Toshinori pulled a heavy box out of his truck's bed with a strained grunt.
With his box in his arms, Toshinori looked up at his new apartment building. It was a little worse for wear, but it looked livable enough. Most notably, it was located on the poorer side of Musutafu.
From what Toshinori had seen of the building, the walls were faded and riddled with little cracks all over. The handrails in the stairwell alternated between rusted and painted more than a zebra did with its stripes. It was the picturesque image of a rundown building… and the last place anyone would expect the No. 1 pro hero to be living.
Toshinori sighed and made his way to the stairs. At least he wouldn't have to worry about people finding out about his secret identity.
As he climbed the steps, he wondered what in God's name had possessed Nezu to pick a place like this. The little rat could have at least chosen a building with an elevator.
This was Toshinori's fourth trip carrying one of his boxes up the stairs, and the labor of the task was quite literally weighing him down. The fact that his apartment was on the 7th floor didn't help.
Bulking up into his hero form and jumping up to his balcony with all of his boxes in hand was feeling pretty tempting. But if someone saw him as All Might he'd have to find a new place to live. A part of him wanted to do it so he'd have an excuse not to follow through with his end of the deal.
Toshinori shook that selfish thought from his head as his skinny legs climbed the steps in time with his panting breaths. Abusing his power wouldn't be very hero-like, both to blow his cover and go back on his word(as much as he wanted to).
Finally making it to his apartment, Toshinori placed his box down and pulled out his keys for the fourth time that day. He unlocked the door and brought his box next to the other four in his tiny new living room.
He stepped out and relocked the door. He was in the middle of moving to a less-than-respectable-looking neighborhood, so you couldn't blame him for being a little paranoid about thieves.
With his fourth trip finished, Toshinori leaned back against the door to catch his breath. His frustration had been building up with every labored step he took up the stairs.
"Dammit," he muttered. His only lung was working overtime in his chest, sending ragged breaths up his throat.
The irony was not lost on him-All Might, the No. 1 hero and Symbol of Peace, couldn't carry a couple of boxes up a few flights of stairs without nearly passing out.
Toshinori hated feeling weak, but it was a feeling he was forced to grow accustomed to over the last three years. Once upon a time, he would have been able to do this in record time, even without using his quirk. But that was in the past, before his injury.
Toshinori gripped his left side with a skeletal hand. He could feel the rough scarring and hard malformed skin even through his shirt.
His head fell and his sunken eyes darkened as he remembered the devil that gave him this injury. That man was a monster, a demon in human skin. He was a mad dog that had to be put down, and All Might had been the one to do it.
Unfortunately, he didn't leave that battle unscathed; he'd lost half of his respiratory system and most of his stomach. Even after months of physical therapy and the best medical service in the world, Toshinori was weakened beyond comprehension.
Nowadays, he could only maintain his hero form for a little over four hours a day. The rest of the time, he looked like a walking skeleton.
And if that wasn't enough, his day-to-day routine was a hassle in its own right.
Every day he had to choke down more pills than he could count with names harder to pronounce than words in a spelling bee. And due to his lack of a stomach, he had to eat half-a-dozen 'micro-meals' each day so his body had a chance to digest anything without immediately throwing it back up.
In short, the last three years had been the most challenging time in Toshinori's entire life.
To distract himself from the difficulty and pain of his undesirable life, Toshinori threw himself into his job as a pro hero. He didn't have any family or any friends outside of work, partially due to his need to keep his true form hidden from the world, as well as the secret behind his quirk, One for All.
Only a select few knew about his true form, and even fewer were privy to the secret of his quirk. It was the necessity to keep these two secrets safeguarded that caused Toshinori to hold everyone ignorant of them at arm's length. It was lonely at times, sure, but he couldn't risk getting close to anyone for fear of them learning the truth.
Toshinori shook himself from his depressing thoughts and started down the stairs. Nevertheless, his mind was still racing. He forced himself to think about a different topic, such as why he was finally moving to a permanent home.
Over the years, even before his injury, Toshinori was always moving around; he never stayed in one city for more than a month or two. He'd go to a city with a high crime rate, help out until it dropped to a manageable level, then move on to the next city. It was a cycle.
Now he was breaking tradition because he was offered a teaching job at UA High School, the No. 1 hero academy. UA was famous for producing first-class pro heroes, including himself.
The principal of the esteemed school, Nezu, had given Toshinori multiple offers in the past, and the man had finally broken due to two reasons:
First, Toshinori's power was waning; his time limit was slowly growing shorter and shorter. Soon enough, the world's Symbol of Peace would vanish, and there was no telling how that would affect the world.
To prepare for his inevitable retirement, All Might would become a teacher and guide the next generation of heroes to greatness so they could fill the whole he left behind.
That was the official reason for his becoming a teacher(sans the fact that his days as a hero were numbered, of course).
The second reason was so he could find a successor for One for All.
You see, Toshinori's quirk was unique in more ways than one. One for All had the impossible ability to be passed on to someone else. If that wasn't mind-boggling enough, it also stockpiled the strength of each of its users, growing more powerful with each person.
Toshinori was the eighth wielder of this sacred torch, and he was planning on finding a successor among the students of UA. Hence why he was moving to Musutafu, the location of UA's main campus, albeit much sooner than he would have liked.
Toshinori climbed into his truck's bed with a strained grunt and grabbed another box. His gaze turned distant as climbed the stairs. His mind spun back to his conversation with Principal Nezu a few months prior.
"Thank you for finding the time to come speak with me over tea, All Might," Nezu said politely from across his desk. His ever-present cheery smile rested comfortably on his white furry face as he poured two cups of tea.
The short principal's cute appearance was complemented by his fine-pressed suit and mustard-yellow sneakers.
Toshinori wasn't sure how, but Nezu was able to make that odd combination work. The only thing that ruined the image was the large scar slicing across his face.
"I hope you didn't have much trouble finding time in your schedule for this visit," Nezu said, offering him a cup.
"Not at all, sir," Toshinori said anxiously as he accepted the tea. He took a sip to hide his nervousness.
Despite his adorable appearance, Nezu was likely one of the most dangerous beings on the planet.
His quirk, High Spec, made him many times more intelligent than the average human, which was ironic considering he was one of the few animals in the world with a quirk.
It was thanks to his intelligence that Nezu was able to take down some of the biggest crime organizations in the world. He could complete crossword puzzles with a glance, solve a murder case as he did paperwork, and design an entire space station-all before lunch.
It was also why dealing with him was always either terrifying or infuriating. For Toshinori, it was definitely the former.
"I'm happy to hear that. How's the tea?" Nezu chimed.
"It's great," Toshinori said, "Just as…delicious as ever," he added lamely.
"That's good. Now, all flattery aside, let's talk about how you're going to prepare before you become a teacher," Nezu said without missing a beat.
Toshinori flinched and placed his teacup down on the desk.
"No beating around the bush with you, huh, sir?" he chuckled weakly.
"I try to limit my evasiveness in conversations, but sometimes I just can't help myself!" the rat-dog-bear-thing said with a dangerously sweet smile.
'That's an understatement,' Toshinori thought. Nezu was infamous for giving lengthy boring lectures, particularly to his staff.
He set down his cup as well and crossed his paws professionally.
"So, what preparations are you going to take?"
Toshinori gulped and sat a little straighter in his seat.
"Well, I've bought a couple of self-help books and have been reading them a lot," he started awkwardly. "And I've started looking for a place in the city to move to when I start teaching."
Now that he was listing everything out loud, Toshinori felt a little embarrassed about how little he was doing.
"Hmm…" Nezu hummed. His cheery smile was replaced with a calculating look. He stared down at his tea as if admiring its pigment.
A choked gulp slid down Toshinori's throat and a tense aura hung in the air.
"Is that all?"
"Y-yes, sir," Toshinori nodded quietly. His voice had naturally fallen soft as if he were afraid of disturbing a sleeping giant.
"I see," Nezu muttered thoughtfully.
After what seemed like an eternity, Nezu looked up with his smile back in place.
"Well, it's a good start, but you could definitely be doing better," Nezu stated.
Toshinori sighed in relief but kept his guard up. He came into this expecting Nezu to dangle him from a rope in a sense, but it didn't make talking to the principal any less stressful.
"Do you have any tips or suggestions that you could give me?" Toshinori asked. He may have been asking for this advice, but he knew full well that Nezu was planning on telling him what to do from the beginning. It was best to just play along.
"I'm glad you asked, All Might! I prepared a few notes for you in case your preparations were… unsatisfactory, to put it lightly."
Even though it was anticipated, Toshinori couldn't help but wilt at the principal's harsh critique. He did his best to play it off.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked.
"I won't get too far into detail, but to put it simply, I want you to undergo teacher training."
Toshinori blinked in surprise. That didn't seem too bad; he'd expected Nezu to give a long speech about different methods and practices that he should use.
"That… sounds great, sir! I was worried that I wouldn't do a good job as a teacher, but with some actual training, I'm sure I'll be able to do a great job!" Toshinori said earnestly, doing little to hide his relief.
"I'm glad you agree. Your training will be held here at UA and taught by myself, so you'll have to move to Musutafu a while before you start teaching," Nezu explained.
"That's fine! I was already planning on moving a few months before the first semester so I could get used to living in one place. How long will the training take: 2…3 months?" Toshinori asked eagerly.
"Three years, actually," Nezu said casually. He took a long sip of his tea as Toshinori gaped at him in shock.
"Three years?!" the injured hero shouted.
"Why, yes. UA holds high standards for its staff. Not even you are an exception from that, All Might," Nezu said nonchalantly.
"But-but, sir!" All Might jumped out of his seat and his body rapidly expanded into his muscular form. His baggy yellow suit was filled in an instant and hugged his muscular frame.
"The people need me to protect them, at least until I officially become a teacher! How can I afford to just abandon them for three years without any excuse for it?!"
"Please calm down, All Might," Nezu said. Gone was his usual cheer. In its place was a serious look Toshinori hadn't seen for many years. Nezu's teacup sat on its dish to the side, forgotten.
"I promise you I have an explanation. Please have a seat, and I'll be happy to explain my motivations behind this decision."
All Might leered down at Nezu with a stern look, the former's famous smile absent in place of an intimidating scowl. The furry principal stared back at the wall of muscle and power before him with an unwavering glint in his eyes.
The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut by a knife. Eventually, the staring contest ended when All Might's body began to quiver, and steam started wafting off his skin.
"Ngh!" All Might grunted and bent over in pain. Steam billowed off him like a smokestack as his body quickly shrank. The steam swiftly cleared to reveal Toshinori back in his true form coughing aggressively into his hand. He fell back into his chair as his coughing died down. A silence hung in the air, only interrupted by Toshinori's panting breaths.
"I assume you've used up all your time for today?" Nezu asked softly.
Toshinori didn't respond. He simply pulled a well-used crimson-stained handkerchief from inside his suit and wiped the blood off of his hand and his lips. Yet another aspect of his shitty life that he was forced to endure.
"You really shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard, All Might."
"Enough," Toshinori snapped slightly, "I get enough of that from Recovery Girl." he hated being reminded of his weakness, and people always pestering him about it only made it worse.
"I can imagine," Nezu nodded solemnly, "Would you like me to continue?"
"Yes," Toshinori nodded.
"In that case, to answer your question, you won't be abandoning anyone; all of your lessons will be digital, slideshows and the like, so you'll be able to travel often enough so you can help out where needed," Nezu explained.
Toshinori was confused. "If all of these lessons are digital, then why do you want me to move to Musutafu three years before I start teaching? The way I see it, I wouldn't have to move until maybe a month or two before my first semester."
"I had a feeling you would ask that. But before I answer your question, let me ask you something…"
Nezu leaned forward, his paws crossed in front of his snout and his elbows resting against the desk.
"What is the real reason you're going to be teaching at UA, again?"
"To find a successor for One for All," Toshinori said carefully.
"Correct. And why are you looking for a successor?" Nezu prodded.
Toshinori's eyes fell to the floor and his hand clutched his injured side. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to accept it.
"Because your days as the symbol of peace are numbered," Nezu said for him.
"Why are you telling me this?" Toshinori demanded.
"Because it's what you need to hear," Nezu said firmly. "Eventually, you won't be able to continue being a hero, whether you like it or not.
"The world will lose its Symbol of Peace, and when it does, chaos will break loose. Consider my plan a way of easing the public into a world without All Might, so as to prepare them for that chaos so they can keep the damage to a minimum."
Toshinori glared down at the floor. He didn't want to imagine a world like that. He didn't want to live in a world like that.
"It sounds cruel, I know," Nezu sighed, "but it's better than you one day finding yourself unable to maintain your hero form in a fight and suddenly revealing yourself to the world. And there's no telling whether you'd win that fight."
Toshinori's grip on his side grew tighter, painfully so. He refused to meet Nezu's gaze.
"However, that isn't the main reason why I believe you should move early," Nezu said.
Toshinori's steely glare slowly rose from the floor to Nezu's small beady eyes.
"What other reason could you have?" he growled.
"I believe settling down will help your mental and emotional state recover," Nezu said.
So that's what this was about. Toshinori's frustration began bubbling even more ferociously.
All of those excuses and plans of preparation were just a cover for the real reason Nezu wanted him to move early.
The rodent saw him as fragile-something that was damaged and needed to be fixed before it broke even more. It was infuriating.
"While you have obviously been physically injured quite severely, that can distract from your mental trauma, as well," Nezu explained.
"Even before your injury, you've kept people at an arm's length, largely in part to you always being on the move. I believe that if you find a place to settle down then you will be able to connect with your neighbors and develop a sense of community with them."
Toshinori's anger was momentarily curbed by Nezu's strangely specific reasoning. He made it seem like his neighbors would be the key to his 'recovery.' He dismissed it, but a strange feeling lingered in his gut.
"If I do that, then they'd all become potential targets," Toshinori said, "That's part of the reason why I never stay in one place."
"But once you become a teacher, you won't be able to move around at all anymore, regardless of when you move to the city," Nezu pointed out.
Toshinori tried to protest, but his words died in his throat when he couldn't think of a rebuttal.
"I understand your concerns, All Might, but you can't let your fear control you like this. Losing a loved one can be a painful ordeal and leaves lasting effects. What happened to Maverick was-"
"Enough!" Toshinori snapped.
If looks could kill, Nezu would have been a pile of ash under Toshinori's seething glare. Silence once again reigned over the room.
Eventually, Nezu forfeited and bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry, All Might. I should have known better than to bring her up after riling you up so."
Nezu looked back up to reveal that oh-so-familiar resolute look in his eyes.
"But I stand by what I said; moving early will benefit you in the long run."
"Is that so?" Toshinori asked sarcastically. His voice was dripping with barely restrained anger.
"Yes. But how about a compromise?" Nezu offered.
Toshinori gave him a suspicious look.
"What sort of compromise?"
"More of a wager, really: You would move to Musutafu for three months. If you decide you don't like it, then at the end of the three months you can move on to a new city like you always do. You can move to Musutafu in your time," Nezu explained.
"What's the catch?" Toshinori asked cautiously. There was no way this deal was as simple as it sounded.
"I get to choose where you live," Nezu said challengingly.
Toshinori quirked a brow.
"Is that it?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes," Nezu said far too joyfully. It was a little unnerving how quickly his cheerful attitude had returned.
"I'm confident I can find a nice neighborhood for you that will convince you to stay."
Toshinori fixed Nezu with a critical look, searching for any signs of deceit or trickery in the small principal's happy-go-lucky expression, but found none. It didn't do much to ease the uncomfortable feeling in his gut.
Whenever Nezu seemed to be acting too happy, it was usually because he knew something you didn't. Though, to be fair, that was how Nezu behaved most of the time.
"Fine…" Toshinori sighed in defeat. He was too tired to continue arguing, anyway.
"Excellent!" Nezu cheered. "I'll email you the details regarding your lessons and the address of your new apartment by the end of the day."
Toshinori had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Of course the rodent had already picked out an apartment.
"You can also expect the email to include a list of items you should buy to help you fit in. Feel free to move in anytime before the end of next month," Nezu finished without missing a beat.
"Is that all, sir?" Toshinori didn't even try to hide the sarcasm in his tone.
"Yes, thank you again for your time, All Might," Nezu said pleasantly with a polite bow of his head in thanks.
"Of course, sir," All Might drawled half-heartedly. He pulled himself out of his seat and made for the door a little too swiftly not to pass as rude.
"Oh, and one last thing, All Might."
His hand froze reaching for the door handle. Holding in an aggravated sigh, Toshinori turned back to the furry principal.
"Yes?" he asked tersely.
A mischievous glint twinkled in Nezu's eye that had Toshinori internally frowning. It was like he knew something that Toshinori didn't, and he was finding no small amount of pleasure in the fact.
"I hope you get along well, with your new neighbors," he said open-endedly.
Toshinori wasn't sure what to think of that, so he opted to ignore it. That didn't stop the ominous seed that sowed itself in his gut.
"Thank you, sir," Toshinori nodded curtly.
Without giving the principal another chance to gift him another disturbing foreshadowing, Toshinori quickly opened the door and practically threw himself out of the office.
The door slammed shut behind him a bit harder than he intended, but Toshinori couldn't bring himself to care too much about his rude farewell; he had more important things to worry about, namely this deal that he'd agreed to.
Toshinori pulled himself from memory lane as he arrived back at his truck once again. He wilted at the sight of the many boxes left in the truck bed.
'Five down, four to go. You got this, Toshi,' he thought despondently.
He walked up to the open bed and took a few quick breaths to hype himself up for the jump and get some air in his heaving lung.
With a less-than-mighty(pun intended) lunge and a boost from his arms, Toshinori hopped onto the edge and yanked himself into the bed. He rolled himself onto his back with a groan and looked up at the sky as he tried to catch his breath. A rugged boney hand came up to cover his eyes as if to hide himself and his embarrassment from the world.
'How the mighty have fallen,' he mentally bemoaned. There lay the mighty Symbol of Peace, sprawled in the back of his pickup truck lost for breath after moving boxes. If only Endeavor could see him now; he might not be so fixated on becoming the next No. 1 hero.
"Hey, are you okay there?" a young feminine voice asked.
Toshinori snapped up straight so fast that blood came flying out of his mouth.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?! Should I call an ambulance?!"
Toshinori waved one arm frantically in the direction of the voice as he muffled his bloody coughing with the other.
"No, no! *COUGH* *COUGH* I assure you I-*COUGH* I assure you I'm okay," Toshinori gasped.
"Are you sure? It's not normal for people to cough up blood," the woman pointed out doubtfully.
"Unfortunately, it's become pretty normal for me. As long as it doesn't happen too often, I should be alright," Toshinori assured.
Now that he wasn't in the middle of a coughing fit, he was able to get a look at who had surprised him.
Standing behind his truck was a brunette girl with a bob cut who couldn't have been older than 14. There were two pink ovals on her cheeks that gave the illusion of a permanent blush, and she was dressed in what appeared to be a middle school uniform. Maybe she was on her way home from school?
"Oh, uh, okay. If you're sure," the girl said. She didn't sound like she believed him. Her eyes darted to the boxes beside him, and then to the propped-open stairwell door. Her eyes lit up like she'd just solved a riddle.
"Are you moving into the apartment complex?" she asked with sudden interest.
"Uh…y-yes, I am," Toshinori admitted. He shifted into sitting crisscross to preserve what little dignity he still had. "Do you live here, too?"
"I do!" she said with a bubbly smile. "Do you need some help carrying up your boxes?"
"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to trouble you!" Toshinori said, waving his hands hastily.
"Oh, it wouldn't be any trouble at all!" she insisted. "Actually, my quirk is perfect for the job. It's called Zero Gravity."
She showed him her hands, and his eyes were drawn to the strange light pink pads on the tips of her fingers.
"I can make anything weightless with just a touch," she explained.
Toshinori paused. That was the perfect quirk for the situation.
"Well, maybe… But won't your parents be worried if you take too long getting home?"
"Oh, it's no biggy! I help out folks around here all the time, so they're used to me getting home a little late now and again," she assured him.
Toshinori thought about it for a moment.
"Hmm…Well, if you're sure," he said after a moment.
"Great!" the girl exclaimed as she climbed into the trunk bed. Toshinori stood to match her.
"So which floor are you on?" she asked.
"My apartment's on the 7th floor. But if you can really make these boxes weightless, we should be able to bring them up in one run."
"You can count on me," the girl said.
She bent down and placed her hands on two of the boxes and suddenly they began to float!
The girl stacked the floating boxes and handed them to Toshinori.
He grabbed them tentatively, as if he was afraid they were made of glass.
Toshinori found himself laughing with a mix of relief and amazement.
"Amazing!" he said. "Very impressive, young lady!"
"Don't mention it," she said as she used her quirk on the last two boxes.
"I told you, I help people around here all the time. This is no different."
"Don't be so humble; you've probably saved me twenty minutes thanks to this," he said with a wide grin akin to his signature smile.
"Oh, where are my manners?" he said.
"I'm Yagi Toshinori," he said, holding his hand out to shake.
She grasped his hand with another bubbly smile. Toshinori was surprised to see no disgust or revolt on her face as she shook his boney hand.
"Uraraka Ochako," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Yagi."
In spite of his exhaustion, Toshinori found an honest smile forming on his calloused lips.
"Likewise, Young Uraraka."
While Toshinori's first day in the city may have been a bit discouraging, assistance from a young girl with a big heart was able to make up for it. And though he didn't know it at the time, that same girl would be the key to opening up his own heart to the possibility of something he never would have dreamed of being able to have:
A family.