooped her classmate into a hug.

"…Mirio," Rumi said weakly from the bed. "Probably best if you tell him."

"Right now?" Mirio asked with a cough as he gingerly let Nejire go and stared down at his employer. "I don't… are you alright…?"

"I'm fine, just… drowsy," Rumi protested. "No need to waste time worrying about me."

"Everyone, calm down," Nejire ordered, looking rather upset. "Look at him. Mirio's out of breath, panicked, and dealing with a lot right now. Can he have a minute?"

"And I'm dealing with multiple gunshot wounds and the knowledge that all of Japan is apparently in danger with its future is resting on the shoulders of a first year student with no fucking Quirk of his own," Rumi said angrily. "Nobody's having a good time right now."

Mirio swallowed hard and took a moment to catch his breath, his lungs burning and head pounding. He needed a way to stall for time, and the way to do it came to him almost immediately.

"…All Might… why did you bring these two in on… well… everything?"

Toshinori's expression turned into a grim frown as he moved to stand with his back to the door once again, arms folded. He gave the younger hero a nod, seemingly accepting of the tactic to stall as a valid question.

"That is actually something I've been waiting for you all to be here before discussing. No better time than now. A high-caliber bullet made of epoxy was found at the scene. I only know of one woman who utilizes such weaponry, and she's been on a watch list for some time after deserting her assignment as a high-ranking hero. Kaina Tsutsumi- better known as Lady Nagant. She, too, is a U.A. graduate, and went to work in the United States in the field of covert operations shortly after leaving campus."

"…I've seen her name on plaques at U.A.," Tamaki said quietly from his place in the corner farthest from Rumi's bed. "She's never spoken of by the professors, unlike most others with their names on trophies…"

"And for good reason," Toshinori warned. "She graduated a few years before Miss Usagiyama and Mr. Takami started at the school, and more or less dropped off the face of the planet. She was scouted by the U.S. government, made an offer that I'm unaware of the specifics of, and cut off all contact to her professional colleagues in Japan. None of us have heard from her in years… but her re-emergence in Japan targeting a well-known hero in the professional circuit, and its timing with the threats being made by All for One does not bode well."

"…you think they're working together?" Keigo asked. "That Lady Nagant is now a villain?"

"…I contacted Cathleen, my protégé in the States, this morning," All Might answered. "Star and Stripe, as you would all know her. She… informed me that Lady Nagant went A.W.O.L. about a year ago, and there has been a manhunt across the country for her ever since. Every possible avenue she could have used to leave was being closely monitored, and yet, she somehow still managed to escape… after claiming the lives of seven heroes stateside."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a few seconds before Rumi angrily raised her voice.

"…then what the fuck does she want with me!?" the woman asked, looking furious. "I'm not even well-liked in the hero community! If she's hunting us for some stupid reason, she picked the wrong target!"

"That… I do not know," Toshinori admitted. "But if she is working with All for One… the two of you need to be aware of him. I hope that answers your question, Togata."

"It does," Mirio agreed. "And none of that is good. Did Star and Stripe have any advice on what to do about all this?"

"She did have one idea," All Might said with a grin. "Cathleen is currently on her way here to personally lead the hunt for Kaina."

Nejire's eyes widened at the news, and she couldn't help but join in on Toshinori's obvious enthusiasm.

"No way! Star and Stripe is coming here?"

"…does that not put the United States at a severe disadvantage?" Tamaki asked, looking between the two. "She is their #1 ranked hero…"

Keigo let out a small chuckle, his wings shaking slightly as he did so.

"Never been overseas, I take it? It's a whole different world. The entirety of Japan could fit inside California alone, and they have top rankings by state as well as nationally. Losing Star for a few weeks, or even months, won't really do much to the collective effort. Besides- if Nagant is as dangerous as she seems…"

"…she is," Toshinori insisted. "I've worked alongside her before, in a brief capacity, while she was doing work studies. I don't know what could possibly have gotten into her, but… I have a personal interest in getting to the bottom of this, as well. Speaking of- your turn, Togata. What's going on, here? What have all of you been up to since the situation with Sir Nighteye?"

Mirio blew out a breath and looked to Rumi for confirmation, only to receive a nod. He took that as a sign that he should tell All Might everything.

"…Mirko and Hawks offered me a job," Mirio began slowly. "We were talking before everything went down with One for All, and the two of them had a working theory that the Shie Hassaikai- one of two Yakuza families still worth talking about- are apparently up to something. Something big enough that it warrants investigation. I still don't know what that is, for whatever reason…"

"Because we don't know, either," Rumi chimed in. "There are rumblings about a 'Sunbeam' project or initiative, but neither of us have found anything concrete. That's why we planted Mirio within their ranks, and he's been doing a bit of reconnaissance on our behalf. The backstory of a blacklisted hero got him in the door, and he's been our eyes and ears."

Toshinori's expression once again soured, and his arms dropped to his sides as he stared at Rumi in disbelief.

"You… set up a student to play double agent within a major crime family, alone?"

"And we got it to work," Keigo said with a smirk. "We're working on getting Amajiki in as well, and… things have kinda gone to shit, but we're doing damage control."

"That is the most irresponsible…" Toshinori began, only to be interrupted by a sudden knocking at the door. "…Fat Gum knows about all this, does he?"

"He does," Tamaki confirmed. "I… pulled him in…"

"Then this should be just a moment," Toshinori advised as he turned and pulled the door open, only to find someone waiting on the other side that was decidedly not Taishiro Toyomitsu. "…can I help you?"

"Probably not, no."

Mirio's blood ran cold at the sound of the familiar voice, and his eyes widened as he watched Dabi simply duck beneath All Might's arm to let himself into the room.

"Hey. Got bored, and I'm not stranding you here," the charred man let on as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So, who's the… Mirko? God damn…"

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment," Rumi said from her place upon the hospital bed. "And who the hell are you?"

"Dabi," the man answered as he put a hand to his chest and dipped into a mocking little curtsey, his other arm held out to the side. "Shie Hassaikai. Not surprised you've never heard of me."

"…you would freely admit such a thing in a room full of licensed heroes?" Toshinori asked as he approached, abandoning his post at the door.

"Do something about it," Dabi threatened with a wide grin. "You've got nothing to pin on me."

"Dabi, just… calm down," Mirio advised as he hesitantly put a shaky hand upon the other man's shoulder. "Everything about this situation sucks. There's no reason to start trouble… and they do know you. They all know everything."

As Dabi slowly turned and opened his mouth, Rumi beat him to the punch with almost the exact words on the tip of his tongue.

"Togata, what the fuck?"

"I'm not…doing this anymore, okay!?" Mirio resolved as he put his hands up, letting them hover on either side of his head in a clenching motion. "I'm done. There's no reason we can't all be in this together! Dabi's a decent guy from what I've seen, with a few problems, sure, but… he's not exactly 100% in on everything the Shie Hassaikai are doing. Dabi- you can't take all of us at once, so you're going to listen, here and now. Everyone else- hear the two of us out, and let's make some progress on this entire situa-"

Once again, the door to the hospital room opened, but without the courtesy of a single knock. A massive figure strode inside before anyone could stop him. Toshinori was the first to say anything, though Dabi's reaction was the most immediate as he began to hyperventilate.

"I asked you to keep your distance," Toshinori said icily as the other man eyed him up with a scowl.

"And I don't appreciate being kept out of the loop," Enji Todoroki replied as he turned his eyes toward Dabi. "What's his problem?"

Author's Note:

Speedrun: total breakdown of everything in Mirio's life any %.

-RD