In Loving Memory

The world's worst murder mystery

Izuku had never wanted to come back to Tartarus. But, here he was again, trying to solve his own murder. Nana had started asking around, and soon found someone who was willing to point them in the direction of the Boss, and Nana got progressively more uneasy as they walked down the hall. "Who do you think it is?" Izuku asked.

"I hope I'm wrong," Nana muttered to herself, staring ahead and floating at what would be considered a full run if she were alive.

"At least slow down, please," Izuku said. "It's hard to keep up."

"Right," Nana said, slowing down. "I'm sorry." Her voice was quieter now, but still full of concern. "I just want you to be safe, kid."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I think so."

"Who?"

"We're almost there. You'll see." The two of them passed through a wall into a familiar cell, one with a man fastened to his chair, and a familiar face staring at him. She turned to see who had entered the room, and Nana stared, breathless, words on the tip of her tongue.

"Nana," the woman said with a smile. "What brings you here?" Nana had nothing to say for a moment, but then broke the silence.

"Juniper?"

"Yes? What happened?"

"I didn't know you called yourself 'the Boss,'" Nana said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Where did you hear that name?"

Nana pulled Izuku closer to her, ready to protect him if needed. "I asked around, Juniper. It's what I do." Was this the woman who had ordered his death? Why? Izuku felt as if he couldn't breathe, which was less distressing when you actually hadn't been breathing for the last year, but still impactful nonetheless. "Did you order Izuku's death?"

Juniper laughed as if Nana had told a particularly hilarious joke. "Where did you get that idea?"

"An investigation. Are you the Boss? Did you tell Yosuke to kill him?" Nana steeled her nerves and continued to speak. "Give me a straight answer, Juniper."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because you're my friend!I want to know the truth, even if it will hurt me, because he deserves to know."

"Once a hero always a hero, huh Nana?" Juniper floated around the man, her hair trailing behind her like she was in water. "Fine," she said, the word heavy and blunt like a rock to the face. "I'm the Boss."

"It was you?" Izuku spoke up for the first time since they had entered the room.

"Yeah, kid," Juniper said, sitting on the edge of the man's chair. "I'm the one who has you killed." Juniper's words were blank, with no trace that she regretted it. She might as well have been talking about the weather. "Let's have a round of applause, yeah? A standing ovation for the kid who figured it out. What do you want, a medal? You're dead! Deal with it!"

The room was silent before Izuku responded, visibly trying to stay calm. "Why?" He asked, almost at a whisper, then said louder, "Why?!" A thousand words were left unsaid, but hung in the air. 'Why did you take me from everything? What possessed you to kill a kid? I was just a kid!"

"One For All."

"What?"

"Yeah, what the kid said," Nana added.

Juniper laughed shortly. "Sometime last year I called in a favor. I saw you and your intelligence, your determination, everything. I had a hunch, so I asked Peter to look into your future. In almost every one of your possible futures, you went on to get One For All."