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It was a typical staff meeting at UA. Reports on the progress from the hero course. Some rumblings about new financial concepts being explored by the business course. Budget requests for new material and equipment from the support course. All too familiar and oh so pleasantly mundane. And Nezu loved it so much. He loved the familiar comfort and security that came from being at the center of the kingdom that was his school
A comfort that was suddenly interrupted by his phone vibrating from a text message. The entire room was on edge at that sound. Was it a villain attack? Trouble from the HSPC? An upset parent deciding to pull their child from UA? Not even Nezu knew until he picked the phone and read the message.
Text: Shinzo it’s Martha. We found Michael passed out in the tub this morning. We called the paramedics but he was already dead when he reached the hospital.
Text: He’s gone Shinzo.
The UA principal nearly dropped the phone from shock. His cousin Michael was gone. His last living relative had passed away.
“This meeting is over, everyone. If you have any paperwork to complete, please do so at home. I’m going to be taking a sabbatical starting tomorrow. I will likely be back next week but in the meantime, I’m going to leave Aizawa in charge of things.”
The entire rest of the room stared at each other in disbelief. Nezu had just received a strange text message and now he was leaving UA for a week.
“Sir, are you alright?” All Might asked, against the better judgment of everyone in the room, including himself.
“I’m… No. I’m not alright, Yagi,” Nezu admitted. “I just found out that my very close relative has passed away. I’d rather not say more right now. In fact, I’d rather be left to prepare my travel arrangements and then grieve in private.”
“Sir, I hope this isn’t overstepping any boundaries but our-“
“‘Hearts are all broken for you.’ Yes, I know Kayama, and I appreciate that, but please just leave me be for now,” The principal replied, quickly cutting off the R Rated Heroine.
The staff all nodded, stood up, and quietly left the room. The moment the door to the staff lounge was closed, crying was heard. Many wanted to open the door again and comfort the terrifying creature they called their boss, but no one did. The principal wanted to grieve alone and in peace. Letting him have his solitude was more comforting to him than actually physically comforting him.
A few hours later there was a knock at the door to Principal Nezu’s office. The rodent took a moment to recover himself and allowed the visitor to enter.
“Oh hello Midoriya, how can I help you?”
“Hello Principal Nezu, I just wanted to say I saw the news that one of your relatives had passed and I wanted to offer my condolences. I lost my father a few years ago, so I can understand what it’s like to lose a family member,” The boy explained, speaking a tad softer than his already very soft tone.
Nezu was torn on what to say. I’m sorry to hear about your loss and thank you for kindness? Get the hell out of my office before I expel you? Make a silly joke about how he thought Yagi was the boy's father like the Todoroki boy had assumed?
The principal let out a soft sigh. “Did you know that I’m the last living member of my family aside from my cousin’s children?”
“I did not sir.”
“When I die, there will be no other family left to mourn me. I wasn’t close to Michael’s family when he passed. We’re on the other side of the world and we both lead incredibly busy lives. I’m the principal of UA, he was the American vice president of all things and before that he was the governor of the state of Washington,” Nezu explained.
“DC has a governor?” The young man asked.
Nezu let out a small chuckle. It felt good to laugh again right now. “No, no, Midoriya there are two regions in the United States called Washington. There’s the state of Washington on their western coast and then there’s Washington, DC, their capital city, which is on their eastern coast. Don’t ask me why, I don’t understand either.”
“Well either way, it seems like your relative led a very exciting life,” Midoriya noted.
“He did,” The older 'man’ smiled then let out a small sigh. “Do you want to know something really awful young man?”
“What is it sir?”
“My cousin died from a simple heart attack. He had been a very old man even by human standards, so it’s not surprising, but when I first heard that he’d died, I had wondered if he’d been poisoned. And now that I know he wasn’t, I’m disappoi- No. No, that’s not true. I’m angry. I’m angry that he wasn’t poisoned.”
“Why would you be angry that someone didn’t hurt your cousin?” The hero student asked, looking visibly confused and a tad bit worried.
“Because if it had been poison, if it had been murder, I could find the person behind it and make them pay. I could punish them for hurting my family!” The principal explained, his voice rising with anger. Nezu then let out a much heavier sigh. “But instead, it was a simple heart attack, and I simply have to accept that. I have to accept that my pain can’t be resolved and never will be.”
Midoriya simply nodded. “Why are you telling me this sir?”
“Because you’re in front of me and I need to get this out I suppose,” Nezu admitted. “I told the staff to leave me be for now, but it seems they did not pass that advisory onto you the students,” The principal noted, looking just a little bit amused.
“Well still, I hope you find closure sir,” The young man replied, daring to put his hand on the rodent’s shoulder. It was an act that made Izuku more uneasy than it should have but, for as terrifying as Nezu could be, he was still a person and he was still in terrible pain.
Nezu glanced at the hand with confusion. This boy truly was something special. “Thank you Midoriya. Now run along, I have to finish my travel arrangements and then finish any important business I have here at UA. Aizawa will be acting principal while I’m away, please spread the word about that if you haven’t already.”
“Of course sir.”
“And advise your friends to leave me be while I’m here!” Nezu added, his voice returning to its usually chipper but ominous tone. He had to let them know it was still him after all.
“Yes sir.” Izuku said quickly as he gently closed the door to Nezu’s office.
Nezu awoke several hours later to the sound of his flight to DC landing at the Washington/Baltimore International Airport. After a moment to recover his senses, UA’s principal gathered his luggage and walked off the plane into the airport. After a 20 minute walk toward the exits, the principal was greeted by a massive woman who looked like she could pass for All Might’s white younger sister.
“Bate Cathleen?” The principal guessed. “Oh I’m sorry, Cathleen Bate?” He repeated, correcting himself as began speaking in English.
Normally America’s Number One Hero would’ve replied with ‘the one and only’ but this not the occasion for her usual cocksure attitude. “That’s correct sir, how was your flight?” She asked in picture perfect Japanese.
Nezu let out a small sigh of relief and smiled. Speaking human languages, while not difficult, was not one of his favorite things, but of them he found Japanese to be far more pleasant to speak than English.
“It was alright. It’s a pleasure to meet you madam. You saved us in Japan in a big way.”
“Well what’s a court martial and 125 million lives saved between friends?” Cathleen joked, not being cocksure was hard.
“Are you my escort Miss Bate?” Nezu asked, smiling up at the young woman.
“I am sir. Is there anywhere you need to be before you check in at your hotel or see your family? Do you want to see the sights? Are you hungry?”
Nezu sighed softly. He’d actually been hoping to be left alone but he should’ve figured he wouldn’t be. His cousin was the vice president and he himself was the principal of one of the most important hero schools in his native country. It made sense even if he didn’t like it. “I’d like to check in and then have dinner with my cousin’s family. And if it’s possible, I’d prefer it if you gave me my space at this time.”
Cathleen nodded. She’d assumed Nezu would prefer as much privacy as possible. “Of course sir. I can’t give you too much space but I’ll do the best I can to make my presence known as little as possible.”
Nezu let out a small chuckle. “This is so frustrating! Now I know how the Commission feels whenever they’re talking to me!” The rodent quipped.
Cathleen let out a loud laugh. “My friends in Japan talk often about how ruthless you are sir, most of them being your old students or former employees.”
“They still talk about me? How flattering!” Nezu joked, now walking with Cathleen to her SUV. An absurdly massive vehicle that only served to emphasize the difference in size between Nezu and his new companion.
“So where are you staying sir?” Cathleen asked, opening the back seat up to the rodent.
“Oh the Hilton Inn in DC,” The principal answered, slipping in.
“Not somewhere swankier?” The American asked as she sat down in the driver’s seat.
“No no, I don’t want that attention. I just want to come in, rest, and come out,” The rodent explained.
“You seem like a man who loves attention,” Cathleen mused, starting the vehicle.
“I do, but not right now. I just want to mourn my cousin and then go home. I don’t need to interrogate people with my questions or intimidate them with soft power. I just need to get through this quickly and quietly.”
Cathleen hesitates. “Do you want to talk about it sir?”
“I can think of few things I’d like to talk about less. Fire away Star And Stripe,” Nezu answers.
Cathleen was confused by that answer but what with the second part of his reply. “Were you two close?”
Nezu let out a heavy sigh. “As close as we could have been but not as close as he would’ve liked. We were both busy men but we made sure to schedule a weekly video call. Michael kept telling me he wanted to make a diplomatic visit to Japan or have me and my American student, Tsunotori, come to DC for a visit. And I always said, ‘oh Michael, that’s kind of you but you don’t need to go out of your way for me.’ I tried to seem humble but really I was comfortable with our worlds being separate and I didn’t want them to merge.”
Bate nodded. She didn’t necessarily share Nezu’s disposition but she understood it. She had a sister who she was happy to let into her life but she also sometimes just wanted to let her life be her life.
Nezu shook his head as he thought it over more. Had he been selfish? Would it have been better to have let Michael in and let the both of them explore each other’s worlds? Well, if he should have, it was too late now. UA’s principal let out another sigh. “I just hope my cousin knew that I loved him.”
Cathleen nodded sympathetically. “I’m sure he did sir.”
“Please just drive,” Nezu murmured, deciding he would rather not talk about things after all.
“Yes sir.”
Several hours later, UA High School’s principal and the United States of America’s Number One Hero were seated with Vice President Nezu’s widow and their children for dinner at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. It was a quiet affair save for the kids probing Cathleen with enough hero questions to make Shinzo wonder if his cousin-in-law was at all related to Midoriya. Unlikely seeing as Martha and her children were of the same species as him and Michael, though Martha had light brown fur while her children were a mix of brown and white. It was positively adorable.
“I’m so glad you were able to join us on such short notice, Shinzo. I just wish it were under better circumstances,” Martha mused, smiling at her distant relative.
“Hmm?” Nezu murmured as he was shaken from his thoughts. “Oh yes, it’s lovely to be here Martha. Michael offered to have me visit so many times, I should’ve taken him up on it, but I just couldn’t be pulled away and I just thought there would always be next time. I guess it just shows you must always take advantage of opportunities instead of letting them slip away.”
“That was something I loved about Michael. He never turned down an opportunity to do something wonderful. He was such an opportunist! He was so outgoing! I’ve always been more of a homebody but he loved going out! Whenever he had a moment to spare, he would take the kids to an amusement park, take me out dancing, take all of us out to a movie, half the reason he agreed to be VP was because it was a nothing job. He’d done so much for his community and his state, he wanted to do something for just us,” The widow explained, her face covered with a sad, distant smile. Her grief was all too evident even as she focused on happy memories.
Nezu nodded. “I’ve always believed every public servant is entitled to a bit of selfishness every now and then. Not long ago I made the mistake of letting one of my students go on a crusade on his own and the poor boy nearly destroyed himself. Luckily his friends were able to convince him to come home and spend some time taking care of himself. Since then we’ve introduced a mandatory rest and relaxation period. Every three months, hero students are to spend one week just enjoying themselves. No class mandated training or regular school work. If they want to keep training, well we won’t stop them but we do encourage them to be a bit less, well, Plus Ultra.”
“I remember Michael telling me about that whole thing. That boy sounds so strong he might even give Miss Bate here a run for her money,” Martha teased.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Cathleen smirked, showing off one of her 28 inch pythons much to the Nezu children’s amazement who were then carted off into the living room by the lone human in the house.
The Nezu adults let out a small laugh at the fact that America’s number one hero was trying to show up a now 17 year old high school student.
Martha let out a defeated sigh. “You know it’s funny, Michael’s biggest worry was that Arthur would be the one to die and he’d have to take over.”
Shinzo let out a heavy sigh. What were you even supposed to say to that?
“I didn’t know Michael as well as I would’ve liked but I know that he loved you and the children you two had together. He started every one of our calls by telling me how you all were doing. How well Timothy was doing in math class, how talented a young artist Sarah was, how terrific your cooking was- Which now that I’ve tried it, I believe he may have undersold,” Shinzo explained, letting out a genuinely warm smile as he looked at his cousin in law.
Martha let out another small laugh at the compliment towards her cooking then smiled lovingly towards her in law. “Thank you for being here Shinzo. Michael had no other family and it means the world to me that you’re here for me, and I hope you know I’ll be there for you,” The widow said appreciatively. “Do you want to talk about your feelings in all of this?”
It was slowly beginning to dawn on Nezu that he actually wasn’t very good at refusing people’s offers to vent.
The principal huffed. “I’ve had colleagues and close friends who have died in the field, either from a natural disaster or from fighting a villain, it doesn’t hurt any less but at least there’s comfort in knowing that their death meant something. But a simple heart attack while taking a bath, it’s just so… So normal. So ordinary. It doesn’t seem like something that should happen and yet, here we are.”
Martha nodded in understanding.
“But what right do I have to be upset when I’m speaking to the woman he’s left behind?” Shinzo added hastily.
Martha wasn’t convinced. “Shinzo Nezu you have as much right as I do to mourn Michael and you know it. You wouldn’t let your students or colleagues get away with that, so why should you talk about yourself that way?”
“Because I’m a hypocrite who despite being a hyper intelligent animal, can’t truly process the grief of losing a family member.” Nezu deadpanned.
Martha chucked. “Well I simply won’t have it.”
Two days later it was the funeral for Vice President Michael Nezu. Ever the practical man despite his easy going attitude, Michael had willed that his death be a breezy affair. If he was still the vice president, then just have the funeral in DC and be done with it. If he was a private citizen again, then have the funeral in Seattle and be done with it there. No gaudy ceremonies, no spending millions of dollars on flying a dead man across the country. Just hold the body in the capital and let a few people say some kind words then gently lower him into the earth.
Shinzo always admired his cousin's way of thinking. Never vain. Always practical. But on a day like this, he wouldn’t have minded if Michael was a bit more selfish for once and let himself be celebrated. He did a lot of good for his state and for his country. He deserved to be honored as the great hero he was.
In fairness though, he never said how many people would be allowed to speak for him, as such, the people were subject to many terrific speeches. Michael’s POTUS, a man with a snake quirk named Alexander Bishop. Michael’s former lieutenant governor, an African-American man named Adawale Jenkins, who was now the state of Washington’s governor proper. Star And Stripe herself, who originally hailed from Seattle. Washington’s senators, Jay Hart and Bret Baraschel. The Congresswoman from Washington’s 7th District, Tamara Smith. And then finally, it was Principal Shinzo Nezu himself’s turn.
He approached the podium beside Michael’s casket and took a deep breath. Well, what better way to start than with a quick joke? “Am I a mouse, a bear, or a dog? It doesn’t matter! All matters is that I’m-” Shinzo trailed off and sighed, “Here to lay my cousin to rest. Michael Nezu was a great man. Some of you may not even realize how great. He and I were the last Nezus of our generation and we held that name with pride. Him the first animal to hold public office in this country, me the principal of one of the best hero schools in Japan. We didn’t see each other very much growing up, his mother, my aunt, she left Japan for the United States while pregnant with Michael about fifteen years before I was born. We’d call each other on Christmas and on birthdays. We’d visit each other once every few years if we could, but then when I was 16, I unfortunately had to deal with some…” Nezu trailed off again and pressed a paw to the scar over his eye. Anger briefly flared up inside the rodent before pain and sadness followed by joy, relief, and love… Followed by more pain and more sadness. “Circumstances beyond my control,” The principal elected to say.
“I was taken from my home in Kyoto and kidnapped and taken to a lab where I was tortured for two years in the name of science. One day I managed to escape, and the first person I called once I had access to a phone was… Well actually it was my mother,” The room let out a small chuckle. “But the first person to call me after I’d settled back in was my cousin, Michael. I believe at that time he’d been studying at Washington State at the time. He took a month off from school after that to visit me in Japan to make sure I was recovering well, despite the fact that I have an awful habit of trying to shun people when I’m in turmoil. He submitted his Doctoral Thesis over email while staying with me in Kyoto!” The principal exclaimed, looking stunned. “Eventually of course, Michael had to return home but from then on we had weekly video calls where we would catch up and check in, but while these calls were truly wonderful they became infrequent when our careers began to take off. Being an educator and being a politician are both busy work unfortunately. But when Michael became vice president five years ago, we began talking much more and it was a true joy to have my friend back in my life. There was a very great crisis in Japan last year, and there were several moments where I almost didn’t think we were going to make it but whenever I had those weekly calls with Michael, I knew my colleagues, my students, and I could see this through. And we did ultimately, thanks in no small part to Miss Star And Stripe but I don’t think I personally could’ve maintained my own belief in our success without Michael’s encouragement. For as terrific a leader as he was, he was an even better cousin, as much my friend as he was my family. I was and am truly grateful to have had him as part of my life and to have been a part of his. I once joked that with how much compassion and empathy he had, Michael would’ve been a terrific hero. And he said to me, ‘I appreciate you saying that Shinso, but there are so many other ways to serve the public. Like making sure people can afford to keep the lights on in their home or buy groceries. Like making sure that when a villain attacks a city and innocents are dead because of that, that they find themselves in a very dark hole for a very long time. Like making sure that people with dangerous jobs are taken care of during and after their tenure at that job and so are their families. Or making sure that when a young woman decides that they’re a young man, they’re allowed to lead a safe and happy life with no concerns for what anyone else thinks of them.’ And he was so right.” Shinzo paused for a moment and took a deep breath as he patted a handkerchief at his eyes.
“I remember the video call we had after he met Martha, he was genuinely convinced that after so many years of being alone that this was the one. And all I could think to say was ‘Well, that’s great Michael. Make sure you don’t cock it up.’” The audience in attendance let out a laugh at that. “They were married two years later so I suppose he took my advice.” The audience laughed a bit more. “And then they had Sarah nine months later, and then Timothy not long after that. I only met those children this week but they are truly some of the most remarkable creatures I’ve ever encountered. I work with children a great deal, and I can confidently say, they will be a headache for any school they set foot in and that school will be all the better for having them. I see so much of Michael in them, and so much of Martha, and yet so much of two people I barely know but truly I hope to know more in the future. The world is a much greater place for having these two children in it and when they’re older and they’ve changed the world for the better, I hope we can all remember that their existence is thanks in part to another great creature. Michael Nezu. A man who never failed to convey how much he truly loved his family. His wife. His children. His mother. His aunt. His cousin. His best friend. We were all so precious to him. And the best thing any of us can do is to protect his memory and his legacy. Thank you.” Shinzo stepped away from the podium and began to walk away as the audience quietly applauded his eulogy. He glanced at the coffin and smiled sadly at it.
“Goodbye Michael. If there’s a next life, I hope we will see each other again.”
——
The week eventually came to an end and Shinzo Nezu made his way back to Musutafa and his school. Students and staff were quick to offer their condolences and compliment his speech at the memorial. One of those staff members was, of course, Midnight.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“Of course sir.”
“Oh, and by the way, Nemuri-“ The R Rated Heroine paused, Principal Nezu addressed her by her given name. “I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke to you when I first received the news about my cousin. You were being very compassionate and kind and I was more than a little bit rude when I cut you off and dismissed you. I hope you can forgive me.”
Kayama smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive sir. I didn’t take it personally. You were in horrific pain and you had remarkably more restraint than many others would.”
“Thank you even more for empathy, Nemuri. I am very glad to have you at this school and I am even more glad to have you in my life,” The principal replied, giving Midnight a slight bow.
“Of course sir,” The hero replied before mirroring her superior’s bow, her smile still present despite the surprise as Nezu’s gesture.
“As you were Nemuri.”
“Yes sir.”
Nezu then returned to his office where he had a brief meeting with Aizawa. The meeting held no surprises. Aizawa kept a clean ship in his absence, as Nezu had expected. He’d also per his instructions only addressed Nezu’s responsibilities as the principal of UA the high school and not as the leader of UA the hero agency. As such, Nezu had quite a bit of work to catch up on.
A lovely distraction really. He had his closure but he was still grieving after all. It wasn’t likely the hurt would ever go away, the scar on his heart would remain the same as the one over his eye, but that was okay. Pain and loss were facts of life and it was best to just deal with them as best you could. Better to accept things for what they are rather than run from them. Aizawa was quick to agree with that sentiment before returning to his duties as 1A’s home room teacher. Nezu trusted that advice given the man’s own experience.
Nezu was about ready to dive into his emails and paperwork when he heard a knock at his door. The principal wondered who that could be for a moment then smiled.
“Midoriya is that you?”
“It is sir. May I come in please?” The young man responded from behind the door.
“You may.” The principal answered with a small chuckle.
“We spoke right before you left, you didn’t seem like you were taking the news that well then, how are you feeling now?”
Nezu considered the question a moment before responding. “I was still in shock and sorting out my feelings and I suppose I told you some things I probably shouldn’t have told one of my students. I apologize for making you feel so uncomfortable.”
Izuku waved his hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it sir,” The boy replied, “But you haven’t answered my question sir, are you alright now?”
Nezu let out a sigh. “I can’t say I’m alright but I’m far better than I was a week ago. Thank you for asking Midoriya.”
“You’re welcome sir, that’s all I wanted to hear.” Izuku nodded, his smile still as bright and full of kindness as ever.
Nezu couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m afraid I have a lot of work to do, Midoriya, and I’m quite certain you have the rest of your classes to attend to, so I believe this is where we’ll have to leave things.”
“Of course sir, welcome back to UA,” The boy replied, giving the principal a brief bow of respect before turning away.
Nezu watched fondly as the boy left and then went back to work. Loss was a terrible thing and he’d endured it before and would likely endure it again, but having experienced it before and knowing it would come again, did not make the feelings any easier. His heart still ached and his soul felt a gray cloud inside it, but he also knew he’d eventually be able to move on. He’d just let things continue on as they always had. He was almost certain that’s what Michael would want. Living in the past was futile. Live for today and be content with the people around you. Hold those you have lost close, but don’t let their absence define you.
Those things were easy to say but they were hard to live by. Nezu would give it his all though. He would give it his all because he needed to be present in order to ensure the best future possible for his students and for his country. For Martha. For Timothy and Sarah. And more to the point, for himself. He needed to accept Michael’s loss for his own sake. He needed to live for today.
Especially when he had so many damned emails to respond to!