Mirio had seen All Might's expression turn neutral and the usual joyful cadence of his voice flatten several times since the debacle with Sir Nighteye. He had even seen the man frown once or twice, and sound panicked or even angry. What Mirio had never seen before, and hoped to never see again, was All Might so tense and unamused that he gave off a threatening aura. Though it was entirely justified given the circumstances, Mirio couldn't help but want the entire situation to be over as quickly as possible just to save himself the stress. Looking around the room, he had a feeling he wasn't the only one.
"…our next move could spell disaster for any number of people," Toshinori said quietly as he stood at the foot of Rumi's bed in his natural, deflated form. The man hadn't eaten anything since his arrival with several boxes of pizza for the group, instead opting to simply listen to the details of what had occurred in his absence. He found that his hunger grew more and more distant the more he listened. "I see only one potential path to even temporary peace and safety… and I do not like it."
"Well, don't leave us hanging," Keigo replied to break the tension somewhat. The man flexed his wings, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at All Might. "All of this affects you more than any of us, so you get to make the final call."
Toshinori let out a sigh and shook his head.
"…Togata. This… Arowana figure. I agree with Miss Usagiyami- we need to give him something to save you, both in general as well as your position within the Shie Hassaikai. We need to know whether or not this… 'Sunbeam' is related to All for One, Lady Nagant, both, or neither, so maintaining your cover and position among the Yakuza is incredibly important. I propose we move to plant Amajiki at the same time. Tonight."
"Tonight?" Mirio asked, unable to contain both his surprise and utter exhaustion. "But…"
"We need to move now," Toshinori insisted. "And we need to do this very, very carefully. If the Shie Hassaikai are looking for information on me, then we give them what they want and put them on a path that we control from the sidelines. I'll make a list of exactly what to say, why, and an overall goal to reach by the end of the conversation."
"And that goal is?" Mirio forced himself to ask.
"The beginnings of a formal partnership," Toshinori let on. "Not just with you- with me. It begins with finding out why, exactly, he wants to collect information about me from U.A. and what he intends to do with it. From there, we can begin working toward introducing the two of us… to whatever end."
Taishiro leaned forward, quite nearly tipping out of the two side-by-side chairs he occupied with his massive form.
"You want to ally with the Yakuza? Openly? I don't know if even your career could survive a move like that, my friend…"
"The Shie Hassaikai organization is the devil we know," Toshinori reminded, his tone firm and uncompromising. "With the Nue being so brazen and openly dangerous, our best chance at fighting back against them without sparking a full-scale war is to enlist the aid of their rival."
"The enemy of my enemy," Tamaki considered with a nod.
"Precisely," Toshinori said as he returned the nod. "Should their public persona of occasional helpful activity in disaster scenarios and petty crime otherwise hold up… then I would very much like their aid moving forward. If it really is all a front and they're just as bad as the Nue or they seek to destroy me… we crush them from the inside. Either way, we need to get closer, and quickly."
"And getting you in falls to me," Mirio said, unable to hide his apprehension. "No pressure…"
"Togata," Toshinori said very seriously as he walked over and put a hand upon the youth's shoulder. "I have absolute faith in you and your abilities. You'll have what amounts to a script, and you are personally capable of fleeing in an instant with your Quirk if need be."
"Yeah, but Tamaki can't," Mirio reminded. "I vote that we work on that 'script' right now, and push this until tomorrow. Let me take Rizumu with me instead and bring her in on what we're doing. She has sway with the Shie Hassaikai. It'll be much safer."
"Hm…" Toshinori considered as he let his hand drop.
"Kid's got the right idea," Keigo offered. The winged man was sitting beside Rumi Usagiyama's bed as the rabbit hero slept, his hand atop hers. "Let her come back here and get involved, especially since she wanted Mirio to look after Dabi tonight. We don't want to piss off one of our only allies on the inside."
"I do see… one problem with this," Tamaki cautioned. "If we are going to bring in Dabi and Rizumu, which it… seems like we must, now… we're still holding out on them as individuals. Will they not demand to know what happened with Sir Nighteye in exchange for their loyalty? They've already been questioning things, and they already hold power over Togata. They could easily make a demand to know the truth."
"They cannot know the truth," Toshinori said immediately. "Not yet. Knowing that I am involved in any of this was already too much, but… we'll come up with something. A story to feed them. I need to go and get some evidence from U.A. that can be used to sell the narrative that Togata's been in my office. I'll… see what records I can dig up on Nighteye, and we'll weave a tale."
"While you're there," Mirio began, already feeling awful about the following request. "Could you… get me any information you can find on Toru Hagakure? The Class 1-A recommendation student?"
The flow of the conversation ground to a sudden halt with more than a few eyebrows raised. Only Tamaki seemed unaffected by the request, while the other adults all turned their attention to Mirio.
"For what purpose…?" Toshinori asked.
"Long story short- she's following us," Mirio explained with a shrug. "Nejire, Tamaki, and I have all caught her stalking us and digging into things she shouldn't be. I want to try to find out why, especially given the work we're doing."
"…Toru Hagakure is the name?" Taishiro asked as he resituated himself atop his chairs. "The Hagakure family name is pretty well known in the area surrounding from my agency. If this girl has any relation to the ones I'm thinking of… this whole thing might be easier than we thought."
"Why's that?" Mirio questioned.
"Because I'm 99% sure they're Yakuza," Taishiro answered. "And if they've got a mole in U.A. that you're already aware of… that gives us an edge to start negotiations from…"
Katsuki's slow descent of the U.A. dormitory tower was silent, just like he wanted it to be. Daisuke hadn't said a word after they'd parted with Juzo, and the only noise in the finally-working elevator was the soft hum of the machine itself. Despite his disinterest, Katsuki couldn't help but look at his friend's reflection in the polished steel doors. Daisuke was fiddling with his black ring, the tip of his tail softly flicking every so often as though keeping a slow, steady rhythm. It was a near perfect scenario in Katsuki's mind- one he fantasized about quite often. Company he didn't mind, no one talking about unnecessary bullshit, no one asking frivolous questions, and no tension in the air despite the silence. Everything was just as he imagined 'hanging out' could be, if he had friends that weren't as obnoxious as Izuku Midoriya. Only one thing soured the experience, and it was rather unexpected.
He hated it.
Though there was no tension, Katsuki couldn't help but feel intensely awkward. He had gotten so used to carrying himself through conversations he didn't care about that dead silence with someone else near him was almost unnerving. There was somehow a certain burden of expectation- as though he was supposed to be the one talking given that Daisuke had refused to take up the mantle. Worst of all was the possibility that it was all in Katsuki's head, Daisuke was perfectly fine and relaxed, and all of the sudden worry and insecurity was for nothing.
Just like it had been in the parking lot.
"…are we good?"
Katsuki watched, shoulders tense, as Daisuke's reflection looked up at him with a raised brow. The soft ding of the elevator made him jump slightly, and he prayed that the other boy hadn't noticed as they stepped out of the carriage.
"…yeah? Why wouldn't we be?"
"You got quiet," Katsuki explained as he made his way out through the lounge, moving quickly enough that Daisuke remained slightly behind him. The awkward conversation was much easier without having to look at a face. "It feels like something's off."
"Oh. I just know you don't like small talk," Daisuke reassured as he sped up a bit to walk at Katsuki's side. "Sometimes it's nice to just… hang out and think."
Katsuki could feel Daisuke looking at him. Finally, he relented and returned the favor.
"…yeah. Sorry. I'm just… I've got a lot on my mind, and the only real friend I had before U.A. would never shut the fuck up. Any time he did, it meant something was seriously wrong."
"Have you heard from him recently?" Daisuke asked innocently.
"No…" Katsuki admitted. "I mean, he's in 1-B, so… and we had an argument the other day…"
"Sounds to me like something's seriously wrong," Daisuke said with a shrug.
"Then why is it on me to fix it?" Katsuki snapped, suddenly feeling the annoyance he was so used to when other people were around and talking. "He's the one that fucked up!"
"Because people who run their mouth 24/7 usually suck at problem solving and have very little of substance to say when it counts," Daisuke offered. "I like the silence too, man… but I also know that just living in it forever doesn't work out any better than exhausting, pointless conversations all the time. There's gotta be a balance. Sounds like you two didn't have one, and things came to a head."
"The argument had nothing to do with that," Katsuki explained away. "It was about how he can't keep his goddamned mouth shut… when he really should…"
"…Kats," Daisuke deadpanned.
"…it's not the same!" Katsuki insisted, feeling rather stupid. "And why the hell have you started calling me that?"
"Do you want me to stop?" Daisuke asked earnestly.
Katsuki thought it over, only to figure out he wasn't exactly sure. Most people he interacted with didn't even bother with a name at all, and only one other person in his life shortened it. 'Kats' didn't feel nearly as degrading as the other option. In a way, it felt like a new beginning.
"…anyway. I can't get into it, but… maybe I should talk to him. He's probably beating himself up, deservedly so, but I know he needs me in his life for a whole mess of reasons."
"Do you need him in yours?"
"Yeah," Katsuki answered immediately without a second thought. "Yeah, I… I do, despite how much I've talked shit about him and how I've been feeling lately. I just want some space. I want to be able to do my own goddamned thing without him clinging to my shoulder like some fucking koala everywhere I go."
"…do… koalas hang off each other's shoulders?" Daisuke asked, sounding confused.
"Don't they?" Katsuki asked as he gave his friend an uncertain look. "Don't they like… whatever! That's not the fucking point, alright!?"
"I guess not," Daisuke said with a shrug as they reached the door to another of U.A.'s monolithic towers. The heteromorph paused next to the entranceway and gave Katsuki a look of concern before nodding his head toward the glass. "Listen, if you'd rather talk to him right now, or you just don't feel like being around people after this… I get it. I can cover for you. Just say the word. I'll even bring you back some food."
Katsuki looked at the door for a moment and noticed that his own reflection seemed rather distraught. Where he was used to seeing an angry glower was instead something else. It was an expression that rather quickly helped him realize why Daisuke had made the offer.
"…I'm not ready to have it out with him yet," Katsuki said slowly. "And… I'm starting to like having you guys around. Let's go."
"What a coincidence. I'm starting to like having you around, too," Daisuke mused as he held the door open. "Just starting, though. You're a little rough around the edges."
"Fuck you," Katsuki spat as he walked into the building.
"No thanks," Daisuke said without missing a beat. "Not really into it, and besides, I'm busy. Food beats sex any day."
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he led the way into the cafeteria, unable to fight back a small smirk.
Author's Note:
Next time- more friend group shenanigans, and then the setup for classes to begin…
-RD