Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

A young man wanders. Unknown to him, people give him a wide berth on the street. Mikumo was too lost in his head to notice. People selling food in small stands call out their menu. Cars rumble along the asphalt. Billboards raised into the sky show advertisement after advertisement for an array of superficial products. He used to be used to this. He had lived in this time a lifetime ago.

All of it was overwhelming.

Countless hues passed him by, reminding him of the black sea he almost drowned in. No… more like the spiral of color that hung within his own mind. That’s better. Although, these were people, not quirks.

The smell of trash, food, exhaust, and petrichor all assaulted his nose. He could almost taste it all from how strong it was. Mikumo was used to the salt in the sea breeze and stagnant pressure of dust within abandoned buildings.

His wings shifted under his shirt, the fabric slightly pulling on his feathers. Makeshift bandages wrapped around his wrists and ankles, squeezing him comfortingly. The plaid green jacket he acquired hung around his shoulders, further grounding him with the weight.

There was so much to see and explore. To rediscover. Excitement bubbled up within him. The cities were standing tall, the locals, the specialties, the atmosphere was all here. A small corner store painted in blue caught his eye. It was one that hadn’t cared about his quirk status in middle school.

The shop had all sorts of things anyone could want; snacks, drinks, pencils, pens, paper, and paint. Notebooks. A bell chimed as he entered, “Good Morning! Welcome to Creative Corner!” The shopkeeper wasn’t the older lady he was expecting to see. No, the girl standing behind the counter looked to be around sixteen. Was this the same woman?

Short light blue hair fell into messy curls that complemented eyes the same shade as sapphires. She seemed to smile softly as Mikumo ducked his head down and quietly returned, “Hello.” God, when was the last time he had to make small talk? Please don’t drag him into that hell. Hardly any of the local shops had wanted to talk to him before anyway due to his well known quirklessness.

Thankfully, the girl let him be as he moved on to the back corner of the store. Sakeru cheese, mochi, pocky, onigiri, and all sorts of bento stared back at him. When was the last time he was able to have any of this without cooking it himself? On old instinct, a flicker of pink appeared around the items for less than a fraction of a second as he reached for them. Thankfully, he remembered and stopped himself.

He needed to pay for these, didn’t he? Really, it hit him like a train. He was in the past. Laws and regulations and social expectations existed again. He lived in a society… Even using his quirks was illegal unless he got a license. Which would require getting his quirk added to the national quirk registry… Ah.

Mikumo would have to think on that one. While registering All for One would be fine on paper, All For One was still out there. Given what he knew about the man and the implied influence he had seen when working for Doctor Garaki, being in the quirk registry would not end well for him. Nothing truly stopped him from just refusing to register a quirk for now.

Well, there was also the Hero Public Safety Commission to possibly be wary of, too. What would they do if they saw All for One in the registry? Would they give him a chance? Did they even have information on All For One himself to be able to recognize the quirk? Surely they did… Although, if they knew about the ancient man, why let him continue hiding in the shadows?

Hmm, maybe Mikumo would have to look into the commission as well. They might be an enemy to him on the principle of his own existence. Oh, that’s not even factoring the time travel too… Was that legal? Were there even laws on traveling back in time yet?

“Hey are you okay?” The white haired teen startled, dropping the banana pocky he had been holding. “Oh! Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” It was the store clerk. The concern in her deep blue eyes was genuine as she stared slightly up at him.

“Oh, y-yeah, I’m fine.”

“You were looking really intensely at that pocky while muttering under your breath. It was kind of creepy, but whatever. You good?”

His hand came up to rub at the back of his neck as he slightly diverted his gaze. “Yeah, I’m just realizing I don’t have any money.”

She slightly teased, “Forget your wallet?” Mikumo sighed.

“Something like that.”

“I’m sure my mom won’t mind if we’re missing a box of pocky.”

The girl had winked at him. Although, Mikumo found himself still taken aback, “No, I couldn’t! This is your shop, right? I can’t just take it without paying!”

“Well, you clearly wanted it badly enough to stare it down so hard. Pocky isn’t much, just take it. Besides! Just promise to come back another time and maybe buy me one as payment! Good?”

“What?”

“Well, it’s not like I can just take from the stock anytime I want. Besides, plenty of interesting people come by, and I like hearing their stories. Perfect inspiration for my music and writing! And, you look like an interesting person.”

Interesting, huh? That could be a way to put his general existence. His status as an outcast as a child, a quirkless freak, then studying under one of the most skilled and knowledgeable but maniac quirk scientists in the world. Finding himself as an unwilling experiment and waking up drowning. Defying commands that wormed their way into his mind as his home crashed down into dust around him. The country descending into chaos as he clawed his own relative peace into a small corner of the wreckage. Reconnecting with Kacchan, the fight, waking up here…

Blue eyes were looking at him again as the girl poked his arm, “Are you sure you’re good, dude?”

Even he wasn’t sure if he really was okay. A distraction, likely for both of them, he blurted out, “Shouldn’t you be looking over the store?”

She blinked. “You’re the only one here.” Green eyes scanned over the aisles, no one else was in sight. The girl poked his arm again, “Come on, you look slightly out of it. Come sit over by the counter, eat that pocky, and I’ll get you some water.”

Silently, he nodded and followed her through the store. He was having too many moments getting lost in his head this morning. There was just so much happening, so much to remember, so much to do to even live within this time. He couldn’t just wander like he had before. It was overwhelming, even as his mind continued to process and develop a plan of action through it all.

A small bench set against the wall behind the counter gave off a small creak as Mikumo sat down on it. His eyes turned to the large window at the front of the store, next to where the checkout was. People continued to crowd the sidewalks and streets outside as they hurried their way to work, meetings, or school.

A bottle nudged his arm and he turned back to the blue girl, “Here you are. My name is Aoitake Ruka by the way. What’s yours?”

“Mikumo.”

“No last name?” He didn’t move or say anything. “Well then, Mikumo, you seem to have a lot on your mind, wanna share any of it? Maybe it will help you sort through it all!”

He continued to stay silent. There was too much to cover, much less to a stranger. Like yeah, I’m just homeless, half nameless, don't even exist in any records because I should not be here! He… he shouldn’t be here. He was on his way to one of Nedzu’s bases with Kacchan, Toogata, Amajiki, Kirishima, Ashido, and Kouta. He should be there!

Breathe in, breathe out. What's done is done, he can only do as he always has. Keep moving forward. One step at a time. Hell, he didn’t even know what year it was yet. He looked back at Aoitake sitting next to him, “What year is it?” Her eyes widened.

“Twenty-one thirty-six. The eighteenth of April.”

“Fuck.” Mikumo knew he probably had time to explore around before having to fight but six years?! A decade in the past. He actually needed a long term job if he wanted to get resources like food, water, and whatever else. “Is your mom by chance hiring or know any place that would be looking to hire?”

Curiosity burned in her gaze, but Aoitake still answered his question rather than asking her own, “Ah… well, we aren’t hiring, but you might have some luck with some of the other local shops.” He sighed. “Anyway, you still haven’t opened that pocky. Eat dude.”

She shoved the box towards him again as he resigned, “Alright.”

Opening the box and handing a few sticks over to her, they quietly sat in the empty store together while slowly eating the snack. The whole experience was strange to him. He looked back out the window as he thought it over. Ten years. How had this peace and the bustling of the city compared to the widespread destruction, decay, and fear only been a few years apart?

The sound of a pencil gliding over paper filled the relative silence. Seconds ticked into minutes as Mikumo felt himself start to relax. His mind began to slow for the first time since waking up. Glancing over at Aoitake, he saw that she was sketching… Sketching him. He watched as each stroke brought a small caricature of him to life.

He couldn’t help but speak up as she seemed to be finishing the basic drawing, “I actually have wings, they’re just small enough to fit under my clothes.” She gasped at that, veritable stars were in her eyes as she rounded on him in an instant.

“Really?!”

“Er… yeah.”

“That’s so cool! I knew you were interesting. You have to tell me more sometime!”

Maybe he would. Just… not today. He got to his feet a minute later, wanting to brave the city streets once more. Aoitake grabbed his arm again, “Wait!” Mikumo hummed questioningly. “Do come by again! It was nice to sit with someone else my age for once. Usually only the elderly sit with me and tell me things.” Her genuine tone then shifted into something more playful, “It would also be good for business!”

He smiled, “Well, if it's for business, then I’ll have to, huh?” A small cheer sounded behind him as the door chimed above, and he stepped through to the world beyond. The smell of asphalt and exhaust greeted him as he breathed deeply once more. Sounds assaulted his ears even as he ducked into an alley a few minutes later and scaled the side of a building.

White curtly hair swayed in the breeze as Mikumo leaned backwards against the railing. His eyes were closed as he allowed the background din of the city below to wash over him. Slowly growing accustomed to the noise, to the chaos. As time continued to tick away, he felt more and more grounded to his new present.

Thoughts wandered to his past, the future. Kouta was surely mad at him. The boy had lost his parents when they sacrificed themselves to save people they didn’t even know. The Water Hose had then been praised for their sacrifice, celebrated for their deaths. Mikumo could only assume that it looked like he died to all of them.

The teen had saved Kouta from a noumu after the kid got separated from the resistance group led by Nedzu. Since then, they had become each other’s family in the bleak world left in the wake of The Fall of Heroes. He… he wouldn’t see Kouta again, would he? At least not his Kouta.

Tears fell as he thought of his brother in all but blood… Kacchan. They had only just reconnected after four years. Both of them had changed so much. The blonde had apologized for everything, and Mikumo couldn’t help but forgive him with open arms. Without his mother, Kacchan, Aunt Mitsuki, and Uncle Masaru was all he had left. Even then, he hadn’t trusted the Bakugous when he needed them most.

What would have happened if he had run to Aunt Mitsuki rather than going with Doctor Garaki? How much would that have changed? Mikumo sighed. He would still be quirkless. The Fall of Heroes would still have happened. It… it was unlikely he would have been able to survive or contribute to anything after The Fall. A quirkless person wasn’t strong enough to help others like a hero would.

He could never be a hero. Not when he had lacked the power to be one. Not when he had the power of a true demon flowing through his veins. Not when he had helped create the creatures that stalked the nightmares of survivors in the wilderness outside All For One’s empire.

There was no going back to change his own past. There was no going back to his own time. Although, he already refused to sit back for The Fall of Heroes. He had six years before then. Six years to live his own life free from the noumu, from the Good Doctor, from Lord All For One. Maybe the sentiment was selfish, but he wasn’t a hero.

Mikumo had no allies, friends, or family, but he also had no enemies seeking him out. As long as he didn’t reveal himself too soon, hid the fact that he was a demon lying in wait, he could possibly change the future for the better for this version of his family.

Large tears still fell as he allowed himself to mourn everything that had happened. When would the universe stop taking everything from him time and time again? His mother, his home, his brother. Breathe in, breathe out. One step in front of the other.

After calming down and leaping off the roof, Mikumo continued to wander the streets. He asked shop after shop if they were hiring. All of them turned him down, asking information he couldn’t give or even, in one case, for his mutant features. His legs bent at weird angles, giving the illusion of two knees, while his canines were too sharp to be normal.

“What’s your quirk?”

“Scram, freak.”

“No last name? Get lost.”

“No, sorry. We’re not hiring at the moment.”

“Maybe the shop across the street will have an opening?”

“You gotta at least have some ID, kid.”

Mikumo hadn’t even been that aware of mutation class quirks receiving similar discrimination as the quirkless. It made perfect sense, though. The unevolved and the inhuman, considered lesser than the rest. Not fully human.

Continuing to walk along the side of the street, he tilted his head back and sighed to the clouds above. It was the late afternoon and his head was vastly clearer than that morning, now noticing how people seemed to avoid him as he went along. It wasn’t every single person, but enough for him to catch it.

Musutafu Library neared as the teen slowed. The building had curving walls made of brick and glass. It was quite old but still had a beautiful style to it. If he remembered correctly, there should be some free to use computers that he could use to look online for jobs or possibly try forging an ID.

Well, that was as good of a start as any compared to the continuous rejection from the local stores. Mikumo stepped into the main branch. Several levels with rows of bookshelves greeted him. The main floor led to a railing overlooking the bottom floor, while another towered above him in the air. Swooping ramps and staircases crisscrossed across the space, large enough for people up to four meters tall to fit into the spaces between the floors.

Every upper level looked over the main entrance and kiosk. Thousands of books lined the dozens of shelves. Each with their own story, history, and complexity. He would never be able to read them all. The last time he was here, water from an overnight storm poured though a hole in the roof, watering plants and vines that had begun to creep around the fake gold phoenix statue in the center.

A librarian with pastel pink hair and yellow eyes made his way over to Mikumo, “Hello. Welcome to Musutafu Library. Do you need a library card?” The man was on the taller side, wearing dark slacks and a white turtleneck to accentuate his thin height. Circle glasses the same shade of pink as his hair sat upon his nose.

He paused for a moment to consider it, “Do I need one to access the computers?”

“Yes, you do.”

“Then, yes please.”

The man clapped his hands softly with a smile, “Right this way then!” They made their way over to the kiosk in the center. “Give me a moment to get the system up to register you.” The teen waited awkwardly as the man clicked around on the computer behind the desk. “Alright, I’ll need your name and address please.”

Mikumo paused, “Just Mikumo and, uh, I don’t have an address at the moment.”

The man looked over at him. Seeming to analyze him before sighing, “Running away from home?” He sighed. “Too many kids like you, here come on. What’s your new name?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve seen too many people like you. Running from something or someone. People just down on their luck with nowhere to go. So, any thought to your new name in life?”

“I- what? No.”

“People will not take you seriously without a last name, kid. I can give you an address for mail, but the name is yours.”

This was the second time today a stranger offered to help him in some way without him asking for it. “Why help me?” The man looked at him sadly.

“Exactly that right there. Too many young folks that were never given a hand in their time of need. So many of them either mutants or quirkless as the system favors the strong emitters and transformation class people. I have some friends that can create new identities if your old one is a danger to you, what you do with your new life is up to you.”

“What’s the price?”

A sigh. “Nothing. My connections and I just like helping those in need. I doubt the police would help you get a new identity without divulging your old one, hm? The system doesn’t protect those on the fringes of society.”

He was silent as he thought about it. The guy seemed genuine in his offer. What was his name? He hadn’t thought much about a last name, but one came to mind abruptly and felt right, “Akatani… Akatani Mikumo.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, April 18, 2136

“Akatani Mikumo, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Akatani. My name is Tokai Tomoki. It’ll take a day or so to get your papers together but come back Friday to check in with me about them. In the meantime, we can get your library card sorted.” Tokai pulled out a few papers and a brochure, setting them in front of Mikumo. “Just sign a few of these, here and… here.”

His signature was sloppy as he signed his new name for the first time. “Would you happen to know anywhere that’s hiring as well? I need a job.”

“Hmm, I don’t imagine you’ll have much luck getting accepted anywhere till I get your paperwork for you, but I can hand you some business cards along with your documents either Friday or next week.”

“That would be a massive help. Thank you.”

“Ah! And here is your library card.” The pink haired man handed the small piece of plastic to him with a flourish, “Feel free to check out some books or use the computers downstairs.” Mikumo nodded and made his way down to the lower level.

He didn’t need to use the computer for forging an identity for himself anymore, but it may be best to survey the city for any news or points of interest that he wouldn’t have known about as a kid. He could do that another time. Hundreds of books lined the shelves and well, he had time to kill before he could do much of anything in the city.

Mikumo stood atop the roof of a building in the heart of Musutafu. The ocean glistened with red, yellow, pink, orange, blue, and purple in the distance. A breeze blew freely over the rest of the buildings, ruffling his curls. He breathed deeply, the scent of decay completely missing. It was still hard to believe that the city was actually standing and bustling around him.

All Might had been the talk of the news, as was typical years ago. The hero was still alive and in his prime. How strange to see someone that had been dead for years running around and punching villains. Almost like a ghost.

Oh god, his mother. She would be alive in this time.

She… she wouldn’t remember him. Would she recognize him? Did he want her to acknowledge him? She was his mother but a different version of her. A version from ten years ago. Would it hurt her to know how much he lived through? He changed so much. Would she accept him? Maybe he should check in on her tomorrow and try to decide then.

He sighed as he stared back out towards the twilight over the sea. Stars were just beginning to peak through the atmosphere, hard to see with the light pollution of the city below. Even then, Mikumo was able to watch as a small light arced across the sky.

A shooting star. Small bits of rock falling through the atmosphere, burning up within the atmosphere into trails of stardust. A symbol of good fortune and new beginnings. He could only wish that this time would be kinder as he rebuilt another life for himself, again.

He was so tired.

Mikumo yawned as he turned away from the last hints of twilight on the horizon. There were good things that had come about from being a nomad for so long, like knowing when it would rain. He was safe to sleep under the stars for the night.

Pink light briefly reflected on the concrete below him as he summoned a few of the blankets he had taken years ago. Pocket was the first quirk he took after receiving All for One, and continued to be one of his favorites for the sheer utility it provided. Stretching as he laid down, sleep found him quickly.

A sinister voice laughed in his ear, “Calm down. It’ll only hurt for about forty-five seconds… Then it’ll all be over.” Light streamed in at the end of the underpass tunnel as he struggled. Disgusting green sludge encompassed him, slowing his movements, as more of the slimy substance forced its way down his throat.

Each attempted breath only welcomed the intruder more. His fingers dug into the viscous liquid, trying to find any purchase to pull it out. At least until it switched directions all of a sudden. Black slime burst from his mouth and briefly blinded him before he felt the sensation of falling.

He hit the floor as another voice seemed to purr, “Doctor, your newest pet seems to have survived!” The phantom sensation of pain accompanied him across his body as he coughed out liquid that wasn’t there. A hand found itself in his hair, ruffling his curls in a comforting manner.

The voice of his master sounded out above him, “Relax.” He couldn’t help but lean into it, a strange feeling whispering to him to trust the man and obey. “You're falling behind… My greatest creation yet… Unacceptable.” His gut lurched again as he fell once more.

Before stood an avian creature, a noumu with multiple quirks. The white feathers on its back shifted as it ran forward. Lifeless eyes were switched with furious white as it neared. Lord All For One replaced the monster as the man lifted him by his shirt. “Stop resisting.”

The Demon King dropped him down into the pitch black ocean below. Countless colors swirled around him as he strained his senses within the inky water to orientate himself on which way was up. A woman’s voice filled his ears with a panicked tone, “I-I can’t… can’t breathe…” He couldn’t breathe—

Mikumo shot awake, coughing up imaginary fluid from his lungs, gasping for breath. His heart hammered inside his chest. He got to his feet, quickly finding himself gripping the railing as he looked out across the unbroken horizon. Far from the underground laboratory compound under Jaku General Hospital. Far from the underpass tunnel he almost died in. Far from his own time where it happened at all.

The eastern sky was already beginning to brighten in the predawn. He breathed in deeply as the breeze brushed his freckled face. One of the brightest stars, Sirius, greeted the coming sunrise even through the haze of light pollution. Canis Major chased the darkness of night away.

Hunger gnawed at him as stores and stands opened to sell all kinds of meals and snacks to the busy people passing by. The animals he would previously find and hunt within the city were nowhere to be found with all the noise, smells, and people. There were likely to be laws against hunting anyway, and he didn't want to explain to law enforcement why he didn't exist in their system.

It was possible that he still had some food within Pocket, but it was a toss up whether any of it could be eaten without cooking it first. Mikumo severely doubted that he could just make a fire wherever he wanted to make a meal. Not because he couldn’t but because of laws. Damn society. Just taking something to eat also held the same problem.

Well, okay, his options were begging for food or money. Maybe trying to work as payment for something to eat? He could try to be extra stealthy and sneak something… No. Mikumo turned as he headed back in the direction of the sea. No one ever cared to look at the dumping grounds of Takoba. He could make a small fire and cook something there for now.

It was past midday as Mikumo laid on the low wall of another rooftop, basking in the sunlight as he waited. The pink haired man had told him to come to the library tomorrow, and he had nothing to occupy him in the meantime. It was strange how he didn’t need to worry about getting attacked by a noumu, but all the same, he was alert for any sign of danger.

An apartment complex stood across from him, identical to the one he was perched on. Green eyes watched and waited. Time continued to tick away until he spotted who he had been looking for. Midoriya Inko. Her forest green hair was hung in a beautiful bun as bangs came down to frame her emerald eyes. The exact same shade as his own.

He knew she was alive but seeing her breathing was so much different than just knowing it. Bakugou Mitsuki walked alongside her, clearly chatting with each other just outside of Mikumo’s earshot. Tears fell, and it became harder for him to see. He wanted to just teleport down there and hug her, to mumble apologies for things she wouldn’t understand.

She would never fully understand. This wasn’t his Inko. She died four years ago, and a piece of him had died with her. Movement caught his eye as a small green blur darted down the street. Wiping his eyes, he watched as Inko stumbled from the impact of… Izuku.

That was him. The green haired kid had to be only eight and barely reached Inko’s waist. Inko picked him up as a mini version of Kacchan appeared soon after.

The tiny blond seemed reluctant to walk down the street to where the rest of them stood. After only a few moments, Mitsuki gave a quick hug to Inko and Izuku before walking over to where Katsuki, this wasn’t his Kacchan, waited.

The Bakugous disappeared around the corner towards their own home a few blocks away as Inko walked both herself and Izuku up to their apartment. An apartment Mikumo knew like the back of his own hand, despite never setting foot inside it from anyone else's perspective. He knew so much that he shouldn’t, he shouldn’t exist.

But he did. There was no going back.

Mikumo had never asked for this, he never asked for any of this. He never asked for the power of All for One thrumming in his veins. He never asked to wake up ten years in the past. He never asked to have to start over again and again and again.

All the same, it had been his choice. He chose to study under the doctor, to trust that man. He chose to wander in spite of receiving an offer from the heroes. He chose to throw himself into danger for the chance of protecting his family and friends.

… He didn’t regret it.

The white haired teen continued to lay in the sun and relax for a few more hours, even managing to briefly fall asleep before instinct took back over to be on alert. After that, he summoned his latest notebook and began to sketch Inko and Izuku. Mikumo had to admit that he had been pretty cute as a child.

As the sun began to hang lower in the sky, he stood up and stretched. Looking across the skyline, he broke out into a sprint. Claws digging into the stone below with experience in this terrain. His wings were still constrained under his shirt, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still leap between the rooftops of Musutafu.

He ran with no destination in mind. Total freedom as he soared through the air. The landmarks he had ingrained within his mind were warped, but still stood tall and recognizable. Like an echo of what once was. Broken, chipped, scoured, overgrown, and cracked buildings were all replaced with perfectly smooth concrete, steel, wood, and glass containing few imperfections.

A few fights had broken out between heroes and villains as he made his way across rooftop after rooftop. He had paused each time to watch the fights below. It felt nice to write away theory after theory for the first time in so long, not to rip apart an enemy or theorize which quirks would work well together in a noumu, but just for the hell of it.

He could already tell that his analysis skill had improved, despite his lack of actually recording his thoughts while hunting noumu. It was also likely aided by his understanding with quirks from All for One. All the quirks he currently possessed and the ones he briefly held while helping to create the noumu each had their own feeling of energy. Similar quirks tended to feel alike in some way. Function similarly too.

Eventually, twilight hung over the city once more as Mikumo slowed in his aimless journey. He scrambled up the side of a higher building in the area he found himself in and perched on the customary railing for flat roofs before tipping forward to stand on the solid ground. He was getting lucky with the weather being so nice. Within seconds, he called forward a few blankets to cushion the ground and flopped down to sleep under the stars once more.

Thankfully, no nightmares found him this time.

The next morning, the avian found himself strolling through the main entrance of Musutafu Library in a much lighter mood than before. Much more grounded than before. He was in the past, that was his reality now. So what? It wouldn’t stop him from living.

“Ah, Akatani! Good to see you again. I have those papers ready for you. Come.” The librarian led him to a small office hidden in a small corner to the side of the main floor. Tokai walked around a desk and sat behind it while motioning Mikumo to take one of the seats in front of it.

The office was quite inviting with warm and dark tones, plants that grew in various pots around the place on shelves holding various books and trinkets. Brass weaved through the space in various fixtures that seemed to only act as art and a dim source of light. A picture of a small girl with brown hair and wine red eyes sat on the desk itself.

A small stack of papers hit the wooden desk, knocking him from his observations. “Here you are, make sure you look through the information. Some of the details can be changed to better fit your own backstory, but it’ll cost this time.” Tokai paused before scrambling through his desk and pulling out a small stack of cards. “Almost forgot the business cards, tell them Tokai sent you, and they might take you on.” He smiled softly as Mikumo reached forwards. “I wish you good luck moving forward, Akatani.”

“Thank you, this is already so much more than I could have asked for. How could I repay you?”

“There’s no need to repay me. I do this because I want to… My own daughter was in a similar situation. Authorities would just give her back to her abuser unless we changed her name and hid her in the records.” Tokai sighed, “I don’t care what your story is, I could just tell you needed similar help.”

“Still, thank you.”

Mikumo stood before a small cafe, one that only locals in the know would ever be able to find. A large window allowed light to stream in, while the entrance was positioned to the side of the storefront. A fluffy black cat sat against the glass staring intently at him with vibrant yellow eyes, almost daring him to just enter already.

Taking a deep breath, the young white haired man stepped through the entrance of Nekohana. This was the third location he’s been to from the cards Tokai gave him. Each one had rejected him so far, even when he mentioned the librarian.

Small seating areas dotted the space, some even as small cushions scattered across the floor. Cat trees, walkways, beds, and toys littered the space, providing a utopia for the adorable creatures. Across from the entrance, creating an L shape with the back and side wall, stood a bar and display case next to it showing off all sorts of sweet treats.

Behind the display counter was an androgynous person with pale skin and deep black hair. Their eyes caught Mikumo’s attention as large vibrant yellow irises were surrounded with pitch black sclera. The pupil seemed to be slit like a cat’s too as their eyes narrowed on him.

Their tired voice rang across the short space to where Mikumo had approached the counter, “Welcome to Nekohana, what can I get for you today? Do mind that we’re closing soon.”

“Oh! Uh- I’m looking for…” Mikumo pulled the business card from his pocket again to double-check the name on it, “Tamakawa?” Good thing he decided to keep the cards on him rather than storing them inside the quirk.

The barista slowly blinked at him before moving to a door in the back and knocking on it before opening it to yell, “Hey, Tama! A kid’s looking for you!”

A bang came from the floor above before a minute later, a man stuck his face out and looked over at the teen. His voice was best described as gruff as he spoke, “What do you want?” His hair was a blue-gray, while his eyes were a striking light green. A fluffy tail the same color as the man’s hair followed him as he stepped around the corner on cat-like legs and paws. “What? Cat got your tongue?”

The man smiled as Mikumo sputtered for a second before being able to articulate words again, “Are you Tamakawa?” The cat-man briefly nodded. “Well, uh, I heard from Tokai that you might be hiring?”

He hummed before rhetorically asking, “Tomoki sent you, huh? Man’s too kind for his own good. You’re in luck. Hayami here could use some help running this place when I’m not around.”

The barista, Hayami, yawned before jumping in, “Rush hour is exhausting.”

Tamakawa scanned him before continuing, “Although, you’re clearly a street kid… Make sure you wash up before setting foot in here tomorrow, got it?”

“Wait, just like that?” he asked, dumbfounded. That was too easy after so many rejections in his life. He was already prepared to be looking for work for the next week. When has the world ever been this kind?

“Tomoki sent ya. He clearly saw something in you and deemed your character alright. He’s good at reading people quickly. Show up at eight o’clock sharp tomorrow morning, clean, and you can consider yourself hired.”

“Thank you sir! I won’t let you down!” Mikumo smiled at the man, even as anxiety began to creep into his bones. Too much was going well for him the past few days. How long would his good luck last?

Tamakawa smiled widely back at him, “Make sure you don’t. I look forward to working with you, ah-”

“Akatani Mikumo, sir.”

“Akatani.”

The barista spoke up again as the black cat from the window jumped onto his shoulders, “Alright, I want to go home already. Cafe closed a few minutes ago. All the other cats are already asleep.”

“Oh! Sorry…”

Yellow eyes glanced over at him, “Nothing to apologize for.”

The cat seemed to disappear as Hayami left the front entrance. Tamakawa soon spoke up, “Well, are you going to get out of here and sleep wherever you hole up or what?”

“Ah, sorry. Yeah, I’ll head out. Thank you again, Tamakawa.”

“Don’t sweat it, kid.” The man paused before closing the door to the upstairs, “How old are you anyway?”

“Eighteen.”

Tamakawa smirked with a hint of mischief in his eyes, “Still a kid, then.”

The moon shone brightly over head, not as bright as it could be as it waned. Mikumo sat atop the cafe’s roof as he read. He had grabbed a few books pertaining to quirk science and the stars. Even after everything with the Good Doctor, he still found himself drawn to quirks. Maybe it was a side effect of All for One, maybe it was just who he was. He would never know now.

A gust picked up and flipped through the pages of the book in his lap. Despite the April chill, he didn’t feel cold. With his place lost, he dismissed the book to within Pocket and took off the shirt and jacket he took a few days ago to stretch his wings. Soreness and relief were felt hand in hand as he realized he should have done that sooner.

Tomorrow was truly his new start. He would have purpose again, instead of just wandering the city without aim. Tomorrow he would have to return to Takoba to find some new clothes and wash up as best he could. If he remembered right, there was a pile far from any rotting substances that would be clean enough to wear.

Tomorrow was a new day.

Chapter Text

Saturday, April 21, 2136

Mikumo ran through the streets at a breakneck pace. The sun was rising higher on the horizon behind him. He had used Takoba to get ready for the day and eat again but lost track of time without, you know, a way to track it. The wind passed through his feathers as his wings corrected his balance while he rounded a corner at full speed. 7:52

Before he ate, the young man had found a white shirt and blue jeans that were both a little big on him, but perfect for what he needed. Using some scissors he found amongst the trash, he cut out a triangle in the back of it this time.

Claws slipped on stone as Mikumo dodged from running into an old lady from the side. “Sorry!” Another storefront graciously displayed the time. 7:56

He made it another block before he was forced to realize that he wouldn’t make it to Nekohana on time with the rate he was going. Shit. Decision made, he ducked into the first alley he saw and pictured the roof of the cafe in his mind. The force of All for One urged the quirk he named Blink to surge in strength from a dull hum that was barely there into something real, something powerful. With destination primed, he closed his eyes and blinked.

The rooftop greeted him when he opened his eyes again, shadows along the edges of his vision rapidly retreating. Without stopping, Mikumo vaulted himself over the edge into the alley below. Strength activating to take some of the recoil as he hit the ground three stories down. The impact was less than he was expecting, even with the strength quirk.

He didn’t have time to ponder that as he raced his way out of the alley and around the street corner. Slowing when he approached the entrance to Nekohana, he glanced at a clock on the wall as he entered through the door. 7:59

Tamakawa leaned against the display case with his arms crossed. “Cutting it close there, huh, Akatani?”

Mikumo ducked his head down. “S-sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.” Already making mistakes. What was he thinking, trying to act like he was normal?

“Relax. I’m just messing with you. Good job showing up on the dot, kid.”

“Oh… Thank you, sir.”

“Okay, none of that ‘sir’ business here. Makes me feel old. Call me Tama or even Tamakawa if that’s too informal for you.”

“Right, sir! Uh, Tamakawa-san!”

The blue-gray haired man sighed, “Close enough. Alright, kid. First order of business, follow me.” Tamakawa walked around the display and between the pay counter and the side of the bar before going through the door in the back. Mikumo followed him up the stairs to a small lounge like area.

About a dozen cats relaxed in various places all around the small space. “This is the break room. You can keep your work clothes here if needed. I’ll be lax about uniform until your second paycheck. After that, get a few white dress shirts and black slacks.”

His eyes flicked back to Mikumo, “And keep them clean as best you can.”

“Yes, Tamakawa-san. I'll try my best.”

The cat hybrid crossed the room and knocked on a door, “This is private. The rest of this floor and the third one is my home, so only come past here with my permission or in an emergency, alright?”

He headed back for the stairs while a blue and white tabby tried to attack his tail on the way. On the wall next to the stairway was a line of coat hooks where a few blue-gray aprons hung, “Grab one of these before you head back down. Take a few minutes to introduce yourself to the cats. Don’t take too long, though.

With that, the man disappeared downstairs, leaving Mikumo still slightly confused with what he was doing. Crouching down, only one of the cats approached him within a minute.

A calico with well-defined patches that dissolved into chaos along her spine and tail. Dull yellow eyes stared at him before slowly blinking. He blinked back. She trotted away to the stairs afterward. Taking that as his cue to head down as well, he stood up quickly.

Some of the cats looked over at him in interest when his small wings flew out to the side in an attempt to stabilize himself. A single feather floated down to the floor and a white cat immediately ran to play with it. Mikumo tossed an apron over his head and began to head down while a black cat tackled the white one. One of the other cats, a siamese, followed him along the stairs, almost tripping him.

“Alright! I’ll give you the quick run down, you’ll–” Tamakawa was cut off as the cat leaped onto Mikumo’s shoulders, making him stumble. In response, he had shifted his wings to balance and winced as he roughly hit his right wing on the counter next to him. “The fuck?”

“Sorry!”

“No, don't apologize. That was rude of me.”

“Huh?” He had not registered anything the man said as rude so far. What did he mean?

Tamakawa looked to the side, “I thought you were some type of mammal or reptile hybrid with the teeth and claws, not an avian. Whatever, doesn’t matter, just surprised me, alright?”

“Okay?”

“Anyway, you’ll sometimes help me bake when needed, like on busy days. Otherwise, you’re just making coffee orders. Shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. Almost everything is labeled, and Hayami can help you out if needed once he gets here. Oh, and keep an eye on the customers that order for here. Had one guy try to take Cappuccino once.”

Mikumo tried to look around the cafe on instinct before stopping to ask, “Which one is that?”

“The big fluffy orange one. He’s a maine coon.” Tamakawa pointed to a large beanbag next to the sofa near the front. The bean bag was covered in orange faux fur, easily hiding where the giant cat laid across it. “Anyway, Saturdays are slower, but someone should come in soon.”

Right on cue, the door opened as a middle-aged woman entered. She blearily yawned as she strolled up to the counter. With the siamese still standing across his shoulders, Mikumo hesitantly smiled.

He could do this.

A few hours later, Mikumo finally spotted the pitch black cat he saw yesterday. From a distance, it looked like a perfect little void of light. Hardly anyone else had come in to order something and stay. It was only the first woman and a man that were tapping away on laptops at their separate tables. Tamakawa had gone up to take a nap until it was busier.

Out of boredom, be begun a staring contest with the void cat, only losing when Hayami finally showed up a minute later. He gave a small wave and smile to them before looking back at the cat… that was gone. Where the hell did it go so fast? Feeling something against his leg, he looked down to find who he’s nicknaming Void until he gets their name.

Another staring contest was initiated by the time Hayami returned from the break room to start their shift. “Do you ever blink, man?”

Without blinking, he responded, “All the time.” Although, after a second, he looked over at Hayami and blinked in confusion, “How did you know I was doing a staring contest?”

They only smirked, “You lost.”

That’s how the first few days passed peacefully. He wasn’t required to work on Sunday, but he surprised Tamakawa by showing up a few minutes before eight anyway. What else was he going to do?

Nekohana wasn’t open on Sundays.

Tamakawa still only sighed and let him accompany him to help out with errands for running the cafe. The man led him to a street market where the smell of fish, people, produce, and herbal spices wafted through the air. It was all slightly overwhelming as he tried to follow Tamakawa through the space while trying to look at everything. He had promised to help, he couldn’t get distracted!

Together they gathered flour, fruit, and fish. As well as other spices, meats, and various ingredients. Some of the meat was solely for the cats. Apparently a balanced blend of meat was the healthiest food for them, and Tamakawa cared for his cats a lot. From what Mikumo had seen so far, it paid off.

A few hours later they found themselves putting away the stock before cleaning up the first floor for tomorrow. Tamakawa mentioned paying him for his work that day, and Mikumo couldn’t help but be confused. He offered to help because he wanted to, not for more money! The man only stared at him until Mikumo hesitantly accepted and left for the day.

Monday morning had been slightly chaotic as tired workers lined up wanting coffee to get through the first day of the week. A few of them congratulated him for being a new barista, likely regulars, and tried to engage in small talk before laughing it off. According to them, Hayami wasn’t into small talk either.

Most left to get to their train or office in a hurry, but some of them stayed, bringing out laptops to complete their work or studies within the cafe. Mikumo couldn’t blame them for wanting to relax with cats within their short breaks. Luckily, none of them had obnoxious meetings or if they did, they were quiet about it.

Tuesday was much of the same, with a few less people trying to talk to him. Well, except for a child with no filter. He couldn’t help but smile as she asked question after question about his strange mutations. Her mother was clearly embarrassed, but he enjoyed having someone as interested in quirks as he was for a change.

He had continued to sleep on top of Nekohana during the nights, sketching cats and faces passing by in his free time, and jogging to Takoba to get ready for the day with the taste of salt on his tongue. For the first time in years, Mikumo strolled the streets of Musutafu with a small smile.

Wednesday afternoon, Hayami and Mikumo worked to clean the cafe for closing time. Void caught his eye again, not to be confused with Roast, the brownish-black cat that liked to sleep in the cat trees and mess with Dragon.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s the dark black cat’s name?”

It was a pattern that the cat would appear shortly before Hayami showed up. It would seem to disappear at times, or like it had the ability to teleport. And it never blinked. He could ask about that later, though.

“Omen… most of the time.”

“Most of the time?”

“Well, there’s also Onyx, Otic, Oven, and Ooze. Hardly anyone can tell them apart except for me.”

“There’s five?!”

Hayami gave a Cheshire grin, “Way more than that.” In the next second, it looked as if there was a pitch black cat with yellow eyes staring at him from every corner of the cafe, and gone the next.

Silence hung in the air for only a second.

“That’s so cool! Are they only made of shadows? Can you control them? Are they sentient? Are they illusions or constructs? I could feel them when I pet them, but what if that was an advanced illusion quirk? Can you see what they see or know what they know? Is there a range or a lim–”

“Whoa! Akatani slow down! Breathe!”

“Oh! Sorry!” His hands itched for a notebook.

“It’s fine. I actually don’t know the answer to most of those questions, but my quirk is called Shadow Cats. It’s a bit like a sentient hivemind? Omen is the dominant… personality? A few others are named when they are able to act more independently of Omen. They are technically still part of Omen, I thin- Where did that notebook come from?”

Engrossed in his thoughts, he didn’t pay any mind to Hayami’s question. Near the end of their explanation, Mikumo couldn’t resist any more and summoned his latest analysis notebook. The only sound that mattered was lead trailing along paper and his own racing thoughts that spilled out incomprehensibly in his focus.

Hayami Makoto
Quirk: Shadow Cats

Sentient hivemind able to act independent of user. Seemingly made of shadows, may be illusion based but unlikely. Shadow construct beings. Is cats a limitation? Can the user create shadow creatures based on other animals?

“Uh… Akatani?”

Cats are seen phasing in and out of existence. Are the shadows generated or harvested from nearby absences of light? Can the cats teleport? Is there a range to manifestation from the user?

“Akatani…”

Can the user perceive what the shadows see or do? Hayami was able to tell when I messed with the cats without being in the room. Likely. What is the range of sensory input– Is the user part of the hivemind that is just more separated from the rest? Do they control it or exist alongside—

A hand on his shoulder jolted Mikumo, making him drop his pencil, “S-sorry!”

“Jeez, man, you’re really into quirks, huh?”

He hunched in on himself, hugging his notebook to his chest while he looked to the side, “I know it’s creepy, sorry.” No one had ever liked his rambles… Well except for Kacchan a few weeks ago.

God, that already felt like a lifetime ago.

“I didn’t say anything about it being creepy.” Mikumo met their eyes in surprise. Was that actually genuine? Their pupils glowed with a bright white as they smiled widely once more, “Besides, being creepy is kind of cool, isn’t it? People tend to think I’m creepy, too.”

“You’re not creepy!”

“You’re not either.”

The stars hung highly in the sky as emerald eyes stared into the abyss of the night. Eternal and unchanging. The complete opposite to Mikumo’s own existence.

It truly had been only a month ago when he lived on Takoba Beach with Kouta. It had been about three weeks since he saw Kacchan for the first time in four years. It had been only a week since he awoke, ten years from his home.

What would it have been like to fully reconnect with his brother? What would it have been like to actually defeat All For One instead of being sent here? What would it have been like to help rebuild the world that had been lost in The Fall of Heroes?

Mikumo would never know. His world had been tossed upside down the moment All For One had decided to stop playing around. When that man had tried to kill him and he lived. He couldn’t wait to make All For One regret that in several years, even if this version of him didn’t remember anything. That was part of the fun of it.

He had lived to meet Hayami and Tamakawa. They were so kind to him. After today, he would even almost call Hayami a friend. Cats made of shadows soon joined the many images within the pages of his sketchbooks.

Mikumo had to find silver linings where he could. Without being sent to the past, he would have never met Hayami and Tamakawa. Who knows who else he would meet?

Although, of course, luck was never fully on his side.

A short blond woman stared him down. Mikumo was just finishing writing down her order of an iced espresso with lemon bread to go when she crossed her arms and huffed. He looked up to find her looking past his shoulder before meeting his eyes, “Don’t get any feathers in my food, freak.”

She hadn’t been the nicest while ordering, but the sudden tone shift caught him off guard. He slightly stepped back from the hostility while his wings puffed up behind him. She grimaced and narrowed her eyes further at him.

Hayami had come up to the side of the counter and leaned across it, also blocking the entrance to the back. With a kind smile and sweet tone, they asked her, “What did you just call him?”

“How can you stand working with this animal. I could never.” Hayami only continued to hold the perfect, kind service persona through it all. The lady had the nerve to change her tone again to something nicer when addressing them, “Actually, would you be so kind as to make my order instead?”

They took that moment to narrow their cat-like eyes into slits, putting their mutation on full display. “I could, but are you sure I’m not too much of an animal freak, as you kindly put it?” She recoiled.

“I’d like to speak to your manager.” Oh lord, they were dealing with a Karen. Mikumo internally groaned even as Hayami called for Tamakawa up the stairs. He calmed slightly, finally able to read the situation better. The stairway creaked behind him as their boss came down to deal with this.

Tamakawa poked his face around the corner and the woman immediately started, “I want these two mutants fired. They have done nothing but menace me since I ordered. Honestly, their kind are too wild to do anything properly.”

The man sighed, clearly tired of this bullshit in Mikumo’s opinion, before uttering darkly, “Get out of my cafe.”

She did a double take before a broken, “What?” escaped from her mouth.

“I said,” Tamakawa stepped around the doorway, swishing his tail behind him, “Get out and don’t come back.” The woman paled before turning around and speed walking out of Nekohana. “Man, I hate those types of people.”

Rain poured from the sky as gray clouds blanketed the city. It was already getting close to closing time. Mikumo sighed. He had hoped that it just wouldn’t rain, ever. In retrospect, he should have searched for somewhere he could get out of the weather beforehand.

It hadn’t occurred to him to do so, since for the past few years he could camp out in whatever abandoned building he found first. There were plenty of those around, after all.

Well, now there wasn’t. Now camping out in a building was breaking and entering. What a pain.

Chapter Text

Friday, April 27, 2136

Water dripped in a steady pattern from a hole in the back of the warehouse. A thundering tempo compared to the muffled torrent of rain hitting the metal roof over Mikumo’s head. The storm seemed to drench the very air around him in the night chill.

Wind howled as it flowed between every crack and crevice available to it. Whipping around the massive buildings that made up the district. Apartments and warehouses littered the area he found himself in for the evening.

He hadn’t slept well, even with the constant drum of rain trying to lure him into slumber. The taste of dust in an abandoned warehouse sat heavy on his tongue. The open space felt too much like an old home. A home that was turned to dust at the hands of Shigaraki Tomura two years ago. A home that had been an unknowing prison for his mind.

A home he both missed and loathed, only truly existing within his memories. Jaku General Hospital now stood once more, the laboratory underneath likely already operational, holding up its foundations. The rafters, lofts, and his room would be empty with no trace of him ever even being there. Back to the dusty, forgotten state they had been in before he cleaned them up and made those spaces his.

It was all… complicated. Garaki had almost been like a father to him, taking him in when his mother had died. He had comforted Mikumo when he broke down over the fresh loss. The doctor had seen him as useful when everyone left around him at the time called him useless.

The Good Doctor had taken that trust and twisted it, turning his home into a cage. Taken away his memories so he couldn’t remember being free to know the difference. Implanted the programming done on the noumu so he wouldn’t question anything that seemed wrong.

Thunder rolled above, reminding Mikumo that he wasn’t deep underground. He wasn’t Garaki’s pet, as All For One called him once. The thread controlling his mind had snapped years ago. Loosening when he ignored the feeling telling him not to worry, fraying when he disobeyed, and breaking when he remembered.

He was free.

Mikumo yawned widely within the comforting atmosphere provided in Nekohana. The smell of coffee was the only thing helping him stay awake. One of the cats, Dragon, sat on the counter and purred loudly as he ran his fingers through her soft white fur.

Behind him, Tamakawa was busy preparing an assortment of treats that could be bought along with a handful of first come, first served breakfasts off the menu. A decent incentive for some regulars to show up bright and early.

Mikumo yawned again and rested his head on his hand as he leaned over the counter. A voice spoke up as he rested his eyes, “Sleep well, Akatani?”

Drowsily, he mumbled out, “No.”

“The storm keep you up all night?”

Well… “Something like that.”

A small bell softly rang out as Hayami made it through the entrance. The storm hadn’t let up, only quieting into a light rain, leaving them looking mildly drenched. Even so, they held an upbeat tone for once as they greeted, “Morning.”

Intrigued, Mikumo questioned, “What’s got you in a bright mood this early?” Ah, that came out a little harsher than he intended, but Hayami seemed to brush it off and continue.

“It’s Friday! Some of the best customers come on Fridays!” Omen finally made an appearance, demanding to be pet as he listened. “Also, a lot of the corporate workers only work Monday through Friday, so they're in better moods.”

Tamakawa spoke up, “Do either of you want something on the house?”

“Sure, Tama. Souffle pancakes, please.”

“Oh, you don’t have to, Tamakawa-san.”

“Shush kid, with how tired you are, I doubt you made anything before coming here today. Did you?” Mikumo stayed silent. “Jeez, Akatani, none of my employees will work hungry.”

He didn’t want to bother the man with making him something. Skipping meals was normal for him, “You r-really don’t ha–”

The cat hybrid cut him off, “What do you want?”

“I- uh, whatever Hayami is getting?”

Tamakawa sighed but got to work serving them a light breakfast as the first few customers streamed through the door. Hayami had not been lying about people being in a better mood on Fridays. A man who looked close to collapsing each day he came in for a black coffee seemed to possess just a hint of alertness that morning.

Eventually the pancakes were done, and the heteromorph forced both of them to take a break while they ate at the bar. For once, he watched as Tamakawa made coffee orders and manned the register rather than hanging back. He even placed a coffee in front of him at some point that he didn’t even ask for, walking away before Mikumo could protest.

By the late morning, the storm had finally passed and sunlight streamed through the large window at the front. A few of the cats lounged in the sunlight on the sofa, and the few who regularly worked on laptops within the cafe typed away in their usual spots.

The coffee Tamakawa made for him had cooled to room temperature, but was still delicious as he sipped on it. He leaned against the counter and just watched as people passed by the window outside. Every single one of them had their own lives. Their own history and struggles and dreams.

This was probably the most relaxed Mikumo had been in a while. He closed his eyes to focus on the soft patter of keys, and cats, and people on the sidewalk passing by. Even if it had only been a week, the smell of coffee felt like home. Everything was going to be okay.

Someone entered the cafe, signaled by the soft chime of the door. Emerald green eyes met sky blue. Her outfit was a little more out there compared to other patrons, a wide v-neck shirt hung from her shoulders as a black skirt that matched her hair dropped to only halfway down her thigh. Knee-high boots of the same color only emphasized how short the skirt was.

The woman pushed her red glasses up and smirked, “My, my. I didn’t know there would be fresh meat on the menu today…”

What? Mikumo quickly scanned the display case for what she could be talking about. He could have sworn that everything Tamakawa had made earlier didn’t include meat. Was he so tired that he missed something on the menu for today?

Hayami was busy starting to make drinks behind him as he spoke up with a sigh, “Kayama, you’re confusing him. It’s the same as always, right?” Oh, this was a regular. Not just one of the people who showed up routinely, but one interesting enough that his co-worker actually remembered her name.

“Yeah.” Kayama walked up to the display and leaned over it with her head held up by her wrist. Looking slightly up at him over her glasses, she asked, “And what’s your name, sweetie?”

He leaned slightly back from her proximity, “U-uh… Akatani?”

“Are you asking me what your name is?” she asked in almost a purr.

“What? N-no! It’s Akatani Mikumo.”

She lightly chuckled, “Already a stuttering mess! How adorable!”

“Alright, that’s enough, Kayama.” Hayami set down three drinks and a small bag on the counter before motioning for her to pay up at the register.

The woman pouted, “Aw, you’re no fun!” She walked around to the pay register while pulling out a card and paid for the assortment of items before finally leaving, although not before turning to wink at Mikumo.

Hayami sighed and rested a hand on his shoulder, “Just ignore her antics. She likes messing with people by being quite… forward. It can be entertaining to watch her do it to other people once she gets bored with you.” They then turned back to lean against the wall.

Mikumo could only stare where Kayama had come and gone. Still off kilter from whatever whirlwind that was. Wait, “Was that why you were in such a good mood earlier? You knew this would happen today?” Hayami only shrugged, scrolling on their phone.

… Oh god, she was a regular.

Kayama Nemuri hummed a tune that had been stuck in her head all day as she made her way back to her apartment. The new guy at Nekohana, Akatani, was already intriguing to her. Beyond how odd his mutations were, she wasn’t one to judge on that, it was also the vibes she got from him.

He seemed to still hold an air of innocence around him, especially with how her innuendos evidently flew right over his head. Cute. Yet, he also held himself like someone who had experienced far too much. Hell, Akatani had to be at least a few years younger than her, yet his arms were already littered with tiny scars from what she could see.

There was even an electrical burn around his right wrist. One normally caused by sustained or high exposure to an electricity. One that wasn’t easy to accidentally acquire. One that required a lot of energy, and pain, to develop. A type of burn usually only seen in the aftermath of when electric quirks are used offensively.

Well, that train of thought really soured her mood. He already seemed too innocent in her mind to be the type to attack other people, at least unprovoked. She wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that all of the scars looked old as well.

She finally stepped onto the floor her apartment was on within the complex, knocking on the door with her heel since her arms were full. Hizashi opened the door for her, “Yo, yo! You got the goods!” The blond never failed to be excited over their weekly hangout treats.

“Yep!” Her persona from earlier still leaked through, “Now be a good boy and I might give it to you.”

“Whoa! Something on your mind, Nemuri?” He took his own sugary concoction of a strawberry hot chocolate and snagged the bag from her hand.

Sidestepping around him, she found Shouta already draped across her couch like an ungraceful cat. Hizashi simply followed after her, helping to distribute everything she brought back, while the black haired man woke back up. “Well… There’s a new barista at Nekohana.”

The blond slightly perked up at that, “Oh! So you were messing with them? You’re normally good about reigning it in again afterward, though.”

“Yeah… He was still on my mind because… god, he’s younger than us, but he has more scars than the three of us combined just on his arms.”

The black haired man yawned and grabbed the cup placed in front of him. “So,” Shouta drawled, “you think he might be caught up in something?”

That wasn’t quite it. “Not really, well, actually it may be very possible. I don’t know. There’s not enough information to guess anything.” She sighed, “There’s just something off about him. Yet, I got instant cinnamon roll vibes.”

“Maybe I could help investigate if this is bothering you so much.”

Really? Oh, she knew what the brunet was insinuating. Nemuri could laugh at the sheer audacity of this man sometimes if it wouldn’t bite her in the ass, “Aren’t you banned from Nekohana?” Like, seriously? He thought the owner would let him back into the cafe anytime soon?

“Irrelevant.” he deadpanned.

Poor Hizashi tried to speak reason into that man, “Shou… You tried to steal one of the cats…”

“Silence.” Glowing red eyes punctuated the order. Hizashi only playfully glared back and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Sushi finally made an appearance within the living room, wandering too close to where Shouta was laying and let out a noise of protest as he was nabbed.

Nemuri took that moment to separate what was in the bag. They all got the same thing every Friday. A moment to de-stress from the week and enjoy good food in each other's company. After grabbing her chocolate cookie, she handed Hizashi his cake pop and tossed the bag with Shouta’s lemon bread slice over to him.

The orange tabby had begun purring loudly as Shouta pet him. Wanting to change the topic, she brought up, “So, any progress getting your own place?” If he really wanted his own cat, he needed to stop sleeping on the streets and crashing on their couches.

Shouta sighed, “Not yet.”

“Are you still not making enough?”

“No, I could afford most places, but they all seem more hassle than its worth. I mean, a lot of my commissions are intelligence gathering and stakeouts. Why should I pay for a place I won’t even live in most of the time?”

What an idiot. The blond chimed in before she could say anything,“You’d have a place to reliably sleep safely and shower.”

“That’s what your apartment is for, ‘Zashi.” he scoffed.

“It’s not big enough for two people!” the blond cried, slightly throwing his head back in dramatics.

Shouta gave his signature shit eating grin, “Not with that attitude.”

Mikumo squinted against the bright afternoon sun as he made his way through the streets. Tamakawa had let him off early for the day after handing him a small envelope with his name on it. Apparently it wasn’t much since he only worked one, technically two, days last week, but it was still a lot of yen compared to what he was used to.

When he lived in Jaku, Garaki had let him borrow a card here and there to go buy whatever he wanted from the nearby stores or grab something for the man. Mikumo never knew how much was on the card, but even before then, his allowance didn’t amount to much. The money his mother gave him usually got spent on hero merch very quickly anyway.

The very first stop Mikumo made with his newfound wealth was Creative Corner. He had made a promise over a week ago. Well, maybe he didn’t outright promise to the blue haired girl that he would be back, but it became a promise to himself for her.

A small bell rang as he walked through the door. Behind the counter stood an older woman with the same blue hair and eyes. The old shopkeeper was definitely quite younger compared to the last time he had seen her. He looked away and ducked his head as she caught him staring.

Making his way to the back of the store once more, he picked up two boxes of banana pocky. Although, his eyes caught sight of notebooks in different colors that all had stars surrounding a black hole etched in gold. He already had two that were in black. The first had been right after he gave up his dreams of being a hero, and the second held any notes he had made on All for One.

Quirk Analysis #1 was filled with more than just analysis of quirks. It and the rest of the series were full of hypotheticals and the deeper connections on genetics and how quirks form. Between pages sat mechanical designs and other notes from the schooling Garaki gave him. That collection had mostly only been used within the laboratory. He barely used them afterward, well, before coming to the past that is.

Picking up a red version, he studied it while he debated getting it. There were a few empty notebooks within the storage quirk already. He didn’t need a new one. It stared back at him.

Analysis of the Present did sound nice. This was a new stage in his life, after all, and starting this series in red seemed quite poetic of his new name.

“Do you need any help, sir?”

The shopkeeper had come up next to him while he was distracted. “Oh, uh, no. I was just thinking about buying this?”

She picked up one of the notebooks from the set, “Ah, I like those covers too. The stars are quite mysterious.” She sighed, “A shame people forgot to wonder about the stars once fantasy became reality.”

“Yeah…” He slightly panicked on the inside from the spontaneous conversation, “Don’t people say that without quirks, we would already be traveling through space?” Saved.

“I believe it! So much damage was done in the first half of the 21st century.”

The Dawn of Quirks. “Yeah.” A lot of information had also been lost or buried to time from the chaos that had reigned for decades. That was something Garaki had taught him about.

She lightly clapped before her tone changed to something lighter, “Anyway, did you want to check out or are you still looking around?”

Mikumo already had everything he had come for except, “Do you have a daughter? Is she around? I promised to come back at some point and talk to her again.”

“Oh, Ruka? She isn’t helping me run the shop today. I don’t know when she’ll come in next, but I can pass the message if you want?”

He would have preferred to uphold his promise in person, but it would probably be okay, “Yes, please. After I pay, can you give her one of these boxes?” He held the pocky up, “Oh, and say it's from Akatani Mikumo.”

Before nightfall fell, Mikumo found himself in a clothing store looking for the work attire Tamakawa had requested he got. A small sewing kit and scissors already sat within Pocket for him to properly fix his clothing this time.

Aoitake-san had insisted he get them after seeing the rushed job on his current clothes and learning that he could sew. She gave him a small discount for them since she had pressured him into buying it, and as a thank you for being kind to her daughter.

Standing in a changing room, he turned to look at himself in the mirror after tossing on a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt. While the clothes were for the cafe and would be covered by an apron most of the time, he looked like a proper businessman. He reminded himself of his father…

Tears dripped from his eyes to his own confusion. He hadn’t thought much about Midoriya Hisashi in years. The man had worked long hours as an accountant, eventually moving overseas to America for his job. Time with him and been few and far between until one day he just stopped picking up calls. He stopped coming home.

He can’t remember how old he was when Hisashi abandoned him and Inko. It was complicated as he missed him yet blamed him for leaving to begin with. He couldn’t tell if they were happy tears for still having a small resemblance to his dad after everything, or upset that he looked more like Hisashi than Inko now that he was older.

Taking a deep breath, he wiped the tears from his freckled cheeks and softly smiled. Even after everything, he still looked like his parents. Even after his hair was changed to white and his pupils formed into four pointed stars, making him so, so similar to All For One, he could still see his mom’s eyes and his dad’s face in his own reflection.

Maybe, just maybe, Akatani Mikumo was still Midoriya Izuku deep down. Even after everything. And within that moment, that was perfectly fine with him. For once, he was relaxed and happy. He was not a hero, but he wasn’t a villain. He wasn’t fighting for his life and dreams almost every day. Akatani Mikumo, once Midoriya Izuku, lived an average life while working in a coffee shop and was the freest he had ever been.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, May 1, 2136

Despite how much Mikumo had wanted to keep sleeping on rooftops, especially Nekohana’s since the building had quickly become one of his favorite places, he knew he couldn’t keep doing so forever.

It took some time, but he found a place on Saturday morning before his shift that was abandoned yet still in a prime location. Near Tatooin Station stood an old apartment building about eight stories tall. The roof even had door access.

He took a unit on the top floor, cleaning it up over the weekend. With a little bit of work, he managed to separate its circuit from the rest of the building and connect some salvaged powerbanks and batteries from Takoba together. Taser made quick work of charging them up.

Stretching as he got up for the morning, he made his way over to the fridge and pulled out some eggs before turning on the stove top. Today was the first day of May. Each day that ticked away really set home how Mikumo was never going back to his own time. Two weeks was an awful long time for a temporary quirk’s effects, especially one so powerful as to bend time to its will.

The smell of cooked eggs brought him out of his thoughts. Really, it was okay. So much had changed so quickly, and he was already settling. He already loved the life he was making here. While he did miss Kacchan and Kouta, he held onto the idea that they were doing just fine like a lifeline. They were not dead, there was no reason to grieve.

Maybe he could make a garden on the roof and plant some flowers for them. Now that he thought about it, that space was perfect for growing his own food again. A rooftop garden sounded like a wonderful project to work on over the next week or so.

Nemuri was exhausted. For once, she had a night patrol the night before and still woke up early for the weekly hangout with Hizashi and Shouta. How Shouta managed to somewhat function after and even prefer night patrols was beyond her. Music chimed softly throughout her apartment.

Wincing as a nasty bruise made itself known, she stood up to answer her door. Given the time it was, Hizashi had arrived early, as usual. Sushi meowed at her as she walked past where he sat on the cat tree she had for him, even reaching out a paw for attention. Sighing, she paused for a moment to give him a small scratch behind the ears.

The doorbell chimed again. Damn Hizashi for always being so loud even if she can’t actually hear him. Finally opening the door as she yawned, the blond greeted her, “Yo, Nem! Oh, you had that night patrol again, didn’t you?” She nodded and rubbed at her eyes, “You could have canceled our hangout if you were going to be this tired.”

“Nonsense” she yawned.

“You can’t even speak without yawning!”

She glared, “I just need coffee. Let me get ready and swing by the coffee shop, and I’ll be good to go for hanging out.”

Hizashi followed her inside as she padded back towards her room to change, “Maybe I could get the coffee for you this time? Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“Nah, I like the ritual of going to the cafe. I guess you could come with for once if we leave the door unlocked for Shouta.”

He smiled brightly, “I’ll let him know then!”

Nemuri closed the door as he walked back to the living room, tapping away on his phone. Normally she liked to wear something slightly revealing for the stares she would get, she loved the attention, but she wasn’t feeling it today. Thus, she quickly pulled together some soft sweatpants and a hoodie.

Thankfully, Hizashi was also in his comfy civilian clothes so he wouldn’t stand out in a crowd either. He wore blue jeans with a simple red shirt, slightly covered with a black jacket that was softer than it looked. Kayama would know since she stole it on a few occasions. The thin necklace holding up a small cloud pendant was on full display around his neck.

“Ready to go?” he asked as she stepped into the room.

She grabbed her purse from a hook on the wall, “Yeah, let’s go.”

They made the short walk in silence, but that was just fine for Nemuri. Hizashi had his arm slung around her shoulders as they walked, helping to keep her in a straight line as she yawned over and over. The gray-blue front of the store luckily came into view soon enough.

“Oh right, I’ll be able to meet the barista you couldn’t stop thinking about now, huh?” the blond teased.

With the hectic week she had, the strange white haired man had honestly slipped from her mind, “Damn, I won’t be able to keep up the persona from last time now. I forgot about that.”

“What a shame.” he said with no sympathy in his voice. “The poor guy will be missing out on so much.” Nemuri elbowed him roughly in the side, and he wheezed.

The door chimed as she entered the cafe with Hizashi at her heels, “Morning, Ha–” A yawn cut her off again, “Hayami, sorry about that.”

The black haired barista turned to her, while the white one nervously stared at her. Maybe she did leave quite the impression on him. “Morning, Kayama. You’re quite tired today, huh? No theatrics for my poor co-worker again?”

Well, if they were asking for it, “Well, I was quite busy last night. I wasn’t given a break at all! Although, you know, I’m always down to give a private show.” Hizashi slightly choked behind her, despite being around her for years. Oh, it’s on, “My, ah, friend here would know all about that.” She leaned against him more, looking at him with lidded eyes, “Wouldn’t you?”

His face was already pink with blush. Flustering him was always too easy. The wimp. “Nemuri, please.” She expertly stifled her laugh and inwardly grinned. When would Hizashi learn to not make it so easy for her to follow up with something even better?

“Well… if you’re begging for it. Let’s get our drinks and food first, though, hm?” She turned back to the counter to see the white haired guy looking quite dismayed at Hayami while they only grinned.

Nemuri and Hizashi kept lightly elbowing each other as they waited for their order. “Where did all this energy come from?! I thought you needed coffee first!” the blond softly exclaimed.

She still yawned before answering him as if to prove a point, “I couldn’t turn down such a riveting opportunity.” He only sighed in response.

Eventually, the white haired man tentatively called out, “Kayama?”

She dropped the persona as she went up to the counter to hopefully throw the guy off even more, “Yeah.” She tried to stifle her yawn this time to no avail, “Sorry, what’s your name again?”

“O-oh. Akatani, ma’am.”

“None of that ma’am business. I’m not that old!”

“Hey, Akatani.” Mikumo hummed in response to show he was listening to them. “Want to hang out tomorrow?” He turned to face Hayami and blinked.

“Hang out?” They actually wanted to hang out with him? That was a thing friends did, wasn’t it? No one even wanted to be around him for years unless it was making fun of the quirkless freak. That wasn’t what they were doing, right? No, no, Hayami wouldn’t.

They smiled, “Yeah, we could go to the arcade or something. Do you have anything you like to do?” He liked following hero fights and analyzing them in his notebook. Stalking them, as Kacchan used to say.

Mikumo didn’t want to test their tolerance right now. “I don’t think I’ve been to an arcade before.” he offered.

“What?” they exclaimed. “That’s it, I’m correcting that as soon as possible.”

It was their day off, and Mikumo found himself being dragged by Hayami as they raced through the streets. Omen ran beside them while almost tripping the other people on the sidewalk. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to an arcade! You have got to try DDR, it’s a classic. Like retro classic, from the Pre-Quirk era classic.”

That caught his attention, “Pre-Quirk?” Most of the information and media from the Pre-Quirk era was missing. Many datacenters had been destroyed in the chaos rampant in the early 2020s. Only traditional media and information personally archived by individuals made it through to the modern era.

“Yeah! This arcade has been open for over a hundred years! I think the owner’s great-grandfather was the one to preserve a copy of DDR. I’m sure more exist, but this one is local and open to the public!”

Hayami slowed as they rounded a corner and music greeted Mikumo’s ears. He didn't have time to read the name of the arcade before they pulled him through the doors. Someone yelled in the back of the arcade and chatter assaulted his hearing. Bright lights flashed from machines, and an assortment of snacks filled his nose.

Before he could process what was happening, a pink bracelet was placed around his wrist by what looked like a worker for the arcade. He only stared at it and blinked. “Hey man, are you good?”

“I’m… uh… I’m fine.” A group of flashing lights caught his attention again. He shook his head to try to get rid of the fuzziness that came over his mind. Hayami wanted to play a certain game with him, “Where’s that game you were talking about?”

It took a minute, but they led him through the arcade to a back corner with a large screen in front of a raised platform. The platform was divided in half with nine sections each. Two people already stood on the platform, moving in sync with each other as arrows glided across the screen.

A small crowd was already gathered around, watching the two dance, and cheering them on. Mikumo only focused on how their movements correlated to the screen. The surroundings that had been overwhelming to his senses fell away as he analyzed. The game was simple, but the timing and movement would be what made it a challenge.

An arm shook him, bringing him out of his head again. “Man, you’re already into it, huh? Trying to find some type of cheat code?”

“Cheat code?”

“A way to make the game easier or get an advantage someone else may not have.”

“Huh. Wouldn’t a speed quirk be a cheat code, then?” Well, depending on the game, different types of quirks would perform better than others.

“Not quite. There’s this type of honor thing within gaming. Besting someone else without a quirk is way more impressive than getting a high score with a quirk. It’s even more brutal when the player using a quirk still loses to the one that’s not.”

It’s more impressive to beat someone while quirkless? “So, everyone plays quirkless?”

“Yep! The community around here values actual skill rather than how good someone’s quirk is. Kinda similar to the Classic Olympics.”

Hayami pulled him into a small line that had formed for the machine, and they continued to chat about more useless topics while they waited. It didn’t take long for it to become their turn. After paying for a few rounds, Hayami motioned Mikumo to step on one side of the platform.

“Alright, I chose an easier song to get you started and a few of my favorites. Ready?”

After watching others play for so long, he felt like he had the basics down, “Let’s do this!”

As expected, he was miserable through the first portion of the first song but got better as he got the hang of the timings and the placement of the arrows on the floor. It was strange and new, as the agility and speed he had honed over the past few years was applicable in a completely new way.

The challenge was thrilling as he worked hard to beat Hayami at his own game despite never even hearing about it before. They took the win for the first game, of course. The second song became more difficult as the complexity increased. Focused only on the screen as his feet moved to the pattern and rhythm.

Even with his best effort, he still came in second. Hayami tapped him to get his attention, “Do you want to take a go at the full platform mode? You’ll have to manage both sides.” They smirked, “I don’t think you can do it.”

A challenge? “Hell yes! I’ll do it.” How hard could it be?

Apparently very hard.

Hayami chuckled as Mikumo groaned at the fail screen. The arrows had seemed to move faster than he could blink, and someone from the crowd had cried out about how cruel his friend was to put a newbie on the spot. The bastard had apparently given him the hardest mode available on the game.

By the time afternoon rolled around, Mikumo felt like he had played most of the games in the arcade, as well as a few more turns on DDR against Hayami. He was exhausted. “Think we should head to a park and just relax for the rest of the day?”

They looked up from the game they were currently playing, some type of shooter. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

That’s how they both found themselves sipping on milk tea while meandering through the nearby park. Bringing up conversation about inconsequential things, and sometimes just enjoying companionable silence. A brook cut through part of the park, and they stood on the bridge, watching as ducks swam around and dived for food.

Mikumo couldn’t help but smile as he leaned against the steel railing. He had a friend. A genuine, real friend. Yeah, he would always miss what he had, but he can cherish what he has. If he hadn’t challenged All For One, he would likely still be with his brother, but he would have never met Hayami.

His life was only still beginning.

The sun rose as Mikumo made his way up the stairs to his roof. With some of the money he had received, he bought some wood and salvaged what he could remember from the beach. Blink had been brought to nearly its limit over the last several days as he teleported the materials up rather than make so many trips back and forth on foot.

Several rows of small garden boxes greeted him as he opened the door. A small pipe made its way between all the troughs, providing water from the small water tower that had already been on the roof before. A warm breeze hit his face and he closed his eyes to simply relish the moment.

While he planted a lot of seeds himself, he had grabbed a few flowers to plant and get his garden started now. He double-checked that they weren’t wilting before leaning with his elbows on the railing, staring off in the direction of the sea. Nearby, the low roar of iron on steel gained volume as a train made its way to the station.

There were still several things Mikumo wanted to do with the space up here. Hanging more fairy lights, getting a few small benches, and maybe making an art piece from more Takoba scrap just for up here. Oh! He could probably paint the water tower with a small mural.

Yeah, that sounded nice.

“Morning, Akatani!” Mikumo started as Kayami greeted him instead of Hayami for once. Well, to be fair, Hayami was late and wasn’t even in the building yet. Part of him wondered if that was on purpose to make him interact with the full force of Kayama or an accident.

Hiding his vague unease, he called out, “Morning, Kayama.” As she made her way up to the counter, he asked, “What’s your usual order? I don’t have it memorized like Hayami does.”

“A black coffee for now. I have some time before I have to meet up with my friends.” She brought out her card to pay for the single coffee before continuing, “Figured I’d actually visit the cats here for once rather than just picking up food for the three of us.”

Inwardly sighing in relief that she wasn’t acting flirty today, he continued the conversation, “Was the blond guy one of your friends or actually your boyfriend?”

She sputtered, “Just my friend! We’ve known each other since high school, but he’s gay. Still easy as hell to fluster, though!” she laughed. Mikumo sent his sympathies for the man as he turned to begin making the black coffee. She hummed, “Anyway, do you have a favorite drink?”

“Huh?”

“Got a favorite coffee? I always found it fun to know what the baristas like to drink.”

He looked to the side as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, I haven’t tried that much coffee yet. Tamakawa handed me one once, but I don’t know what was in it.”

“What’s your thoughts on black, then?”

“I haven’t tried it…”

She gasped, “Make one for yourself then! Try it! I’ll pay for it when I order the rest of the drinks later. Promise.”

That’s how Mikumo found himself sipping on black coffee for the first time while listening to Kayama ramble about her strange friends as she pet the calico in her lap. Apparently the blond he had seen before was able to function with four hours of sleep without a drop of coffee. Meanwhile, there was a brunet that needed caffeine to function.

Kayama insisted that she sat in the middle between their two extremes. That she drank it for the taste rather than the energy boost. Most of the time, anyway. Mikumo did have to admit that there was a slightly addictive flavor he couldn’t quite place behind the bitterness.

Somehow, she managed to get him to go on a tangent about Pre-Quirk memes. He couldn’t even remember how the conversation got to this point. “It's honestly a travesty that I have yet to hear about a real longcat. Like, over a century and not a single cat has had a length enhancer or some type of stretchy quirk?”

She huffed with a laugh, “What are you even on about?”

“Longcat! Longcat is long!”

Although, as he thought about it, did Garaki ever make a longcat? It would have been possible… The image of a twisted snake like cat with the signature thoughtless gaze and exposed brain of most noumu was conjured in his mind. Mikumo mentally shivered. Maybe it was for the best he never saw a longcat.

Thankfully, Kayama was lost enough to just force a conversation change, “I think I need to start heading back to the guys soon. Mind finally taking my order?” He nodded, of course, “Another black coffee to go, a large strawberry hot chocolate, and, here's the long one, an iced macchiato with two shots of espresso and a pump of vanilla.”

He silently repeated it to himself and got to work on the order, “Anything else?”

“Yep! A chocolate cookie, slice of lemon bread, and a cake pop!” She stood up to release the cat she had held captive for the past half hour as he finished making and gathering everything together. “It was nice chatting with you. Maybe I’ll have to come by early again sometime!”

He found that he slightly looked forward to it, despite his earlier unease about her. She was actually really nice and pleasant to be around. “Yeah, I think I’d like that. Have a good day, Kayama.” Mikumo could see why Hayami liked her.

“You too, Akatani.”

Really, he hadn’t been seeking her out this time, but Mikumo had made his way over to what was truly his favorite corner store. Aoitake Ruka sat behind the counter and visibly perked up upon spotting him. He had only wanted some colored pencils. “Hey! Mikumo, was it?”

Surprised, he managed to choke out, “Y-yeah.” He was honestly getting so used to people calling him Akatani that he forgot he gave Aoitake his first name.

“My mom gave me the pocky you got for me, thanks!” she bowed slightly. “So… anything interesting to share?”

As he thought about it, he had a lot he could share this time, “Got a job at a cafe nearby, and I made a friend for once.”

She gasped, sounding slightly scandalized, “Are we not friends?”

“Huh? Well, I don’t really know you…” She had been nothing but kind so far, “but Sure?”

Aoitake pumped her fist, “Yes!” She then grabbed a notebook from under the counter, “Want to see my latest work?” Mikumo simply nodded and went over to her. He didn’t have anything better to do anyway.

The next hour or so was filled with showing off sketches of all sorts of subjects. Aoitake mainly focused on portraits, while Mikumo’s were littered with landscapes, the sky, people, and sometimes creative creatures that looked like they came from nightmares. He wouldn’t tell her that those things had been very much real for him. Countless noumu stained his blades with their blood.

She had marveled at his quirk when he forgot to be discrete and summoned his sketch notebooks in front of her with a flicker of pink light. He only complied when she playfully demanded to see all of his sketches after learning he always had four notebooks just for drawing always on him.

The most recent drawing he made of his mother came up as Aoitake neared the end of the fourth notebook. “I’ve seen this lady a lot, this time she’s with a kid. Who is she?... If you don’t mind me asking!”

His voice still slightly wavered thinking about her, “My mom.” Blue eyes met his, filled with concern. A silent question and offer for him to go on, “She… she died a few years ago.” A tear rolled down his face and he smiled softly in spite of it, “I’m still not over it.”

An arm came around his shoulders, “I don’t think we ever fully get over it, and that’s okay. I lost my dad when I was ten, and it still hurts when I think about it too long.” She paused to breathe, “It’s okay to cry and grieve. I don’t think enough people acknowledge that in this age. Crying is not a weakness. It shows the strength of heart.”

Even with her words, he stifled a sob and worked to collect himself before mumbling out, “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” She gave him another quick hug before changing her tone slightly, “Now, want to hear some of the things I’ve heard the past few weeks? Old people gossip can be quite entertaining.”

“Sure.”

The rest of his time with Aoitake was spent hearing about how two old ladies were fighting over who had the better lawn, how a man got stuck in a tree, the story of a retired hero and his most memorable battle, the time a couple regaled how they met while stuck in an elevator. Each story stemmed from something true. Something someone shared with her.

Maybe one day he would share more to his own story. He wasn’t ready yet. Besides, “What’s your story?” The only thing he really knew about her beyond wanting to write and draw and create music was that her mother owned the store and her father was dead.

Aoitake looked at him surprised. Her voice was tentative when she questioned, “You… you want to know mine? I’m not that interesting…”

Mikumo smiled brightly at her, “I doubt that.”

“Um, I guess… I suppose my story starts with just trying to survive high school and make it out on my own. Maybe get out of this town where people my age don’t know wha– who I am.”

The small slip up intrigued him, but he didn’t question it. He could relate, and he didn’t want to explain that can of worms. Much less think about it again right now. “I’m sure you’ll make it.”

Softly, she uttered, “Thanks.”

Chapter Text

Saturday, May 19, 2136

A little girl stared at him with endless excitement in her pale green gaze. Chestnut brown hair covered her head and came down in messy bangs. It was the same girl who had excitedly talked with him about quirks a few weeks ago. Her mother stood a bit away, looking a little embarrassed once more.

Mikumo flashed her a comforting smile before turning to the child with a soft, friendly tone, “Hello again.” She must have been about the same age as Kouta was.

“Hi, Mister! Mama said I should apologize for asking so many questions about your mutations last time. Sorry.” She bowed briefly before beginning again, “Today I wanted to share my quirk instead to make it up for last time! Do you want to talk about it, Mister?”

Warmth blossomed in his chest and he genuinely grinned, “I’d love to!” He walked over to the bar and motioned for her to sit in one of the stools.

Her mother quickly followed suit as well. “You don’t have to humor her if you don’t want to. My husband and son have a love for quirks, and she seems to have picked it up too.”

Now that made him wish to meet the rest of this family, “Nonsense. I love quirks! I’m not just humoring her.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

The girl called for his attention again, “Mister! What’s your name? Mine’s Akina.”

“Mikumo.”

“Mister Mikumo, my quirk is called Flower Crown! I can grow copies of flowers in my hair. It’s not as cool as my brother’s quirk, though.” Akina slightly pouted.

He couldn’t allow that to continue, “Hey, none of that. Every quirk is special in its own way. I’m sure Flower Crown can do something amazing that you just haven’t discovered yet! What kinds of flowers can you make? Is there a limit to how many you can grow in a day?”

“Well, I’ve been able to grow every flower I’ve touched so far, and I don’t know how many I can make in a day… I haven’t tried counting… Was I supposed to count them?”

“Ah, no. That’s fine that you don’t know.” It was so easy to forget that other people didn’t question all the different limits of quirks. Especially children. Though, it wasn’t like they were expected to know everything about their quirks. “Although you said copy earlier and that you touched the flowers before growing them? You have to touch a flower to grow that type?”

“Yeah! Each time I touch a flower, I can grow a copy of it from my hair for a few hours after that.”

“Is it any plant or just flowers?”

“I’ve only tried flowers.” she gasped, “Mama! What if I can grow anything like you?!” The pale blond woman looked exasperated as her daughter shook her vigorously.

Mikumo pondered on it. If the woman was able to grow anything, not just flowers, then it would be very likely that Akira would have the same restriction. It wasn’t guaranteed, though. Sometimes a quirk would become stronger in one area while weakening in another as it passed through the generations.

Wasn’t a tomato technically a flower? He quickly said, “Give me a second.” as he turned to see if Tamakawa had any spare tomatoes stored within the kitchen. Luckily, he was able to locate one in no time. Unluckily, someone came in to get a coffee while he was looking and had to quickly tend to that for a few minutes.

He had placed the tomato in front of Akina before dealing with the customer, so by the time his attention went back to what she was doing, small tomatoes sat in her hair. She seemed to vibrate in excitement, “Mama, Mama, look, I can grow fruit!”

“That’s amazing sweetie.” The woman scooped her daughter into a hug, “You were always amazing.”

Mikumo made his way back to stand in front of the bar and lean on it, “Mister Mikumo, look!” She took a few of the tomatoes from her hair and held them out to him.

“That’s so cool!” Without thinking, he summoned his red notebook in a flicker of pink light. Mumbling as he wrote, “Does the quirk use the user’s stamina, or is it resource based for creating plants? Is there a limit on how many plants they can copy—”

“Whoa, is that your quirk?” One of them. The girl started at him with figurative stars in her eyes. Before he could try to answer, she bulldozed on, “You just brought that book out of thin air! How did you do that? Was it teleportation? That’s so rare! Can you teleport anything?”

He blinked. Was this what he was like to other people?

Either way, being asked what his quirk was for the first time made him think about All for One. That was his quirk, his actual one. Beyond the basics, he found that he didn’t understand his own quirk at all. He didn’t know his limits beyond transfer overuse and the repercussions of mutation quirks. The realization hit him like a truck.

Even with his newfound turmoil, he responded, “I call it Pocket. It lets me store things within a pocket dimension. So, it’s not really teleportation?” Not like he could tell anyone about his real quirk, much less a child he’s only met twice.

“That’s still so cool. What’s the coolest thing you have in it?”

He didn’t have anything she might think is cool… All he really had on him was his bo staff, notebooks, pencils, blankets, clothes, knives, and yen. The knives were probably what most people would call cool but showing off his short swords that were chipped and stained with blood from heavy use to a child? No.

Thankfully, Akina’s mother spoke up, “Akina, it’s time to go. We need to make it back to the store in time to open.”

She pouted, “Aww, Mama, do we really have to go?”

“I have to open the shop.” She picked the girl up off the stool, “Besides, we can’t sell any flowers if we aren’t there to do so. Come on.” Akina stood as the woman placed her down on the ground.

Following her mother out, the small girl turned before leaving, “Bye Mister Mikumo!”

“Bye.” He waved as he watched them both leave and disappear out of sight. Sighing, Mikumo stared at the miniature black hole in his palm. While she hadn’t meant to, Akina gave him a lot to think about.

Mikumo found himself sitting on the sands of Takoba Beach as the sun set on the horizon behind Musutafu and dark clouds rolled in over the sea. He had stopped coming by the beach except for collecting scrap to use once he fixed up the apartment a few weeks ago.

After a lot of reflection, he realized that over the past month he had lapsed into only using the quirks he had collected before fighting All For One. Refusing to even think about the transfer abilities his quirk possessed. Not only that, he had begun repressing any thought about his dreamscape and the new quirks from the fight. All of it had been subconscious.

The dreamscape had been one aspect of his quirk that he hadn’t minded, spending a lot of time molding into a second home. It was a reflection of Takoba Beach while he had lived there. Cleaned of all the trash now sitting around him once more. The broken buildings of Musutafu stood below the galaxy that truly represented his quirk within the space.

Before that god-damn fight, he had been ready to start accepting the full capabilities of what he could do. He had told Kaachan and the others the true name and nature of his quirk. Laid bare that he was just like the Demon King and believed that maybe he could use All for One for good.

And he did.

He took quirks from the man once named He Who Takes. Mikumo stole from the one who steals and it hurt. The transfer had ended with a crack of blinding white across the fake sky and debilitating pain that made even the century old man stumble to his knees.

His eyes refocused and looked out across the water. With the sun fully set and the clouds blocking out the moonlight, the sea looked pitch black. Like black ink. A wave crashed on the shore, threatening to erode it away. A deep voice sounded in his ears, “Stop resisting.” The water was going to reach up into the sky like a tsunami. The wave was going to drown him. It wouldn’t take long to be washed away.

He breathed, and the smell of trash grounded him. This wasn’t the beach in his mind nor the one he had called home. There was no wave coming. He had already survived it.

Standing within the safety of his apartment, emerald green eyes stared into the star shaped pupils of his own reflection. The mirror had been abandoned in the living room when he first claimed the place. It didn’t take much to hang it on the wall where it belonged. Late morning sunlight streamed in from the balcony window to his side.

Taking a deep breath, Mikumo called upon All for One itself. Glowing cyan and black energy began to swirl around him. The exact shade was hard to name but definitely a mix between light blue and green. Maybe a bright teal or turquoise.

Looking back to his reflection, his eyes widened in surprise. The same shade of blue-green glowed from his irises. Letting go of his quirk, he watched as the energy surrounding him retreated under his skin and the glow in his eyes dimmed back to his natural color.

The next thing he wanted to see was something he had only noticed a few times before. Urging his quirk to bring forward Blink, Pocket, Nyoom, Taser, Freeze, and Strength. The six quirks hummed more vibrantly under his skin. Their power surging compared to the normal faint buzz he was used to.

Small arcs of black and teal lightning bounced around and flickered off his skin. The black core of each bolt only added to how dangerous he looked. The faint glow in his eyes furthered the effect.

Kind of having fun, he summoned his two short swords to each hand and dropped into a battle stance with his clawed feet spread and wings slightly fanned out behind him. He smiled widely in a way that would emphasize his large canines from Fangs.

Yeah, he would not want to meet himself in a dark back alley. The villains he scared off after The Fall were lucky he didn’t have Fangs yet, nor knew that All for One had black lightning and made his eyes glow when he used several quirks at once.

Maybe Hayami was starting to rub off on him.

After writing down his observations in the black notebook he had reserved for All for One years ago, he mentally prepared himself for what he wanted to do today. It was Sunday, so he had all day to himself for this. He needed to reclaim his dreamscape.

Getting himself comfy within the living room in the veritable nest of blankets he had found or bought, he closed his eyes and tried his best to dispel all other thoughts and anxiety. His breathing slowed into a controlled rhythm before he tried to tug on the feeling he could remember from when each transfer unwillingly dragged him in.

Awareness of the world around him faded away as he fell into the dream. The mutations he grew accustomed to fell away within the space, his back bare of his wings, his legs no longer animal like, and his teeth duller. He supposed it was his true form. What he would look like if All for One was the only quirk he held. He opened his eyes to the sight of Takoba Beach.

Mikumo breathed in, then out. Everything was only a dream, no matter how real it could feel. He was in control. He almost drowned last time. This was his domain. He just had to stay calm.

The broken skyline of Musutafu faced him as a black hole hung low in the sky. Over a dozen colors spun around it at dizzying speeds around the event horizon. Each one was a quirk, represented as a little ball of light. He didn’t dare to turn around and look at the sea behind him. Nothing would be there anyway.

Digging his toes into the sand, Mikumo considered what he wanted this space to look like. It had been easier to mold it into a place that held significance to him than of a fantasy. In the early days of trying to command this realm, he had tried to recreate how he imagined the layout of Might Tower. It never stayed for long.

To begin, he imagined the landscape around him fading away back to the blank slate it had been before. Back to how it was when he first manifested All for One. He captured that image and exerted his will upon the realm, watching as the buildings flaked away…

Like dust.

The dreamscape flickered.

He leaned against the railing trying to see his home that resided at the base of the mountain on the horizon, underneath Jaku General Hospital. Flakes of dust drifted through the air. A giant crater that extended deep into the earth where the hospital used to be and several surrounding city blocks greeted him. All of it had been turned to dust. His home was turned to dust.

He continued to stare at where his home used to be. The only things he had left were whatever he had on him and had stored within Pocket, his notebooks and the clothes on his back… He wasn’t alone on the roof. A homeless looking hero, Eraserhead, grabbed his attention as he said, “Yami.”

That wasn’t his name anymore.

The dreamscape flickered.

Something was wrong.

No, nothing was wrong.

He watched as the buildings flaked away like stardust.

Mikumo took back control of the dream from the memory. He sighed, so much for staying calm and in control. The entire dreamscape seemed to shudder as the combined skyline of Jaku and Musutafu crumbled away. This time into glimmering stardust as he willed it to be.

All that was left was a blank void as stars meandered in the sky above him. Well, and a stack of notebooks and other things stored within Pocket nearby… Teal pulsed within the static that made up the firmament of the dreamscape as he commanded it to change once again.

The black hole from before reformed in the sky as the stars began to spin around it once more. All for One actually didn’t have its own star. It was strange. It felt as if the quirk as simply an extension of himself and the dream landscape. The black hole murmured in time with his own thoughts.

A yawn escaped him from how mentally taxing controlling and changing the realm was. The fake floor that both was and wasn’t there below him shifted into stone as he brought forward the memory of the roof of his current apartment.

The roof was barren of anything he had actually built or set up within the real world counterpart, but that was alright. It had been that way with Takoba too. The difference made it easier to tell when he was dreaming anyway.

He could always change how the dreamscape looked again at a later time. While the home he carved on the beach would always hold a special place in his heart, he wouldn’t have been able to see the sea in his dreams the same again.

Exhausted, he let the dream fade away as real sleep claimed him.

Near the edges of Musutafu exists a park not many people know about. The trees are thick and plants grow freely outside the paths made by those who frequent the woodland. A small creek runs through part of the semi-fenced in land. There’s one spot where a large tree fell across the creek and now serves as a sturdy and dry path for those who dare cross deeper into the woods.

A white haired man sat on the log with his clawed feet dangling over the water just above the surface. His brother had come here a lot when they were younger. Mikumo had always been right on his heels. Maybe he should be more worried about a certain pair of children running into him, but he couldn’t care less under the light of the moon.

The relative remoteness yet proximity of Keimei Creek to his new home made it the perfect place to practice the quirks he didn’t fully understand yet. Or to just experiment with them. There was one thing he hadn’t tried yet that he had brought up with Kacchan right after revealing his quirk; Using Freeze as an ice breath ability similar to Hisashi’s Fire Breath.

Tugging on it, Mikumo took a deep breath before activating the quirk as he exhaled. Vapor within his breath quickly froze into fog and fell like little flakes of snow before it melted. Well, that was promising. Actually, there was a chance one of his new quirks was wind based. It felt similar to Air Cannon, after all.

One would think he would have learned much earlier on to not charge head first into things, but here the young All for One user was activating an unknown quirk near full strength. Mikumo yelped as a strong gale knocked him fully off the log, several feet though the air, and into the creek below.

At least he had his answer about it being a wind quirk.

Climbing back onto the bank, Mikumo shook his speckled wings, trying to dispel the water. Ugh, wet feathers was the worst feeling when he wasn’t mentally prepared for it. Trying to use the quirk again, he summoned a faint breeze before increasing its strength and directing it to dry him off quicker.

Several minutes later, he stood on the log over the creek again. Determination in his eyes and excitement in his bones. This time, when he exhaled, he tried to direct the wind quirk into enhancing the small gust created by his breath.

It was shaky and unrefined, but he watched as the air created large ripples in the water below. Mikumo grinned.

Finally combining the two quirks together, a vortex of freezing air spawned seemingly from his breath. The surface of the creek froze into ice as arctic winds passed over it. He could already think of so many ways these two quirks could be used together, beyond mimicking his father’s quirk with ice.

Mikumo summoned a light gust to swirl around him, while cooling the air to frigid temperatures. Breeze was the perfect quirk to enhance and pair with Freeze. Frost coated nearly every surface surrounding him as he expanded and strengthened Polar Vortex.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, May 23, 2136

Mikumo stretched as he turned onto a side street, the amount of people on sidewalks thinning out as he did so. Rather than take the train back to his area of Musutafu, he wanted to walk and stretch his legs. Sometimes it felt maddening being cooped up for most of the day.

The night runs had been helping with that the past few days. He was tired, yes, but in a week or two his sleep schedule will be cut into two. A few hours before midnight and a few more in the early morning. It gave him around two or three hours to practice with his quirks each night in the safety of darkness.

He knew it was a risk to use multiple quirks in the open, but he needed to get control over his newer quirks. If it ever came to it, he could run, change his name again. Maybe hide deep in the wilderness on the other side of Japan.

Soon enough, he reached his destination. A small chime from the dell attached to the door signaled his arrival. Aoitake had mentioned that she usually helped out in the store every Wednesday, and he found that he enjoyed her company.

“Hey! How are you?”

“Tired.” A yawn decided to make an appearance then, as if to emphasize his statement. “How are you?”

Aoitake sighed, “Not great, but doing better than earlier.” He could see the exhaustion in how she held herself now.

Curious, he prompted, “Oh?”

“Well… A jerk at my school thinks it’s funny to write on my desk before I get in most mornings. Usually I get in early enough to clean it off before homeroom, but I was running a little late this morning and got detention.”

“Wait, why did you get detention? That’s not fair.”

“The teachers don’t like me.” She slightly grimaced before shrugging, “It’s fine though, I’m used to it. Just upset that I got distracted and didn’t get to the classroom early enough like I normally do.”

Well, Mikumo was upset on her behalf, “You shouldn’t have to do that.”

Her tone became slightly defeated, “Yeah, I know, but, y’know, what can you do?” Without giving him time to respond, Aoitake shifted gears, “Anyway, what have you been up to?”

Taking the hint for now, he responded, “Ah, I’ve been working a lot more on my quirk analysis, and I’m almost done with a mural that I’ve been painting.”

“Oooo! Can I see?” She leaned over the counter in excitement.

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Well… My analysis is written in code and the mural is on a roof.”

“Yeah, I get that you don’t have the mural with you. I meant pictures, silly! And with the analysis, I mean, nothing stops you from reading it, right?”

He forgot about that, “I guess I could, and I don’t have any pictures.”

“Then give me your number and send me some next time you work on it.” She fished a phone out of her pocket and tilted it forward slightly, waiting for him.

Oh, how the hell did he forget about getting a phone? Actually, Mikumo knew how. He hadn’t used the old phone his mother gave him for much besides reading and writing on hero forums when he had it. Now that he thought about it, he might have lost it at some point within Jaku. Aoitake was still looking at him expectantly, “I don’t have a phone.”

“What?! How?” She paused, “Don’t you need a phone for nearly everything these days?” Mikumo shrugged. He’s been getting by just fine without one. “Like even managing your money requires a phone…”

“I’ve paid with actual yen for everything so far. My boss hands me my paycheck by hand at the end of each week.”

“What about knowing how to get somewhere?”

He grinned, “I know Musutafu pretty well.” Like the back of his own hand.

“Well… if you ever do get a phone, make sure to let me know. Anyway,” The blue haired girl brought a notebook out from somewhere behind the counter, “let me see your art from this week! Oh, and tell me about what you wrote. You’re not getting out of that since you already agreed!”

Mikumo happily summoned his recent notebooks from Pocket and opened them across the counter. It was nice to have someone he could share his hobbies with.

Nemuri arrived at Nekohana a little early again, unlike last week. Really, Akatani was just a mysterious puzzle to solve at this point. Well, more than that. Something about him just drew her to want to be friends with him. He intrigued her, and she wanted to find out more about him.

The most surprising is when she brought up heroes last time while he made her coffee and he offhandedly said his favorite was Eraserhead. Shouta. The three of them had only been in the field properly for about six years, and even then, Shouta was deep underground. He hated the media and always took night patrols to avoid detection.

How the hell did Akatani even hear about Eraserhead? It just added to the evidence that maybe this guy is or was involved with something underground. Shouta was already trying to bet on the barista having been involved with a fighting ring.

Hayami looked up from the register and greeted her while she scanned for Akatani. Strangely, he was sat at the bar, furiously writing in a black notebook. She turned back to Hayami, “What’s up with him?”

They only sighed, “He’s been like this on and off for most of the week. Thankfully it’s only been a few minutes at a time, and usually the door chime reminds him to at least check for customers.”

“Do you know what he’s writing so intently about?”

“Probably about quirks.”

Well, now she was extra intrigued. “Think we can take a peak?” They stared at her for a beat before quietly walking over to stand in front of Akatani. Nemuri followed their lead and peaked over the white haired man’s shoulder from behind his side.

She watched as he wrote in all sorts of symbols she had never seen before. He muttered quickly to himself in a broken mess that she couldn’t understand. Even then, she watched as he paused, erased a section and rewrote it without stopping. Whatever this was, it was second nature to him.

“What the fuck, Akatani.” Hayami beat her to saying anything. The man in question startled, and the notebook disappeared in a flicker of pink. “Was that your analysis?” Holy shit. This was not helping the underground accusations from her friends.

Akatani seemed to briefly stiffen before relaxing, “Uh, yeah.”

Nemuri took that moment to sit herself on the stool next to him and probe for more information, “Quirk analysis, you say… Are you any good?”

“I- um, I just do it as a hobby…”

Hayami cut in, “Then what was up with all the symbols?” Akatani slightly curled into himself, white and black feathers twitching against his back. “Sorry, I’m not judging. Just curious.”

He perked right back up. “O-oh. I got into ciphers when I was younger. I made my own cipher that I guess has just continued to evolve through the years?” A hand came up to rub at the back of his neck. “There’s now several layers of translation, but reading and writing it is just second nature at this point.”

“What were you writing about?” Nemuri asked.

“A speed quirk. Although, I think it might be a little bit more than just speed. Likely a kinetic enhancer that can either increase the speed or the strength of the user, depending on use. Either way, it would boost the amount of force the user can exert. So, a speed or strength quirk.”

It wasn’t the worst she had heard, a bit more thought out than she would have expected from a casual hobbyist. “That’s not half bad analysis if I’m honest. I’ve met a few professional analysts that would probably leave something like that as only listed as a speed enhancer and move on.”

He looked at her with a hint of disbelief, “Really?”

“Yeah! You wouldn’t believe how common it is for heroes to go into missions with misinformation. Often times, false information is worse than none. It gives younger heroes false confidence.” She watched in the corner of her eye as Hayami slunk away to make her usual order while she talked with Akatani.

“What?! But heroes need to have correct information. It could cost them their lives! Can they really be okay with themselves not checking over their work?”

She shrugged, “Like any line of work you’ll have people who aren’t in it for the passion but instead as a way to make ends meet.” She looked him in the eyes, “After all, were you passionate about coffee before applying here?”

He looked away and ducked his head down, “I guess not but still.”

“It’s not like all of them are bad, and many don’t do it on purpose.” While knowing analysis and cipher was interesting, his passion for heroics was strange. It didn’t quite line up with their theories, “Say, if you felt so strongly about all that, why didn’t you become an analyst in a hero agency?”

“Ah… I needed a job and didn’t think about that. Besides, it’s not that good…”

Nope. She wasn’t having that, “Hey, stop that. I already said you were thinking more about some random quirk than some actual analysts do for villains. That already makes you better than some professionals in my eyes, even if you’re self-taught.”

He looked back at her in slight disbelief once more, searching for something in her expression. Jeez, this guy needed some more confidence. After several moments, he looked back down at the table and fidgeted with his hands.

She let him stew on her words and his thoughts until Hayami called her up to pay for her food. Akatani still looked distracted as she gathered the drinks and snacks into her arms, so she simply turned to leave without saying anything else.

“Thinking of leaving me already?” Hayami joked, knocked him out of his thoughts.

“N-no!” Mikumo sighed, “While I would love to work in analysis, especially at a hero agency. I… I don’t think I should.”

They cocked their head to the side, “Why not?” Omen jumped onto the bar to stare at him as if to emphasize the question.

“Too much attention.”

“What? I would bet you would be locked up in an office where the media couldn’t reach you. Not like they're interested in the brains behind heroes anyway.”

“That’s not it.” Omen narrowed its eyes. Getting judged by a cat was not a good feeling, even if said cat was a quirk entity. “I don’t need any heroes looking into me.”

They hummed, “Why not?”

He was silent for a moment, “A lot of reasons.” His real quirk was the largest issue. He was already messing up by showing Pocket around other people. Now, if he ever made a mistake and displayed a second quirk, people would question it. While he still loved heroes, he did not trust the commission, the police, the system.

No matter what angle he took, he couldn’t figure out how the Hero Public Safety Commission had been so incompetent as to either not realize All For One’s existence beforehand or severely underestimate the threat of his existence to public safety. Even then, the fact they threw him into Tartarus instead of killing him was definitely a choice.

His own thoughts on what the commission should have done were also quite hypocritical. He could recognize that theoretically he was on the same threat level as All For One. Someone else may say that his potential for destruction was too great to allow him to live as well.

God, he was still trying to accept what he was capable of, but he scared himself sometimes. Based on what he had seen and done after The Fall, he could likely go toe to toe with Pro Heroes, as long as they weren’t at the top of the rankings. Even then, All For One had taken out several of the top ten with little effort at once. Only All Might stopped him. That was not without losses.

Omen stepped forward and started purring while rubbing against his arm. Hayami’s voice soon followed, “Well, wanna share any? I’m here to listen.”

Everything he felt and thought about the matter could be boiled down to one statement. Mikumo found that he trusted Hayami enough as he uttered, “I'm scared.”

“Alright boys!” Nemuri burst into her own apartment, “I got more tea!”

“Really?” Hizashi gawked, “You were barely there for longer than last week! I swear, if it’s on the same level as this Akatani guy having heard of Eraserhead I’ll lose it. How are you getting intel this easily?”

She smirked, “Trade secret.” She honestly didn’t know.

Shouta stole his iced macchiato as she walked by him to sit on the couch. “So, what did you learn this time?” he asked.

She hummed before answering, “Apparently quirk analysis is his main hobby.”

“Oh great. A rogue analyst?” The black haired man sighed, “Please say he isn’t that good.”

“Well…” He groaned as she trailed off for dramatic effect, “I can’t know how good he is for certain. His entire notebook was written in code!”

Hizashi coughed on his hot chocolate, “What?!”

“Please. No. I don’t care about the bet anymore. Please say this guy isn’t involved in the underground, or at least say he’s one of ours.” Shouta looked even more dead inside than usual.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad, Shou…”

“Hizashi. Ciphered analysis. As a hobby. It sounds like something the rat would do. Kill me already.”

“Nedzu-sensei wasn’t that bad!”

The brunet looked like he was having some type of flashback and was about to respond before Nemuri cut him off, “Well, you’re in luck. He seemed quite miffed when I mentioned some of the terrible analysts we have in agencies.” She also took that moment to tease him, “Besides, he likes you!”

He stayed silent as he glared at her before the blond spoke up, “Y’know, I’ve been thinking–”

“That’s dangerous.” Shouta cut in.

“–What are we going to do if we do find out the guy really is involved with something?”

Ah, yeah, Nemuri supposed they had really been treating this like a game, but there was always a chance Akatani could be working for villains if he was involved with the underground. “I guess it’ll depend on getting more information. I think he’d be inclined to work with heroes, but we could always be wrong. Hell, he could really just be an insane hobbyist that didn’t grow up in a good area.”

Hizashi groaned, “How did we even get to the point of gossiping over if a civilian could be some sort of villain?”

“Boredom.” Shouta deadpanned.

Hayami Makoto couldn’t get Akatani’s slightly haunted expression out of their mind. After admitting he was scared, he refused to elaborate, no matter how long Makoto had waited for him to speak again. They wouldn’t push him to speak if he didn’t want to.

That never solved anything.

Omen materialized on their shoulders as they made their way back home. Makoto reached up to pet the sentient mass of shadows as they asked it, “What do you think Akatani is scared of?” The quirk yawned. “He seemed excited at the prospect of doing analysis as a job, but something about hero agencies scared him.”

The scars didn’t bode well in their mind. Could they be directly from a hero or because of one? Smaller villages were usually only protected by heroes who were born there, and it was also sickenly common to find heteromorph discrimination in rural areas. They themselves came from a remote village where even their black sclera and cat-like pupils got disdainful looks.

The pitch black cat batted its paw against the side of their face to break their thoughts. Makoto sighed. Theorizing what happened to make Akatani afraid of heroes wouldn’t do either of them any good, nor trying to guess what caused all the small scars, and a few big ones, across his skin.

A thought crossed their mind, “Do you think he’d be interested in helping with some jobs?” The cat mrruped. They hummed, “Maybe we should mention it to Tama. Would be nice to get another ally…”

Mikumo ran along the streets, weaving in and out of alleys. Musutafu was one of the most active cities for heroes in all of Japan. Mostly due to how many Yuuei graduates liked to stay in town after obtaining their licenses. While this made the city among the safest to live in, this was purely from the low deployment times the city was able to boast. The actual crime rate was not much lower than the average.

Well, that statistic was still a bit skewed. With the large amount of heroes, it attracted villains only looking for the fame or thrill of fighting in the daylight surrounded by a roaring crowd. It also left a massive hole in the underground from a lack of lower criminals, scared off by heroes, that allowed more dangerous villains to fester.

The cries of a crowd caught his ears. Mikumo vaulted himself up the side of a building with the aid of his wings and scrabble of claws against the walls. Down the street only a few blocks away was the pro hero Death Arms fighting against a wolf heteromorph. Quickly, he jumped back down into the alley below and made his way to join the crowd with his red notebook in hand.

Rather than standing at the police line, he found a low concrete barrier and climbed on top of it to watch the fight over the crowd as he wrote. While he would prefer the rooftops, he had to admit that staying up there during the daylight might look suspicious. He winced as the crowd surged in volume following the wolf hybrid getting knocked over with a nasty punch.

He was still slowly trying to figure out what quirks he had, and was starting to suspect that one might be sensory based or had a secondary enhancement for some ungodly reason. The crowds surrounding hero fights hadn’t hurt him before when he was younger.

“Come on man! I don’t have time to deal with this bullshit! Let me go!” the hybrid yelled while getting back up. The man’s face seemed to be fighting between a more humanoid appearance and a full wolf’s head. A transformation quirk with permanent mutations. Were the mutations vestigial or part of his quirk?

Death Arms shouted back, “You should have thought about that before you broke the law!” He pulled his arm back to make another swing at the villain. Mikumo recalled that the hero had a strength quirk that was only centered within his arms. Two large weights were positioned around his wrists to provide more force for his punches.

The man jumped backwards to avoid the hit. “Is it really my fault if I can’t control it?!” he growled. Head fully transforming into that of a wolf and staying like that. Possibly heavily influenced by emotional state then.

“Then get quirk counseling!” Ah, that showed how much Death Arms knew about quirks. Some quirks were more tied to emotions than others. Nearly every quirk had the potential to go out of control based on the user’s mental state, but the degree and threshold varied based on, well, genetics and training. A quirk counselor might only be able to recommend therapy to regulate emotions.

“I can’t afford it! I’ll lose my job if you don’t let me go right now…” the hybrid trailed off.

The hero readied another attack, “The law is the law. Surrender.” Seeing that Death Arms wouldn’t let him go, the heteromorph raised his clawed hands and dropped to his knees. With the fight over, the crowd of spectators was quick to dissipate.

As he finished writing up an updated entry for Death Arms and his speculations on the wolf man’s quirk, Mikumo found that this fight left a bad taste in his mouth.

By law, the man was classified as a villain for using his quirk in public without a license. He had indeed broken the law using a quirk. However, most enforced it with only a slap on the wrist if no one had been hurt. And no one had looked injured nearby…

He could see perfectly. Tonight was the new moon. Within the bright lights of the city, he hadn’t noticed the difference. Was this a mutation? A simple passive night vision quirk? A secondary ability to another quirk or its own thing? Mikumo made his way through the winding trails of Keimei Creek. Each branch and blade of grass was visible to him in the near total darkness.

For now, he shelved those thoughts. Tonight, he just wanted to relax under the stars and sketch them. Aoitake had taken an interest in them earlier after he told her about how almost every constellation had a story behind it. Corona Borealis shined brightly overhead in the absence of light. The crown of Ariadne.

Chapter Text

Sunday, June 3, 2136

Breeze felt more wild than any other quirk he had used so far. Which made sense. Beyond just being the untamable wind, it was the first quirk he had that affected areas far away from the body. He didn’t need to touch anything to command the air around him.

With the quirks he had currently identified, Taser, Nyoom, Blink, and Pocket were the only ones he had used extensively and fully understood. Each either only affected him or a small area around him. Laser and Air Cannon were still in the same category, generating some type of effect originating close to his body. Freeze was the only one that came close.

Mikumo stood in the middle of a vortex as he tried to gain more control of the gale surrounding him. A small clearing provided to be an excellent training area as he tried to not hit the trees or himself. He was starting to have a growing respect for skilled long range emitter users. This had to be the hardest type for him to get down the basics of.

The most well known hero with a quirk like this would be Best Jeanist. He controlled threads and strings with just a thought. Wait. No, more than that. Mikumo remembered how the hero’s fingers seemed to always twitch during battle, and larger attacks had him swinging his arms.

“Was that a requirement?” It can’t be. Footage had also shown him controlling strings at a children’s event without moving an inch. Why did he use hand movements then? Was it for added flair for the cameras? Or was there a use to it?

Quickly dispelling the vortex, he commanded the wind to rush forward like a punch past his side without moving. The breeze was shaky, hardly able to be called refined, and had threatened to knock him over for a second. Only a small improvement from where he started.

However, he tried again. This time tensing the muscles in his hand as he swung his arm in a similar arc to how he wanted the wind to behave. Mikumo’s eyes widened as the gale barely buffeted him in its wake. Progress.

Mikumo sighed as he observed one of the more minor personalities from Shadow Cats materialize inside the oven and sat like a loaf alongside the pastries Tamakawa had put in to bake. Hayami explained earlier on how Omen was the main consciousness of the sentient quirk, but there were a few notable and strange ones. Oven was one such entity.

Apparently he had seen Onyx before, but Hayami wasn’t telling him when. He could only guess that Omen and Onyx were nearly identical in how they behaved. Otic was loud as hell when it wanted to be. Sometimes even singing. Lastly, Ooze… The quirk entity wasn’t able to maintain its cat like shape. It was quite horrifying the first time he saw the melting cat shaped blob.

Tamakawa came up beside him and looked at the offending shadow construct happily absorbing the heat before sighing as well. The cat hybrid was way more accustomed to Hayami and their quirk’s antics than he was. “Anyway, getting back to what I wanted to bring up. I wanted to know if you knew anything about Tokai Tomoki’s services. Tomoki is a friend of mine.”

Tokai Tomoki? “Ah, who’s that?”

The man raised an eyebrow at him, “The man that gave you my business card? He likely gave you a little more than just business cards, though. Right?”

Oh. Yeah. Oh, shit. Nothing ever came free. Fuck.

“Hey, calm down. Tomoki just has a proposition. You can refuse.” What? “He just wants to know if you’d be interested in helping his operations.” Just because he could refuse doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be backlash.

Taking a deep breath, he considered it. Tokai had taken care of all the paperwork for him to have a new legal identity. While he would have been able to do it himself given enough time, it was nice to have that sorted within a few days instead of a few weeks or months. Much less the risk that would have come from trying to do it himself.

The pink haired man had said he just liked helping kids and older teens that were in need. Was that what helping in his operations would entail? If that was the case then, yeah, he was slightly interested in helping. However, “What if I said no?”

Tamakawa met his eyes, “Then that would be that. Nothing would happen.” No matter how hard Mikumo looked for it, he couldn’t find any dishonesty in his gaze before the cat hybrid turned back to mixing batter. “You can have some time to think about it.”

A pleasant breeze passed them by as they walked through the park near Tatooin Station. Flowers lined the sidewalk that looked and smelled beautiful. Tall trees shaded them from the late afternoon sun. They slowed as they neared an ornate pond.

“Can I have my notebook back?” Aoitake asked. She had given it to him to store inside Pocket while they walked. Mikumo wasn’t expecting to go on a walk when he showed up to chat with her again for the week, but he didn’t mind it at all. Silently, the notebook appeared in his hand as he extended his arm forward. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Maybe there was some good in his friends knowing about one of his quirks.

She sat down on a nearby bench and pulled the pencil out from where it was clipped to the cover. “So, anything interesting happen?”

“It’s been mostly normal. I got a weird side job offer. A kid almost hurt one of the cats before I stopped them. Oh! I finished the mural.” He grinned as she playfully glared at him for bringing the mural up without having any pictures to show.

She slowly smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “Actually, since we’re out of the store today, you could just show me it.”

Well, yes, but actually no. “It’s kinda hard to reach…” Try the roof of an abandoned building. The stairs were intact all the way up, but he wasn’t sure how she’d react to the fact he was living there. Although, he had made it quite homey, if he said so himself.

“So? It can’t be that hard. It’s also gotta be nearby, right?”

“... Yeah?” Mikumo groaned, “Okay, fine. No judging, though, and I want to hear about your week first.”

“Ah, not much to say, I guess? It's the same old, same old. This asshole almost stole my notebook, but I was too fast for him.” Her smile while saying that was almost feral, “I managed to give him the slip and lock him in one of the classrooms. Best part is that no one would be able to trace it back to me with concrete proof that I did that and it wasn't just a coincidence.”

“Oh kami, I thought you would be the one normal friend I have. And once again, why does your school let him get away with all that?”

“Because they don’t particularly care what happens to me as long as it's not bad enough to get a lawsuit or something. Not many people even bother to stand up for me. Anyway,” She stood up and handed him back the notebook with a smile, “Now, show me that mural.”

He slightly pouted as he made the object disappear in a flicker before leading Aoitake back out of the park and past the station to where the old apartment building stood. “Ah, maybe I should have warned you that it’s on top of an abandoned building… Still up for it?”

“Hell yeah! What’s life without a little bit of risk and adventure sometimes?”

As they entered the building, Mikumo got a great idea, “Want to race to the top?”

She eyed him for only a moment, “Sure!” Gottem. He immediately raced for the stairwell with Aoitake close on his heels. Taking the stairs one at a time, he gave her only a moment to taste victory as she passed him, before speckled white and black feathers helped him climb onto the railings and scamper up the open space between each turn afterward. She shouted below him, “Hey, that’s so not fair!”

“You agreed to a race with someone who climbs buildings for fun! What did you expect?”

“You never said you climbed fucking buildings.”

Aoitake was slightly out of breath by the time she made it to where he was perched on the railing waiting for her. The actual stairs to the roof weren’t connected to the main stairwell but were located on the other side of the top floor. It was designed for staff access only.

He kicked the doors to the floor open, revealing the dim lights that illuminated the hallway all the way back to where his apartment was next to the access door. The blue haired girl gaped, “Whoa, this is like your proper hangout spot, huh?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he tipped his head back while they walked, “Well, something like that… I live here.”

“What?!” She paused and looked at him, making him turn around. “I didn’t realize you were homeless… Oh my god, you were actually broke the first time we met, weren’t you?”

“Is it really homeless if I live in an apartment?” he joked.

She stared at him incredulously before sighing, “I guess not.”

They finished making their way to the roof, where she was once again blown away by the little garden he had made that was in various stages of growth since he planted all the seeds. The small bench he had made proved useful as they sat together, and he directed her attention to the water tower.

The mural wasn’t anything specific but instead a giant mix of all his different experiences. Small details culminated into the whole. A cyan ringed black hole sat in the night sky above a beautiful lake. An aurora reflected in the still waters. Large mountains ringed the valley it was positioned in. Thin, faint lines connected stars of all different colors into different constellations.

A few nightmarish looking creatures stood at the edges of the forest at the base of the mountains. Flowers of all kinds could be found dotted around the landscape. Several people sat around a campfire near the lake. It all went on and on, and Mikumo was sure it would take Aoitake hours to discover all the small details.

“Kami. I knew it took you weeks to finish this, but…” she trailed off. Words likely failing her. He felt slightly embarrassed as she found them again, “a picture would not have been able to capture it all.”

In the end, she had taken a long time studying each inch of the painting while he tended to his plants. They continued talking during that time, sometimes about what a section of the painting was about or how he had done it. He didn’t regret showing it to her in person.

As the late afternoon began to roll into evening, he invited her down into his apartment for dinner. She had once again marveled at all the soft lights he had strung up and how well off he was living despite not actually owning a home. It didn’t save him from the mild teasing of how many blankets he had around the place, though.

A soft, metallic thud rang through the alley as he landed on a fire escape. Leaving not a moment to rest, he vaulted himself across the space to the next building. While there was no reason for him to patrol anymore he still couldn’t stop the urge to move. To run across the city as if he were still on the lookout for noumu.

The wind in his white hair and feathers was addicting as he jumped from building to building. A reminder that he was free. Despite the desolation left in the wake of The Fall of Heroes, Mikumo had always been at peace in the quietness of the cities and wilderness. People had not been kind beforehand.

The few that were left still were not kind. Where he had once been outcasted for having no quirk at all, the people shunned him for having too many. New Musutafu had been complicated. The people living there feared him. Yet, they revered him for his ability to keep noumu and people only seeking destruction away. Called him a monster, a demon. Named him Tengu, a yokai that meant protection.

Slowing as he landed on another roof, he took in the moment and the warm air blowing against his freckled face. The city of Musutafu stared back at him. He’d protect this city from becoming the wasteland in his memories. Maybe in the meantime, he could help protect kids in need that didn’t trust the system to help them.

“Why must you torture me like this?” Shouta bemoaned as Nemuri showed him a picture of her holding Cappuccino, the large orange maine coon located in Nekohana, from earlier today. Akatani had helped her take the picture, since the behemoth required both her arms to hold.

“It’s funny.” She turned the picture to Hizashi, “Besides, you did it to yourself.”

“Man, I need to go back to the cafe just for the cats soon. They’re all so soft!”

“Not you too, ‘Zashi.”

The blond only smiled at him, “Maybe if you ask very nicely, the owner will forgive you.” Shouta groaned.

Nemuri cut between them before the teasing could get out of hand, “Anyway, I actually invited Akatani to hang out at the mall on Sunday. Do either of you want to come with?”

The black haired man raised an eyebrow at her, “Did you make sure it was alright to invite us beforehand?”

“Yeah. I mentioned I might bring some friends.”

Mikumo hopped off the train beside Kayama and her friends, Yamada and Aizawa. Yamada had been the man with Kayama once before, with long blond hair hanging loosely well past his shoulders and an easy-going attitude. Aizawa on the other hand was quite reserved and had hung up his black hair in a bun. Despite coming off as kind of shy, he had no shame in wearing neon pink sweatpants in public.

Kayama looped her arm around his shoulders as they all walked out of the station near Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. “Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve visited the mall!” she exclaimed. “We’ll visit the tech store first, since you mentioned wanting to buy a phone the other day. Shouta, Hizashi, where do you guys want to go after that?”

Yamada spoke first, “It might be fun to hit up the record store. Nothing beats the classics and the sound of vinyl.”

“I don’t need anything.”

“C'mon, Shou, not even a new cat keychain?”

Aizawa was silent for a second before saying, “Maybe.” Mikumo couldn’t help but quietly snicker at that. The man glanced menacingly at him, “Oh? What are you laughing at?” He quickly stopped.

Kayama turned to look at Aizawa without moving her arm, “Don’t threaten the child.” Mikumo was unsure whether he wanted to be offended at being called a child or not.

“Are you sure this is a child?” Thank you, Aizawa.

She paused and turned to him, “How old are you?”

“Eighteen, I’ll be nineteen in about a month.”

“See? Child.” Oh, fuck you, Kayama.

Since she brought it up… He was curious, “How old are you guys?”

She sniffed in response, “Don’t you know to never ask a wom–”

“She’s twenty-four. Shou and I are twenty-three.” Kayama rounded on the blond faster than Mikumo could track, murder in her eyes. “Wait, Nem, we can talk about this!”

Her tone became sickeningly sweet as she practically purred, “Sure, Hizashi-kun.”

A little later, he compared different models of phones without fully understanding what all the details meant while Aizawa stood at his side. Even though the man was able to be quite threatening with only a single glance, at least he wasn’t causing a scene like the other two behind them.

 Mikumo was surprised when he spoke up in the comfortable silence between them, “Do you need any help choosing?” He looked up from the phone he was inspecting, meeting Aizawa’s black eyes, “You just seemed confused.”

 “Yeah… I’ve never bought a phone before. I just want something to text and call on that won’t need much charging.” He shrugged before adding, “Maybe browsing a few forums.”

Aizawa just started silently walking away after motioning him to follow. He set down the device he had been holding and caught up with him as he explained, “There are some cheap phones that sound perfect for what you want in the back. Most of the newer models just have fancier cameras or are more powerful for games, but are way more expensive.”

The selection was quite small, but that didn’t bother him. “Any recommendations?”

“I’ve gotten the same model the past several times.” The man grabbed a small black phone that didn’t look anything special, “There might be something better, but this one is good. It can survive a good beating before breaking, and the battery can last several days if you don’t use it much.”

Taking it from his outstretched hand, Mikumo looked it over. He had enough yen stored in Pocket to cover it, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He didn’t think far enough ahead to put the yen in his actual pocket before heading out, but he sighed in relief as the clerk didn’t mind the brief quirk use to pay for his new phone. After that, he and Aizawa grabbed Kayama and Yamada to make their way to the record store. The two of them had calmed down while they were busy.

“Yo, Akatani, do you have any favorite songs?” Yamada had come up beside him as they came up to the store.

He hadn’t had the means to listen to music in years and before then, he hadn’t been into certain artists, “Never really thought about it that much. Music just sounds nice.” A memory hit him from his time in Jaku and he smirked, “Actually, have you ever heard Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley?”

The blond blinked and looked at him with curiosity, “Never heard of it, actually. Are they an indie musician? What year was it released?”

“I actually don’t know…” Mikumo admitted.

He hummed, “Well, guess I’ll have to find it then!”

The three of them waited by the entrance while Yamada browsed the recent collection after that. Aizawa looked to be lightly sleeping as he leaned against the wall and Kayama was typing away on her phone. He pulled his new phone out of his pocket, his real one, no way was he risking a public quirk usage charge in such a crowded area.

Fiddling with the device, he managed to rediscover how to add contacts. Aoitake had given him a piece of paper with her number on it a while ago, and he took it out while he was getting his yen earlier.

Only a second after he had finished, Kayama quickly swiped his phone out of his hand and gave it back before he could fully process that she had done that. He looked down to see she had put her own contact in. “Oh, thanks.”

“Yeah, feel free to text me anytime. Might not be able to respond right away, though.” She glanced at the resting brunet, “Shouta, we’re needed for a surprise meeting soon. We’ll have to start heading back towards Musutafu once Hizashi is done.”

Oh. Mikumo had been enjoying hanging out with them, but he supposed it couldn’t last forever. Aizawa grumbled in response before holding his hand out towards him, “Let me give you my contact too. So far, you’ve been more tolerable than these two.”

Yamada had arrived just in time to hear that and shouted, “Hey! That’s so uncalled for.”

“Hizashi, Shouta and I need to head out. You two are free to continue without us, or we can all head back together.”

“Oh. Akatani, what do you want to do?”

He didn’t want to be a burden, “Uh… Whatever you want to do?”

The blond man stared at him critically for a second, “Well… I’m a little hungry, so how about we get some lunch and decide then?”

“Oh, okay!”

Kayama and Aizawa said their goodbyes as Mikumo followed Yamada to the food court. While he was a little unsure of himself without Kayama around, Yamada filled the silence and managed to keep the conversation going with ease while they ate. He was quite enjoyable to be around. By the time both of them were tired enough to head back home, Mikumo had another number in his contacts and a small smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Monday, June 11, 2136

Mikumo crouched on the edge of a building, watching as the sun slowly rose over the ocean to the east. Reds and blues and pinks and purples, all highlighted by stunning gold. He yawned widely in the morning air. Thankfully, he had been getting better about biting himself with his new teeth. He had only gotten Fangs a few months ago.

Actually, since the mutation quirk was on his mind, he never named the avian mutation quirk, did he? Should he just call it Wings and be done with it, or something better? The quirk wasn’t just the tiny wings barely longer than his arms but had also given him animalistic legs and feet structured somewhere between talons and paws. He could decide on a name later.

Taking out his phone from Pocket, he took a picture of the colorful sight and sent it off to Ruka. No two mornings were ever completely alike. Today was the dawn of a possible new chapter in his life.

“I want to know more about what Tokai would want me to do. It’s about helping other people out of tough situations, right?” Emerald green eyes stared down the navy blue cat hybrid as the man turned to meet his gaze.

Tamakawa sighed, “I don’t know that much about his side job. Plausible deniability and all that. You’ll have to speak to him yourself to know more.” Mikumo blinked, he thought that maybe he could give him at least something to go off of.

Even still, he wasn’t discouraged, “How and when should I contact him?”

“Just visit the library.” He paused as his tail flicked, seemingly in thought, “What I do know is that Tomoki deals a lot in information. He has at least a few people with eyes and ears on the ground reporting to him. I’ve gotten a few hints over the years that he might have some more people that pitch in when fights break out. I’m not sure if they just work alongside him or what.”

Despite thinking over Tamakawa’s words on behalf of the librarian for about a week, Mikumo found himself pausing once again. It was starting to sound like Tokai led a small faction in the underground. Did he really want to get wrapped up in something like that again?

At the same time, this was different. Tokai claimed to just want to help those who only needed a hand up. The man had gifted him a new identity with very few questions asked. Granted him the opportunity to get on his feet and act like a normal civilian within only a few days after waking up a decade before the fight that sent him here.

He would give him a chance. A chance to prove that his intentions are true. That helping people was the core of whatever group Tokai had fostered. After all, Mikumo had been ready to give another group a chance only several weeks ago.

Once upon a time, helping people had been his dream. Maybe it wasn’t as dead as he thought.

The cafe lulled in business in the later morning before noon. With nothing better to do and plenty of time to stave off his nerves about the future, he brought his phone out and hunted the cats of Nekohana. Hayami slightly teased him about how it should be cats hunting birds, not the other way around. That earned a light smack with his wing.

After he captured a few pictures of the cats Mikumo hummed to himself, Aizawa liked cats, right?

He smiled at Aizawa’s reaction to Oven. Although, he quickly shooed the black cat away from the stove before he could get any ideas from watching Hayami’s quirk bask in the extreme heat. Roast did not need to live up to his namesake.

The avian stared up at the top of Musutafu’s main library. Mikumo ducked his head down as determination filled his gaze and took a step forward. He would help and protect others. In another time, he had been called Tengu due to his diligence in protecting his corner of the city.

The librarian from before spotted him from behind the kiosk in the center of the building. He seemed to excuse himself to his coworker before meeting Mikumo halfway. “Ah, good to see you again, Akatani.” he greeted.

Slightly bowing, he returned, “Likewise. Tamakawa sent me your way this time.”

The smile on his face slipped into something slightly more genuine from the more service-like expression he had before, “Ah, good! Please, let’s discuss in my office.” Mikumo only nodded and followed him to the room Tokai had led him to once before. They both took a seat around the ornate desk before Tokai spoke up again, “So, I heard that you do quirk analysis as a hobby. Would you be interested in acting as a quirk counselor?”

Mikumo blinked, “What?” Out of everything he thought Tokai might ask him to do, that was not it.

The pink haired man steepled his hands and leaned forward, “There are plenty of kids around here that can’t afford quirk counseling that quite honestly need it.” His gaze hardened before continuing, “Some parents even refuse to bring them in for counseling because they hate the quirk their child was born with.”

“S-so you just want me to do analysis for people who need help with their quirks?” Tokai nodded. “To be honest, I thought you were going to ask that I gather information or something with all the hints that you’re involved with the underground. If you don’t mind, what is the deal with that anyway?”

He smiled widely as he answered, “Well, I admit that I’ve been very honest around you since I could tell you might become a good ally if you were to be interested in this line of work. I’m not as careless about that information as I might seem. As for why I’m doing all this, cashing in favors to help out the community seems like a good use of my resources, no?”

“Oh. Although, why me?”

“When you spend years as a keeper of knowledge, you tend to pick up skills to read situations and people very well. Choosing a poor business partner can lead to capture or even death. I can tell you’ve been involved in the underground before. The way you carry yourself says a lot. You’ve seen the darkness of society and still wish to hide in the shadows.”

He was silent for a moment, “You could tell that just by looking at me the first time?”

“You also wear your heart on your sleeve. Did it even occur to you to try lying to me?” Tokai chuckled. “Be more careful in the future, or you’ll become a liability one day. Ah, I can work out lessons on handling the underground as part of your payment if you wish.”

“Payment? I thought you asked me here to repay for the ID.” Mikumo admitted.

The man clapped his hands once, loudly, “Alright first lesson, what did you just do? I won’t have you potentially working with me this poorly. As for the ID, you’ve always had my word that there were no strings attached. This is a new deal.”

He stared wide-eyed at the man before he started to think over the entire conversation. This is a deal, one that the librarian wants him to accept. A deal that had already begun in hopes to win him over. The man wants him to offer his knowledge on quirks. He’s trying to bargain for that right now. Mikumo acknowledged, “I let you know you could buy my time and knowledge for free in the middle of negotiations.”

Leaning back in his chair, Tokai smirked, “Ah, good. You picked that up quick. I’ll teach you more about how to properly hold yourself as long as you help out some of my clients with your expertise on quirks.” He seemed to hum to himself, “I’ll even add on a course for a quirk counseling license.”

Rather than asking him this time, Mikumo shelved the question of why Tokai would give him a license for future consideration. Well, that question also warranted asking why Tokai was even this invested in him. What did the man truly want from him? What did he know?

“I can see you’re thinking hard this time rather than blurting the question out. You need to school your expressions more in the future. Anyway, is this deal agreeable to you?” The pink haired man raised an eyebrow.

Deciding to clarify the agreement, he asked, “I act as a quirk counselor for your clients in exchange for information and a quirk counseling license?”

“Yes.” Light yellow eyes seemed to light up in mild excitement. Tokai extended out his right hand across the desk.

Mikumo took it, “Then I accept.”

Ruka sighed from across the counter, “How did you make it through high school? There’s so much homework! It’s exhausting.”

Mikumo huffed, “I was basically homeschooled.” Aldera Junior High had sucked. The other kids liked to trip him or steal his homework. Sometimes they chased him, promising to only rough him up a little. The teachers all encouraged it. He didn’t want to imagine what Aldera High would have been like.

“What! What was that like?” The laboratory. The Doctor. His home and the man he was so close to seeing like a father after taking him in. A trust long broken came to light as the place fell apart.

Oh, the things that man taught him. The things that man had done to him.

“Lonely. I didn’t have many friends before, but I found myself missing my old best friend, no matter how much of an asshole he was.” He chuckled, “We met a couple of years later, and he apologized. It was nice to see that he finally matured during high school.” He paused before adding, “We grew up together, we were practically brothers. I’m not sure if I could have fully forgiven anyone else.”

When he looked back up, Ruka was staring at him with wide eyes, “I think that’s the most you’ve talked about anything from before we met.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck and looked away for a moment, “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Got anything else to share?” she smiled slyly. He chuckled. She continued, “Were you taught anything extra from the normal curriculum?” Mikumo paused. Ah.

“W-well, I’m not sure if my, uh, mentor even gave me the normal curriculum…” he admitted. The Doctor seemed like he wanted him to be highly educated, at least, but did that man give him the full education he would have had without him? “He was very focused on his own studies and wanted me as his assistant.”

Ruka tilted her head to the side, “What did you study?”

“Quirk factors and genealogy. He reached out to me after I read several of his papers and reports.” Actually, that should have been a red flag for all that eventually transpired afterward. Alas, fourteen-year-old him didn’t know better and was too emotional to really care if he was honest.

“That’s actually really cool! Did you look into the quirkless at all? What makes quirkless people so different?”

That question caught him off guard but just made him more excited, “Yeah! I had started by looking into the Dawn of Quirks because I wanted to see what scientist back then thought about meta-humans.”

“Meta-humans?”

“Old term for quirked people. Anyway, what I found is that by Pre-Quirk definitions, almost everyone is a meta-human! For example, your blue hair would have been classified as a quirk in the first generation. Over time, vestigial mutations became more common and things like hair or eye color were no longer counted as quirks.”

“What?” She looked like part of her worldview was breaking. Not too far off from how he had felt learning that. “Wait, what color were people's hair and eyes normally, then?”

“Apparently their eyes were either shades of brown, blue, or green. Their hair was black, brown, red, or blond. In lower quirked population countries, these are still the most common colors today.”

“That’s wild. Although, you called them mutations. What does that mean for mutant quirks?” she asked.

He giggled, “Under current guidelines it's possible for someone without a manifested quirk, someone quirkless, to be registered with a mutation class quirk if they inherit an obvious vestigial mutation like, say, scales.” Mikumo sighed before he continued, “Mutation class quirks are the most confusing to properly classify.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, I think I wanted to look into all that more before…” Before Garaki Kyuudai messed with his mind and body. Before the man used him as an experiment. He looked at the black dot in the center of one of his palms, “Before things happened, and I forgot about it until now.”

“I mean, how can you tell the difference between a vestigial mutation and a quirked mutation? Is that possible?”

He grinned, “I kind of want to find out one day.” Beyond All for One, of course.

While Mikumo wasn’t sure if he should even take back up quirk science, this conversation had reignited his desire to learn more about quirks. Not just analyzing them, but understanding how they manifest.

Although, how different would he be from his old master if he pursued such studies again? Nightmarish creatures artificially created from dozens of drugs and substances came to mind. Where would he draw the line?

Wind kicked around the forest of Keimei Creek. The whirlwinds of previous nights had tapered out into a light breeze that barely kicked up any leaves. A small clearing was still the epicenter of the abnormal activity and was where a man with multiple quirks sat with his eyes closed in concentration. All for One hummed in his bones, like always, as he used an interesting mechanic only discovered a few nights ago on a whim.

Sensing was the new name of a quirk that proved to be passive in nature. It boosted his sense of sight, smell, and hearing. Touch and taste were likely affected too, but he couldn’t tell the difference as easily. It was still up to his mind to make sense of the signals. A boosted sense of smell didn’t mean he knew what the smell was, just that he could pick out fainter scents that maybe other people couldn’t.

Anyway, in a moment of what could only be pure sleep-deprived nonsense, he smashed Sensing and Breeze together. No hesitation from the moment the thought manifested to doing it. His quirk reacted in kind by intertwining the two energies together. Breeze and Sensing still existed, they were just wrapped around each other and acted like one singular quirk. Two colors swirled within a star in his dreamscape.

The following morning, he had made sure he could separate them. It had been a bit difficult, way harder than it had been to combine them, but possible. Interesting.

Although, he had to sigh at how he still hadn’t even touched a few of the quirks he had, yet managed to make a new one. His mind had also decided to remind him that he used to be fucking quirkless. How was this his life?

Back to the matter at hand, since Sensing was passive and still functioned normally when combined with Breeze, he left them tangled together. However, Breeze had a new function. He could feel the wind he controlled. Finally, he could tell when he was hitting something without seeing it.

His control of Breeze was getting better each night by leaps and bounds. Even his thought only control. Getting used to the new sensations was another matter.

Mikumo could make out the texture of bark on the trees if he tried hard enough, but at other times he could barely tell if he was passing a large branch or tiny twig. Not to mention when he had tried to cast his attention to a large swath of the forest. It was so much. That experiment left him with a migraine for the rest of the night, as well as feeling disorientated and overwhelmed.

Tonight, he put all his attention onto what he could sense in the wind. The experience was similar to how he accessed the dreamscape, which made sense since that was how he was approaching it. He was only faintly aware of his own body, while his mind solely focused on Wind Sense.

It became a game to keep track of a few leaves that he picked up and make sure he didn’t drop them as he directed the zephyr under the light of the full moon.

Shouta interrupted her from messing with the barista they all took a slight liking to, “Stop terrorizing who ever it is you’re messaging.” Nemuri pouted. He knew her so well.

“What’s wrong with a little bit of fun before another debrief meeting. I’m starting to get sick of all these meetings about our next steps. Where’s the action?”

The man sighed, “We’re on a strike team, Nem. Remember that. We can’t just attack on a whim. We only have one shot at this.”

She huffed, “Yeah, yeah. I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t be bored. I can’t wait to have some tough guys all wrapped up for me.” Nemuri smirked, “All begging for release. Promising to be such good boys from now on.”

Shouta only slowly exhaled another long sigh. She loved being the bane of his existence sometimes.

It really hadn’t been planned.

Jumping between buildings had quickly become an almost nightly occurrence. He just had so much restless energy. Besides, it was good practice in incorporating Wind Sense into his movements. He didn’t need to see a gap to know it was there anymore. The technique was still at a level where he wouldn’t run around blindfolded, though.

Well, maybe not yet. Surely this skill could be practiced until he could do that. Wouldn’t that be cool? A nagging thought in his mind reminded him that he shouldn’t focus so much on only a few quirks. What if one day he needs to use one and is too rusty to properly use it? It nearly happened before.

While he knew he very well shouldn’t, Mikumo used a low output of Kinetic Booster to increase his speed while he ran. It was practically invisible under his skin anyway. Only noticeable by the buzz in his veins. Besides, this quirk could do well for practicing with controlling power output. Especially when it came to enhancers.

After a while, he slowed down and sat on the edge of a tall building. He had been thinking more and more about his time. Yes, he made a home here, he has a life here now, but he still mourns for everything he had gone through to get here.

Anxiety had been a constant in his life, before it had been just trying to get through the day when almost everyone knew he was quirkless. Never knowing when someone would jeer at him or even attack him for something he couldn’t control. Now it was the dull fear of people wanting to control or kill him for the quirk that had been forced upon him.

With the reprieve from constant attacks, he had more time to reflect and think. Sometimes it was easy to wish he could go back to being Midoriya Izuku. It had been so simple when he just had to worry about making it through the school day and coming home to his mother.

Although, he knew the decision wouldn’t be easy if he was to be given a choice to change his past. Ruka, Hayami, Kayama, Tamakawa, and even Aizawa and Yamada were already irreplaceable. He’d already spent years making his new appearance and quirk feel like they were his.

Besides, he was already given the chance to change the past. This is his chance. However, the saying was still true. You can’t change the past. Nothing would ever erase what he experienced. He could only move forward and try to move on. Besides, if he could, would he still be himself or someone new?

Looking up to the night sky, he sighed. His name was Akatani Mikumo and that was by choice. Midoriya Izuku lived with a second chance he didn’t even know he had. He was only eight years old, and his life was only beginning. Who knew where his story would lead? The only thing for certain was that he would never become Mikumo if the eighteen-year-old had any say.

The serenity of the night didn’t last long, for once. His musings were broken by a shrill shout broke through the darkness, “Help!” Mikumo never thought twice about it.

His body moved on its own.

Mineta Oshiyo grinned as he held his hand over the young lady’s mouth to shut her up. She trembled under his touch, “There’s no need to make a scene now. I just want to appreciate your beauty up close.” Deep purple eyes stared up at him with fear and anger.

Luckily, it was late enough that no one would have been around to hear the cry she made. Oshiyo had this girl all to himself for the night! “Are you going to be a good girl?” She only hardened her gaze. A fighter then. “Alright, we can do this the easy way or the ha–”

Oshiyo never got to finish that sentence before the ground fell out from underneath him. It all happened so fast. He felt something hit his back, and his last thought had only been confusion before all awareness faded away.

Later, he would wake up in the hospital with a nasty concussion, cracked ribs, and cuffs around his wrists. He couldn’t tell the detective who or what took him out. The only presence he knew of was the girl he had been trying to be nice to.

The detective didn’t buy that very last part.

Chapter Text

Thursday, June 21, 2136

Tamakawa Seiji returned to his living room and set down a pot of tea for his siblings. Sansa had his ears pinned backwards in mild annoyance as Wakana tried to braid the orange fur sticking out in all directions. “My fur is just untamable. Nothing I do looks good past a few hours.”

“Not even hair gel or spray?” Wakana said as she briefly flicked her tail.

Seiji watched as Sansa’s face scrunched up in disgust, “I don’t like the feeling of that stuff.” Their sister hummed in response but didn’t argue or question it.

Taking the brief silence as an opening, Seiji tossed a question at her, “I might know what happened to that mystery man that appeared in front of Tatooin last April. You’re still looking for tea on that, right?” Her head snapped over to look at him as her pupils dilated to the widest he’s seen in a while.

Wakana had a penchant for getting sucked into mysteries, but she was also damn good at sniffing them out with the wide access of knowledge she was privy to. It helped to be a prominent figure in the community as a reporter. Really, if any of them were to take up Tomoki’s past offers of working more underground, she would be the best informant out of the three of them.

He kept her a little too long in suspense as her eyes narrowed, “Come on! Spit it out already!” Blotchy brown and orange ears pointed back. Then again, she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve a bit too much. As a reporter, it just made the public trust her more.

“Jeez, you know curiosity killed the cat, right?” He couldn’t help the pun. “Anyway, I’m pretty damn confident that the same guy is my new employee. Tomoki most likely sent the guy my way to keep tabs on him. Either way, the kid is starting to do business for him, whether he got exactly what he wanted from sending him here or not.”

“How did he survive? The footage wasn’t released publicly, but it looked like he was stabbed right through his chest in multiple spots. Hell, even running away like that must have taken a lot. Regeneration quirk, right?”

“No. I haven’t asked him anything about that incident or about his quirk, but I have seen his quirk in action a few times. He says it's more like a pocket dimension kind of thing for storing objects, but that could just be a cover-up for teleportation.” He grinned as he fed into her curiosity, “The real question would be that if his quirk is teleportation, why hide it?”

Sansa interjected, “Well, teleportation quirks are in high demand and tend to be monitored very closely. To be honest, I don’t blame anyone who has a teleportation quirk for hiding it with what I know.” The orange furred man shivered, and Seiji decided that maybe he didn’t want to know.

Wakana didn’t share that conclusion, “Why?” Seiji sighed at her antics. Curiosity may just be what kills her one day with how some things are dangerous to know. Tomoki has alluded to it on many occasions.

“Well…” Sansa quieted and looked off to the side as if he was contemplating even explaining it. Seiji was about to stop him when he found his voice, “The Hero Commission. Just, look, when you work closely with the commission long enough, you learn some things. There are missing persons cases that are closed from higher up all the time. Most have strong quirks that are quietly marked as classified later on.”

Seiji wasn’t really surprised, “So you think the HPSC might be taking citizens and forcing them to work for them? How could someone even control a warper? They can just leave.” He rubbed his face, “Say you’re right, how far do you think they’d go?”

Sansa only looked at him with a forlorn expression and shook his head, “You don’t want to know.”

“I should just drag you back out someplace again. You need more socialization.” Mikumo tried to cut her off there, but she kept going, “Maybe the mall again, since I had to leave early last time!” Kayama smiled mischievously. No doubt, she had something planned at the mall.

Glancing over at Hayami, they offered no support, turning around to leave him to whatever fate the woman had in store for him. Maybe he’d bribe Omen to annoy them again. Tamakawa cut in for once as the blue-gray cat hybrid leaned against the counter to face Kayama, “I hear you want to steal my employee?”

“I know I can’t just take him out when he’s on the clock.” she pouted.

The older man’s eyes flicked over to him, “Well, Akatani I have been thinking of moving your hours to be flexible.” Mirth filled his gaze as he continued talking, “Come and go as you like. I know you’ll be busy helping out Tomoki moving forward. The cafe will always be here for you if you need to get a little more cash or find yourself bored, though.”

Mikumo paused and stared incredulously at Tamakawa, “What?” Did employers do that? Was this normal? “Wait, so I just show up and work when I want to? I don’t need to tell you when I want to come in first?”

“Yep.”

Kayama grinned, “Does this start now?”

Mikumo looked at the man in mild fear as he looked like he got the canary, “Yep.”

Thankfully, she didn’t drag him out of the cafe right that second. Fridays were her hangout days with her other two friends, after all. However, it did not bode well for his morning tomorrow. As he watched the door swing closed behind her, he just sighed and resigned himself to his fate.

Faces of people he had never met and shops that he had never seen blurred past as Kayama dragged him by the arm through the mall. She was clearly excited to bring him to whatever place she had in mind here. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before they started to slow down, and he tried to figure out what storefront was Kayama’s destination.

To his confusion, she led him into what looked to be a barber shop. “You need a haircut! I bet those curls will look nicer and be easier to manage with a shorter length.” He stared at her before he just sighed. He didn’t really care what his hair looked like anymore, so it wouldn’t hurt to humor her.

At some point it was just easier to not bother with it unless it got long enough that it got in the way when he was fighting. Actually, that mentality may have started in Jaku and just wasn’t challenged when he lived in the wild or even when he regained his memories. “I haven’t cared about what it looks like for years.”

“Well, that changes today!” She looped her arm around his shoulders and pointed over to a mirror on the wall. 

He still didn’t look at himself that often, despite the mirror now in his living room. The exact shade of green as his mother's eyes were dusted by freckles that mirrored his father’s face. Pure white hair curled loosely as it fell to about his shoulders.

She pulled his attention away from his reflection as she asked, “Do you have any preferences? If you like it long, we can just get it shaped up.”

“Ah, well, do you have any recommendations?” Mikumo figured that he probably liked it shorter than it was now, but he also wanted to know what she was thinking for him. Without too much thought, he asked, “How about you pick for me?”

She nearly squealed, “Oh, I love makeovers and fashion! ‘Zashi’s like me, and Shouta won’t let me touch him. You’re going to look great when we’re done!” He sighed and smiled, hopefully he didn’t regret this.

He sparked up a conversation, asking about Yamada while they waited. Apparently the man loved wearing leather and looking like a punk. Aizawa just liked soft yet functional things. Eventually, an older woman called them over to sit in two open chairs next to each other.

Mikumo breathed slowly the entire time, not realizing how much it grated his nerves to have his back to a random person with a weapon scissors in their hands and letting them touch him. He fought the urge to summon his knives each time the scissors snipped away more hair. It helped to close his eyes and try to sink away to his dreamscape even if it only offered minor relief to the anxiety roiling in his gut.

“Hey, Akatani, do you want to try dyeing your hair?” He opened his eyes, briefly noting how his hair was about the same length as it was in middle school before looking at Kayama as she continued, “You could get the temporary dyes that wash out. Since your hair is white, you can dye it super easily!” She pouted, “Lucky.”

Still slightly out of it from controlling his unease, he just wanted to go along with whatever she suggested and get out of here, “Sure.”

“What color do you want to try?”

“I guess you pick?”

She giggled, “How about a color that matches your quirk? Bright pink!” That helped him return a bit more to reality. He gaped, but she cut him off before he could even begin, “You said I could pick. Besides! You can wash it out tonight.”

Afterward, he walked around the mall with highlighter pink hair and a few pink feathers to test if the dyes worked on them too, at Kayama’s insistence. She tugged him into a few different clothing shops to try lots of things on and to buy more clothes in general. 

It was mostly more jeans, button up shirts, pun shirts to Kayama’s dismay, and discovering ponchos. The loose fabric covered him like a sweater without restricting his wings and didn’t need any modifications to do so like his shirts. It was amazing. With his wings easily covered by the knitted white fabric, fewer people stared at him as he passed them by.

“Sorry that it took a while.” Tokai apologized as he led Mikumo to an office space deeper in the library. Although, he took a quick pause to say, “Nice haircut.” The room was on the second floor and had tinted windows that obscured the view of who or what was inside. “We shouldn’t be bothered here.”

Mikumo glanced at him, “Are you sure it's safe to use a public space for this?”

“For this client? It should be just fine. Confidentiality is one of our specialties at Musutafu Library. No one outside this room will be able to tell what we are discussing, even if they tried. Although. I’ll quickly remind you to watch your language.”

Shit. The pink haired man was good at picking apart every mistake he made around him. Specifying public space wasn’t needed and could be suspicious for those that could overhear them.

They entered the room and Tokai began introductions, “Akatani, this is Sakata Keisuke.” A small boy with light brown hair stared up at him with pale white eyes, briefly looking at each other before the child looked away. He was probably nervous to be here. “Sakata, Akatani is here to help you control your quirk.” A woman sitting nearby quickly dipped her head in greeting as well.

Taking the lead, Mikumo kneeled down to be at the kid’s height in front of them and smiled softly, “Hi Sakata, would you like to tell me about your quirk?”

He became anxious the longer the kid didn’t respond. “No one told you?” Sakata’s voice was quiet as the words finally trembled out.

“I suppose not! I’ll need to know what you can do before I can try to help you with it. By the way, what do you need help with?”

Sakata stayed silent for a while. Likely debating it before the woman spoke on his behalf, “He scares the crap out of anyone he makes eye contact with. He needs more control over his quirk.” That was a bit blunt. The boy hunched in on himself in response, and Mikumo glared at the woman for a second before turning back to Sakata.

“So your quirk is sight based? I have heard that those types of quirks are more affected by emotions than most other quirks. That just means you need to work on controlling your emotions a little more than other kids.”

“Huh?”

“We can also get you some glasses that help block quirk effects. Did you know that sight based heroes have to be careful of what their glasses or goggles are made of to not hinder their quirks?”

Sakata stared up at him now, meeting his gaze. Curiosity and excitement seemed to be burning away the kid's earlier anxieties. “Really? It's that easy?!” However, it didn’t last long, “None of the other doctors wanted to help me…”

It had been years since Mikumo had his own quirk counseling appointment, the only appointment he ever had. It gave him pause since he couldn’t understand why the child would be turned away, “Why not?”

“They didn’t like my quirk.” That couldn’t be the full picture, right? “It’s scary.” Still…

“Well, I think having a sight based quirk is cool! My favorite hero has one.”

The kid’s gaze hardened in anger, white eyes flared with an ethereal glow. “You don’t get it!” he shouted, looking right at Mikumo. 

Cold sweat dripped down his back. He was about to die. All For One found him. The child warped into the true form of that demon. The surrounding room was washed away by black water. He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t breathe.

He breathed, and the world snapped back into position. All For One wasn’t here. He wasn’t in that man’s dreamscape, surrounded by the pitch black ocean. White eyes were looking past him with fearful concern. “Ah, I see.” Sakata curled in on himself again. Mikumo bowed, “I’m sorry for making you feel like you had to show me your quirk like that.” 

“Huh?” Sakata looked deeply confused. Maybe he could still salvage this?

“Have you given any thought to what you want to do when you grow up?”

“I- what, uh, I- I don’t know.”

“And that is perfectly fine! I don’t know what I want to do either, honestly. Either way, you don’t need to worry about what your quirk can do. Plenty of jobs don’t require a specific quirk,” from what Mikumo could remember and what he’d seen so far. “Although, there are a few professions that showing someone their fears might be useful. I’m sure you’ll figure it out!” 

He paused to find the right words, “Quirks may be unique to each person, but they don't define who you are. It's what you personally do that matters. If you just want to control it better, we can find something that works for you.”

The kid looked at him dumbfounded, even the woman looked a little off kilter. Mikumo simply smiled widely at them and turned to Tokai, “Do you have any places to send them to for working on emotional control or for getting those special glasses?”

Tokai blinked at him before seeming to remember himself. He pulled the avian over and whispered, “Are you sure you’re okay, Akatani?”

“Huh?”

“Sakata’s quirk makes you experience fear on the level of being about to die. Sometimes accompanied by a hallucination of being about to die. How are you standing right now?”

Oh. Huh. It had been a while since he last felt it, but, “I’ve faced that feeling many times already. Being able to keep moving has been what kept me alive.” It was as simple as that. Tokai didn’t look any better.

They all finished up the counseling after that. Mikumo briefly taught Sakata about the feeling of quirk energy and how it's possible to control it with practice. It still felt like he could have done better or done more with trying to help.

Tokai mentioned how they may be able to rename the kid’s quirk to something nicer or more unassuming than Death’s Door in the registry in the future. He needed his quirk counseling license before he could do that, though.

The warm summer nights were a comfort against the chilly memory of winter. Nothing good ever seemed to happen in the early spring. Memories of the day he almost died for the first time, drowned for the first time, the same day his dream of being a Pro Hero died at the words of discouragement from the Symbol of Peace. That had been a day in early April. Only months later had he shaken the Symbol of Evil’s hand.

Drowning. There was a quirk that transported the noumu and people around. It made them briefly choke on dark gray sludge like tar. Teleportation was the only way in and out of a white room littered with claw marks and blood. A room designed to make one lose their mind. A place to slowly break down any remaining mind left of the more resistant noumu. There was no sense of time in the lab, but the corridors were chilly nonetheless.

Drowning. The time he woke up with broken memories and purple solution filling his lungs. It had been around February or March. With reclaimed knowledge to think back, he could recognize that he had been spared from the full noumu process, but programming had still whispered in the back of his mind for years. Something akin to the class of experiments with the highest sapience at the end.

Drowning. Waves that were as black as a starless night. Water that devoured all the color that laid below its surface. An equal representation of the exact same quirk that laid beneath his skin but so, so different. A man that had tried to swallow him beneath the waves. The ever looming threat of Lord All For One fully hung above him now, where it had once been a distant thought.

That had been in April.

The warm wind swirled around Mikumo once more where he stood with his eyes closed, taking him back into the moment rather than memories. His breath slowed as he simply listened. Zoning out hardly ever ends well when living out in the wastelands left behind by the Fall of Heroes.

The ruins of Musutafu, especially by Takoba Beach, were his area. Nearby factions had come to learn and respect that. However, they were still too scared to approach the area unless doing business with New Musutafu, the one faction that lived within his protective boundary. Those people didn’t just fearfully respect him but had come to depend on him to keep other monsters away.

A growl echoed along the alleyways below. Pink light flashed as twin blades manifested in his grasp, ready to be stained with even more blood. Emerald star shaped eyes snapped open… Only to be met with an unbroken skyline that signified the absence of any other monster besides himself. 

… That wasn’t the first time he confused a noise in a back alley for a noumu. Mikumo just had to keep reminding himself that the year was 2136. Keep reminding himself that the noumu didn’t run wild within the cities and countryside. That he didn’t have to fight for his life all the time anymore.

Despite his mental slip up between memories and reality, he stayed out in the night. It looked like a gang of several guys had gotten the better of what might be a hero in the area below him. Mikumo still wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing, intervening on more and more back alley incidents. Anxiety dug at his mind, telling him that if he wanted to commit to this, he needed to get a disguise or stop getting involved.

He knew that he really should stop. This wasn’t safe for him. He needed to stay safe until he could attack All For One. It was… It was just so long to wait, though, and this felt so good. He was helping people. He was doing so good.

Green eyes watched as one of the four guys pulled out a knife and took a step forward towards the trapped hero. Wind obeyed Mikumo’s command as he strengthened and redirected it into the alley. Precision practice in all fairness. The man with the knife was swiftly knocked out against the back wall.

His friends looked over at him in fear. Mikumo slightly relished their reactions and grinned. There wasn’t much he could do without giving away his position but also a lot of options. Focusing within All for One, he pulled Freeze around Breeze, imbuing the wind with the frigid arctic chill.

The breaths of the thugs fogged in the air below his perch on the building above them. He could tell that they were hesitating. Well, the wind surged once more, blowing the three of them off their feet and away from the hero. 

Mikumo let go of Freeze to try to confuse them even more as the air warmed again. At least one of them had their head on a swivel, trying to spot their new enemy.

Thankfully, they gathered their fourth friend after a minute and scampered out of the alley as the hero started to recover. That was his own cue to get out of the area as well. Shadows flickered around him as he closed his eyes, with a rooftop on the other side of the city on his mind. The skyline he had pictured greeted him as his eyes opened less than a second afterward.

Of course, keeping those reminders that he was safer than he had been in years wasn't always easy, and some days were still worse than others. The sound of people bustling and cars whizzing by stung at his ears. His mind was in overdrive, thinking every noise was a sign of danger. 

He was surrounded. 

He was holding the ingredients to make himself katsudon once he made it back to his home in the abandoned building.

Breathe in, breathe out. Right. He was getting closer to mimicking his mother’s recipe. Mikumo had never asked her to teach him the full recipe and he had barely memorized the parts she allowed him to help with. He hadn’t known that she wouldn’t always be there to make it for him and teach him how to make it when he got older. She didn’t get to see him grow up.

Mikumo couldn’t help but think that maybe that was for the best sometimes. Would she have cried and blamed herself for how and where he ended up? Would she have worried herself sick wondering if he would be okay? Would she have died painfully to a noumu rather than slipping away from sickness? At least she was spared from the monstrosities he helped the Doctor create.

He managed to make it to the stairwell before he knew it, and he was able to let the tension drain away. Not fully, never fully. One could never know when danger would strike. Reaching for the door… he heard a sound.

The bag was left forgotten as he silently entered the abandoned apartment.

Aoitake Ruka danced with no rhyme or reason as music played quietly from her phone. The assholes who liked to mess with her tried to chase her outside the school for once. It made her late coming home. Instead of worrying her mother, she sent a text saying she was hanging out with Mikumo.

With nothing better to do, she decided to make the excuse an actual reason and climbed up to his apartment. Randomly coming over was a thing friends sometimes did, right? His absence made her start to second guess her decision. Surely, he wouldn’t be mad about her hanging around here, right?

To distract herself, she did her homework, spent a short while on the roof, then came back down to draw and dance and pass the time in any way she could. As time ticked away, she started to consider this as more and more of a mistake. 

That feeling came to a head when she heard the floor quietly creak from the hallway. She hadn’t heard the door open… Snapping her head around, she came face to face with Mikumo in the doorway. 

He was crouched as if prepared to fight, two clearly heavily used short swords were clasped in each hand, and his gaze held something hard before it flickered into more of fear. The swords flickered away in the signature pink light of his quirk.

“What the hell?” That was her own voice. Really, what the fuck?

Mikumo was still looking at her with wide eyes, “Uh… What are you doing here?” He looked away and rubbed at the back of his neck. No, no. He wasn’t getting to glance over that.

“What was up with those swords?”

He met her gaze and slowly blinked, “What swords?” Bruh. 

“The two swords you had been holding that you apparently have had for a long time? Well, based on the amount of chips in them.” And the dried blood, but she didn’t want to actually acknowledge that right now. “You’ve had those the entire time?”

He sighed, and Ruka knew she had won out against his sad attempt to cover that up. Pink flared again, and she was presented with the swords. Surprised, she picked the one that had a feather tied to the hilt up. “I can’t fully remember when I got these, but they have saved my life on many occasions.” That was clear with the amount of blood that had dried on them. “I haven’t needed to use them in a while, and just kept forgetting to fix them up again.”

She stayed silent as she properly looked over the swords. The blades were simple stainless steel with bronze hilts and black handles. Each of the hilts went slightly up the blade and had an engraving carved into it. The short sword with a feather tied to it had a swan, while the other had a crown.

When Ruka handed them back to him, she asked, “Do you have anything else?” While it slightly unnerved her that Mikumo may have killed before, she could understand that being on the streets was not safe. He did what he could to survive, and she could not fault him for that in all honesty. Now she was just intrigued to know more, except for any gruesome details.

Tension seemed to drain from him as a small smile appeared on his face. She was glad that it looked like he was relieved at her lack of negative reaction. “I have a nonlethal weapon too.” A large stick appeared in his hand. “It’s a bo staff. I’ve had it longer than the swords and more formally trained with it.”

At some point, they sat down while Mikumo cleaned up and worked on repairing his swords. Ruka confessed that she just felt like coming over rather than heading back to her house today. He offered that she could hang around his place any time she felt like it, just maybe send him a text about being up here first.

Eventually, Mikumo stepped away into the kitchen before looking back at her, “Want some katsudon?”

That sounded delicious! “Sure!”

Apparently, katsudon was his favorite food, and he was trying to rediscover his late mother’s recipe. She couldn’t believe how much she was learning about her best friend today. He was normally so reserved to talk about things beyond their shared interests. 

Ruka couldn’t help but smile at how much he was starting to trust her. She hoped she could trust him too and that he would be just as understanding as well in the future.

Tokai had contacted him the next week with his first set of study materials for the quirk counseling license. Mikumo groaned over how it only seemed to cover the basics of what he learned with the Doctor. This was what the commission wanted quirk counselors to know? Unbelievable. A few pages were full of false information, too.

It made him nervous.

The librarian assured him that he likely was overqualified for the exam, but that the commission would want certain answers to a few questions. He had to know how to answer how the commission wanted him to, rather than how he felt about the topics. Really, the more he learned about the commission, the more he did not trust them.

The silver lining was how Tokai mentioned that answering how someone else wants can be a crucial skill in the underground. It made Mikumo remember a few times he had done that in the laboratory under Jaku General Hospital to get out of a possible lecture on how he and society were wrong about quirk singularity. 

Emerald green eyes stared up at the night sky. A natural breeze passed through Keimei Creek around him. It ruffled his feathers and felt similar to how the wind passed through his wings when gliding. With control over the air, could he create updrafts to let him fly?

It required a tremendous amount of force to move a person with just the wind. Speeds only regularly seen in hurricanes and tornadoes could do it. So far he had only been able to create short blasts of those high speeds, never sustained. 

Mikumo extended his wings to their maximum wingspan, barely past his fingertips. Hell, he could just barely glide. More like a controlled fall. What the hell was he doing? Steeling himself, he summoned the strongest blast he could, flinging himself into the air.

The force also knocked him over. Flapping his wings did hardly anything for the tumble he was in. He needed time to reorient himself before hitting the ground, time he didn’t have. The ground was getting closer, this was a mistake. 

He closed his eyes to brace for impact with the hard ground. All for One surged in response to his panic, pulling on a quirk he hadn’t tested yet but had a vague idea of what it might do. It felt similar to the first quirk he had ever used.

The impact never came. Emerald green eyes stared at the ground just an arm's length away. Rocks and loose dirt leisurely floated up to join him in the air. Gravity.

The natural wind picked up into a gust for a moment as leaves rustled all throughout the small forest. Mikumo sucked in a breath as it pushed him around the clearing and into the side of a tree. He grabbed on and orientated himself, still processing what the hell happened.

He just sat and breathed and took a minute to think. The quirk negated gravity in a field around him based on how the dirt floated up too. Could he control how large the field was? Was it truly negating gravity, or modifying it to be as small of a force as possible? 

He could test that all later…

Pushing himself away from the trunk, he floated freely through the air before using Breeze to push himself higher into the sky. Flapping his wings periodically to keep himself upright in his weightless ascent, Mikumo couldn’t help but laugh in exhilaration as he truly reached for the stars for the very first time.

Chapter Text

Friday, July 6, 2136

Scrubbing at his eyes, he looked over all the notebooks strewn across his small kitchen table. Right, he had passed out while writing more notes about his quirks, the quirks he’d seen recently, and general studying for the quirk counseling license exam. He got up to stretch as his breathing broke into a large yawn.

Sleeping hunched over a table like that did not feel great for his spine or wings. Exhaustion hung onto him like an invisible blanket. He yearned to just face plant into his nest of real blankets in the living room and just sleep the day away at this point. Actually… Did anything stop him?

Tamakawa had said that he could just come in whenever he felt like it. And, well, Mikumo just did not feel like trying to drink enough coffee to keep himself awake today. It wasn’t like he actually needed the money from his job with how much he had saved up the past few months.

Kayama might be upset that she wouldn’t be able to bother him in person today, but he knew she would live.

Nemuri didn’t know what Hizashi was thinking. His small apartment couldn’t fit this many people, but at the same time, he somehow made it work. Music played just below speaking level from a speaker in the living room, while a few cheesy balloons floated around.

Shouta stood in a shadowy corner, clearly a little overwhelmed from the noise and people and not knowing what to do with himself. She knew from experience that it was best to just let him sort it out on his own. A blue haired kid didn’t get the memo, though. Iida Tensei had shown up a little bit ago, apologizing that he couldn’t get out from babysitting his little brother, Tenya, like he hoped.

Tensei was the same graduating class as Hizashi and Shouta, but he went to a different school. She had no clue how those two met him, maybe during one of their internships? Either way, the guy had wormed his way into being an honorary member of their ragtag group sometimes. Especially the group chat.

The older Iida spotted her from across the room and raised his hand to beckon her to join the conversation he was having with a dog heteromorph. She smiled but shook her head. First, she needed a drink from Hizashi’s kitchen. It was a party, after all!

The man in question was already in the kitchen with a woman Nemuri would have mistaken as his sister if she didn’t know better. They moved at a speed she could barely follow as cards shuffled around the counter. The blond woman grinned wildly, “Give up already, Yamada!”

He just grinned even wider back, “Never, Tsuchikawa!” It was like there were two of them. She could keep up with Hizashi to a certain extent, not whatever this was. Maybe she would introduce herself when the both of them have calmed down.

Luckily, she knew where Hizashi kept the strong stuff and poured two glasses. Shouta could probably use a drink too. Tensei caught her as she stepped back into the living room, “Got any ideas on how to pull Tenya away from Shouta?”

She paused and glanced over to Shouta’s corner. The tiny Iida was still moving his arm like a robot and probably telling Shouta off for being a ‘party pooper’. She turned back to Tensei, “The kid still hasn’t gotten the memo?”

“He’s a bit…” He trailed off and grimaced, “Dense, if I’m honest.”

“Brutal, that’s your little brother.”

Tensei laughed at that, “Yeah, but that also gives me a free pass to bully him a little. Anyway, ideas?”

Shrugging, Nemuri answered, “Shouta will probably snap at him at some point.” She paused as a thought occurred to her, “Could just pick up the kid and drag him away too. He’s only nine, right?”

“Eight.”

“Even smaller then! We can just throw him at Hizashi and one of his other friends. They’re playing some type of card game in the kitchen.”

“Oh, that’s where he went?” Tensei leaned over to look past her through the doorway, “I still need to wish him happy birthday.”

“Grab your brother first,” she requested. “I have a drink for Shouta and no free hands to wrangle a child.” Nemuri did not want to spill alcohol in Hizashi’s apartment again. The lecture the first time about how the smell hand clung for days was enough.

The man playfully saluted, “Will do!” Tenya wasn’t given the opportunity to see the attack coming before he was whisked away with a muffled shout. Shouta looked at her and the drink offered gratefully before turning back to watch over the room with a slightly glazed look. He’d be just fine.

Also taking the moment to scan the room too, she spotted Hizashi’s father talking with the heteromorph. The man must have shown up while she was getting the drinks. Hizashi was nearly a mini clone of the man, except for their eyes. However, Yoshigou was starting to have gray peppered into his bright yellow hair.

His red eyes met her own, and he excused himself from the guy he was talking with before making his way across the room, “Nemuri! How have you been?”

“Been doing alright, old man. Shouta’s just a little overwhelmed, you know how it is.” She could swear that the man saw Shouta as a second son, given how much he looked out for him. “How are you doing lately?”

“Eh, same old, same old… Might steal one of Hizashi’s new friends.” Yoshigou smirked as he pointed over to the heteromorph, “Inui over there plays the electric guitar. We were having a rather heated discussion of which one was better, electric or acoustic, before I came over here.”

Any response Nemuri could follow up with was cut off as Hizashi burst back into the room, “Who’s ready for dinner?!” The dramatic bastard had even held his hands out widely to his sides above his head, a good impression of a starfish, as he got everyone’s attention.

Said dinner ended up being Hizashi’s favorite, fried chicken, followed by strawberry cake. Shouta finally joined in with conversations as everyone lounged comfortably in the living room afterward. Nemuri spoke up during a lull, “Hey, Hizashi, you can’t call me old anymore. We’re the same age again.”

His spiral green eyes looked at her dead on as a giant smile split his face, “Just watch me.”

Kayama and Yamada barged through the cafe door on a previously peaceful Friday morning. Omen melted into the shadows before manifesting next to Hayami again as the person in question simply sipped on their coffee loudly. Mikumo was clearly not getting out of whatever the duo had planned, and Hayami wasn’t going to be on his side today.

Yamada was the first to speak, shout really, “Happy birthday, Akatani!” Kayama slightly swatted him before she greeted Mikumo with the exact same thing.

“When were you going to tell me?” Hayami cut in. They looked slightly upset. They cared enough about his birthday to be upset about it?

Rubbing at the back of his neck, he explained, “I don’t really celebrate it, Kayama just asked me about it earlier this week. It’s not today, though, it’s on Sunday.” They seemed to perk back up at that.

“We just wanted to kidnap Akatani today and show him what a birthday is supposed to be like.” Kayama chipped in.

Hayami nodded, “I’ll let our boss know that he’s gone for the day then.”

“Hey, wait, don’t I ever get a say in being kidnapped?”

They blinked in unison with their quirk, “It’s kinda in the description. Kidnapping doesn’t require consent.” A shit eating grin spread across their face, “Consent wouldn’t make it kidnapping.”

“I like this guy’s thinking!” Yamada laughed.

While dumbfounded, Hayami stole his apron and shoved him past the counters to the wolves. Barely fifteen minutes later, he found himself entering an apartment he had never seen before. A few tacky balloons were tied around the living room. One hanged limply on its string, while another was nearing the same fate as an orange tabby attacked it.

Aizawa was already there, laying awkwardly across the couch. Almost like he was a cat himself. Although, if Mikumo was honest, it looked comfy. The black haired man was quick to sit up properly though before standing and making his way across the room. The cat meowed loudly as Aizawa grabbed him and finally addressed the avian, “This is Sushi.”

Mikumo didn’t have time to respond as he was dragged into the kitchen, “Do you want to help bake the cake or do something with Hizashi and Shouta?” All the ingredients that he assumed were for the cake were laid out on the counter already.

Kayama’s question caught up to his brain, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Baking sounded fun, yet he did want to get to know Yamada and Aizawa better. He didn’t know what he would talk about with them besides cats and music, though. “Baking?”

“Alright! Here, mix up the dry ingredients listed here,” she pointed at a cookbook page that was propped up on a stand closer to the oven. He grabbed the flour, baking power, and salt from the counter as she handed him a bowl to mix them in.

As Kayama handed different tasks off to him instead, it reminded him of helping his mother make dinner and desert for his birthdays. Tears welled in his eyes and he wiped them away with his wrists as he continued to help mix up the batter. It didn’t take long for the woman to notice something was up, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath, “I-I used to bake with my mom on my birthdays before she d-died.” The desire to go sit at her grave and tend to it burned, but he couldn’t. Her grave just did not exist anymore. “It’s been years, but I still miss her.” Midoriya Inko was alive but she wasn’t his mother.

“That’s normal.” Kayama said it so softly and earnestly, that Mikumo looked up and over at her. A melancholy expression that was love, understanding, grief, and so much more rested on her face and shoulders. “You never truly stop grieving and missing them.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “Do you want a hug or anything? If you don’t want to keep baking, Hizashi could show you some card games.”

A hug sounded really fucking nice. All of his friends were so nice and caring and just wonderful people. It had only been three months, but he wouldn’t trade them for anything. Having his mother back, having Kacchan at his side, Kouta in his arms. It wouldn’t be fully worth losing everyone he’s met since April.

Horrible things happened and it's so easy to wish they never did, but without them, he wouldn’t be who he was now. He wouldn’t be where he is. He wouldn’t have the friends he has made since then. He has friends!

As they separated from the hug, Mikumo murmured, “Thank you.” He felt a lot better.

Staying in the kitchen, he helped Kayama finish up with preparing his birthday cake while she hummed some type of tune. He could softly hear Yamada and Aizawa lightheartedly arguing over who could hold Sushi in the background the entire time. The two eventually wandered over to join them in the kitchen as Kayama shoved the pan into the oven.

Like what seemed to be usual, the blond spoke up first, “Akatani, I think I found that song you told me about!” Mikumo paused, what song? When had he told Yamada about any song? He didn’t listen to music often enough to be able to hold a conversation about his tastes.

It was at that very next moment that a very recognizable drum beat played from the man’s phone, “We’re no strangers to love.” He could remember now. “You know the rules and so do I.” His first trip to the mall with the three of them. “A full commitment’s what I’m thinkin’ of.” All Mikumo could feel was horror at the situation.

Yamada joined in with Rick Astley in pitch perfect English, “You wouldn’t get this from any other guy!”

Oh, what had he done?!

The blond continued singing, even as Aizawa glared at him. “Hizashi, tone it down a bit? Nemuri, doesn’t need another noise complaint from your loudness.” he spoke with an exhaustion that gave away how often he probably had to remind the other.

Kayama looped an arm around Mikumo’s shoulder and pulled him out into the living room, “How about we play something while the cake bakes! Hizashi, any ideas?”

Immediately cutting off from singing, he excitedly responded, “We have four players. Could do slap jack!” In no time, they were all sat around the coffee table while another Pre-Quirk song played in the background. Apparently, the man had found a plethora of tracks in his search for the mythical Rick Astley.

Mikumo would have to tell Yamada about memes sometime so that he knew about the significance some of those songs held culturally, at least in the past. That could be another time, though, as Yamada was wiping the floor with all three of them in slap jack. There was also the issue of Sushi trying to pull several of his primary feathers out any time his awareness of where the cat was lapsed.

In no time at all, the cake was ready and was absolutely delicious. As he left a little while later, Yamada promised to send him more songs and Aizawa jokingly threatened him for more cat pictures. Maybe, just maybe, they were his friends too and not just Kayama’s.

As Mikumo entered Nekohana for the half day shift, Omen leaped onto his shoulders. The sentient quirk entity purred and rubbed against his face as he stepped around Roast and Dragon play fighting near the doorway. He couldn’t help but chuckle at all the cats’ antics.

Hayami greeted him by handing him a caramel mocha before they spoke up, “Did you want to hang out after work again? It’s been a while.”

“Sure.” Mikumo had nothing planned for later that day anyway. “Any ideas on what we should do?” He was still horrible at knowing what things to do with other people. It worked out with Ruka because she seemed to be just as awkward and had a few shared hobbies.

“Want to walk around the Hoshin Gardens? I hear that the city added a new statue,” Hayami offered.

“New statue?” He should really start paying attention to the news. Even just the local news.

The black haired androgyne nodded, “Yeah, another houou statue specifically.” Mikumo tried to recall what a houou was, but before he could figure it out or ask, they clarified, “Musutafu’s symbol. The bird?”

“Oh! The phoenix.”

They sighed, “It’s more specifically a houou, but yeah, the phoenix. Musutafu literally rose from the ashes of all the cities that were wiped off the map in the region after fires ravaged the area during the Dawn of Quirks. Beyond that, the founders chose a houou hoping it would bless Musutafu with peace, prosperity, and happiness in the new era.”

“Huh.” Mikumo hadn’t known that about Musutafu despite growing up here. Granted, he was much more interested in quirks and mostly only remembered history surrounding things he liked or was exposed to. Such as, “Are the fires why Musutafu has a greater percentage of fire or heat based quirks compared to the overall population than other regions?”

“Probably! I’m not into quirks all that much, at least not like you are.” they trailed off. “Fire quirks are more uncommon outside Musutafu?”

Mikumo nodded before asking, “So, you’re into history?” Hayami was actually a lot more reserved than he realized. Despite being talkative and a bit of a little shit sometimes, they didn’t share much of their interests.

Shrugging, Hayami responded, “Somewhat. I could bore you with all my knowledge on the geopolitical changes that happened in the last few hundred years.” They smirked, “Did you know that Russia used to cover a majority of Asia?” No… Mikumo had not known that. What?

Attentively, he listened to their explanation of how Pre Quirk Russia fell from an inability to adapt fast enough to quirks. More extreme measures of controlling metahumans were set in place and as the population grew, the powerful minority rebelled. Revolutions and protests were actually quite common around the Dawn of Quirks.

Hayami continued to fill the usual silence between customers ordering drinks or food with all sorts of different facts about Japan and the rest of the world. They even asked him about how quirks might have affected certain events. Sometimes they just wanted to know if he knew any quirk related statistics concerning different times and regions.

Most of the regulars that showed up just liked to get their usual orders and sit in their favorite spots around the cafe while petting the cats. However, a few sat at the bar this time as Hayami continued their disjointed impromptu history lesson. One customer even joined in with relevant facts they knew too.

Afternoon came around soon enough, and those sitting at the bar seemed disappointed as they got up to leave while thanking Hayami for the information. There was only one person that had fallen asleep on the couch that they had to shoo out the door this time.

Tamakawa came down as they finished cleaning up. “Akatani,” the half cat started. Mikumo turned to give the man his attention. The older man smiled softly and held out a few envelopes, “Happy birthday. Don’t celebrate too hard.”

Star shaped eyes flicked to stare into pale green. He couldn’t find anything but sincerity in his gaze. No one but his family had given him a gift for his birthday before. Kayama, Yamada, and Aizawa didn’t count. They had only held a little party for him and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Kayama was just someone to do that for anyone.

No, Tamakawa was barely even a friend. Yet, the man had gotten him a small gift. He blinked the tears in his eyes away, but not before one fell across his cheek. He wiped it away, grabbing the envelopes with his other hand as he spoke as normally as he could, “T-Thank you.”

Before he could open them, Hayami grabbed his arm and started tugging him out of the store, “Come on! We have a park to explore!” Omen flickered into existence next to them at the same time that Mikumo hurriedly dismissed the presents into his dreamscape to look at later before he had a chance to drop them.

Hoshin Gardens wasn’t that far from the cafe, allowing them to reach it within minutes. While Nekohana was seen as a hole in the wall, a place that mostly only locals knew about, it was still located within the heart of Musutafu. Surrounded by multistory buildings was an area fenced off by pink and magenta flowers in raised beds. Beyond them, countless more flowers of all colors stood under the shade of cherry blossoms.

Hayami slowed as they reached the entrance, “I always forget how pretty this place is. It’s been a while since I've come here.” It had been a while for himself, too. “I think the last time was with some friends for graduation. Have you ever been here?”

“Yeah. Although it might have been when I was around twelve.” They hummed in response before Mikumo continued, “What’s your favorite park then? I like hanging around Samuizumi. It’s close to where I live and has these beautiful fountains.” Really, he had Ruka to thank for dragging him there all the time. Keimei was a close second.

Hayami blinked, “Huh. I haven’t been over there. You live on the east side?”

Mikumo smirked, “Born and raised in Aldera Ward. I do not recommend our public schools, though.” Aldera Junior High had sucked, and Ruka didn’t seem to be faring well in the high school either. If he ever caught whoever was messing with her, they would regret it.

“I’m actually from Yamanashi Prefecture. Used to live out in a small town, you would never have heard of it. Figured I’d move here for better job opportunities and get a taste of the city.” Hayami sighed, “Some things are better and others are worse out here.”

“Do you like it here or do you want to go back?”

“I don't think I could go back home now even if I wanted to… You’ve always lived in the city, huh? Surely you’ve seen how some people look down on us, right?” Mikumo had noticed it, even if he didn’t want to fully accept it. Besides, he was used to it. “Outside cities, any mutant features are a target for hate groups. People disappear or wind up dead. My eyes toe the line of what’s acceptable for human. You wouldn’t even stand a chance.”

Mikumo paused. For a moment, despair leaked into his thoughts. For a moment, he hated the feathers on his back that vividly outed him as something other. But, at the same time, nothing had changed.

He would always be abnormal. That had been set in stone the moment he woke up with All for One as his true quirk. It had been a fact since the day he was found quirkless.

All men were not created equal. True peace was never an option for him. He had survived despite all odds and carved out moments and spaces with his own two hands to thrive. Tomorrow he was turning nineteen, and that was an accomplishment. He never completely gave up, always taking another step forward.

Mutants faced discrimination on a level that may be even worse than what he faced when he was quirkless? A large group of people would want to harm him for something out of his control? That was nothing new. “Let them try.”

Yellow eyes turned to him and widened before they grinned in a slight challenge back, “You’re actually quite ballsy, aren’t you? And here I was thinking you were just an innocent cinnamon roll.”

He hadn’t fully meant to say that out loud, and their response threw him off even more, “W-what?”

A smug expression crossed their face, “Yep, and the stammer is back.”

“Hey!”

They managed to dodge his wing when he tried to lightly slap them with it, running off as they laughed. Mikumo tried to give chase before Omen moved to trip him, giving its user even more of a head start.

The sun was setting as Mikumo sat on his rooftop terrace. He and Hayami had wandered the gardens for a few hours before finally separating and going their own ways. Mikumo had walked home rather than hopping on the train and just enjoyed the scenery as well as any passing hero fights.

A few envelopes were scattered in front of him, and he grabbed one at random. The first ended up being a card from Tamakawa. A few cats were printed on the front, a handwritten message inside with ‘Wishing you a purr-fectly delightful birthday!’ and some yen.

The others had been sent from Tokai. Another card that had happy birthday crossed out to instead have ‘new book day’ on the front, and the librarian had written ‘Have a novel birthday!’ inside. Mikumo wanted to groan upon realizing that the other item from him was another quirk counseling book. He was really starting to hate this propaganda.

The final one had been from Sakata, and hadn’t that been a surprise. The kid had sent a letter thanking him for his help, the glasses were already helping a lot, and for not judging him based on his quirk. Really, that alone made studying for the stupid counseling license worth it. He wasn’t just doing it for Tokai, but because he could help so many others like Sakata.

Mikumo couldn’t help but be excited about his future.

Sunday morning came soon enough, and the day didn’t feel that much different than any other day. The only change was that Mikumo was finally a year older. Getting up, he stretched in the morning sunlight streaming through his windows. It illuminated the miniscule dust particles in the air like stardust.

A feather dropped as he shook his wings out. He’d been rotating through his feathers a lot faster than usual since a few months ago. The current running theory he had was that Regeneration was causing his body to replace the worn feathers a lot sooner, and thus lost them more frequently. At least it made the itch from new feathers pass faster, too.

About an hour later, a knock sounded on his door. Ruka shouted merrily as she let herself in, “Happy birthday, Mikumo!” The blue haired girl was carrying a large box in her arms and set it by the entrance to the living room, “I brought presents! My mom also threw something in for you too. Hope we aren’t intruding?”

Well, he knew Ruka wasn’t one for following formalities, and she had become a bad influence on him while readjusting to society, “Not at all! Did you want me to look at it all while you’re here or wait?” He could vaguely remember that it was more polite to open presents in private.

She just shrugged, “Whatever you want to do.”

In the end, he decided to just look through it with her. She had gotten him more drawing supplies, especially colored pencils, another notebook for him to eventually fill up, and a large fluffy emerald green blanket. Her mother had sent a card, some cash, and more pocky that they snacked on through the late morning until lunch while they drew and talked like usual.

Together they weaved through his kitchen, walking through the steps to make the latest iteration of katsudon they had come up with. While none of their few attempts had been successful so far in recapturing his mother’s recipe, Mikumo couldn’t help but enjoy it all the same. Maybe they would make a recipe that was even better than Inko’s had been. Maybe.

Mikumo made his way to a store he knew well from his childhood. He was on a mission and couldn’t allow himself to back out now, no matter how much he wanted to. A letter sat heavily in his mind. Literally. The letter sat within his dreamscape after storing it with Pocket when he had finished writing it.

The door swung open, and the avian made a beeline for the All Might figures he would have loved to get his hands on as a child. The limited edition ones. To his surprise, one of the figures on the shelves was a perfect recreation of All Might’s smile during the vinegar riverbank incident.

It made him pause. The incident just happened recently? He really should be paying more attention to the news… The fact that a recent event was very old news to him hit him hard, though. He knew things that just hadn’t happened yet. The Fall of Heroes was a given, but that was still in the future…

A future that he would destroy with his own two hands the moment All For One stepped out of the shadows again. He wasn’t sure how to search for the man without getting caught before then. Shaking his head, Mikumo dismissed those thoughts. He had years before he had to confront that man again.

He would do what he could to prepare, but he also had time to relax, and dammit he would relax. Living, not just surviving, within the moment was a much better use of his time than worrying about a fight in a few years that might actually kill him this time.

At the moment, he was buying a limited edition figure that his mother would never have been able to justify the price of. And, well, he had plenty of cash to spare these days and justification in spades.

It was a birthday present to himself.

Midoriya Inko looked down at her son, “Mama! Is Daddy going to call yet?” He was bouncing on his toes in pure excitement to talk with Hisashi. Oh, if only he could have come home from America this year… Calling just wasn’t enough, sometimes.

“I’m sure he’ll call soon, Izuku.” Well, not as soon as her baby may want. Hisashi would only just be waking up as they both went to bed. Izuku could stay up later than normal to talk with Hisashi tonight, though. “Want to help me make katsudon while we wait?”

His green eyes seemed to shine at that, “Yes!”

“Then get the rice ready for me?”

“Yes, Mama!” He scurried over to the rice cooker while she turned back to frying the meat over the stove. Part of her wondered if he would ever get tired of katsudon or if it would always be his favorite food.

A knock at the door broke her from her musings. Inko glanced over to see Izuku focusing hard on getting the rice into the cooker without spilling any before she lowered the stove to a simmer and checked the door herself.

It couldn’t be Hisashi. He usually told her ahead of time when he was coming back to Japan to visit. Although, could he have wanted to surprise them? Her hopes were dashed when no one was at the door. Confused, she stuck her head out and looked down both ways of the hall. No one. Was she just hearing things?

Something sparkled at the edges of her vision. A glittery green box sat next to the door. Strange, she didn't order anything recently, and certainly not anything that would be wrapped. Was it for Izuku? But, who?

Picking it up to inspect it, a small tag that had ‘To: Izuku’ confirmed her suspicions but made it all the more mysterious. She and Izuku didn’t know many people. Mitsuki was one of her only friends to stick by her side for so long and well, Mitsuki would have texted about swinging by to drop off a present for her son.

Despite better judgements, Inko decided that her baby could use a small gift like this, even if she didn’t know who had sent it. “Izuku! Someone left you a birthday present!”

“Huh?!” He shot out of the kitchen in a green blur. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Izuku had a speed quirk sometimes with how fast he moved and talked.

Offering the box out to him, he snatched it to inspect it himself. “Did you make a new friend that’s too shy to come over?” she teased. Although, after she said it, anxiety welled up in her gut. Izuku didn’t have very many friends, and it seemed like it was hard for him to make them.

She hoped that bringing up his friends wouldn’t make him upset that no one came over to celebrate his birthday. Not even Katsuki had wanted to come this year. Hopefully Mitsuki would figure out why her own son didn’t seem to like Izuku anymore.

“No? I- I don’t think so?” He only stared harder at the box, as if it would just tell him the secrets of the universe.

Inko hummed, “Well, why don’t you open it, sweetheart?” With that permission, he tore through the wrapping paper within seconds. Whoever had sent it had the forethought to close the box with folds rather than tape, so neither of them needed to get scissors to open it.

Inside was an All Might figurine that Izuku had gasped at as he pulled it out. He briefly shouted something that she almost didn’t catch due to how fast he said it, but he was her son, “It’s limited edition!” Along with it was a handwritten letter, and most strangely, a single white feather with black markings. She wondered what type of bird it came from and why the sender gave it to her Izuku.

“Do you want me to read the letter for you?”

“Yes please Mama”

“Dear Midoriya Izuku,”

“You don’t know me, and that’s okay! Hopefully you’ll never know who I am, to be honest. Just know that I’ll always be rooting for you. Never give up on your dreams. Don’t listen to the people who think you can’t do anything because you’re quirkless…”

Inko trailed off from reading as Izuku drew in a sharp breath. “Are you okay, Izuku?” Honestly, that start gave off so many alarm bells. Who was stalking her son? Was he in danger?

“Wha- Huh? Yeah… Just… Who? How did they know?” He trailed off, but how did they know, was a loaded start to a question. How did they know he was quirkless? How did they know who he was? Where he lived? What his dreams were? Who could know all that and not be known?

She had none of the answers to any of those questions, “I don’t know, honey.” Inko was tempted to just toss the rest of the letter, but something in Izuku’s eyes made her pause. Apprehension and curiosity burned bright. She asked, “Want me to continue?”

It took a few seconds as he truly thought about if he wanted to continue listening to the letter or not before replying, “Yeah…”

“Prove everyone who doubts you as wrong. Do that for me? I’ll be cheering you on all the way. Just know that you have at least one person out there that believes in you. As long as you want to be a hero, then yes, I think you can be a hero.”

She looked back up at her son as she finished reading the letter. Tears were streaming down his face, and she couldn’t help her own tears joining in at the sight. “Mama…”

Tentatively she answered,“Yes?”

“Someone thinks I can be a hero.” He smiled widely, the brightest she had seen in a while, even as tears fell across his cheeks in miniature rivers. Oh.

She remembered that day four years ago. The day he had been diagnosed as quirkless. The day he had looked at her with tears in his eyes and a wobbly smile and asked her if he could be a hero. She never said yes, did she?

How could she have missed that he just wanted her to believe in him? How could she have failed him in that? While the idea of her little boy being in harms way as a hero scared her to no end…

She could ignore it in favor of supporting him in wherever his dreams may take him… That would be what was best for his wellbeing. “Izuku… Yes, you can be a hero if that’s really what you want to do. I-I’m sorry I never said it sooner.”

Her little blur of green barreled into her before she could even process that he had moved, arms wrapping tightly around her. She squeezed him back as they both cried in each other's embrace in the living room. Muffled, he spoke, “Thank you, that’s all I ever wanted to hear from someone.”

In response, her heart broke a little more. No one had ever told him they believed in him before today? From now on, she’d support him all the way in whatever he wanted to do. She would be there for him as best as she could be.

The smell of pork and onion and rice wafted from the kitchen. The katsudon had been left forgotten as it simmered, and the rice was probably almost done by now. Inko rested her hands on Izuku’s shoulders, causing him to look back up at her. She smiled even as both their eyes were red and puffy, “I think we should finish making dinner before any more crying, though, huh?”

He laughed wetly and nodded. The feather and letter were left as a mystery for another time as mother and son celebrated his ninth birthday and waited for Hisashi to call later in the evening after they had cake. Inko would forever wish to thank whoever sent it, though. It was exactly what her baby, and partly her, needed to hear.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, July 17, 2136

The sky above was pitch black static except for the wisps of teal that weaved around the edges of his mind. Almost two dozen stars of various colors skipped around in a rainbow while they orbited the black hole over the lone rooftop present within his void. Reaching a hand towards the event horizon, Mikumo willed for the kaleidoscope to fall down like a meteor shower.

One in particular had his full attention. A small olive green star landed in his hands and a wave of lazy calmness washed over him. It felt like releasing tension he hadn’t even known he had been holding. Total relaxation. Mikumo had no fucking clue what this quirk actually did.

There were no active effects for him to call upon, and he hadn’t noticed any passive effects that might belong to it. It was the last quirk for him to identify and give a name to after he added Light to his personal notebook. That quirk was simply light based illusions. Well, more like holograms.

The light couldn’t interact with anything, but it was a cool effect if he focused hard enough to shape it into a specific image. He couldn’t think of many uses for it, though, beyond as a flashlight or a neat party trick. Or maybe even as a quick distraction in a fight? He was sure he’ll find some interesting applications for it in the future.

He sighed as he let go of the relaxing quirk. Just staring at it and holding it wouldn’t provide him with any answers to his questions. The dreamscape shuddered as the pull of the black hole resumed and the dizzying rainbow returned. Mikumo let it all fall away as he focused back on his real body.

The moon overhead bathed the forest in pale dim light while he stood back up. It was plenty enough to see with Night Vision reflecting in his eyes. White feathers shone like a beacon compared to the rest of the scenery surrounding him as he stretched them wide, no wider than his arm wingspan, though. Not even two meters.

Clouds roughly covered the sky, threatening to block the moonlight out every so often. Enough cloud cover to mask his presence above the city. Breathing deeply, Mikumo focused on the crisscrossing energies beneath his skin. It had only been a few weeks at most, but Gravity was a lot more simple to get the basics of than Breeze.

A feeling of weightlessness flared in his chest as the pull of gravity sharply weakened. A small push from his feet was all it took to start careening towards the clouds. White wings speckled with black markings beat against the air, propelling him upwards in a way that would have normally been impossible.

It felt strange and amazing in a new and exhilarating way. Mikumo grinned sharply and picked up speed with the aid of Breeze creating a tailwind. The evening clouds welcomed him in their cold embrace before he broke through to the other side.

The city of Musutafu illuminated the clouds from below, giving off an ethereal glow alongside the light of the moon. Tilting his wings, Mikumo set off for the southeast. Takoba Beach rushed past underneath him within minutes as he flew out above the ocean.

Only when the shore of Japan was becoming just a sliver on the horizon did Mikumo slow down to a stop above the sea far below. Light was an interesting quirk, but far too flashy to use too much within Keimei at night. Out here, he didn’t have to hold back at all.

Black lightning outlined in turquoise erupted from his skin as he activated several quirks in tandem. Gravity and Breeze were joined by more of his quirks as Strength, Nyoom, Kinetic Booster, Freeze, Giant and Light flared brightly within the dreamscape as he pulled on them. A whirlwind of freezing air circled around him as wisps of light danced along in the vortex.

Although, the sudden surge of energy being drawn from his core and released around him left him gasping at the sensation. It felt like being dunked in pure electricity, like fire and ice threatening to burn his limbs with the two extremes. Like stretching a muscle a bit too far.

Maybe he shouldn’t have activated so many at the same time without easing into it. Either started with one quirk at a time or at a lower power level.

Mikumo allowed the strength of the quirks to simmer down as he laughed in exhilaration. There was just something about the sheer amount of power at his fingertips. It was terrifying and exciting all at once. He hated and loved it in equal parts.

All for One was legendary, quite literally the quirk of a legend only talked of in hushed whispers during the dead of night within the dark corners of Japan. He hated Lord All For One and what that man stood for. Hated the origin of his quirk. Loved what he was able to do with it. He loved how quirk analysis wasn’t just about him studying other people, but being able to experience it too.

He was also scared of how much he liked the feeling of all the different abilities humming within his dreamscape. It was nearly intoxicating. People always say that power corrupts.

He was also scared about what he would do when the itch likely returned to his palms. It had only taken several months to manifest the first time it appeared, and the reprieve from it since April was a balm on his mind.

It wasn’t like he could simply attack a random person on the street and take their quirk. That just didn’t sit well with him, and it might draw too much attention when someone says that their quirk is gone.

Funny how when he finally wants to practice using his true quirk, he’s ripped from an environment that would have been perfect for it. The noumu wouldn’t have cared to be down a few quirks, especially when they would have been dead soon after. Really, ignoring it for so long had been detrimental in the long run.

If he had just been stronger, would he have been able to protect Kacchan and his friends from Lord All For One? Would he have been able to take that man down? Whether or not it scared him or if he hated it, he needed to get stronger if he wanted to protect his new friends.

Acquiring new quirks had too much risk. That was why he was practicing so much with the quirks he already had.

Oh! It had been ages since she went to the beach. Although, she had never gone to Takoba. Ruka wasn’t sure of where that beach even was. Well, she was sure that Mikumo would just lead her to it and if he wanted to meet there, she could then worry about where exactly it was located. This was just exciting!

Ruka blinked at the short and seemingly innocent message that was glaring across her phone screen. He fucking what. How? What beach had scrap metal laying around?!

That didn’t make it better! Ruka groaned and scrubbed at her face with exasperation for the avian. Honestly, she shouldn’t be surprised that he does things like this, given he lives quite lavishly in an abandoned building and clearly knows how to defend himself in extreme situations. Mikumo was anything but normal.

Still, how was the only thing he seemed to worry about was if she was still going to come with him or not? Sometimes she truly mistook him for what she thought was a semi functioning member of society, and then he invites her to hang out while collecting trash as if nothing was strange about the whole situation.

While she knew he could definitely handle himself, she still had the urge to just make sure he would be alright. Plus, no matter how unorthodox, she would always be down to hang around the strange man. He was one of the few people that didn’t mind her presence.

That’s how Ruka found herself standing at the edge of a balcony overlooking Takoba Municipal Beach Park, while Mikumo happily vaulted himself over the railing. The faint stench was rancid, likely from recently rotting food and whatever else was being disturbed in the piles. She wouldn’t even touch those piles with a long pole. Really, Mikumo was just built differently.

That didn’t stop her from nearly having a heart attack when he toppled one of the piles trying to pull a large piece of metal out. That didn’t stop him from continuing to scour the beach like a crow looking for shiny things, either.

After spending maybe an hour or two gathering bits and pieces of metal, wire, and other things into Pocket, Ruka followed him back to his apartment as well. “So, what are you going to do with all that?” she asked as they made it to the top floor of his building.

Mikumo hummed in thought, “Well, I don’t have any concrete plans yet. I just want the option to make things again.”

He could feel her staring at his back as he continued a few more steps without her when she paused, “Wait, so you’re an inventor, too? You have so many talents!” Her eyes were wide as he turned to face her.

“Well… I wouldn’t call myself an inventor.” There were plenty of people who deserved that type of title more than him. This was just a hobby. “I was just bored in the laboratory and had a slight interest after my master made me learn hacking.” Breaking into all kinds of devices had been slightly fun.

Ruka blinked, “Hacking. You’re a danger to society and my sanity.” Mikumo couldn’t help but give a shit-eating grin to that. It had been a while since he threw the blue haired girl so off guard. It was so much fun!

Deciding to go for the kill, he nonchalantly brought up his favorite invention. He hummed as if in thought, “Maybe I should revisit my railgun designs.”

“Your fucking what.”

He stifled a laugh and just barreled on, “The first design got destroyed in…” Jaku, “In an incident. The second one blew up since it-”

She playfully shoved him, “Stop! Just stop. You’re insane.” A pause, “You better show me it when you finish.” He finally couldn’t contain his laughter as he followed her into his own apartment.

Emerald green eyes stared back at him in the mirror. Diamond shaped freckles were hidden underneath a simple deep red mask. His fluffy white curls were stained a dark black that would easily wash out with some remover. The rest of his outfit followed the theme of dark grays or blacks.

Loose jeans fell to just above his ankles, where dark gray bandages wound around his feet and left only the tips of talons peaking out. He had cut out a hole in the hoodie for his wings to fit through, and had used the same black dye as his hair on almost all his feathers. Trying to reach the ones along his back was just not worth it when he planned to throw a poncho on to further hide them in the darkness.

Finally, fingerless gloves hid the black holes in his palms. The only thing unique about him left to cover up was his eyes. Red tinted goggles went a long way in obstructing his real eye color. His own reflection was almost unrecognizable, and it was perfect.

Standing within the safety of his hidden apartment, he blinked, and Musutafu stared back at him from his position just outside the city center. The combination of Breeze and Sensing was quick to give him a wide overview of the area before he leapt off into the night without a care of being seen for once.

Commanding the wind to give him a tailwind helped boost his speed by a small amount as he leaped between the rooftops. While he had more experience fighting with Taser, Nyoom, Blink, and Pocket, he needed to be familiar with more than what he had used before. Besides, Breeze was something new that he likely wouldn’t confuse with the past.

Not to mention just how versatile the quirk was. Offense, defense, long range, short range, mobility and general utility. Mikumo was excited to master this quirk, even if it took years. Although, given how he had been able to mix Sensing with it, was it even possible for him to master quirks when his own was constantly changing which ones he may have access to?

A little girl with all sorts of colorful flowers in her hair ran into Nekohana with a giant smile on her face, “Mister Mikumo!” Waving, he greeted Akina and motioned for her to sit at the bar. Although, not before scanning the rest of the cafe.

“Where’s your mother?”

She looked away from him, “She said I could come by myself.”

“Oh, really?” Mikumo doubted that, but went along with it for now. If Akina’s mother didn’t show up by the time he left, he could walk the girl home. Maybe get the older woman’s number in case she did this again.

“Mhm!” She nodded her head along with her affirmation, as if to accentuate her claim. He simply stared at her, “She did, she did!”

He chuckled, “Sure, I believe you.”

“Can I have a hot cocoa?”

“Sure.”

The bell chimed as he finished up her small hot chocolate. A man in a clearly expensive suit stepped into the small cat cafe. He held an air of importance around himself. While Mikumo was used to the rare rich person showing up to a local gem, they were normally down to earth. Something told him this guy had his ego in the clouds.

He was proven right as the man's eyes narrowed at his appearance. Still, he happened to already have a handle on customer service that was only aided by Tokai’s lessons. He smiled almost genuinely even as the guy frowned further, “Welcome to Nekohana. What could I get you today?”

“Is there someone else who could serve me?”

Mikumo already didn’t want to serve him either, “Sorry, no. I’m the only one in today.”

The man huffed before relenting, “My secretary recommended this place, but clearly she has much lower standards about the staff than I do.”

“Sorry you feel that way, sir.” The smile didn’t fall from his face.

Akina was still a little too young to understand all the things that weren’t said, and he was finding that children had the remarkable ability to cut through bullshit. Her brows furrowed as if she was thinking hard when she asked, “Why are you being mean to Mister Mikumo?”

The man looked a little shocked to be called out and maybe off kilter from Akina’s presence. “Well, uh…” He turned to address Mikumo, “I’ll just have an espresso.”

His grin turned a bit more genuine as the man looked as if he sucked a lemon, “Will that be all?”

A beat, “Yes.”

He stood there awkwardly as Mikumo took a few minutes to brew the coffee. Akina seemed to be staring the guy down when Mikumo glanced over at one point. As he finished, the man seemed hesitant to even take the drink directly from him. Being petty, he didn’t place it on the counter, and waited.

Luckily, he seemed to want coffee more than whatever he had against him and took it. Practically running out of the cafe after paying. “Why was he mean?” Akina got his attention again.

“He just likely didn’t like that I look funny.”

“Why would you look funny?”

Sweet child, never change. He was still only grasping the fact that mutants had faced discrimination as well. A different type than what he experienced growing up quirkless, but it was all the same. People didn’t see him as an equal. He was weaker, lesser, diseased, disgusting. Strange. Different.

“People don’t like what makes me special. My teeth, wings, funky legs.” He brought up his leg and wiggled his toes to prove a point.

She huffed, “It’s not that weird.” He simply entertained her and stayed quiet.

Afterward, she asked questions about any quirks he saw recently and shared her own. A few more customers came and went before closing. Shortly before he figured he would need to round up Akina and send her home, her mother burst through the doors, both anxious and angry in equal parts.

“Akina! There you are!” The woman scooped her daughter up in a hug, “You had me so worried.” She looked up and addressed him, “Ah, Mikumo was it? How long was she here?”

“A few hours. I mostly entertained her and was planning on escorting her home after I closed the cafe.”

“Thank you for watching her.” She paused and fished out a card from her pocket, “Call me if she ever does this again.”

Now that he was paying attention, it didn’t take him long to get used to the underground in Musutafu. There were a few locations where informants seemed to hang around and trade information. Districts where the nighttime heroes seemed to overlook. Areas where the lower ranked thugs liked to hide in the shadows and attack unsuspecting victims.

These were the places that were starting to make up his new territory. It felt like stepping into an old routine. A song and dance he did for years, with the small scars littering his skin to prove the countless fights he won. There were differences, of course. The dull drone of the city being alive, the quirks he used to attack, and his opponents, while weaker, were much more cunning when they wanted to be.

Mikumo detected a scuffle in a nearby alley and turned right to take a peek at the situation. When he arrived, a man was holding a knife pointed towards someone else cowering in the corner of the dead end. With confidence that he understood the basics of what was happening, he dropped on the one with a knife.

They crumpled under his weight, and an air pressure blast from Air Cannon sent the knife skidding just out of reach. “What the fuck,” came from the guy under him, while the one in the corner was looking at him with wide eyes.

“So,” Mikumo started, “want to explain why you were threatening the guy in the corner over there?” It was still weird to actually address people and make sure he didn’t actually harm them. His goal was to scare and contain, not to maim or kill like he was used to. He wasn’t in kill or be killed fights anymore.

“Who the fuck are you?” They shifted as if aiming to knock him off their back, but he dug his claws in as a warning. Surprisingly, they stilled under him.

He smiled under his mask, “Tengu.” A demon and protector. A monster and guardian. It was the name the people of New Musutafu had given him. Finally addressing the other man, he requested, “Mind calling the police to get this guy?”

Tsukauchi Naomasa stared blankly at the files littered around his desk. Black coffee used to sit in a mug on a coaster near the edge of his workspace. Maybe he should get another cup after the interview that had been tossed at him shortly after he came in that morning.

About a month ago, a few reports came in about strange gusts of wind knocking people out or at least holding them back while the victim escaped. One had even been saving the life of an underground hero, Moonstone. She wasn’t very active, but she did her job well enough when she did patrol that Naomasa had nothing to hold against her.

Well, recently a few calls came in saying that a masked man had taken down some ruffian or the like with a matching wind quirk to boot. He couldn’t help but sigh at the impending paperwork and exhaustion of dealing with a new vigilante. Not to mention that in the testimony sitting on his desk right now is a name.

Tengu.

Work only started and he wanted to go home. Vigilantes just weren’t a thing in Musutafu. Too many heroes, not enough crime. How was Tengu even finding enough incidents to give him a headache?

Sansa popped his head in to check on him as he let his head thunk against the table. “Are you feeling alright, Naomasa?”

Naomasa took a deep breath in, “No.”

“Is it the new case?”

“Yes.”

The cat hybrid hummed, almost like a purr, before speaking, “I heard that it involves a new vigilante. As long as they’re just helping out, I don’t see what the problem is. Less work for the heroes and us.”

He raised his head to look Sansa in the eyes, “More paperwork for me. Also, it’s against the law. Simple as that.”

“If you say so,” he flicked his ear.

As Sansa left his office, Naomasa pulled himself up and grabbed his mug. Might as well get more cheap coffee and get to work.

Mikumo stared Tokai dead in his pale yellow eyes. Another study guide book sat in the avian’s hand, “Why must you torture me like this?”

“You’re the one who agreed to get the license. I’m just making sure you don’t fail.” The librarian had a small smile, as if he was humored by the situation. “Your exam is scheduled for August tenth, by the way.” That was just two weeks away!

“What?!” Mikumo did not feel ready. Quirks were so complex, these books had so many contradictions even with each other. Specific language and ways of phrasing that got him turned around in the definitions despite knowing what a term meant.

“Study.” Tokai seemed to pause for a second before opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out a folder, “Also, if you don’t mind, please make a report on the quirks listed in this case. It’s a favor for another one of my clients.”

He eyed the folder suspiciously for purely the dramatics before accepting it. He wouldn’t say no to an analysis job, especially since Tokai was paying him in either yen or information. Despite the pink haired man initiating most of their transactions with each other, it truly felt like he saw him as an equal.

It helped that the librarian always assured him that he could say no. Mikumo just didn’t want to.

Chapter Text

Saturday, July 28, 2136

The folder Tokai had given him contained some already made files that detailed a few people. The only information on them besides their quirks were their codenames. Fuse and Firecracker made up a duo that had lots of potential for synergy together. Simply reading about them made Mikumo itch to see them in action.

Were they any good? Did they use their synergy between each other effectively? Did they use their quirks in smart ways, or was it just the basics? Opening up his latest analysis notebook to a blank page, he rewrote their information into his own style.

Fuse
Quirk: Fire Amplification
The user can amplify the size of any existing flame but can not create fire themselves. Fuse has been seen carrying a small notebook and a lighter in his pockets. By crumpling the paper into balls and igniting them with the lighter, Fuse uses his quirk to amplify the flame into literal fireballs that he uses to attack other people. Due to this creativity, fireballs are likely not the only trick up his sleeve.

Firecracker
Quirk: Fire Fingers
The user is able to create fire around their fingers and hands. Can they create fire from other places? Is there a drawback to doing so if they can? Firecracker is seen using her flames to melt locks and acting as intimidation before fights even begin. If Fuse can amplify her flames, does it cover her entire body?

Although, once Mikumo was done writing up the rest of his thoughts on their strengths, weaknesses, and whatever else, he found himself itching to write more. The librarian had barely got him any other appointments after Sakata besides a little girl with a fairly basic snow generation quirk. She had made a tiny flurry in the office space Tokai provided them once Mikumo had directed her on how to intentionally call upon the quirk rather than by using it on accident. The sheer wonder and excitement in her eyes had been adorable.

It didn’t help that it had also been several weeks since he went hero hunting, hadn’t it? Well, there was still plenty of time before the sun went down and plenty of idiots that challenged heroes for attention and what not in the city. Tossing his favorite poncho around his shoulders, Mikumo headed out into the city below.

The scene that he first came across wasn’t a fight, but a child that had manifested their quirk in the middle of a park. Normally this might be a happy moment, one celebrating the fact that the kid reached a massive milestone in development. Mikumo could only guess, since he hadn’t had his own moment like that.

For this child, it must have been traumatizing. He could hear high pitch crying nearby, somewhere just out of view, as Backdraft worked to extinguish the fire spreading through the park. Sidekicks ran around, trying to contain it rather than comfort civilians. He could almost understand if they hadn’t just left a kid in there.

Pink light flickered as Mikumo dismissed his notebook in the middle of analyzing one of the sidekicks. He wasn’t a hero, but who could just leave a child in distress be? Watching the officer guarding the police line, Mikumo saw an opportunity and slipped past. As he got closer, he could make out what their cries were saying, “Mommy! Mommy!” Where were their parents?

Things started to click into place as he caught sight of the kid, their body seemed to be made of fire. None of Backdraft’s sidekicks had fire or heat based quirks, all of them focusing on water. None of them could touch the boy, and extinguishing the fire might kill him like this. “Hey,” the kid looked at him with blazing eyes. “It’s going to be okay.” He paused for only a second, “You know why?”

The kid sniffled, “Why?”

Mikumo smiled as wide as he could as he sat down across from them on the pavement, “Because I am here.” Switching gears, he tackled the most pressing issue, “Now, that fire looks to be your quirk. It isn’t going to hurt you.” Well, it shouldn’t. There was always the chance of some form of a time limit on fire resistance for fire quirks. Drawbacks.

“But it’s so hot!” the boy cried.

Mikumo tilted his head to exaggerate his question and keep the kid’s attention on him, “Is it hurting you? Or is it just really hot?”

He was quiet, as if thinking over the question really hard. Softly, he murmured, “It’s hot.”

“See? You’re going to be alright!” With the kid calmer, now he needed them to turn the quirk off. If they even could. A late mutation quirk was often traumatic. A body permanently made of fire would suck, “Do you notice any new funny feeling in your chest or head?”

They were quiet as they likely sought out the feeling of a quirk. Mikumo still struggled to describe what it was like. It was pure energy, an inferno that brightened and dimmed as a quirk was called upon. It was power. “I- I think so?”

He could work with that, “Alright, imagine that feeling as a light. Imagine the light getting dimmer until it turns off. Just take a deep breath and only focus on that feeling and image.” The boy seemed to close his eyes and was dead silent until all of a sudden a relatively normal looking four-year-old sat in front of him.

The child gasped as they opened their eyes to hands made of flesh rather than flame, “It worked!” He launched himself at Mikumo wrapping around his waist. He blinked in surprise for only a moment before returning the hug and scooping the kid up, walking them both out of the smoldering park.

As he reached the police line, a man that looked a bit like the boy came up to the line, trying to get past. “Houru!”

“Daddy!” The kid scrambled in his arms, and it reminded Mikumo of trying to hold the cats at Nekohana when they didn’t want to be held. Just like the cats, he set the boy down and watched as he sprinted towards his father. He couldn’t help the soft smile that appeared on his face, watching as the child excitedly talked with his father.

Turning to leave before someone came up to tell him off about being on the wrong side of the line, a memory of a different boy came to mind. One that he had taught, and trained, and cared for nearly as his own. He slipped into an alleyway and faced the sky above. Why was he being haunted by the good memories now?

Sighing, he hoped that Kouta was doing okay back in his time. That Kacchan wasn’t blaming himself over his disappearance again. He… he hoped that the multiverse was real. Was he rewriting time and destroying– destroyed his old time? Mikumo had already made changes. Izuku already experienced something he never did… Fuck.

The multiverse theory had to be true. There was no alternative. He hadn’t been thinking about these things. Changing the future sounded so nice. Was it even possible? He clutched at the collar of his shirt.

Was it possible to go back?

Why had he never questioned that? Would he truly want to go back? Would he want Kacchan and Kouta here? Would that even be fair to them if he could and did? He was already drowning. He couldn’t breathe. Tugging on his hair, he snapped his attention to the slight pain and focused back on the alley.

He wouldn’t want to go back. Even if he could, he wouldn’t go. Even if it was the only way to have Kacchan and Kouta back, he wouldn’t go back. He missed his time, mourned it. He would not go back.

That realization was somehow even more terrifying than the very real possibility of never being able to go back even if he wanted to.

Ruka practically danced around his kitchen while they cooked. It was becoming more and more frequent for her to come over and make dinner together. It was a little less lonely eating with someone else, especially when it was something they made by their own hands.

“So! Anything interesting happen in the last several days? Any new drawings, projects, anything else noteworthy?” Ruka asked without giving him time to respond. “My mom has been trying to work me to the bone in the store with summer break,” she huffed.

“Ah, it’s just been the same things as usual,” he looked off to the side. There was plenty he still didn’t share with her. He had gone against someone else with a wind quirk while out as Tengu a few days ago. That was kind of cool. “Been busy studying for the license exam.”

“Oh! The quirk counselor one? I thought you didn’t need to have a license to be a counselor.”

“The license isn’t really about the ability to give counseling, but it’s apparently helpful in being more official. Even if someone unlicensed has better advice, the one with the license is more credible and has the ability to access the quirk registry.” He huffed, “A lot of the actual quirk related questions that will be on the test are biased or outdated anyway.”

“Really?”

His filter slipped for a second, “You really think the commission cares about those with undesirable quirks?” He had lived quirkless under their policy. Was living as a heteromorph under that same policy. Seen the control they had over heroes and hero students. The war after the destruction of Jaku was no place for high schoolers.

“Ah… no.” He blinked. He knew his views weren’t conventional during this time. She hung her head and stilled while she spoke, “If they actually cared, they would make sure that the weak were actually protected.” She understood. They lapsed into silence for a short while.

“Anyway, I also helped a kid whose quirk manifested get control and turn it off.” He continued to tell her more about the kid, his quirk, the park, and the notes he got on Backdraft’s sidekicks. They finished up making their meal and sat down to eat while he moved onto his theories about the four people Tokai gave him to analyze.

It was so nice to have an actual friend. One that enjoyed listening to him ramble about anything that interested him. Of course, he always returned the favor, listening as she told him about all the old people gossip that was shared with her. All the little moments within their day to day that stayed with those who had already lived a long life.

The sea salt stung his nose. Mikumo huffed, he used to be immune to the sea when he lived right on the shore. It only continued to cement that things were changing, he was changing. This beach, while it may have been his home in another time, this beach wasn’t his beach. This wasn’t his home.

No, his version of Takoba Beach was long gone. Only alive in his memories and in another universe. Having Ruka along last time had helped keep him out of his head while readjusting to this place. Ruka wasn’t from his time. She had zero connection with his past before April.

It was reassuring to reconcile Takoba as just a dirty old beach. The water didn’t seem as dark anymore after that. This beach wasn’t the one he had molded his dreamscape into, the iteration that had turned into a nightmare. He hummed to himself, maybe he shouldn’t base his dreamscape on real places. Even if forming the mini world to mirror memories was easier than making it up.

The rickety pier creaked nearby as a wave crashed against it. Mikumo was tempted to fix it again. It would be nice to sit on the dock looking at the stars reflecting off the water again, but he didn’t want to override his older memories by doing the exact same thing. No, this beach was just a place for him to pick out materials for his personal projects.

The white haired teen climbed the steps of Takoba Beach and disappeared into the city of Musutafu above. Heading home, Mikumo left the phantom of his old one to be buried by the sands of time. Luckily, he had said his first goodbyes to the place before he even ended up here.

Nemuri held the door to Nekohana open for Hizashi as he had joined her on her weekly trip to the cafe again. Shouta was already sleeping back on her couch from earlier in the morning. It was now just a regular thing for her to sometimes wake up with the man blacked out somewhere in the apartment when he had patrols in the area. If only he would just get an apartment already, but no, that was illogical.

Shouta must the only person in Japan who must think being homeless is a perfectly logical choice. She would bet hard cold cash that the man wouldn’t know logic if it bit him in the ass sometimes. Nemuri mentally sighed, she could admit that his twisted logic was also what made him a great hero sometimes. Villains could be just as crazy in their logic. Unpredictable.

Following Hizashi into the store, they both made their way to the bar in the back. Well, not before the blond scooped up a giant orange maine coon. The same one Shouta tried to steal a while back. “Nem, take a picture of me and the cat!” Hizashi nearly yelled in excitement. Was he insane?

“Nah, no way. That man would actually kill over a cat.” And he would be able to get away with it, too. She just knew.

The blond stuck his nose in the air, “Nah, Sho’s harmless.”

“Harmless?! Do you hear yourself?” Nemuri gaped at him. Hizashi simply stared back. Blue stared even harder, meeting spiral yellow-green. She was so tempted to say, ‘Your funeral.’

Akatani finally spoke up since they showed up as he offered, “I’ll take the picture.” Sweet summer child. Nemuri would mourn him at his funeral for being an accomplice for crimes against Shouta.

“HELL YES!” Hizashi shouted. She could just barely tell that his quirk had leaked into it, further boosting the volume of his voice. Thankfully, it wasn’t beyond the more natural range of his loudness. Shattering the windows would likely get them banned.

“Hizashi!”

“Sorry!”

Wings stained completely black snapped open, out from under the loose fabric covering his shoulders and back. Gravity barely shifted around him, only enough to provide just a bit more lift as Breeze helped push him along from rooftop to rooftop. Choosing to display a wind based quirk for his more dangerous nighttime hobby was probably the best choice he could have made.

While Breeze was much more useful overall, Air Cannon had more raw power. Even at lower outputs, the quirk could send smaller objects flying backwards. The downside was how it was focused within his arms rather than being an area effect like Breeze. Well, given how he had kept Breeze and Sensing combined, he should be calling it Wind Sense.

Mixing Air Cannon into Wind Sense had allowed him to create pressure blasts at a distance, but he could only create air blasts. The major utility of Wind Sense was his ability to lightly stir the air around him and use that to gain an enhanced spacial awareness. The new mix rendered that nearly useless. What use was heightened perception of an area when he gave himself away at the same time?

Mikumo had nearly panicked at how hard it was to separate the quirks from each other after that. Was it due to Breeze and Air Cannon both being air based and highly compatible with Sensing, or was it the amount of quirks in a mixture that determined if he could separate them again? He didn’t want to risk his quirks trying to find that out.

A flash of dim orange light knocked him from his thoughts and, on instinct, he summoned a gust of air to blast whatever it was away. Metal screeched as a blade dug into the concrete below them. A dark haired man dressed in black and orange crouched while clutching the knife newly embedded in the floor in a white knuckled grip.

The man sharply grinned as he slowly looked up through an orange visor. Mikumo was already on edge as they locked eyes. “You’re Tengu, aren’t you?” his voice was confident as he spoke. That wasn’t a question, it was a statement. The man stood up, tilting his head back to look down on him, “Trying to play hero, little songbird?”

He wasn’t a hero.

In a flash, the same orange light flickered around the man’s entire body and he disappeared. Barely a second later, movement caught in Mikumo’s peripheral vision. “Then, sing for me!” Pulling on Wind Sense, he snapped his wings open and caught the quick gust he summoned towards himself. It pulled him just out of reach of the knife aiming for his side. Oh, shit.

Whoever this was barely gave him any time to recover, running forward to follow his dodge. Mikumo stuck his hands underneath his black poncho to cover up the pink flicker from summoning his own blades. He was barely fast enough to block the knife headed for his throat, even with Nyoom leaking into his limbs and making him faster than normal.

The man’s grin only widened as they disconnected. Mikumo allowed a small amount of Strength to pool into his muscles before rushing towards his opponent. Metal hitting metal was the only sound ringing into the night as they fought on the silent rooftops. The fight tilted, and Mikumo could feel his advantage. A blast from Air Cannon at the right time forced an opening, and he lunged for the man’s side as he was knocked off balance.

However, just before familiar red could paint his blades once more, the orange light returned. When it cleared, his attacker was on the roof across the small street. “Oooohhh,” the man drawled. “You’re not half bad.” That was the last thing the man said before disappearing into the darkness of the night.

…

What the hell was that about?

Chapter Text

Thursday, August 9, 2136

Makoto watched as Akatani nearly nodded off standing at the register again. A single black cat was watching the avian too. She had a slightly different aura than Omen. It was Onyx. Well, technically all the cats were Omen, but he would have different traits present themselves at different times.

It was strange. No matter how hard they tried to put it into words and explain it to other people, it never seemed to fully click. Their way of existence was just too confusing for other people to truly get it. Everyone had said how cool, freaky, and rare it was to have a sentient quirk. None of them had fully understood what it meant to share one’s mind with another consciousness.

It was normal. This was just how they and their quirk were since they were four. They were Hayami Makoto. Omen was just an extension of them. While he mirrored some of their own feelings, he also had his own thoughts and feelings and wants. Like sleeping in that damn oven.

Onyx sent a mental nudge as a reminder to not get as lost in their thoughts as Akatani sometimes did. Focusing back on the scene in front of them, the man had shaken himself awake. Makoto couldn’t understand why he was still coming into Nekohana when he clearly needed rest. Especially when his exam was supposed to be tomorrow.

Sensing that Makoto was about to speak, Onyx let out a mrrup. Akatani looked over just as they began, “Can I walk you home?” His eyes widened as if he was still surprised that someone, maybe just them, cared about him. It still slightly stung. Before he could try to reject them, they joked, “You wouldn’t want to miss your stop falling asleep on the train, would you?”

No luck, “I’m fine.” No, he wasn’t. Akatani was running himself to the wire. He was going to collapse sooner or later if he didn’t chill out. This wasn’t even about the exam, that had only exacerbated the issue of this man overworking himself. “I can make it on my own.” Was he too prideful to accept help?

“You look dead on your feet,” they deadpanned. Was it just something about themself? Why did Kayama have an easier time dragging Akatani off to do things and take care of him? Did… did he actually have something against other heteromorphs?...

Onyx got up and rubbed herself against their arm in comfort. He yawned, his sharp canines on full display without a care in the world, “I don’t want to bother you. I’ll be fine.”

And like that, their crooked view of the man named Akatani Mikumo that was still missing way too many puzzle pieces snapped a little more into place. It wasn’t that Kayama lacked any mutations deemed strange by society, it was that she had no fear of stepping over other people’s boundaries.

Makoto had just been too passive in their attempts at friendship with the avian. Waiting for Akatani to invite them to hang out instead, letting him be the one to share rather than them asking questions. He wouldn’t do those things. He wouldn’t open up without a shove. They had been that way too before their current friends forced themselves into their life.

Onyx shared in their determination and sent a wave of encouragement. They could do this. They just needed to push past the old voice that warned against bothering other people. “I’m walking you home,” their tone left little room for doubt or argument.

Once again, Akatani’s eyes snapped to their own. Makoto could see the anxiety swirling deep within his gaze now. After a beat, he seemed to relax a little and smiled softly, “Alright.” He looked away again before uttering, “Thank you.”

It wasn’t long before the two of them stepped onto a train eastbound for Aldera Ward. “I get off at Tatooin,” Akatani simply said before he made his way to a corner of the car to sit down. Onyx followed after him and leapt into his lap, purring with content. She sent the impression of amusement of how easy it was to convince the man once they were more stern.

Maybe he was a bit of a secret pushover? Makoto silently answered with the relief that they could keep an eye on him. He seemed like someone who needed more friends. They could tell. The cat flicked her ear, agreeing with their last sentiment.

They sat down in a chair across from Akatani and Onyx and sighed. Growing up with few people they could depend on was something they could relate with. The only ones Makoto and Onyx could count on before moving to Musutafu were each other. The quirk had even saved their life once before they left Arashinomae.

Their quirk meowed and sent a much harsher mental nudge than earlier today. They didn’t need to remember those times, that village. Shifting to look out the window behind them, Musutafu looked back. This was their home, even if the bustle of the city sometimes made them miss the slow quietness of the forest in their old backyard.

The purring of the cat on his lap quickly lulled him back to sleep on the train. It was fine anyway, he trusted Hayami to wake him up when it was his stop. Their insistence on making sure he made it back home this tired was nice. All of his friends were just so nice.

Something was tapping his chest. Slightly jolting awake, he realized it was just Omen waking him up. Quickly glancing out the window, Mikumo confirmed that this was Tatooin Station. Getting to his feet, he turned to Hayami, “Thanks, my place isn’t far from here.”

They blinked, “Alright.” Mikumo sent a small smile and stepped off onto the platform. He didn’t even make it to the stairs down to the street before a black cat nearly tripped him as it winded around his legs, “You’re crazy if you think you can get rid of me that easily.” Screeching behind them signaled the train leaving the station.

“I- what.”

They simply repeated from earlier, “I’m walking you home.” Y’know what? Mikumo wasn’t surprised at this point. The only thing he hoped was that Hayami wouldn’t judge him for preferring to live in an abandoned building. At least Ruka thought it was cool.

He simply led the way before ducking into an alley and opening the door he used to get in and out of the place when he didn’t just use Blink. Hayami gave him some type of look, “You’re not going to kill me in there, right?” Mikumo choked.

Breathe in.

Star shaped emerald eyes sparkled in the morning sun as the light glimmered on the ocean surface in the distance. A sail boat was on the water that morning, silhouetted by the blazing horizon. White hair and speckled feathers were dyed a deep pink by the clouds above as they reflected the early morning light down upon the city.

Breathe out.

Chirping filled his ears as a flock of rose finches fluttered past his perch on his water tower. The screech of iron scraping against iron, echoing between the buildings, signaled the morning trains just beginning their routes nearby. A strong gust brought the taste of sea salt to his tongue and stung his nose as he breathed in once more.

He had forgotten how tranquil the mornings could be in the past few weeks. The sunrise was quite simply one of those little treasures in life. Exquisite beauty where no two were ever exactly alike. Calming in a way that nothing else was.

Breathing out as the warming sunlight hit his freckled face, Mikumo leaned back, closing his eyes, and relaxed. Well, as best he could.

Tokai Tomoki watched as the shinkansen raced past on the track in the distance on its way to the station positioned on the edge of Musutafu. He had faith that Akatani would pass today. Closing his eyes, he savored the taste of his morning tea.

It had been a while since he invested in someone else like this, but from the moment he set eyes on the young avian bloody in the street, Tomoki knew there was something was special about him. Amidst the blood, confusion, exhaustion, and fear, the kid’s eyes had shone bright with a fire, as if daring anyone to just try to strike him down.

Imagine his surprise when the very same kid stumbled into his library totally fine a few days later asking to use the computers and unable to give him a full name. The flame that had caught Tomoki’s attention was still there. Whatever this kid put his mind to, he would burn brightly like a meteor falling through the sky.

Tomoki had seen the story a few times before. People with that type of look in their eyes were an untamable inferno. Over and over again, people would try to control the flame and find themselves burned in the aftermath. No ordinary person could hold a candle to the sheer will those people possessed.

Seeing Akatani Mikumo in person for the first time just cemented his decision to keep an eye on him and maybe, just maybe, help guide him when the opportunity arose. That opportunity had arisen when he heard about the kid’s interest in quirk analysis.

Now, he was playing with fire.

It worked out well, as he had already been on the lookout for an analyst to work with. Old favors for requesting quirk registry edits were starting to run low. Sponsoring the kid for a counselor license was nearly a no-brainer. Seeing his gentleness with Sakata-kun in person soothed any doubts he had in his choice.

No matter if Akatani continued to work with him or not in the future, Tomoki was reassured that his city now had an amazing quirk counselor that was unlikely to bend to other people’s desires once he found his own. One that didn’t see quirks as villainous or heroic. One that didn’t see heteromorphs as lesser beings.

One that simply did the job for the love of all types of quirks and enjoyed genuinely helping people. Finishing off his tea, Tomoki found that he couldn’t wait to see what kind of future Akatani helped inspire around him as time went on.

Staring outside the window of the shinkansen, colorful high-rises blurred past. A break in the buildings allowed for a stunning view of a towering skyscraper in the distance. The top was decorated with a globe surrounded by rings. Might Tower.

Tokyo. The capital of Japan. Musutafu wasn’t small by any means, but compared to Tokyo? It might as well be a small town. There was no visible end in sight to the massive buildings on the distant horizon.

The train raced on and the tower disappeared from view once more. Mikumo couldn’t stop his leg bouncing in anticipation for the exam. It also boggled his mind. This was happening. Who knew he would actually get a license from the Hero Public Safety Commission? It wasn’t a hero license, but it was arguably just as important.

Counselor licenses actually weren’t a license to counsel people on their quirks. Laws didn’t prevent ordinary people from giving advice on how to use quirks. The license was more about its utility in accessing and even editing the national quirk registry, as well as authorizing lesser licenses like public use licenses. Mikumo hadn’t known about all that until Tokai shoved those books and study guides at him.

The librarian had simply been messing with him by making it seem like they had to keep his counseling appointments on the down low. He had to admit that it was a smart way to test him on how well their other lessons were going. After all, Tokai had never said it was illegal, simply vaguely implied it with choice words and body language. It was just a ruse.

In a matter of no time, the shinkansen slowed as it neared the station. Mikumo stepped off and shook his wings to settle his nerves. He was anxious to pass and prove himself to Tokai. He was anxious about someone just knowing that he was lying. Knowing that he was far more powerful than he seemed, that he was a monster pretending to be normal.

It didn’t help that to look more professional, he opted to only wear his black slacks and a white button-up shirt. The weight of jackets and ponchos on his shoulders had become a comfort that he was desperately missing at that moment. Maybe he should invest in a suit jacket in case he needed to look more professional like this again.

He shook himself again and set off for the HPSC headquarters. He could do this. Tokai was counting on him.

Stepping through the doors to the building felt like sealing his fate. Whether it would be good or bad was yet to be seen. A woman sat at a large reception desk, “Hello, do you have an appointment?”

“Uh, y-yeah. Akatani Mikumo here for the l-license exam?” Why did his stutter have to come back whenever he was nervous? It was even more embarrassing.

She blinked and clicked around on her computer for a minute before exclaiming, “Oh yes! The consultant license, right?”

Confusion cut through all his thoughts as he blurted, “Wait, consultant? What’s that? I thought it was a counselor license.”

“Oh! Sorry for the confusion. The counselor license is the consultant license. It was renamed several months ago to be more in line with the industry position name.” Huh. He supposed that made sense. She continued, “Anyway, Yokumiru will be down in a moment. Just have a seat, Akatani-san.”

Before he could even make it to one of the waiting chairs, an elevator along the back wall let out a small ding before a sandy blond man stepped out. His suit was rumpled, as if he had been in a rush after sleeping too long in the morning. Maybe he had been. “Akatani?” Mikumo nodded, “I’m Yokumiru Mera. I’ll be proctoring your exam today. Follow me.”

Mikumo followed him into the elevator before glancing over the waiting area again, “Is there anyone else?”

“No. Not many people sign up for the consultant license. Everyone wants to be a hero instead of helping the public in more unseen ways.” He yawned, “Ah, sorry. We’re a bit understaffed, and it’s been a while since we’ve had even one taker for this exam.”

“Really? I’m the only one?” Surely, more people had to be interested in being a counsel- consultant.

He shrugged and slouched over with another yawn, “It’s not like people advertise any of the licenses besides the hero ones. You wouldn’t believe how many people sign up for that just because they want to use their quirk in public. Thankfully, the hero students quickly thin that herd down.”

Mikumo rubbed at the back of his neck, “I didn’t know about the other licenses either until studying for this one.”

“Oh? How did you learn about it then?”

“A… friend recommended it since I like quirks.”

Yokumiru hummed, “I’m sure you’ll do well then.” The elevator stopped, and he yawned again before stepping out and motioning for Mikumo to follow. “Now, I believe I reviewed your information beforehand and noticed you didn’t have a quirk registered.” Holy shit, he forgot to do that. “It’s normal, especially for you heteromorphs, we just need to register your quirk before you can have your license.”

“O-oh.”

They slowed in front of an empty conference room. Yokumiru held the door open as Mikumo went inside, “Alright, have a seat in here anywhere you like. I’ll be back with the test and paperwork in a few minutes.” The silence was deafening after the door clicked shut behind him.

Well, it made the most sense to register Pocket as his actual quirk. It was the only one he blatantly used around other people up until now. There was no way in hell he was telling the commission about All for One. While the receptionist and Yokumiru had been nice, he did not trust the commission in general.

Rather than sitting down in a chair, he found himself pacing the back wall while waiting for the man to come back. Luckily, it didn’t take long before the door opened again. Yokumiru blinked at him before yawning again. He needed some sleep. “Alright, take a seat.” Unable to refuse, he finally sat down since the shinkansen and immediately couldn’t sit still as he fidgeted.

“Just a quick question so that I can get a basic registration of your quirk submitted while you take the exam. Is it just the avian features?”

Taking a deep breath, he explained, “No, I have an emitter aspect that I’ve been calling Pocket.” Mikumo demonstrated by summoning one of the pencils he had stored within the dreamscape, “It’s a simple storage quirk.”

The man looked slightly more awake at that, “Huh. Useful. You can update it to include more information yourself when you get your license.” He passed over a tablet, “You may begin.”

Glancing at the clock across the room, Mikumo couldn’t help but feel like he got through it faster than he should have. Did he answer correctly? It felt easier than all the practice tests Tokai had thrown at him. Was it supposed to be easier? Should he check over all his answers one more time?

Yokumiru glanced over at him with an unimpressed, tired look. Oh, he was wasting the man’s time, wasn’t he? He probably had better things to do than proctor an exam for one person. He looked at the tablet again, told himself that he probably couldn’t do any better, and tapped submit.

Looking back over to the commission representative, he nudged the tablet back towards him. “Done?” Mikumo nodded. Yokumiru tapped the device a few times before stating with no enthusiasm, “Congratulations, Akatani, you passed.” The man got up, “Follow me, and we can get your license printed.”

They made it halfway back to the elevators when a young voice called out behind them, “Oh, Yokumiru! Do you know where Madam wanted me to go today?” Mikumo glanced back and couldn’t help his surprise at the young teen.

He couldn’t be older than sixteen, only a few years younger than himself. Fluffy blond hair accompanied striking gold eyes, but that was secondary to the giant red wings at the boy’s back. That was Hawks. He could still remember the headlines when he was younger than the future hero in front of him. The fastest climbing hero on the billboards. The youngest to ever break the top ten.

The tired man next to him sighed deeply, “Go check with your trainer.”

“She’s the one who told me to find Madam today.” Hawks’ eyes flicked to him and minutely widened, “Who’s this?”

Something didn’t quite sit right with him, though. Why was Hawks in the commission building at such a young age? A trainer? “This is Akatani Mikumo. He just earned his consultant license. We’re on our way to get it printed for him and get him set up with the registry.”

Hawks slightly bowed his head, looking off to the side, “Ah, I see. Sorry for intruding, then.”

“Come on, Akatani.” Yokumiru beckoned him, but he hesitated. Hawks was back to staring at him, but it wasn’t exactly at him, was it? The kid was looking at his wings and followed the movement as he shifted, slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t like how people always stared at him more when he didn’t cover his wings.

Now that he thought about it, there weren’t many avian heteromorphs that had actual wings, were there? He couldn’t easily recall any besides the kid in front of him. That was probably why people stared at him. Beyond now being a heteromorph, beyond being an avian at that, he had wings.

Turning to follow the chronically tired man, he stretched and shook his wings out. It helped calm his nerves while quickly dislodging any loose feathers or dirt. If a stray feather fell out and the kid behind him decided to keep it as some form of comfort that he wasn’t alone, who was to say any of it was on purpose?

That evening, he headed into Keimei to just have fun and celebrate. He had been stressed over passing the exam, when in the end he passed with flying colors. Some of the questions about actual quirk theory had been outdated and misleading, but he could understand it now, since having the license didn’t mean he was a quirk counselor. It simply gave him the authority to register quirks and licenses.

Rain pattered against the umbrella open above his head. The silence of the night just made the sound of water washing over the leaves that much louder. As Mikumo neared the clearing, Freeze began to cool the water under his feet into frost and ice. The droplets hardened into sleet, and Breeze easily flung the flurry away before it had a chance to come down on him.

Pink light flickered, and the umbrella was safely tucked away as his quirks took over its job. While he could see perfectly fine in the darkness, he summoned Light to create several small spheres to illuminate the surrounding path. A small headache threatened to form from controlling several area based quirks, but he ignored it.

The more he practiced with these quirks together, the easier it became to wield multiple at once and perform more and more complicated tricks like this. While society was much more interested on how an ability could be used in a fight, Mikumo was discovering the beauty and spectacle of using quirks in a more mundane way as well. It was magical.

It reminded him of the news clip he saw recently about a ‘vigilante’ in Naruhata. That was just a young girl who simply used her quirk to help her get attention while doing street performances. Her quirk usage was harmless, yet she was legally counted as a villain for repeatedly breaking the public use law by using her quirk without a license. The law was hardly actually enforced, though, and her quirk allowed her to escape easily when anyone did try to stop her.

Breathing in the smell of petrichor, Mikumo exhaled and weakened the pull of gravity around him. The surrounding whirlwind shifted, and he shot off into the rain wrapped sky. It took longer to break through to the other side than previous times, but once the clouds thinned, the stars brightly greeted him.

He simply floated along with them. Just another star in the sky.

Cutting Gravity, Taser sparked. Blue electricity arced off of him as he fell back towards the gray blanketing the city below, like a bolt of lightning, laughing all the way. It was amazing, it was freeing, he wished he could share this with his friends.

The thought gave him pause, and he reactivated Gravity to hover just above the rainstorm while he considered it. Since waking up in the past, he’s been afraid of other people knowing that he has multiple quirks, that his real quirk was All for One. Afraid of people who would either want him dead or to control him for his power finding out about it.

Afraid that he wouldn’t be able to change the future and protect everyone he cares about if anyone learned of his true abilities.

But was that really true? As long as his friends could keep the secret, it would be fine. But could he chance that? Would they really stay friends with a monster? No one wanted to be friends with him when he had been quirkless. He had told Kacchan and his friends, and not all of them had taken it well. What if his new friends rejected him? He didn’t know if he could take it.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. While keeping his quirks a secret had been easy, it was sometimes hard to remember that he could only use Pocket when anyone was around. With Ruka hanging around his home, how long was it until she saw him charging the battery powering the apartment with Taser? Until she saw him just appear with Blink? He didn’t want to simply stop using his quirks because she might see. His home was his safe space.

Out of them all, he probably trusted Ruka the most. She was the one who knew the most about him already. Hayami was a close second. While Kayama was amazing, he doubted she would judge him too harshly, he also just knew she tended to share things with her best friends. He still wasn’t close enough with Aizawa and Yamada to trust them on this.

Really, he couldn’t allow his fears and anxieties to control him completely. It had made him unprepared for when it mattered. It had costed him the life he had made for himself amongst the rubble and dust of abandoned cities. Fear had kept him safe in many situations but had also hindered him so much in others.

Maybe it could be okay to take a few more risks?

Chapter Text

Monday, August 13, 2136

Mikumo huffed in slight amusement as Hayami followed him, not too dissimilar to a lost puppy, back home once again after they closed the shop together. Silently, he was grateful, as he had just been feeling off since passing the exam on Friday. After being stressed for days, it felt strange to not have much of anything to worry about. It left him both restless to do something and not wanting to do anything at the same time.

Ruka was becoming more random in her visits to his apartment. He had offered that she could come around and chill anytime she wanted, even if he wasn't there. While he didn’t always see her, he could tell that she was around often enough. Especially the roof. It helped that since the incident, she always sent a text about coming over.

There was no text today.

Omen made its way onto his shoulder. That was becoming more common as well. “Are you going to just hang around my apartment too?” He didn’t mind it that much, it was nice having friends that willingly came by to hang around him.

Hayami looked over at him, “Too?”

Mikumo rubbed at the back of his neck, “Ah, yeah. I already have a friend that hangs around my place a lot. Her name’s Aoitake Ruka. She’s not around today, though.”

“Shame.” He hummed in confusion at that, “Any of your friends are bound to be pretty interesting people.”

He wasn’t sure if there was some underlying connotation with that, “I- I don’t know about that!”

They overly exaggerated hurt in their voice, “Am I not interesting enough?” Before Mikumo could counter, they continued, “Kayama is certainly… a character. Her friend, Yamada, is too. You hang around with him too, don’t you?” He did. And he could kind of see it. “See? You don’t disagree.”

“Ruka’s probably the most normal then.” She didn’t lean into being creepy like Hayami. She wasn’t quite like the eccentric nor caring sides of Kayama. She wasn’t loud and boisterous like Yamada nor silent and slightly awkward like Aizawa. Ruka was like a rock. She had already seen and learned about some of the darker aspects of himself, and stayed.

She… she was his best friend. His first real friend. He wanted to tell her the truth about his quirk, quirks, but fear was still making him hesitate. What if she ran away? What if she betrayed him and told other people? There was a massive difference in wanting to do something and actually doing it.

Hayami grinned like a cat, “Someone normal being friends with the Akatani Mikumo? I’ll believe it when I see it.” They hooked their arm around his shoulders, just below where Omen was resting, “Face it, people tend to attract others like them in some way. Need something to bond over, after all! You’re a bit strange, so anyone you're friends with is bound to be a little out there. Me included, probably.”

What was out there was Hayami’s change from being mostly reserved to talking more, expressing more, wanting to just hang out more. Mikumo didn’t hate it. He enjoyed Hayami’s company, but… where did this come from?

A neon-green haired woman entered Nekohana, petting Dragon, Roast, and Cappuccino on her way to the register. Mikumo smiled as he greeted her, “Morning, Ishida.” Ishida was one of the regulars to the cafe. She had already won over all the cats and liked to sit in the window up front on the couch most mornings. “Want your regular?”

“Morning, Akatani. Yes, please. That would be wonderful!” He nodded his head once to signal that he heard her before turning to brew the latte. It was the people like her that made him truly enjoy working at the cafe. All the rude people that came in couldn’t hold a candle to the small moments with the kind ones.

He placed a piece of coffee cake on a small plate while he waited for the machine to finish up. Without thinking, he scratched at a slight itch on his hand before pausing. The itch had been on and off throughout the morning. Did he get bit by something? He couldn’t see any redness now that he was examining it.

The coffee maker beeped, and he shrugged, dismissing it for another time if it managed to bother him again. He probably just irritated it somehow. Ishida smiled warmly as he set her coffee and cake down on the table nearby, “Enjoy!”

“Thank you!” Yeah, the good customers and familiar faces made every second working here worth it. Although, something in his gut told him it would probably be time to move on soon. He didn’t fully want to, but being apparently one of only a few licensed quirk consultants in the area was bound to make him quite busy soon. Mikumo was both looking forward to and dreading it.

The itch on his hands did indeed continue to bother him. Mikumo sat hunched over his kitchen table, staring into the black dots in the center of his palms. This wasn’t a rash or a bite or some benign irritation. It was his quirk screaming to be used. His real quirk. All for One.

He let his head drop on the table with a heavy thunk.

“Akatani, how did things go?” Pale yellow eyes pierced him, coldly analyzing any small movement that would betray the answer, even as the librarian smiled warmly. It was never a dull moment when speaking with Tokai. He always held an edge of danger, despite how much Mikumo trusted the man at this point.

His smile slightly widened in the silence before Mikumo finally responded, “I passed.”

Tokai reached around and patted him on the back, “That you did! You’re also getting better at controlling your body language during our conversations. It’s slightly harder to read you nowadays.” He stepped around his desk, sitting down in his chair while signaling for him to take a seat as well. “However, there is still room for improvement, and I would like for you to open your office here at the library.”

Ah, he had been right about being quite busy very soon. “A quirk counseling office?” That was probably what the man’s goal had been.

“Hopefully, that, among other things, if you wish. Such as analysis if you wanted to work more with the police and heroes. I could get you in contact with some doctors that may need your services to prescribe certain medication.” Tokai leaned back, “It’s your office and business, after all.”

Wait. This all just became a lot more real. He was a licensed quirk consultant. He would be working with all sorts of people, helping them discover their quirks or even help take down villains from the sidelines. How the hell did he get here? Mikumo hadn’t even been aiming for anything like this, just gone along with the opportunities given to him.

Although, he hadn’t really been aiming for anything. Simply content to exist and wander aimlessly for the last few months… years. He had been aimless for years. His aim now was to prevent what happened to him from happening to Midoriya Izuku, and that was done alongside preventing the collapse of the country.

But that wasn’t an aim for his own future, was it? His notebooks weren’t titled with ‘for the future’ anymore. When had he given up on dreaming about his future? When had he become complacent in everything happening around him?

The pink-haired librarian spoke, knocking him out of his minor existential crisis, “I’ll provide you with anything you might need, and I should have your business license within the next few weeks once you give your office a name. You don’t particularly need one, but it’ll be useful to be licensed.”

Focus. “Yeah. I- I don’t have a name right now, but I’ll let you know.” Mikumo paused as a thought came to mind, “Can I have a laptop?” He needed one to access the registry and, well, he simply wanted one too. Beyond having something to share with Hayami, he could start browsing his old forums again.

“Of course.”

Shockingly, or maybe not so shockingly, Tokai already had a device prepared for him to take. Apparently he kept a few around for a program he hosted that would hand out laptops for teens that needed a device for high school or college and couldn’t get one themselves for one reason or another. Tokai assured him that it was alright and that he could keep it permanently.

At least Mikumo didn’t need to research and choose one himself. He thanked Tokai profusely before heading back home for the evening. Making sure to send a text to Hayami that he got a laptop on the way.

Makoto sighed as they stumbled into their small apartment. Smaller than the home Akatani had created for himself within an abandoned building. The guy was homeless and lived better than them. They could admit that they were slightly jealous.

Although, it was just another strange thing about him. He was so carefree and high-strung at the same time. He could clearly take care of himself yet refused to just rest when he needed it. He was a private person yet so open once they had seemingly earned his trust. Makoto shoved a pre-packaged dinner into the microwave to cook and threw themselves onto their couch.

Omen manifested himself on their back the moment their chest hit the cushions. Makoto groaned and turned their head to speak, “What I would give to just be a cat.” Cats had it easy. Omen meowed back at them. “Able to just lounge the day away. Wander anywhere you want to go. All the snacks and pets you could ever want.” They knew Omen had been given treats at least four times just today. He was a regular with the locals.

A ding cut into their musings, and they were about to get up before realizing it was their phone instead of the microwave. It was probably just someone from the group chat mentioning them, asking if they were going to get on for the raid in a little while. They weren’t quite in the mood to be dragged into a voice chat quite yet and nearly ignored it. Still, they checked.

Makoto stared at their phone. A fucking business set up for him. A mess of anger and jealousy flashed through them before they tried to calm down a moment later. They had seen how hard Akatani had worked for all this. It was even partially their fault for telling Tamakawa about the avian’s talent and putting him under the librarian’s radar.

They were happy for Akatani, don’t get them wrong. It just felt so unfair that he had it so easy compared to how they struggled throughout their life to get even a fraction of what he’s likely had all his life. Makoto had clawed their way out of their birth town, and here this city mutant was getting things handed to him on a silver fucking platter.

Beeping from the microwave caught their attention, and they took a deep breath, throwing the phone back onto the couch behind them. They needed to calm down. It was not Akatani’s fault that he was doing better than them. The stars had simply aligned for him to have more opportunities.

No, it was more than that.

Deep down, Makoto knew that they were still too much of a coward to just agree to the things that Akatani seemed to go along with as easy as breathing. Once, someone had offered them a much higher paying job, but it required skill that they just didn’t think they had in them. Looking back, clearly the old man had seen something in them. Something they still couldn’t see. Some type of talent, maybe?

They had been a coward and turned it down out of fear. Fear of failure to meet the old man’s expectations. If they had just shrugged their shoulders and said ‘why not?’ like Akatani seemed to do, where would they be now? The avian was both carefree and high-strung. He clearly feared a lot of things yet was brave enough to shrug his fears to the side.

Braver than Makoto thought they could ever be.

Pathetic was the only thing Mikumo wanted to use to describe himself right now.

He couldn’t remember how long it had taken for this same itch to settle into his palms after Jaku. Had it only been months? Either way, he had tolerated it and ignored it until it became second nature to not even acknowledge its existence. Had it always been this bad? How had he ignored the writhing sensation in his hands before?

The itch had gone away when he took quirks. Using the quirks he possessed clearly wasn’t the solution, or this wouldn’t be happening in the first place. This was certainly based within the transfer aspect of his quirk. Mikumo needed to take quirks if he wanted the itch to go away.

Curling tighter into a ball on his roof, he wished it wasn’t real. He wasn’t ready. Using All for One opened the potential for someone to notice. If the wrong person noticed, he was fucked. Even when it came to his resolve to at least tell Ruka, there was a massive difference between wanting to do something and actually doing it. He wasn’t ready.

Shame continued to eat away at him. It wasn’t like anyone knew that he was putting something important off, but he knew. He was letting himself down. Hayami had distracted him the past few days, introducing him to their favorite game. Rather than going out into Keimei to use his quirks or donning his disguise as Tengu at night, he was holing himself up in his blankets, trying to calculate the best ways to level up.

Mikumo could see the appeal of just focusing on problems that don’t seem so big. It was just numbers in a game. It was a source of pride and achievement and joy, even as he hid away from the world in shame and fear.

Funny enough, hearing Hayami explain all the strange words they used while playing had reminded him of Shigaraki Tomura. He had met All For One’s so-called successor a few times before the tragedy of Kamino Ward happened. The guy had referred to everything around him as if it was a game. It was strange to only start to understand what he had been saying in hindsight.

It was easier to distract himself with tackling made up problems than having to face his own. Granted, it even worked. The itch in his palms had slowly died down. It wasn’t gone, no, he knew from experience it would never go away on its own. Instead, it slowly burrowed down into his bones and was steadily spreading up his arms.

A restlessness that would always be at the edge of his attention. It was something he could live with. He had already done so before. Mikumo still hated the fact that he had promised himself not to run from his quirk anymore, but here he was dealing with the consequences of still refusing to use it.

There wasn’t much he could do about that, though. A small part of his mind yelled back that it was as easy as just telling someone, then asking to borrow their quirk. He couldn’t deny it.

Mikumo couldn’t keep running. He laid across the bench positioned across from the mural he had painted on the water tower ages ago now. Staring at his phone as Ruka’s message about being on her way up stretched across the screen. Courage was slipping through his fingers, but he still steeled himself with his decision from over a week ago.

He wanted, no, needed to be able to trust his friends. He was so tired of being alone. Tired of being paranoid all the time. Of having to hold his tongue about the amazing beauty and power of the quirks he had. Of having to stop himself from mumbling any of his theories or ideas that involved something they didn’t know.

Between distracting himself with the video game, working at the cafe, and everything else, Mikumo had worked on recreating his old rail gun. Ruka had wanted to see it in action, and the only way to power it beyond hooking it up to the battery he had was Taser. The original designs had always been based on being something like a support item that required an electric quirk like the one he had to use it.

The door from the stairwell screeched as the blue haired girl panted from climbing all the way up, “So, what’s up?”

Well, start with the easiest to say. He grinned, “I finished the rail gun.” Pink light flashed as he summoned the wire coil contraption. Two rows of copper coils made up the rail that could propel magnets at insane speeds when an electrical current was provided. Her eyes practically sparkled in excitement.

“Hell yes! Are you going to shoot it?”

He took a breath and words failed him. How should he go about it? Does he just show off Taser? Does he try to explain it first? Outright say he has multiple quirks?

“Y-yeah.” She tilted her head to one side, able to already pick up that he was nervous about something. “Uh, so, um.” She stared at him expectedly as he fiddled with the device in his hands, “My quirk isn’t quite what I’ve said it was…”

Her face scrunched in further confusion, but he only summoned a magnet marble before loading it into the rail. Taser responded to him as blue electricity faintly arced off his skin and power poured into the coils, launching the marble off into the distance. Never to seen again. He let the quirk turn off, as sustained power to the coils had a chance of destroying the rail.

When Ruka finally spoke, her voice held a tone of awe and maybe fear, “What was that?”

“An electric quirk,” he admitted. Bearing only the tip of the iceberg when it came to exposing the secret of his quirk status. “I have multiple quirks.”

He met her gaze, and he couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking. Was she afraid? Please, no. “T-that’s not possible,” she stammered.

He couldn’t help himself as he chuckled at the twisted irony, “There's a lot of things that should be impossible about me.” Five years ago, he didn’t even have a quirk to call his own. Born quirkless. One of the most impossible quirks forced upon him. Five months ago, he didn’t even exist in this time. He should have died, but instead he was here. Forced to carve a life out for himself once again.

“People just aren’t born with multiple quirks! That’s never happened before!” Ruka’s voice held emotion that he couldn’t discern. It hurt to actually hear someone else say all the things he knew. He wasn’t natural. He was a monster made by a man he had made the mistake of trusting a long time ago. There was no going back. This was his reality.

“They aren’t! I wasn’t! I didn’t ask to be like this!” his voice broke with the last sentence. “I never asked for any of this.” He hadn’t asked for this. Tears slipped down his face and he sucked in a breath. It had been a while since he cried. He just wanted this to be over, “I can give and take quirks.”

“What.”

Mikumo didn’t look up from staring holes into the ground below him, “That’s my actual quirk. I can give and take quirks.” Silence. He didn’t want to look up and see what she was thinking. He couldn’t take the horror, the disgust, the disbelief, the betrayal. “I’m sorry I lied.”

He had betrayed her trust, hadn’t he? She should hate him. Mikumo wanted her to scream, to deny what he said, to say something. Call him out for being the monster that he was. Only the wind responded before the faint thud of the door closing graced his ears. Emerald green eyes looked up.

He was alone.

That somehow hurt more than anything she could have said.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, August 22, 2136

Time passed.

He didn’t remember climbing back down from the roof. He didn’t remember crawling back into his bed. All he could remember was the deafening silence after the door clicked closed. The shattering of his mental state as his fears were confirmed.

No one wanted to befriend a monster.

He could run and accept the changes that had happened to him all he wanted. What other option was there? But he would forever be alone. He wasn’t human anymore. He couldn’t be considered human since the day he woke up sprawled across the floor of the laboratory, coughing out the purple fluid used to suspend the noumu.

How could he deny being a monster with everything the Good Doctor had done to him? How could he be different from all the other people that had been experimented on noumu that had been created? They weren’t human anymore. All of them had been changed against their will and forced to obey their masters’ commands.

It had been taught to him again and again and again. He was a freak. Expendable. Everyone else was better than he could ever be. No one would ever want him. He was lesser. He could never just be normal. Why wouldn’t he just shut up and listen. Obey.

… Nothing really changed, huh?

All he ever was destined for was to be a pawn for other people. Aldera wanted him to show how much better the other students were compared to him. It was easier when he purposefully got answers wrong. The Good Doctor wanted him to assist with his fucked up science projects. Disobedience had cost him his choice in the matter. Was it really even a choice when he wasn’t allowed to say no? Why hadn’t he said no sooner?

Maybe Kouta had only latched onto him because he had saved the kid. Nothing more. Maybe Kacchan only liked him afterward because he wasn’t quirkless. Why would he have even missed the useless, worthless, Deku? He had seen the skepticism in Toogata and Amajiki’s gazes. Why had they still asked him to come with them?

… It was probably all the same.

They probably only wanted him for his quirk. People’s worth in this world came from their ability. That was the lesson he had been taught again and again and again. He hadn’t possessed an ability. He had been worthless and a freak. Now, he had many. He was still a freak, he wasn't even a normal noumu. What was he?

He was powerful enough to single-handedly take down the other creatures Garaki designed. It would usually take an entire team or an ex-hero to knock out. Why wouldn’t they want him for his quirks? That’s all that mattered to people in this world.

Ruka ran away in fear despite how long and how well they knew each other because he had too many quirks to be normal. Why couldn’t he have just been normal?

Thoughts continued to spiral and echo in Mikumo’s mind as he cried and slept and just… laid there doing nothing, feeling nothing as light crept across the room. He did not care that time was passing. He couldn’t find any strength in him to care, even if years were passing him by.

And so, time passed.

Eventually, he couldn’t stand sitting around his apartment. The restless energy in his bones begged him to move. After crying so much, he was left simply feeling hollow without many thoughts vying for his attention. He simply existed. It was the perfect state for his quirk to whisper in his ears to just go use it.

He wasn’t giving in to the temptation, but he did need to do something that he could remotely call productive. Chatter flowed all around him in the dingy bar hidden in a corner of the southern ward. Mikumo was dressed in worn clothes and dyed his hair to a neutral light brown. White hair definitely had its perks.

With his face having always been described as ‘plain looking’ and now the ability to change his hair color nearly on a whim, he could easily be a man of a thousand faces. Contacts and makeup would probably only make that sentiment stronger. He just needed to hide his mutant features as best he could.

Laying across a table that had several empty glasses on it, he pretended to be a passed out drunk. And if he had hit back a couple of the glasses around him, well that was only to sell his act more. None of these people would be able to recognize him later anyway. The slight buzz took the ever present edge slightly off his mind.

Being able to mimic being unconscious was a small ability he developed against a few of the bullies who wouldn’t give up till they were bored. Nothing was more boring than someone who wouldn’t react. Nothing more harmless than someone with nothing just trying to sleep and survive.

People milled around the place. Food and drinks wafted through the air. Music danced across the tables, attempting to blanket the hushed conversations. And Mikumo simply listened.

“–eard of the new hero in Aldera? They ar–”

“–troduce you to my friend, Giran. He’s one of the best salesm–”

“–out you come back another time, I’m not intere–”

Mikumo had been hoping that a late night bar like this would be a good meeting spot for criminals to meet up at that would be more inconspicuous than a random alley, but it was so hard to tell which conversations were for underground deals or just normal talk about daylight business. He was finally getting up to leave a few hours later when he tuned into a random exchange nearby.

“–ve it moved to the warehouse next week. We can talk about payment then. How does that sound?”

“Which warehouse?”

“Are you daft?” Whoever was speaking sighed, “Cardinal Construction. There's only one in this damn city… Don’t be late.”

Well, now that was interesting.

Aizawa Shouta glanced over at Nemuri as she strutted into the living room with coffee in tow. Their weekly hangouts were always the highlight of his weeks. The one morning each week that he knew he could relax and decompress from the previous days. Long nights patrolling the city and even longer days pretending, okay maybe not always pretending, to be asleep in dingy corners of bars and alleys to hear underground gossip could be taxing.

But it paid. It paid very well. Tsukauchi was always impressed when he brought new information for cases in tow. While Shouta didn’t particularly care about rankings, he might be one of the top underground heroes, at least in Musutafu. A lot of the talk in the underground simply presumed one of the brokers were selling out, they were starting to tear each other apart without suspecting a thing.

He even had a few of the actual homeless people on his side. Some information for him? Have a jelly pouch, water, maybe just some more yen to buy something they wanted. There was plenty of yen left over in his savings due to his lifestyle.

He also understood that it wasn’t a choice for many, like it was for him. The streets could be hard, but there was something raw about having hardly anything to his name. He was a ghost within society.

Comfort also was never far with Hizashi and Nemuri at his side in this unfair world. If only his friends would get the hint and stop bothering him every so often about not owning or renting any place to live in. He didn’t need one. Keepsakes were stored with either one of them and if he really wanted somewhere comfy and warm to rest he could just let himself in.

“Shouta,” he snapped his head over to look at Nemuri. “Are you good?” He was slightly annoyed at the question but nodded his head. Well, maybe it had been a while since he spaced out while they were around. She handed him his latte as he sat up properly on the couch. Sushi quickly jumped up to occupy the space he had been keeping warm.

“Did you get another case on your mind?” Hizashi asked.

While, yeah, Tsukauchi had shoved a few more cases at him lately, that wasn’t it. “No. Just thinking.” He didn’t want them probing and calling him a sap, so he quickly changed the topic, “How’s the Akatani guy lately?”

Nemuri’s mood shifted to something a little upset or worried, “Apparently he wasn’t in the cafe most of the week and hasn’t been responding to his coworker. They don’t know what’s happened to him.”

Yeah. That wasn’t good, “Are we still suspecting that he’s involved with the underground?” Suddenly disappearing could be anything. Doubly so when in this line of work, no matter which side someone was on. It could be as simple as vacation or being ill. It could be as severe as abduction or murder.

“I had forgotten about that! Do we still have the bet going?” their blond friend excitedly asked. Even Shouta’s horrible social skills picked up on how poor taste the question was.

Nemuri glared, “Hizashi now is not the time to be worried about that.”

“Sorry, I still barely know him…” He tilted his head, “Are you sure that he’s not busy with something else? Surely we can’t think the worst case scenario right away?”

“You’re right,” she sighed.

Shouta also wasn’t super close with the avian, but they messaged each other frequently enough. Nemuri definitely saw the guy as a friend at this point. The least he could do was look out for Akatani as well, “I’ll keep an ear out about anything on the streets, I was assigned a few more local cases recently anyway.”

Mikumo stared at the glaring screen in his hands. Sighing, he looked back out across the city. He was perched on the ledge of a building as the busy street below moved with the bustle of countless people. It was hard to be afraid of heights when he knew that he could always catch himself if he fell.

Skyscrapers of countless colors kissed the sky, standing tall and proud. A stark contrast to the silent gray and green as ruin and regrowth overtook the sagging skyline. He had been alone, but that was better than worrying other people around him. He didn’t deserve them. They didn’t deserve him.

What lives would they all live without him? What had their lives been before? While the answer was simple, the end of Japan as a nation, it was also complex. Where had they all ended up in his timeline? Had they been happier without him? Was he already fucking up their lives without any of them knowing it?

The horizon stretched further past the city. Not much stopped him from leaving, from simply wandering the island for years again. There was still so much of the world to explore out there. If Japan wasn’t enough, the infrastructure was still standing to simply leave. He didn’t have to stay in this forsaken country if he didn’t want to.

The device vibrated is his hand. He still didn’t feel all that much beyond his desire to run away again. Although, a memory hit him. The day, the moment, Jaku fell into a crater of dust. He was leaning at the edge of a tower as he witnessed his home crumble after fresh betrayal.

Behind him, Eraserhead and Present Mic extended an offer for him to come with them, despite not knowing anything about him. He had run away that day and traveled the country. What would have happened if he accepted their offer, stayed with them, that day? Became their friend while hiding his true power?

What would happen if he stayed now?

Loneliness was a feeling he knew intimately. However, it had been hard to truly miss something he never really had in the first place. Genuine connection was something new, and it was a powerful drug, making even the memory of loneliness ache even more. Mikumo’s phone buzzed again. He unlocked it.

He did not respond. He did not leave. Maybe he was a little selfish.

“What are you doing moping around here all the time now?” her mother asked while poking her side. Ruka only groaned in response while she laid across the kitchen table in their house above the shop. “Don’t you have a friend these days to hang out with? You’ll probably feel better out in the sun rather than cooped up here.”

She rolled her head to the side to properly talk without sitting up, “I don’t want to see him right now.”

Kaiko raised an eyebrow at her, “Why not?”

How could she even convey what's been bothering her? It still felt unreal and fake, and she still wasn’t sure if Mikumo had been lying at the time. ‘That’s my actual quirk. I can give and take quirks.’ It went against everything she knew. To accept that would shatter foundational truths she believed about the world.

How could it be true?

Although, she couldn’t deny that he had shown her a second quirk. Something that should be just as equally impossible. He possessed a storage quirk and an electricity quirk. Could it be possible that he hid the electric quirk and was just fucking with her about the… the transfer quirk?

“He said he had a quirk that could give and take quirks. I can’t tell if he was joking or not.”

Her mother hummed as she took it in, “That is something.” She looked back at Kaiko, “Did he still seem genuine? You know him better than I do.”

“I- yeah. But a quirk that can give quirks? That should be impossible!” Ruka sat up as she finished speaking.

“You know, my mother told me stories about her father. Your great-grandfather. He was hardly around while she was growing up because he was on the run to protect them. There was a man who wanted to kill him… A man who could give and take quirks. Grandpa had joined a resistance effort against that man when he was younger and paid the price for the rest of his life. Eventually, he never came back home…”

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” This was the first time her mother had ever mentioned something like this. Such a quirk was actually real? Her great-grandfather had fought against someone with it? Was Mikumo his descendant?

Kaiko enveloped her in a hug, “Because it’s dangerous. I was worried you would go looking for that man when you were younger and end up like my grandpa in some way.” She felt slightly offended but at the same time, she could kind of see it. All she wanted when she was younger was a quirk to fit in. “It’s your decision to speak to your friend again or not, but please be careful, Ruka.”

“You… you think Mikumo could be telling the truth?” She did want to see Mikumo again. He was her only friend.

“It’s possible. After meeting him, I don’t think he could be as ruthless as the man that hunted your great-grandfather for years. That takes a special type of malice, I think. Probably just a descendant, if he really does have that quirk. I trust you to make your own decisions. Just, please, be careful. I don’t want to lose you, too.” Kaiko squeezed her harder in the hug before releasing and stepping back. “I’ll make us tea. Hard things are always better over tea.”

Ruka was left alone to stew in her own thoughts at that. She truly didn’t think Mikumo would be the type to use her quirklessness against her like that, if he even knew. It was just within the moment, it felt like he was just another asshole shoving the fact that she would never have a quirk in her face.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back. So, transferring quirks was possible. The largest question would be if she even wanted a quirk if he offered. Younger her would have said yes in a heartbeat, but she was almost done with high school. Fitting in didn’t really matter to her anymore.

“Do you think I should accept a quirk if he offered?” Ruka asked her mother.

The older women hummed, “Well, that would be up to you. Do you want a quirk still?” There wasn’t even a hint towards which choice her mother thought would be better. She stayed silent until Kaiko spoke again, “Or, I suppose, do you think you would benefit from a quirk?”

Would she? Realistically, yes. Having a quirk on her records would make getting a job easier. However, a small part of her argued over how it shouldn’t even be that way. Why did she have to bend to society’s standards to have equal opportunity? Why should she work somewhere that wouldn’t have accepted her normally?

Ruka had accepted that being quirkless was just part of who she was a long time ago. She had continued on in spite of everyone else thinking she was lesser than them. Everyone around her always saw her for what she was rather than who she was as a person, and really that said a lot about them as people. She wanted nothing to do with them.

She would rather see people for who they really are, rather than having to question if they only liked her for something she had supposedly been born with. While her world view about quirks had permanently shifted in the wake of this knowledge, she found herself more sure of who she was than before.

It still felt like a fever dream. However, everything pointed towards Mikumo having wanted to simply tell her the truth. After all, what reason would he have to lie? While he had lied to her before, she also hadn’t been truthful. In a way, they had both been hiding the truth of their quirks or lack there of.

The more she thought about it, the more guilt clawed at her throat. She had run away. He had spilled something he had been hiding close to his chest, and she ran away without saying anything. How would she have felt if he ran away after sharing that she was quirkless? Oh, she had messed up, hadn’t she?

Hopefully he could forgive her.

She didn’t hate him?

Mikumo blinked at the message. She wanted to see him again? This wasn’t a trick? He desperately wanted to believe this wasn’t a trick. Pausing, he also found himself hoping she wasn’t only reaching back out because of his quirk. He didn’t know what he would do if that was the case.

He wanted to trust the people around him. Surely he could keep at least one person, right? He only wanted one friend by his side. Was that too much to ask? Well… It had been too much to ask of Kacchan when they were younger. Mikumo would never know if the blond had actually changed all that much.

He hadn’t left Musutafu because he was selfish and wanted to keep the friends he had made, no matter how much easier it would be to just leave it all behind and restart again. Ruka knew the most about him, and he currently still trusted her the most, no matter on why she ran away. Despite the fear, he wanted.

Ruka shoved the door to the roof open as she continued to gather her breath from the climb. She didn’t fully know what she wanted to say or ask or do. Mikumo was already on the rooftop, leaning against the railing to look over the side of it. He turned his head to the side to look her directly in the eyes as green punctured by black star shaped pupils pierced her.

He didn’t look too good. His eyes were missing some of their previous shine, making his gaze look even more severe. Dangerous. He was always dangerous, just good at hiding it. The feathers along his back and wings were ruffled and unkept, betraying how he let himself go since she last saw him.

She had done this, hadn’t she? She bowed, “I’m sorry.” It still didn’t feel like enough, and she let her thoughts tumble out, “I was just really overwhelmed. I mean, multiple quirks? That’s insane.” Her tone was slightly crazed, probably because it was still crazy to acknowledge it, but she steadied it, “But, I don’t think you’re the type to lie about something like that.”

“Oh.” He was silent for a beat, “I thought you were afraid of me… or hated me.” Ruka let the words permeate the space between them. She took that moment to reflect. What had she felt within that moment? She was afraid, but not of him. She had been scared that he was just another asshole looking to make fun of her.

There hadn’t had enough time to figure out whether he was telling the truth or lying. Where there had once been the image of a guy who never flat out lied, only omitted details, was a paradox where he had lied. Either he was lying about what his quirk actually was, or he had lied about what his quirk supposedly was.

All of that was combined with the shattering of her worldview, where people only had one quirk or none at all. With time to sort her thoughts, Ruka realized that he still hadn’t truly lied. Pocket was still his quirk, just not the one he saw as his.

“No. It was just… it was a lot. While I admit I was afraid at the time, it wasn’t of you.” She took a deep breath and moved to lean against the railing next to him. Glancing at his expression, it was hard to tell what he was feeling. “I was afraid that you were no different from the bigots that can’t seem to leave me be.”

“W-what?” Ah, he was slightly hurt that she thought that still. “Why did you think that?”

Despite everything, she still paused. He didn’t know, and everything screamed to not tell him. Everything always fell apart the moment other people know. A deep breath. Mikumo had shared his quirk despite his fear, she could too. Looking him in the eyes, she said, “I’m quirkless.”

His eyes widened in shock. The quirkless were a decreasing minority each year. Most of their numbers came from the older population. Fewer people were born without a quirk each generation. They said the quirkless were to die out with enough time. Mikumo once shared how no one was quirkless based on pre-quirk definitions.

Surely, he wouldn’t be like everyone else. “I was born quirkless too.” Wait, what? Confusion and evidence against that, multiple quirks, made her want to deny that right away, but she held her tongue. Mikumo had already broken the believed laws of quirks. “I wasn’t born with my quirk. The Doct–”

“Holy shit.” His master. Mikumo had said how he studied quirks with his mentor in a laboratory, but he also never shared specifics. There wasn’t just a quirk that could give and take quirks, it was actually possible outside of quirks. Well, maybe. She still didn’t know the full story. “How did that happen?”

He looked uncomfortable, slightly shifting his weight, “Ah, well…”

Ruka cut him off, “Sorry, forget that for now.”

“No, no.” Mikumo sighed, “Quirks manifest based on a blueprint within our DNA. Most people develop their quirks around four, but sometimes the manifestation never happens. That’s what it means to be quirkless… Forced or stressed manifestations happen when a quirk appears during or following a high stress event, usually life-threatening.”

Wait. “Forced manifestations? People can force quirks to manifest?” Ruka had never heard about that.

Mikumo gave her a look, “It’s dangerous. Life or death situations. A lot of people don’t survive. The doctor found a way to trigger the manifestation process with a high success rate.” Holy shit. “That combined with our research into which genes made up the quirk factor for each quirk we looked at and his experimentation with gene therapy.”

That last part lost Ruka, “Gene therapy?”

“The process of changing the DNA of a living organism.” He looked down at his hand. A small black dot sat in the center. She never really gave the markings much thought before. Was it from his actual quirk, then? “The Doctor used me to see if it was possible to implant this quirk in other people.”

“What the fuck.” Oh, she spoke out loud. “You didn’t deserve that… Holy fuck, that’s just straight up human experimentation. That’s insane! Wait… You agreed to do it?” Would she have agreed to some dangerous experiment to get a quirk when she was younger? Was he brave, stupid, reckless?

He was silent as tears slowly fell across his face. “No.” Oh… Just how much had he lived through? How much had he seen? How much did he do unwillingly? Ruka couldn’t help but pull him into a hug. Mikumo wrapped his arms around her in return, pressing his head on her shoulder. Quietly, he uttered, “Thank you.” What exactly was he thanking her for?

She looked off towards the skyline. While they were still vastly different, and she probably would never truly understand what happened, they were also more similar than she had ever realized. Growing up quirkless taught you that you were different, not like the rest of everyone around you. Mikumo likely understood that.

It was lonely being different. Too many people refused to even try being friends simply because she wasn’t normal. She didn’t have a quirk. Mikumo used to be the same, but now he had too many to fit in with everyone else. He was one of a kind with more strength than anyone would think looking at him.

That wasn’t really anything new about him. He was weird, dangerous, sometimes scary, sometimes funny, kind. He was her friend, her best friend. While she may have messed up and hurt him, and he hurt her a little bit too, she wasn’t about to be alone again over a quirk.

Society put too much focus on quirks anyway.

Chapter Text

Sunday, August 26, 2136

“So, are your wings a… natural mutation? What did you call it?”

“Vestigial mutations. And no, mine are from a quirk. I didn’t have any mutations before.”

Ruka hummed, “What did you look like then?” Since he calmed down a while ago, he gave her the go ahead to ask any questions she wanted. He knew how curious Ruka could be about things. Despite that, she had yet to ask anything about the transfer aspect, much less if she could have a quirk.

Mikumo rubbed along the back of his neck, “Well, I was told that I was pretty plain looking a lot. I still had freckles, my eyes were the same shade but had round pupils, and my hair was green.” Honestly, he still looked the same in a lot of ways. He was just older, had a lot more scars, and making do with what he had.

“Green? Ever thought about dyeing it back?” Well, maybe. He was already going through a lot of dye with his bright idea of coloring his hair each night for more anonymity. He was honestly starting to wonder if it was even worth it. Hardly anyone saw him for that long anyway…

He raised an eyebrow at her, “What, you want to dye my hair?”

“Sure!” Mikumo only sighed half-heartedly. He walked into that one, but he didn’t mind. What was with girls and wanting to mess with his hair, anyway? Especially dyeing it. Was white hair cursed? “What’s your favorite quirk?”

While he definitely had a collection of the ones he used the most, he didn’t think he could quite pick a favorite from them. “That one’s hard! How can you make me choose?”

She grinned teasingly, “It’s not like I know what quirks you have.”

“What if my favorite is All Might’s quirk?” he challenged. While All Might wasn’t his favorite hero anymore, he still deeply admired and respected the man. Also, his quirk was just insane. It seemed to be some sort of powerful general enhancer dialed up to eleven. She squinted at him, “Fine, probably Pocket for its utility. I don’t think I could live without it anymore.”

“How many quirks do you have? There’s the transfer quirk, the electric one, and Pocket. Oh wait, and the mutation quirk. You seriously think Pocket is cooler than having wings?”

“I had to relearn how to walk,” Mikumo deadpanned.

Ruka eloquently responded with, “Oh.”

“Anyway, guess.”

“... Nine?”

“A little over twenty.”

Ruka blinked, “What. There is no way Pocket is the coolest quirk you have.”

He hummed as if in contemplation, “You’re right.” That was the only warning he gave her before gravity shifted. He didn’t bother hiding his grin at her short scream in surprise. It took him a little while to get used to the gut-wrenching feeling that he was about to start falling. She glared with no heat behind it. “I call this one Gravity.”

“So creative,” she deadpanned. Maybe he deserved that. He slowly strengthened the force of gravity before letting the quirk turn off as to not roughly drop Ruka on the concrete from where she had floated up slightly. “And you still choose Pocket as your favorite?!”

Mikumo shrugged, “It’s practically the only one I can use in the most amount of cases. I have my notebooks, phone, weapons, snacks, yen, and other things stored in it.” He paused, “It’s also the first quirk I was given. I’ve had it since the very beginning.”

“Ah.” She leaned back against the railing and tilted her head slightly in question, “Why not your actual quirk, then? Or well, y’know, the transfer one?”

“I don- It’s complicated.” Ruka only stared, waiting. Mikumo sighed before telling a story.

He told of the laboratory, glancing over the finer, grizzly, details. Dozens of tanks held beings with multiple quirks designed by Doctor Garaki. How he had stayed because he wasn’t sure where else to go. No one else would want him. He told of a man that had towered over him with the ability to give and take quirks. That man was Lord All For One, Garaki’s boss and revered leader.

Lord All For One was vastly more powerful than he was. He could stand up to All Might if he wanted, though he didn’t mention that he had seen it happen. The man had over a century of experience with their shared quirk, All for One. Mikumo’s quirk was merely a copy of the supervillain of Japan’s.

Anyone who knew of Lord All For One would never see him as anything but a mini, weaker copy of the man they followed and feared.

“Well, that’s stupid.”

“Huh?”

“From what I’ve gathered, you’re nothing like this Lord All For One guy. He sounds like an asshole.” Mikumo sputtered. No one disrespects All For One out loud and gets away with it. Part of him was waiting for Garaki to punish them, or for the man himself to appear and smite them down. “You’re nothing like him.”

“But!”

“No.” Ruka shot him down sharply, “No buts. Would you kill someone for merely standing against you? Would you hunt them down for the rest of their lives?” Mikumo was silent as his thoughts screamed that he would never. “Would you take quirks just because you can?”

“No!”

“See? You’re nothing like a supervillain… You’re not a villain.” Something broke in him at that small sentence. Yami was a villain. Yami had helped the Good Doctor conduct experiments. Yami had followed orders without question. Yami had helped create Shigaraki Tomura, the man that was only a vessel for All For One in the end. Mikumo was Yami.

“But… I helped him!” he cried. Tears starting to stream down his face as this conversation was making him confront things he had simply pushed to the side. It was easier to see Yami as someone else, but deep down Mikumo knew all his previous names were still part of who he was. Mikumo was the one to remember being Izuku after Yami was forced to forget.

“Did you want to?” Did he?

He hadn’t been given the choice. Oh, but it had been his choice to go with Garaki. How could it not have been his choice? Mikumo pulled at his hair. He could have run away onto the streets. He could have told the police. He could have questioned and defied Garaki sooner. There were so many other choices he could have at least attempted. So many things he should have done.

“Hey, stop that,” Ruka gently grabbed his wrists. “Clearly you didn’t want to, or at least regret it now, if you’re this upset by it.” His eyes sought hers out as she pulled his hands down, “I don’t think a villain would have regrets over what happened.”

He still wanted to argue that yes, he Yami was a villain, but he didn’t have the words to combat her logic at the moment. Garaki, All For One, even Shigaraki never showed remorse. They didn’t care about anyone but themselves. All they ever did was take.

Taking a deep breath, the avian freed his hands and wiped the tears from his eyes. Before he could figure out his next thoughts, a bang across the roof made both of them jump.

Yellow eyes narrowed into slits the moment Mikumo met their gaze, “Akatani! Why the hell did you not answer any texts from anyone?! Tamakawa was starting to think he needed to make a missing person report!”

Oh, right. “Um…” Ruka was glancing warily between Hayami and him.

“Well?”

He ducked his head to make himself smaller at Hayami’s tone, “S-sorry.”

“Who even are you?” Ruka’s voice clearly cut through the exchange. “And what right do you have to come up here yelling like that?” Hayami seemed to pause at that.

“Akatani’s my friend and co-worker. He hasn’t shown up at the cafe nor responded to any texts in days. I think I have some right to be worried about him, but he was just in this building the entire time with you, apparently.”

This was embarrassing. Had it really worried them that much? What if he had given in to just running away? How much would that have hurt not just Hayami but the rest of the people he’s met so far?

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

At this rate, their bickering was likely to evolve into actual fighting, “Enough!” Something in his tone made both of them quiet down, “Hayami, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to talk with anyone.” Ruka looked a little guilty at that. It wasn’t her fault. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

They looked off to the side, “Just don’t do it again, please.”

“I’ll try not to.” He sighed, “Anyway, this is Aoitake Ruka. Ruka, Hayami Makoto.” Hopefully they could get along after that slight disaster.

It took a little while for the tension to drain out afterward, but by the end of the afternoon, the two of them were starting to joke and get along. Maybe he should have been more careful with what he wished for when they started ganging up on him with Ruka’s nicknames for him. At least, Omen seemed to be on his side as he scratched the quirk construct creature behind the ears. It purred loudly in his lap where he sat against the base of the water tower.

“You called him Overgrown Chicken? And he just accepted it, continuing on as if nothing was wrong?” Hayami turned to him, “Akatani, c’mon man, you need to stand up for yourself at some point!”

“Do I really have to?” he drawled. The nicknames were kind of funny.

Ruka smirked, “I’ll just have to find a nickname that you’ll say no to, then.”

“I kind of want in on this. Can we have a group chat?” they asked.

“Sure! We can make it right now.” Ruka pulled out her phone and handed it to them. “Just add yourself.”

Why had he ever thought about leaving?

As the weekend came to an end and Monday rolled around once more, Mikumo made his way to the library. He needed to talk with Tokai and actually start making his own preparations for his future here in Musutafu. While Nekohana was amazing, deep down he didn’t want that to be the rest of his life. The last week also showed him that Tamakawa and Hayami didn’t actually need him. They weren’t counting on him, and he wasn’t letting them down.

In fact, now that he thought about it, Tamakawa probably wanted him to stop working for him at some point. Although, why? Why hire him in the first place if he wasn’t needed to begin with? Was it a favor for Tokai? That actually would make a lot of sense. He got the business card for Nekohana from the librarian, and Tamakawa called him Tomoki. Once again, why?

Mikumo still trusted Tokai, he owed him a lot for all he’s done the past several months, but unease now sat in his mind with the question of why? The librarian knew a lot more than he ever let on. What did he see in him? What did he know?

Was he trying to use him? Mikumo shook himself. Tokai wasn’t like Garaki.

Pushing the anxiety away for now, he stepped into the main branch of Musutafu Library. The pink haired man wasn’t at the kiosk, so he made his way to the side of the main area where offices were located. Knocking, he heard a muffled call to come in and opened it to greet his mentor.

Being surrounded by books was a lot better than bodies. This time he would be in control of just how far his studies of quirks delved and where it all went. He could use what he learned to help other people. That had been all he ever dreamed of. Saving people with a smile. While he would never be a hero, he could be the one to teach children how to control their abilities better. Save them from themselves in a way.

It all started with an office space in a corner of the library in the center of Musutafu under the name of Sekkibo. It fit him and his new life quite well.

Leaning back in his chair, Naomasa let out a heavy sigh. Eraserhead was damn good at gathering intel but damn did it make more work for him. Sansa sat across the couch on the other side of his office, helping him look through all the statements and files related to the gossip the hero brought back.

He was definitely going to send Eraser on another long mission in another city when he got the chance. Other detectives and officers could be terrorized by the guy instead and give him a break again. Well, he couldn’t complain that much about a hero that did a damn good job. Maybe he’ll figure out Eraser’s favorite coffee or something.

Sansa’s whiskers twitched before he spoke, barely noticeable if they hadn’t known each other for years at this point. It was part of what made them such an effective pair on the police force. When Naomasa was transferred to Musutafu, Sansa came with him. “Nya, I got a file back on that fire duo causing trouble lately.”

Well, now he was a little more awake and his interested was piqued, “What kind?”

The cat heteromorph was digging was he assumed to be the supposed files from his bag as he responded, “Quirk analysis.” Well, now that was even more interesting.

“Huh. Who did you commission this time?”

“Was giving a friend’s new contact a try.”

“Ever going to tell me who your broker is?” he joked.

“Nah.” Truth. Figures. Sansa finally pulled out what looked to be a few pieces of paper hastily torn out of a notebook, given the rough edge. “Here we are! While I get a lot of my information for free, this actually costed me a little bit this time.”

“Hopefully it’s good, then.” Grabbing the papers from the feline, he started to clear a space on his desk to read them over and mark anything that stood out.

“I was assured that the analyst is probably one of the best in the city.” Truth. “Although, looking over it myself, they could structure the reports a bit better. Probably a newbie in the grand scheme of things.”

Naomasa raised an eyebrow at that, “That’s not helping with my confidence in this, Sansa.”

“Just look at it, even if it is just rambling here and there.”

And so, he did. Sansa hadn’t been lying at all. If this really was a new analyst, they clearly weren’t lacking in the part that actually mattered. Learning how to format analysis reports correctly could come with time, the actual skill was harder to ingrain.

Fuse and Firecracker were a duo within a larger local organization. If they could actually use their quirks in tandem to boost Firecracker’s power beyond what she could usually do, that would be an issue. If they could throw enhancement drugs like trigger into the mix, this could be a real problem.

“We may have to increase the priority on this case. Maybe get a hero with a water quirk on it too.”

Sansa nodded, “I figured as much, nya. Should I shove any more cases at our informant to pass onto their analyst?”

Naomasa considered it. Normally, analysts were to be contacted directly and cleared onto cases, but Sansa tended to somehow be connected more in the underground business. He didn't fully agree with the feline’s methods. However, it got results and didn’t break any hard laws… As far as he could tell.

He sighed, “Sure, but we should get their name and use the proper channels sooner or later.”

“You’re too much of a stickler for the rules sometimes, Naomasa.” Truth. That didn’t mean anything. That was just Sansa’s opinion.

“You don’t stick to the rules as much as you should.”

The feline smiled widely, a strange expression on a cat’s head, “And I get results, don’t I? It’s why you keep me around!” Truth. Naomasa sighed dramatically in response. Maybe he would ask Eraser to keep an ear out about a new analyst as well… Maybe. That man was a menace.

Ruka came back again to hang out like usual. It didn’t really feel like anything changed besides his excitement to actually share how cool all of his quirks were with someone else. He had greeted her like normal and quickly found that she was still curious with plenty of questions to spare, just like when they had met.

“Did you feel any different when you got a quirk?”

“Yeah, actually.” He almost chuckled as she picked up her pencil with a notebook in front of her, “Taking notes?”

“Yeah. To be honest, writing a book based on you could be really interesting.”

That made him pause, “Wait what?!”

“People would just write it off as fantasy but come on, a story about someone without a quirk—or maybe just a weak quirk to be more relatable to audiences…” She shook her head, “Nah, quirkless would be best. Anyway, someone seen as weak gaining one of the strongest abilities that might exist? There are so many possibilities of how a story like that could go!”

Mikumo only stared at her, unimpressed, making her stumble, “If you don’t want me to, then I won’t.” She looked away, “Sorry.”

Oh, he wasn’t really upset by it. Kind of the opposite, he was happy that he was somehow providing her with inspiration to write. “No, no, you can. Uh, quirks feel like energy, pure energy. They feel like a flame of power that I can increase or dim the light of. Fire, electricity, and ice all in one sensation. It’s power that goes deeper than my bones.”

“Like it became fully part of you?”

It was actually very accurate to say All for One was just part of him now. “Yeah, I guess so…” There was no denying that he preferred having this quirk than being quirkless. He would never go back to being so weak and powerless. Even if he was still a freak, at least he wasn’t worthless. He blinked, Ruka was still quirkless. She didn’t deserve that. “Do you want a quirk?” he blurted.

“No,” Ruka said with not even a hint of uncertainty. It left his mind reeling in confusion. She didn’t want a quirk? Who wouldn’t want a quirk? “A quirk wouldn’t fix the root of the problem. I don’t want to be friends with someone who wouldn’t’ve accepted me beforehand. Even if I had a quirk, they would still mistreat other quirkless people.”

Oh, that struck hard, she was not wrong. “I- Okay.”

“I know you probably meant well, but I do not want a quirk. I’d rather have other people accept me than conform to them.” The conviction in her voice was so strong that he felt slightly ashamed that, deep down, he didn’t think he shared the sentiment that much. Even now, he was trying to blend in and be normal as best as he could. He had to.

Within his silence, Ruka continued, “Actually, how do you differentiate quirks?” Mikumo settled back into the comfort of talking about quirks rather than the lack of one. Quirk science and analysis was a lot more enjoyable than facing his own thoughts and feelings at the moment.

And so he told her how each quirk had its own sensation and color. How he could access a metaphysical space best described as a dreamscape where quirks looked like stars in a sky full of static. He shared how he slowly learned how to control the realm and shape it into different landscapes.

Tentatively, he detailed the first time he took a quirk. Garaki had told him to take Pocket from a… creature with four quirks and he took the wrong one. After hours of trying to activate it, he found himself falling upwards into the rafters roughly. He did not keep that quirk. Ruka only laughed and he couldn’t help his smile.

Chapter Text

Thursday, August 30, 2136

Warehouses were common near docks, and Musutafu was home to several ports with varying levels of activity. A faint remnant of when the municipal had been nine separate cities before the Dawn of Quirks. Now, they made up the five wards of Musutafu.

With so many different goods and services being stored and moved around these massive buildings, and so many buildings to manage across all the dock districts, they were perfect for hiding in plain sight. There were already so many people coming in and out, what was suspicious about a meeting or pickup after hours on private property?

One particular, more inland, warehouse was owned by Cardinal Construction. Staff scurried around below where Mikumo was perched in the rafters as they moved resources to and from the loading bay and the shelves in the back of the building. It was slightly amusing to just watch people move around without knowing he was there.

It was also a good excuse to practice tracking people with Wind Sense. He still wasn’t that good with it. If the employees complained about it being drafty on the floor today, well, they were still none the wiser in the grand scheme of things.

Eventually, the workers below streamed out of the building as the sun sank lower in the sky. Mikumo watched the retreating light through the windows near the ceiling. Stretching, he laid down on the support beam he was on. There was no telling how long it would be before anyone showed up, if they even did. He could have gotten the day wrong.

Closing his eyes, he simply focused on the information Wind Sense was providing him as he stretched it further and further. Maybe he had been lost in his head too much trying to map out the area when his ears picked up the sound of the door below him banging open violently. His eyes snapped open as he stifled the instinctive jump at the loud noise.

As he watched from the shadows, four figures entered the area below. One was vaguely recognizable, with an orange visor covering his eyes. Various other orange accents covered the black base of his outfit. It was the warp quirk user that attacked him a while ago. Great.

Slowly, they seemed to scope out the area before one dragged a few empty crates to the loading bay, making a makeshift table with some chairs. One of the four pulled out a deck of cards not long after as they all gathered around while waiting.

The one with cards was nicely dressed in black jeans and a light ash gray button up shirt that matched his hair that only made his golden eyes stick out even more even from Mikumo’s vantage point. The woman next to him had deep red hair that cascaded just past her shoulders with gold highlights. She had regular blue jeans and a t-shirt covered in a dark leather jacket.

The last one had long white hair and didn’t speak much. A white mask covered the lower half of their face. Nothing about the rest of their outfit stood out, except for a thin white jacket that covered all the other dark colors.

Mikumo simply watched the games below. It was better than slowly developing a headache from pushing his limits with the sensing quirk for the hell of it. The sun continued to slowly set along the horizon as he lost track of how many games the group of four below played.

All of them startled when the large door to the loading bay roared to life, ascending to let in the chilly night air. A large wolf like person caught Mikumo’s eye first. Their fur was a striking white, covering their entire body. The only thing they wore were gray sweatpants.

Next to him was a man with golden hair in a deep red sweater. As the duo stepped into the building with this air of confidence, Mikumo noticed a small figure covered by a bright red cloak on the wolf’s back. He couldn’t see anything else about them beyond the cloak and fur.

The golden haired man lifted a heavy-duty case in his left hand. Although, the moment he looked at the card guy getting up from the table, he paused, “Ah, Fuse, it’s a… pleasure to see you again.” Fuse? Mikumo had done analysis on someone nicknamed Fuse for Tokai about a month ago. Surely it was coincidence? Right?

Sharp golden eyes seemed to pierce the other, “The feeling is mutual, Sentan.” The ashen haired man took a cigarette out of his pocket and held it out to the woman beside him as she lit it with the tip of her finger…

It was not a coincidence. That was definitely Firecracker. Quirk: Fire Fingers. Fuse’s quirk was Fire Amplification. If they used their quirks together, Fuse might be able to amplify Firecracker’s flames… Tokai didn’t give them his analysis, did he? Oh, god.

Sentan raised an eyebrow, “Do you even have the payment for something like this?” The wolf man next to him shifted slightly as he growled. The sound rumbled against the open walls.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he huffed with smoke billowing out of his mouth as he spoke.

“Show it first.”

“Not without you showing the goods.”

The wolf growled again, louder this time, as Sentan sneered, “No fucking way. I learned better than to trust you last time. Show me the payment or there’s no deal.” His tone dropped lower, “And I have a feeling my current employers will be more forgiving than whoever yours is.”

Frowning, Fuse turned to the dark haired man, “Chase, get the money.” Chase nodded before disappearing in an orange flash. He reappeared less than a minute later, breaking the silence that was starting to feel uncomfortable, at least to Mikumo’s observation.

Sentan looked at the man expectantly, “So?”

Chase held up a duffle bag wordlessly in response. “Now. Show me what's in the case. I don’t want to get cheated out of a perfectly good trade,” Fuse sneered back.

Sentan’s eyes narrowed at the ashen haired man, “A deal is a deal, and I keep my word, unlike you.” He placed the briefcase down on the table crate. The rattle of clasps opening ricocheted off the metal and concrete of the warehouse. Mikumo leaned forward slightly on instinct as he tried to peer down.

The lid opened to reveal several glass vials filled with a bright light blue liquid that seemed to almost glow. The avian looked at the enhancement drug critically. That was trigger. Depended on who made it, it could be one of the strongest enhancement drugs he knew or a mild booster. Quirks had limits, and enhancements broke those limits easily with no care for the drawback.

It was dangerous. Limitations were present for a reason. Quirks were normally weaker than that for a reason. Mikumo had seen how the strongest of noumu had fallen over not long after an overdose of trigger. Quirk exhaustion combined with their inability to resist orders for their own good.

He couldn’t allow anyone to have it. With that thought, he summoned his staff. His original one had splintered ages ago, but this one was crafted from his own two hands during his free time on Takoba Beach. While he had more experience with the knives, he didn’t want to accidentally kill anyone in a large fight like this.

Spreading his wings, he descended upon them all.

Landing on the crate just above the trigger, he swung his staff at the golden haired man, knocking him away with the help of Breeze aiding along the staff. For only a moment, all of them were stunned by his appearance, allowing him to quickly shut and latch the case.

Sentan was the first to recover, despite being the only one he actually attacked. “Fuse, you motherfucker,” rang in the silence. That was when all hell broke loose.

Sentan immediately chucked what looked to be a spear made out of light at Fuse. The other man was quick to duck and fished a lighter out of his pocket. Chase was the next one to move, teleporting in front of Sentan and managing to cut across his cheek even as the other man leaned back.

The red cloaked figure jumped off the wolf, her hood falling back to expose black hair mixed with white streaks near the front. She was tiny and fast. The moment she touched Chase, the man fell to the floor.

Wolf was quick behind her, grabbing the dark haired man and throwing him into the open end of a shelf nearby. A resounding crack echoed around the warehouse as Chase fell against the floor. Mikumo took that moment to run the other way.

Just as he was about to reach the shelves and scale up the side, something or, well, someone rammed into him. The old familiar feeling of claws raking through his skin caught him slightly by surprise. Twisting, he used a small percentage of Strength to keep his grip on the staff as he one handedly smacked it into his attacker.

Luckily, they stumbled back a few steps from the hit. It was the white haired man, but now he had spikes of what looked to be bone protruding from his arms as giant white claws covered his fingers. There was almost no emotion in his icy blue gaze.

Their staring contest could have lasted less than a second or minutes, but before Mikumo could blink, Wolf barreled into the white haired guy. The impact sent Bone barreling through the shelf next to them as Wolf turned to look at him next. This time, blazing red was alit with glee.

Sentan’s voice rang out from the fight between himself and the fire quirk users, “Lycan, Pixie, get the case!” The wolf, most likely Lycan, nodded slightly before dropping onto long spindly arms, and deeply growling at him. Even while crouched on all fours like that, Lycan was still almost as tall as him. Mikumo tensed for the attack.

The dance began as the creature rushed forward, jaws snapping where Mikumo’s arm had just been. Just barely resisting the urge to store the case of trigger into his dreamscape, he let go and shifted both hands onto the staff. Lycan snarled as he jumped again, this time redirected by Mikumo’s own attack.

Attack after attack, they deflected and dodged. Strength, speed, strategy. Definitely not a low end noumu. This isn’t a noumu. Shaking his head, Mikumo’s guard lowered for barely a second. Lycan was on top of him in only a blink. Sharp teeth glinted in the bright overhead lights, closing in on his arm.

Time seemed to slow as Mikumo let go of the staff with his right hand and moved to push the man’s head away. Redirect. The plush softness of fur barely registered before the sensation was replaced with skin and Lycan fumbled onto the ground. A human face with bright red eyes and striking white hair blinked up at him in confusion.

Dread pooled in Mikumo’s stomach. Taking a step back, he only stared at the man, the wolf heteromorph a few seconds ago, before drifting to look at his hand. Did he just–? The static gathering in his mind violently pulled him under before he could finish the thought.

It felt like cotton was in his ears, and any thoughts he tried to have slipped through his fingers like sand. He could have sworn something was screaming in the back of his mind, but it was just as fleeting as the rest.

Awareness snapped back just as violently, static still pressing against his mind with his panic. The floor greeted him, when had he fallen? There was no time to gather his thoughts, focus and get out. That’s what kept him alive.

Someone was on top of him. They were small and weighed like nothing as he pushed up onto his feet. Grabbing them, he pulled whoever it was off his back, even as their hands yanked out some of his feathers in their grip. There was no time to care about the pain.

Throwing them in front of him, it was the small woman with black and white hair. The one with a quirk that seemed to paralyze Chase with only a touch. Pixie. The inability to think was likely her doing. He’d have to make sure she didn’t touch him again.

Thankfully, his staff was still right next to him as he grabbed it, jumping back a few paces to put distance between them. However, that was before he fully caught up to everything around him, stumbling right into the path of the fight between Sentan, Fuse, and Firecracker.

The woman giggled cheerfully, “Oh, hello there!” Mikumo twisted his head just in time to see blazing fists hurtling towards him. Fire licked at his back as he ducked, sweeping Firecracker’s legs out from under her with his staff as he did so. Her momentum ended up sending her tumbling into Pixie, who was too close to touching him again for comfort.

Sentan only briefly glanced at him before focusing on Fuse again right as the ashen gray man screamed, “I’ll show you weak, bitch!” Fuse was holding a can of something up close to the lighter in his hand… Oh, shit.

Mikumo jumped as high as he could up the shelves. He didn’t reach the top, but it was enough to get him out of the way from the resulting wall of fire. Fire Amplification was like all other amplification quirks. While these quirks could be seen as weaker than a pure emitter quirk of the same type, they were generally stronger once the thing they amplified was nearby.

Below, Sentan dodged into an opening in the shelves. Summoning a spear that he chucked through the blaze behind him. Fuse only stopped when Lycan barreled into him, biting down deep into his arm. Mikumo blinked, wait what?

Lycan was back to looking like a humanoid wolf again. Did he only imagine taking his quirk? Later. He could think about that later. Right now, he needed to get the trigger and get out of here while they were all distracted with each other again.

Fuse, Lycan, and Sentan were in one fight, while Pixie and Firecracker had seemingly gotten into their own. Chase was still down near where he was thrown… How badly was he injured? Anyway, that left the trigger unguarded a bit behind where Pixie and Firecracker were.

Quickly glancing around to make sure he was actually in the clear, Mikumo leaped for the case. He wasn’t about to say no to a great opening. Just as he reached for it, something white knocked it further away, “I don’t think so, Tengu.”

Mikumo turned to meet expressionless ice blue eyes once more. This time, the bone quirk user had gotten rid of the claws from earlier and was instead holding a katana made of bone. What the hell.

Thinking fast, he used Air Cannon to push the guy away, while also utilizing the recoil to move himself backwards for once rather than bracing himself against it. As the white haired guy recovered, a black blur slammed into his side and both of them disappeared through the shelves again.

Huffing slightly, Mikumo lowered his staff. He couldn’t help but be slightly amused at how that’s happened twice now. Weird that it worked in his favor both times as well. If he had a yen for each time that happened…

All the others seemed to still be fighting each other closer to the loading bay. Fuse and Firecracker seemed to now be majorly on the defense, and it wasn’t looking good for them. Pixie stood on Lycan’s back as the giant wolf-like man bounded around the two fire users, her fingers missing them by centimeters each time. All the while, Sentan found openings to assault them at range with his spears.

There probably wouldn’t be a better time to leave than now.

Stalking over to where the case of trigger had ended up, Mikumo sighed as the adrenaline of the fights started to simmer down. The cuts in his side were truly starting to hurt and probably would need to be patched up before he slept. There was only so much Lesser Healing could do by itself.

He wasn’t able to rest for long as the fighting behind him abruptly paused with Sentan’s voice calling out, “Hero!” Too many emotions, mostly conflicting excitement and fear, sparked through him at once. A hero? He wanted to watch. He needed to leave.

Grabbing the handle on the case, he leapt up the shelves again to make his way to one of the upper windows. “No you don’t!” Sentan shouted behind him. At first, Mikumo had thought the man was yelling at Fuse again, but piercing pain made him reconsider that barely a moment later.

Cold light was still dissipating where it had cleaved through his side as he looked down. Black fabric was already starting to look wet in the light. Was that from the scratches earlier, or just now? That wasn’t good. Distantly, he knew this was one of the worst injuries he’s ever gotten. Everything felt distant.

He continued and jumped to the next level on the shelves. He just needed to get out of here. Keep his balance from falling, keep his grip from dropping. He almost stumbled as everything was washed in cold. The ever present warmth in his chest and bones was snuffed out. Everything felt cold.

He did not look back. He did not stop. Keep moving forward, keep one foot in front of the other. He leaped and scrambled onto the top of the shelf. The cold feeling retreated as the comforting warmth returned. Nothing would stop him from reaching his goal.

Air Cannon shattered the window and he jumped through.

In the darkness of the night, Blink welcomed him home.

Tumbling into the familiar sight of his apartment, Mikumo fought against the tiredness starting to call him to sleep and the fading corners of his vision. He was safe, but he couldn’t rest yet. Tearing off his mask and goggles, he moved to get to his feet, only to stumble after a few steps.

He needed to address the new injury. He needed to change out of these clothes. He needed to rinse away all the blood and dye. He needed to… Sleep. That’s all he needed to do right now. It was all his body begged him to do without adrenaline pumping through his veins anymore. With his general lack of sleep, it was so, so hard to resist.

Everything else could be dealt with after he woke up. He just simply knew that he would wake up again. The name of a quirk was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t remember it. It had saved him in a similar situation already. He would be okay. The encroaching darkness swept him away before he could find a reason to argue against it once more.

“I don’t think so, Tengu” Ah, so the guy that had what seemed to be a wind quirk with avian mutations was the vigilante Tsukauchi told him about. He had a feeling that was the case, but well, one can’t work off of assumptions alone. He had just wanted to bust a drug deal that was supposed to be in the area, not whatever this mess was.

At least it seemed like this was the drug deal. Several of the people below him were fighting over a heavy-duty briefcase for the past few minutes, including the vigilante. At one point, Shouta tried to erase their opponent’s quirk to give the vigilante an opening, but it backfired horribly. Tengu seemed to freeze in their confusion and gave the tiny one a chance to use her quirk before he erased hers too.

Tengu was already injured from an attack that probably happened earlier. They were clearly struggling to keep up with what was happening around them. They were going to get themselves killed if they continued like this in more fights. Did they even think before jumping into this fight? They were lucky the others were fighting each other rather than solely targeting them.

Back at the moment, Tengu used their quirk to both knock the other guy away and reposition themselves closer to the case. At least they were smart when they wanted to be. Shouta used the opening to swing himself into the white haired man, propelling both of them through the shelf into the aisle on the other side. He didn't allow them even a moment to recover before knocking them out.

Peaking through the opening he created, he surveyed the fight again. The vigilante was headed for the case while all the others were fighting near the loading bay. He should probably stop those guys first and then at least grab the evidence from Tengu, if not grabbing the entire vigilante for Tsukauchi and their own wellbeing.

In the end, it only took the sight of him for the group fighting to yell out a warning and dispersed. Shouta bit back a sigh as he prepared to give chase. He would have to be fast, given that Tengu was probably escaping behind him. However, a yell from one of them was the only warning he got before an attack was launched at him.

Wait, no.

Behind him.

Shouta was too late to erase the spear made of light hurtling through the air towards the avian that was once again scaling the shelves. Time seemed to slow as there was nothing he could do to save the reckless vigilante. Bright light cleaved through their side before dissipating. Tengu only paused and stared for a moment before continuing. What. The. Fuck.

An injury like that was serious. They were going to die if the bleeding wasn’t stopped and patched up at a hospital. Shouta should have focused on the vigilante and evidence over trying to take down another one or two of the fighters. He thought it would have been fine. He thought wrong.

The vigilante jumped higher and Shouta erased their quirk in a bid to just make them stop. They needed to stop moving. How were they still going?! Shouta’s quirk clearly effected them in some way, as they briefly paused again, but that didn’t stop them from making the last jump to the top. They didn’t even drop the case, either.

Shouta quickly made his way to the top of the shelves as well. Just in time to hear the shattering of glass and watch as a black blur threw themselves through the now open window. By the time he made it over to the area to look around the area, Tengu was long gone.

In the end, he didn’t even catch anyone besides the bone quirk user and the guy that was already knocked out with a few broken bones before he arrived to the scene. The only evidence of the deal was a duffle bag of yen forgotten in the madness. All he could do was hope that Tengu survived Shouta’s mistake.

Chapter Text

Saturday, September 1, 2136

Dark static filled the sky as flashes of teal broke through and struck across the sky like shooting stars. It felt as if it was a bit different from before. Mikumo shrugged the inconsistency off as a byproduct of all of this simply being a dream. His dreamscape. He hadn’t been tending to it as often as he should have lately.

The surrounding area mirroring his rooftop was starting to destabilize into the flat gray landscape it had been a long time ago. It always took so much effort to terraform the dreamscape into his own vision, at least it was easier to maintain mirrors of memories. Mikumo was getting slightly tired of maintaining it anyway.

Although it did make him question of why All For One crafted his into a black sea. Or was that just another product of the dreamscapes mixing together at that moment? There was still so much he didn’t know about how his quirk even worked. However, he still didn’t want to think about that day.

Looking up towards his quirks, Mikumo found the blood-red star of Regeneration shining brighter than normal. Ah, of course. All quirks had their own drawbacks. The regeneration quirk given to the high-end noumu, Super Regeneration, was liable to starve the creatures. This one was different.

Each time he had been injured after taking it, he felt tired, sometimes to the point of passing out. Once again, Mikumo was left to wonder what the limits of it were.

How close to death could he get without dying?

Faintly, he found himself wishing he had gotten a copy of Super Regeneration. Starving felt like a better drawback than being tired after getting hurt all the time.

Makoto was a bit shocked when Aoitake messaged them yesterday asking if they wanted to hang out again. Sure, they both made up after a little bit, but they knew they didn’t make a good first impression on the blue haired girl.

While they had been trying to be Akatani’s friend like how she was, they could at least be glad that there was someone the avian was close to already. Friends were the most important thing to have in this world to make it through the toughest times. They had Omen and the little group that adopted them a few years ago.

The LAN party didn’t get together often, but they did tend to do more than just game when the time came. They partied over their achievements in the weeks since they saw each other, sometimes partied to drown one of their sorrows and move on. They supported each other when needed and talked smack all weekend when they didn’t.

The train’s bell rang as it pulled into Tatooin. Makoto spotted a familiar blue in the sea of colors as they stepped off onto the platform. Aoitake quickly made her way over to them, “Hey Hayami! Glad you could make it. I was starting to feel bored helping out in the shop all the time again. Wanna head to the park near here?”

They weren’t opposed to that. Musutafu had a lot of parks, each with a different feel or function. “Sure. Has Akatani still not responded?” They admittedly hadn’t checked the group chat yet that morning.

She shrugged, saying, “No. He’s usually good about responding in the morning or evening, but he might have forgotten to check his phone or something.” That may be so, but Makoto couldn’t help the slight anxiety over Akatani not responding.

“You sure he’s okay?”

“Yeah, he’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Aoitake glanced at him, “We could go check on him after a while if you want.”

Makoto contemplated it, “Maybe.” They didn’t want to intrude uninvited like last time. While they knew that they would have to impose themselves on Akatani more to befriend him, trespassing into his home was a bit much. They only did it last time because they were very worried about the avian.

“Well, anyway,” Aoitake grabbed their hand, “let’s get out of here.” She dragged them over to the stairs that led down to the streets. After that, she was quick to get them away from the bustle of the station. She finally let go as the people thinned, “Sorry for just dragging you like that. I just wanted to get away from the crowd.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Crowds are a bit much for me, too, since I grew up in a small town.”

“Ooo, what was that like?” Aoitake’s eyes seemed to sparkle in genuine interest.

Makoto didn’t like trying to remember Arashinomae. It was in the past. The only thing they still had from there was their father, but he wasn’t really ever there to begin with. “Lonely.”

Her mood seemed to shift a bit at that, “Oh, yeah, I get that. While the city has a lot more people, not everyone is friendly or nice. Though, I imagine the villain incidents are more common here in the city even if we have more heroes, right? What’s that like?”

The local heroes hadn’t saved them, the villains were everyone else. They were an outcast and deemed a villain for existing. Omen jumped onto their shoulders to ground them. What was up with this girl and making them dig into their past? “It’s… it’s complicated. I don’t like my hometown,” they bit out.

Aoitake seemed to hunch in on herself, “Ah, sorry. I know I ask too many questions.”

“It’s… fine.” It kind of wasn’t. “I just don’t want to talk about it.” Their conversation quickly lapsed into uncomfortable silence as they continued walking along to wherever this park was. Makoto felt a bit bad at making things awkward, “How about hobbies instead? I mentioned last time that I play video games. What do you do?”

“I like to draw and write. I want to be an author, but manga might be more stable of a career versus books.” She sighed, “It’s part of why I ask so many questions. Each person has a unique story, and I can draw from those varied experiences to tell something new.”

“Wait, you make manga?” That was actually kind of cool.

Aoitake blinked, “Sometimes? It’s more of short comics than anything…”

“That’s still really cool! I love manga and comics.” They didn’t spend too much time reading, compared to grinding in-game, but it was a good way to pass the time when they didn’t feel like playing anything. “Can I read some of it sometime?”

“U-uh, sure!” she stammered. “Not many people are actually interested when I tell them I write. Most older folks just want to talk about themselves or hear about other gossip.”

“Gossip?” That had Makoto’s attention.

“Yeah. A lot of the people who actually talk to me know that a couple others do too and want me to spill the beans. Most of the time it’s rather harmless and just them trying to entertain themselves.”

“Like what?”

“Maybe one was being petty to another by serving tea just slightly wrong. The cat getting stuck in the same tree again. Gloating about winning in a long chess rivalry. Sometimes sad things like their children never visiting as often as they like. Their partner’s health going downhill. They’re the last one living in the friend group from their twenties.”

Oh. The type of gossip Tama and themselves focused on was the interesting stuff like market insights, talent, drama, things like that. Aoitake’s gossip was every day things that stuck out to those that already had interesting lives and now faced their mortality. It was slightly sobering. “These people talk about all that all the time?”

Aoitake looked a little worn out as she responded, “Yeah… It can sometimes be draining. It’s even harder when someone who visited a lot never comes back. But, people closer to my age never want to talk to me.”

“Wait, why’s that?” Makoto didn’t like that at all. So far, Aoitake seemed nice. Why wouldn’t anyone want to hang out with her?

She abruptly stopped walking. Her blue gaze turned hard yet burned bright as if challenging them as they turned in confusion. Her voice was the same as she declared, “I’m quirkless.”

Makoto’s brow furrowed, “Why does that matter?”

Aoitake only blinked in what seemed to be surprise before her demeanor softened with a smile, “It doesn’t.”

Sunlight streamed through the window as Mikumo awoke slowly. His arms and legs felt heavy to the point where he didn’t even want to move from his position on the hard floor. Despite likely sleeping for the longest he had at once in weeks, if not months, exhaustion still clung to him.

The events of last night started to come back to him fully as the fog of sleep around his mind dissipated. Holy shit, he practically got skewered. Well, it wasn’t the first time. If he had a yen for every time… Why was that joke on his mind so much lately?

Stretching, Mikumo groaned and pulled himself to his feet. The black jacket covering him stuck to his side as he moved. He made his way over to the mirror to actually get a look at the damage. A decent sized hole exposed the area just above his hip that looked like a mess with all the dried blood covering his skin and fabric.

It would probably be easier to just buy another jacket than try to wash it all out and repair it. Pulling off the poncho and jacket, he found that the skin around his side just above the hip was an angry pink. It somewhat hurt when he poked it lightly. Seems Regeneration still took time to heal things fully. What were its limits? Maybe he didn’t want to know that…

He had a harder time finding where the bone quirk user scratched him, given that it was right next to the larger injury. Those were already fading into his normal skin tone, as if it never happened. That was actually the weirdest part of Regeneration from the few times he’s gotten badly injured since acquiring it. Lesser Healing had still left small scars from the worst injuries.

Moving on, he checked his wings. A few of the feathers were missing and some were partially burnt away, but they would likely be regrown in a week or two. The most obvious was a few missing primaries on the right. It left him looking lopsided when he splayed the feathers out.

He ran his fingers through black curls. He needed to shower and wash all the dye, blood, and dirt away. After that, he needed to clean up the bloodstain on the floor where he was sleeping, get some breakfast, buy that new jacket, figure out what to do with the trigger, and whatever else came to mind later.

Sighing, he took the first step for the bathroom. Today would be busy.

It became even busier when he realized he ran out of dye remover before he finished getting the black out of his hair. Just his luck. He slightly mused to himself over how the black tips kind of matched his feathers.

Maybe he should keep it in mind if he did start dying his hair in public, like Kayama wanted him to try doing. Oh, it had been a while since he saw or texted her. Maybe he should reach out after he cleaned up the mess in the living room. With that thought, he closed his eyes and warped away to get started.

Ruka faintly still couldn’t believe that Hayami just didn’t care. After years of always being the social outcast, she now had two people close to her age that didn’t see the quirkless as worthless wastes of space. They didn’t treat her any different from others.

After that one-sided confrontation on her part, she redirected their conversation back towards their hobbies and other things. She would not be able to tell anyone else what all they talked about as their chatter drifted from one topic to the next while they made their way through the park.

Eventually they both grew tired of the scenery as she led Hayami back towards Mikumo’s apartment building. “You sure it’s a good idea to just barge in?” Hayami questioned behind her.

“I do it all the time. Mikumo’s chill with it.” Well, there was the one time before she learned to announce herself by texting and knocking first… Ruka couldn’t blame him, she should have knocked that day. It wasn’t like she really knew how friends interacted normally. Was it weird for her to come over to his apartment all the time without always asking first?

Hayami only stared at her, maybe it was weird. “What if he’s getting dressed or something?”

“Then he would say to wait a moment or something? I don’t think anything like that has happened yet. He seems to wake up kinda early,” she explained. They still looked unsure but relented. It was their idea first, anyway.

As they climbed the stairs to the top, Ruka made it into a slight race. Hayami was huffing slightly by the end, like she used to do. Visiting Mikumo was good exercise, apparently. She smiled teasingly, “You’ll get used to the climb.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, thanks.” Hayami gaped at her as she giggled at their expression. Making it to the end of the hallway, she knocked on the door loudly. Silence. She knocked again just to be sure before humming, “Seems like he isn’t here.”

Shrugging, she opened the front door and headed inside as Hayami made a slightly strangled noise behind her, “You don’t just let yourself in!”

Ruka turned to respond when the smell hit her. It was slightly sweet with something sickly overwhelming it all combined with a metallic scent. The smell of blood. A lot of it.

She froze as apprehension punched her in the gut. “Hey, are you alright?” Hayami asked and restarted her mind. Their face slightly distorted in disgust, “What’s that smell?”

“Don’t go in,” she didn’t mean for her tone to be so harsh, but it came out that way. “I’ll check it out. Wait here.”

“Wait what? Hey, wait!” Hayami protested and followed after her as she rounded the corner. In the center of the living room sat a pool of dried blood, surrounded by Mikumo’s staff and a strange case. Ruka was relieved there wasn’t a body, but still, what happened? Where was Mikumo? “What the hell.”

She turned to Hayami, “I told you to stay outside.”

“Why are you so calm?!” She wasn’t that calm. Ruka was still panicking a little bit because that was a lot of blood. What happened?! However, she knew Mikumo was strong. If he wasn’t here, then he was probably okay. Although… the doctor… What if Mikumo was found?

“I’m sure he’s fine. Mikumo is stronger than he looks,” she mostly said to herself. Hayami didn’t look like they particularly believed her but took a moment to breathe and calm down anyway.

After a few moments, they questioned, “What do you think happened then?” Honestly? Ruka didn’t know. There was still so much she didn’t know about Mikumo. She knew enough about him to know that there was still a lot he never said.

Before she could figure out a response, the shadows at the edges of her vision seemed to flicker. As they receded, Ruka found her eyes flicking to a dark figure standing in the middle of the room. Mikumo. His back was turned to them, with his wings fully covered by a black jacket. The hood was down, showing off his white hair that strangely had parts of it dyed black.

She was relieved that he seemed alright. Hayami, however, screamed. Turning on their heel, they tried to run away. Emphasis on tried. It was like a switched flipped for Mikumo. Just like when she had invaded his home without notifying him first. Ruka briefly saw a flash of pink and the glint of metal before her vision flickered again.

Mikumo stood blocking the doorway. His eyes were sharp as he stared Hayami down. At least, they were before they softened in recognition while he lowered his sword. “Don’t scare me like that.”

That must have been Hayami’s breaking point, as they yelled, “Scare you?! You appear out of nowhere after leaving a pool of blood in your living room, and then threaten me with a big knife! What do you mean, scare you?” Mikumo hunched in on himself with a slight stutter as he apologized.

Ruka decided to cut in before Hayami could continue, even if it was a bit justified, “Mikumo, what’s with the blood?”

“Oh.” He seemed embarrassed this time rather than admonished as he looked past her into the room, “I was just about to clean that up.”

“Yeah, but how’d it get there?”

“Uh… an accident?”

Really? “No. Try again.”

Looking away, Mikumo mumbled, “I had a lapse in judgment.”

“What does that mean? Did you kill someone?” Hayami seemed unnerved at her question but didn’t interrupt their exchange.

“What?! No!” Mikumo huffed before continuing, “I didn’t think a guy would attack me and his quirk impaled my side. I still managed to get out of that place in the end, though.”

Well, Ruka wasn’t exactly expecting that. Hayami finally spoke up to question Mikumo. Their tone was still hard for her to decipher, but she thought it might be hurt and worried in some way. They managed to dig into the fact that Mikumo used another quirk that wasn’t Pocket, and he explained that he was fine despite being skewered because of Regeneration.

At least Hayami seemed to be taking it better than her? They had moved to the living room while Mikumo had been explaining his real quirk to Hayami while he cleaned up the bloodstain. “Hey, Mikumo, what were you even doing to be in that situation?” she asked as she found a lull in Hayami’s questioning.

He paused and moved to rub at the back of his neck, “Well, I feel kind of restless at night and at some point that transitioned into running around the city and helping people that I came across. A vigilante, I guess?”

Ruka just stared at him flatly, “That sounds reckless.”

“Yeah, I guess it kind of is… I’ve tried to do a lot to conceal my real identity when I’m out.”

Ruka gestured to his hair, “Is that why your hair looks like that right now?”

“Yeah…”

She tuned out slightly as Hayami took over questioning Mikumo again. While they asked a little bit about the vigilante thing, they were still trying to wrap their head around just what Mikumo was capable of, and it was all things she had heard before.

“Wait, I got it!” Mikumo and Hayami both paused as she interrupted, “How about Yamikumo?” Hayami seemed slightly confused about what she was talking about, but Mikumo got it, and he looked slightly dismayed. It was the most emotion from a nickname she had gotten in a while, “Yamikumo it is.”

“Why?”

She only grinned, “You’re reckless.”

Chapter Text

Sunday, September 2, 2136

Endeavor was the highest ranking hero that regularly patrolled Musutafu during the day. It made sense given that the Todoroki residence was publicly known to be in Jidai Ward near Yuuei. It was that proximity to the hero school that made villains think twice about trying to attack the flaming hero’s home. Not to mention that everyone knew they did not want to be on Endeavor’s bad side.

The long-running number two hero in Japan held that position mostly from the volume of incidents he handled regularly. The only one even close was All Might himself, the number one hero. Even then, Mikumo could remember that All Might had slowed down during his middle school years, and Endeavor overtook him in the number of handled incidents.

Anyway, Mikumo found himself tailing the flame hero that afternoon out of curiosity and boredom. The man was bound to run into some type of situation sooner or later. Watching hero fights and rescues always helped get his mind off things, and lately there was too much on his mind.

While he had considered telling Hayami about his quirk briefly before, he hadn’t been planning on telling them anything since then. He already told Ruka and the fewer people who knew, the better. It made his skin crawl. Any second, the heroes or villains would catch wind of his existence and descend upon him.

Shaking himself, he tried to dispel the thought. While yes, that could happen. The chances of it were still very low. He was fine. It was fine. If his small raid at the warehouse had shown anything, he was still too weak to defend himself properly. He couldn’t afford the chance of someone capturing him.

Endeavor made a turn up ahead, and Mikumo was quick to follow less than a minute later. Hopefully, he could write an entry on someone new today.

Monday finally rolled back around as Mikumo strode towards the library. He had to ask Tokai who he gives his analysis to. While Fuse and Firecracker hadn’t shown any signs of reading his analysis, he still couldn’t leave the fact that they were villains alone. Who was Tokai working with?

Making his way to the man’s office, he knocked on the frame before stepping through. “Yes, Akatani?”

Mikumo closed the door before getting to the heart of the matter, “Who does my analysis go to? I don’t want any of it being sold to villains.”

Tokai’s pale yellow eyes met his own before humming, “What brought this on?” Mikumo resisted the urge to shift or give away anything, keeping his gaze leveled on the librarian. “Not going to say?” he smirked. “Fine. It doesn’t hurt to tell you. It mostly goes to the police department.”

“Oh.”

“You forget that I look out for my community. I’m not going to give any information to anyone I think will harm the people in this city. That, I swear, Akatani.” Despite Mikumo trusting Tokai’s word, something still felt off.

“I want to know who the analysis is for from now on.”

Tokai leaned his head back a small bit, “I can’t always do that. However, I will try to clarify who I’m working with when I can. Is that amenable?”

It would have to do, “Yeah.”

As Mikumo turned to leave, Tokai called out, “Oh yeah. I set up your email for Sekkibo and handed your information out to a few people to spread the word.” The pink haired man held out a small notecard, “Here’s the login details. Change them and check your inbox sometime.”

“Thank you so much for seeing us so soon!”

“It’s no problem, Iwashita-san. I’m still getting settled, so I’m not that busy quite yet.” Mikumo gestured for the woman to take a seat with her son as he continued, “To be honest, you’re the first to make a proper appointment with me. I only recently got certified.”

Iwashita blinked at that, seeming a little more apprehensive. Her son spoke up, vying for her attention, “Mama, can I get the clay?”

As she dug into her bag for what was probably the clay her kid asked for, he tried to assure her, “I’ve been studying quirks since I was four. My quirk came in late,” The lie felt bitter on his tongue. Although, was it that much of a lie? Misdirection of the truth as he explained, “and I kept trying to guess what my quirk would be until my own counseling appointment. I just never stopped looking at other quirks.”

“Oh. Well, thankfully, I don’t need help figuring out what Michiteru’s quirk is. I just need to get it registered.” The boy had started to play with the clay in his hands. “He can sculpt creatures out of clay and animate them.” Oh, now that was cool!

“Does it have to be a creature? Are they fully alive, or do you mean he can just control them with commands? Could his quirk have a sentient component? Could he make a ball and command it to roll?” Iwashita seemed surprised as Mikumo started theorizing at rapid fire. “Sorry, I’m trying to get better about the questions,” he sheepishly apologized.

Meanwhile, Michiteru had rolled the clay he had been given into a thin tube before dividing it up and attaching the pieces into an animal figure. It was too abstract to call it any one animal. Bringing it close to his mouth, he seemed to mimic whispering into the figure’s ear, “Animate.”

The creature stumbled before finding its footing. Even without eyes, it gave the impression of looking around before looking back at Michiteru and sitting down in his hands. Mikumo couldn’t hold back from summoning his notebook and starting to write down notes furiously. “Iwashita-kun, does it follow your commands? Can you tell it to walk over to me?”

Michiteru turned to stare at him in excitement, “Yeah!” He focused back onto the little clay creature, “Go to… uh…”

“Akatani-san,” Iwashita helped.

“Go over to Akatani-san!” Mikumo watched fascinated as the clay made its way over to him before jumping into the hand he had extended down for it. Raising it up, he inspected it closely. Although, he couldn’t help feeling like it was doing the same. Was it sentient?

All for One roiled deep down. The itch started coming back into his conscious awareness. It whispered in his mind that maybe he could tell if he just borrowed it. Analyzing quirks was always easier when he could look at the quirk itself. Shaking away the thought, he lowered the creature back onto the ground as it ran back to Michiteru.

“So, can you animate anything besides creatures? Like a ball or cube?” The boy shook his head. Turning back to the mother, “Well, I have everything that I need to fill out what's required for registration. You mentioned that you’re very busy. I won’t hold you if you need to get going.” He paused, “Oh wait, what do you want the quirk to be named?”

The woman took a moment as she got up to think, “Clay Creatures should do, right?”

“Yeah.” Mikumo watched silently as the two quickly got up and left after thanking him again for his time. While he would have liked to ask more about the kid’s quirk, he needed a walk. Fresh air to clear his head and figure out what to do about his own quirk.

He knew what his quirk wanted, it wanted to be used. Deep down, he wanted to use it too. Mikumo needed to if he wanted to get stronger. He just didn’t know what to actually do about it. All of it was easier said than done.

Golden light flitted between leaves and poured over the creek. A warm breeze winded through the trees, ruffling white curls. Freeze fought against the mid-summer heat, providing a bubble of cool air. This was exactly what he needed after the stressful past several weeks.

Mikumo had neglected visiting Keimei Creek as often as he should have since before the end of July. It was still just the beginning of September. So much had changed in so little time, after he had just gotten used to a new way of life.

Since turning nineteen, he had become something like a vigilante, gotten a license from the Hero Public Safety Commission, told Ruka about All for One and some of the before, and started a business thanks to Tokai. While he still wasn’t sure where he wanted to go next, Mikumo could be at peace at the moment with the water murmuring in his ears and acknowledge that his new life was looking up.

Last month had been hard. During it, he had gotten into several fights as Tengu, with the latest one dealing a devastating blow and forcing his hand in revealing more things he would rather have left secret, struggled with keeping up with everyone he could now call a friend, and made everyone worry about him.

Even with his quirk acting up and deep fears threatening to drown him like old friends, Mikumo took a deep breath and simply enjoyed the waning day around him. None of that truly mattered here in Keimei. All of that was far away, and the future looked as bright as the setting sunset overhead.

Nemuri tapped away at the device in her hands. It wasn’t often that she got a chance like this. There was no way she was going to waste it, at least until a notification popped up at the top. All sense of self-preservation left her as her tongue slipped,“Who the fuck is Loyal Follower?”

Shouta immediately turned to Nemuri, raising an eyebrow, “Why do you have my phone?”

Well, she was already caught, “Why do you have someone nicknamed Loyal Follower? What kind of kinky shit are you into that I didn’t know about?” She blinked as survival instinct kicked back in, “Y’know what, I don’t want to know.”

“Good choice.” Silence. “It’s that barista you like.”

Hizashi finally cut in, shrieking, “What? You befriended that guy? You made a friend without my help?!” She wasn’t far off in her own internal screaming. Shouta was apparently friends with Akatani. Wait, no. She could see how it might have happened.

“He sends cat pictures, doesn’t he? But he doesn’t work at the cafe anymore!”

“Still sends me cat pictures,” Shouta grinned. Not a normal grin, no, his signature ‘I’m enjoying this greatly’ grin. The one that sent shivers down anyone’s spine.

The blond cried, “I still barely know him! This isn’t fair!”

Nemuri quickly offered, “Want to join me in still bothering him at work, then? Or you could text him.”

“You’re right!” Hizashi gasped, “Also, I’m totally down to join you! Although, I’m a bit busy the next few weeks… I’ll have to see if I’m free at the time.”

She nodded in understanding, “It’s fine. Shouta?”

“I’m fine with just getting cats.”

“How did you even find this place?”

Mikumo paused for a moment to think about it, “I don’t remember. I just knew it was here after playing in these woods a lot when I was a kid.” Well, he did have to kind of rediscover it, but he could also remember stumbling into several enormous clearings while trying to play with Kacchan and his other friends at the time.

Ruka seemed flabbergasted, “Your parents let you go this far into the forest?”

Mikumo giggled, “They didn’t know.”

“Yamikumo!” she admonished. He slightly winced at how similar the nickname was to Yami while she continued on, “Honestly, it’s like they knew how reckless you were going to be when your name is just one syllable off from it.” And that was partly why he didn’t say anything. Everything relating to his name was just a can of worms.

Plus, it wasn’t like he hated being called Yamikumo. It was honestly a much better nickname than the one Kacchan gave him. He liked it. It was just taking some getting used to. “Maybe they did,” he joked back.

Reaching the center of the clearing, he turned on his toes and let gravity take him, falling onto his back in the soft grass and closing his eyes in the sun. Ruka leaned over him, making him look back up in her shadow while she stared him down, “Doesn’t that hurt your wings?”

“Nah. Too small.” He grinned sharply, “Plus, Regeneration means any damage I did do wouldn’t stick around for long.” She moved quickly at that, allowing the sun to briefly blind him as he cried out in pain.

“Stop crying. Regeneration will take care of it.”

“Rude! I’m more sensitive to light, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know. Enlighten me,” she requested, even as her tone dripped with smugness.

Sighing in slight defeat, he explained Night Vision to her as his vision cleared from the near literal flash bang he experienced. While it allowed him to have better sight at night, he found that his eyes took longer to adapt to bright light. Thankfully, it wasn’t like he had to walk around with sunglasses during the day. It just took a moment.

Ruka hummed in thought, “Does every quirk have a drawback?”

“Depends on what you call a drawback. All quirks have limits.”

“Well, with All for One, you seem limitless. What stops you from eventually getting a quirk that makes you immune to bright lights?”

While she was mostly right about that part, “It has limits. Plus, getting quirks requires me to steal someone else’s. I don’t want to do that to anyone… Not again.”

“Oh.” They both lapsed into silence as Ruka seemed to absorb what exactly that last part actually meant. While most of his quirks were taken from monsters, he had taken a quirk from a person before. It was a child. The Doctor forced him to do it. It was a gift to make him more useful. Blink. His second stolen quirk. “What if you got permission?”

Mikumo turned to stare at her with a deadpan, “What?”

“No, no. Think about it! Isn’t there bound to be someone out there that would be better off without a quirk?” He continued to stare as she groaned, “What if someone had a really bad drawback or, like, their quirk hurt them? They can’t control it? Rather than having to live in pain or fear, you could take it away.”

That actually wasn’t a bad idea. How had he not thought about that? She had already shown him that some people really would prefer to be quirkless, even if he didn’t fully feel the same. “But… how would I even find them? It’s not like I can go around announcing that I can take quirks, Ruka.”

“I… I’ll think of something!”

“You,” he paused. Mikumo both did and did not want to use his actual quirk. He needed to keep using it so that if there came a day when he needed to, he would be able to. He needed to keep it hidden away and have as few people in the know as possible to not suffer an information leak and be hunted down.

Was it even a good idea to keep feeding into his quirk’s need to take? Was it a good idea to keep suppressing it when it keeps acting out? What really happened that day in the laboratory when he lost control of himself? Had it been Garaki or All for One taking over him? Mikumo just still wasn’t fully sure what to do, “You really don’t have to.” Please don’t.

She simply gave him a small smile, “I want to.” The breeze picked up for a moment and made her blue hair dance in the wind. “You’re not a villain. While your quirk came from a villain, and he used it for evil, I think you could do a lot of good with it.”

Oh. All he ever wanted to do was help people. Here Ruka was saying that, despite everything, he could help people. Mikumo couldn’t help the tears forming as the woman stoked the embers of a dead dream. He was not a Hero, he could never be a Hero after everything, but he could maybe still be a hero.

Mikumo could save people in ways that Heroes couldn’t.

“Do you want a hug?” He simply sat up and nodded.

Later that evening, hours after managing to make Mikumo cry again, it was her turn to be surprised. Ruka stared at Mikumo’s outstretched hand, it was an offer. One that she would never have thought possible half a year ago. “Are you afraid of heights?” he had asked.

She wasn’t. She trusted him.

Ruka took Mikumo’s outstretched hand.

His green eyes gleamed in excitement as her stomach twisted from the shift in gravity. Leaves rustled all around them before buffeting them, launching them into the sky. She still had to muffle a scream from how sudden and fast it was. Mikumo only laughed as she hit his arm with her free hand.

The clouds and sky had been starting to fade to pinks, purples, and oranges while they were still on the ground, but up here, nearing the clouds? It bathed everything a brilliant gold. Sunsets were pretty, but this? This was near magical.

Light streamed between the fluffy behemoths as he led them through into a free space between the clouds. A sunset in the sky. Mikumo likely saw her awed expression as he called out joyfully, “Just wait till we can see the stars!”

And the stars?

They were beautiful.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2136

Music played softly from the corner of their apartment, where their desktop glowed brightly. A single black cat sat in front of the monitor, playing some type of puzzle game and controlling which songs played next. Several more ran around on empty shelves specifically installed for them. Makoto stepped over one as they paced the room while on the phone. “I’ve been doing well, Uncle. Musutafu has been far more welcoming than home… You should move here too.”

“Ah, I’m too busy to move. I just don’t make enough to make the move, either.” Yeah, and that was what pissed Makoto off the most. Shishiki would be much better off if he just came to live with them while he got on his feet here. “Don’t worry about me, though.” One of the cats made of shadow looked in their direction, eyes narrowing while they hissed as Makoto’s anger leaked over the bond.

They weren’t angry with their uncle, they were just upset that he felt like he couldn’t leave Torikago. That city was a hellhole for anyone who didn’t look normal enough, human enough. Arashinomae sat just a little bit north of the city, just on the outskirts of what could be deemed as part of Torikago. It managed to be worse than the city proper.

The difference between Torikago and Musutafu had been immense. Some people, very few, still saw them as something other with their cat like eyes, but the vast majority accepted them as a person despite the small difference between them. Very few in Torikago saw them as human. It all blurred the line between what counted as being a heteromorph and not.

Maybe calling themselves a heteromorph wasn’t correct, but they still at least partially shared the experience. “You can’t stop me from worrying about you… Please, Shishiki, you can stay in my apartment for a while.” Please, leave Torikago. That was all they wanted. “I could probably talk Tamakawa into giving you a job while you find another one over here.”

Shishiki was quiet for a long moment. The silence hung between them. Makoto already knew what the man was going to say by the time his voice rumbled through the speaker. “I’m fine, Makoto. Anyway, you mentioned making a few new friends a while back. How’s that going?”

Several emotions bubbled up in their chest with such a simple question. It was hard to name most of them, but the most prominent were annoyance towards their uncle for dodging the question and guilt at their own feelings. They started, “Well…”

The man on the other side chuckled, “Oh, come on. Don’t use that tone. Whatever it is can’t be that bad.”

“I– Shishiki… he can…” Makoto hesitated. It felt almost wrong to tell someone else, but they needed someone to talk about it with. Ruka had practically blown them off. She just didn’t get it. “One of my friends can take Omen away. I can hardly stand to be in the same room with him.”

“How so?”

The words just started tumbling from their mouth, “Akatani… his quirk isn’t storing things. It’s the ability to take quirks.” Their uncle sucked in a breath on the other end. “He can take Omen away from me, permanently.”

“Makoto, don’t ever tell anyone else.” Where the man’s tone had once been light throughout their call, only stone cold seriousness echoed through the speaker. “You never told me any of that, understand?”

All the cats in the room froze along with them, nearly tripping mid-step, “What?”

“You’ll learn one day, but some things are dangerous to know. The existence of a quirk like that? I can’t think of anything good that could come from it. Be careful arou–” A bloodcurdling scream rang in the background out of nowhere as it was soon joined by a cacophony of other sounds that were hard to make out, “Shit, sorry Makoto, I have to go.”

“Wait, no, what was that? What do you mean? Shi–” Makoto’s phone clicked, signifying the end of the call. “–shiki…” They stared at the offending device in their hand, worry curling in their gut. Was Shishiki okay? What the hell just happened? Why were some things dangerous to know? What exactly was the man telling them to be careful about? Why would Akatani’s quirk be dangerous to even know of?

Their quirk became restless around them, the cats skittering around the apartment with an energy they couldn’t seem to burn off. Eyes burned into their skin as both of their anxieties leaked over their bond and formed a spiraling echo chamber.

What was supposed to just be a simple phone call checking in with their uncle and trying to get a few answers to whether their fear of Akatani was valid, only left them with more unanswered questions. What exactly was Shishiki warning them about?

They called again, waiting as the phone rang next to their ear again and again. Where did Shishiki go? What happened to him? What had all his words meant? Hayami’s questions remained unanswered.

Hayami Shishiki shoved his phone back into his pocket. His little brother’s kid was already worried about him far too much without knowing just how crime ridden this sector of the city was. Tail lashing and eyes narrowing, he made his way to the window within the living room and slammed it closed. He would have liked to talk with Makoto a bit longer, but of course some assholes had to ruin that.

Leaning his head back, Shishiki took a deep breath while running clawed fingers through dirty blond locks. He needed to shower tonight. Maybe after he made dinner for himself… The ruckus outside was getting louder. Yeah, hanging up on the kid was the right call. They didn’t need to hear any of this.

Stretching with his hands high above his head, he savored the cracks that ran down his spine. With that, he moved to the kitchen. The sound of water hissing from the faucet as he filled a pot was the only noise he acknowledged around him. Shitty ramen was always so cheap and easy to make in the face of his screaming muscles after a long day.

The chaos outside was getting louder. It was getting harder and harder to ignore. Nothing ever happened to Shishiki’s block, though. To worry was just to waste his little energy.

At least that was his thought process until the building shook while something roared like thunder nearby… Inside. Like a string snapping, he lost the immersion of his own inner world. Something was wrong. Something was so, so wrong.

He needed to leave. His building was actually being attacked this time. In a panic daze, Shishiki threw on his shoes and coat, not bothering with anything else beyond the work clothes he had been wearing on his back. People were screaming, while others shouted in the halls. He only turned and ran for the stairwell in the chaos.

Hayami Shishiki never made it to the stairwell. A pot half filled with water and an unopened box of noodles sat on the counter, forgotten. Right next to a ringing phone, drowned out by all the noise.

The air was getting steadily colder as the days went by. Honestly, they couldn’t go by fast enough. Graduation couldn’t come fast enough. Ruka was so ready to be done with all the looks and choice words the other students and even some of the teachers gave her. She was ready to be free of the oppressive atmosphere of this damned school.

No one here knew the real her anymore, carefully tucked away during school hours. Where she was loud around her mother and Mikumo, she was silent at Aldera. Her presence was barely detectable as she flitted through the halls. Hardly anyone ever looked her over beyond a passing glance.

She ducked her head as she squeezed by a group of girls from another class. They paid her no mind. Ruka preferred it this way. Their ignorance was a special kind of bliss that she readily hid herself in. She was the smallest in any room she entered, the most forgettable person present. It made her all the louder when she could be.

Even her teachers were starting to forget her existence in the back corner of the room. At least, it seemed that way. Maybe they just thought it was another way to hurt her in subtle ways. Either way, it was preferred to being ridiculed for being less than the other students.

She was quirkless. There was something wrong with her. How could she ever get that high of a score on her tests? She was quirkless. She was weaker than everyone else. They all said so. Don’t even look at her too hard or she might just shatter in front of everyone.

Somehow, both sentiments existed within the walls of Aldera.

No one truly bothered her as she managed to make it out of the gates in front of the school. It was several blocks later that she allowed her carefully crafted mask to slip away. She didn’t have to be the perfect little porcelain doll that was too dull for anyone to truly care about when she was away from the school.

The freedom gave her wings as she quickened her step to make it home in time. She also needed to wash up before heading out to Tatooin Station. It was that same feeling of the wind in her hair that made her love running up to Mikumo’s rooftop. The wind whipped around like a whirlwind up there. The view of the city and the sea in the distance was so freeing.

Maybe she had to ask him to take her flying again sometime. She was still a little bit jealous of him despite all the pain that he must have endured to be where he was now. However, she had already made her choice. Ruka would never ask for a quirk despite the open offer. The rooftops would be enough. They had to be enough.

Today, she wasn’t headed for Mikumo’s rooftop, but the station itself. People came and went, the trains screeched in the distance, the smell of asphalt and various food stalls burned her nose. Huffing, she crested the top of the steps up to the rail crossing over the road below just as another bell chimed. Just on time.

A thin pale figure with deep black hair caught her eye amongst the crowd. They had a cat perched on their shoulders that seemed to suck out any light that hit them. They wore ripped light gray jeans and a black top with a few silver chains around their waist and neck. Yellow cat-like eyes snapped to her, narrowing briefly before they waved. Hayami softly smiled as they walked over.

“Hey, how are you?” they asked.

Ruka smiled brightly, “Good! How are you?”

“Could be better,” they admitted honestly, hesitating for a moment. “Just a lot on my mind.” Ruka hummed, fidgeting with a gold bangle sitting around her wrist. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. One of the things bothering them was most likely Mikumo.

Ugh, she didn’t know what to do with her only two friends having some kind of tension between them. Well, maybe that was only one sided. She hadn’t been able to tell if Mikumo was bothered with Hayami at all. Ruka was only trying her best to figure out what it meant to be a good friend.

“You know you don’t have to worry about Mikumo, right?” Hayami flinched, looking away from her. One of the cat’s ears swiveled back, looking annoyed. Ruka followed their gaze, the street extended into the distance with cherry blossoms decorating both sides. Tall buildings painted with all sorts of colors further framed the corridor, blocking the view of the rest of the city.

The silence was telling enough. She sighed loudly, “I don’t– Are quirks really that important to people? Is being quirkless really that bad?” Why else would they be so scared of All for One?

They were quiet, only turning slightly to walk over to the glass walls and staring down at the street below. Ruka followed, stopping next to them. “I’m not scared of being quirkless… I’m scared of losing my best friend.” What? Wait, no… what did that mean? Hayami must have noticed her confusion as they clarified, “My quirk is the cat. His name is Omen.”

Ruka’s attention snapped over the cat that looked as if its fur sucked in all light around it. “Oh… oh.” It was a quirk. “You have a sentient quirk?! Oh my god, what is that like? I thought they were super rare!”

Their eyes widened slightly, “Yeah… they are. It’s like sharing my head. I can feel him there. We can share impressions of thoughts, not like mind reading, but close? I’m not sure. Sometimes our emotions blend or bleed over to each other. It can be confusing.”

That made sense. “I bet,” she replied. “I kind of get it now, though. So, it’s a lot deeper that just having a quirk?”

“Yeah…”

“Alright.” She still wished they just wouldn’t be so nervous about it, but she felt better knowing it wasn’t simply a fear of being quirkless, being like her. “Wanna get out of here?”

Hayami huffed, amused, “Sure.”

Mikumo couldn’t help the small smile across his face as he walked home. Today had been a good day. He was slowly getting more and more appointments for quirk registrations. Today had been for a kid whose head was best described as a stained glass window, along with twins that practically shared a quirk. Now, that was fascinating.

The twins had an almost see through quality to them, he first thought it would be a heteromorphic quirk before they activated it. One of the girls became fully there while the other disappeared. It was a transformation quirk that affected them both at the same time. It relied on them both to function, it seemed.

God, he had so many questions. Could they feel each other use the quirk? How was the quirk even being shared? Was it telepathic? What happened if one of them died? Would the other be left quirkless? His hands had itched so badly for his pencil. The family had been in a hurry. None of them had time to let him analyze the quirk as much as he wanted to.

It left him restless with excitement, desire burning in his chest. He left it as he turned around another corner, pacing up and down the city block as he got lost in his head with all the theories he had. Although, a small sound from the alley he was passing made him pause. A cry ricocheted against the walls, and he walked forward without much thought.

In a corner, backed against the cold stone of whatever building they were against and the freezing steel of a dumpster, was a shivering kitten. The tiny orange thing hissed as Mikumo crouched down. Huffing in amusement, he summoned some cat food, setting it down after opening it, and his phone. Aizawa would probably love this little guy.

At first, the small cat turned wary before leaning forward to eat a bite of the tuna Mikumo had placed in front of them. Didn’t stop them from continuing to growl while eating, though. Opening the camera app on his phone was easily becoming muscle memory. The photo album was almost exclusively filled with pictures of cats all around the city. Another hiss made him almost side eye the creature before hitting send on the picture to Aizawa.

“Yamikumo?” Mikumo jumped, tripping over his own legs for the first time in months, if not years, at Ruka’s voice. His sudden movement startled the kitten as well. He mourned being able to sit with the tiny thing for the next while as the orange furball ran off to the other end of the alley in fear. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked.

Still caught off guard, he didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. Hunching in on himself where he now sat on the ground, he explained without meeting her eyes, watching the cat disappear around the corner, “I was trying to feed a kitten. Maybe grab it and give it to a shelter for a check up.” Straining his heightened senses, he listened as they ran further and further away. “Did you want to hang out or something?”

Once he finally stopped tracking the orange kitten, he realized suddenly that Ruka wasn’t as alone as he thought, feeling someone else standing at the mouth of the alley with Windsense. His guard was quick to return, while the hair on the back of his neck raised. Green eyes immediately flicked over to where they were standing, only to see Hayami with Ruka and Omen on their shoulders.

Huh, he hadn’t expected that. He released the tension in his shoulders once more.

Although, Hayami seemed a bit more tense than usual. Were they alright? While he was distracted, Ruka seemed to think on his offer for a moment before excitedly agreeing, “Oh, yeah! C’mon, we’re headed for one of the old arcades in the area.” She stepped forward and offered a hand to help pull him back to his feet. He took it.

Dusting himself off, he thanked her. “Yeah, that sounds fun. Sure! I’ve got nothing going on anyway… Well, maybe tracking down that cat again,” he joked. Mikumo smiled as she huffed in amusement. Finally making his way to leave the alley, he turned to his other friend, “Hayami, it’s been a while… Are you good?”

They stepped back, getting out of his way, “I, uhm, I’m fine.” Mikumo didn’t buy that.

“Are you sure?” he dug. There was too much tension set in their posture. “You just seem stressed. Whatever it is, I could try to help.” Hayami’s expression became slightly pained. Did he say the wrong thing? “Only if you want me to!” Mikumo amended.

They stared past him, hand coming up to rub against Omen’s head. “No, it’s fine.” Mikumo couldn’t help but feel pained as well. How was he supposed to be a good friend and help them if they won’t let him even know what was wrong? Was he just supposed to sit back while Hayami was struggling with something? It didn’t feel right.

“Well, let me know if you ever need something. I’m here.” That would have to do for now. He hated how useless it felt, but what could he do?

Ruka walked past them, grabbing Hayami’s hand and pulling them along at her pace. “Well, c’mon! Let’s get to the arcade before it fills up!” Mikumo was quick to catch up to them, slinging his arm around Hayami’s shoulders below Omen.

He felt their muscles lock up under his hand. Confused, Mikumo let his arm fall back to his side. Omen’s ears had swiveled back, betraying the fear that they must have both felt. Especially as the cat’s yellow eyes instinctively narrowed onto Mikumo, shadows bristling in a mimicry of the kitten’s fur only a few minutes ago. Hayami wasn’t far behind, turning to look at him with an identical expression in their eyes.

Oh. Hayami was scared of him. The realization was so sudden that it pierced him like an arrow. They were scared of him. Hayami had been more distant the past few weeks, not as eager to hang out or talk, beyond running into each other on the game they had shown him a while ago when he sometimes played it in the evening. He hadn’t realized that they were purposefully avoiding him…

It made painful sense, though. He wasn’t natural, something thought to be impossible. He was aware of the pressure in his claws as they dug into the concrete, could feel the fangs in his mouth pressing against the inside of his lips, and small wings that felt like lead at that moment hanging from his back. The black holes in his palms burned. None of it was truly his, no matter how much he accepted them as another part of him.

All of it was stolen. The only quirk truly gifted to him had been All for One. That quirk was born from his own pain rather than anyone else’s, but he also couldn’t ignore the fact that it originally came from the Demon King who destroyed Japan. The Good Doctor had changed his DNA and inserted some of All For One’s own to create him as he was now.

The child he used to be, Midoriya Izuku, had been too young, hurt, and naive to leave before it was too late. Now, he was a monster, a demon. Hardly much different from the noumu. It was so easy to forget that fact when everyone around him didn’t know about the horrific creatures and their lord. Easy to forget everything when he could easily blend in as one of them. No one knew the things he did, not anymore.

Could he just go back to before his friends knew just how monstrous he could be, at least for a little longer? The past was impossible to change, at least in the ways that truly matter. Even if he could wipe their memories, he would remember. He was always the one cursed to remember.

Slowing, Mikumo allowed Ruka to drag Hayami off without him. They would both be fine, they had each other. However, Hayami’s eyes widened as they watched the distance between them grow. “Akatani, wait!” They broke Ruka’s grip on them, turning to walk back towards him.

Why did they call after him? Weren’t they terrified? “You’re scared of me.” There was no question about it. Mikumo didn’t look away, keeping his gaze level to read Hayami better. They had stopped a short ways in front of him. Their silence was loud, even as people ambled past them and the wind howled in his ears. He was the first to break eye contact, looking at the space between them. “It’s okay,” Mikumo smiled, resigned.

He turned to walk away without looking back. It would have to be okay. He would make it okay, even if he had to drown himself in a sea of stardust to do so. “It’s not okay,” Hayami’s voice cut through his turmoil, making him pause. “I don’t want to be afraid of you… It’s not even you that I’m afraid of. It’s your quirk. Wait, no.” They groaned before going on, “That doesn’t make it better, but I can’t help it. It’s still not okay…”

Breathe in. Breathe out. That still didn’t change the fact that they were scared of him. Mikumo had seen the fear the people living within his corner of Musutafu after the Fall of Heroes harbored for him. It had boiled under the surface until the day they fought with each other over whether to kill him while he was down or not despite the protection he offered them.

He wouldn’t force Hayami to face him. Taking a step forward, and another, he ignored the cries from both of his friends behind him, calling for him to stay. It didn’t take much to disappear in the same alley he had been in, Blink warping him away in just a blink of an eye.

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