Despite his teasing and cryptic hint, Izuku clammed right back up again as soon as they were on the train, and nothing Nana did could get him to crack.
"Come on, babe!" she wheedled, "you can't just drop something like that and then not give me any more details!"
"Actually, I can," he countered, "I'm doing it right now."
Nana just rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. Even so, she knew that Izuku wasn't going to tell her, so she decided not to bother asking again. Instead, she curled up against him, and settled in for the ride.
She trusted him, and couldn't wait to see what he had in store.
About thirty minutes later, Nana felt Izuku tap her shoulder lightly. Blinking her way out of a tired stupor, she asked, "Are we there yet?"
"Yep," Izuku confirmed, smiling lightly as Nana stretched and yawned, "here, come with me."
Nana stood, letting Izuku lead her off the train. Soon, they were walking through a small town, with mountains rising up on either side, stretching as far as she could see.
Nana saw a sign ahead of them as they walked; it was in front of a dense stand of trees, with a packed-earth trail peeking out between them.
"Mount Nantai National Park?" she read, her confusion turning it into a question.
Izuku smiled, and Nana saw the eagerness there, and the last bits of worry.
Izuku said, "Yeah. This is where our date is."
Nana tilted her head, interest and surprise mingling on her face. "Why?" she asked, not unkindly.
Izuku looked confused. "What do you mean?" he responded.
"Why did you choose this for our date, instead of…I don't know, a movie or dinner or something?" Nana clarified.
"Would you have preferred that?" Izuku asked, worry flitting across his face.
Nana shook her head rapidly. "Oh, absolutely not!" she assured him, "I'm just…curious, that's all. What's special about this place?"
Suddenly, Izuku smiled; his face came alive with light and love and wonder that Nana could feel roll off of him in waves. His grin promised things she could never put into words, and his eyes seemed distant and present somehow, all at the same time. The look made Nana want to skip the date entirely and drag him into her arms forever.
Izuku told her, "You'll see. I brought us here to show you exactly that, after all. But for now, let's get going."
"Where?" Nana asked.
Izuku raised his hand, and pointed to something behind Nana. Almost reverently, he said, "Up there."
Nana followed the line of his finger, her eyes widening with excitement as she took in the sight. Beyond the other mountains was one even taller than the others, gentle, ridged slopes running along its flanks. It curved up, up into the air, to a point covered in thick, ancient forest. It had the unmistakable shape of a volcano, though it had clearly been dead for millennia. Below it, nestled in the arms of that mountain, was a lake, beautifully clear and, thanks to the angle of the sunlight hitting it, a gleaming silver.
Nana turned to her boyfriend, a grin forming on her face as she put the pieces together. She drawled, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Izuku didn't answer; he just smiled, and he and Nana started down the trail, their hands laced together.
As it turned out, the trail Izuku had chosen to take up to the summit of Mount Nantai was one of the less well-known ones in the popular park; he explained that he had made sure that they would come on a day when there was almost no traffic in the whole park, so they had nearly the entire mountain to themselves.
As they walked past trees so old and gnarled they had nearly grown together, forming a tightly-woven arch of green light and dappled shadow across the upward-sloping rocky path, Nana decided that she believed it. There were none of the sounds of humanity up here, no cars or trains or voices. The loudest things she could hear were her own breath, the crunch of their shoes on the path, and the rustling of the wind through those ancient trees. It was peaceful, in a way Nana had almost forgotten the world could be.
Of course, Nana wasn't exactly the type to quietly enjoy a peaceful moment, so she punctured the silence by loudly asking, "So, why did you want to bring me here, anyway?"
Izuku turned to look at her as they continued their climb; his bright grin seemed even wider than normal, somehow, as though the clear, cool air of the mountain was reinvigorating him. He replied, "Like I said, I want to show you something. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet, though."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you want to keep it a surprise," Nana grumbled, rolling her eyes playfully, "but really, why here? You definitely seem like you've been here before."
"I have," Izuku admitted, "My mom and I…used to come out here all the time."
Nana raised an eyebrow at that. She asked, "Really? I didn't know that."
Izuku nodded as the path suddenly turned, switchbacking its way across a massive granite outcropping three times their height and big enough to easily crush their class's entire dorm building. He explained, "Yeah. It was…a place to get away, you know? Out here, there weren't any bullies, or villains, or heroes. Nobody we met out here cared if I was quirkless. Besides, it was cheap to get out here, and close…and for me and my mom, that was pretty important."
Nana nodded in understanding, but didn't offer anything more. Izuku's words flowed easily and freely up here, in a way they didn't anywhere else, not even his own mind. She could tell that this place was important to him, in a way that ran deep in his soul.
"It's always been a refuge for me," Izuku continued as they climbed, up and up the endless mountain, "a place where I can set aside everything else and just… climb, you know? It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen."
Nana grinned at him and tilted her head questioningly, making Izuku roll his eyes. "I said that this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen, Nana. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen, there's a difference," he clarified with a grin as soft as his eyes.
Nana felt a gentle jolt in her heart at that, like she always did when Izuku praised her so genuinely and honestly. It made her fall in love with him all over again, as did her realization about why Izuku had brought her here.
This place was special to him, important in a way he could barely put into words. It was his most private refuge, a source of hope and a reminder of what was important, and so much more. Nana would have bet that he'd never seriously considered showing anyone else what he wanted to show her, that he'd never invited another person into his heart and soul this way. For Izuku, it was an invitation, and a promise.
It made Nana consider stopping in her tracks and ignoring their climb to kiss him senseless for a while. Eventually, though, she snapped out of it, and got back to scrambling up a series of steep, jagged steps cut straight from the volcanic rock of a steep cliff. Below her, she could stare down into an abyss, a hundred-foot drop that offered a clear view of the land beyond the trees, where buildings looked like pale dots and cars resembled ants. It was a reminder of just how high they already were, and for most people it would have been a sobering and unique sight. For Nana, it was as normal as waking up in the morning.
But even so, it felt special, somehow, like Izuku's presence could make everything new and fresh again. Nana doubted that that would ever change.
When they'd reached the top of the cliff, Izuku spoke again. "Climbing this mountain always puts things into perspective for me."
"What do you mean?" Nana asked. She noted how even lost in thought, Izuku's feet stayed planted well away from the edge of the cliff; he may have been able to stay aloft when she helped him, but that old fear clearly wasn't gone.
Izuku's voice rang with an ethereal, solid quality as he explained, "This mountain…it was ancient when our ancestors were millions of years from figuring out how to bang rocks together. To it, the whole existence of our species is a blink of an eye. Everything we've ever done, ever accomplished, ever lived or seen or heard…it's tiny and insignificant next to how long this mountain has been here. Quirks, technology, humanity itself…we could all vanish tomorrow, and not a thing would change. In the face of places like this, we are tiny, and we will always be tiny. Nothing we do, nothing we could ever be, could ever change that."
Nana watched Izuku curiously, wondering why his words were at odds with the shining in his eyes. "Most people would find that terrifying," she pointed out.
Izuku shook his head. "I find it exciting," he told her, smiling ear to ear, "it means that there's so much more to this world than what we think there is. I could leave UA tomorrow and just start… exploring, and I'd never have a hope of seeing even a tiny fraction of everything there is. There's more to see and do and be than we could ever imagine. I love being a hero, really; I wouldn't give it up for anything. But sometimes, when the evil we do to each other seems endless and unstoppable, when I feel like nothing I do to fight it will matter…I come here. It gives me some perspective, I think, to know that as powerful as I am, I'm still a tiny, insignificant speck of dust in the grand scheme of things."
Nana stared at her boyfriend for a quiet moment, marveling at his wisdom and kindness and all the other things she loved about him. As much as he seemed to admire her, she knew which one of them would become the Number One Hero someday. He just didn't seem to realize how incredible he really was.
Feeling the urge to lighten the mood, Nana asked jokingly, "So, did you bring me out here just to wax philosophically about how tiny and pointless we all are?"
Izuku turned towards her, putting his back to that cliff and the view of the tiny town below. His eyes gleamed, his body thrown into sharp relief by the late afternoon sunlight.
"No," he replied with a smile, "I brought you out here because there's something you should see."
For what felt like hours, Izuku and Nana steadily climbed upwards, following the turning, twisting path across forests, up the sides of cliffs, and across tiny creeks. They passed springs bursting from cracked walls of rock dozens of feet high, boulder fields that looked like the playgrounds of giants, and trees that had sprouted and flowered before the first human had gained a quirk. The whole time, Izuku stayed quiet, basking in the beauty of the mountain like a cold-blooded animal absorbing the heat of his environment. He seemed to thrive here, in a way Nana had only seen before when she'd seen his memories of being in a fight for his life, with a villain in front of him and people he'd sworn to protect behind him.
But goddammit, Nana was bored!
She was used to flying, which was about ten times freer and way faster. As pretty as the sights were on this mountain, walking places on her own two feet, especially going up a mountain, wasn't exactly her style.
So, as they continued their trek, Nana said, "Hey, how about I go fly up for a minute, see how close we are to the top?"
"There's no need," Izuku replied, "I know where we are. We're about…two-thirds of the way to the top."
That, unfortunately, wasn't what Nana wanted to hear. She groaned, "But come on! Why can't I just go fly up there really quick? We don't need to walk all that way!"
Izuku turned to her and said, "It's really not that far, Nana."
"Yeah, but it would be even shorter if we just flew!" Nana argued, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew she was being petulant and silly, but dammit, why would you ever walk somewhere when you could just fly instead?
Izuku smiled fondly at her, and said, "Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination, Nana."
There was a heartbeat of silence, as Nana stared levelly at her boyfriend, hands on her hips. As the moment stretched on and on, Izuku's cheeks turned pink.
At last, Nana informed him, "That is the corniest thing you've ever said, babe. I feel like the protagonist of a shitty coming-of-age movie."
Izuku, blushing by now, rubbed his head sheepishly and muttered, "Um, yeah, sorry about that."
Nana nodded, satisfied that Izuku had been taught the "error" of his ways. She chuckled and said, "Eh, don't worry about it, you big cheeseball."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Cheeseball?" he repeated, looking thoroughly unimpressed, "I'm more muscular than you are!"
"Oh, I know," Nana replied, licking her lips as fond memories rose to the surface, "believe me, I know."
Izuku just sighed, knowing better than to try and shake Nana from her reverie. Checking his watch, he said, "Seriously, though, there's no need to fly anywhere. We've still got…almost an hour until we need to be at the summit."
"Why?" Nana asked, "what happens in almost an hour?"
Izuku's grin as he started moving again was the only reply. After a moment, Nana huffed loudly and started after him, all thoughts of flying forgotten.
Sure enough, they reached the summit with plenty of time to spare. Izuku stepped up first, helping Nana scramble over the last boulder.
"Here we are," Izuku announced, pride and excitement and a little bit of nervousness slipping into his voice, "what do you think?"
When Nana stood up and got her first good look around, her voice deserted her for a brief second as she took it all in.
At some point, the crater of the volcano they now stood on had clearly collapsed; as a result, the peak was mostly flat and relatively even, with jumbled rubble and boulders competing for space with a few scrubby bushes and other plants. There were no trees, thanks to the scouring winds that whipped at their clothes, even on a clear, calm day. Because of that, Nana had a totally unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape.
And what a view. From up here, Nana could look down at a valley, filled with dense, ancient trees and the tiny specks of buildings, flanked by other mountains almost as mighty as the one she stood on top of, ringing the edges of her vision like the pillars of the world. The territory they encompassed was almost entirely taken up by the enormous lake that she had seen from ground level; in the dying light of the day, it reflected the sky above on a surface so pristine and flawless it was like a mirror; she could stare into it and see the endless sky. From her place on top of the mountain, Nana felt like the queen of the world, watching the shadows of clouds crawl across the flanks of mountains.
At last, she managed to say, "It's gorgeous, Izuku."
Izuku smiled widely as he came up behind her, his arms slipping around her waist as he shared in the view. He mused, "You know, this kind of thing is the closest most people ever get to flying on their own."
Nana made a thoughtful sound, internally wondering just why the sight was affecting her so much. She'd flown higher than this mountain stood many times, had seen sights just as beautiful as the one laid out before her. Why did this one feel so precious?
The answer, of course, was obvious: this was the first time she'd been shown something like this by Izuku. Somehow, that made everything better, more heartfelt, more beautiful.
Izuku saw her thoughts, and kissed her gently on the back of the neck, a smile on his lips. "You see why I love to come up here?" he asked softly. Nana nodded, letting Izuku guide her to sit on a rock outcropping, facing west, where the sun was just beginning to deepen from yellow to burnished, dying orange.
"Now what?" she wondered as she snuggled up against her boyfriend, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder.
"Now," Izuku responded with a knowing smile, "we wait."
In the end, they didn't have to wait very long.
Within a few minutes of the two reaching the summit, the sun began to finally, truly set; it grew darker and darker as it tracked downwards towards the horizon, where a ridge between two mountains began to swallow it up. The sky deepened and changed; blue faded to gorgeous streaks of pink and orange and purple, mixing together in swirls of color that looked as if the sky had been painted instead of colored.
Even better than that was the light. As the sun disappeared, the ground below them began to turn from the green of the trees covering it to the gold of the light that still peeked over the mountains. That golden light spilled over the ridges, pouring down into the valley as though it were liquid, painting everything in sharp relief and dancing shadows, a last hurrah before the darkness creeping in at the edges took over.
They were close enough to the edge of the mountain that they could see it all; Nana's eyes flitted from place to place, trying to capture as many details in her memory as she could, before they were lost forever. She watched, enraptured, as the lake below mirrored the sky perfectly, every color and rippling, ruffled cloud reflected in the crystal-clear water. It was a dance, a call and response; every beautiful thing the sky created, the earth copied, responding in kind. Nana was so focused on what she saw, the only thing she felt other than wonder was the firm, steady grip of Izuku's fingers, laced into hers. She thought there might have been tears in her eyes.
Quietly, as though speaking too loudly would break the spell the gorgeous sunset had cast over everything they could see, Izuku told her, "This is what I wanted to show you. Ever since I've been old enough to remember, I've watched these sunsets…and every time, I've wondered how I never get tired of them. No matter how many times I see this, it never gets less magical, less beautiful."
"Like you," he thought, but didn't need to say. They both knew the connection there, better than any words could ever codify.
Nana tore herself away from the sight of the sun slipping further and further over the horizon, just long enough to smile at Izuku, letting the link convey the feelings of gratitude and love and awe she couldn't quite find the words for.
They slipped into another comfortable silence, watching the sun go down, until Nana found some words she did want to say.
Softly, without raising her head from Izuku's shoulder, Nana whispered softly, "I love you, Izuku. I know that you know that, that you can look into my mind and see the truth whenever you want, but I still think I should say it. It feels more... real, somehow, when I say it out loud, like it's proof that I'm here, that I'm alive, that we're together. I want to say it again, and again, as many times as I possibly can, because I mean it more every day."
Izuku smiled, too, feeling the truth of Nana's words the same way he felt the heat of her body against his. He replied, "I love you too, Nana."
Then, Nana turned to him again, and this time, her face was more drawn, and worry was creeping into her eyes. It was as if she'd lowered her shields further than Izuku had ever seen before, and let things that never saw the light of day out to see the beautiful sunset, just this once.
"I mean it, Izuku," Nana emphasized, "whatever happens, I want it to be us, facing it together. I just…I just hope I get to share it all with you."
Izuku felt something cold flash inside his gut at Nana's words. Worriedly, he said, "Nana, you're saying that like you don't expect you will."
For a moment, Nana wouldn't meet his eyes. More forcefully, Izku demanded, "Nana, is something wrong?"
At last, Nana sighed heavily and raised her head. In her eyes, Izuku saw more vulnerability than he'd ever thought Nana could have. It scared him, just a little, to see it.
"No, nothing is wrong," Nana assured him, "it's just…call it instinct, or paranoia, or whatever else you want. I have a feeling that…that things have been too simple, too easy up to now. Something's coming, I can tell."
Izuku's hand tightened around Nana's; she gripped it back, imagining that she could feel his strength pouring into her, shoring up the cracks she never let anyone see.
"Whatever it is," Izuku promised, his voice solid and unyielding like the mountain under their feet, "we'll face it together. I promise."
Once again, Nana found herself beyond the help of words. Luckily, she didn't need them; grabbing Izuku by the sides of his head and dragging him forward to kiss him with ferocity that rose from the very core of her being worked just as well.
Izuku kissed her back with equal strength, refusing to let her go as they tangled together in the golden light of the sunset.
At last, the kiss ended, leaving both of them red-faced and panting. The sun was barely peeking over the mountain ridge now, providing just enough light to turn the world into gold.
As Nana basked in Izuku's love, she felt her own strength returning, sealing her vulnerabilities back into their vault. Maybe she'd bring them out again some day; then again, maybe not.
Instead of ruminating on that any longer, Nana grinned dangerously and announced, "Okay, now that we've had an incredibly romantic moment up here, I'm going to go jump off that cliff."
Izuku's eyes went wide, but by the time he had risen to his feet, Nana was already sprinting for the edge, leaping off with a loud whoop that echoed off the stone and filled the entire valley.
"Nana!" Izuku cried, racing to the edge to try and see where she'd gone. For a moment, there was nothing.
Then, a familiar voice drawled, "Aww, so you do care."
Izuku looked up to see Nana floating in front of him, one foot extended so that she looked like a fairy hovering daintily in the sky, a few inches above the top of the cliff and about a foot over the edge. She wore a smug grin so enormous, Izuku knew that he'd be getting gently teased about his reaction for weeks.
Feeling his shoulders relax after the sudden shock, Izuku said, "Nana, you are insane."
"Why, thank you!" Nana chuckled, the brisk wind blowing through her hair and making it spread out around her head until it resembled a tangled halo, "now, are you coming or not?"
Izuku blinked in confusion, his brain not quite processing the words. "Um, excuse me?" he asked.
Nana's smirk only grew. She explained, "We went up the mountain your way, babe. But we're gonna go down this hunk of rock my way. And my way is gonna be fun."
For all that he loved both Nana and this mountain, the old fear of heights still made Izuku hesitate; something in his bones balked at the way Nana hovered above the ground, high enough that he had to look up to meet her eyes, which were filled with laughter and love and mischief in equal measure.
Seeing his hesitation, Nana extended her hand, offering it to Izuku. "Come on," she said, "it'll be fun. I won't let go of you."
"You promise?" Izuku asked, like a nervous child who couldn't wait to overcome his fear.
Nana nodded, the golden light of the dying day filling the sky behind her, making her seem to glow. "I promise," she agreed, her hand beckoning him forward, into a place where he could still barely control himself.
Izuku found himself looking up at Nana and remembering another sunset, another promise, another bearer of One For All holding out their hand and offering him everything he'd ever wanted. He remembered what he'd done then, and knew what his answer was, because without that moment, he would never have been here, with this woman, with so much love in his heart.
He reached out, took her hand, and leaped into the unknown.
"This won't end well. You know that, right?"
"I don't see what you mean."
"Then you're a damn fool."
"Just because you've never had an optimistic thought in your life doesn't mean-"
"This isn't about optimism, it's about what's going to happen when this all goes to hell!"
"It won't."
"It will. Nobody can bear those burdens. Nobody should have to."
"Are you saying she shouldn't know?"
"It will destroy her. She will crack like glass, break into tiny pieces until nobody could ever put her back together. And there's nothing we can do to stop it."
"She's strong! The strongest of all of us!"
"Even the strongest diamond will shatter into dust if you find the weak point in its structure."
"And you're saying that this is hers?"
"We all know it is. Remember what she did? What it did to her? She doesn't know how to forget, or to love without fear."
"This is nothing like that! You know why she did that, what her reasons were!"
"Yeah, they were stupid. And look what came of her choices."
"She is not responsible for any of that, and you know it!"
"It doesn't matter if she is or not, really. At the end of the day, the only person left who could blame her doesn't even know what she did. And mark my words, when she does find out, her heart will be torn apart. No person should come face-to-face with the destruction of their own legacy."
"As long as her gifts live on, her legacy will always be alive, too."
"How can you be so blind about this? We will watch her self-destruct, helpless to save her!"
"She has faced greater evils than this."
"She didn't commit those evils. She is human, and she's not infallible or invincible."
"That's enough, all of you."
"It's about time you showed up."
"Apologies. You're right, you know."
"I am?"
"I'm afraid that we have…forgotten how deep her pain runs. That when we made our choices, we did it without understanding all that she would face. She has had to….and will have to, confront things that will tear at the deepest wounds in her soul."
"Would that have stopped her?"
"You know damn well it wouldn't have."
"It didn't stop her. And it's true, her will and strength are enormous; of all the people who have borne her burdens, she has perhaps carried them the furthest. But it is only a matter of time."
"Only a matter of time before what?"
"Before the truth gets out…and she finally learns her own secrets."
"So what are we going to do?"
"We watch…and we hope."
"That's it? Hope is all we have?"
"It's all we've ever had; hope and dreams and the belief that maybe, just maybe, the world can be better than everyone thinks it is. All of you are right; someone who loves as deeply and as completely as she does will break when she learns the truth. But what is broken can be repaired; pieces, of objects, of lives, of people can be picked up and put back together."
"They'll never be the same, though."
"Would they be, anyway, after all that's happened? Are we the same as we once were?"
"..."
"At the end of the day, all we can do is have faith. In her, in those she loves, in those who love her. She has entrusted her torch to others, and they will carry it back to her."
"And if they don't?"
"Then we try to pick up the pieces ourselves."
"We'll fail."
"Probably. But failure is nothing new to us."