Izuku watched with amusement as swathes of his students were cut down by a single man. Togata looked like he was having the time of his life, flitting around the battlefield with a wide grin on his face. Maybe it was cruel to let this go on, even knowing they had already gotten the point that their three upperclassmen were making, but Izuku never claimed to be a good person.
Togata flashed them again, and Izuku was treated to the horrified screams of at least three people that were close to the traumatizing event. He couldn't help it, he just had to laugh.
Hado peered curiously at him from his side, her blue hair falling into her face. At some point in the battle, probably around the fifth person Togata had flung to the side, she had turned her attention away from the main event and onto him. He had pretended not to notice, avoiding glancing at the soon-to-be-hero, but he was aware of it nonetheless.
"How have you really stayed alive this long?" She asked abruptly. "'Cause I'm pretty sure that it would have to be some kind of quirk."
Izuku gave her a quick smile. "It is. My quirk is named Immortality, and it does much what the name suggests."
Hado stared at him for a second longer, then blurted out, "Why is Mirio so scared of you?"
That forced a laugh out of him. There was something to be said for Hado and her complete transparency while asking a question. It was honestly incredibly refreshing and Izuku wished he came across it more often.
"Oh, I'm sure he's not scared." That was just ridiculous. While Izuku was sure that Hado was a very observant person- you had to be when you were this curious- he was pretty sure she was wrong here. Sure, Togata might turn an alarming shade of white while he was around, but that was probably due to his sudden entrances. Everyone's surprised when you mysteriously show up behind them without the door opening.
Hint: He used the vents.
"Yeah, no, I'm pretty sure he is," Hado said cheerfully, "But Mirio can just be weird like that!"
Izuku shrugged, watching as another one of his students fell to the ground. Togata was holding himself back rather well. No one was permanently injured yet, and he hadn't even seen a hint of One For All since the lesson began. All the training had paid off.
Hado was silent for a moment, but Izuku was sure the storm of questions would come rushing in again once she was done watching Togata deal with the next little cohort of students. He couldn't blame her; it was amusing to watch them jump at shadows only for Togata to tap them on the shoulder.
"How does Mirio know you, anyways? 'Cause Tamaki and I had never even heard of you before today, but Mirio knew who you were right away."
Izuku smiled softly and didn't let up that anything was strange. He had assumed someone would ask this question at some point, and had coached Togata in how to answer after the first time they met. Their stories would match up, and it was true enough that Izuku wouldn't feel that bad about lying.
"Oh, I've been a teacher here for a long time. It's only recently that I haven't been teaching. When I arrived back in Japan, one of my former students- Nighteye- approached me about some advice with one of his work study students. I've worked with Mirio a few times since." Izuku lets his de facto smile turn fond as he thought of his former student. "You know, I'm only allowed to say this since it's been over four decades since I taught his class, but he was one of my favorites."
"I knew it," Nejire said. "Do you know how many times I've asked whether teachers have favorites and have been answered with a lie?"
Izuku shrugged. "I just give a non-answer that dissuades follow-ups."
Hado opens her mouth, but their attention was pulled back to the demonstration as Shoji was knocked out by Mirio's 'Blinder Touch Eyeball Crush'.
I'm so glad he decided to change the name. Not only does it not telegraph his true movements, it actually distracts from them. Much better than just shouting 'Fake-out' and hoping for the best.
...Might still be a bit bitter over that.
Mirio stopped moving, and Izuku squinted his eyes to see what was going on. Shinso had this absolutely dead look on his face, and it was clear he would ratehr be anywhere but here. It was clear his purple-haired student was saying something, but Izuku couldn't figure out what for the life of him.
Perhaps he's asking different questions? But that wouldn't stop Mirio from attacking him...
Shinso's mumbling became a bit more audible, and Izuku got the sudden urge to laugh. He recognized the tune in an instant, the familiar notes floating into his ears like a morning breeze.
Decent idea, Izuku thought, but perhaps not the best thing to rely upon in a fight. For villains attacking with a purpose in mind, they won't stop carrying out their plan to sing along. We might be able to workshop the idea though, perhaps playing with what qualifies as a response in order to use less to get more...
Shinso's voice grew just a little louder, just a little more confident in the notes. Izuku could finally make out the words.
"Should I stay or should I go now...?"
Izuku prepared to end the fight, but for the first time in a long time, he was surprised.
"If I stay there will be trouble..."
Mirio's admittedly horrible voice cut off almost as soon as it started, and while Izuku couldn't see it, he could imagine the glazed-over look in his eyes.
He didn't..." Hado breathed. "Not even Mirio is that stupid..."
"He did," Aizawa said. To an outsider's eye, he looked completely indifferent to the outcome of the match. But Izuku could see the pride hiding in his eyes. If Mic- the more emotionally healthy between the two of them- had been here instead, Izuku had no doubt that he would've pulled out those homemade Go Hitoshi! flags and would be doing his best cheerleader impression.
Izuku had already seen it done once, except instead of Go Hitoshi! the flags read, Go Shouta! and Die, Bitch!. The third-year Sports Festival that year was a mess.
Izuku started to walk up to Mirio and Shinso, watching as Shinso sighed and blinked at Mirio. HIs student furrowed his brow, stepping closer to the blonde as he snapped his fingers in front of Mirio's face. Nothing happened, and Izuku got to watch the dozens of miniscule emotions flickering across Shinso's face, ranging from confusion to panic.
Something was wrong.
Mirio blinked in the stillness, limbs feeling fuzzy and numb. Try as he might, every attempt to move was met with no results. His muscles weren't even straining, they were just... unresponsive.
He floated in that halfway space for what felt like eternity, staring at the same darkness. It reminded him of when he immersed himself completely with his quirk, but it was different. He could tell that his senses were still working, but they were just numbed. When he was permeable, it was like he'd never been able to hear or see in his life, but now he could feel the absence of those things.
He was focusing all of his energy on moving his neck when a voice spoke from behind him.
"It's nice to meet you, Ninth."
Mirio stopped. Ninth? Why did he call me Ninth? Also, who is that?
The voice sounded older than he was, but younger than Nighteye would be. He couldn't see the person it belonged to, he was still paralyzed. Mirio worked his jaw, delighted to discover that he could partially move it and his tongue.
The owner of the voice drifted towards him, almost ghostly against the stark blackness of their surroundings. He was pale, and his hair was white as could be. The eyes that met his own were a bright green, almost glowing.
He finally loosened his tongue, though the words sounded slurred. "Who are you? What is this place?"
The man smiled softly. "You can call me First."
First? Like how he called me Ninth?
Mirio felt the previously dead muscles in the rest of his head start to come to life, tingling like when you cut off the circulation to your hand. "Is there a reason your name is First? And why mine is Ninth?"
First eyed him critically, emerald eyes searching his soul. "Earlier, you asked what this place was. Do you remember what you were doing before you were here?'
Mirio blinked, flashing back to his rather one-sided fight with class 1-a. He had just knocked down the boy with the mask and arms, then... then he had joined in with the song that Shinso was singing. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened from there.
"Whoa," Mirio said, "Is this my mind?"
First nodded, gesturing all around them. "Your subconscious, to be precise. Right now, your conscious mind has taken a backseat, and since it can't be in control right now, it came here. Usually, this would mean that you wouldn't recall anything from this time, but due to the... unusual nature of your quirk..."
Mirio froze. He doesn't mean Permeation... wait...
"Do you mean One For All?"
First nodded. Slowly, Mirio started putting together all of the facts in his head. One For All is a quirk passed down user from user... this is my subconscious that's only different because of One For All... he called himself 'First', and he called me 'Nine'...
"Are you one of the previous users of One For All?"
First smiled at him. "That I am. We all remained here, passing down with each successor along with the quirk. It turns out that power isn't the only thing it stockpiled."
"And you're the first user?"
"Yes. You do know how this quirk came to be, don't you?"
Mirio hesitated. All Might had told him the details, how All For One had been both the creator and the greatest bane for those who bore this quirk. Izuku-sensei had been there as well, unusually silent. It wasn't like his occasional teacher was the biggest talker, but he usually had at least a couple of things to add whenever he was there. But that time, he just stayed in the corner of the room with a far off look in his eyes.
"I... do. If you're the first user, does mean that All For One was your..." Mirio isn't sure how to phrase that next part.
Luckily, First took pity on him. "He was my brother. You can't choose who you're related to, or how they spend their life."
It was silent for a moment. Mirio wasn't sure what to say. In any other situation, he would throw in one of his Nighteye Approved Jokes TM , but he could see that now wasn't the correct time for it.
"Are there... others?" Mirio asked, trying to force his neck to move. He had most of the feeling left now, and it just felt incredibly stiff.
"There are, but they aren't here with us right now."
Mirio finally managed to crane his neck to both sides. There was nothing else out there, not even the slightest splinter of light besides the two of them. "Where else is there to be?"
First shrugged. "One For All is strange. Sometimes we're here... sometimes we find a space that exists both outside of your mind and One For All. There's not really a guidebook to being ghosts living inside of a quirk."
"So if you're First, and I'm Ninth, then there are seven others, right? Just living in One For All and my head all the time?"
Which was a weird thought, to have ghosts living in your head at all times, but they live in a world where quirks are the norm and it's not strange to see someone spontaneously light on fire. There are stranger things out there.
"For the most part, yes. Sometimes we're here and sometimes we're there." First makes a so-so gesture with his hands. "And there are only six others actively living in One For All. Eighth hopefully won't be joining us for a while."
So then All Might is Eighth... wait...
"Has All Might done this before? Talk to you?"
First shook his head. "No, none of the others have managed to reach this space before their deaths."
"Then why can I?"
First shrugged. "One For All is a strange quirk. I've been living in it for centuries and I'm still not sure why it works the way it does."
Mirio took a second to digest that. He would have to bring this up to All Might and Izuku-sensei, see if they could find a solution. If anyone could do it, it was Izuku-sensei.
"Is this going to start happening more often? Like, every time I blackout I'm going to end up back here?"
"I don't think so," First said. "I would think that this is just in response to that kid's quirk being used on you for the first time. You might be able to reach this state while asleep, but I wouldn't count on it. This might be the only time it happens for a long time, or I could see you again in a month. We don't know."
The silence stretched on for a moment. Mirio awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, what am I supposed to do until I wake up?"
First shrugged once more. "Just ask me any questions you have, I suppose. I thought you'd have less time here than this. This in-between space might have a more... skewed perception of time than inside the quirk and the outside world."
"So I haven't been passed out this long in the real world?"
"I would guess not."
Mirio let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Oh, that's good. If I had actually been passed out this long, Tamaki would be so worried."
First nodded sympathetically. "Your friend with the anxiety?"
Mirio eyed him. "And how exactly do you know that?"
First sighed. "It's not like we go around just watching your life like it's some kind of soap opera. It's really just when you're fighting, and you've sparred with him often enough that I can recognize the name."
Mirio nodded. Then he paused. "Okay, I get that you're the first user of One For All and that's why you're called First and I'm the ninth user so you call me Ninth, but it's kinda weird that you can watch my entire life and I don't even know your name."
First just blinks at him. "I suppose that's fair. My name is Yoichi Shigaraki. It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Mirio Togata"
They smiled at one another, and Mirio felt a glimmer of something pass between them, like they were connected in ways he couldn't explain. It lasted only for a moment, but that single moment said more than words ever could.
Then it was over, and the space around them started to grow lighter, the colors shifting from a deep, dark black to a lighter one, then continuing on to gray.
Mirio looked at Yoichi with wide eyes. "Am I waking up?"
Yoichi stared back at him, and Mirio thought he saw a splinter of sadness in his eyes. "Yes. I'll see you again, one day. May your journey as a hero go smoother than any one of ours did. Tell Izuku I said hi... and that I miss him."
Yoichi faded away as the area around them started to shimmer and bleed into white. Mirio felt his body's nerves surge, and then he was hurtling out of his mindscape.
Mirio gasped, eyes flying open to the sight of a blurry face looking directly at him.
He blinked a few times, ignoring the clamor of noise around him, and the face came into focus, as well as all the bodies around him. The entirety of class 1-a was staring at him with concern, and Izuku-sensei hovered right over him.
"Oh, thank All Might," Mirio heard Shinso wheeze from off to the right, "I didn't kill him."
"Are you all right, Togata?" Izuku-sensei asked while gently stabilizing Mirio's arm. It was unnecessary; now that he had gotten a bearing on his surroundings he was fine.
"Uh... yeah." An idea popped into Mirio head. "What do you call a pink flower that resurrects itself?"
A moment of silence, then Shinso whispered. "I gave him brain damage."
"A rein-carnation."
That was a pretty good one. Nighteye's week-long seminar on making jokes in awkward situations really paid off.
Nejire sighed at him. "Yeah, he's fine."
Aizawa-sensei shuffled closer. "Alright, that's enough of that. He's fine, so why don't the lot of you go back to the classroom." Shinso didn't stop looking at Mirio with that stricken expression on his face, and Aizawa-sensei told him once more, albeit with a softer tone than he had taken with the others. "Go. Now. Togata justs needs to get checked over by Recovery Girl."
Izuku-sensei nodded. "I'll make sure that Togata gets to her." He turns to address Nejire and Tamaki. "The two of you can head back to class now. I'll send him back when he's cleared."
Nejire nodded without asking any questions, a rarity for her. Then again, Izuku-sensei always seemed to make people act irregularly around him. Tamaki stared at him with worried eyes as he was dragged away by Nejire, and Mirio sent him a reassuring smile.
A few moments later, and Mirio and Izuku-sensei were the only ones left on the field. There were little patches where the grass had been torn or burned away from someone's attack, and Mirio could see a few green blades still slightly smoking.
Izuku-sensei was watching him carefully, and Mirio felt oddly picked over by his gaze. He couldn't tell if he was staring into his soul or checking him for signs of a concussion.
"Do you feel alright?" He finally asked. "No dizziness, spots, or disorientation?"
"No, not at all. I'm completely fine." Mirio lightly scuffed the grass with the toe of his shoe. "...How long was I out?"
"After the match ended, Shinso released you from his control. Or he tried, at least. You weren't responding for about... I'd say two minutes."
Mirio blinked. That was less time than he'd been expecting, given their reactions. You'd have thought that he'd been out for at least ten by the way Shinso was watching his every movement like it might be his last.
"Just two?" Mirio laughed awkwardly. "Then why worry? That's practically no time at all!"
Izuku-sensei shrugged. "Shinso's quirk is very reliable. He uses it on his opponent by asking them a question–apparently in song form this time–" Mirio winced. Yeah, he was never going to live that one down. "And it puts them under his control. Then as soon as he releases that person from his control, they come back to themselves immediately. When you didn't... suffice it to say that we were all worried."
Mirio nodded mutely, stomach clenching up at the thought of what Shinso might have been feeling. Poor guy... no wonder he was so anxious that I'd have brain damage...
"Which actually brings me to the topic I wanted to discuss." Izuku-sensei fixed his eyes on Mirio's, unsettling in their intensity. "I'm going to guess whatever happened was because of One For All?"
"I'm pretty sure. It was... it was strange." Mirio paused, and Izuku-sensei patiently waited for him to continue. "There was this halfway space inside my mind. And... and I'm pretty sure I saw one of the previous users of One For All in there."
Izuku-sensei's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure? One of the actual previous users?"
Mirio nodded again. "He... he called himself First, and he kept calling me Ninth. He said that's what they called all the users."
"Hmm..." Izuku-sensei mused. "I suppose that makes sense... I'll have to bring it up with Yagi, see if he's had any similar experiences. Did he say anything else to you?"
Mirio shrugged. "He said that he wasn't sure why I could go there, since none of the previous users could. Oh, he also said that his name was Yoichi, at least when he was alive.
Izuku-sensei froze, staring at Mirio with disbelief. His mouth opened slightly then shut itself with an audible click.
"Yoichi..." He muttered to himself. "So you're still in there..."
Mirio was at a loss. Why was Izuku-sensei talking like he knew Yoichi? The first user had to have lived hundreds of years ago, so there would be no way...
Right. He forgot about the immortality thing.
"Did you..." Mirio stuttered before working up the courage to actually say it. "Did you know him?"
"Hmm? Izuku-sensei's head snapped up. "Oh... yes, I did. I knew him... very well."
Mirio stared down at the ground with all the focus he could muster. "Oh... okay. Um, he told me to tell you hi and that he misses you."
Izuku-sensei looked stricken, like someone had driven a sword into him while his back was turned. Then he grew a small smile, and tugged on some of the hanging strings of his green hair.
Izuku-sensei cleared his throat. "Well, even if we are relatively sure that no harm was done to you, I still need you to check into the infirmary. We'll meet with Yagi soon to discuss some of the recent developments soon."
Mirio felt awkward and did the best thing he could think of–he flashed Izuku-sensei a thumbs up. He caught a slight blush making its way to his cheeks, and he slowly turned away from Izuku-sensei, wondering why on earth he did that.
"And Mirio?" Izuku-sensei quietly said from behind him. "Thank you... I miss Yoichi too."
Mirio stared into his teacher's eyes for a moment, then slowly nodded and departed, leaving Izuku-sensei standing there alone.