Happiness is fleeting.

He knows of this, after many years of being proven correct when you have a small moment of happiness, what follows is putrid, sorrow, and hatred, dampening the happiness you previously felt, stomping on it until it is embedded deep into the earth- It doesn't last. It never lasts.

He signs off on the paper, agreeing to it, agreeing to be present for the conference. On behalf of the Commission.

He stares blankly at the wall in front of him, sitting on the bed inside of his condo, blearily thinking of what tomorrow would be like, it had been a week since he saw her since he got to know her more, and now- He was supposed to be against her. All because of his job as a hero... Pretty sick, wasn't it?

Hated it. Despised it.

And yet- He still signed those papers.

Because if he didn't, it would only hurt her future more if it was released just what Hawks did during his time as a spy.

And it wouldn't be framed as working for the commission for the better good- Painted as a villain.

'What should I do?' He asks himself, silently wishing his words could be heard by his friend, his best friend, the one he-

He shakes his head, running his clammy fingers through his rough-textured blond hair, tired eyes closing as he leans back, falling back flat onto the bed.

'Damn family drama, and I'm not even apart of the family...' He thinks to himself with a small sad chuckle. 'If only...' He turns onto his side, closing his eyes as he curls in on himself, prepared for another restless night.

---

Tsukauchi stands in front of the siblings, his eyes transfixed on the paper clipped to the clipboard in his hands, airing out a soft sigh, his eyes not reaching to look up at the siblings, especially to the two youngest, knowing what to expect when he did- Disappointment. Fear. And resentment.

"We need a signature, a legal guardian's signature, to allow for her to attend if she chooses to go." States Tsukauchi, "Usually in this case, since she is currently under the eye of the government, and resides in a government-funded building- It would be up to them sign off on it, however in Sachiko's case, being as unique as it is, a surviving family member is able to sign off on it as long as they vanquish to stay neutral doing this, as they are also related to the defendant." Natsuo shook in his seat, anger running through his veins as he grits his teeth, grinding down on the back molars painfully at the thought.

"She is expected to attend?"

"Yes, she is. She is the plaintiff, if she were to deny the invitation, all evidence would be dropped and thrown away, he would be able to return to hero work, and there could be a chance that she would be sued for defamation. In his case, with all of his connections- He would win." Tsukauchi sighs loudly, holding back on a yawn, having not slept the past couple of days after something like this was sprung on him so suddenly.

"She can't claim anything then?" He shakes his head, "No. She wouldn't. I- We don't want that to happen, not to her especially." Natsuo grips his little sister's hand, holding back his inner anger, 'Nothing? She would get nothing? Just debts to be paid?' He thought to himself in anguish.

"W-When is this conference?"

"This Saturday. At 10 am. This will need to be signed by Friday at 7 pm-" Tsukauchi gingerly hands over the clipboard to Sachiko when she reaches her hand out for it, her emotionless eyes reading the text. A small fleeting feeling of pride swelling in him at how fast she read the paper, comprehended, and then articulated her thoughts, despite her voice being slightly shaking.

"If I go, I can present more proof, I can show the world the type of monster that he is- If I don't, go and cower away from, I will be proving the public's untrust in me, that I was just a random delinquent with a villain for an older brother wanting to stir up trouble."

"It is up to you, and whoever wants to sign it, on what to do." Tsukauchi reminds them, feeling anxious about what their answer would be.

Several minutes passed, no one confident enough to break the ice.

Tsukauchi didn't know who would agree to it, Natsuo, or Fuyumi? Those two looked conflicted, unable to figure out of they should do it, or not, if it meant that they wouldn't be able to support their little sister.

"Could Mom sign?" Shoto questions, deciding to be the one to first break the ice. Tsukauchi sadly shakes his head, "She is not fit enough to sign something like this. They wouldn't allow it. It's down to either Fuyumi or Natsuo to sign it." Sachiko picks at her fingernails, keeping herself quiet as she was deep in thoughts. The pros and cons... Was it truly worth it? Was all of their hard work going to go down the drain if they refused to sign?

"Tsukauchi." She suddenly speaks up, "It is a legally binding contract?" He doesn't reply, his eyes casting over the paper once again, the documents being clenched tightly in his fist as he pursed his lips, sighing sadly, "It is." He replied, watching Sachiko nod slowly before she stands up, her hands still holding onto her brother's.

"No one is signing it, neither of you will."

"Sachiko-" Shoto began to speak in shock, Fuyumi following, "If we don't sign then you can't prove yourself!"

"At the cost of you losing your freedom to speak? To go up against the asshole?! I don't care. I won't allow either of you to sign this, there is always another way, even if it means me breaking into the conference then I will." She stated, deadset on her ideals. Natsuo stands, tugging on her arm to get her to look at him, "You do this, refuse to allow us to support you silently- You can be charged for trespassing. Without either of our signatures on this damn piece of paper, you won't be allowed to go, you will have no protection and- They can easily end it right then and there-"

"There are always ways around the law, Natsuo." She tells him, ripping her hands out of her brother's and walking away, swiping the paper out of the clipboard as she passed Tsukauchi. "Sachiko!" Tsukauchi yelled after her, "Please, do not go down this route-"

"If I have to, I will. No one will stop me from living the life that I have paved out for me." She states with a dramatic flair before the sheet of paper goes up in flames, leaving black soot behind as it crumbles down to the floor. She retreats, heading outside of the dorms, needing to clear her head and calm herself down.

Walking and walking, she feels the heavy pit at the bottom of her stomach, acid rising to her throat that she chokes down, continuing to walk in long strides, ignoring the feelings she was feeling from Shoto, not anxiousness and worry- She had to ignore it.

Damned if she does, damned if she doesn't.

She heads to the old practice site, the fallen buildings and surroundings of rubble giving her an unsettling feeling in her heart, and yet she still pressed, continuing to walk, to move her feet, her boots hitting against the concrete.

Walking into one of the ruined buildings- She stops underneath a support beam, eyes beginning to brim with tears, why, why did everything have to be so difficult? Why couldn't it just be cut and clean?

Slice through the thick slices of dishonesty to unveil the truth, why couldn't it be that way? Why did she have to go through so many layers of hard tar?

"God damn it..." She curses, practically being able to hear Fuyumi scolding her for using such language. But at this point, she needed to release something, to clear her head.

She takes a deep breath in before lowering herself onto the ground, sitting on the dirtied ground, and closing her eyes, pulling her knees into a crisis cross position, letting her hands rest on her shins. Breath out through her mouth, breathe in through her nose, five seconds...

Repeat, lower heart rate...

"Speak girl!"

"She is quite lovely isn't she?"

"Her quirk?"

"Half Hot, Half Cold."

"Quite powerful little shit isn't she?"

"A looker too! She would be the perfect match for my son!"

"Sassy too! How much?"

"Not for sale as of yet, but soon."

Ignore... Ignore...

"Go and run away now, it's time to talk about flight plans."

"Big brother... Is he really sending me away?"

"He isn't sending you away, Sachi... He is... Selling you."

---

My eyes opened, the sound of ice cracking, steam rising from the floor as the ice spreads around me, encasing me, I closed my eyes again, "Come on Sachiko... You need to prove..."

"Say your name in English."

"No!"

"If you don't, you will be getting this! You hear me?!"

"Stop it! Stop it! I won't! I don't care!"

"But you certainly care if I do to your mother, don't you?"

I take a deep breath in, 'Not real, not real...' I shake my head again, heat rising from the bottom of my stomach.

"Papa, do you love me?"

"..."

"You are not my father you piece of shit!" I opened my eyes, panting out heavy breaths, barely bringing air back into my lungs as I glance around quickly, my neck cracking as I stare back into my reflection, staring at my almost six-year-old self.

"Are you happy?" She questioned me, and I took a shaky gulp, fighting back at the bile rising. She stared up at me, her head tilted curiously as she waited for the question to be answered, I slowly crouch down in front of her, the reflection of the mirror disintegrating into dust with a wave of wind, leaving me to fully see her. The bruises, the black eye, the quiver of her bottom lip, and the tearful gaze she held staring at me.

"I am."

"Are you in Amewica now?" She questions and I shake my head, "No, big brother Touya took us away."

"He did? Even Sir Sho?" My smile dampens, shaking my head at her, watching tears begin to roll down her cheeks, guilt hitting me, "No. He could barely take care of us. But, after we left, things got better. I am sixteen now. I am back with him again, with Fuyumi, with Natsuo..." I trailed off, not wanting to break her the news that the eldest was gone from this earth.

"Really? Do we play every day now?!" She questions excitedly and I nod. "Yeah, every single day! Shoto and I are working very hard in school, learning so much."

"Awesome~!" She chirped, happiness in her eyes. I smile, slowly reaching my hand out to her face, shakily making contact with her warm skin, the chubby apples of cheeks holding a hue of red. I wipe away her salty tears, taking a deep breath in, preparing myself to get an answer to a question myself for my younger self.

"Lady Sachiko."

"Hmm?"

"Are you ready to release?" She takes a step forward, her small hand coming up to rest against my full cheeks, making contact with my cold skin, she slowly nods, "Are you ready?" She asks me, and I nodded.

"I have to be. It's time to get rid of the monster underneath our bed." I told her, watching her smile widen. I opened my arms up to her, letting her run into them, tumbling me back, falling into the dark shadow of the bottomless pit. I let myself fall, forcing myself to remember, to remember every detail that I could. I couldn't let my mind fight against me anymore, to hide things from me anymore.

Memories pass me by, going backward from where I was currently in life, further and further down the rabbit hole, leaving me with no chance of survival as I plunged into the deepest depths. Ten years, and soon, to be eleven.

I fall into the brush of the dead leaves, my back paining me. I forced myself to sit up, glancing down at my small warm hands. I glanced over to the nearby pond, the pond of my childhood where koi fish used to swim, now, there were only fish bones left. Red puffed-up cheeks, sad tired eyes, and yet, a smile still present on my face. I push my body to stand up, walking along the path, hearing no sound, no birds chirping, no rushing water from the small man-made waterfall- only muffled voices.

I walked up the three steps onto the wood, my bare feet softly patting against the material. I gripped ahold of the side, before opening it gently, coming into the room, seeing many men and women standing around in the room, consuming alcoholic beverages. I peak in, studying the faces, glancing down to the corner of the room where other children sat, bruises adorning their skin, quirks of many different types apparent, some shellshocked into silence, and some, adorning collars and leashes.

More and more it became apparent, the faces, that were once blank from my memory, the nametags on those collars, matching the faces to the owners, the collars to the quirk traffickers- And there stood my father, Todoroki Enji, a collar being held in his hand, waiting for my arrival.

They spoke different languages, ten in the room, 4 of the 10 speaking Japanese and English, then the rest an assortment of languages. 'Think of your studies...' I thought to myself, closing my eyes, my ears reaching to hear the different vowels and syllables- then to open and stare at the names on the other side of the room on those collars.

Senator (Redacted)

Commissioner (Redacted)

Pro-Hero (Redacted)

Lawyer (Redacted)

News Reporter (Redacted)

Yakuza Leader (Redacted)

Yakuza Subordinate (Redacted)

Priest (Redacted)

Head of House (Redacted)

Actor (Redacted)

My eyes narrowed, 'Read them, Sachi. Come on, you can do it... You are good at reading.' I thought, ignoring the chilling feeling at the back of my neck. 'Read the collars! Make sense of them!'.

Senator, Chad Weber

Commissioner, Warren Hanz

Pro-Hero, Enji Todoroki

Lawyer, Stefanie Neal

News Reporter, Monty Tsukishima

Yakuza Leader, Kaoru Kazu

Yakuza Subordinate, Uno Togai

Priest, Ivan Riddle

Head of House, Miley Gilbert

Actor, Hans Becker

And it was done.

---

I returned back to my world, out of my head, to the biting cold of my own creation, steam slowly rising from off of the ice, enveloping the air, and making it semi-hard to breathe in. I crack my neck, turning my head side to side, pushing my hand against my chin to aid in the endeavor, before I stood up, my knees wobbling and legs shaking. I could feel how calm my heart rate was, the emotions I was feeling during all this having been released, leaving me in an encased box of ice- What time was it? How long was I out of it?

I pulled my phone out of the pocket of my sweatshirt, a frown forming, two hours... 16 missed calls from Shoto, 10 missed calls from Natsuo, 28 missed calls from Tsukauchi... 50 from Eijirou-? My eyes widened, feeling my eyes pop painfully making me wince, bringing me fully back into the reality that I was in. I remembered, fuck, I remembered.

I wiped away the tears before they could begin to fall, hearing the shouts from outside of the thick ice. I furrow my brows, could they not have melted it already?

Turning around, I walk to where I entered, bringing my hand up to touch the ice and melt it before reeling it back with a curse. "Ouch! What the fuck?" I ripped my hand away, cradling it, seeing blisters begin to form. My eyes widen in horror, what the fuck? What the fuck?!

"What is this?!" I question, gaining no reply. I could hear them outside, muffled voices and shouts, but, I didn't hear anything back as a reply.

"W-What..." I shakily breathed, feeling frightened. I patted down my pockets, searching for my rescue inhaler as it got harder to breathe, constricting my airflow. I pulled it out and hastily puffed it into my mouth, breathing it in hurriedly, eyes scanning around, searching for a way out, what was this stuff? Why is it so hard to breathe in here?

The walls, floor, and roof were covered in this stuff. I thought it was just ice, it had to just be my regular ice. I knew that it could get dangerously cold but not this cold to the point of it feeling like- feeling like...

"Dry ice..." I muttered in shock, dropping my inhaler to the ground, "Fuck." There was no way. Did I create this? Dry ice was dangerous, it can create carbon dioxide-

I quickly rip off the fabric of my right arm, tearing the long sleeve, before tying it around my face, covering my nose and mouth. I was breathing in carbon dioxide... Shit, how am I still standing? Still alive even?

Grabbing my phone out of my pocket again, I dialed Shoto's number, bringing it up to my ear, heart beginning to pound rapidly. I was panicking, I didn't know what to do. What the hell am I supposed to do?!

It was picked up immediately after a few rings, "Sachiko? Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!" His worried and frantic voice came through, along with the sound of whooshing flames on the other side. "I can hear you! How bad is it from the outside?!"

"I can hear you fine, slightly muffled. Are you alright?!"

"Yes, I'm okay! Fuck, I don't know- I don't know how this happened."

"We are going to figure this out, first we need to get you out there, alright? You being upset isn't helping the situation, it's continuing to spread!" I glance down to my feet, remarking silently to myself, seeing the small particles of ice spreading, shit he was right.

"I-I-I don't know what to do, Sho. It's getting harder- harder- fuck shit motherfucking piece of fucking-"

"Sachiko, Sachiko!" He yelled at me through the phone to cut off my hyperventilating, breaths coming out in short pants, leaving only wisps of hot air into the air. "There has to be somewhere where the ice is at its weakest that way we can make an opening. Alright?" He tells me and I shake my head, "I-I can't see anything, I can't tell where it's thicker or thinner and-" I heard the phone being grabbed out of his hand, a voice on the other end that I didn't expect to hear.

"Young Todoroki, listen well." My eyes widened at Toshinori Yagi's voice, it has been so long since I had last spoken to him. He took my silence as an answer to continue speaking. "...Look, you have one of the brightest minds that I know for someone your age. Your intellect is inspiring to not only me but your mentors, your friends, your family, and everyone who has been watching you navigate your life after a long time of solitude. You can figure this out, you hold the capabilities, and I can't be any prouder than I am in this moment on how far you have come, Sachiko." I ignored the pain in my chest, the twisting in my stomach, the palpitations of my heart- And listened, listened to his words, a stray tear rolling down my cheek.

"You know that I am proud of you, right?" Another tear rolls down before I collapsed onto my knees, wrapping my arms around myself as I began to cry, my form shaking. Am I truly alive right now?

"You can do this, we all believe in you. Take as long as you need, we will continue to try from out here, okay?" I don't answer, taking my time to process his words before shakily breathing out a sigh, rubbing away tears from my face with my free hand. I sniffed, nodding to myself silently. "How many people are out there right now?" I questioned, doing my best to keep my voice steady.

"Many Pro-Heroes are working tirelessly to get through the ice, your friends- Your classmates, are out here."

"Please tell them to get as far away as they can, I'm going to try something," I tell him, hearing a boisterous laugh escape him, I could only guess that he momentarily shifted to his huge form. "That's our Todoroki!" I giggle softly, shaking my head in amusement.

"AllMight."

"Yes, my dear?"

"When I get out there before I pass out and forget everything, please write down a list of names that I give you. Alright?" I ask of him.

"I will."

"Enji Todoroki, Kaoru Kazu, Uno Togai, Stefania Neal, Ivan Riddle, Warren Hanz, Chad Weber, Hans Becker, Miley Gilbert, and Monty Tsukishima. Did you write that down?"

"I did."

"Once I am out. I will tell you what those names mean. Now please, get far as you can away from here. Tell me when you are a good distance away." I waited for a few minutes, swiping my inhaler off of the ground and puffing the medicine into my mouth, breathing it in deeply to give me more time in here to breathe properly. Carbon Dioxide inhalation can cause too many problems right now. Especially with my weak lungs. I have to do this quickly and with no hesitation.

"We are ready."

"Good, put me on speaker." She hears a small tap before hearing multiple voices come through. "Shut up everyone I know that I'm hot but damn! I have a job for all of you!" I shout at them, also putting myself on speakerphone.

"What are you having us do?" I felt my heart jump at the sound of Eijirou's voice, along with some slight panting.

"I need you all to be dickheads to me, right now. You need to set me off, think of me as a timebomb, intentionally you want to make me explode."

"Elsa no that is a horrible idea-!" Eijirou began to refuse before I cut him off, "I will be fine! Call me a pussy, or a whore, I don't give a shit, just call me names, using phrases to set me off! I don't care how mean they are. I won't hold anything against any of you for what you said, got me?!" I tell them, taking a deep breath in before a new voice appeared.

"Haha! Well, this is going to be easy, you hear that social reject with daddy issues?!" I snorted, covering my mouth to stop myself from laughing, which will only leave me to inhale more dioxide. "Shut up KitKat who still doesn't have a hero name!"

"Oh!" Came Kaminari's voice from the back, and a growl from Katsuki, "WHAT DID YOU SAY-"

"Say things like Bakugo just did! But harder, and don't make me laugh as he did!" I hear a chorus of 'okays' before multiple voices began shouting at me, their yells coming through the phone, jumbling up their speech, but still getting the point across.

"Broken!"

"Attention Seeker!"

"Little Girl!"

"Yo mama so fat she is in a psych ward!"

"Sero! That's my mom too!"

"Oops sorry, Todoroki."

"Pasty!"

"You can't multiply numbers past 9!"

"Horrible!"

"Weak!"

I let their words fuel me as I gripped tightly on to the cheap plastic, feeling my body beginning to heat up.

"Useless girl!"

"Liar!"

"Backstabber!"

"The English Language!"

"Murderer!"

"Who the fuck just said that I will pummel them-"

"Bitch!"

"You are the reason why your family is broken!"

"You are the cause of Touya Todoroki's death!"

Combust.

Heat, Warmth, Sweltering, Boils, Pops of Fire- Inflamed. Burn.

Carbon Dioxide fuels fire.

And my emotions fuel me.

I am the reason why my brother is dead.

I am the reason why my father now stood trial against the world.

I am the reason why I am broken.

But, you know what?

Those are good things.

Good things.

Because now I can...

I can just say fuck it and bring ruin.

"Fucking assholes," I muttered before the flames encased me, licking at my skin as I traversed, using my left side to cool down my body, to stop the flames from burning me. Ticking timebomb. Prepared to explode. Inside this castle of Dry Ice.

"Elle!"

Explode.

Destroy.

Free us.

Do not be afraid.

---

He signs the papers.

His signature gracing the paper, finalizing it in law.

Tired broken hands gripping the black ink pen with as much strength as he could.

And he smiles, feeling relief as he closes his light eyes, letting his head hang back against the support pad. The paper is taken from him, along with the pen, and his smile widens as he heard the door shut.

"Good luck, Sachi." Blue eyes open, scarred under eyelids a translucent pink. "Bring him down for us."

To Be continued

:)