A/N: I'm glad that some of you that admitted to not liking flashbacks chapters still enjoyed the last chapter.

If you didn't...I don't care, have another.

FULL DISCLAIMER: This is mentioned in the chapter, but I know some people skim or just miss some things. But, everything that isn't from Toshinori's perspective, Izuku and Nana CAN NOT SEE. These are memories, NOT time travel. If Toshi didn't see it or hear it, then they cannot either.

(To support more artwork like this, either for this story or not for this story, check out my Twitter or Patreon. Maybe someday we can start making some fan manga stuff. Hopefully commissions will also open up soon.)

...~AIV~...

( Dagobah Municipal Beach Park )

"...You wanna run that by me again?"

Izuku nervously looked back up at All Might as he and Kyouka sat on the stairs, with his mentor standing before them in the sand, "...I kind of went through a lot of your past last night...without your permission. B-But, to be fair, Nana was very persistent! I argued against it...but then I relented."

"...Please tell me she just told you my story, rather than showing every single embarrassing moment of mine she has?"

"Honestly, she took it very seriously. Uh, with some quirkiness, mind you, but still serious. How about this: Kyouka couldn't use anything I saw as ammo."

"Hey!" Kyouka cried out, "That's...actually an incredibly good way to judge that."

"Agreed," All Might nodded, "My anxiety has been satiated. Well, what exactly did you learn then?"

"I saw everything up until her death, and then you left for America," Izuku shrugged. "She said that her main mistake was not taking All For One seriously."

"Mm. She's not wrong," Toshinori sighed, leaning against the stair railing. "Nana hardly ever talked about him. At the time, he was simply the boogeyman, the monster under the bed. Which, to be fair, he never showed any signs of revealing himself or going after Nana. But, he's ageless, so he has more patience than anybody. Torino always got on her case about it, but Nana was far more focused on her family and I. She figured it would be handled when the time came, but...unfortunately, All For One doesn't work on anyone else's standards."

"Yeah, I-...I'm sorry about Yori. He seemed like a good man."

With a heavy sigh, Toshinori nodded, "He was. He and Nana remind me a lot of you two, actually."

"How so?" Kyouka asked, leaning her elbows back on the steps.

"Hmhmhm, Yori was the only one capable of countering Nana's sass."

"Ha! Fair enough," Kyouka laughed out. She turned to Izuku, nudging him with her elbow. "Why do all the women in your life have so much sass?"

"That's what I'm saying. But, to be fair, you still make up about ninety-five percent of it."

"Good. So, we already knew to take All For One seriously. But, did you learn anything about how he operates? Anything we could use?"

Izuku shook his head, raising a hand out towards his mentor, "Even if I did, there wouldn't be anything we could actually use. When All Might came back to Japan, he went on a massive crusade on Japan's crime networks for years. He set and beat every record, from every hero that's ever lived. Which means, and correct me if I'm wrong, you dismantled All For One's entire crime syndicate."

"Exactly," All Might confirmed. "Even after my final battle with him, Torino and Sir Nighteye finished off the last branches of his massive network. Anything left of his old regime was crippled and scattered off into the wind, probably joining other groups. He can't go back to his old ways, he has to adapt. The only similarities I can see are he was just as silent then as he seemingly is now. And, if he really is alive and behind the League of Villains, then it fits his M.O of letting others do the work and be the public face. However, an entire league of villains? That's definitely new. All For One definitely has worked with villains in the past, but he never actually cared about a formal group, at least not a public one. He's always been a complete secret, even to nearly all of the criminal groups he worked with."

"So, basically, we're completely in the dark about what he's doing, and we have no choice but to wait and see?" Kyouka sighed, already knowing the answer.

"Sadly, yes. You two don't worry about that for now. If he rears his ugly head, which I'm not sure how he even has, I'll handle it."

"Wait," Kyouka squinted at All Might, "What's that supposed to mean? That head part."

Toshinori scoffed dryly, gazing out at the beach as he thought back to that fateful fight. "Well, last time I saw All For One, my fist was being placed firmly through his brain and into the back of his skull."

"Whoa! Seriously?! That's both incredibly disgusting and wickedly hardcore. But, how is he alive then? Regeneration quirk?"

"Not that I know of," All Might shrugged, frustratedly. "But, who the hell knows what quirks he was hiding? I don't know of any regeneration quirks that can reform your gray matter, but I also had never heard of a quirk that can be passed on to somebody else that wasn't your own child. So, I guess anything is possible."

"You didn't take his body?" Izuku questioned.

All Might sighed, shaking his head, "We fought far out in the sticks. He hid out in some cabin in the forest, and we didn't hold back. Our fight and the earthquakes it caused, ripped the earth open. His, what I assumed at the time was a corpse, tumbled into a massive chasm. I was quite literally holding my guts in, trying not to bleed out, and emergency services were already on their way. I couldn't be seen there, couldn't have questions asked. So, I ran. Torino and Nighteye found me after that."

"Bishamonten's Gorge!" Izuku suddenly blurted out, the other two looking at him in confusion. "The mysterious canyon that formed in the Shirakami Sanchi forest six years ago. They said it was the massive earthquakes that caused it, but...It was you."

All Might chuckled at his successor's deduction, "That's right. Besides keeping All For One a secret, I don't think the world would take too kindly knowing I was responsible for the destruction of a national heritage site."

"Wait, wait, wait, the Shirakami Sanchi forest?" Kyouka asked in disbelief. "That's nowhere near here. It's at the top of the main island, over half the country away. You're telling me All For One can operate his organizations from that far away?"

"All For One had connections all across Japan, but he still remained secluded. There's no way he didn't have some sort of teleportation at the time, and that's not even counting that villain from the USJ who creates the portals."

Kyouka growled, rubbing her temples, "So he could be quite literally anywhere. For all we know he's found a way to control the League of Villains from Greenland."

"I really wish that wasn't an actual possibility," All Might sighed. "But, I highly doubt it. He's too arrogant to leave, not to mention what very little criminal power he might still have would be exclusively in Japan."

"He's clearly obsessed with One For All, too," Izuku added. "As long as we're here, he'll be here too. We don't know where he is, but odds are he's still too weak to try anything. It might be why he formed the League. Operating by himself just isn't ideal for him, he'd lose quickly."

"I hope you're right." Toshinori pocketed his hands, his brow knit together, "Hopefully we have far more time than we think. I'm serious about leaving All For One to me, but just in case, we should get you as close to mastery of One For All as we can."

Izuku tensed up, pursing his lips as his eyes shifted to the side, "S-So...there's something else I learned..."

"C'mon, man!" / "Christ, kid." Both Kyouka and All Might groaned respectively.

"What?! Don't look at me! I don't ask for any of this! It just happens to me! I'm trying my best!"

"We know," Kyouka sighed, pecking his cheek. "We're just as frustrated as you."

"She's right, my boy. I'm sorry, that wasn't directed at you." All Might crossed his arms and grumbled, "I had One For All for over thirty years and suddenly now it decides to be full of bullshit. Well, go ahead and lay it on us."

Izuku got up from the steps and began to lazily pace across the sand as he wrung his hands together, "Sooo...It's a little complicated, and the details are fuzzy, and nothing's certain, and-"

"Izuku..." Kyouka deadpanned.

"Right, the point. Sorry. Apparently, there's a bit of a... problem with One For All's stockpiling."

Toshinori peered at him curiously, "What kind of problem? Don't tell me it's not getting stronger?"

"The exact opposite, actually."

"...I don't think I follow."

"Let me start with this: Have you ever heard of Paranormal Singularity Theory?"

Kyouka immediately perked up, looking up at Izuku with wide eyes, "Please tell me you're joking."

All Might turned to her, a brow raised, "You know about this?"

"Do you?"

"Sort of," All Might shrugged. "Inklings here and there, but I've never actually researched it myself."

"Not much to research," Izuku sighed. "Long story short: the theory was that quirks would evolve to the point of the human body not being able to handle them anymore. It was a doomsday theory. The guy who came up with it was apparently a bit of a crackpot, and as we can see, it mostly didn't come true. Most people have adapted."

"If it's not true, how does this affect you?"

"Operative word was 'mostly'. One For All is different."

Kyouka hummed, resting her cheek against her fist, "Yeah, isn't One For All technically a mutation? Not like me, I mean like a merging of two quirks? So, it's already adapting and changing."

"That's true. But, I-I wasn't born with it. My body just can't change to fit One For All, it has to fit me. Which it has, with my energy output. But, it's not enough. The stockpiling quirk inside of One For All is growing stronger. The more power it takes in, the stronger the quirk becomes, leading to it taking in power faster and faster. So, according to Nana, eventually One For All's max power is going to start growing faster than I can train myself."

"What?!" Kyouka cried out, throwing her hands up as she slumped against the steps. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me!"

All Might pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning under his breath, "Young Jirou's sentiment is shared. What the hell, Young Midoriya? Can you catch a break, for like, five seconds?"

Izuku put his hands up in innocence, "At this point, I'm convinced the universe gave me Kyouka, but then realized I massively overcharged my 'Luck Card', and I've been paying it back ever since. Nana seemed to think our only hope is One For All changes again. Training even harder will just mean One For All gets stronger faster, speeding up the process we're trying to avoid."

All Might rubbed his hand down his face, "Please tell me that's it. Nothing else?"

"...There's just... one more tippy-tiny detai-"

Kyouka clenched her fists, "I'm going to go in there and strangle all seven users."

"L-Look, this one doesn't exactly matter right now. But, I...Here's the thing. So, I think it's fairly obvious who my first pick for One For All is if something ever happens to me, right?"

"Young Jirou," All Might immediately answered, pointing at Kyouka.

"Me." Kyoua pointed at herself. "Not that I think I'm the best choice, but I mean c'mon. This is you we're talking about. Who else are you picking?"

"Good, same page then. The thing is, Nana doesn't actually know if this is true, or even how bad it actually is, especially since she had One For All for years just fine. But, apparently, One For All might have a little adjustment issues with having a second quirk to inhabit a body with."

"You're telling us that eighty percent of the world is out of the running as your back-up?" Kyouka asked, beyond reacting exasperated to One For All at that point.

"Not exactly. As far as we know it just causes complications. Like, fluctuations, I think. I don't really know, but it sounds like the quirk someone already has doesn't know how to adjust to One For All's strength."

"Ah, that makes sense," All Might hummed. "There were a few times where Nana's quirk seemed to have some issues, but as far as I know it never affected her too badly."

"Then let's just hope that's how things stay, because I don't know about you two, but I don't know any other quirkless people"

"Only you," Kyouka shrugged.

All Might shook his head, "Not unless you want to take a trip to America. Otherwise, I got nothing."

"Alright then," Izuku nodded, "That's all I've got. Does anybody else have bad news to share? Now seems like the time...Please? Anybody want to take the role of 'Bearer of Bad News' off my back for once?"

"Nope." / "All you, babe." All Might and Kyouka replied respectively.

"Figures," Izuku slumped his shoulders, looking back to All Might. "Okay, well, if I'm really going to continue, I want to know what I should avoid. Or, well, what I should try to make Nana avoid."

All Might scoffed, "If she starts cackling, get the hell out of there. Oh, and if I'm ever talking to any women in a bar, just skip ahead like twenty-four hours."

"Noted," Izuku moved past it as Kyouka pretended to gag. "But, there is actually something I wanted to ask about. There's been this name that's been tossed around in the flashes of memories I was getting before all this started. I know a lot about your history, but I've never heard this name before."

"Ask away, Young Midoriya," Toshinori shrugged.

"...All Might, who is Kaina?" Toshinori froze, clearly not expecting that question. "L-Like I said, just say the word and I won't go back to-"

"No, no, it's fine. Just I-...Kaina was a very good friend of mine. She and I teamed up on many investigations."

Kyouka raised a brow, "Investigations on All For One?"

"Uh, sort of. They were related to All For One, but she didn't know about any of that. As far she knew, it was just regular hero work taking down some gangs."

"Wait..." Izuku cut in, digging through his well of All Might Fanboy Knowledge as he moved to sit back down next to Kyouka. "Was Kaina the hero known as Lady Nagant?"

"Well, well..." All Might chuckled dryly. "You really were one of my biggest fans. Most don't know about her, or have forgotten. She's been mostly scrubbed clean from the media and the internet."

Kyouka looked back and forth between them, "Uh, forgive me, but who's Lady Nagant? And, why is she now all hush-hush?"

"She used to be an underground hero," Izuku began to fill her in, "so, she already wasn't super well-known. But, one day, for some unknown reason, she went crazy and murdered the HPSC head chairman."

"That...sounds like really big news that should be more talked about. When was this?"

"About six or seven years ago."

"Wh-?! Six or seven years ago?" Kyouka asked, baffled. "How does no one talk about that?"

Izuku shrugged, "It's not often, but members of the HPSC are still at risk from villain attacks, especially the politically influenced, anti-establishment villains. It's not the first time one has been attacked before, nor is it the first to be successful."

"Yeah, but she was a hero. That's a much bigger deal than a regular old villain attack."

"If I may..." All Might interrupted, his hands clasped together as he gazed down at the sand. "Kaina was...suffering. From what? I don't know. She would never tell me. I could see her becoming worse, but I never pushed like I should have to get through to her. One day, we met up and I could tell something was very wrong. I tried talking to her, but I got a message from Torino that they found one of All For One's leaders that he put in charge of one of his many branches of his crime syndicate. He was one of his most trusted, and was our only lead into finding where All for One was hiding. I rushed off, making her promise to meet back up with me on the rooftop later that night, to finally talk about what was bothering her. But, when I was done, I-...I heard the news that she had killed the chairman. I couldn't even get to her before they booked her and shipped her off to the darkest corners of Tartarus. No trial, nothing. I pulled every string I had just for one visit. Even if she wouldn't talk to me, it would get her out of solitary confinement. But, she refused to see me."

Izuku and Kyouka looked at one another, both hearing the crestfallen tone in All Might's voice. Kyouka was the first to respond, "Did you two argue at all?"

"If you're asking if I know why she didn't want to see me, then no. I have no idea."

"Were you two...uh...?" Izuku tried to ask, not sure if it was pushing things too far.

"Hmhm, no," Toshinori chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. "Nothing like that. I never had the time for relationships, you know that."

Kyouka smirked, "Having no time doesn't mean you didn't want to."

"Anyway!" Toshinori quickly moved things along, directing away from that topic, "I tried to investigate on my own, but there was nothing I could do. The camera footage showed everything. The secretary watched her go in, she heard gunfire not long after, Kaina walked out covered in blood and waited for the police to arrive. She admitted to everything without hesitation. To this day, I wonder why she did it, how close she was to the chairman, and why the HPSC is so adamant on keeping it all close to the chest. But, soon after, I fought All For One again. I had a promise to keep, after all. You both know what happened because of that. I lost my friend, my body was in ruins, my spirit was crushed, and the rest is history."

"...Okay then," Izuku sighed, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'll skirt around that stuff."

"No, Young Midoriya. View anything you need to."

"N-No, All Might, really I-"

"I want to be completely open and honest with you, my boy. Both of you. You deserve that, and so much more. I want you to know my story, learn anything you can from it. All I want is for you to not make my mistakes. If Nana believes this is good for you, then so do I. Even if you don't learn anything, I want you to know me. It's...It's been far too long since anybody has truly known me. You two have been the closest people to me in years, so...I would like you to know, my boy."

"...Alright then." Izuku stood up and brushed himself off, "I'm going back in then. No need to waste time."

Kyouka followed his lead and got up, "C'mon, we'll go to my place. My parents are at work, and I don't think you want to explain to your mom why you're going to be in a comatose state for a few hours."

"Good point."

All Might chuckled while rolling his eyes, "Yeah, sure. That's totally why."

"Shush!" Kyouka scolded him as she grabbed Izuku's hand and dragged him off the beach in an effort to escape the conversation.

...~AIV~...

(Twenty-Three Years Ago: San Francisco, CA: Downtown SFPD Headquarters)

*Knock-Knock*

"Yeah?" The police chief answered without looking up from his paperwork. He flicked his eyes up to see one of his officers peek his head in the door.

"Yo, chief. They're pulling in."

The police chief checked the clock above his door, blowing as raspberry as he stood up, "Five o'clock already? Ah, alright. Get the usual crew downstairs so we can get this done as quickly as we can and all go home."

"Yes, sir," the officer saluted, taking his leave to gather the others.

The chief turned around to look out the window and gaze down the city streets, his eyes locking on to the familiar site he had known for years now.

Speeding down the street towards the station was a row of driverless trailers, each piled high with different unconscious criminals and villains of varying sizes. At the head of the line was the iconic, vibrant red contraption David Shield called a car, with his burly, blonde friend's cape flowing over the side.

"Even more than usual, huh." The chief left his office and made his way down the steps to the front entrance. He hadn't even made it to the door before dozens of criminals were being either led or dragged past him towards the temporary cells. He stepped out into the morning sun to see David Shield leaning against his car, fast food drink in hand as All Might tossed criminals down onto the prepared airbags like sacks of flour. "To hell with putting us out of business. You boys are going to put other heroes out of business."

"Hahaha!" Toshinori laughed from above. "As much as I'd love to believe that, evil doesn't seem to be a finite resource."

"A fair point. So, what was it today?"

David shrugged, taking a sip of his drink, "Oh, you know, just stopping a little gang war outside of the city. The usual."

"Of course. What else would it be? Now, you can let my boys and I handle this. I'd much rather organize a bunch of thugs than deal with those leeches," The chief said, pointing down the sidewalk where a pride of paparazzi and journalists were already arriving.

"Of course, chief!" All Might jumped down from the pile of goons, brushing off his suit. "You leave the media to me."

After the chief nodded and walked away, David turned back to Toshinori, "Seven years of working together, and I still have no idea how you handle the paparazzi parasites."

Toshinori rolled his shoulders back, readying himself as the media approached, "It's called charm, David. You could learn a thing or two about that."

"Oh? Then how is it that I'm the one with a long-time steady girlfriend, and you've always been more single than the number one?"

"Excuse you, I'm a married man."

"Married to your job?"

"Yep!"

Their conversation ended as the horde approached with their microphones and cameras, all being shoved into All Might's face. Or, well, as close as they could reach to his face with him being significantly taller.

"All Might!" One reporter managed to yell over the crowd, "How long have you and David Shield been going after the Copper Nickels gang and the Wet Fire gang? How was the battle? Are the rumors true that their grudge against each other was to settle who had the most confusing name?"

"Ahahaha! They claim it was over territory, but I'm convinced it was about the names with the things I've heard over the last three months David and I have been dismantling them. It was a tough battle! However, in the end, our victory was made much easier thanks to my good friend David and his patent-pending Might Mobile! David and I-OOF!"

All Might stumbled to the side as David shoved him away, putting on a bright smile for the cameras, "What my good friend All Might meant to say, was the Shield Cruiser. "

"No I didn't!"

"My car."

"Used for my hero-work."

"Only because I let you, and I still drive it."

"Bah, I can drive it."

"Uh-huh. Tell that to the Golden Gate Bridge and the how many thousands of dollars we had to pay the city for collateral?"

"...Unimportant!"

"Why do you even need it? You're faster than the car."

"Chicks dig the car."

"You did not just quote that god-awful movie."

The reporters watched in confused silence as the two continued to bicker...

"Might Mobile just sounds so stupid! It sounds like a question. Might mobile? Either that or a phone line."

"Fine."

"See? Was that so har-?"

"The All Might Mobile."

"That's even worse!"

And bicker...

"Forgetting the fact that this is my car, that I built, you don't even have your license."

"Bah, who needs a license when you can run a hundred times faster than any car?"

...and bicker.

"We should add some white and blue."

"Nuh-uh. No way. I'm not going to be a part of your gaudy design convention."

"Fine...Keep the red in a circle and make the rest white."

"Jesus Christ."

Eventually, the reporters began to thin out, leaving the two alone on the side of the street as they realized there was no real interview to be had.

"But, anyway, where was I? Oh yes! The fiends were-...Where did everyone go?"

"Well, we just talked about the car for..." David pursed his lips and checked his watch, "Twenty-five minutes. So, I'd say they left about twenty minutes ago."

"Ah, you see? Dealing with the media is my specialty."

"Annoying people so much they just leave you alone? Yeah, that sounds about right for you."

Toshinori jumped into the car, "Ignoring that. But, anyway, we got rid of them just in time. It's Friday evening, David! You know what that means!"

David chuckled, hopping into the driver's seat, "You know I do."

"Happy Hour! OOOOOOH!" / "Happy Hour! OOOOOOH!"

They spun a quick couple of donuts before driving off into the city, their evening on patrol finished. From the entrance of the police station, the chief and a few officers watched on as they disappeared into the horizon.

"Uh, sir?" One of the officers asked, "Burnouts are illegal on public roads. Should we, uh..."

"Let 'em go," the chief chuckled, "That's the greatest hero in the world right there."

...~AIV~...

(One Hour Later: Dexter's Dive Bar)

"You know," All Might started as he leaned back against the bar, trying to keep his bangs down, "maybe I should just start keeping my hair like it is in costume at all times. I think it's starting to like it that way."

"And have no way to hide yourself in public?" David countered, sipping his beer.

"Fair point. Ah, the lighting is always low here. It'll be fine."

"Sure, a hulking mass will definitely be hidden by just a couple lights."

"The day I meet someone with more sarcasm than you will be the end of me." Toshi drank his beer, leaning his elbow on the counter as he turned to his sidekick, "Okay, so, I'm thinking, that whole I-Island thing that's starting up? We could probably pull some strings and get into the grand opening. You and Miranda can really show off."

"Toshi, I'm an investor in I-Island. I'm partially paying for that grand opening, so we better get into it."

"Yes!" Toshinori pumped his fist. "It pays to have rich friends."

"More like I pay to be a rich friend."

"That too," Toshi chuckled, scanning the room.

David noticed his wandering gaze, raising a brow, "You looking for your Plus One to the grand opening?"

"Very funny. It's a slow night anyway, so no one is here but old men and parents who're hoping their babysitters can hold out for just a bit longer."

"True. Besides, your Plus One probably wouldn't make it past coffee in the morning."

"Excuse you! I'm always a gentleman in the morning. I thank the woman kindly for the wonderful night, explain how I can't get too attached, and we both move on."

"Mhm," David hummed, sipping his beer again. "Do you remember their names?"

"...S-...Some of them...Don't you judge me!"

"Hehe, no judgment here," David chuckled, but his smile slowly disappeared as he gazed down at the counter, seemingly tracing the grain in the polished wood. "We've come here a lot over the years, huh?"

"I've lost count," Toshi nodded.

"Then I think it's the perfect place to say...Toshi, I just want you to know that fighting alongside you all these years has been the cause for the best years of my life, and I-"

"You're quitting, aren't you?"

"..." David sighed, raising his hand up towards the bartender, "Two White Russians, please."

"White Russians? Kind of going against my brand, don't you think?"

David chuckled, but sadness still lurked in his eyes. He took the drinks, passing Toshinori his, "Just drink, you smartass."

Toshinori gave a short, curt laugh before taking a swig. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the low music and quiet chatter in the background saving them from the deafening lack of conversation.

Toshi eventually smiled a little, "Don't tell me it's about the car."

"Hahaha! No, it's not the car. It's just that...you told me you came to America to spread your wings, see the world, and complete your training."

"Yeah, and?"

"Toshinori, you completed your training years ago."

"What? The hell does tha-?"

"Man, who else in the world can do what you do? You're, for lack of a better term, completely overpowered. You make every other heroes' statistics look like nothing."

"C'mon, that's just in the city! There's no telling wha-"

"No. Not the city. The world ." David pulled out his phone, opening a tab and showing Toshi a page filled with names and numbers. "I've checked everywhere. You stop more crimes in a day than most heroes can stop crime in a week, and you just keep. Getting. Stronger. I've been tracking your data from the suit scans, and physical output in both strength and speed have decupled since the time we met."

"Uh...decu-wha?"

"Decupled. Ten times. You've gotten ten times stronger and faster in the past seven years, and that's probably downplaying you. You don't even need me, Toshinori."

"Aw, c'mon, don't say that."

"It's true. I'm happy if you've grown to like it here so much. Miranda and I love you, you know that. But, honestly? What exactly are you still doing here?"

Toshinori's gaze was fixed to the bar counter as he raised his hand up again, "Another round, please."

"Uh-oh," David sighed, taking the new drink set down in front of him. "That bad?"

"No, not exactly. I've known, David. I've known for a long time that I need to go back. I guess I've been...stalling."

David scoffed, raising a brow, "Stalling? Look, I love my country, but Japan is your home. You made it very clear that America was a temporary thing, so why the cold feet now? What? Did Good Ol' Uncle Sam sink his teeth too deep into you?"

"Hehehe! No, nothing like that. I just...I can't go into details, but I...I made a promise. One that I very much intend to keep, but it's a big promise. A very big promise. This is one where, once it starts...there's no going back."

"Jesus. You make it sound like the end of the world."

'If I fail, it will be,' Toshinori grumbled, thinking to himself.

"Every hero is afraid, Toshinori. It's what makes them heroes. They still fight, face those fears, despite how scared they are. I've seen you do things that would make any other person, or even hero, shit their pants. We've fought superpowered giants, militarized gangs, a floating head at an arcade machine, still coming to terms with that last one, but what I'm saying is it's surprising that something actually scares you."

"I'm more afraid of failure than anything."

"Which is just ridiculous, because I don't know if you're aware of this Toshinori, be prepared to faint, but...you're you . The Almighty Man. I'm fairly certain you could do literally anything. Here, think about this: When you came to America, were you running away from something, or running towards something?"

"I...A bit of both, I guess, but...mainly I was running away."

"Then you've just admitted to running away for seven years when people needed you, people you made a promise to. If I know you as well as I do, I know that trying and failing isn't as scary to you as never trying at all. You don't run away from things, All Might. You run towards a better tomorrow."

Toshinori smiled a little at the use of his hero name, sighing as he gazed down at the bar, "...You think America will miss me?"

David smiled, raising his glass up towards his friend, "More than you know."

They clinked glasses together, downing their drinks in one go. Toshinori shook off the chill running down his spine as the drinks did their work, looking back at David, "So you're really quitting just because you think I should leave?"

"Well, that and things with Miranda and I are going so well. Really , really well. I seriously think she's the one."

Toshinori sighed again, but this time with a proud smile, "You want to settle down."

"...Yeah. I've had so much fun with you, but I was never meant to be a hero. Saving the world through blueprints, with a soldering iron and goggles, to create...that's always been my dream.

"Then this really is the last night of our partnership?"

David nodded, "I'm afraid so, old friend."

"...Then we're going to drink this bar empty."

"...Hell yeah."

...~AIV~...

"That's...a little surprising."

Nana cocked her head to the side, "What is?"

"I knew All Might and David Shield worked together, but I didn't know they were this close and Mr. Shield doesn't know about All For One. Seven years of best friendship seems like a pretty good qualification for being entered into the 'Circle of Trust,' don't you think?"

Nana shrugged, floating over to the bar and grabbing a drink from behind the counter, "These were the years where Toshi and Torino were the most paranoid after I died. As you've already seen, Torino never quite grew out of it. Toshi got better, but still has his moments. Justifiably so, but still."

"Yeah, I suppose. It's just that David Shield is one of, if not the greatest technological genius in the world. If there was anybody that could help the fight against All For One, it would be him."

"You're not wrong there. Keep your loved ones close, but pick who you want to be a part of the fight very carefully, kid."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "A-Ah, well, I told Kyouka in under six months, so...maybe I'm not the best judge here."

"Hey, it's worked great for you so far. Sometimes the Power of Boners can work wonders."

"Wh-! I...I'm just gonna ignore that and skip ahead."

"Nuh-uh! No skipping! Not here, this is gonna be hilarious! Don't tell me you don't wanna see Toshi get wasted."

"Uh-oh. All Might told me to skip ahead when you start cackling like that."

"Too late!"

...~AIV~...

( Half-An-Hour Later )

The bartender looked over at his two most popular patrons and the dozens of empty bottles and glasses surrounding them. "Boys, I'm gonna have to cut you off-"

David raised out his card, a tipsy smile on his face, "Put it on this card. Shield-Tech recreational budget."

"Look, I-"

"Another word for it is bottomless."

"...What else can I get you fellas?"

All Might and David turned to each other with wide smiles before turning back to the bartender, "Yes." / "Yes."

...~AIV~...

( Half-An-Hour Later )

"Davi-urgh! Ugh, Daaaavid! You'shwanna know what my favorite engli'shword is?"

"..."

"David?"

"..."

"David?"

"..."

"David!"

" Snrk! Wha-?! Huh?" David was suddenly jostled out of his drunken, sleepy stupor, looking over at All Might. "Wha? Ooh, whiskey."

As David went back to drinking, All Might continued, "My fav'rite english sh'word is...perpe-...perere...perpetuit-...perpetuity...prrr...prrrrr..."

"Hahahaha!" David slumped onto the counter, laughing off his way off of his chair and onto the floor. "That is a funny word! Hahaha!"

"I-Hahaha! I know. Per-...Perpetu...Prr-HUAGH!" Toshi proceeded to hurl over the counter, directly into the bar's sink.

*CRACK*

The door was suddenly kicked open with half a dozen masked men barging in.

"Alright! Everybody on the fucking ground! Empty your pockets, empty the cash register, an-...and...All Might. That's All Might. Okay, welp." The lead thug and his men dropped their guns to the floor and put their hands in the air. "We surrender."

"Hahaha! Boy'sh, hehe," All Might wiped his chin, his hero voice coming through his drunken stupor, "...I'm far too drurnk to undershtand what shurrender means. C'mere!"

"OH DEAR GOD, N-!

David didn't even bother watching, hearing the sounds of meaty thwacks and screams of pain was enough. He ducked down as one of the thugs was thrown over his head and through the window at the other end of the room.

"You gon' shtop this?" David lazily looked up at the bartender.

The bartender shrugged, swiping David's card again, "You kidding me? I've been wanting to remodel this place for years, and now I have the means to do so. Let 'em fight. You know what? Hey! Blondie! Use a bar stool-Oooh! Nevermind, he was way ahead of me."

...~AIV~...

( Half-An-Hour Later )

"You know what?" Toshi smiled, putting his arm around one of the bloody and bruised thugs, "You boys are alright! Next round's on us!"

The thugs all cheered, with the leader patting All Might on the back, "Thanks for this, man! You know, we all should be in a blinding amount of pain, but we're all so blasted we can't quite feel the fractures!"

"I do hit pretty hard! We're lucky I'm not drunk enough to not hold back!"

The bartender smiled, swiping David's card again, "Then let's fix that, shall we?"

Everyone cheered again, raising their glasses to the air.

...~AIV~...

Izuku watched as his mentor and father-figure, along with David Shield and a group of criminals began to sing an incomprehensible song in drunken merriment.

"...Wow."

Nana sniffled, wiping her eye, "That's my boy."

Izuku deadpanned, raising his hand up, "I'm skipping ahead now. And, I'm begging these memories to stop telling me I'm basically screwed."

"What do you mean? Well, I mean, yeah, I haven't exactly given you any good news, but still."

"What I mean is, All Might had all this time. He fought All For One only six years ago, so that means he had One For All for over twenty-five years before he had to fight him. But, if we're right about All For One being behind the League of Villains, that means he's becoming more public. Something is happening behind the scenes, which means things are already ramping up. I haven't had One For All for even a year, and something big might already be on the horizon."

"I...I honestly don't know what to tell you for that one, kid. Toshinori beat him once. Let's just hope he can do it again."

"All Might made it out of that fight without a stomach, and now he doesn't even have One For All anymore. All he has is the leftover stockpile of power he managed to hold on to. You think he can win again?"

"...I-..." Nana knit her brows together, looking down in thought. "...It might not be One For All itself, but he has a piece. He can do it. I know he can."

"...I hope so."

...~AIV~...

( Two Weeks Later: Tokyo International Airport )

Toshinori yawned as he stepped outside, hundreds of people filing in and out for their take-offs or from their landings. He smiled as he saw the familiar white hair standing next to a car across the street. Torino's same old, tired eyes met his, and the faintest smile appeared on his lips for just a moment.

Toshinori knew he would never admit to it, so he decided to just keep the memory to himself.

"No big, colorful sign?" Toshinori called out as he walked towards the car. "No dramatic reunion? No...Holy shit, did you get shorter?"

"Well hello to you, too," Torino grumbled as he walked around to the driver's side. "Throw your bags in the back. You'll get some rest, and then we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Toshi threw his bags in and got in the passenger seat. He leaned his seat back as far as he could, interlacing his fingers behind his head as he yawned again, "How much work?"

"About two-hundred years worth of criminal syndicate weeds to uproot out of all of Japan."

Toshinori sighed, closing his eyes, "So, a hell of a lot. You've seen footage from America. You think I'm ready?"

Torino quirked a brow as he ignited the engine, "What do you think?"

"I think I'd put up one hell of a fight."

"And what does that tell you?"

"...I'm nowhere near ready, because I don't need to put up a good fight." Toshinori's eyes opened, his brows furrowed, "I need to destroy him. You live in the same place, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

Toshinori pulled his seat up, slicking his hair back, "I'll meet you there."

"Wh-? All the way back in Musutafu? That's two hours away."

"Then I'll see you when you get there. I'm going to run there, hopefully stop some crimes along the way. I need to make my appearance known, go public in Japan. Let criminals know who's coming for them, and let All For One know..." Toshinori got out of the car, leaning down to look through the window, "...it's his turn next."

In the blink of an eye, All Might was gone. Screams of surprise were heard as the ground shook and strong winds shook the entire area.

...~AIV~...

"He really just never stopped, did he?"

Nana shook her head, "Not at all. I don't think Toshi could slow down even if he wanted to. It's really no wonder One For All has turned out the way it did. Its power when I had it versus after Toshi had it for only a couple years were incomparable."

"Is he why One For All has gotten too powerful for a body to handle?"

"Well, sort of. It was heavily inadvisable to use it without training when I first got it. Definitely had a couple of hospital visits from that. But, if you tried to use your Full Cowl when you first got the quirk, you most likely would have exploded. Eh, honestly, if you tried to use one-hundred percent Full Cowl now, you'd probably still explode."

Izuku cringed, "That's not comforting. A-Anyway, what should we look for now? All Might doesn't fight All For One again until almost twenty years later from this point."

"I'm as blind as you are, kid," Nana shrugged. "I don't know any of the stuff past the point that I died. I'm following you now."

Izuku took a deep breath, raising his hand up, "Okay then. Let's try...Here."

...~AIV~...

( Five Years Later: Musutafu )

"It's been hours now."

Torino put his binoculars down, moving his eyes away from the warehouse they had been spying on, "They have to leave eventually. When they do, I'll shadow the trucks and get the license plate numbers while you handle everyone inside. I got some friends on the force that can help us track the numbers and have them lead us to other locations."

"Got it," Toshinori sighed, leaning back against an AC unit, kicking at the gravel underneath him. "All For One owning a furniture warehouse is still funny to me."

"He's smuggling."

"I know, but...still a little funny, especially since it's mostly legitimate."

"It takes money to run an underground empire."

"Mm," Toshinori replied noncommittally.

"...Ugh," Torino turned back to his former student. "I can hear you thinking from here. What is it?"

"...Today's Kotaro's birthday. He's twenty."

Torino frowned, raising a brow, "...Yes, it is. Your point being?"

"...Should we have gone after him?"

Torino grunted, turning back to watch the warehouse, "I'm gonna give you five seconds to remind yourself why that would have been a bad idea."

"It's what you two were whispering about in the week leading up to her giving him away, wasn't it? You were the one that convinced her to give him away."

"That's enough, Toshinori."

"Uh-huh, so that's a yes. She loved Kotaro too much to do it on her own."

"And what of it?" Torino grunted, his irritation increasing. "Do you think we should have gone against Nana's wishes and gone after him? Bring him back into all this, make him a target again ?"

"N-No, but...Yori was the example for Nana. Maybe Kotaro would have been next if Nana still didn't comply, but now All For One is back in hiding. He's afraid of me. The second I came back to Japan, all of your leads on his primary locations went dead. He knows what I'm capable of, he wouldn't dare attack. If Kotaro was never given away, the-"

"Then I would have been the one taking care of him while you were off in America, making him a target again, because I was still investigating and taking down branches of All For One's syndicate."

"And nothing's happened to you!"

"For now."

"Urgh!" All Might growled, "You a-! I...I just...He didn't deserve any of this."

Torino stared back at Toshinori before shaking his head, sighing as he gazed back down at the streets below, "...Yeah, well...Yori didn't deserve to die. Nana didn't deserve to die. You don't deserve all this weight that's been put on your shoulders. But, we're here now, kid. And, I don't see an exit anywhere."

The roar of an engine suddenly met their ears, both turning to see the garage doors open to the warehouse open up in the distance.

Toshinori sneered, standing up and cracking his knuckles, "Then let's make one."

...~AIV~...

( Twenty-Five Minutes Later )

*CRASH!*

Bystanders watched in awe as multiple men suddenly blasted through the wall of the warehouse at the end of the road. Through the dust cloud pouring out of the hole in the wall, All Might walked through, his arms crossed and smiled wide.

"Well," Toshinori chuckled as he kneeled down and grabbed one of the henchmen, holding him up high, "I'll give you boys an 'A' for effort."

*Click*

"Hm?" Toshinori turned his head back just a bit, hearing one of the criminals he had knocked down fumble for his gun. Toshinori smiled to himself, 'Well, people do love when I catch bullets.'

He heard the magazine click into place within the gun, signaling him to drop the thief he was holding and turn ar-

*BANG!*

"AH! What the hell?!"

Toshinori's eyes widened as the gunman cried out, something rocketing into his hand and sending his gun clattering to the ground. Toshinori followed the direction of the projectile, leading him to someone standing on a rooftop down the street, long sniper rifle in hand.

*BANG!*

Another shot was fired, but Toshinori caught the bullet just as it was about to hit the man.

"Hrm..." Toshinori stood up, glaring at the sniper from afar.

"Whew!" The thief sighed in relief, wiping his brow "Thanks a lot, ma-Gah!"

Toshinori cut him off, kicking his foot back straight into the man's face without looking at him, and sending him down the road.

The bystanders began to cheer, and Toshinori did his best to thank them before speeding off. He reached the end of the road and jumped up high, reaching the top of the roof. He turned to find his sniper, only to be shocked to find no gun in sight.

Just a stunningly beautiful woman, long, flowing indigo and pink hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She definitely dressed like sniper, in her black, very form-fitting-

'Focus, Toshinori!' All Might put on a stern face as he held the bullet out to her, "Did you fire this?"

The woman smiled, nodding her head over to a bird perched on a nearby air conditioning unit, "Would you believe me if I told you it was him?"

"Maybe, but he's not the one dressed like a sniper."

"Hmhmhm, good point." She walked up to him and bowed, "Lady Nagant. Pro Hero. It's an honor to meet the All Might."

Toshinori was taken aback a bit, but composed himself, his serious demeanor returning. "A Pro? Last I checked, Pros don't try to blow criminals' heads off."

Nagant raised back up, a brow lifted in confusion, "Blow his head off? With that thing?"

"Yes, this-..." Toshinori raised the bullet back up, only to find a tiny ball of indigo and pink twists. He pressed against it, finding it surprisingly squishy. "...Wh-...What is this?"

Nagant giggled, taking the bullet from his hand and holding it against her head, "See a resemblance?"

"Y-...Your hair?"

"I can pull out strands, shape them, and change their hardness. But, this little guy would have just knocked him out. I promise."

"But, how did you shoot i-?"

Toshinori was cut off as Nagant's arm suddenly unfolded, a sniper barrel extending out of her arm. She loaded the bullet back in, and reverted her arm back to normal.

"You were saying?" she smirked.

"...That...is totally wicked," Toshinori responded, in such shock that he dropped the bombastic tone in his voice.

"It's something alright," Nagant smiled, about to say something else. But, suddenly a beeping noise went off in her belt. She pulled out her phone and sighed, "Shit. I gotta run. I unfortunately have plans this evening."

Hearing that made something in Toshinori's head click, reminding him of the time. He looked out at the setting sun and sighed as well, "Damn. Me too. Uh, mayb-Oh! Uh, I mean...Ahem. Maybe I'll see you again sometime?"

Nagant raised her hand out, a cable wire shot out and attached to another building. She turned back and smiled, "Maybe. You know who to look for if you need someone's head blown off."

She grappled away, soon leaving Toshinori's sight across the cityscape. Toshinori put his hands on his hips and whistled in amazement as he continued to gaze off into the distance.

"...Don't even think about it, Toshinori."

"AH!" Toshi turned around to see Torino come out from behind the roof exit door. "How long have you be-? Uh, I mean, you get those license plates?"

"Uh-huh. You get her number?"

"Wh-?! I-? N-No!"

"Good. That's the last thing we need. Now, c'mon, we have a charity event to get to."

All Might glanced back at the building Nagant disappeared over before he turned away, rushing off in the direction of home, already dreading the stuffy higher-ups and their gala events.

But, as he ran, why could he almost hear Nana in the back of his mind screaming "Do it! Do it! Do it!"

...~AIV~...

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Izuku simply watched in silence as Nana fruitlessly screamed at the memory of All Might. "Do it! Do it! Do it! Oh my lord, Toshi! Go back! She was smoking hot! Go back! Fuck All For One, she's worth it! Fuck Torino, he's a grumpy asshole! Go back!"

"Uh...Nana?"

"C'mon, kid. You of all people would agree with me!"

"I-I do, I just don't think she's-"

"Nuh-uh! None of that holier than thou bullshit! You think Jirou is the most beautiful girl you've ever laid eyes on. That's great. I love it. I'm not saying she's not. Believe me when I say absolutely nobody will think you're lying with all the horn dog looks you give her."

"Wh-?! Horn do-?"

"But!" Nana stopped him, rewinding the memory back until Nagant was there again, throwing her hands out towards the sniper, "You cannot tell me she's not freaking mega-hot!"

"Okay, she's hot! Happy?"

"Thank you!"

"But, I just wanted to warn you now that things don't go well here."

"Bah, of course not!" Nana cried out, throwing her hands in the air. "Whatever. Just move on, I'm not even interested anymore."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm still very much interested."

...~AIV~...

( Two Hours Later: Hero Public Safety Commission Dining Hall )

"Why are we here again?" Toshi grumbled, adjusting his bow tie as they weaved through the crowd. He never liked it here. Black granite floors, crimson walls with gold embroidery, with a matching reflective ceiling. For a committee about heroes, they sure knew how to design a flamboyant evil lair.

Torino scoffed, "You of all people should know about publicity."

"Of course I do, but I'm already Number One. A government sanctioned charity event isn't going to change that. I'd feel better if I actually got to meet the people I'm helping, but it's just a bunch of politicians trying to look good. Do you know how many more millions I've donated to these charities than the actual people running the charities? I'd much rather be out on patrol tracking those trucks."

"We'll get to the trucks. That's another reason why we're here. My force buddies are here, and I'll run the details by them."

"Perfect," Toshinori sighed in relief. "Where are they?"

"Nuh-uh," Torino stopped, turning back to Toshi, "You know the drill. You're going to go mingle, take a couple photos, present an award, and we'll be out of here in an hour."

Toshinori groaned, but Torino was already gone. He swore he was getting a migraine. He was so grateful that his real name was a secret, because publicity stunts were already a big enough pain to get through, much less daily paparazzi.

He moved through the crowd, smiling and waving at all who recognized him, shaking a couple hands, blah, blah, blah, until he finally reached his beloved destination.

The bar.

"Thank the heavens," Toshinori slapped some money down, smiling brightly at the bartender, "Best whiskey you got on the rocks, my good man."

"Of course, All Might, but heroes in the top ten drink for free."

"Then consider it a tip, since I'm sure the HPSC cheapskates aren't paying you what you deserve," All Might insisted, pushing the money forward.

The bartender smiled, pocketing the money, "Top donator and still giving. I can see why you're number one. One whiskey on the rocks, coming right up."

"Thank you," All Might blew a raspberry, rubbing his eyes as he began to mentally prepare for the evening ahead of him.

"I guess that future wasn't so distant, huh?" Toshinori turned around, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Lady Nagant in a flowing, midnight blue, off-shoulder dress. She leaned against the bar next to Toshi with a grin, "Don't tell me you came here to get someone shot?"

"YES!" Izuku jumped in surprise as Nana screamed beside him, shooting her arms into the air. "Don't fuck it up, Toshi! I raised you better than that! Stick the landing!"

All Might chuckled, "Yeah, me. Anything to get out of here."

The bartender came back, sliding the drink to All Might, "Your drink, sir. Anything for you, miss?"

"She's with me," All Might cut in. "I'm gonna say...Rosé?"

Nagant shrugged, "Close enough."

The bartender pulled out a wine glass and poured, handing it to Nagant. All Might squinted at her as she took a sip, "Close enough?"

"More of a scotch lady."

"Wh-? That's not close at all."

"Eh, I wanted to make you feel better. Rosé is just fine."

"Hm. You're right, Rosé is just fine." Toshi then took his glass and the bottom of Nagant's wine glass, and slid them around, swapping drinks with her. "Which is why you can have my whiskey."

"Hmhmh, such a gentleman. I'll take it, but mainly just to see such a big man holding a dainty little wine glass."

"Oh, my boy is so smooth!" Nana pumped her fists in excitement.

"So, I don't think I've seen you at any of these events before," All Might continued, drinking from the wine glass.

Nagant giggled as she watched him carefully hold the glass with two fingers, "Because I would usually avoid them like the plague. But, apparently I've caught the eye of the HPSC and they invited me."

"Oh boy, watch out then. Who knows what kind of deals they'll strike with you just to boost their reputation."

"They basically run the economy. What kind of validation could they need?"

"You never know," All Might shrugged. "Not with the bureaucrat types."

"I guess I should trust the man who dealt with both American and Japanese politics."

"When you're in deep enough, the differences become almost nonexistent. So I stay out as much as possible. Which leads me to say, screw politics and how are you tonight, Miss...?

"I'm supposed to give my real name to the man notorious for his secrecy?"

All Might smiled, "A fair point. But, it's not just about privacy. A name makes the symbol a man, corruptible. To inspire more people to believe they can be incorruptible, they have to look up to something that is, in of itself, incorruptible."

"You believe yourself to be incorruptible?"

"I've got too much to lose, too many people counting on me, and have made too many promises to fall."

"God-damn, I'm already inspired."

"It's what I do."

"Must be lonely, though. Nobody knowing who you really are."

Toshi leaned against the bar, swirling his glass, "Ah, it's not so bad. You'd be surprised how little people actually care about who I really am. Besides, when you're in the game for as long as I am, sometimes all you want is a little alone time. But, in the end, you find some people. It's like a filter, in a way. You already know who's going to be your friend for life."

"You sound like you're some old veteran," Nagant chuckled, following his example and leaning against the bar. "You can't be more than thirty."

"Thirty exactly, actually. But, when you become number one at my age, that only means you've seen some shit in a quick amount of time."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I can only hope I don't end up sharing the same sentiment. As someone who's only been a pro for a few years, I've gotta ask, is it all worth it?"

"Not a doubt in my mind," Toshi responded without hesitation. "The smiles on peoples faces, the hope you can give to the world, knowing you helped someone, somewhere, hold on for just a second longer. And, in the end, sometimes you still get to spend your evenings like this instead of punching a bank robber's drill nose in, or suplexing a shark man. Good drinks, with good company."

Nagant smiled warmly, "Good company? I'm sure you'd rather be with one of those 'friends for life' you mentioned. The people who know you."

"...Would you like to know me?" Toshi smirked, raising his glass out.

Smiling back, Nagant clinked her glass with Toshi's, "Most definitely. Kaina Tsutsumi."

All Might perked up, raising a hand out to call the bartender, "Excuse me? Do you have a pen?"

Once Toshi got his pen, he grabbed a napkin and wrote out the kanji of his name, sliding it over Kaina. She raised a brow, holding back a laugh as she took the napkin and read.

"It's nice to meet you..." Kaina leaned in and whispered, "Toshinori Yagi."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Ms. Tsutsumi. If you want to get to know each other, maybe you and I coul-"

"Ah, there you are, Lady Nagant." Cutting off their conversation was an older looking man, with middle-parted gray hair and glasses. "And...All Might? Making friends in high places, are we?"

"Not as high as you, Chairman," Toshi hummed, putting a smile on, looking back to Kaina, "You didn't tell me you knew the Chairman."

"I don't," Kaina shook her head, downing the rest of her drink. "They invited me here, remember?"

"Yes," the Chairman chimed in, his smile the fakest one there. "We recognized the talents of Ms. Tsutsumi here and have a little business proposition for her. Which is why I came to collect you. The other board members are waiting for you."

"Oh, yes! Of course." Kaina straightened her dress out, grinning at Toshi as she followed the Chairman, "Thanks for the drink. I expect you to finish what you were about to say."

"Count on it," All Might watched her walk away, doing his best to stop himself from scowling. He never liked the Chairman. Hell, he never liked the board of directors, but that Chairman always looked...soulless. But, he had no reason to be against them. He just really hated politics, and what it could turn people into.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"AH!" Toshi flung around, finding Torino sipping on a bourbon next to him at the bar. "Stop that! We need to put a damn bell on you. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know why you're not answering my question. So, what? Pretty young lady bats her eyelashes at you, and you suddenly forget we have a job to do."

"Ugh, please don't."

"Don't what?" Torino shifted to look at his student sternly, keeping his voice low. "Don't remind you of a promise you made? Don't remind you of what happened to Yori? Nana? You think you're such a big shot that you're invincible now?"

"No! I..." Toshi grunted, crossing his arms and resting them on the bar, "He's taken enough from me. From us . I can't let him control my life."

"And in doing that, you're just going to give him the perfect opportunity to take more from you. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Not us. We can't afford it, and we knew that when we signed on to this."

Toshi pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes with a sigh, "What about Nighteye? What about your police friends? David? You don't have a problem with them."

"My boy, someday you need to learn there's a difference between loved ones and allies. We can afford allies, not love."

"Love? Holy hell, Torino I just met her."

He could see his friend grow more irritated, and he couldn't blame him. Sorahiko knew he was being the bad guy right now, and nothing pained him more. But, one of them had to be neutral, be level-headed. Toshinori was a young man with aspirations and dreams, even after his main one was achieved. He couldn't blame him.

"Listen to me, my boy. You said You Know Who went into hiding. Well, further hiding. And, from what I can tell, you're right. Say he is scared of you. How does that make you feel?"

Toshi peeked back over to Torino, not sure what he was getting at. But, he answered honestly. "...Good. Damn good."

"And, why is that? Aside from the pure satisfaction of imagining that bastard shitting his pants."

"Hmhmhm," Toshi chuckled at the thought, "Because he's signing his death warrant. Every day he hides just means I'll become even stronger when we meet again."

"Exactly. Both of us want that day to come. We want him gone. Which is why we can't slow down, not for anything...or anyone. Because, the day he's gone is the day we can afford love again." He watched Toshi close his eyes again, knowing that his student understood what he had to do. "The day he's gone is the day we can find Kotaro. It's the day Nana can finally rest in peace."

"...Yeah, okay," Toshinori finally responded, not looking back at his mentor.

"Alright then. Patience, kid. It's one of the only things we can afford these days." He walked away from the bar, leaving Toshinori to his thoughts. He stopped leaning on the bar, turning back to the mingling people scattered across the massive hall.

Toshinori paused at the sight of Endeavor, standing well above most people due to his height. Their eyes met, but Toshi quickly looked away, trying to casually saunter off to a new area in the room.

The absolute last thing he needed was Endeavor's shitty attitude combined with his own. Always turning conversations back to ranks, crimes, pure business, all with the hint of spite in his voice. How a man like him ever desired to become a hero, Toshinori would never understand.

He peeked over his shoulder, thankful that Endeavor seemingly didn't want to talk to him either. He did however catch the eyes of Rei, who merely waved back, a tiny smile gracing her features.

It was such a shame, really. The few times he met Rei, she was such a kind, gentle, beautiful woman. Now every time he saw her, she looked almost dead inside. Toshinori would never understand how she agreed to marry a man like Enji, and maybe he didn't want to know. But, he could see "Quirk Marriage" written all over it.

As much as Toshi believed a hero should always try to help, even when they weren't asked, love and marriage was a territory he didn't dare cross.

Toshinori managed to make his way to the balcony area mostly unnoticed. Even if everyone noticed, the place was filled with heroes and those who worked with them. They were some of the only people who understood some heroes wanted time away from popularity.

"Oh, there you are." Toshinori turned around to see Kaina walk out onto the balcony, her own cheerful nature seemed just as worn down as his felt. "Didn't see you at the bar."

"Mm, not as big of a fan of Rosé as I thought," Toshinori grinned, tossing the rest of his drink over the balcony, setting the glass down on the ledge. "How di-"

"OH, WHAT THE HELL?!" Both heroes' eyes widened as a voice came from the streets below. "WHO THE HE-?! Is...WHO THE FUCK POURED ROSÉ ON ME?!"

Toshi quickly skirted away from the balcony ledge, leading Kaina towards the other side of the building. "If anyone asks, Endeavor did that."

"Hahaha! I'd believe it," Kaina laughed, "But shouldn't a hero admit to his mistakes?"

"Ah, well, maybe sometimes Toshinori Yagi doesn't in very specific cases."

"Oh, the first fact I've learned. I'll write that down."

"Anyway, how'd the meeting go? What was the offer?"

Nagant's joyful demeanor suddenly faltered, just for a second. Her eyes suddenly conveyed a mix of emotions that were almost indiscernible. Worry? Sadness? Fear? She almost looked as if she was going to be sick. But, she brought her composure back quickly, "Um...A-An agency. They felt I've been doing such a good job, they offered me money to start an agency."

"Really? That's great!"

"I-...I declined."

"Oh...Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I'm not one for handouts either," Toshi shrugged, stopping at the railing of the balcony. "Besides, I've met plenty of you Underground types. A big building with your name on it isn't exactly your style?"

"Can't say it is. But, enough about me and some old aristocrats. What about you?"

"Hm? Me?"

"You were going to ask me something before I left? A proposition of your own, it sounded like."

Toshi suddenly perked up, but then his smile quickly faded, remembering what Torino had said. He had to remember what he could afford. He had no idea what shooting his shot, no pun intended, would lead to. This woman was definitely different from anybody before. Hell, he gave her his name . Which, yeah, he told women his name in America, but always out of costume. They didn't know he was All Might.

But...Torino was right. There was far too much on the line to slow down now, not for anybody.

He couldn't afford it, but...

Torino did say he could afford allies...

"I've been working on some big gang takedowns, like the one you saw today? That wasn't just some regular bust. My friend and I are on to something big. A massive crime syndicate spanning across all of Japan."

"What?" Kaina asked, baffled. "All of Japan? You must be joking. Who the hell could be running something like that?"

"We don't know," Toshi lied, "It could be one person, it could be all of these gangs working together under some form of peace agreement. For all I know the Yakuza never went away and families like the Shie Hassaikai run things. All we know is that it's connected. But, like I said, this is everywhere. Every major city, multiple companies, fronts in every prefecture. It's just myself, my sidekick, and my old mentor working on this. I could use the help, especially since apparently your reputation precedes you. Not to mention the shot I saw you take today. Someone with your long-ranged abilities could be incredibly helpful to us."

Kaina began to process everything she was hearing, not even sure if she could believe it. But, she frowned, looking down at her hands with that same indiscernible expression returning. "...You really want my help? You believe in me so soon? What if I'm...what if I'm not a...What if I'm not the right hero for the job?"

"...Do you think you're capable? Because, there's no point in asking me. I have no doubt. Unless, everything I've gauged about you tonight has been fake? Nothing I've said has been some sort of business trick, or interview. This is me going off on a whim, because...I need allies, but...I'd also like some more friends. I saw a friend in a funny, wickedly talented, good-hearted hero tonight? Are you that woman?"

"I-...I-I-..." Kaina took a deep breath, looking away from her hands and back up to Toshinori. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Then..." Toshi raised his hand out to her, "Whaddya say? Allies?"

"...Friends," Kaina smiled, shaking his hand.

"Good. Oh, this also means you're now friends with an old man named Torino, and my sidekick Sir Nighteye."

"...The way you said that makes me believe they're not personable."

"They're not."

"...Great."

"In fact, introducing you into this is going to be an absolute nightmare for the both of us."

"...You're really selling me on this."

"Already sold; shook hands and everything. No backing out now."

"Shit."

...~AIV~...

"How?"

Izuku looked over at Nana, "How what?"

"How does this end badly?! She's totally into him!"

"She murders the HPSC Chairman."

"...Shit. At least tell me it's like a self-defense thing or something."

"No one knows. Apparently she just walked in, shot him, and went to jail peacefully. Even if there was something more to it, do you think the government would just admit to whatever the Chairman did to her?"

Ugh, no," Nana grumbled, crossing her arms. "They would never admit to hiring a piece of shit. Alright, fine. Then why are we watching them?"

"Because, you're right. I may still not be a master of relationships, but I've mastered enough of my own to be able to see she likes All Might...She does, right?"

"Kid, their sexual tension is practically suffocating us."

"Right, right. But, we know what stopped All Might. We don't know what stopped her. All Might said they never got together. So, what? She randomly decided she wasn't interested anymore? Something was definitely up with her after that meeting."

"Trying to be Toshi's little sleuth, eh?"

"He said he never figured out what went wrong with her. A third pair of eyes cou-"

"Ahem."

"A third and fourth set of eyes might help find something."

"Thank you."

"Mhm. I'm just surprised you haven't said anything about Torino."

Nana sighed, lazily kicking at nothing, "He and I didn't see eye-to-eye all the time, but I love that old man. We may disagree on this matter, but it's not like you can't understand where he's coming from. He's just trying to protect the only family he has left."

"I always understood. If he had gotten to me before Kyouka and I got together, I probably would have listened to him. But, now? I-I just..."

"I get it, kid. Alright now, c'mon, we're still on a time-limit. I doubt you want Jirou's dad to find you in her bed."

"You make a fantastic point. Okay, there's still twelve years before both All Might fights All For One, and when Lady Nagant kills the Chairman. If my All Might History isn't failing me, then we can start skipping ahead pretty further. Hmm, maybe...Here?"

...~AIV~...

(Two Years Later: HPSC Musutafu Branch )

Toshi sat in the front lobby, leaning against the wall near the front entrance. Kaina was taking forever up there. It was just a statistics check-in, so what was taking so long?

Toshi blew a raspberry, fiddling with his cape as time ticked by. 'Maybe I should update my costume again? Mecha-Rat kept tugging on my cape in our fight last week. Maybe I should ditch it. And, I like the red upper body, but I miss the blue.'

"U-Um, excuse me?"

Toshi was shaken out of his thoughts as a pretty young woman approached him, rolled up poster in hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss. Lost in thought, I'm afraid. What can I do for you?"

"I-I'm so sorry to disturb you, All Might. I-It's just that, I've been here so many times and yet I've never seen you. I couldn't help myself, and I just had to ask for an autograph."

"I can never turn down a fan! Especially one that's so beautiful," Toshinori smiled at her, wiggling his eyebrows. The woman blushed, giggling as she handed All Might the poster of him.

Izuku's jaw dropped, moving towards the woman in the memory, recognizing her anywhere.

"MOM?!"

Izuku sat in stunned silence as Nana cackled wildly behind him. Toshinori signed the poster, rolling it up and handing it back to the young Inko.

"And what's a lovely lady like yourself doing this evening?"

The young Inko took the poster, unable to wipe the smile and blush off her face, "Going home with my fiance, I'm afraid. This poster is actually his. When I saw you, I ran up to his office and ripped it right off the wall."

"Hahaha! That's dedication right there. I know married life all too well. Married to the job and all that. Whoever he is, he's a very lucky man. Good day, my lady."

Inko giggled again, backing away from him, "Thank you."

Izuku stood frozen, his jaw on the floor, "I-...I-ju...Wha-...Sh...We..."

Nana kept chuckling as she walked up behind him, "I think Toshi almost banged your mom."

"It's not funny!" Izuku crouched down, head in hands, completely unable to process any of that information.

"You're really telling me she never said anything?"

"She told me she SAW All Might once! She didn't tell me that seeing All Might entailed HAVING A FULL CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND GETTING HIS AUTOGRAPH!"

"...And probably thinking abou-"

Izuku swiveled around, piercing glare directed at Nana, "Stop it!"

"Aw, c'mon, Toshi is basically your dad already, this isn't the worst idea in the world."

"This is very sensitive territory you're stepping on!"

"Not as sensitive as the territory Toshi was aiming for! Hey-ooo!"

"NANA-!"

"Really?" Izuku and Nana were interrupted, both turning to see Nagant walking up to Toshinori, hands on her hips. "Going for a one night stand with a fan? Not sure how good that would be for your ratings."

Toshinori scoffed, shaking his head with a smile, "I saw the ring when she handed me the poster. It's just flirting. You know me, Kaina. Job comes first."

"Uh-huh. And if she didn't have a ring?"

"...Well I guess I wouldn't be opposed to it, per sa-Ow!" Toshinori grabbed his side where Kaina pinched him, flinching back. "I was joking!"

"Mhm. No more flirting on the job, Toshi."

"But that's half the fun of working with yo-OW! Quit it!" Toshinori rubbed his side again as Kaina walked away chuckling. He followed her to the front desk, leaning against the reception desk as she signed out with the clerk. "We have a long trip ahead of us anyway, and I doubt she would want to tag along."

Kaina scoffed, handing the clipboard back to the clerk, "You're All Might. I doubt most women in a thousand mile radius wou-...Uh...What's up, kid?"

"Huh? Kid? What are you talking ab-Whoa!" Toshinori turned to where Kaina was looking, finding a very young, scruffy blonde boy with large red wings on his back standing right next to him, looking up at him. "Uh-Ahem! Sorry, young man! I didn't see you there. How can I help you?"

The young boy gave him a very weak smile, but a smile nonetheless, "You're one of my biggest heroes, and I just wanted to meet you."

Kaina tilted her head, wondering where this boy came from. Was he some employee's kid? She had never seen him around here before. She looked over to Toshi, but even more confusedly found him not sporting his usual bright smile and attitude. He had a serious gaze, as if he was trying to read the boy.

Toshi smiled, kneeling down to him, "Of course, my young friend. Pray tell, and forgive me for prying, but...your eyes tell me you've been through a lot, haven't you? At such a young age, as well."

"I...I'm not supposed to talk about that."

"That's okay. I understand. I don't like to talk about my hardships either. I'm sorry for jumping into that. If I was ever able to help you in your troubling times, even when I was not there, then I'm merely grateful that I've done my job. Is there anything I can do for you? An autograph, or picture? A crisp high-five? Anything that can make your day better?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't have anything to si-...Oh! Wait a minute."

Toshi was shocked to see one of the feathers on the boy's back suddenly shoot out of his wings, float up to him, and levitate there.

Toshi reached out, taking the feather out of the air, "Your feather? I'm not sure I can-"

"No, no, I can sharpen 'em. See?"

Toshi watched the feather's bristles suddenly move, flattening against each other into an almost blade-like form. "Holy-! That's one heck of a quirk, kid."

"Thanks, but, do you think it's good enough for me to become a hero someday?"

"Wings with feathers you can control? Are you kidding me? Consider me your first fan of many to come!"

"Yeah, awesome! Do you think Endeavor would like them? Have you ever met Endeavor? He's my favorite."

"Snrk!" Toshi quickly sent a glare at Kaina as she tried to stifle her laughter. She quickly turned away, but the spasms wracking her body clearly gave away that she was still laughing.

"Yes, I have. He's one of the best there is. I know he comes here sometimes! Perhaps you'll see him someday, too."

"Mm, I don't think so," the boy sighed. "I'm supposed to be just passing through here to the Tokyo Headquarters."

"Hm? Heading to the HPSC Headquarters? Wh-?"

"Takami! There you are!" Both heroes looked over to see a dark haired man in a suit approach them, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, All Might. This young man here was supposed to be waiting upstairs, like he was told."

"Sorry," Takami shrugged, clearly not actually caring about whatever trouble he was in. "I wanted to meet All Might."

"I can see that. C'mon, now..."

"Are you the boy's father?" Toshi stopped them, a brow raised.

"Ah, yes. My wife couldn't watch him today, so I just thought he could see how the Hero World operates. I guess he wasn't as interested as I thought," The man chuckled, hand still firm on Keigo's shoulder. "But, we'll be on our way now. Thank All Might for his time, Takami."

The man shot a quick look at Kaina, unnoticeable to anyone else.

But, in this building, with these people...Kaina knew the look was intentional.

Kaina froze at the man's glance, finally realizing this wasn't what it seemed. Who the hell was this kid? But, in reality, the question didn't matter. What mattered is she stopped Toshi from prying, before things began to unravel.

Kaina nudged All Might, nodding towards the door, "We're gonna miss our train. A lot of money went into these premium seats, so I'd rather not waste the money."

Toshi shot a quick look back at the man before smirking at Kaina, "Pfft, you mean my money?"

"You said it, not me. "

"Alright. But, hold on." Toshi grabbed a permanent ink marker from the desk behind him, signing his name on the feather he was still holding. "To Takami, right?"

"Keigo Takami," Keigo smiled, awaiting his feather.

Kaina saw the "father's" smile twitch just barely at the reveal of the boy's full name. Poor guy must not have even realized he already gave his last name earlier.

"He fucked up," Kaina frowned, looking back down at the kid. What the hell made him so important?

"Here you go, Takami!" Toshi smiled brightly, handing the feather back. "I look forward to seeing you up in the skies, saving the day."

"Thank you!"

Both parties took their leave, with All Might and Nagant walking out of the building, and heading towards the parking lot. Toshi sighed, losing his hero voice, "He didn't look like his father..."

"Hmhm," Kaina chuckled, hoping Toshi would just drop it. "I thought the foster kid would be more understanding of not looking like their family."

"A fair point, but what foster parent or adoptive parent calls their kid by their last name?"

"I-...Hm. You're right. But, the kid seemed alright. And, uh...Endeavor, huh?"

"Don't even bring it up!" Toshi rubbed his temples as Kaina laughed. "He's done a lot of good for the world, and I respect him for that. He's Number Two for a reason."

"Yeah, but...he's the biggest dick we know."

"I don't find it polite to speak badly of my fellow heroes...but, I also believe in America's First Amendment, so I feel like expressing my opinion that, yes, he is indeed a dick."

...~AIV~...

"What the hell?" Izuku frowned, rubbing his chin as he began to pace.

"Still thinking about your mom?"

"Wh-?! No! Stop it! What I'm thinking about is Hawks."

"Hawks?"

"That kid. All Might wasn't wrong about his popularity. It's kind of funny that All Might was able to instantly recognize that he was a troubled kid. He told me he saw the same thing in me when we met. And I guess his intuition never failed since Hawks is now the Number Three Hero now, but...What just happened? All Might seemed pretty suspicious about that guy, and Lady Nagant was eyeing them both suspiciously. I wish we could hear what she was thinking, like with All Might."

"Things don't come so easily to us. C'mon, let's move on."

Izuku smirked at Nana, "Oh? I thought you weren't interested anymore?"

"Just shut up and let me watch my second kid's life that I missed out on."

...~AIV~...

( 8 Hours Later: Mountainside Outside of Niigata )

"This is so boring."

All Might chuckled as he continued to lie on the grass and play on his DS, "I told you to bring your own entertainment. Stakeouts can last forever. You-Oh! Tyranitar! Hold on, first throw some meat, and the-Bah! God-damn it! I hate the Safari Zone."

Kaina looked away from her scope, looking over at her carefree partner, "Just keep looking."

"It's a Nuzlocke, I can't."

"A what?"

"Nothing. I'll educate you later."

Kaina sighed, looking over the rocks and down onto the winding road far down below. There were still no cars in sight, and no headlights in the distance. The sun had gone down just over an hour ago, and they were still waiting for the weapons trucks. They had been on the plateau jutting out of the mountain for hours.

"We've been on stakeouts before, and they never lasted this long. Your sidekick couldn't be just a little bit more specific with his future powers?"

Toshi shrugged, "Nighteye said it was night. And, if you haven't noticed, there aren't exactly any clocks around here, are there?"

Kaina groaned, slumping against the rocks, "So we could be here all night?"

"Possibly. Sorry, rookie."

"Rookie? I've been a Pro for five years."

"Versus my fourteen. To me, you're a rookie."

Kaina scoffed, "Does spending seven years fucking around in America count as experience?"

"Don't knock the US, shit got crazy over there."

"Oh yeah?" Kaina yanked Toshi's cape out from under him, lying down on the underside and throwing the other half over her, "Do tell, because apparently I possibly have a lot of time to kill."

Toshinori deadpanned at her Cape Cocoon, "Really?"

"Toshi, you're massive. This cape could blanket four people, and I don't have sleeves."

"Fine, fine. Uh, let's see. There was the time David and I got into a Rock, Paper, Scissors match where we tied one-hundred times and a black vortex opened in the sky. Uh, there's the time where we fought a man inside of a shag carpet-lined car for a burrito with every animal meat. Or the time we fought a half-deer, half-man in the woods. I-"

"Toshi, what in the absolute hell are you talking about? There's no way that a single thing you just said was real."

"...But, I didn't even get to the giant coffee bean man."

"...How many drugs were you on?"

"I'm not making it up!"

"Huh, never heard of that drug before."

"Screw you."

Kaina giggled, about to say something else, but was cut off by her phone buzzing. Her stomach immediately dropped, knowing that there was only one person that would be calling her at this time. "Gimme a sec."

Kaina got up, walking off to the other end of the cliffside, "Not a good time. I'm not in town."

The rest of the conversation turned extremely muffled, causing Izuku to try and walk forward and listen in. But, he was directly next to Kaina, and her voice was still foggy and distant. "What the-? Why can't I-?"

"You gotta remember, kid," Nana interjected. "These are memories. Not time-travel. Anything that Toshi didn't see or hear, we can't see or hear either."

"Ugh, of course not."

"What? You say that like it's an inconvenience, when being able to search through memories is already a miracle. Hell, you're talking to a dead woman. Count your blessings, kid."

"I know," Izuku sighed. "Being the positive person is just exhausting sometimes."

Kaina's muffled conversation would sometimes come through as listenable, but only in short syllables. But, it was obvious that none of the conversation was exactly pleasant.

It wasn't until the very end of the conversation that Kaina was able to be heard.

"I don't have to tell you when I leave town," Kaina seethed out through grit teeth. "You don't own me. Go fuck yourself."

She hung up, stomping over to the hideout spot, and sitting back down with a huff. All Might slightly lowered his console, his lips puckered as he shifted his eyes in the awkward silence.

"Sooo..."

"I don't wanna talk about it, Toshi."

"Okay, okay!" Toshi put his hands up defensively, returning to the silence for about ten seconds. "...Boyfriend I don't know about?"

"What?! No!"

"Cause I'll kick his ass."

"Toshi!"

"Sorry! Sorry..."

Kaina sighed, slumping her shoulders and resting her cheek against her fist. Her thousand-yard stare was unmatched as she gazed into the dark treeline covering the mountain.

"It was my...mother," Kaina said, her voice going flat at the last word.

Toshi shifted to lay on his side, propping himself up on his elbow, "Really?"

"She's very...possessive. Doesn't want me going off and doing something stupid. Always calling me back home to do things for her, because she can't do them herself." Kaina looked down at her free hand, the same unreadable expression from the charity event two years ago on her face. Her voice was almost monotone. "...Everytime I think I can't do it anymore, I remember who she is. I have to go back to her. I have no choice."

Toshi reached over, putting his hand on her knees, "I... sort of have experience when it comes to parents who are Grade A: Assholes. I don't remember much of mine, I was too young. But, I know the kind of spite and anger that can spawn from this. In the end, she's your mother. She's family. It just sounds like she's scared. Her daughter went out to be a hero, a profession that's known for daily danger and a high mortality rate. I'm sure if you confront her, tell her how she's making you feel, then you two can work things out."

Kaina smiled solemnly, "...If only things were that simple. Toshi, I-...Trucks."

Toshi perked up as Kaina's arm switched to her rifle, causing him to flip over and see a long row of headlights approaching their location.

"Just perfect," All Might internally groaned, brushing the grass off his costume. "You ready?"

Kaina pulled out her night vision goggles from her bag, putting them on to see in the near pitch black. "I'm your eyes."

"Perfect!"

Toshinori then leaped off the mountain, their conversation left behind.

...~AIV~...

Nana pursed her lips, "Anyone else getting the feeling that she wasn't talking about her mother?"

"Yep," Izuku scratched his chin, biting his cheek as he began to pace again. "She has to be hiding something related to the HPSC. It's the only thing it can be. And, why does she keep staring at her hands? Everything weird about her started after that meeting, but even then it's not confirmation that anything actually happened at that time. The Chairman could have gotten to her later."

"We sure it's just the Chairman?"

"If we're going to assume she's talking about somebody else when referring to her mother, then my first guess would be one person. I mean, the Chairman was the only person she shot. But, then again, he is the highest level of authority. Maybe it was a message? Were they blackmailing her? What exactly would the government have to gain from Lady Naga-..." Izuku stopped pacing, eyes wide as a new theory came to light. "...What would the government need from a highly skilled marksman, capable of hitting targets from thousands of yards away, completely unseen?"

"...Oh boy."

Izuku turned back to the memory, his eyes landing on Lady Nagant. Her cold gaze shifted from target-to-target as she let bullets fly into the night.

"...She was an assassin."

"That's..." Nana pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh, "way worse than I was expecting. But, we can't be sure, right? What would she even be doing with Toshi all this time then?"

Izuku furrowed his brow, coming to a new possible conclusion, "Keeping an eye on their Golden Boy? Protecting him, or...making sure he stays in line."

"...You're thinking that Nagant meeting Toshi wasn't a coincidence?"

"I-I...I don't know. I don't want to believe that. All Might said they were very close, and in the end she still killed the Chairman, so at least some of it had to be real, right? Or all of it? She didn't start acting weird until after her meeting with the HPSC, so maybe I'm just overthinking things. I really really hope I'm overthinking things."

"That makes two of us. God-damn it, why can't Toshi just find happiness?"

"Let's just hope I'm wrong. There's only one memory I can think of to look at now..."

...~AIV~...

( Ten Years Later: Tokyo Rooftop )

"Uh-oh." Kaina jumped in surprise, turning around to see All Might walk towards her, playful smile ever present. "It's never good when you have that look on your face."

"One of these days I'm gonna shoot you for sneaking up on me. How do you even do it? You're a hulking mass of muscle."

"The lighter I am on my feet, the heavier I can be with my fists." He sat down next to her, feet dangling over the ledge. "So, why the frown?"

Kaina rested her chin on her knees, looking down at the people and cars going by below, "Because we can't all be smiling all the time like you."

"That's actually an incredibly good point. But, you've been off for weeks. What's up?"

Kaina waved him off, shaking her head, "It's nothin-"

"Don't! Don't you do that!" Toshinori cut her off. "None of that! C'mon, this is me we're talking about here!"

"It's nothing you can help with, Toshi."

"Oh, c'mon!" Toshinori fell down on his back in exasperation, "I can help with literally anything."

"Taxes?"

"Wh-...I-...Is that the problem?"

Hmhm, no," Kaina chuckled. "But, you'd probably be useless at it."

Toshinori sat back up, scooting closer to Kaina, a serious look on his face. "Then I promise not to be useless at whatever you need. I'm serious, this is me we're talking about. I'm-"

"Here. I know...I-..." Toshinari Yagi. Always so strong with an impenetrable heart of gold. How she envied him. For years now it had been like this; Toshi was always there to pick her back up. But, sometimes you fall too far, and too hard.

Maybe they could run to America? They love him there, it would be easy to set up there. The HPSC couldn't chase after her without the US's government bringing the hammer down on them.

Kaina smiled at the fantasy, knowing it was nothing more than that. Running from your problems? How heroic. And, Toshi...

"Toshi, I-"

*Beep* *Beep*

Kaina was cut off, lifting up her phone to see the text she had received.

[Chairman]: Come to my office. We've got another assignment for you.

Blood immediately began oozing out from behind her phone. Kaina looked at her other hand, seeing it identically stained red. She bit her lip, internally screaming at herself to stop the tears beginning to brim in her eyes.

And, of course, Toshinori didn't miss this.

"Wh-? What happened?" He gently placed a hand down on her shoulder, but she quickly stood up and pocketed her phone.

"I've gotta go."

"What?! No, I can't just let you go like this!" He grabbed her arm, keeping her there. He pleaded, "Kaina, please."

She tried her damndest to blink away the tears, but it was pointless. "I can't tell you. You can't be involved. I'm so sorry."

"Kaina, please! Whatever it is, I ca-"

*A TEXT MESSAGE IS HERE!*

Toshinori grunted, wanting nothing more than to ignore that. But, there was only one person that would be texting him at that time, and it was almost never good news. He reached down, using his free hand to check his phone. "You've gotta be kiddi-..."

[Torino]: I think we've got something, but you gotta get here now. If he's related to this, we can't take action unless you're here.

Toshinori growled in frustration, looking back and forth between his phone and his friend. "I-...I ju-...Urgh! As soon as you get back, okay? This rooftop, tonight? Please."

Kaina wiped her eyes, but she couldn't stop crying. It was a promise she knew wasn't going to be kept. She reached up and grabbed Toshinori's shoulders, bringing him down to kiss his cheek. "I promise."

"I-...We-..." Toshinori blushed, but shook his head in a failed attempt to clear his mind. "Tonight. I'll come to you if you don't show up. I won't let this go."

He sped off of the roof, taking Izuku and Nana with him, gone in a red and blue blur across the cityscape. Kaina breathed in deep, pulling a strand of her hair out into a bullet. She brought out her gun, loaded the bullet, and reverted her arm back to normal.

"...Tonight."

What she wanted to do would be wrong...but, maybe in some weird, twisted way, it would be doing right by him. Just once, that's all she wanted.

She brought her phone back out and replied, blood still dripping from her hands.

On my way.

...~AIV~...

Izuku rewound the memory until they were back on the rooftop, rushing over to Nagant's phone. "What the-?! Her phone is blank!"

"Izuku..."

"Ah, right, right. Can't see anything All Might didn't see. He couldn't even get a glance at it?"

"If he did, I doubt Toshi would be in the dark. I guess Nagant was pretty damn good at keeping her secret for all those years. So, what are we thinking, kid?"

"Hm...I'm thinking..." Izuku turned to Nana, a mischievous smile on his face as he snapped his fingers, "Cliffhanger!"

"Oh you little bastar-!"

...~AIV~...

[To Be Continued in The Almighty Man: Finale]

A/N: We have ONE more All Might chapter, and then a full chapter dedicated to our girl's birthday. After that, we'll be on to the Mall and Summer Camp. Hoo boy