(SEASON 6 EP 22 & 25)
Toshinori's best memory of Izuku was a particular day on Dagobah Beach when the pair took a moment to catch their breaths and admire the sunset. The light and innocence reflecting in Midoriya's eyes couldn't be outmatched and would remain ingrained in the hero's memory. But now, standing in the rain, Toshinori could see that the light in Midoriya's eyes had long since faded away.
Or...
All Might's thoughts as he watches Midoriya wander down a path of self-destruction.
*****
From the moment Izuku Midoriya latched onto his leg, All Might had known the boy was special.
Seeing this quirkless boy rush headfirst into danger to save a friend blossomed something inside Toshinori, something he hadn't felt in years.
Since the day he received his injury, Toshinori intended on pushing through the pain, just until he found a successor.
He had been so focused on keeping his vulnerability a secret that he forgot what it meant to be a hero. The exact reason why Nana always encouraged Toshinori to smile.
So when Toshinori realized that, he knew that something had to change and Izuku Midoriya would soon become his new reason to live.
Toshinori approached the boy again later that day to give him the answer his predecessor gave him and after some tears had been shed, the boy didn't hesitate to accept to carry on All Might's legacy.
-
A few months later, Toshinori found himself at Dagobah Beach, watching the sun go down with his successor.
It had been another tireless day of training for Izuku.
Once Midoriya finished cleaning up as much of the beach as he could that day, Yagi packed everything up in his truck and suggested that Midoriya take a break.
Izuku was about to decline but the aching of his muscles told him otherwise and reluctantly agreed. They both sat near the edge of the beach that was clean and watched the sun go down together.
All Might had commented on how golden the sunset was when Izuku murmured something.
"Nothing gold can stay."
Toshinori turned to his successor in confusion and asked, "What was that, my boy?"
Izuku immediately became flustered and went on about something Toshinori couldn't comprehend through his muttering.
The older man chuckled and reassuringly rubbed the boy's back. "Slow down Young Midoriya, could you please repeat that?"
Once Izuku was finally able to calm down, he hesitantly looked toward the ground and said. "It's nothing important, All Might. That was just from a poem I heard in school."
Toshinori narrowed his eyes slightly and said "It can't be nothing if it has your interest, Young Midoriya."
Midoriya lifted his eyes slightly and felt his face turn red in embarrassment.
'Why would the greatest hero in the world be interested in boring old literature?'
Toshinori's eyes softened at the boy in front of him and felt the usual blood trickle from his mouth. He casually wiped it away and patted the boy's head.
"My boy, I was only asking since you seemed enthusiastic about it. But if you don't feel comfortable about sharing then that's perfectly fine. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."
Midoriya looked into Yagi's eyes and only found sincerity.
After a moment of contemplation, Izuku found the courage to speak up. "I guess it couldn't hurt, but don't expect anything too exciting."
Yagi nodded and gave the boy his attention.
"The poem goes like this." Izuku started.
"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
The leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
Once Midoriya finished, Yagi looked at him with a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was about to say something.
"Some American poet named Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant." Izuku said to no one in particular as he continued to gaze at the golden sunset.
Toshinori turned to his successor and said, "I think I have an idea of what he meant."
Midoriya gave the hero a curious look as Toshinori began to speak. "The phrase 'Nothing gold can stay' is symbolizing that no beauty or joy, no good thing, can last forever. At least that's what I can infer from it."
Izuku stayed silent for a few moments before shrugging. "I guess I never thought of it like that. But what if the feeling I'm experiencing right now won't last forever?"
Yagi then turned and gave Midoriya his signature smile. "Not to worry, my boy. Things don't last forever, but as long as we continue to remember, those memories will never die. We just have to stay gold, my boy!"
Seeing All Might's smile immediately brightened Izuku's mood. "Yeah, I'll stay gold too!"
As the pair laughed, Toshinori saw flecks of golden light dancing in Izuku's eyes and engrained the boy's smile into his memory, where it should remain forever.
The mentor and student stayed until the sun went down.
-
A year later, Yagi found himself standing in the rain with a grim expression on his face as he watched his successor-No, his boy, slowly losing himself day by day.
It had been weeks since the war's aftermath had begun to plague what was left of society, which wasn't much by all means.
While it seemed the war was put on pause for most people in Japan, Toshinori was certain the war had never stopped.
The peace All Might had brought crumbled by a wave of All For One's hand.
Even now, Yagi could recall the moment when this nightmare began. The little girl, Eri, had been shuffling nervously on his lap as they watched the news broadcasting the damage Shigaraki's quirk had caused.
The worried look Eri gave him broke Toshinori's heart as she tentatively asked, "Mr. All Might, are the heroes gonna be okay?"
Toshinori wanted to reassure her by smiling and telling her everything would be okay, but couldn't find the strength to. After all, he wasn't All Might anymore; all that was left was weak Toshinori Yagi.
Sucking in a sharp breath, Toshinori placed his hand on the girl's head and gave it a comforting rub while softly admitting, "I don't know Young Eri-I don't know..."
-
When the fight ended, Yagi hadn't hesitated to rush to the hospital where most of Class 1A was being kept to check on his boy.
The sight he saw completely broke him as Midoriya was covered in casts and bandages from head to toe.
The words "Your fault" kept repeating in his mind as he had taken a seat in a chair next to his successor's bed.
For the next few days, Yagi barely left Midoriya's side as he could feel the vestiges communicating within the boy's unconsciousness by simply holding his hand.
A part of Toshinori relished that he had such a strong connection with his boy that others didn't but still found himself feeling out of the loop.
Inko, Midoriya's mother would occasionally drop by to check in on her son and seemed grateful that Izuku was being watched over despite her initial disappointment that her son was severely injured yet again.
Yagi couldn't find in himself to apologize as she burst into the room with tears on her face the first day she came by.
Inko had glanced at him with disappointment and slight anger in her eyes as the man who promised to keep her son safe sat in a chair a few meters away from her. But instead of causing a scene, Inko found herself grabbing a chair to sit next to the broken man as they watched Izuku rest.
Toshinori let the words he wanted to say die on his tongue as Inko turned to give him a melancholy expression.
At that moment the pair reached a mutual understanding; in a way, they were both grieving parents.
When Izuku finally awoke and Toshinori was forced to explain the entire situation to Inko, she didn't look surprised, but more confused if anything.
Toshinori wanted to apologize again but Midoriya beat him from saying anything as he softly told his mother of his intentions to leave to protect everyone.
All Might had suspected his boy would say something like that as the promise he had made to Inko rang out in his brain.
So while Midoriya attempted to soothe his crying mother with words of comfort, Toshinori stood forward and insisted on coming with him, not willing to take no for an answer.
Because Toshinori still had a promise to fulfill and was determined not to fail his boy again.
-
Except All Might seemed to keep failing as he stood in the cold spring rain, watching his boy take down another hired gun.
The look in Izuku's eyes contrasted greatly with that day on the beach, with no more light effortlessly shining.
The rain trickled down Toshinori's leather jacket and it hugged at his sides.
"Over already?" Toshinori asked but Midoriya lightly disregarded his comment.
"He had no useful information. It's possible he can explode too, so be careful." Midoriya said, his voice hard with a slightly dark edge to it.
Right as Yagi tried to get closer, Midoriya propelled himself forward by jumping over the tall man.
Toshinori whipped around feeling blood rise in his throat as he cried out, "Not so fast!"
Midoriya stopped and stood a few meters from Yagi, completely frozen in the rain.
Toshinori swiftly took out the usual bento he had prepared for Izuku, but the boy didn't seem to react much upon seeing it from a glance.
"Take this! You haven't eaten yet, have you." Yagi offered but was cut off by Izuku's cold voice.
"Listen, I'm good alone. You don't have to follow me." Midoriya uttered, slowly walking away from his mentor.
The man's eyes widened as his mouth slightly went agape.
"I'm fine, really. I've got this..." Izuku breathed out from behind his mask.
Toshinori suddenly felt a certain tightness around his chest as he lurched forward.
"Now hold on just a minute..." The man started but once again got cut off by Izuku.
"At this point, I'm fighting at a level comparable to you when you were at one hundred percent, and without any backlash! Don't you see-That's why..."
The words "I don't need you anymore" were left unspoken but Toshinori wasn't an idiot to know that's exactly what Midoriya was implying.
Yagi had known for a long time that Midoriya hadn't been looking back to him for approval anymore, which made him relieved to know that his successor was following his own path.
But seeing his boy like this, and him implying that he didn't need Toshinori completely shattered any resolve he had left.
It was the thing that Toshinori feared the most; being useless. The man couldn't even bring himself to tell Izuku to rest, especially now when the boy needed him most.
'You're trying to protect me. To keep me from getting caught up in your fated mission as my successor.'
Memories seemed to appear all at once for Toshinori. From meeting Izuku and getting to be a part of his life up until now. It had been a journey Toshinori hadn't expected to part take in but now he couldn't imagine his life any other way.
'Please don't push me away, Young Midoriya. Can't you see that I only want to help you?' Toshinori had wanted to say as he squeezed the bento box.
Who was Toshinori kidding? All Might had pushed away so many for the sake of protecting them when all they wanted to do was help. But like the stubborn fool he was, he put on a smile and insisted that everything was fine, which was far from it.
He would be a hypocrite to allow those words to come from his mouth now.
But the look in Midoriya's green eyes held hidden behind his mask said everything as he turned to face his mentor.
"That's why-You don't have to worry," Izuku said in a soft voice that made Toshinori's breath hitch.
'I swore that I would raise him. That I would keep him safe. But...'
Toshinori couldn't seem to stop himself as he rushed forward in an attempt to grab Midoriya by the hand. The young hero had leaped away with Yagi's hand still reaching out.
'I get it! I know what a heavy burden this is to carry alone! Which is why I want to scream at you! Don't work too hard; it's okay to take a break when you're tired.'
Toshinori missed Izuku's hand by just a few inches as he fell to the ground, letting the rain wash over his weak form.
Yagi could see Izuku in the distance, flying further away from him.
"Y-Young man, I'm sorry...' Toshinori let out as despair flooded his entire being.
The bento lay forgotten a few meters away from the crying man, reflecting all of the efforts he made to help his boy go down the drain.
As the rain struck Yagi's back, soft sobs erupted as the mental exhaustion that had been building finally caught up to him.
Once again remembering the golden specks Toshinori saw in Izuku's now dull eyes on the beach, prompted the man to utter, "Stay gold, my boy. Stay gold..."
-
A few hours later, Yagi found himself rushing to Class 1A's dorm. While the rain had finally subsided, puddles had formed over the concrete, causing a large slash whenever Toshinori's foot landed in one.
The information Stain had presented and seeing Midoriya were the only things motivating Toshinori right now. Because while All Might may no longer thrive as he had before, the dream he left behind would never die.
Such a strange thing to hear from a serial killer, but the man's words of encouragement were the only thing that made sense to Toshinori right now.
Looking into a window, relief filled Toshinori's old bones to see that his boy was safe and sound in the common room sitting next to Todoroki.
When Todoroki had pointed All Might out, Midoriya jumped from his seat and looked at Toshinori like he'd seen a ghost.
Toshinori grimaced and shyly waved at the boys to let him in.
Once inside, Yagi didn't hesitate to express his apologies as he lowered his head in shame.
"I am here to apologize for not being of any use, Young Midoriya!"
Izuku looked bewildered and responded by telling All Might it wasn't his fault while Mina scolded the older man for his recklessness.
Yagi warily lifted his head and informed the awake members of Class 1A that the final battle was approaching.
Even if all he could do was crawl, Toshinori was still determined to fight.
"The details aren't important at the moment, but there's new intel. We should have more information in the coming days and we'll need everyone's help, even mine."
Toshinori looked at his right hand and clutched it with resolve. "This body may limit my usefulness, but I'll do my best."
"All Might..." Izuku started and Toshinori lifted his gaze to meet the boy's.
"The food you brought me gave me the strength to keep going," Midoriya said with such sincerity that it almost made Toshinori want to cry.
Midoriya then looked at his own scarred hand and said, "I'm sure that I lost my way because I distanced myself from you, so from now on...We fight! Side by side."
"Let's protect the world!" Iida added, enthusiasm overtaking his features.
Toshinori smiled. "Thank you all."
Pride swelled within Yagi looking back at how much Midoriya and his class have grown. Now, he had to be willing to help carve a path to ensure their success.
'I'll show these kids that I can stand by their side.'
Toshinori bid Class 1A goodnight as he stood in between the doorway of the dorm's main entrance.
Despite a few of the students' protests, Toshinori could not delay passing on the information he received from Stain to Endeavor and the other heroes.
As Toshinori walked down the steps and onto the main walkway, he thought back to Young Midoriya and silently wished he had more time to properly apologize to him. But knowing after the day his boy has had, Toshinori knew he needed his rest.
Just as Yagi made it near the main campus, he was stopped in place when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
"All Might!" Midoriya exclaimed as he stopped a few meters away from the man with green sparks flying around his body.
Due to the distance Yagi had made by walking, Midoriya had likely used three percent of One For All to catch up to him.
Blood spewed from Toshinori's mouth as he scolded the boy. "Young Midoriya, what on earth are you doing?! You're supposed to be resting!"
Midoriya panted as he caught his breath, the dark circles under his eyes becoming visible for Toshinori to see.
The guilt came back to Toshinori in full force, reminding him why his boy looked so exhausted in the first place.
There were a few brief moments of silence until Midoriya tilted his head up to look at his mentor and bravely closed the gap between them with a hug.
To say that Toshinori was shocked was an understatement. When it came to physical affection, Toshinori was always initiating it with a simple head pat as Izuku would usually shy away.
But right now, with the boy's arms wrapped around him so delicately, twisted something inside Toshinori. Perhaps some form of fatherly love.
"I-I just wanted to apologize for how I acted back then. You wanted to help me but I just kept pushing you away-I'm so sorry, All Might..." Izuku murmured into the older man's shirt, tears threatening to spill.
Yagi wrapped his own arms around Midoriya and placed his head on top of his boy's mountain of green curls.
Oh, Toshinori had missed this.
"My boy, I should be the one apologizing. I couldn't help you, even as you were suffering right in front of me. You leaving behind did hurt but I was more concerned about your well-being. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you..."
"All Might..." Izuku wept as he clung to the older man like a lost child.
"I'm here my boy, I'm here..." Toshinori reassured, not once did he consider letting his boy go.
Once Midoriya's crying died down to the occasional sniffles, Yagi finally felt secure enough to loosen his grip on the boy.
Green eyes met electric blue as Toshinori spoke, "Young Midoriya, just remember that you can always come to me if you need help or even your friends. I never wanted you to feel like One For All was a burden you must carry alone-I especially don't want you to turn out like me, rejecting help from others even when I was too weak to stand."
An image of Nighteye and that last conversation they had appeared in the back of Toshinori's mind but he quickly put his attention back on Izuku.
The boy still somehow looked conflicted as he spoke his next few words. "I-I know, All Might. I realize that now..."
"Promise me, Izuku," Toshinori stated, addressing Izuku by his name for emphasis.
Midoriya's eyes shot up as his ears turned slightly red in embarrassment. "I-I promise!"
Toshinori chuckled and went to pat the boy's head. "We'll work on it, you prince of nonsense."
Midoriya held a lopsided smile as he stared at his mentor in awe. When Yagi finally removed his hand from Midoriya's head he got a good look at the kid's eyes.
When Toshinori looked into Izuku's eyes on the beach that day there was a light reflecting a vision of hope and justice.
Even if the light in Izuku's eyes had faded, his ability to see the good in people hadn't. Except compared to back then, Izuku's green eyes had been innocent and thriving and now despite the kid's relaxed demeanor, Toshinori could see ripples of pain in those eyes.
But whatever happened next, Toshinori was certain of one thing, he would do his best to stay alive to ensure his successor's future. The spark that remained inside Izuku wouldn't be snuffed out so easily.
"All Might?" Midoriya said, breaking Toshinori out of his train of thought.
Yagi awkwardly realized he had been staring at Midoriya silently this whole time, which was evident based on the boy's confused expression.
"I'm alright, my boy, I was just thinking. I'd better walk you back to the dorms. Don't want your classmates to think you ran out without telling them anything."
"Uh, yeah." Midoriya sheepishly smiled as he tugged at the front of his green locks.
Toshinori noticed Izuku's change in behavior and his eyes widened. "Don't tell me-You didn't..."
"I may have managed to slip away while everyone wasn't looking..." Midoriya trailed off, a guilty look on his face.
With the cute expression Midoriya was making, Yagi couldn't even find it within himself to be mad as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Come on, let's get you back before your class starts to think you ran away again, Mr. Vigilante."
Midoriya let out a noise of embarrassment but let himself be taken back to the dorms with his mentor close by.
Toshinori finally understood what that American poet was trying to say and while good things don't last forever, remaining true to yourself in the darkest of situations is the best thing anyone can do.
Especially when Toshinori had Izuku by his side.