"What do you mean we're doing nothing!?"

"We can't act now. We need to regroup and make a plan."

Izuku stood in a stupor at Nighteye's words as rain began to pour down upon the city. "But, he has a little girl! And he-mmph!" Sir's hand slapped over Izuku's mouth, and the former sidekick leaned in closely.

"You seem to have forgotten that we're out in public." Nighteye motioned to the citizens walking around. He leaned closer and whispered to Izuku, "There are too many unknowns still, and we can't face Chisaki on our own. Trust me when I tell you that if you fought him, you would lose. No, not just lose. You would be killed, immediately. Do you understand? You're lucky Togata was there to keep the situation under control, or else you likely wouldn't be here right now with that arrogance of yours."

"Arrogance!?"

"Yes, arrogance. You might've taken down a few villains, you might be strong, whatever. You can't beat him. Not alone."

Izuku was beginning to grow angrier. His newfound temper was being pushed on by the cold sidekick. "I wasn't alone. That little girl was scared, hurt in every shape and form, and you would really just do nothing if you were there?"

"Yes. Tell me, how exactly would it look if you attacked a man with zero evidence of criminal activity. You would have attacked him based on a hunch, making you the bad guy. And what if you just took her and ran? So you're a kidnapper now?"

"But he-"

"Whether or not he is hurting her, you can't just take someone's child no matter who they are. All Might has told me about all of your past confrontations with villains. You might've gotten off scot free before, but there are still consequences."

Izuku's face came together into one of pure anger. Nighteye was seriously beginning to piss him off. He had already been angry when they first met, but that drew the line. "Just because-!"

"We understand Sir." Mirio gripped Izuku's shoulder, stopping him from talking any further. "We'll await your orders." Izuku looked up at Mirio and saw his face holding a bright smile but...his eyes were sad.

Nighteye nodded and turned around. "Let's head back. I have a lot of calls to make. And Midoriya…" Mirai sighed and looked back to Izuku. "That tracker...You saved us a lot of time. We'll know her exact location as soon as tomorrow if your girlfriend comes through. I know it's hard to leave someone behind. All Might never leaves anyone behind. But we need help. And thanks to you, that little girl will be out of harm's way in no time. We'll save her much sooner because of you. Be proud of that." He turned away and started walking. "You're quick on your feet, like a hero should be."

Izuku's temper was calmed by Nighteye's words. He was right. Damn it, he was right. Of course they couldn't just fight someone on the street with zero evidence. And just taking a kid and running? It was an arrest for sure. He should have known that. He did know that. His anger had blinded him, wanting nothing but more confrontation. Izuku shook his head and looked down, "Th-Thank you."

"But your attitude needs severe work." Mirai flipped up an umbrella as he and Bubble Girl began their walk back to the agency. "Now let's go."

And Izuku's temper was right back. Of course Nighteye just couldn't leave his compliment to Izuku like that. He had to turn it around to an insult. Izuku clenched his fists, but his shoulder was once again squeezed by Mirio. The elder looking down at him apologetically with a look that said, "Sorry, but it would be for the best if you just stayed quiet for now."

Izuku sighed in acceptance and began walking.

…

The green haired teen paced around his guestroom, trying to blow off steam. Every time he thought his anger had subsided, it came back with a vengeance. Izuku had spent 11 years of his life growing a tolerance for unlikable people. He had spent so long hiding his pain, sadness, and anger from the world that it had become natural. It was the only way he knew how to live. But after Katsuki broke the mask he kept over his emotions, everything just poured out of him and he had no control of it.

And it seemed that anger was the dominant emotion of the hidden ones.

Maybe he just wanted to finally be heard. Or maybe he was sick of being walked on and wanted his own way for once. He didn't know. But, Izuku also didn't like it. Being angry and stressed never suited him. At least in his eyes. Being angry always felt like he was being like Katsuki. There were a lot of things about Katsuki that Izuku admired and wanted to have form himself.

But, his anger issues wasn't one of them.

His anger wasn't the only thing in question. The other thing that was beginning to bother him was Nana. He hadn't seen her since before the patrol. It had been hours. The sun was fully set and the moon was high in the sky, but there was still no sight of her. Izuku thought that after something as important as meeting Chisaki and Eri that Nana would have something to say about it. But lo and behold, she was nowhere to be found.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Come in." The door opened, revealing Mirio back in his casual clothes. "Oh, hey Togata."

"Hey Midoriya. Ya mind if I talk with you for a minute?"

"Of course not. Come on in." Mirio smiled and closed the door behind him. He walked further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "So what did you want to talk about?" Izuku asked, already suspecting what it would be about.

"Well, it's about earlier...with Chisaki."

"I-I know I was acting rashly. It was just really hard to let her go. Thank you for keeping everything under control."

"Actually, I wanted to talk about how sorry I was that I kept you from taking her."

Izuku did a double take. "What?"

"I...I can't get her running away out of my head." Togata's smile fell. "I know Sir is right, but…"

"You felt like you could've done something," Izuku finished for him.

"...Yeah. I should be the one thanking you. Without your tracker, who knows what could've happened to her in the time it would've taken for us to get warrants and whatnot." Izuku gave a small smile in thanks. "And while he might not express it all that easily, I know Sir is grateful to have you here."

Izuku almost scoffed, but held it back. He really did need to watch where his attitude was going. "Why does he always have to take back every compliment with an insult?"

Mirio rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his lap. "Sir is...complicated. I don't know exactly what's going on between you, All Might, and Sir. But, I know that you and All Might have a special connection from the time I've spent with you two together. And, Sir and All Might used to have a special connection too. And now that their relationship has been damaged, maybe he feels like he's being replaced. Or maybe he feels like you're "butting in" on their friendship. I don't know. Like I said, Sir is complicated. But he has a good heart, and the fact that you're here proves that he wants to get to know you."

"He doesn't act like he wants to know me" Izuku said, slumping down on the bed next to Togata. "How did you get his approval?" Izuku knew that Nighteye saw Mirio as the perfect candidate for One For All, but he doesn't know how they had met.

"Well, believe it or not, he actually came to meet me personally."

"Really? That never happens."

"I know, right!?" Mirio exclaimed with a smile. "One day he just showed up out of the blue with Principle Nezu. He said he wanted to get to me before any of the other offers caught my attention." Izuku nodded, realizing what had likely happened. Nezu likely shared his information about Mirio with not just All Might, but Nighteye as well. The moment Mirai heard about him, he probably went to U.A right away to make sure he was the perfect fit. "He made me tell him a joke when we first met, and it was the stupidest one I could've thought up. I said, "There are three types of people in the world: Those who can count and those who can't." But, he laughed anyway. Ever since then I've been working under him."

Izuku pursed his lips, "For a guy who values humour so much, he acts pretty humourless."

Mirio sighed and began twiddling his thumbs. "Sir...Sir didn't have the most fun childhood. His family was very cold. Fun and games wasn't really something they approved of. It was all business. But, then All Might debuted, and Sir's entire world was turned upside down." Izuku sat up straight, intently listening to the story that he likely never would've learned from Sir himself. "All Might was a hero of bright colors, humour, charisma, etc. After living his entire life without those things, he was immediately obsessed with the guy as you probably figured out by now" Mirio said, motioning to the All Might memorabilia around the guest room.

Izuku chuckled, "Yeah. I can relate to that though."

"But, by the time All Might came around Sir was conditioned, so to speak. Being outgoing and full of spirit wasn't a part of his coding. He may love humour and bright smiles, but he doesn't really do it himself except in small instances. With his quirk he pushed himself to be a hero, determined to meet All Might. And as you can guess, he managed to get more than just All Might's attention."

Izuku leaned on his hand as he contemplated Nighteye's story. There were a lot of similarities between Izuku's story and Nighteye's. Izuku wondered if that was how he would've turned out if he never met All Might and kept chickening out of pulling the plug on himself. Cold and wanting to fill the void with laughter. "If things with Ms. Joke don't work out for Mr. Aizawa, then we should get him a date with her."

Mirio gave a hearty laugh, "Hahaha! You should've used that one on Nighteye. I'm sure you would've gotten in instantly." The blonde patted Izuku's back and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Look, what I'm getting at is that I hope you don't get too mad at Sir. He may have a cold exterior, but he's got just as much of a kind heart as the best heroes. I understand he can be frustrating. Just try not to let your little temper get out of hand," Mirio teased.

Izuku chuckled, "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what's wrong with me. I didn't have a temper a couple weeks ago. Maybe it's hormones, or maybe I just miss Momo and it's stressing me out."

"I mean...you have the pillow."

"Yes. A pillow that you will never mention to anyone. Ever." Mirio raised his hands up in defense, but giggled at Izuku's embarrassment. Eventually, Izuku began to laugh too, the atmosphere staying lighthearted. Izuku couldn't deny how contagious Mirio's spirit was. He could make a funeral have a happy tone. "I'll try and watch myself with Nighteye. In fact, I'll try to get to know him better."

"That's the spirit!"

"...Nighteye means a lot to you doesn't he?"

Mirio's expression turned into one of slight surprise. "I mean, yeah. I know I've haven't known him super long. Really just barely over a year. But, he's taught me so much. I smile all the time and I know people see me as this upbeat guy. And it gets hard sometimes. He's always the one that shows me that I should keep smiling. He sees so much in me, and he inspires me to see the greatness in others too. Just like scouting out you!" He brought a hand down on Izuku's hair and ruffled it.

Izuku smiled and fixed his hair. "Is he like a father figure to you?"

"Well no one replaces my dad. Trust me. If you think I'm a goofball, then you haven't met by dad. But...family. He's family, that's for sure. Heh, it's weird ya know. To think bonds like that can grow in only a year." Izuku nodded and looked back at the past year of his life. The relationships he had made over the past year had all turned into ones he couldn't imagine life without. All Might was like a father to him. Momo was...well Momo was everything. Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, Kirishima, Asui, and even Jirou to a growing extent. They had all wedged their way into Izuku's heart, and they wouldn't let go anytime soon. He hoped to see the day where he had that kind of connection with everyone in his class. He also hoped to grow that connection with…

The sound of footsteps to his right caught his attention.

...Nana.

She was outside on the balcony, sitting on the edge gazing up at the moonlight.

"It's definitely crazy."

Mirio nodded, "Well, I'll let you get some sleep Midoriya. Thanks for this talk. I'm happy that you think I did the right thing with Eri. Hopefully I'll sleep easier tonight. And hey…" He raised a fist to Izuku. "Let's save her. No matter what."

Izuku brought his fist up to touch Mirio's. "Definitely." Togata began walking towards the door, but the younger teen stopped him. "Hey Togata?"

The blonde stopped at the door and turned around to look at him, "Yeah?"

"What...Wh-What do you think about not smiling?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I've been thinking lately. Should we really smile all the time? Even when we're sad? I feel like it's not good to just force a smile on yourself whenever you're unhappy. It's like...bottling things up. And, I have some experience in that field." Izuku decided to leave out that 11 years of his life were nothing but fake smiles. "I know it's what All Might is all about, and it's what everyone seems to want. But, d-do you think that maybe people not being afraid because of All Might's smile is analogous for ignoring their problems?"

"I-...I guess I never thought about it like that. I mean, is that really so bad?"

"People should be scared, shouldn't they? We need fear. With everyone so happy go lucky, even with All Might gone, it's like no one is even cautious or careful. Even with the crime rate rising, it's like no one cares. It's like being poisoned and just acting like it's not there, but you're still slowly dying. If you acknowledge it, then you can try to fight it. And...I don't know. All Might has always been my greatest inspiration. But, in the past year I've come to see and appreciate people just as much, if not more than heroes. Just people. And, when All Might smiles like that and we put him up on a pedestal, doesn't it...dehumanize him? Like, we treat him like some kind of great being but...he's just a person like you and me. And isn't that what a hero is? A regular person who makes great sacrifices for their fellow citizens? It shows that everyone can be a hero. Isn't there some kind of...plasticity to it all now?"

Mirio's eyes widened, "Uh, wow. Where did that all come from Midoriya?"

"Sorry, I-I've uh...just had a lot to think about."

Mirio blew a raspberry and crossed his arms, "That's a lot of stuff you're throwing at me. And, I honestly don't have an answer for you. I like smiling. Smiling brings me comfort, and it reminds me that not everything is bad. I smile when I remember my parents, Nejire, Tamaki, Sir. I don't know. Maybe you're right. Just do what you think is best Midoriya. I have no doubt you'll do something amazing with it. Goodnight."

"G'night." Mirio left the room, leaving Izuku alone. Well...not entirely alone. He turned his head to look out the balcony screen door to see Nana still there. He walked out the door and leaned against the balcony. Her smile was still on her face, but it wasn't as bright as it usually was.

"How're doing Izuku?"

Izuku sighed, "Lost and angry, but hopeful."

Nana laughed and turned her head to him. "That's the best any of us can ask for isn't it." She stood up on the ledge, and leaped off."

"NANAAAAAaaaaaa-oh nevermind." Izuku stopped his frightened scream as Nana began slowly floating around in the air.

"...You just forgot I could fly, didn't you?...And that I'm already dead."

"Yes I forgot! You should also know that I don't do well with ledges."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry about that. I'll warn you next time." She began lightly coursing through the air at a lazy speed, her hair and cape flowing in the wind. "I'm also sorry for vanishing for a good while there."

"I was going to ask about that. What happened? Did you see what happened with Chisaki?"

"Yeah, I did. And...that's actually why I disappeared. I had to think about some stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Ah, it's nothing you need to worry about."

Izuku began fiddling with his hands, rubbing his thumbs over his scars. "...Is it about your son?" Nana suddenly stopped her movements, floating in one place. She was looking away from Izuku so he couldn't see his expression. "All Might told me about it back when he told us about his fight with All For One when he got out of the hospital."

Without turning back to him, Nana answered, "...That little girl, Eri. She was so scared and her eyes were full of tears. She begged...pleaded for you not to go. I guess that image brought back some bad memories."

"...What was his name?"

"...Kotaro."

"I could never imagine having to do something like that. I'm sorry. But, All For One was relentless. I understand why you did what you did, as difficult as it was. Who knows what would've happened to him if he stayed."

"Like I said Kid, I can't dwell on these things now that I'm dead and gone."

"You're not dead. Not fully. You're not dead until I'm dead. You live on through me, and that's not even a metaphor or anything. You're literally still living on through me. And I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

Nana chuckled, and turned back to look at Izuku. Her smile was still there, but it seemed slightly sadder. "Izuku, I gave my son away, and now his own son ran away to become a villain. I don't think there's any more to dwell on." Izuku looked down in contemplation, muttering under his breath. Nana floated down to him and snapped in front of his face. "I don't speak mutter. At least not with your girlfriend here to translate."

"S-Sorry. But, have you ever heard about how ghosts stay around in this world because something here is keeping them?"

"...Izuku it's important to me that you realize that I'm not actually a ghost. I'm not a poltergeist."

"No I know that. I'm just trying to make a point. Don't you want closure? Shigaraki might be a villain, but we don't know what happened to Kotaro. He could still be out there."

Nana's eyes widened slightly, but she looked away. "Shigaraki works for All For One. If All For One got to him, then there's an uncomfortably high chance that he got to him because he found Kotaru."

"We don't know that! Maybe Shigaraki ran away!"

"Kid, I don't think it's a good idea."

Izuku stood straight with his shoulders back. "I thought you said we shouldn't ignore our problems. Ignorance isn't always bliss. You'll always think about what happened or where he ended up. Or where he is now."

Nana chewed on her tongue as he squinted at Izuku, a smirk on her face. "Using my own words against me? You're getting too clever. I...I guess it would be relieving to know what happened. Whether he's still alive or...Well, it would be nice finally knowing. I can at least accept it and finally have at least a little peace about it."

"And All Might never said All For One mentioned Kotaro's name or anything. Maybe he kidnapped Shigaraki or found him. You said you wanted to help me. The least I can do is return the favor."

"Alright! Alright, fine. But, tell me Wonderboy. How are we going to find out where he ended up?"

"Well, do you know the foster family he ended up with?"

Nana shook her head, looking down. "I just gave him to an agency. I knew that if I knew the family he was with, I would be far too tempted to go back for him. I didn't tell Toshinori or Torino where. I didn't want them going after him, especially since All For One knew who they were."

Izuku ran back inside, and came back out with his journal and a pencil. "What was the agencies name?"

…

(Tomorrow Morning)

"So he really has a little girl in his custody?" Toshinori asked.

Mirai rubbed his chin as he looked out the window, "There are no records of his daughter. But I guess people like them might want to keep things under wraps. Midoriya was all too eager to get her out of there."

Toshinori raised a brow as he sat against the desk, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"No. No, it's not bad. He has a good heart."

"The best."

"But, there's something that's worrying me. He seems to have some...temperamental issues."

"If you're referring to his frustration with you, you don't exactly treat him all that well either."

"But, you said he was a meek, yet bright and pure hearted. I'm sensing far less meek, and far more intensity."

Toshinori sighed, "He's going through a lot right now. Actually, life has thrown everything it has at that kid since he was born. He did his best to not let it get to him, but some recent events have transpired that broke his armor a bit. He's got a lot on his mind, and he's already more stressed than anybody. And like I said, you certainly don't help his situation. He really does want to impress you."

"Yet he seems to not have the most basic component of your formula." Mirai turned around and faced All Might. "His smile. The boy is supposed to replace you, yet he can't seem to unfurrow his brow and lift the corner of his lips."

"He doesn't have to smile all the time."

"No. But, when he puts on his costume he becomes a hero. When he's a hero, he needs to bring peace to the people."

"He'll get there Mirai. He's only a first year and he has far too much to deal with at the moment. He already feel like he's being rushed enough. I wish you would really get to know him better. I assure you that your confidence in him would be just as high as mine."

Nighteye looked down and sighed, "Perhaps you're right."

"Maybe you can talk to him during another patrol. Are you monitoring today?"

Nighteye shook his head and sat down at his desk, facing Toshinori. "No. Fatgum is personally delivering that tracking device to us. He should be here sometime this afternoon. And the rest of the heroes I've called are making their way here. But many of them can't make it until tomorrow. I need to stay here to set up the presentation for tomorrow. With that tracking device, we'll know exactly where that girl is. And then, after a little investigation and getting the warrants, we'll be able to-"

*Ring* *Ring*

Nighteye turned to his phone and hit speaker. "Hell-"

"Nighteye!"

"Fatgum?"

"Yeah yeah it's me! There's going to be a problem getting you that tracking device!" Nighteye could hear screaming and bustling from the other end. Fatgum was panting, clearly running as he was talking.

"May I ask why?"

"Okay, here's the thing. Today was supposed to be our day off of patrols. But then you called about the tracker. So we-Ah okay. Hold on!" *Crack* Sorry. Another dealer. Okay, we decided to go ahead and do a patrol today, and make the route end at the train station so we can head down to your agency. And we found another drug deal going down. *Pant* Oh God I'm outta shape."

"Focus!"

"Alright! We got them and everything was going fine! But some kid with the group panicked and pulled out a gun! He shot right at Tamaki!"

Nighteye raised his brows in panic, "Is he alright!?"

"He's fine!"

"...Then what's the problem?"

"I said there's going to be a problem with getting you tracker, because Yaoyorozu was the one that got shot!"

Toshinori jumped up and ran out the door to get Izuku. Nighteye stood from his seat with a concerned expression. "Where was she shot!?"

"I-I…I don't know. It all happened so fast, and Kirishima got pissed and is chasing after the guy with the gun. And now I'm going after him before I get another student hurt. Tamaki said he would take care of her, but...I...I think she was shot in the head."

Toshinori suddenly burst back into the room with a note in hand. "He's gone."

Nighteye looked at him shocked, "What do you mean he's gone!?"

"I mean, he's gone!" He showed the note to Nighteye.

"I decided to spend my day off in the city. I'll be back later!" -Izuku

"Call him immediately. It's worse than we thought."

"Yeeeeaaah that's another problem," Toshinori said, lifting up Izuku's phone that was accidentally left behind.

…

"Oh crap."

"What is it?" Nana asked as she watched Izuku pat around his pockets. The two sat on the train, awaiting their arrival in the city. The landscape zoomed by them as the sun hid behind the overcast morning sky.

"I plugged in my phone to charge it, but I forgot to grab it when we left. I can't use the foster agency's phone either. All-" Izuku then remembered he was on a public train. "Toshinori doesn't answer unnamed callers. With how secretive he is, he only gives his number to people he absolutely trusts. Any other number just gets sent straight to voicemail. I hope I'm not giving him a heart attack."

"He probably thinks you went off on another vigilante mission to save Eri."

"...Oh no."

She ruffled his hair, "Don't worry about it now. It'll all be fine."

"I hope. Also, h-how are you able to touch me?" Whenever Nana made contact with him, it was...strange. It wasn't like normal touches. Everywhere she touched felt faint and fuzzy.

"You're the only thing it seems I'm able to touch. I'm technically a part of you, so maybe it's like your body just thinking it's being touched. I'm just as lost about the real inner workings of One For All as you.

"Attention all passengers. We have now arrived at Minashigo City."

"Well, this is our stop kid. Let's go." Izuku stood with Nana, and they made their way to the exit door. The other passengers were relieved that the boy who spoke to himself the entire train ride left. Izuku exited the train and walked his way down the streets of Minashigo City just 45 minutes away from Nighteye's agency. Nana was his guide throughout the city.

But, she wasn't doing too well.

"Left." Izuku turned. "Left." He turned again. "Left." Izuku turned once more. "Le-"

"Nana, you can't stall by walking us in circles."

"You don't know the patience I have."

"Nana we don't have to do this if you don't want to. I really didn't mean to pressure you."

She sighed and shook her head, "No. No we're here, and you're going through the trouble of doing this for me. Come on. Go down that street." Izuku nodded and began following her real directions. After a ten minute walk, the two stood in front of the foster care building.

Omoiyari Foster Care Agency

It was a very pretty looking red brick building with flowers on windowsills and in pots around the front door. Izuku looked to his side to see Nana looking cautiously at the building. "...How old was he?"

"He was ten."

"Ten?"

"Pretty old to put someone in foster care, I know. I don't want to think about that."

"S-Sorry. Did you live in this city?"

"No. I wanted him out of the city, away from All For One. And I was afraid of running into him if he lived in Musutafu. Who knows what would've happened if I saw him?" Nana simply shook her head and began walking to the door. Izuku followed her and entered the building.

The inside was wood paneled with rose floral wallpaper. Pictures of past children from the agency hung on the walls and waiting chairs lined the front room walls. A curved front desk was ahead of them with a young brunette at the computer. Izuku approached the desk as Nana looked around at the pictures of children.

"Excuse me ma'am?"

The woman at the front desk swiveled around in her chair and looked at Izuku. Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my Go-...Honey, I'm not entirely sure we accept children your age."

"Wha-? No! I-I'm not here to go to a foster home."

"Oh. If you're not here for that, then what are you here fo-...Oh darling, don't kids your age know what a condom is?"

Nana began laughing hysterically behind him.

"I-I don't have a kid! I'm here to ask about someone who was entered here a long time ago."

The woman raised her hands in defense, "I'm sorry. You would just be surprised with how many kids your age come in here. Who are you looking for?"

"A young boy named Kotaru Shimura."

"And how long ago was he entered here?"

"...Over 30 years ago. Probably around 35 to 37 years."

She pursed her lips and looked at him curiously, "...Your dad?"

"I really don't want to be rude ma'am. But, would you please stop trying to pry into my personal life?"

She nodded and turned back to her computer, typing in the name she was given. "Kotaro...Kotaro...Ah, Kotaro. Kotaro Shimura was given off to the Daini Family. He lived in their foster family, leaving early at the age of 18. After that, it's all unknown."

Nana leaned against the counter, "Ask her where the Daini's are."

"Where are the Daini's now?"

"They live downtown in the Satooya Apartment Complex. They're a very nice family. They've been caring for abandoned kids for years. Sadly, Mr. Daini died some years back. His wife and their second daughter run the place now."

"Thank you ma'am!" Izuku turned around to walk away. As he walked passed Nana, without looking, she grabbed onto his head, turned his around, and pushed him back to the desk.

"Ask for directions."

"Oh! Um, d-do you by any chance know how to get there?"

"There should be a bus to that part of town coming up pretty soon. It's how I get home. It'll take you to the Ushinawareta District."

"Thank you." Izuku turned around to walk out again. As he passed by Nana, he realized she wasn't following him and staring at one of the pictures with the past children. Izuku walked up next to her and followed her gaze.

Omoiyari Foster Group of 2156

A decent little group of smiling children stood with the employees and caretakers of the children out in front of the building. At the very end of group was one unsmiling child. His dark hair and eyes was a dead giveaway. Izuku whispered to not freak out the secretary. "Is that him?"

"...Yeah...He must've really hated me."

"He didn't understand the situation."

She turned to Izuku, "If your mother gave you away, no matter how dire the situation she was in, would you still love her the same way you do now?"

"...I want to say yes. I feel that the older I got, the more I would understand. But, I can't say I wouldn't be mad or depressed. Especially after Hisashi left. I would just feel more abandoned."

"I left him after his father died. So I'd say his anger was definitely justified."

"Is justified. Not was. There's still a chance he's out there."

Nana walked away from the picture and towards the door, "Let's not get our hopes up."

Izuku sighed and followed Nana out the door.

…

*Knock* *Knock*

The door of the large apartment opened to reveal a woman around 30 years old with chestnut brown hair and small goat horns coming out of her forehead. Small children were tugging at her dress from behind. She looked down at the green haired teenager standing in the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon ma'am. My name is Izuku. I wanted to speak to your mother about a boy who was taken into her custody a little over 30 years ago."

"30 years? Who could you be looking for that was here so long ago?"

"His name was Kotaro Shimura. It's important to me."

"I don't-"

"Let him in, Tsuno." The woman turned around to see an old woman with longer horns on her head, coming out of her grey hair. She walked up behind her daughter and moved in front of her to talk to Izuku. "Kotaro Shimura. That's a name I haven't heard in years. But, you're too young to be a police officer. So I'm assuming you aren't here to reopen the case."

He could see Nana tense up next to him. He raised an eyebrow at the woman. "Uh...case?"

She nodded her head over her shoulder. "Oh...I see. Come in. I'll explain." She motioned for Izuku to follow her, and the two walked inside the door and into the apartment. The apartment looked like it used to be a nice, upper middle class apartment, but it was covered in children's toys ranging from overly boyish to overly girlish, drawings, paint stains, movie holodisks, and it smelled like baby powder. Children were all over the place in different areas doing different activities. Izuku counted at least 8 kids, and that was only from the ones he could see.

Izuku really wanted to see Katsuki in a house like this.

"Luckily for you, I just made tea. Izuku, was it?"

"Izuku Midoriya, yes?"

"Well Midoriya, I'm Hitsuji." She pour two cups and handed one to Izuku. "Are you a distant relative of Kotaro's?"

"Uh…" Izuku turned to see Nana crouched down and smiling as she watched the children draw and play in front of her. "...Something like that."

"Come out to the balcony. The kids aren't old enough for some of this." Izuku looked to Nana again and caught her eyes. He motioned to the balcony door, and she followed along with him. He closed the screen door behind him and sat down at one of the metal chairs. A light sprinkling began to fall. The rain drops sliding off and falling from the balcony above theirs. "So what can you tell me about Kotaro?"

"Well, first I want to know why exactly you're looking for him?"

Izuku figured that question would come up, and he knew he was a terrible liar. So he did his best to not exactly lie. "I'm a part of his birth mother's family. But, she died a long time ago. I've been looking into her past, and I found out about Kotaro. I wanted to find out what happened to him after she gave him up."

She nodded and took a sip of her tea. "Kotaro...was a quiet boy. He never got over what happened. His resentment towards his mother grew more over time. I'm assuming his mother was a hero. You couldn't talk about heroes without Kotaro becoming angry and stomping off. We did the best we could to help and calm him down, try to ease his mind and accept what happened. But, he never listened." Izuku watched as Nana walked past his seat and leaned her arms on the railing, facing away from Izuku. Once again, he couldn't see her face.

Hitsuji continued, "He pushed himself hard academically so he could get a good job and move out of the house. Which he succeeded at. He even got married to a gorgeous woman named Nao, and had two beautiful children. He may have not wanted to be here, but he took somewhat of a liking to us. He kept us informed on his life, even if in small batches. Kotaro was sadly still a cold man. He had a heart, but he buried it deep down. His exterior expressed a man who cared for little. While he may have sent messages at rare times, he never came back to visit. And, while I doubt he ever would've, he never got the chance."

Izuku sighed, "You use his name in past tense. So, I'm assuming…"

Hitsuji pulled out a small handkerchief and dabbed her eyes, "Yes. He's dead."

Izuku shifted his eyes to look at Nana. She hadn't moved an inch from the last time he looked at her. The only difference was that her hands were slightly shaking. "...I'm so sorry."

Hitsuji believed that Izuku was talking to her, and nodded her head. "Thank you, but that's not all...His entire family is dead."

"Wh-...Wh-What?"

"All of them. No one knows what happened. One day everything was fine. And the next, the entire house was destroyed with nothing but rubble and blood." She dabbed away more tears as she continued. "All of them. Kotaro, Nao, and even little Hana and Tenko. All gone. The police had no idea who did it, and they never found anyone. The detective on the case couldn't fine anything. The case was closed."

Izuku chewed on his tongue as he contemplated over it all. Izuku had hoped so badly that they could find something good. But, what they had found was even worse than he had thought.

The Shimura Family was a tragedy.

"Thank you for telling me all of this. I-...I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll get out of your hai-"

"The detective." Izuku stopped at Nana's sudden words. She was still looking away from him, and her voice was quiet. "Ask about the detective."

"...Actually, if you wouldn't mind. Who was the detective that investigated the case?"

"Detective Tantei? Why?"

"I-I'd like to ask him some questions as well."

"Oh, well he's retired now. He still lives in the city. He gave us his card, and his house is just five blocks down the road."

"Thank you Mrs. Daini." He looked back to where Nana was standing to see she was gone. Izuku sighed and left the apartment.

…

Izuku found the office building and made his way up the steps. The rain had picked up outside and it was close to storming. He entered the building and pulled his jacket hood down. He read the room addresses on the bulletin board by the door, and made his way up the steps.

"Hey."

"AH!" Izuku jumped back as Nana appeared in front of him. He barely managed to catch himself before falling back down the stairs.

"Sorry Kid. I didn't mean to scare you." Izuku calmed his heart down and looked back to Nana. She was wearing the smallest and weakest smile that Izuku had ever seen. Even on his worst days during middle school, he was able to muster up and fake stronger smiles than that. But, she still stood tall in front of him. "You okay?"

"I should be asking you that. We should just go. We've learned everything."

"Not everything. She said they were all killed, but we know that isn't true. Tenko is still alive. She doesn't know every piece of the puzzle."

"What puzzle? We know where he ended up. I think it's a safe assumption that All For One found them and killed them."

"...No. No he didn't."

"Why not?"

She turned around and began floating up the stairs, "I know him. And after your little interaction with him, I'd say you have a pretty good idea of what he's all about. He would've bragged about it to Toshinori. It would've been the killing blow to break his spirit, and he would've gotten off on it."

"Ew."

"You get what I mean. I just...Something's missing. Let's just finish this."

"Nana...You don't have to fake it." She stopped her ascension up the stairs. "I mean, it's me. You said it yourself. Fake smiling all the time takes its toll on you. I know that more than anyone. We're human."

"...C'mon Izuku." She slowly flew up the stairs and out of sight. The teen sighed as he watched her go. Izuku knew that their discoveries were hitting Nana hard, as they would to anyone. But, she was denying it all. She was just putting a smile on all the time and acted like everything was okay. It wasn't healthy, it wasn't natural.

...Why did that sound familiar?

Izuku trudged his way up the stairs and made his way down the hall and stopped at the door Nana was beside. He knocked on the door, and awaited an answer. The door eventually opened to reveal an older gentleman with graying hair and stubble on his chin. "You here for the Shimura case?"

"I-...Y-Yeah. How did you-?"

"The Daini's called about you before you got here. I didn't think any relatives of Shimura's still existed." He lifted up a manilla folder to Izuku. "But this case closed years ago. I have no use for this anymore. I hope find whatever you're looking for."

"Uh, thank you."

"They didn't deserve it, that family." He shook his head, and closed the door.

Izuku turned to Nana, "Well that was easy."

"He looked tired...and sad."

"So do you."

She looked at the teen and smirked, "I'm dead. I don't get tired."

"What about sad?"

"...Come on. Let's find somewhere to read this safely." Izuku followed her up the staircase again. He knew he was pushing her, but she was digging too deep and Izuku highly doubted that she was going to like what she found. They made it up the stairs to find a small windowed common space on the top floor. The clouds were nearly black outside, and lightning flashed in the distance. "Alright, open it up."

"Nana are you su-"

"Please...just open it." She didn't look well. Nana was stuffing down all of her sadness and she was ready to pop. Izuku somberly nodded, opened the folder, and placed the contents down on the coffee table. He read through the paper...and froze.

"...It says...I…"

Nana stood behind Izuku, shaking with fear. Her ever present smile was wobbling, unstable and ready to crack. "Kid, you're scaring me."

"...The Shimura Household was found to be completely destroyed. First responders found...found…" Izuku kept halting his words, not wanting to reveal what he had read.

"...Kid...Izuku just say it."

"...found large blood spatters and chunks of human remains. Along with...Along with large strands and clumps of bloody dust."

...Dust.

"The dust was first thought to be from the rubble. But, large bloody clumps of it were found in multiple areas in the backyard. There is a possibility that it is related to the killer. But lack of evidence has made that theory inconclusive."

But he already would've been so young to have...murdered someone. Not just someone. But multiple people.

His own family.

"DNA testing found that the blood belonged to all members of the family, and even the family pet's remains were found in the backyard. However, the son named Tenko was not found in the blood. It is likely that his remains were lost in the rubble or mixed up in the rest...No killer was found. The case was eventually closed after many years of no evidence or similar events taking place to show a trend. Due to inside meddling and mix up, the case never went public except to the neighbors and who they passed the story along to." Izuku dropped the paper and grimaced.

The dust was too convenient, especially with the quirk of the family's last survivor.

Did Tenko Shimura...Tomura Shigaraki...

...murder his own family?

Nana's family.

Her own grandson killed them all.

"Nana...I'm so sorry...I-...I don't…" Izuku turned around to see Nana staring wide eyed at nothing. Tears flowed down her cheeks from her unblinking, horrified looking eyes. Both of her hands were covering her mouth, hiding her true expression.

Hiding the fact that she was no longer smiling.

"Nana I-" Izuku reached out to her, but as soon as his fingertip was about to touch her, she vanished into nothing. "Nana? Nana!?" He screamed for her, but she was gone. Izuku sighed as he slumped back against the desk. He turned his head to look down at the report once more.

Was it really true? He would've been just a child. Not even 6 or 7 if Izuku was guessing Shigaraki's age right. And if he really did, what would have caused Shigaraki to murder his own family?

Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Izuku didn't know.

The best Izuku could hope for was that it had nothing to do with Nana. Hopefully it was for reasons that she couldn't have ever stopped whether she was alive or not.

...But, it was also undeniable that it likely wouldn't have happened if she never gave Kotaru away.

Izuku wasn't certain about any of it, except for one thing.

He probably wasn't going to see Nana for a few days.