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The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and All for One was finally leaving tomorrow!
To Nana these few days with him around had felt like weeks, but fortunately he would soon be back in whatever hole he had crawled out of, safely away from her daughter. She should be happy…
But she wasn’t.
Over these last few days, something had been kicking around in her head, slowly coalescing in the back of her mind. It had started with some minor details about the…incident that had brought Tenko and Hana into Inko and Nana’s respective hands. Minor discrepancies, bizarre details, or things about the aftermath that seemed off. They had all swirled together in Nana’s subconscious, combining into something horrible.
She needed answers, and if she was right there was only one person who could give them to her.
She glanced at All for One, who was currently playing with Tenko, Hana, and Izuku. It was bizarre to see the man she knew to be a remorseless monster acting like a regular father. One who both of Kotaro’s children would swear was a better father than Kotaro had been. But no matter, soon he’d be gone, meaning there was only one day left for Nana to get her answers and she wouldn’t waste it.
Hana snuck in a cheap blow to All for One’s face with a pillow. With a smile he threw her on top of her brother. Both children laughed.
Nana’s heart ached at seeing the two children happy together again. Not too different from how her own children had been.
Nana sighed. She’d wait until everyone was asleep to have her “talk” with All for One. That way no one would overhear.
The day passed, night fell.
As everyone went to bed Nana and All for One made eye contact. She stared very intently at All for One, before flicking her head toward the door. Nana hoped he got the message. We need to talk. He nodded and mouthed “later” before going into his and Inko’s room. Nana went back to helping her grandchildren into bed.
Soon the house was asleep.
The kids were sleeping in Tenko’s room (Hana in her sleeping bag), Gran and Nana were in the living room (also with sleeping bags) and Inko and her (ugh) husband were in her room. Gran and Nana sat on the sofa, wide awake, waiting for everyone else was fast asleep.
Once enough time had passed, Nana got up. She needed answers. She walked toward Inko’s room. She reached for the handle.
All For One opened the door.
He was dressed in his suit (had he kept that on, or did he put on pajamas for Inko, then put the suit back on just so he wouldn’t feel underdressed?) He put a finger to his mouth, and gestured her to follow him out the door.
She nodded and followed. Gran moved to come too, but Nana motioned for him to stay back. She needed to do this alone. She trusted Gran to have that little dead man’s switch they’d devised activated. That way on the off chance they both died, All For One’s identity would be sent straight to Toshi.
She followed All for One outside the apartment building, down the road, into a small park. No one would hear them here.
All for One turned around, his mouth splitting into a toothy grin. It was the same sick smile he’d worn when he tried to kill her all those years ago. Nana glared at him, her fists tightly clenched at her sides.
“So, Nana Shimura,” said the Symbol of Evil, “I believe you’ve been wanting to speak with me?”
Nana held his gaze, took a deep breath and said, “Was it you?”
“You’ll have to be more specific I’m afraid, I’m guilty of a lot of things,” the scumbag said with that insufferable grin. “And if you’re trying to record this conversation, know that I’ve activated a quirk to prevent that.”
Nana glared at him. “Tenko’s quirk came in at age five. Quirks tend not to come in past four.”
“Oh? How fascinating,” he said.
Nana growled, “It came in just days after Inko told you about Kotaro’s abuse of his family. You hated Kotaro.”
“How charming.”
“So, did you give Tenko the quirk he used to kill his family?”
“No.” All For one said with a patronizing expression that screamed that he was hiding something. She went over that day’s events again.
“Did you kill all of Tenko’s family?”
The grin widened. “Wrong again.”
What was she missing? Wait. “Tenko said he only remembers killing his father. Did you kill the others, then give him the quirk for him to kill his father?”
“Third time’s the charm, Nana Shimura,” said All for One. “Yes. I killed the others. But that’s not what you were really wondering, was it?”
“Were any of Kotaro’s actions you?”
The smile faded as All for One seemed taken aback, “Excuse me?”
“Kotaro’s abuse. He hadn’t hit Tenko before that night, then suddenly he does it twice. You have countless quirks with an untold number of effects. Were any of Kotaro’s actions that night because you used a quirk on him?!” Nana said, a hint of desperation in her voice.
Then All for One…giggled? “hehehe… hahaha…HAHAHAHA! You honestly think I used a quirk to corrupt him?! That I’m the one responsible for his actions?” All for One said, positively delighted.
“Do not tell me doing that as a twisted vengeance does not fit you perfectly. You get Tenko to kill his own father, and destroy Kotaro’s memory, my son’smemory! You’d absolutely do that!”
All for One rolled his eyes. “Please, do you really think I’d do that, and not tell you? If I went to the trouble of corrupting your son like that, don’t you think I’d be delighted let you know so you could go through the rest of your life seeing Kotaro Shimura reviled and spat on, all while you’re unable to defend him without exposing the truth of just who your daughter married with all the damage that would bring? Alas, I did nothing to your son mentally or physically before he struck Tenko,” All for One said, “Kotaro Shimura’s actions were entirely his own.”
Nana stared at the ground, not seeing it. She wanted so desperately to accuse All for One of lying, so desperately to believe it wasn’t true. But she couldn’t. It fit too well, both with who All for One was and how they everyone else described the man her son had become.
Her most desperate question had been answered. There should have been nothing else to ask. But there was one thing. Nana looked up and said, “What were weed clippers doing on the sidewalk?”
“Oh those?” said All for One.
“Yeah,” Nana hissed. “Those.”
“That was…an experiment.” All for One said with a casual wave. “I couldn’t help but wonder if your brat would use them against his own son. I didn’t expect to be proven right. It turned out better than I could have imagined.”
“Your nephew is scarred from that.”
“The clippers were mostly closed, so they were only going to do minor damage. The blow only gave your grandson a superficial cut, and the rage necessary to murder Kotaro Shimura in cold blood,” All for One sighed nostalgically. “I have video if you want it.”
Even knowing what Kotaro had done, Nana felt her blood boil at All For One’s clear glee at his death. The worst part was that they both knew she couldn’t do anything to hurt All for One no matter how much she wanted to. Still, now that he was confessing (bragging), there was another thing that had been creeping in her mind. One that was fast becoming far more important than anything about Kotaro.
“Why spare Hana?”
All For One raised an eyebrow.
Nana continued. “In fact, why let Tenko wander alone? Why even give him a-“ Her eyes slowly widened. “…quirk.” In her years fighting All for One, Nana became very familiar with how he operated. Specifically, on who he’d give quirks to and why he’d give quirks to them. “You wanted to recruit him,” she said in a small voice.
All for One’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “Guilty.”
Nana’s stomach twisted as she imagined it. Tenko, broken and hurt alone on the streets, desperate…vulnerable. A tall man in a suit seemingly offering him a helping hand. Tenko, not knowing the danger, taking it. If Inko had hadn’t been there…
“Hana was your gift to Inko, a-a prized puppy to distract herself with,” Nana said, becoming more disgusted with every word. “While you would take her nephew and twist him into a monster!”
All for One chuckled. “Indeed. What better way to spit on your legacy than forcing your successor into fighting your own offspring? And all the while Inko would have a lovely little girl to raise alongside Izuku. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work out. Though I do admit, I may have chosen the wrong child. Hana has traits that would have made an excellent villain.
“Don’t even think about touching her!” Nana snarled.
All for One chuckled. “Not to worry. Inko might be suspicious if two relatives I hated disappear in the same year. It was a mere missed opportunity. I ultimately don’t need your offspring anyway. Your little duplicate will be just fine where she is. But please Shimura, drop the posturing. We both know if I wanted the girl, you couldn’t do a thing to stop me.”
“Why do you hate me so much?” Nana said, a mental dam bursting and a torrent of rage flowing out, “Is it because I keep getting in your way? Is it because I trained the bearer who’s come the closest to grinding your precious empire to dust? Or is it because I had the guts to give up my family to try to protect them from you, while you tried to keep your brother and your empire and got him kille-“
All for One took a threatening step toward her, an aura of murder emanating from him.
Nana staggered backwards, eyes wide as saucers while her breath tried to wrap up its lifetime quota in fifteen seconds.
All for One smiled, relaxed his posture, and held out his hands, “See? All that bravado, gone in an instant. You are nothing but the withered husk of an incompetent hero long past her expiration date. I’d leave you to rot, but now that I think of it, there’s one more thing I’d like to share.”
“What?” Nana said, dreading what he was about to say.
“When your son struck little Tenko with those weed clippers, he looked…surprised. Regretful even. Almost like he hadn’t meant to do it.” All for One said.
“What are you talking about?” said Nana.
“Well you see,” the monster said, “his wife had fiercely scolded him for his hypocrisy and cruelty to his family that night, instead of the happy life he’d promised her. I think it might have resonated.”
“And?” said Nana.
All for One began pacing, his hand on his chin. “I’m almost curious, was Kotaro Shimura simply hurting his son to save his own skin? Or did the sight of his poor distressed son reaching out to him crying for help combine with his wife’s words to bring out the last vestiges of parental care within him? Since he couldn’t get close to Tenko, he instead grabbed a long object lying nearby to reach him. Unfortunately, the unwieldiness of using one hand to hold it caused him to slip and strike his son instead. Wouldn’t that be deliciously ironic?” All for One said, “the one decent thing he tries to do for his son being the final push to drive his little Tenko to homicidal rage, leaving scars physically and mentally? Wouldn’t that be delightful?”
“Only to a sociopath,” said Nana. All for One gestured to himself. Nana continued, “Now why the hellwould I believe a word of that?”
“Because you want to,” said All for One with a twisted smile. “That’s what you wanted to speak with me in the first place remember? You want to cling to any suggestion that your son may have died acting out of something resembling goodness, no matter how ineptly. And here I am, an eyewitness, giving you that suggestion! And you know that I have every reason to tell the truth when that truth hurts you more. Because of that, that sliver of hope will stay trapped in your heart, with one part of you trying to cling to what I said, even as your logic screams against it. Because you can’t know for sure, and that uncertainty tear you apart.”
Nana trembled with rage. She felt hot tears on her cheeks but she didn’t care. “Why did you even come here?” she said. “Couldn’t you let us visit in peace?”
All for One let out a contemptuous snort, “You think that was intentional? The reason I went “overseas” was because (despite you not wanting your daughter involved in our “dispute”) we both know you wouldn’t leave me to my devices for long if you knew where I could be found. Particularly by that blond idiot you trained. Leaving was the only way to keep you from ruining everything.”
As tempted as Nana was to point out that said idiot managed to track down and systematically dismantle his empire, she decided to let him finish.
“So whenever I do return home to my family, I need to do it quickly and randomly enough that you won’t predict it and decide to have a group of heroes waiting for me, or to call them after I stay for too long. Do you think I’d want to spend a short visit to my wife and son interacting with you? Granted, bonding with Hana was amusing, but believe me I would much rather be spending my time with Inko without you. You being here was nothing but bad luck for me.”
His glare became a cruel smirk. “Any more questions? Or are you content at learning your son was indeed an abusive father and that arguablyI did your beloved granddaughter the biggest favor she’s ever had by getting him killed and letting her move to a better home?”
Nana growled at him, but didn’t bother replying. That’d just encourage him. She had what she needed. She walked back to Inko’s home. Gran looked at her questioningly. She waved him off. She’d tell him what happened later. Nana checked Inko’s room. All For One was already in his pajamas in bed with Inko, his arms around her in what Nana could have sworn was a taunt.
She picked up her sleeping bag and went into the kid’s room. She put her sleeping bag on the floor and got into it, before looking at the little one next to her. Hana twitched in her sleep, from some unseen nightmare. Nana put a hand on her head and began stroking her hair. Hana’s face relaxed. The twitch of a smile on Hana’s face brought a smile to Nana’s own. I won’t fail you. Nana promised.
She kissed her granddaughter’s forehead and held her close, never letting go until sleep took her.