(Nana POV – OFA Vestige World)
I instantly recognize him.
Toshinori sits hunched on the edge of the seat, shoulders bowed as though carrying a heavy burden. He's no longer the indistinguishable vestige I had grown used to seeing. His features are older than the boy I last saw with a reckless fire in his eyes, but it's him. My successor. My pride.
A smile tugs at my lips before I can even think to stop it. 'Look at you… you really did it, didn't you? You became the hero you dreamed of being.'
I step closer, noting the subtle tremor in his hands, and the way he avoids my gaze at first. He looks dazed, probably still shaken by whatever he and the 9th went through.
'Did they see his past?' I wonder. 'Based in what the 9th said, it's the most likely scenario.'
But that's not what matters right now.
"…It's been a long time, huh?" I break the silence, resting my hands on my hips like I always used to. "You've gotten taller, and bulkier since we last saw each other face to face."
His head snaps up, and for a second, I see the boy I once knew again. His eyes widen as he shoots up from his seat, before taking slow but hesitant steps towards me. His mouth opens and closes awkwardly, before he finally laughs. Even though it's not as vibrant or free as I remember… it's sincere.
"Nana… it's… it's really you." He says, voice shaking, as he hesitantly wraps his arms around me, giving me a hug, but his shoulders are shaking.
I chuckle softly, returning the hug and patting his back comfortingly. "Who else would it be?" I break the hug and nudge his playfully with an arm. "You did it, Toshinori. You carried the torch, and you gave people hope. You became the Symbol of Peace you've always wanted to be."
His laugh falters. The corners of his lips quiver, and instead of pride, I see sorrow deepening in his expression.
My chest tightens as I realise something's wrong.
"…What is it?" I ask gently, tilting my head to meet his gaze. "You've been holding something in."
He tries to hide it at first, hiding behind his usual confident grin… but even that fails to mask all his pain.
I don't rush him, I simply stare at him, letting him know he can't fool me, and eventually his shoulders slump and his voice spills out.
"I'm sorry, Sensei." He says, his voice dripping with sorrow and regret.
The words cut into me, hitting deeper than I expect. I blink at him. "Sorry? Toshinori, what on earth—"
He shakes his head, pressing a hand to his face. "I couldn't save you, and had to run away while you fought AFO alone. Even after your sacrifice, I failed to finish him off…" His other hand clenches into a tight fist, as though wishing to strike at the frustration that plagues him.
I don't stop him and let him speak. All these years, he's had to be the pillar everyone could rely on. He's had to carry the burden alone after I left him behind…
'The least I could do is provide him some comfort… listening and supporting him at his weakest.'
"I… I carried your will, but I didn't finish our mission. I set out to be a Symbol of Peace, someone everyone could look to and find comfort… yet Kata suffered so much right under my nose. How many others are out there? How many cries for help did I never hear? How many people did I fail while I smiled like everything was fine?" He continues, his voice sinking with each word.
Tears rim his eyes now, his voice trembling. Each word carries the weight of his burden… a burden I placed upon him.
When he finally stops, I reach out and rest a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Toshinori Yagi. You listen to me."
He lowers his hand, his eyes searching mine for some answer to his pain.
"You didn't fail me, not did you abandon me. You lived to fight another day, and you fought well." I grin at him. "You carried on our will when I couldn't. That's not failure." My voice softens slightly, looking towards the 9th,band Toshinori follows my gaze.
"You did well. You've kept the torch alive and passed it on to your successor. I consider that a success." I pause for a moment. "As for AFO… he's a monster who's eluded us all for generations. The fight was never meant to be finished in one lifetime, but you pushed him back farther than any of us before you."
My heart aches as I recall the pain and suffering the fight caused him.
I squeeze his shoulder a little more tightly. "And Kata? Yes, he suffered. Yes, others might be suffering too. But that doesn't mean you failed. It means there's still work to do. You can't erase the past, Toshinori, no one can. But you can shape what comes next."
His lips part, but no words come out. I press on.
"You told me once you wanted to save people with a smile. That you wanted to be a beacon of light in a world clouded by darkness." My throat tightens, but I keep my eyes on his. "So keep smiling. Keep shining. If you can't save everyone, then pave the way for the ones who come after. That's what the Symbol of Peace is. You're a guide, a shield, and a reminder that a better future is possible so long as good persists."
I watch as the tension and guilt leave his face, slowly giving way to something else… resolve, determination, and the confidence I've come to know from him. The burning embers flicker behind his eyes, forming a inferno of blazing passion.
"…I understand." He murmurs, almost to himself. Then his voice grows stronger, booming across the platform stronger. "I won't stop smiling and paving the way. I just need to try harder!"
Relief washes over me, and I grin at him proudly. "That's the Toshinori I know."
We stand there a moment longer, the heavy air easing. Finally, we start to talk. Simple things. Recalling shared memories and catching up, like the time we lost doesn't matter.
The boy, once my protege is much older than me, yet it feels like nothing has changed.
And for the first time in years, I feel at peace.
(Yoichi Shigaraki POV – AFO Vestige World)
Kata lingers near the platform's edge, silent and unmoving. He doesn't mingle with the others, and doesn't even acknowledge Toshinori and Nana's quiet conversation, or Hikage and Banjo's watchful stares. Izuku sits beside him, equally wordless, as if supporting with his presence after getting ignored.
But Kata's gaze… it isn't here. His red eyes are fixed on the shifting void beyond us, as though he sees something none of us can comprehend.
I study him warily, an uneasy weight pressing down on my chest.
'He reminds me of him… My brother. And yet—not quite the same.'
The others seem content to keep their distance, their caution palpable. I know I should do the same. His aura radiates unapproachability, a warning that he does not wish to be disturbed.
…And yet my feet move anyway.
Kata glances at me once briefly, his eyes piercing and dissecting me, before dismissing me and returning to the abyss. Still, I find myself standing beside him, facing the same endless void.
Before I can speak, his voice cuts through the silence.
"I know what you want to say." His tone is flat, almost bored. "You think I'm like him."
I stiffen, caught off guard. "…I did think that." I admit after a pause, allowing a faint, rueful smile. "But there's something different about you."
He doesn't reply. He doesn't need to. The quiet stretches between us until I finally break it.
"What are you here for, Kata?" I ask softly. "It can't just be to let Toshinori speak with Nana."
It's been gnawing at me since the moment he offered it to Toshinori. That kind of gesture is quite significant, but it doesn't seem like something he'd do from the goodness of his heart. Was it gratitude or sincerity? No… he isn't careless enough to give something so profound without purpose.
"I'm studying how OFA works." He answers matter-of-factly. "So I can apply it to my own quirk."
The words strike me like a blade. My eyes widen. "Y-you're… copying OFA?" My voice shakes despite myself. "Why?"
'That shouldn't even be possible. He's already defied logic just by being here, but if he—'
"To get stronger." Kata says simply and resolutely.
A cold dread curls in my stomach. "…Kata. You're already strong. Stronger than most could ever dream. Why do this?"
For the first time, he turns from the void and pins me with his gaze. His expression doesn't waver.
"I don't need it." He says evenly. "But it makes things faster."
And then I see it. The resemblance. That same relentless drive I knew too well—my brother's hunger, his refusal to stop until everything was within his grasp.
My pulse quickens, and I sense the other vestiges tense, though they keep their silence.
"Kata isn't like AFO!" Izuku's voice bursts out suddenly, emotional and desperate. His green eyes shine with tears, but his gaze is unwavering. "Please, just let him explain before you judge him."
I blink at him. There's no hesitation in his expression—only trust. Trust I can't understand.
He turns to Kata next, fists clenched tight. "Kata… why do you want to be stronger? Why do you want to be a… hero?" That last word catches, weighed with guilt.
Something definitely happened before they arrived.
Kata exhales, a long and tired sigh, before looking back at the void.
"I want strength because I hate being weak." His voice is quiet but absolute.
Izuku flinches, trembling slightly. I step in, carefully. "But you're already stronger than most. Surely you don't need more?"
His eyes shift to me again, sharp as a blade.
"You misunderstand." His tone is measured, but heavy. "Power isn't a gift. It's a burden and it demands sacrifice."
The words dig into me as memories surface. Memories of my friends, of the war, of the countless lives my brother stole.
"…Then what price have you paid?" I ask harshly. "You were born with strength most people could only dream of. Others starve, others die, powerless… and you call that a burden?"
His stare doesn't falter. And in his eyes, I see something that chills me—indifference… no. Numbness. A deep and endless void, carved into his very being.
"The burden…" He says slowly, "Is expectation. The weight others force on you, simply because you have power. Refuse it, and you're condemned. At best, a disappointment. At worst, the villain."
I open my mouth, but no words come. He continues before I can protest.
"You asked why I chose to be a hero." He shifts his gaze to Izuku, and there's no harshness or judgement, just blunt honesty. "I don't because it's an easy and convenient path to money and freedom. I don't really care about the title, nor do I admire heroes. But it gives me what I need. The chance to protect the people I care for. Nothing more."
When he looks back at me, his eyes bore straight through mine.
"Even if power is a burden… it's better to have it and never need it, than to one day need it and not have it."
His conviction is final and irrefutable.
I swallow, searching for words. "…But you're already unmatched. Who could even threaten you now?"
"That thinking leads to complacency." His answer is immediate. "You're only the strongest until someone stronger arrives. And when they do… it's too late."
I press further, almost desperately. "Then what is it you're truly aiming for?"
Kata's shoulders ease, his tone softening. "…Peace. A quiet life, with the people I love."
The heaviness fades for a moment, replaced by something startlingly human. His aura lightens, just enough to glimpse the boy beneath the armor he constantly keeps on.
And that's when the truth crystallizes in my mind.
'He is like my brother… yet not.'
Both are driven to seize strength. Both relentless pursue it. But where my brother craved domination, Kata seeks only safety—for himself and those dear to him.
It should reassure me. Yet the thought twists into something darker.
'If that peace is ever torn away… if he ever loses what he cherishes… he could burn the world n rage.'
Kata is both infinitely safer, and infinitely more dangerous, than AFO ever was.
And only time will reveal which side he chooses.
***********
A/N: Hello everyone! How are you all doing? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, sorry for the huge delay😔🫠. Actually, the main issue I had was getting Nana right. That caused me lots of issues, and I hope you forgive me😅.
So, on to the chapter...
Actually, All Might mainly feels guilty from his complacency at not doing more as the symbol. And while Nana does assuage him of his guilt (including letting her die), he won't just forget it. He'll turn guilt to action soon. But I really hope I got her character right.
Then for Yoichi's POV... I'm kinda concerned with how forward he was being. His questions were also kinda repetitive, but my main issue was him getting the answers I needed, and it was kinda the only thing he could ask🫠. So, yeah...
Kata's letting his ideology out. And before anyone complains, it's not exactly a secret. Uraraka literally said in canon she only wants money. So not being a hero because of heroic ideals is perfectly normal. And Izuku wouldn't be hostile, because Izuku asked about his reasons to be a hero because it doesn't make sense to him. After everything Kata went through because of a hero (his dad), it doesn't make sense he'd want to be one. So of course Deku is confused and curious.
Another small thing, the use of Toshinori. Which is All Might's identity... Nana already said it, so Yoichi did too to Kata, and it doesn't really seem like a secret anymore. So it's not that deep. Is there anything else I missed...?
Oh yes! The vestiges don't know what Izuku and Toshinori saw. They're guessing memories, but they don't actually know what it was. Which made it hard. Cause I had Yoichi deliberately have misunderstandings and hostility because of his ignorance. Kata also doesn't correct him or trauma dumb to explain why he views power as a burden or justify his mentality because he doesn't care whether Yoichi understands or sympathises with him.
Kata's the kind of don't care person I aspire to be🤣.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
But anyway, that's all from me. I hope you all enjoyed the chapters and I hope it was sworth the wait😜. I wish you all a good day/night 🌉! And Happy Halloween! 🎃