ITS FIC TIME MY DUDES!

Hopefully you all enjoy! NOW GET TA READIN.

It took about two weeks for the gang to finally get time enough to spend as a group outside of school. The newly returned classes were demanding on all of them, as were the newly ramped training and studying sessions put upon them by Aizawa.

Now that they were all new and improved from their internships, it seemed he was expecting even more out of them than before.

Hitoshi slumped back onto the warm grass with his arms spread wide as he looked up to the almost cloudless blue sky. Shadows cast by overhanging leaves stopped the sun from blinding his eyes and a small breath escaped his lips, "It feels like forever since we all just hung out like this."

"Indeed," Tenya agreed with a nod. He was sitting, one leg held up to his chest, his back to the trunk of an ancient-looking tree, "It's nice to relax, though we must always remember our practice exams are just around the corner."

"And then our actual mid-terms," Shoto announced in his flat tone.

This was the first time Shoto had actually hung out with them. Part of what had taken them so long to organize a hang-out session was because Shoto always seemed to be busy on the weekends. He had flatly told his friends, when he had met them in the train station, that he'd outright lied to his father to come today, saying it was part of some group project.

The others had pestered him about why he had told such a lie, but Hitoshi had remained silent. He could hazard a damn good guess as to why Shoto would do such a thing, and by his silence, the others eventually got the message and dropped it.

Of course, the other reason it had taken them two weeks to finally meet up was that Izuku had been grounded for most of those two weeks. He had bragged that he had gotten extremely drunk with Hawks and Lucifer. That bragging had somehow arrived at his mother's ears, possibly through a Tenya shaped source, and had come back to bite him in the ass.

Apparently, the excuse of 'they made me do it' wasn't good enough to spare him, or Lucifer, or even Hawks apparently, from his mother's wrath.

Finally, however, they were here, in the woods outside of Fumikage's temple-home. It was almost the height of summer and for once it seemed their not-so-little group of friends was eager to take advantage of it. The birds fluttered in the trees and cicadas could be heard singing their deafening songs. They were on something of a hill, meaning that they had a decent view over some of the treetops to see the vast, sprawling forest out before them.

It seemed like the perfect spot to simply enjoy the day. To be lazy and carefree and without weight or worries.

To be teenagers, for just a little while.

At least until the Equerry of Lucifer, King of Hell showed up.

Hitoshi glanced over to Shoto, who had joined Tenya in sitting against the tree, causing a flutter in his heart before he looked away. He was getting much better at not acting like a complete dork around his crush, especially since he now spent almost every day interacting with him.

Still, that crush continued to linger within him, and he wondered if it wasn't for the constant training he was doing in and out of school how absolutely crazy he'd be by now. Shoto! In close contact! And getting to know him! It was almost too much.

Thankfully, he had the extra lessons All Might was slipping to him on the side to take his mind off things.

As well as a few other things, like Izuku and his 'huge announcement' which he had been holding off on for two whole weeks. Every time he mentioned it, he adopted a Cheshire cat-like smile, and it was starting to bug the hell out of him.

No pun intended.

"So," Hitoshi called out as his eyes moved to Izuku, who seemed to be pacing back and forth, his tail swaying from one side to the other, "When's this butler of yours supposed to be getting here?"

"They're not a butler," Izuku shot back, looking up from the phone he had been furiously typing into, "They're an equerry."

"Whatever, he's still late."

"That's because they aren't coming," Cawed Dark Shadow from their position in the vast and ancient oak which stood, great and strong, atop the small hill they had decided to rest on. Its branches spread out in every direction, though when they had arrived, Fumikage had quickly scaled it to sit within it, his back against the weathered bark.

Sitting atop his head in their cat-like pose, shadowed arms folded and, surprisingly, their eyes closed, was Dark Shadow.

Hitoshi couldn't blame the demon, of course, it was beautiful and relaxing and the perfect place to study or calm a troubled soul.

"There is no reason whatsoever for the Equerry of Lord Lucifer to come and tell lies for Nemesis," The shadow-crow shifted a little as if getting more comfortable on Fumikage's head, "So, if you don't mind," They yawned loudly, "I'm going to take a nice nap."

"Do demons need to nap?" Shoto asked suddenly from his position at the base of the oak, looking over to Tenya as he did so.

Still, it was Dark Shadow who answered.

"Actually we do, just not as often as mortal humans," Then they opened one tarnished-gold eye to glare at Izuku, "With so much bright light I'm not at my full strength, so I don't particularly feel like doing anything other than napping. Besides, the weather is warm. I happen to enjoy warm weather."

"I guess you don't get a lot of sunlight in Hell," Ochaco mused, a finger to her chin.

"No, and especially not within my realm."

"Your realm?" Shoto asked, turning his head up to look to Dark Shadow.

"Dark Shadow is a demon of the realm of Lilitha," Fumikage replied, "From what I understand, it is an accused place filled with ice and snow."

"Oh, sounds festive!"

"And the frozen corpses of suicide victims."

"Oh… not so festive, then."

"It's ruled by the Great Lady of Suicide," Dark Shadow smiled and sat up, if the legless demon could do such a thing. An air of reverence entered their tone, "I hope to join their court one day, to become one of the mighty Corpse Jarls."

"Corpse Jarls?" Shoto asked again before pausing and answering his own question, "Wait, I think you explained this to me before-"

"Every Fallen Angel has a court," Izuku cut in with the same, oddly excited grin he had every time he talked about his Fallen heritage, "And they help rule over the Fallen's realm, and-"

"We get it," Hitoshi cut him off with a small smile, "You've only told us about a thousand times."

A slightly embarrassed blush danced over Izuku's cheeks.

"Fumikage," Shoto continued, "I forgot to ask, but did your grandfather find any information on my condition?"

"I'm afraid not," Fumikage replied, "He's currently having me bring books out from the archives. He's convinced it has happened before, however. He's just not sure when."

"Well, hopefully when Kuroiro arrives we can ask him!" Izuku beamed, his sharp, pointed teeth flashing without shame.

That was something new. While Izuku still showed the occasional nervousness and worry he always had, most especially in social situations, he had undoubtedly developed a sense of pride within himself that lit his face up in a smile more often than it had ever done so in the past.

And it shone even more so on the training fields, where it occasionally bordered on arrogance.

On one hand, Hitoshi was overjoyed for his friend. He had finally come out of his shell from being so timid and reserved. And yet, with this newfound sense of self had come… something else.

"You'll like them! They're really kinda creepy, but honestly, they don't seem like a terrible person. I think Lucifer pushes them around a little, but that might be a demon-Fallen thing," he waved a hand without looking to his friends, "You guys wouldn't understand."

That. That was what was starting to annoy Hitoshi.

Izuku's subtle, but growing, haughtiness when it came to his Fallen side. It wasn't outright ego, not yet, but there was a sense of… superiority in his voice whenever he talked about the things he knew, the abilities he now had. Sometimes it was Nemesis speaking through him, other times it was himself.

Yet it seemed as though Izuku, sometimes painfully, didn't seem to see it himself. But Hitoshi could see it for what it clearly was.

Separation. Distance. He didn't just consider himself one of them, one of the mortal flock, he also considered himself one of them, one of the celestials.

"Oh, well I'm sorry we peasants can't understand," Hitoshi gave him quick smirk, "Woe betide us too stupid to get how the great celestial order is supposed to work."

Izuku looked hurt, "What!? No, no- I didn't mean it like-"

"We know how you meant it," Ochaco grinned, "It's okay! Just, try to not sound so…"

"Full of yourself?" Dark Shadow cut in with a grin.

"Dark Shadow!"

"Whaaat? He is!" The demonic crow whirled around their master to point accusingly at the now fuming teenager, "Fallen this and Fallen that. He's so obsessed with them he can hardly think straight! He's already delusional, we shouldn't feed his insanity, Master."

"Who's insane?"

Every one of the teenagers, and even Dark Shadow, seemed to jump suddenly at the new voice.

They quickly started looking around, though all attention eventually fell on Izuku's shadow as something began rising out of it, taking on a masculine, human shape. First, a wide, grimacing mouth filled with bone-white teeth, then a mop of white hair, and finally, a pair of blind-white eyes forming from the dark.

Hitoshi felt a jolt of instinctual fear hit him in the chest, though it didn't stop him from stumbling to his feet, his fists clenched and One For All a breath away from surging through his blood. There was a sudden, odd, crypt-like coldness to the formerly warm and inviting summer air, and it caused goosebumps along his skin.

Yet the newcomer didn't advance, or attack, or look anything except… kind of exasperated to be honest.

As the body fully formed, becoming dressed in a corpse-grey tunic and stepping out onto the grass, which seemed somehow uncomfortable to have such a being touching it, Izuku burst out into a wide smile

"You're finally here!"

"I'm finally here, sire," Kuroiro gave Izuku a small, but respectful, bow of the head. Their voice was like… ice scraping on gravel, with barely any emotion to it at all. Hitoshi forced himself to breathe as he fought down the feeling he now recognized as a familiar one.

It was the same feeling he got when he saw Dark Shadow on the attack. It was similar, but not quite, to the feeling he had gotten when he saw Nemesis unleashed.

That sense of something wrong, something profane standing before him.

"I apologize for my lateness. Traveling here took some time and I have had a busy day. I have a busy day still yet, for the work of your father never ceases."

"That's okay, I mean, I just wanted to introduce you and everything, and then you can get back," Izuku seemed almost giddy as he turned back to his friends, and Hitoshi could see the shadow passing over his eyes as the echo crept into his tone, "Friends, this is Kuroiro, Equerry to our Father. Kuroiro, these are our friends and allies."

"Your court?"

"Our friends and allies," Izuku insisted, "Not our court."

Before he could continue, Ochaco and Tenya had already climbed to their feet and had moved towards the newcomer, evidently overcoming what had to be the same cold fear that was trying to grip Hitoshi.

"Another demon? So cool!" Ochaco gushed with an amazed grin.

Tenya bowed his head in polite greeting, "I am Tenya Iida, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. or Miss Kuroiro!"

Kuroiro's mouth opened to correct the young man, but before they could speak, a scream cut through the air.

"LIER!"

Dark Shadow's angry shriek shook the teenagers and before Hitoshi could react the shadow-crow had swung down to hover threateningly before Izuku and Kuroiro, their hellish gaze fixed on the newcomer. "You are not the Equerry of the King! How could you be!? The King would never send his chosen messenger to support the lies of this- this- this-" The shadow-crow was so angry they seemed unable to find the right words. "FILTHY LIER!"

Fumikage quickly climbed down from the tree, evidently an expert at such a task, and was already putting his hands up, approaching Izuku and a bored-looking Kuroiro, "I apologize to you both, Dark Shadow you should-"

"Mind your words, crow," Kuroiro's voice was suddenly as hard as a steel sword, "For you speak to your Prince, and as a member of the King's court, I am sworn to defend them."

Prince? That was new. Izuku had never mentioned anything about becoming a prince. Something in Hitsoshi's gut twisted as he took a step towards the confrontation.

"Kuroiro, it's fine, just-"

"They are no Prince," Dark Shadow snarled, "They are a liar, and that makes you the defender of a liar. If you were the true Equerry, then you would prove it rather than by siding with this- this- this unborn childling."

It seemed everyone froze at those words. Everyone, except Kuroiro.

They blinked lazily before rolling his eyes, "Minor demons. You're all the same."

Before Fumikage could pull Dark Shadow back, before anyone could react, the demonic crow roared in insulted rage and raised a claw to strike down at Kuroiro.

Everyone screamed at once. Everyone moved as one to stop the outbreak of violence.

And yet the Equerry moved faster. Hitoshi blinked, and suddenly, the demon was gone, leaving the teenagers standing, confused.

"What- where did he?"

"Dark Shadow?" Fumikage's voice seemed to break out in a tone Hitoshi had rarely, if ever, heard him use. A sort of scared, curious fear had crept into his friend's voice, and his eyes were fixed on the frozen form of Dark Shadow.

Dark Shadow was still in their battle pose, one claw huge and curled, held up in readiness to slash down and tear his opponent to ribbons.

Yet only now did Hitoshi realize that Dark Shadow hadn't moved. They had frozen the second Kuroiro had vanished.

And even more disturbing, was that their tarnish yellow eyes were wide and staring. There was an expression of terrified fear, or as close as the demon could get to fear, on their face. Slowly, but loudly, their jaw creaked open and a terrible, keening pain issued from their shadowed beak.

Hitoshi was shocked. He never thought a demon could ever make such a noise.

And then it simply got worst.

Kuroiro emerged from the back of Dark Shadow, forming from their very body, and then forced their head down before Izuku, smashing their beak into the ground as the shocked teen took a step back.

"You dare assault the Equerry of King Lucifer. You dare embarrass Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis, the Morningstar Reborn, and the anointed Prince of Hell!"

For that long, cold moment, everything seemed frozen in time with all eyes turned on a terribly still Izuku.

And then Izuku broke it.

"KUROIRO!" He barked with a furious tone, "YOU WILL LET THEM GO. NOW."

"But-"

"WE ORDER YOU TO LET THEM GO!" His scars flashed with that terrible azure blue, and in that moment, Hitoshi could see the anger and power within his best friend.

And it scared him.

"But my young Lord, they-"

"Dark Shadow is Fumikage's familiar, and Fumikage is my friend," Izuku breathed, the echo fading, "So I am ordering you, right now," Izuku pointed his finger down like he was disciplining a dog, "Let. Them. Go."

Kuroiro held Dark Shadow down for only a few moments more before simply jumping out of Dark Shadow's body. The demonic crow howled and retreated back, curling around Fumikage protectively, though their eyes flickered from Kuroiro to Izuku.

"… it… it can't be true…" The demonic crow stammered out, even as Fumikage seemed to embrace his familiar, arms moving comfortingly around its neck and head.

"I can assure you, it is," Kuroiro replied, all snarling and anger gone from their voice and replaced with the bored, flat tone of before, "Izuku-Who-Is-Nemesis is the Prince of Hell, blood of Lucifer, our King. You are lucky he is so merciful because can I assure you, King Lucifer is not."

"I'm so, so sorry, Fumikage, Dark Shadow," Izuku moved forward, his hands out, "Please, I didn't think- I-" He paused then looked to Kuroiro, frowning deeply, "Go."

"But-"

"I said GO!"

The demon paused a moment longer before sighing and nodding, "As you wish, my Prince."

And with that, Kuroiro vanished back into the shadows cast by the great oak above them, practically melting away until not even a ghost of their presence remained.

Yet peace did not return to the hill with the ancient oak.

The silence stretched for a long moment, with the only noise being the natural sounds of the forest and the soft, crackling breaths of Dark Shadow.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, I just…" Izuku ran a hand through his hair while he turned and paced, clearly lost for what to do or say to make it all better. He had fucked up, and he knew it.

But moreso was that Hitoshi was glad to see at least that he even acknowledged it at all. It was a sign that his humanity was still intact, despite the power he now controlled.

"So. You really are the son of my King," Dark Shadow didn't approach Izuku, and instead kept close to their master, who softly stroked the shadow-body of his familiar.

"Y-yes," Izuku straightened up, the tension still thick and each person on the hill now tense and ready.

Yet none sprung to action as the demonic crow inched towards Izuku. Hitoshi could see his friend's hands slowly shifting, becoming claw-like and terrible as the unlight sneaked over his pale skin.

"Then know this, son of Lucifer," Dark Shadow's eyes narrowed into slits, "You can call yourself whatever you want, whatever grand title you think you deserve, but you are nothing but a filthy half-blood bastard. And until you prove yourself to me, without the aid of your father's court, you are nothing but a little Princeling playing at royalty. You. Are not. My Lord."

A breeze blew between them.

"… so, does this happen often?" The group turned collectively to see Shoto looking very confused.

And just like that, it was as if they all let out one large, long, collective breath. Hitoshi most certainly did. "No," he answered with a sudden, sardonic smile, "Not always."

"Oh." Shoto looked back to Izuku and without missing a beat, added, "Your father's assistants remind me of my father's assistants."

Ochaco snorted suddenly, and it caught on like wildfire. Tenya chuckled, Hitoshi grinned, even Izuku seemed to relax and giggled lightly. Fumikage quietly let Dark Shadow return to the point above his head and shot Izuku an 'I'm sorry' expression.

Izuku simply shook his head.

Hitoshi allowed himself to relax once more. This was his life, he supposed. These were the friends he chose. And even if Izuku now dabbled clearly in the darkness of his blood, that goodness, that mercy and kindness still shone through. And that alone was enough to be thankful for.

After the easiness had returned and the tension melted away, Tenya broke the ice once more, "So, you were crowned the Prince of Hell? When did that happen?"

Izuku coughed, shooting a quick look to Dark Shadow, who did nothing but continue to glare at him. Hitoshi almost laughed at that. Dark Shadow had finally been proven wrong, though it seemed none of the animosity between them and Izuku had faded.

He supposed not everything could be in perfect balance after all.

"Well, I wasn't crowned really," Izuku mused, looking sheepish all of a sudden, "I was anointed, which I think is a fancy word for just being made official, I guess." He scratched his chin and looked away, "And it was, well, remember when I said we all got super drunk? It was then."

"What?"

"In the agency parking lot."

"What?"

"At like, two in the morning."

Hitoshi's smile could have torn off his face, which was saying something considering he barely ever smiled, "You're fucking kidding me."

"No, no, not really, no. Kuroiro was a witness, so was Hawks and Lucifer," Izuku coughed to clear his throat then mumbled out, "AndIalsothrewupafterwards."

And their collective laughter could be heard all the way from the temple.

A day later, Hitoshi held out his hand, his ring finger held tight by his thumb. Along his arm the violet lightning danced and snaked and crackled with pent up action. He could feel it in his blood, almost bubbling under the surface of his skin. The power that he now held within him, the shining light of One For All strengthening his entire body with a breathtaking force.

He was almost tempted to dive a little deeper into that power, to well up more to put into his blast.

He resisted. His arm was already aching from the strain of using only a few percent of his gifted quirk, he wouldn't push his luck.

He spotted his target. Moving through the leaves on hind legs with hooved feet and crawling through the dirt with claws fingers. A chittering, nasty looking unborn who he had spotted out in the UA forest before.

With the flick of a finger he released the power and there was a sudden crack through the air its very force broke into the world, like a howitzer firing a blast into the sky.

His arm shocked back, and he barely kept enough control over himself to keep it from snapping away. The recoil hit his shoulder hard, and an instant ache bloomed through his muscles and tendrilled into his chest.

Before him, the trees shuddered and shook, bushes were torn in two and there was a very obvious trail where the air had simply ripped the grass from the ground. The unborn was nowhere to be seen, but hey, if it wasn't there it couldn't feed on people's sins. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

He breathed deep and grinned almost drunkenly.

It was almost seven at night, but thankfully the summer hours kept the sky bright though as the sun made its eventual climb down to the horizon, the shadows were starting to grow long. It was also far after school hours, but it was usually the only time Hitoshi could get any private training time with All Might.

He'd learned a couple of things about in him in that time. Mostly about his hero work, the details of certain fights he'd been in, and how he didn't own a TV. Apparently, he never saw the point in them.

They had gone to a secluded spot to practice, with the 'wind bursts' just a quick warm-up. Though with the strain of One For All, Hitoshi still felt like he'd been put through a ringer.

"Well done, young Shinsou," The clapping from his side drew his eyes. There stood All Might. He was in his deflated form of course, looking like a skeleton in an ill-fitting, banana-yellow striped suit. But it was All Might. It was always All Might to Hitoshi.

After all, one look into the almost glowing bright-sky blue eyes told him of the immense, overwhelming strength of his very soul.

"You're moving along in your mastery of One For All well."

"Thanks," Hitoshi flexed his arm, trying to get the aches out as he reached over and picked up a bottle of water. His fingers were shaking, twitching, and he frowned. He gripped the bottle tighter before taking a quick drink. As the water cooled him, he looked back to All Might, "Yeah, well, practice makes perfect, right?"

"Exactly," All Might gave him a big thumbs up. "That's how I got to the top!" This, however, was quickly replaced by a bloody coughing fit.

Hitoshi didn't reply and instead took another quick drink before offering it to his teacher, who took it gracefully, using quick sips to stop his coughing.

When he was finally recovered, he announced, "Well, now that we've warmed up, I'd like to see how your original quirk is doing."

Hitoshi almost choked, "Wha- what?"

"You heard me, right?" All Might frowned a little, "Your original quirk, brainwashing. I'd like you to use it while using One For All."

"Wh-why?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you see, One For All has another ability other than passing along the strength of its users," All Might began, "It adds that strength to whatever original strength was there. So, if you have a quirk, it enhances that quirk."

"Oh," Hitoshi blinked at this. He had never thought One For All could do that, but he supposed it made sense. Clearly there were a lot of weird things about One For All, apparently some that even All Might didn't know about.

"Well, I, erm," He'd still been using his original quirk, though he'd found that trying to combine both One For All and Brainwashing often exhausted him. He was recently trying to work up the stamina to keep going with them both.

Combining them had never really crossed his mind.

"You can practice on me," All Might chuckled, "Go ahead. Ask me a question."

Hitoshi had to admit he felt a little… not cool with this. Using his quirk on other people had always instilled him with a sense of guilt that had taken years to slowly begin eroding. Even now, within the walls of UA, where he was expected to use all of his skills all of the time in any hero situation, he would often have to remind himself that it was okay to use it.

Though he had come to increasingly see it as more of a gift than a curse in the light of the encouragement of Izuku and his friends.

But using it on All Might? The number one hero in the world?

Yeah, that was… oooh boy, that was quite the request. And to combine it with One For All?

"I dunno, All Might, I mean," He scratched the back of his neck and looked away, very conscious of the old habit but uncaring of how it appeared, "I might… completely mess up your brain or something."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," All Might brushed off his concerns with a casual wave. He then reached out and placed a hand squarely on his shoulder, looking the teenager right in the eyes, "Trust me. It'll be okay, young Shinsou. I believe in you, and your control over your quirks. You can do this."

Hitoshi blinked.

Then, a confident smile appeared on his lips and he nodded, "Right."

Hitoshi again let One For All flood into his body. His blood seemed to light on fire and every bone and muscle was ignited with power. He had heard the way Izuku had described his new union with Nemesis, the strength and fire that he felt almost ready to burst under his skin. He imagined it felt something a little like this. Though One For All always felt… good, in some undefinable, abstract way.

He could only wonder how dark Nemesis felt within Izuku's soul.

When he opened his eyes, violet lightning was arching and dancing once more across his whole body.

He mentally held onto it and then he switched on his other quirk, the quirk he'd been born with.

"All Might, what's your name?"

"Toshinori-" The man went to speak.

And Hitoshi reached out and grabbed him. Not physically but mentally, quickly throwing that invisible lasso around All Might's mind and enslaving it to his own will.

And nothing else.

He could feel One For All within him, he could even feel it assisting with his mental focus, but other than that… he felt nothing unusual within Brainwashing.

Hitoshi didn't even look at All Might as he released him.

"Huh- oh! Hah, that was interesting!" All Might beamed brightly at the young man, "It was like being right outside my own body, what do the kids call it? Discombobulating?"

"Dissociating," Hitoshi mumbled, looking down as he did so.

"… what's wrong?"

"I didn't… feel anything, All Might. It didn't seem to… I dunno," He poked two fingers together, "Connect."

"Hum," All Might frowned at this, rubbing his pointed chin with one hand, "I see…"

"What was it like when you used One For All with your quirk?" Hitoshi asked, finally looking back to the far taller man.

"Oh, I never had a quirk, I was quirkless," All Might mused. When he caught the look of shock in Hitoshi's eyes, he chuckled, "I know, surprising, right? The strongest hero in the world was originally a quirkless hopeful. I guess we all have to start somewhere."

All Might. Quirkless. He couldn't picture it. It just didn't fit. No matter how his brain tried to wrap around the idea it just wouldn't… fit. Eventually, he just pushed it to one side. He'd seen Half-Fallen Angels go into crazy insane rampages, he'd met and talked to actual demons, and he'd even started seeing creepy, leach-like unborn on a daily basis.

But All Might? Quirkless? Couldn't happen.

"So, you didn't feel your original quirk connecting with One For All? Interesting."

"Do you think something's wrong with me? Or One For All?" Hitoshi was already prepared to accept that as the truth. He'd never been one to beat himself up too much, other than the obvious, but he wouldn't be surprised if such a mental quirk didn't play well with a quirk that was very physical in nature.

All Might frowned for a while longer before shrugging, "It's possible it's nothing more than a psychological thing."

"Psychological?"

"Well, I've noticed a few things about you, young Shinsou," All Might allowed his grimace to become a smile, "You hesitate."

"What?"

"While fighting, in the combat exercises. You never hesitate to help others, to fight against robots, or to rescue people. But," He wagged a finger at Hitoshi, "When it comes to using your quirk on others, even if it'll help achieve your goal, there's a second of hesitation. And now, ever since you gained One For All, I've noticed you rely on that more than you do your original quirk."

Hitoshi froze at this before again, looking away. He knew it was true. He had never wanted to admit it, but it was true.

He let out a dry laugh, "One For All is a strong quirk. I can punch through walls. Any kid in the world would dream of having it over…"

"Over Brainwashing," All Might's tone was heavy, but it held a strength that Hitoshi knew he needed at that moment, "But that's not true."

"How? How is that not true?" Hitoshi quickly snapped before realizing his voice and pulling back, "I mean. You're All Might. Everyone wants to be All Might."

"There are plenty of times I don't," All Might replied in a tone that brought a deep silence with it. A chill took to the air, and All Might turned, "Come on, let's end it there today."

As he began walking back, Hitoshi followed close by his side. He was silent. Silent because he was stunned that All Might would ever have… doubts. Fears. Worries. That sometimes, even All Might didn't want to be All Might.

"I know what it's like to feel like your quirk is a burden. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't cursed One For All a thousand times. Sometimes I wished I'd never had it, that I could go back to some normal civilian life and pretend everything would be okay without me." He paused again, the only sound being the twigs he crunched under his feet. "But that's not me. And it's not you either."

Hitoshi glanced at the man. Even in this form, even with every bone showing under his thin, almost breakable skin, even being drowned in that ill-fitting suit of his.

Even with all of that, All Might still seemed to glow with the strength and light of his power. Even if that was a fading power, it would never truly vanish. Not from him.

"I know you have reservations over your quirk, young Shinsou. I did too when I got One For All. Could I really use it to do good? To help people? Was I worthy of it?" He sighed, "I never got to talk to my mentor about any of that. I lost her before…" He looked to his protégé, "But I'm here, I've not gone yet. And I intend to be here for you. I can't claim to understand the anxiety you have with your quirk, but perhaps I can understand the cause."

As they reached the edge of the forest, All Might turned and looked to Hitoshi. The sun was setting, casting them all in an orange glow, and the wind seemed to whip around the lifeless blonde hair on his head, just as it tussled through Hitoshi's own unruly locks.

"You are not a villain, Hitoshi Shinsou. You are my successor, the next Symbol of Peace, and one day you'll grow to fully inherit that title."

Hitoshi let the moment stand for a second, before his big mouth ruined the moment, "Are you going to officially anoint me? With a sword?"

All Might frowned in confusion before, amazingly, the joke clicked, "Oh! Like one of those, erm, knights!" He laughed suddenly and grinned, "Maybe I should! Though I don't own any swords."

"And we need witnesses, apparently," Hitoshi mumbled as he looked around.

"What was that?"

"Oh, erm, nothing, just reminded me of something Izuku said," He shrugged and turned to leave, "Cya tomorrow, All Might."

"Wait a moment, young Shinsou," All Might called, causing the teenager to stop and turn.

"Hm?"

"You and young Midoriya," All Might suddenly seemed… tense. No, not tense, but somewhere that was definitely hovering around the suspicious mark, "You're close, yes?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend," And Hitoshi had no problem admitting it. Sure, the others were also all his friends, but Izuku? Izuku was the first friend he ever made, and besides that, he was one of only three people in class who could still keep up with him.

He supposed that also made them rivals.

The Symbol of Peace versus the Prince of Hell.

It sounded like bad fan fiction.

"I don't know how else to put this so I suppose I'll just come right out and ask," He put his hands onto his hips in what almost looked like his classic All Might pose. Minus the muscles of course. "Do you know how Hawks helped him?"

The question stunned Hitoshi. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Was he really about to lie to All Might? To his face? He really didn't want to. He really didn't want to. But what else could he say? 'Oh, sure, he just needed to master in inner Fallen Angel. He's a Half-Fallen Angel Prince by the way and his dad is Lucifer'.

"Well, I-"

"I only ask because, well," All Might turned for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. Hitoshi would have burst out laughing if he wasn't so nervous. All Might was copying him, him, of all people! "I've been trying to help him with that power of his for so long and, well," He chuckled and smiled, and there was certainly something genuine about it.

But Hitoshi knew there was something he wasn't saying.

"Hawks helped him in a week! I just want to know what I was missing all this time, you know?"

There was a pause.

"He said Hawks helped him find his balance," Hitoshi answered, "He said he learned how to meditate and do Tai Chi, and that's what helped him."

There was nothing to his tone. Nothing that could give it away at least. Because if All Might could get away with half-truths, so could he.

All Might sighed and then nodded, "I should have suspected the answer would be something that easy. He needed internal, mental balance, not more physical training." His head shook in disappointment at his own failures before looking back to his protégé, "Thank you, young Shinsou. Now," A warm and, this time truly genuine, smile appeared on his face, "On you go. I've got work to do, and you've got exams coming up. Go home and study hard."

"Right," Hitoshi gave his teacher a quick bow, "Cya tomorrow."

As the two turned away from one another, Hitoshi couldn't help but feel a deep twist in his stomach.

Maybe he hadn't lied to the Symbol of Peace, but he sure as hell hadn't told him the whole truth. He felt the crushing weight of his failure to be open with his teacher weigh on his shoulders, becoming an almost physical burden he had to bear.

Life just kept getting more and more complicated, and increasingly he felt as though he was powerless to stop it.

U.A. became different at night.

During the day it was a shining beacon of education, progress, and hope. It was a mecca for all who wished to rise in the ranks of the pro-heroes, to become something more than they already were.

But at night, it became… different.

There was an oddly haunted feel to the building, as if it were watched over by maligned spirits which faded in the coming of the morning sun. Even the teachers understood this, and few stayed late on its grounds after the darkness set it.

Yet, despite this, a handful of lights pierced the gloom of the summer night, almost all of them coming from the teachers' lounge high on the upper floors.

Two figures moved within the room, half-shadowed themselves as no direct lights were on. Instead, they were lit only by the faux-light of the PC screens, an exit sign and the one light that lined the coffee area.

A figured turned from that light, tall and thin, with straggling, dying blonde hair.

Toshinori raised the cup of hot, green tea to his lips. It was caffeine-free, his stomach refused to handle much else these days. Chiyo had told him to stop drinking tea entirely, but the day he stopped drinking tea would be the day they set his body aflame and cast his ashes to the pacific.

It was how he wanted to go.

The man before him raised tired eyes to greet him. He almost blended naturally into the shadow the darkness being worn like an old cloak about his shoulders. Shouta sat on the table, papers and a keyboard pushed to one side.

"So, why did this have to wait until now?"

Toshinori licked the bitterness from his lips and his dark eyes glanced to the door, "I've had a busy day."

"Doing what?"

He chuckled, "You could call it Symbol of Peace business."

Shouta raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

"So, who wants to go first, me or you?"

Shouta groaned, "Fine, I'll go first," he cleared his throat with a gruff cough before announcing, "I finally talked with Hawks yesterday. Bastard took me two weeks to pin down."

"You know what they say, he's the man who goes too fast," Toshinori shrugged as he pulled up a chair, easing himself into it. He noticed this now, more than before. His bones aching after standing for too long, his old wounds biting at him and even the fresher burn mark along his neck seemed to itch.

Ever since he handed his quirk over.

He hadn't expected everything to start catching up so quickly, he supposed he had always relied a little too much on One For All's strength. But he'd always found punching the problem usually solved the problem.

"So, what did he say?" Toshinori pushed, his voice low, "Any insights into how he helped young Midoriya?"

"You mean fixed him?"

'Fixed Midoriya'. It was such an… insulting way of putting it, but dammit, he was right. Midoriya had been a broken child when they'd found him. They'd tried to put him back together, to repair whatever machinery within him was caught and blocked.

To fix that problem called Nemesis.

But, to their quiet disgrace, they hadn't been the ones to accomplish it.

"… No," Toshinori mumbled into his tea, his eyes looking elsewhere, "I mean helped."

Shouta didn't reply. His fingers seemed to tighten as he gripped the table under him, and a troubled look fell across his usually stoic brow.

"You know I found out that Izuku's location was changed at the last minute. Almost literally. I got a text on the way to the train station," Shouta's eyes stared into his memories, "And to think he was going to Hawk's agency. I've never seen that man take on anyone. But I didn't think much of it, as long as I knew where Izuku was, and all the paperwork was in order, I was fine. But when I questioned him…"

Toshinori watched as the Shouta turned his eyes on him. They almost seemed to flash in the dark.

"Hawks knew about Izuku."

"What do you mean?"

"He knew about Izuku. He knew about the USJ, the tests we did on his quirk. He knew everything."

"But that's… that's classified information."

"I know."

Silence between the two men fell uneasily. Within the office, the printer beeped, PC fans whirred, and the fridge hummed.

"How?"

Shouta sighed, "Hisashi Hokori told him. They met, actually."

Toshinori's face screwed up in disgust, "I should have known." He paused for a moment as the scowl fell from his face, "Have you… have you ever talked to him? About young Midoriya?" Toshinori braved.

"No, why?"

"I have. After the USJ we, well, talked isn't the right word," Though he hesitated to use the word 'threatened', "He's remarkably attached to him."

"Attached?"

"No, no, not like that," Toshinori shook his head at the implication and sipped a little more at his tea, "No, it was more like…" He chewed his lip for a moment, letting the tea warm his bone-thin hands, "Like he had some kind of investment in the child. Like he knew him, personally, and wanted him to succeed like any of us would a student." A wry smile appeared on his lips as he raised the tea up again, "He told me I would never hurt Izuku again."

Shouta folded his arms, "He threatened the number one hero?"

"He did."

Shouta didn't smile at the ludicrousness of the statement. Perhaps because he had met Hisashi Hokori, and in some small way, knew it was no idle statement.

It was, indeed, a threat.

"That makes sense then, considering he arranged that Izuku would go to Hawks specifically," Shouta added, "And when I confronted Hawks about it, he seemed to act in the same way. Like I was intruding on something personal, between himself, Hisashi and Izuku. He told me-" He stopped suddenly as the sound of something, clumsily bumped its down the hallway from some unknown source. It didn't repeat, and so, in a more conspiratorial whisper, he continued, "He told me he and Hisashi were family."

Toshinori's eyes widened, the darkness within them seeming to lift for just a moment in shock, "They're… related?" He seemed to disbelieve the words even as he spoke them. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know, I have no proof, they don't even look alike… but…" Shouta had no idea how to put it into words. And yet as he looked to Toshinori, he knew, instantly, that the man understood.

Another long moment stretched, broken by the sounds of background machines and the occasional, mysterious noise that naturally echoed from within U.A.'s bowls.

"Have you ever worked with him?"

Shouta nodded, "Briefly, I've never seen him in action."

"I have, once," Said Toshinori, his voice barely a whisper and his thoughts years in the past, "But I'll never forget it. The speed he could move was incredible. But what struck me was the way he fought. I… I don't think he fights to save," His voice hardened, "He fights to kill, and holds back at the last second. He doesn't fight like a hero," Blue eyes that shone in the dark turned back to Shouta, "He fights like a soldier."

The implication weighed heavily in the air.

"So, unless he was serious about being Hisashi's family, what do you think their connection is? And why is Izuku so important to them?"

"They could have been in combat together. I've heard soldiers call each other family before," Toshinori continued, putting a hand over his mouth as he thought, "But Hawks is so young, it doesn't fit. But then again, I don't know anything about Hawks. I don't think anyone does. As far as I know, he just showed up on the scene a few years ago and rocketed his way to the number three spot."

"Do you even know his real name?" Shouta asked with a frown.

Toshinori shook his head, "No. Honestly I was hoping you would know. You're the one with the underground connections."

Now it was Shouta's turn to shake his head, "I found it out, but it took pulling a lot of strings just to get that. It's almost like there's nothing on him. Like his whole identity is mist."

"You know, I asked young Shinsou about Midoriya," Toshinori announced quietly, looking to the cooling tea in his hands.

"Oh?"

"He claimed that Hawks helped Midoriya find his balance using meditation and Tai Chi." A second passed, "Or at least, that's what Midoriya told him. But I don't think that much process could ever be made just by balancing out his inner chi."

Shouta nodded in agreement, "Hawks told me the same thing. He said Izuku needed a spiritual balance." The word sat ugly in the room, "I… I can't just believe that though. I know a few heroes believe faith helps them but, let's be real here. It's nothing but words into the air."

Toshinori didn't reply and again, the silence was filled only with the natural sounds of a skyscraper at night.

"Toshinori."

"Hmm."

"Have you ever seen Hokori use his quirk?"

The shadows seemed to grow darker, colder.

"No." He hesitated, "Do- do you know what it is?" Another pause, "Does he even have one?"

"His eyes," Shouta replied.

"They're completely black, sure." Toshinori stated simply, "But Hawks doesn't have eyes like that."

"But Izuku does," Shouta turned to lock Toshinori with his gaze, "When he uses his quirk, Izuku has eyes like Hokori's."

Toshinori felt as though he had hands around his throat and the burn scar seemed to tighten. Fear and anxiety were strangling the air from his lungs and yet he sat, motionless, stunned into silence.

Shouta seriously couldn't be implying…

"Hello?" The voice startled the two men, though one showed it more than the other. They turned as one to see the door to the teacher's lounge being pushed open and a white-furred head sticking its way in.

Nedzu looked to the two of them, blinking in surprise, "Oh! Shouta, Toshinori, I didn't expect to see you in here." He stepped further into the room, his voice calm and almost innocent. Almost. "Can I ask what you're doing here so late at night?"

"We were-"

"Working," Shouta cut in, his voice calm and solid, "The mid-terms are coming up, we were coordinating our notes on the hero course."

"Ah, a splendid idea," Nedzu smiled warmly, "I shall go retrieve my own notes if you wish. I've been putting thoughts into the summer exams. After all, in light of recent events, I believe we may need to re-think how we test our students this year."

"Sure, but if you don't mind, sir, we can do that in the morning," Shouta moved from the desk, stretching and rubbing the back of his neck, "I stayed late enough as is, and I have some hero work to sort out."

Toshinori caught the hint, "I'm afraid I'm in the same boat, sir." He finished his tea and stood up, not bothering to hide the wince as his bones ached at the action, "Oof, I think I stayed a little too long in my hero form today."

Nedzu's expression was unreadable, made even worst in the dull gloom of the teacher's office. However, he nodded once, sharply, and announced, "Fair enough, but I expect to see your combined notes on my desk tomorrow. In fact, I should really get everyone to compare notes, we must make sure these mid-terms go as smoothly as possible."

"Yes, sir." Shouta agreed in a dull tone, "Goodnight, sir."

"Goodnight to the both of you," And with that, the Principal turned and vanished from the room.

The two men stood, listening intently as they heard the soft patter of shoes move back down the corridor. The fact they hadn't heard them approaching did not sit well with either of them.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Toshinori whispered to the darkness of the office.

"Hokori is Nedzu's attack dog, we all know it," Aizawa whispered back, turning and beginning to gather his things, perhaps making a little too much noise for what it was worth. "We can't let him know our suspicions."

"You're not seriously implying…" Toshinori hissed, glancing back to the empty doorway before looking back.

"It's not just that. We're going entirely off conjecture with no proof of anything. You know how this works. Investigation, then conclusion, not the other way around," He gave the fellow hero a sharp, determined look, "And more than anything, we don't let Midoriya know. We have no idea how involved he is in all of this. He could be completely innocent. For now, we keep this between us and act as though nothing is wrong."

Toshinori felt it tug at everything in his heart that he considered right. He wasn't the type to sneak around, to mask his thoughts and feelings behind false pretenses. But… but he knew Shouta was right.

And damn him if he didn't already have his own mountain of secrets piled on his shoulders.

"Alright."

"Oh, and Toshinori," Shouta finally finished gathering his things and turned back to the door, pausing only to address the blonde, "Next time you find something. Don't tell me in a place where anyone can walk through the damn door."

SO THERE YAH GO. Firstly, a quick apology for the first part of the chapter. It's not great and I apologize, there turned out to be no really good, solid way of writing DS finding out the truth. So... yeah it kinda rolled out that way. Sorry guys.

The other two sections I'm much more happy with. Some good Hitoshi and Dad Might moments, which was needed I think, and the final part with Toshi and Aizawa conspiring. What will that lead to? Well, who knows!

Also, just in case, the timeline is this. Hawks met Aizawa the same day that Izuku and co hung out on the hill. Next day, Hitoshi did some after school lessons with Toshi and then that night Toshi met up with Aizawa. Everyone good? Good.

So next week we refocus back onto Izuku and go into the exam! And yes, I put all of the exam to one huge chapter. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it cos it was a heck of a thing to write.

Thank you all for reading, and I'll hopefully see you guys next time! Peace!