People never ask much of Nezu.
He is one of the most intelligent beings alive, and while he isn't in a very high place of authority as a principal of a hero school, one of thousands out there, he still has contacts all over the globe. He is comforted by the fact that should he ever need a favor or deal, there are hundreds of people in his debt who will come to him without hesitation.
Once he asks, they'd have no other choice, really.
Nezu is known far and wide, but mostly for unsavory reasons. He is recognizable, sure, and people are usually able to call him out by name, but half the time he is not revered or met with awe.
Rather, he is met with disgust, disbelief, and jealousy.
He has no fans. The people who see him in the city don't come up to him excitedly for pictures or autographs. They don't squeal in amazement like they do for other pro heroes. Only the babies do. Only the children.
And Nezu loves children, but not in the fond oh, they're so cute way. Instead, it's more in the ferocious I need to protect them way.
Nezu needs to try his very hardest to cultivate the world they're in so that the future is a safer one for every being out there, human or not. Nezu hears the toddlers gasp and point at him when he's walking in a store, and he also hears the way their parents shush them and drag them along, towards the other end of the aisle.
Even in a population full of mutants of all sorts, he is still considered an anomaly. He is considered wrong.
A freak show. A pet.
Nezu is called many things: rat, bear, stoat, sable, badger, mink, mutt— the list is never ending.
But he pays those terms no mind.
Why should he have fans? He is a pro hero, but that doesn't mean he's going to be famous. He's not in the top rankings, and he doesn't exactly have his own branded agency, so why would anyone actually look up to him?
To the world, Nezu will always be some lucky bastard mammal that managed to get a quirk. They say it like it's a blessing, like Nezu tried out for it, like he asked for it.
The Principal gives his all anyway. He doesn't judge. He doesn't hold grudges against those who think this way. He merely learns, teaches, and thinks.
He yearns for knowledge. He lives for trial and error. That's what his purpose is. At least, that's what he's good at, so it's best he sticks with it, right?
He stands in the middle of a living room in one of his secured apartments in the middle of nowhere. It's dark, as his blackout windows and curtains block every inch of light coming through. With a wave of his paw, his room comes to life in sparks of blue and red and green.
His holograms greet him with their corresponding AI databases, and they're everywhere he turns.
Books line the walls with notes sticking out of the pages at random. His creations whirl around the couches and maneuver through the apartment, completing their designated roles.
Similar to his frenzied works, Nezu paces. His eyes are narrowed, and he keeps his tail swishing until he can barely take the sensation of the fur dragging against the carpet any longer.
It's one of those nights. They're more and more frequent for reasons Nezu hasn't quantified entirely yet.
"I want its brain."
The words come from outside the scratched glass. They're hard to understand. He wishes he was allowed out again.
"Sir, we can't possibly extract it and keep him alive—"
YOU ARE READING
hero's shadow // mha
FanfictionIzuku doesn't cry. He is a weapon, and weapons don't weep. He won't cry until the battle, when he's falling through the air, when it settles in just how real it is that he's going to die, because yeah, the doctor warned him this would happen, but th...
