The Successor (My Hero Academia)

 

Truth be told, he was spoiled for choice. But some of his options had to be discarded. Even when he narrowed it down to just three women, Nezu found himself singling out one above the other two.

 

Fuyumi Todoroki might have been able to get nice and close to Izuku as the School Guidance Counselor, but she was too soft… not made for undercover work. Meanwhile, Nemuri, aka Midnight, was a bit too much of a known quantity, wasn’t she? Sure, Nezu could trust her the most… but at the same time, she was one of the few ‘old guard’ left behind. Her status as his spy would be too obvious.

 

That just left those among the new guard who Nezu could be confident that neither All for One nor Izuku had gotten to yet. Those who had perfect, sterling records… at least on paper. Among his choices, one stood out better than most. One who had gotten her hands dirty for the Hero Commission, which was about as far away from All for One as you could possibly get. She was perfect for a little undercover work, Nezu figured…

 

-x-X-x-

 

“Tell me Lady Nagant, what do you know of All for One?”

 

… It was a hell of a question to sit down to. Nagant can’t help but freeze in place for the briefest of moments before managing to get herself under control, but even that is too much, she can already tell. UA’s inhuman Principal just nods as though he expected as much and taps a claw on his desk as he lets out a sigh.

 

“I thought so. Someone in your line of work would probably have run into the name once or twice, right? It’s perfectly understandable.”

 

Wait, what? Nagant pauses at that… and then breathes. As she does so, her perception of time speeds up and the world itself almost seems to slow down around her. This is not a part of her Quirk, this is in fact a skill, completely trained over decades of hard work. With it, she can take in the moment and give herself a little bit longer to actually process what the Principal, her new employer, was saying to her.

 

For a second there, she’d thought he knew. Calling her into his office, mentioning All for One… it seemed clear to Nagant that Nezu must have known how she reached UA in the first place.

 

But no. His second question put that in doubt. If he’d actually known about her and about her past, he wouldn’t have said something like that… right?

 

Slowly exhaling, Nagant focuses on relaxing as best as possible, even as she offers a single stoic nod in Nezu’s direction.

 

“I am… aware of the title, yes.”

 

This seems to please mouse-man, who hums a little bit before continuing.

 

“… What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room, Lady Nagant. I must know that I can trust you with this information… not even the Hero Commission can know about this.”

 

… He really didn’t know, did he? Nagant resists the urge to blink owlishly, even as she pretends to think about it for a second before slowly nodding again.

 

“When I came here, it was a clean break Mr. Principal. I have no more ties to the Hero Commission. None whatsoever.”

 

Nezu gives her a knowing look at that.

 

“No official ties maybe, but I know how you humans operate. I’m sure you still have friends in the organization. Still… I will trust you to say nothing to them all the same.”

 

Heh, if only he knew. Still, now her curiosity was piqued. Nagant sits quietly until Nezu finally continues on.

 

“All for One is dead. Shocking as that may be, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Before his death… one of his final acts was to get you and all of the other new hires at UA this year into the school.”

 

So he DID know?! Nagant stiffens again, eyes widening in surprise. She already knew All for One was dead, truth be told. She’d done her own investigation into that. But for Nezu to know about the other thing… didn’t that mean he knew everything else?!

 

“I know, I know. That might be shocking to hear. I’m sure to you, your departure from the Hero Commission and arrival here at UA seemed perfectly natural and the result of your own choices. But that’s how All for One worked. He was a master manipulator and ultimately loved moving people around like pieces on a shogi board. Tch… the faculty changes at UA this year were his last and greatest manipulation… but they were ham-fisted. Rushed through. Truth be told, it’s surprising that nobody died for his plans to work out but here we are all the same.”

 

… He didn’t. Holy fuck, talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. Nagant grips at the arms of her chair at this point, not really sure what to do or say. Thankfully, Nezu doesn’t read into her reaction anymore than what he wants to see on the surface.

 

“As I said though, All for One is already dead. Whatever he was hoping to do with UA… those plans died with him. However… however, here is where things get rather tricky. And this is the information I must implore you not to let leave this room or the sanctity of your mind. For you see… All for One had a son.”

 

Wait, what? For the first time in this conversation, Nezu has dropped an actual bombshell on Nagant. Floored, the purple-haired sniper sits back in her chair. Nezu just nods, looking like he once again expected such a reaction. Heh, if only he knew the truth.

 

She was born Kaina Tsutsumi, but it had been a long time since Lady Nagant had thought of herself by that name. This was for one simple reason… she’d lived and breathed the Pro Hero life as a member of the Hero Commission for decades at this point. A long time ago, in her youth, the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission had personally extended an invitation for her to join their agency.

 

At the time, she’d accepted wholeheartedly, filled with excitement and enthusiasm over becoming one of the best Pro Heroes the world had ever seen. And early on… it had been fine. Great, even. She’d trained and trained to use her Rifle Quirk to its fullest potential, becoming not just a successful Pro Hero, but the best marksman in Japan. She’d become a role model for others, someone that people idolized and looked up to. That had made her feel good, Nagant could admit. She’d been proud to carry the name Lady Nagant, back then.

 

But then things had changed. Not all at once. Not on the turn of a dime or anything like that. No… it had been slow. Insidiously so. Little by little, Nagant had found herself used by the Commission for more… unsavory purposes. Classified Missions that, on their face, certainly seemed like they were important and necessary and all that good stuff.

 

Their world was one filled with Heroes but also Villains. And unfortunately, the way the dynamic worked, Heroes wound up being more reactionary than not most of the time. The villains attacked and the Pro Heroes swooped in to save the day. But rarely did that come without damage, without casualties. By the very nature of how it worked, the Heroes never got to stop the Villains before they even got started. Not usually.

 

That was where Nagant had come in. The Hero Commission’s intelligence agency was second to none, constantly on the look out for villains both old and new who were planning attacks of terrorism. And Nagant had been the perfect weapon to dispose of these villains before they could ever carry out their heinous crimes in the first place.

 

At first, it had all made perfect sense to her. More than that, even if it didn’t make sense… she’d put her trust, every last bit of it, into the President of the Commission. He was the man who originally recruited her after all, so how could he be wrong, right?

 

But then it had stopped being just villains. Her targets had started to include her fellow heroes as well. Corrupt of course. Criminals one and all, but too highly placed for the Commission to do anything about. She’d seen the information. Seen how they twisted and corrupted the title of Pro Hero for their own ends, rather than to actually help people.

 

And yet… and yet it all began to weigh on her. It all began to build up, until Nagant was left feeling trapped. She had never wanted to be a murderer, despite the implied lethality of her Quirk. Early on she’d used her Rifle Quirk conscientiously, saving lives and disabling enemies without killing them outright. But more and more she’d found herself shooting to kill. Shooting to rid the world of certain individuals that the Commission claimed were ‘doing it harm’.

 

But where did it end? Where did such a blood-soaked road come to a close?

 

As it turned out, it ended with Nagant’s barrel smoking and the President of the Hero Commission dead at his desk from a gunshot to the head.

 

That should have been the end of her freedom. That should have been the moment that she was arrested and locked up for her crimes. Nagant had almost been ready for it. Not because of her final murder, but because of all of the murders before it.

 

Except… that wasn’t what had happened. Because just after she’d killed the President of the Hero Commission, HE had made himself known. All for One had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, introduced himself, and told her he could help. That he could make it all… ‘go away’.

 

Nagant had wavered. Part of her had said to shoot him then and there and let the consequences come for her… but she’d been so tired. So tired of death. Of killing. And at the same time, she didn’t want to go to prison. She didn’t want to wind up in Tartarus, more than likely. So yes, she’d let him help her under the single caveat that she would never, ever kill for him.

 

She’d expected that to be a deal breaker truth be told. Why else would a man like All for One want her, other than to use her abilities for his own end? But to her shock, he’d readily agreed. He’d told her he didn’t want her to kill for him… that that wasn’t to be her ‘purpose’. And then he’d helped her, making it all go away.

 

Finding out just how deep All for One had already sunk his claws into the Commission was an eye-opening experience for Nagant. Not only had he managed to turn the President’s death into an ‘accident’ and divorced it from her altogether… he’d also managed to have her records with the Commission sealed and then wiped clean after the fact. He’d shown her himself… if anyone ever tried to unseal her records, they would find nothing. The data had been completely erased.

 

Nagant hadn’t known how to feel about that. Nor had she known how to feel when All for One finally told her what she’d be doing for him. She was to join UA as one of their Heroics Teachers in the coming year, and act as his mole on the inside.

 

It wasn’t killing, at least. And… he’d done quite a lot for her in the end. So there she was, signing on with UA, becoming a member of its faculty, and suddenly teaching a bunch of kids about how to be Pro Heroes. It was like something out of a fever dream.

 

And then things got even stranger, because contact with All for One abruptly… stopped. Just prior to the school year starting, communication ceased. Nagant had of course investigated. She’d looked into things. Just enough to confirm the baffling truth… All for One was dead. He was dead and as far as she could tell, he’d told no one about their deal. He’d handled it all personally from start to finish, leaving no point of contact to continue blackmailing her after he was gone.

 

It still didn’t entirely make sense to her. Except… except maybe it did now. Staring at Nezu, Nagant’s eyes narrow.

 

“All for One has a son.”

 

The inhuman Principal nods solemnly.

 

“A young man who I believe to be untainted by All for One’s evil. Especially seeing how… well, this young man was forced to kill his own father when All for One kidnapped him and tried to use him for his own ends.”

 

Nagant hadn’t looked that far into it, so this is another bombshell for her. Perhaps she should have. Perhaps she should have looked MUCH further into this.

 

“His name is Izuku Midoriya.”

 

That causes the markswoman to jolt. She doesn’t know EVERY student’s name, but she knows most of the students in the Heroics Classes at this point, and Izuku Midoriya is a name that has come up more than any of the others. Her eyes narrow even further as she assimilates this information.

 

“I have good reason to believe that Izuku is a young man of strong moral fiber and sterling character. However… I also have my doubts I’m afraid. And I want those doubts laid to rest.”

 

Ah. Now she was starting to see where this was going. She was well-used to powerful men behind desks giving her marching orders. Though normally they were literal human men and not… well, mouse-men.

 

Tilting her head to the side, Nagant cocks an eyebrow.

 

“And where do I come into this, Mr. Principal?”

 

Smiling, Nezu clasps his claws together.

 

“I’m glad you asked! I need someone to keep an eye on young Midoriya for me. Not just as a teacher I’m afraid, but… more closely than that. I need to know that Izuku Midoriya is truly the beacon of heroism I think he is. I don’t think there’s anyone in this school with better eyes than you. And we don’t have many on the faculty who have your level of experience as a Pro Hero either. Tell me… do you think you can do this for me?”

 

… Nezu was literally asking All for One’s mole to turn around and spy on his son. Part of Nagant wants to laugh. But she doesn’t because she’s pretty sure if she starts laughing, she might not ever stop. The situation was deeply, darkly hilarious in all the worst ways, but she just needed to compartmentalize things down like she always did. In the end… there’s only one possible answer.

 

“Sure. I can do that for you.”

 

But internally, Nagant is spiraling. All for One was dead… that was the ONLY thing she was aware of. But the fact that the man had set her up at UA the very year that his son was starting here, only for that son to turn around and kill him… what did Izuku Midoriya know? What did he know about HER?

 

“Ah, wonderful! Thank you very much for your assistance, Lady Nagant. I’m sure young Midoriya is exactly what he seems to be, but it will be good to have confirmation from a veteran such as yourself.”

 

She’d thought herself free and in the clear with the confirmation of All for One’s death. He’d held up his end of the bargain and then kicked the bucket, leaving her on her own and out from under the Hero Commission’s thumb to boot. But what if Izuku Midoriya knew? What if she was supposed to have gotten in touch with him and she was risking everything?

 

As she leaves the Principal’s Office, Nagant knows she has to decide how to approach this situation. She COULD do as the Principal asked of her. Get close to Midoriya on Nezu’s behalf, and report on the boy’s activities to the inhuman Principal of UA as he expected her to. Or… she could hedge her bets and reveal herself as his father’s agent to the boy.

 

HAD he killed his father in cold blood? Or was that just another one of All for One’s plans? Nezu certainly didn’t think so and yet… maybe he didn’t have enough information. Clearly he didn’t, seeing as he’d literally asked All for One’s mole to spy on the dead man’s son without having any clue what Nagant truly knew.

 

Letting out an explosive breath, the purple-haired sniper looks down at her hands. For a moment, she sees the blood covering them. Thick and dripping. Then… she makes up her mind.

 

 

-x-X-x-

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