She had tried. God, she had tried.
Nana Shimura. The seventh wielder of One For All.
The seventh to lose against All For One's ploys.
And now, Toshi had been forced to carry the burden, all because she had failed . She's left so many people behind. Her successor. Her friends. Her family. Her- She's left too many people behind. But how's that new? When she had-
"Yo, we all have our stories, Nana." Isamu hung his arm around his successor, interrupting her inner turmoil.
Nana sometimes wondered what the young man could have aged to look like. "Do you-" She sighed, "Do you ever miss life before this?" She had only joined the rest of the users a few months ago and since then, that question had replayed in her mind constantly, because truly, how were the rest of the users able to just watch and not do ?
The younger man continued to stare ahead, at their Eighth wielder having a hearty chat with his new friend, David Shield. "...I try not to think about it. What's the point in missing something that can never be reality again?" His voice was layered over a thick mellowness.
Emi overheard their conversation and turned towards her companions, her hand still holding Aki's. "Dear, it will be hard to move on. But we've all been through it."
Kenji whispered from his position on the floor, "Trying to communicate with the real world before realising we don't belong there anymore..."
"It's hard." Riku shifted his eyes to his shoes.
Yasushi murmured, also laying on the hard floor, "Cry, yell, let it all out. And then mo ve on ."
"We can still support Yagi. Still have people to talk to. Still have a family to walk with." Aki placed his free hand on Nana's shoulder in unison with Emi's own.
She let out a watery smile, ignoring the tears drowning her vision; she whispered, "Thank you."
Despite all her years spent alive, it was only after death that Nana learned just how much a hug could help.
Even if that hug came from six spirits.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
(It turned out Nana had been clinging to far more pain than she had thought possible. Even getting to watch Toshi live didn't stop the hurt, but it did make things just a little more bearable)
Toshinori had recently come back to Japan, and all of the past users enjoyed the scenery they had grown up with as the eight of them walked to Sorahiko's household. Don't get them wrong! America was great! Especially for Toshinori's growth! But Japan held a special place in the spirits' hearts. After all, it was where they had taken their final stands.
"Yo, can't wait to see Gran Torino! I wonder how much he shrunk!" Isamu chirped. Nana smiled as she noticed the rest of the wielders' eagerness to see her old friend again.
Emi chided, "Probably no more than an inch, dear."
Riku nodded in agreement, "Probably," he said as he gazed at the lovely scenery.
"The kid better get the old man some of those taiyaki," Kenji stated as he noticed a bakery shop come into view.
On the opposite side of the road, just a little way from the bakery was a rather large house. Yasushi squinted, noticing a family nameplate, "Oi, Nana? I don't remember you living over here?"
Nana frowned, "No, I didn't live anywhere near here." The house was a lot larger than her own had been. More suitable for a...family.
Aki eyed the entrance to the house with growing concern, "I believe that the Shimura nameplate says otherwise," he said as he recalled that Nana had a son.
As Toshinori entered the small bakery that Kenji had pointed out to get Sorahiko's beloved cakes, the spirits parted ways from Toshinori. Due to their limited distance, they could only stand a few steps into the front garden.
At the same time, a man with black hair assisted a woman as they stepped out of the house, "Careful there, Nao."
The woman huffed, "Honestly, Kotaro, you're more stressed than me. And I'm the pregnant one."
"Kotaro...?" Kenji frowned, remembering the name.
Isamu murmured, "Oh...snap."
"Dear..." Emi brought her hand to her chest in quiet surprise, as she turned to face her friend with concern.
Nana's mind swirled. H-he's a grown man? A-and he's going to have a child? Had it been that long?
Kotaro chuckled as he held his partner's hand, "Hey, can you blame me? Our little family is expanding! Your parents are really excited, and it's my job to make sure you're okay!"
"Our parents." Nao reminded before allowing him to guide her down the steps.
Kotaro tsked, "My parents- in-law are beyond excited. My own would never be interested."
Nausea swirled unrestrained in Nana's stomach.
"Oh, you don't know that." Nao hooked her arm with her husbands, as they began to walk to their car.
With clear disbelief in his eyes, Kotaro huffed. "Sure. Why would someone abandon their child if they loved them?" He ignored the small frown his wife sent his way, as he opened the car door for her.
Even the colours of spring dulled as Nana flinched.
"She just wanted to get rid of me," he murmured to himself once he closed the car door for his wife.
Nana thrust her arms out forwards, clawing the air as she tried to get closer to her son. "No, no, no! My baby boy! I love you! I didn't get rid of you by choice!"
Life continued on without her. Of course! Her son found love! He had a lovely child! He had a loving home.
He was content with his life!
Her eyes glistened at the thought that she could have been a grandmother. She could have met her daughter in law. She could have been watching over them. She could have been there .
A sudden yank tugged the spirits back a few steps. Riku turned around to find the Eighth walking out of the shop with a small bag.
Nana continued her cries, desperate for her child to hear her. "I was forced to! Please believe me! I love you!"
The past users shared glances amongst themselves but refused to intervene. They had all had their moment of realising the extent of their condition, the severity, and now it was Nana's turn. Instead, they simply stood by her side in silent support for their Seventh.
She watched as Kotaro walked around the car with long strides before she and the rest of the spirits felt themselves being pulled even further away.
"Toshi no! Go back! Toshi!!" Nana screamed relentlessly, tears cascading down as she continued banging her hands through her successor's back.
Forget being back in Japan again, she wanted to see her child .
She had just seen her son again, after too many years. She wanted to apologise. To correct her actions. To redo the past. But she couldn't.
She was already dead .
But at the very least, she wanted to see how much her son had grown! To learn about her daughter-in-law . To at least know how Kotaro was doing!
So she continued to plead and cry at Toshinori as he continued to walk onwards without hearing a single note of her pain.
Emi soon pulled her off the current user of One For All and into her warm arms as the rest of the predecessors comforted Nana.
Even once Toshinori had left Sorahiko's home, Nana was still murmuring apologies to her son while she rested on Emi's shoulder.
She wanted to be heard . To communicate. To apologise .
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
(There were enjoyable times as well. Like when her student smashed Tsukauchi's face. Oh that was something , for sure.)
"Once again, I am so sorry sir!" Toshinori repeated, guilt plainly written on his face.
Tsukauchi chuckled, "Listen, Yagi, was it? I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine, really."
"Sure... a bruise that's probably gonna stay there for weeks is totally fine." Yasushi dryly noted.
"Probably because he hasn't seen it yet."
"That, and he's most likely numb."
"Oh, definitely."
"Toshinori! What did you do this time!?" Recovery Girl yapped.
"Yo, he in trouble ."
The tall man waved his hands frantically, his eyes widened slightly, "Please don't tell Gran! But, I may or may not have accidentally punched someone in the face..."
Emi winced as she witnessed Recovery Girl thwack her cane on the Eighth's head.
"Ah, to face Recovery Girl's wrath? That's a friendship in the works." Aki approved.
Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow. To get a Pro Hero so quickly? Nonetheless, one of the best healers. Only heroes were able to contact someone like Recovery Girl so quickly. "Oh, Recovery Girl? Then you must be a hero too, Yagi?" The blonde appeared to be more on the lean side, but he could see it. In fact, he almost looked like a slender version of...
"Ah, actually," Toshinori averted his eyes to his watch. "I work as All Might's secretary."
Nana couldn't help but snort. Toshi had appointed himself as All Might's secretary without any office experience.
Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow, perhaps in disbelief, before joking. "Really? I would have thought you were All Might! With your similar appearances."
"What is he? A detective?" Yasushi's eyes widened.
"Anyway," the young man laughed, "I'm Detective Tsukauchi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Yagi."
"A detective." Kenji solemnly confirmed.
Toshinori blinked before awkwardly gesturing to himself, "Pshh! No! I'm not All Might! Of course not!"
" Smooth ." Riku chortled.
This time, both of Tsukauchi's eyebrows shot up with wide eyes. After minutes of silence, he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily, "... You know, I probably should have said this sooner, but I have a lie detection quirk."
Isamu deepened his voice as he attempted to hang his arm around the Eighth, "It was at this moment, he knew that he fu-"
Nana drowned out the sounds surrounding her, feeling guilty even now for wanting to do more than just watch.
Yes, it was funny. Recovery girl was definitely going to scold Toshi some more.
Oh, but if she was there .
Ruffle some hair. Make a few jokes. Make a few more friends. Save a few more lives. Because sitting around and waiting for things to happen without her...
It hurt.
Because even then, she yearned to do .
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
(Toshinori was quite the opposite. He did too much, at times.)
"You should retire." Sir Nighteye stood his ground.
Aki tsked, "I believe retirement is considered during your sixties, not your early forties ." Having watched All Might's growth from a young age, Aki strongly believed that the man wouldn't even consider retirement when he started growing grey hairs.
"Everyone's... looking for me..." Al Might stumbled forward, ignoring the apprehensive looks from Gran Torino, Recovery Girl and Nedzu.
Nighteye continued, his eyes searching for any signs of hesitation in All Might. Of course, there were none in a man who wanted nothing more than to help the world. "If you keep being a hero with that body, it'll just make everyone suffer. Find someone cheerful, strong and approachable - someone like you- and entrust it to them."
"Yo, All Might can choose when he's ready. It's his quirk," Isamu asserted as he crossed his arms.
Kenji blurted, after thinking of the Eighth's injuries, "Does it matter when Yagi is halfway on death's door?"
"He's the symbol of peace. Too many people rely on him." Emi sighed and leaned onto Aki's shoulder.
Yasushi emphasised, "Which was irrational, for someone that has to wield a transferable quirk."
"It's not like Toshi's ideal choice will just meet him on the rooftop one day," Nana snorted.
"...We weren't all ideal choices," Riku corrected.
The spirits' argument dried out once more, not only due to the sensitive direction of the topic but also because it was one of those arguments that revolved around doing something. Whether it's who didn't clean the dishes or who murdered who.
There wasn't much of a point in arguing when it would never be able to impact the real world.
Nighteye points out, "But see. You can't smile at all, can you? If you continue with your hero activities like this..."
Isamu slid over to stand in front of All Might's sidekick and pointed a finger. "Yo, Nighteye my man, don't you dare say it."
Nana, along with the rest of the wielders, pleaded. "Toshi doesn't have many people supporting him like you! You have been a supporting pillar to him! Please!"
"...Then I will not support you." He declared.
The past users did not like the direction of the conversation whatsoever.
"...I'm here because I wanted to help you! All Might! If you continue like this, you'll face off against a villain and die an unspeakably gruesome death!"
They watched as Nighteye and All Might parted ways after that argument.
"We never stood a chance, did we," Kenji sighed. Nighteye's last words before separation reeled over the spirits' heads, with a dark feeling settling in the pits of their stomachs. Because, truly, there was only one man who could be the cause of All Might's fall.
The spirits all mimicked him as the glum aura surrounded them. But soon lifted their heads to find the first wielder chuckling to himself, "That's the sad part, isn't it? We could have..."
"What..?" Yasushi frowned.
Aki faced the large glass window of the hospital hallway. "Are you aware of Dr Yanamei's Quirk Origin Theory?"
"Yo, that the quirks are descendants of the children of mythical creatures?" Isamu proposed before following Emi to stand near the First.
"No, not that." He chuckled as he casually put his hands in his trouser pockets.
Kenji looked to his hand before recalling, "...That every quirk has its rightful holder, and will only ever work to its full potential with them?" He along with Riku joined them at the window.
Aki nodded, his eyes searching between the stars above, "Remember, One For All derived from two quirks. Mine, the ability to transfer a quirk, only enhanced the original stockpiling ability. We could have given One For All back to him."
"Him?" Nana raised an eyebrow, as she and Riku also made their way forward. She wasn't told much about the man who had given away his incredible gift. Just that the quirk had been passed on to Aki.
"He gave up his quirk at 14 years old."
Nana, Kenji, and Isamu gasped in unison. By choice or force? Peer pressure or self-hate? Questions overflowed Nana's mind, because how much more was there to the stockpile holder? In fact, why wasn't he here with the rest of the spirits, if the stockpile was the base of the quirk?
"And yet, the lovely dear stuck by One For All's side for over 20 years." Emi sighed as she laced her hands together.
"Did he know..?" Riku asked.
Aki let out a quiet exhalation of amusement, "Who knows? Whether he knew or not, he never asked for his quirk back." He raised his hand and pointed to the night sky above.
That night, Nana learned of the man with the stockpiling ability and his origin.
Only past users knew of the Zeroth wielder.
If only a current user could be told.
If only she could tell Toshi. Maybe things would be different.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
Emi sighed as she adjusted Izuku's unconscious form into a much more comfortable position, "Well, this is different."
"Would you prefer for me to give you some time, Toshi?" Detective Tsukauchi asked as he placed his pen and notepad back into his pocket.
Toshinori chuckled, "I am fine with you here, my friend."
"As are we. :) " Riku wrote down.
Tsukauchi nodded with an appreciative smile, "Well, how shall we do this? Perhaps introductions are in order?"
"Well, you already know me, but Tsukachi, I am Toshi's predecessor. Call me Nana."
"Yo, I'm the one that found the incredible Nana and taught her all she knew!" Boink. Isamu sent a glare over his shoulder to his attacker, before continuing, "The name's Isamu!"
Toshinori never got to hear how his mentor had been chosen, but to even be able to communicate with the rather upbeat wielder was enlightening.
"Kenji, the fifth wielder. Yagi, kid, you've grown! I remember back when you had those skinny noodles arms!"
Toshinori waved his hands, "Ah no, please call me Toshinori, especially since you all refer to each other on a first-name basis."
"Oi, but let's not forget that Yagi Toshinori had managed to punch Tsukauchi in the face, with those arms. I'm Yasushi, the fourth user. "
Toshinori rubbed his hand against the back of his neck bashfully and sent an apologetic look to his friends once more before tilting his head, "How come you guys know about that? Nana wasn't there...?"
Nana quickly jumped back into writing, "Actually we were! The moment I had passed on One For All to you, one by one the past wielders became attached to you and watched you grow and become the hero you strived to be. So when I was no longer physically around, I joined them!"
Fascinating. But how are they able to now communicate...?
"Riku, third. Nice to meet you."
Emi frowned, noting the paper and pencil to be lighter than they had been before. Nonetheless, she held up her sheet. "It's lovely to meet you both. I am Emi, the second user, dear."
"Aki, the first."
Both Naomasa and Toshinori's breaths hitched as they realised that the person they were communicating with was none other than All For One's brother. The man who had cultivated this power along with the rest of Toshinori's predecessors.
"I'm sure you have lots to catch up with Nana, dear," Emi consoled.
Aki continued, "But, unfortunately, there's quite a lot to discuss. One of our biggest concerns being the Nomu."
Nana watched on as Aki began to explain their concerns, her thoughts drifting away.
She had Toshinori back now. Including Izuku? She had two out of three of her boys...Perhaps she would be able to see Kotarou soon, as well.
In fact, with Izuku, maybe they won't have to just watch.
Maybe they could do.