The Emperor's Dragon

The Price of Loyalty

Mirai hadn't exactly been dreading this conversation but he had known it was coming. He'd thought it would be earlier but they'd been distracted by Juhin's escape, which everyone knew was not an escape.

It just confirmed to All Might that All For One was truly still alive. The Number One Hero didn't want to entertain other possibilities. Which is why they were here.

At least there were no witnesses. They were back at their agency, in one of the completely soundproof rooms. It was late, so the staff were home but it was doubtful that Yagi would have allowed this to be public anyway.

"Did you see him?" Yagi asked. There was a quiet resignation in his question.

Sir Nighteye tilted his head in askance.

"In your vision," All Might clarified.

The image came back. A man with All For One's stature, suit and powers but... that mask... Was he overthinking it? "Possibly," he admitted, holding up one hand. "There was a battle," he explained. "Your last battle," Mirai added.

"Against him?"

"Maybe. The man had a very complicated mask. None of his face was visible."

"But was it him?"

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "It could be," he replied. "Or it could be his reanimated corpse. It could be his clone. It could be someone with the same build, and the mask is to hide the real identity!"

Yagi held out his hand. "Look again," he ordered. It was an instruction to find out. To go to that vision and look at everything closely. "You avoided telling me last time."

He shouldn't be surprised that the deliberate change of subject then had been noticed. All Might was more than an overly muscled lughead.

"I won't see anything new," Mirai was firm in his statement. He didn't want to see that again. "Either you ambushed him or he ambushed you. You know I can't see any more than what you could have seen, and there was no time when the mask was gone."

Toshinori still held out his hand. It was odd. He'd always believed him before and now, even when he'd told All Might everything he still wanted more.

There had been one time in that battle when it appeared the mask might have come off but before it happened, All Might and whoever that was had been interrupted by a creature. The other man, the one who could be All For One had backed away as the creature had taken up the fight. It had huge teeth, long talons and glowing poisonous eyes.

No creature should be able to stand up to All Might, but it had. The man who might have been All For One had backed away slightly and had held his hand out. It was almost as if he was controlling the creature or lending it strength. Mirai hadn't been able to see anything pass between them but he was sure something had.

And he didn't want to remember anything further. Not the way Toshinori had slipped by the creature to attack the man who might be All For One. Not the way he'd landed a hit, only to be struck from behind. Not the way Yagi's blood had stained the creature's teeth. Not the way its claws had raked across his body. Not the way his eyes had-

No! He was going to change that future!

"I die, don't I?" Toshinori asked. It wasn't really a question.

He didn't reply.

"Discounting your vision," Yagi said when it became clear he wasn't going to answer that. He already had. He'd said it was All Might's last battle. "You knew before that." There was no doubt in the way he looked at him.