Mirio was happy to see Taishiro Toyomitsu sitting upon two chairs pushed close together inside of Rumi Usagiyama's hospital room, his arms folded across his massive, bulbous chest. Fat Gum himself, however, seemed less than amused as the pair of teens made their entrance. Mirio offered a wave. Tamaki averted his eyes in shame, feeling incredibly guilty for keeping things from his friend and mentor.

"…I'm up to speed," Taishiro declared as Tamaki closed the door behind himself. "All Might's about to be out of the hero game entirely, and now we've got a semi-foreign villain coming out of nowhere and hunting well-known pro heroes? This isn't a coincidence. It can't be. I'd bet the Yakuza have something to do with it, too."

"In what capacity?" Tamaki asked as he took the unoccupied chair next to Keigo, who pulled in his wings to make room. "I… Togata, you haven't heard anything about the Shie Hassaikai hiring mercenaries, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Mirio confirmed as he settled for leaning against the wall next to Rumi's bed. "But their leader did ask me to bring him information on All Might, and he was vague about what he wanted. I don't know what he knows, how, or why… but I think he knows something, and that isn't good. We need to throw him off the trail."

"Do we?" Rumi asked. "You're in deep shit with the Yaks right now, aren't you? Maybe we indulge him, instead. Maybe we let some information slip to get you back in the old man's good graces and squash any suspicion that you're a mole. There's a good chance Dabi's gonna talk isn't there? Might as well get out in front of it and beat him to the punch with a bit of real information to save your hide. Not only are you in danger right now, but so is our lead on Project Sunbeam."

"About that," Mirio answered. "Dabi is… we've reached an understanding. He's not fan of the Shie Hassaikai, and he's willing to help me investigate Sunbeam."

There was a momentary silence as all eyes lingered on Mirio. One tired set that was seldom seen without protective orange sunglasses was narrowed suspiciously.

"In return for what?"

"Huh?" Mirio asked.

"What are you giving him?" Keigo rephrased. "He's got you dead to rights. Even if he doesn't care about the Shie Hassaikai, he could keep you on a leash from now until the end of time, knowing what he knows. He's a villain, isn't he? Why would he just suddenly fall in line and start helping us?"

Tamaki looked at Mirio, his expression grim. Mirio didn't return it as he kept his eyes on the tile floor.

"…I can't tell you that."

Mirio wasn't ready to be suddenly wrenched to the side as Rumi reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt in a flash. The muscular woman yanked him nearly down to her level, her teeth clenched in an angry glower as her eyes blazed.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're covering for him now, after shouting all of our secrets and All Might's from the mountains earlier!?"

"Rumi, don't h-" Taishiro began as he got to his feet, only for the woman to turn her fury on him instead.

"Don't you Rumi me! This is bullshit!"

Mirio clasped a hand atop the one affixed to his collar and tried to pry himself free to no avail. Rumi looked back toward him, and for a moment, he was afraid that she was about to throw a punch straight for his face.

"Explain yourself!"

"The secrets we've all been keeping are all to do with a bigger picture and societal problems!" Mirio said in a panic. "The secret Dabi's keeping is personal! It has nothing to do with any of this, nothing to do with the Shie Hassaikai, and letting it slip could get him killed! I'm protecting him because it's something else, not because I don't trust all of you!"

Rumi shoved Mirio away with a sigh of disgust as she closed her eyes.

"Something personal. You're covering for a fucking villain because he's got personal issues going on."

"Stop… using that word," Mirio said, his voice getting quieter as he started to regret it. By the time he finished, he knew it was too late to take back, and the only option was to double down. "Stop calling him a villain."

"…oh, here we go," Keigo said sarcastically as he put his head in his hands and rubbed at his temples. "It's been too long of a day for this shit. What, are you going to try to tell us that everyone deserves a second chance? Or that strong labels like heroes and villains don't tell the whole story? We know, kid. Want us to just call him an enemy instead and be done with it?"

"…for someone working outside of the approval of the professional hero circuit and recruiting unlicensed college students to spy on the Yakuza, that is a surprisingly narrow viewpoint."

Tamaki kept his eyes on Mirio as he spoke, and his friend gave a nod of encouragement.

"Tamaki's right. Look, I know today has been awful. I know this is the last thing any of you want to hear, but… yeah, that is what I'm going to say, Hawks. So-called villains are dangerous because they work toward their goal without regard for anyone who gets in their way. We can't afford to do the same thing from the other side. Dabi's… he's got issues, but so does everyone in this room. Except maybe Mr. Toyomitsu."

"…I'm not totally clean, either," Taishiro admitted as he put his hands up to his shoulders in a gesture of surrender. "But you're talking about Yakuza, Togata. Career criminals. Doesn't matter if he doesn't particularly like being a part of the organization, he still is. Don't fall into the trap of thinking he's just a civilian. He isn't, and neither are you."

"But we're both still people," Mirio insisted. "And I… consider him a friend."

Rumi let out a long, dramatic sigh as she crashed her head back into her pillow and closed her eyes.

"…god damn it, you're making this so much more complicated than it needs to be. Fine. Yes. You've got a point. 'Hero' and 'villain' aren't a be-all-end-all designation… and I've got a friend or two on 'the other side', too. You want to babysit Dabi and rope him into all this? Be my guest, but he's your liability if things go south."

"Fine," Mirio replied immediately. "I'll shoulder that burden."

The sound of the door opening was enough to make several people jump. All Might entered the room with a large, red, insulated box in his arms and kicked the door closed behind himself while offering the small crowd a smile.

"Food is here!"

"Thank god," Keigo said as he finally looked up once again. "About time some good news entered this room."

"What have I missed?" Toshinori asked as he set the parcel down and looked between the assembled heroes.

"Quite a bit," Rumi answered. "We've got a lot to talk about, and some decisions to make…"

Kaina Tsutsumi, a woman in her early thirties with short, purple and pink hair framing her face, felt like throwing up. Though it was only the second time she had visited the building that was the source of her nausea, she hated the overpowering stench of fish that permeated the frigid air in and around the place. What was bad outside of the gigantic complex would only get worse once she made her way inside, and she knew that she would likely be spending quite some time right at the heart of the smell. Kaina shivered in her black trench coat and made a mental note to bring a mask next time. She also quickly realized that it would serve to help her fit in.

"I.D.?"

The gun for hire stopped and glared daggers at the man standing in the checkpoint booth outside of the main entrance. Though she couldn't see anything but his eyes through the black and white oni mask, she could tell that the young man was afraid of her. It was a quality she intended to utilize.

"Don't be thick," Kaina warned. "You know who I am, and if you don't, then you aren't important enough to be able to stop me. Raise the damned bar."

"…yes ma'am," the operator said without question before pressing a button on the control panel before him.

The black and yellow striped bar blocking vehicle access was raised, and Kaina walked through without hesitation. She knew she was being watched in the myriad of cameras strewn up around the place, and by the countless armed guards patrolling. Being recorded was always a risk in her line of work, but she didn't have much of a choice- not when there was a job of such importance to be done. The walk through the meandering, cold, barren metallic hallways took longer than she would have liked, but in time, Kaina arrived at an office door. It was unguarded not due to a lack of caution, but rather, as a challenge.

Nothing and no one could reasonably threaten the man inside, Kaina included. She took a sobering breath before opening the door and stepping into the office.

"You failed."

"The parameters for the job were unreasonable," Kaina said defensively as her shoulders tensed and the door closed behind her seemingly of its own volition. She stared at the high-backed leather chair and the occupant who remained facing away from her. "Remaining hidden at the specified distance and targeting someone that far away w-"

"Enough."

"Don't treat me like another one of your subordinates," Kaina spat. "I'm the best sniper you're going to find, like it or not, and I won't stand for being told it wasn't enough. A message was sent, and had she not been as fast as she is, she would've been dead. I didn't expect her to fling herself off the roof or survive that fall."

"Mirko is not to be underestimated," the man in the chair said before slowly turning around to face Kaina. "Perhaps I aimed too high, to start. Her willingness to break and bend the rules of even her own body is a known quantity. Another of his agents may be an easier target to truly begin your career in Japan."

Kaina stared at the man, full of contempt. He wore a deep green suit vest over a white long-sleeved shirt and black slacks. He looked every bit the formal business tycoon, but in place of his head was a rippling, ever-shifting plume of black smoke with two trailing, formless yellow eyes. His hands were similarly devoid of defined shape and wreathed in darkness, though he kept them folded in his lap all the same.

"Mirko wasn't my first target," Kaina reminded. "Don't treat me like an amateur, now that I'm on your soil. Four of the heroes I killed over in the U.S. were your contracts, Kurogiri. Or did you forget?"

"I haven't," Kurogiri answered. "But I also know that there are differences in the way heroes are made here in Japan. Have you forgotten?"

Kaina let out a noise of disgust as she looked away and clenched a fist.

"No. But I also have training here, as well as overseas. I know what I'm up against."

"Do you?" Kurogiri probed. "Quirk Singularity marches onward with every generation, and Mirko is a half-step removed from you. A half-step faster. More dangerous."

"We'll see about that," Kaina seethed. "I won't miss next time."

"Next time, your target will be different," Kurogiri said with a wave of his hand. "For now, you need to lay low. Let fear breed amongst them, and let them question whether or not this was a one-time incident. When they grow complacent… we strike again. Do not dwell on your failure, Lady Nagant. Services were rendered, and the Nue do not forget due compensation. You will be paid all the same."

"This isn't about the money," Kaina spat as she fixed her eyes on Kurogiri's once again. "This is about taking down his agents, one by one, until the path is laid clear for a final strike against him. I won't let him get away after what he did to me."

"All in good time," Kurogiri reassured. "You will have your shot at All for One, eventually. For now, though, striking another of his agents would be folly. Mirko may have escaped, but he has plenty of others planted around Japan. Rest. Recover. Give me time to formulate a plan… and be ready to strike."

"Always," Kaina reassured as she turned and made her way out of the office. "None of them will escape me."

Author's Note:

Another layer deeper.

-RD