Two days later...
Oro's eyes slowly opened. Where... where am I? What happened...?
He realized he was in a hospital bed when he saw his bandages and the surroundings.
"I... I don't recall anything about what happened..." Oro muttered, clutching his still-spinning head. "I only remember that my brother Satoru is actually a Villain and he's been one this whole time..."
Someone burst into the room. "Oro-san, you're awake!"
"Young... Kirishima..." Oro muttered. "I'm glad you only needed a few patches... I mean, look at me... I'm the Number One Hero, and I'm reduced to this..."
"Don't say these things, Oro-san," Kirishima said. "We just finished consoling Todoroki, so I thought you might appreciate a visit too, given what you're going through..."
"Thanks, Young Kirishima..."
Kirishima took a few steps closer to the Hero. "Oro-san... is Shirakawa really a Villain...?"
"His name is Satoru Akiyama," Oro corrected him. "Hideki Shirakawa is just an alias he was using to go undercover. And... yes, he really is a villain."
"But... how can it be? I mean, he seemed the nicest person to me..."
"Appearances can be deceiving, Young Kirishima..."
Oro clenched his fists and gripped the sheets of the bed. "I can't fight him... he's my brother... I'm supposed to save him, but I don't know how willing he is to come with me..."
"Oro-san..." Kirishima tried to console him. "Do you remember our mission at the Shie Hassaikai?"
Oro, with his eyes welling up with tears, nodded.
"Do you remember how your brother Satoru fought against Chisaki and beat the shit out of him?"
Oro nodded once again.
"Do you want to know what I thought in that moment?"
Oro nodded for the third time.
"I thought, 'Wow, Oro-san's brother really is manly!'"
There was a moment of silence. Then Oro spoke up again. "I'm going to bring him back."
"Huh?" Kirishima tilted his head. "What do you mean, Oro-san?"
"I have a theory, which was actually confirmed by All For One before I was knocked off by him," Oro explained. "Since Satoru now has All For One's power, he can now be manipulated by the Villain All For One. It's different from Shigaraki, though; Shigaraki inherited the real AFO, while Satoru's is just a perfect copy, but still, my brother can be mind-controlled by AFO. I think that's what he's been doing during the entire time of the war."
"So you're telling me..." Kirishima said. "That Akiyama is a Villain, but he was mind-controlled by All For One?"
Oro nodded.
"Oro-san, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah."
"Everyone here has been saying that Shigaraki mentioned something called 'One For All.' It looks like Midoriya has this so-called One For All, and he's been very close to All Might. So my question is: since you were trained by All Might when you were a kid, do you know what this One For All thing is?"
"Yes, but I can't tell you. Not until Toshi--I mean, All Might doesn't allow me to."
"Oh, I see. Now, if you don't mind, I must go check on my friends. But... it was nice to talk to you, Oro-san."
"The pleasure was mine, Young Kirishima," Oro prolonged his fist towards Kirishima. "Stay manly."
Kirishima smiled and banged his fist with Oro's. Then, he left.
__________
Todoroki's Room
I can't believe it... Shoto thought. Not only did I find out that Toya-nii is still alive, but I also found out that Hideki, the one I thought was my best friend, is a villain too... Hideki, why...?
Shoto grabbed the sheets of the bed. He was devastated. Suddenly, someone entered the room. "Shoto."
Shoto looked to his left. "Fuyumi-nee... Natsu-nii..."
"Don't talk, Shoto," said Natsu. "We know your throat is burned."
Someone else entered the room, and Shoto's eyes widened.
__________
Back inside Oro's Room
Oro was looking at the ceiling and wiping away his tears, wondering if he could save his brother, whose mental sanity was already a long-distant memory.
Someone entered the room, but this time, it wasn't a courtesy visit.
"Wassup, Hikaru?" Hawks and Best Jeanist entered the room.
"Keigo... Tsunagu..." Oro muttered, looking at them. "What... what are you doing here...?"
"We've come to check if you were okay," said Hawks. "And also to ask you something."
Hawks walked closer to the window. "It's hell out there right now."
"Yeah..." Oro muttered.
"Shigaraki, Dabi, Himiko Toga, Spinner, Skeptic, Mato, and 132 members of the Paranormal Liberation Front. Furthermore, there are also seven High-End Nomus out there. There's no trace of them. And, speaking of Mato... he is your brother, right?"
Oro nodded.
"So you're telling me that Satoru Akiyama, Hideki Shirakawa, and the Villain Mato are the same person?" asked Best Jeanist.
"Yeah," said Oro. "Satoru Akiyama is his real name, Hideki Shirakawa is his alias, and Mato is his Villain name."
"Don't forget his Hero name, 'Dark Matter,'" Hawks added.
"I don't think he'll want to use it now..." Oro said.
"Hikaru, you want to save your brother from losing his mind, right?" Hawks asked.
"Yup," Oro answered.
"Then why don't we make a Team-Up? We already asked Endeavor. We're the Top Four Heroes in the country, it'll be convenient, don't you think?"
"Why do you want to help me?" Oro asked. "I'm the older brother of a criminal..."
"And I'm a friend of the brother of a criminal," said Hawks, prolonging his hand to Oro. "I want to help the Heroes who are trying to do the right thing. The responsibility is not only yours just because you're the Number One."
Oro grabbed Hawks' hand. "Thanks, Keigo. Let's do this. Even if I think I'll need some time to get up from this bed..."
"Anyway," said Hawks. "What's this One For All thing?"
"You're the second person who asks me," said Oro. "I know what it is, but I don't have permission to tell it. You should ask All Might."
"I see," said Hawks. "When you can stand up, reach us, okay?"
Oro nodded.
I don't care if I'll be forced to break every single bone in your body, Satoru... I'm your older brother, and I'll do whatever it takes to save you and make you realize how much of a pure soul you are!
Chapter 68 - End