"Uncle!"
"All Might!"
Deku reached him first, throwing his arms unabashedly around his thin middle. Toshi made no attempt to protest, but I didn't miss his slight wince. I tried to be gentler than my freckled friend, but I couldn't help squeezing him a little.
"Hello again little one, young Midoriya, class 1-A!" His voice was hoarse, and blood trickled down his chin. In fact, blood was covering most of his body.
"That's All Might?" Someone yelled.
"And Recovery Girl!" Another voice called. I looked down to see UA's medic, in a similar beat up state, but not quite as bad. "Don't forget about me." Uncle made his way over to the rest of the class, leaning heavily on Mido's shoulder.
"Hello class. It really is me, All Might. I'd hoped you wouldn't have to see me like this for a long time, but this is my true form." I placed a hand on Kat's arm. He was pale, unable to tear his eyes away from his idol, and was obviously trying his best to keep his expression schooled. "We managed to escape from the villains' clutches, but they'll be looking for us."
"How did you escape?"
"How did you find us?"
"Why are you like that?" The class blurted out questions, unable to hold back their confusion and disbelief.
"I saw fire and explosions, and recognised young Bakugo and young Todoroki's quirks." He gave the pair a disappointed look, causing them to both cast their gazes downward. "What happened here?" He added, finally noticing the rubble and wreckage around us.
"Villains found us already. They planted a bomb and then someone used a quirk to make earthquakes. It must have been a quirk, kerro." Tsu informed him calmly. Most of the students were still too shaken up to say it out loud. Ochaco gasped.
"It's only just sunk in. We could have died..." Toshi tensed up.
"It's a good thing Todoroki managed to save us. Without him, we would have been..." Yaomomo trailed off, her fingers brushing against her own cheek in sudden shock.
"But it's my fault we were found in the first place!" Todo seethed.
"What do you mean, young one?"
"I've let you down, All Might. I tried so hard to be more like you. But I lost my temper and fought Bakugo."
"You started the fight?"
"Hey!"
"Yes. I did throw the first punch."
"Why did you sound so shocked that I didn't start it?" Kat butt in.
"Maybe because of your temper?" Todo offered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You are notorious for being quick to anger."
"What's that you half-"
"Toshi?" During their bickering, Uncle had started staring off into space, his pale face becoming a deathly shade of grey. "Uncle Toshi? Are you okay?" He sluggishly looked over at me.
Before dropping to the ground.
It was a blur of movement after that. We managed to get him in the building where we slept - which had miraculously been spared - while Yaomomo and Recovery Girl looked over him.
"In the state he was in, my quirk would have done more bad than good." She tutted at herself, gently wiping off his clammy brow. "They... Well, it was no five-star service, that's for sure." I swallowed a sob, wiping my face harshly with my dirty sleeve.
"A-Are they... Dad..." She didn't look at me for a long time, her eyes glued to her hands, which were now sewing up a particularly nasty gash on his arm. My breath caught in my throat, and the world around me felt thick and slow. Eventually, she finished.
"Yes. They're still alive. As is Enji Todoroki." A sigh of relief escaped me as I sunk to the ground, a blissful hand tearing the weight from my shoulders. Todo placed a shaky touch on my forearm.
"But?" Kat prompted. "All Might looks like a seventy-two year old drug addict. No offence." He added, despite my uncle being unable to hear him. "Are Aizawa and Yamada doing much better? Or Endeavor?" Recovery Girl took a deep breath in as she pressed gauze against Toshi's sticky skin.
"None of us are in good shape. Enji is probably the most beat up out of anyone, next to Toshinori. Yamada has always been slim, but... They haven't been feeding him much, and they're only giving him enough water to survive. He can barely speak, which is as they want it." My bottom lip quivered.
"And..."
"Well, your father... They were going to ignore him... But he started mouthing off when one of the guards said something about your kidnapping and... He had a fire quirk and..." She flinched at the memory, but forced herself to continue. "He was badly burnt on his leg. And the beatings... He was so brave. Never uttered a word of complaint. Said it took the heat off of the rest of us..." A gutteral noise I didn't recognise rang in my ears as I choked on my breath. Dabi. It must have been Dabi.
I'll kill him.
Kat wrapped me up in his warmth.
"D-Dad..."
"We'll get him back." His voice was laced with cold anger.
"Not like that, you won't!" Recovery Girl chirped, all traces of distress gone. "Let me look at that burn, dearie." After kissing Kat and healing Todo's ankle, the pair felt rejuvenated.
"We won't have to delay the plans!"
"Let's go kick ass!"
"We can't do anything until All Might is okay!" Tenya gave them both a swift chop to the backs of their heads.
"He's right." Mido put a thoughtful hand to his chin. "When he's back to his previous health level, he can help us. He can take any Nomu that we can't deal with and..."
"Your damn nerd's muttering again." Kat scowled, nudging Todo towards his boyfriend.
"He has a point." Ochaco mimicked Mido's pose, even nailing his facial expression. "All Might on our team would give us a big leg-up, even weakened."
"Not two of you!"
"Let's revise our plan to include All Might. Can you fight, miss?" Tokoyami ignored Kat's grumbling and turned to the small woman.
"Oh, no. I'm much too old for fighting, dearie. You'll need someone to help the escapees get to safety. I could do that just fine!"
"Are we sure All Might should come, kerro?" Tsu dragged her eyes over his frail body tentatively. "He looks so..."
"He's been like that for a long time, Tsu. He can do this." Midoriya said in a final tone.
"Is he..." Kirishima's brow was furrowed as he searched for the words. "Sick? He's not... He's not dying, is he?"
"No." Mido answered as I shook my head, biting my lip. I took one of my uncle's large hands in mine. He was so cold. "He's losing his quirk. I'm not sure how much to tell you all. But there was a big fight and he was badly injured. Ever since, his quirk has been deteriorating. He can only hold his muscular form for about four minutes." A ripple of shock went through the crowd.
"And every time he pushes himself, every tiny, little plus-ultra puts that time lower and lower." I sniffed bitterly, placing a gentle hand on his too-warm forehead and pushing his bunny ears backwards. "This could be it, guys. All For One is going to be there."
"H-Hinami-"
"No, Midoriya." I spat. "They need to know. They deserve to know what they're walking into. What they're fighting for."
"We're fighting to get the pro-heroes back? To get Todoroki's father and your parents back home..." Yaomomo answered tentatively.
"Do you really think... Shouldn't we wait for him to wake up?" Mido sat opposite me, his hands resting on Toshi's arm and chest. Feeling him breathe beneath him. Proof that he was alive.
"I'm done waiting for things." We looked into each other's eyes. The green was marred by an intense fire in his soul. He gave a singular nod.
"You tell them. He's your uncle. I'll add anything I need to." I returned the gesture with a deep breath.
"My uncle's quirk is one called One For All..."
And I told them everything.