Todoroki (happened before the events of Chapter 8)

Todoroki was used to being alone since he was young. He had very few friends because he never liked socializing with people. Most of his free time was used in training and sharpening his skills. He was so used to being alone that when Takasaki Eria approached him occasionally, he disliked it. It felt like his personal space was invaded.

However, he admired her strength. She was one of the very few people who almost defeated him in battle. He wondered the true strength of her demon quirk after witnessing it during the battle at USJ.

It had perked his interest in the demon girl. How cold could she withstand his ice? How hot could she resist his flames? Will her strength rival All Might's?

Todoroki wanted to ask her all these questions. Or even better, experiment it practically. However, it seemed out of place to ask her anything, considering she was just some annoying busybody classmate whom he often met outside of school.

"Oh Todoroki. Can we sit?" said Takasaki who interrupted Todoroki's train of thoughts.

He looked up from his zaru soba. The girl was accompanied by Iida Tenya and Uraraka Ochako.

"Sure," he replied monotonously.

"Thanks," said Takasaki as she sat beside him.

Todoroki silently slurped his soba while listening to his classmates' conversation. They were discussing about the sports festival.

"Todoroki-kun!" Uraraka's chirpy voice drew his attention. "Let's do our best in the sports festival, okay?"

He was slightly taken aback by Uraraka's motivation that it took him a few seconds to react. "Hmm."

"Todoroki-kun would probably excel in the sports festival as expected," commented Iida.

Takasaki nodded as she ate her omurice. "I believe we all will. We've just got to start training now."

Their discussion went on. Occasionally Todoroki's name was called. It felt like he had joined them in their friend circle. It was never his intention to do so. He did not join U.A. to make friends.

Todoroki wanted to tell them. The words ached in his throat: "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to make friends." His mouth opened slightly as he readied to speak. However, as he looked at the three of them, the words never came out. A strange feeling had rooted in his heart. It had muted him. He was a smart boy yet he had failed to comprehend why he was feeling like this.

...... Am I enjoying their company?

He didn't know what to do during situations like this. He faced vicious villains boldly, yet he was clueless in this situation. He listened silently as he slurped his soba. He only spoke when he was spoken to.

Should I say something?

Todoroki glanced at Takasaki. A tuft of white hair stood out from her dark purple hair. It was never there before.

Was it because of the USJ incident? Should I ask her?

......I shouldn't. It's not my business. I'm not here to make friends with her.

He never said anything for the rest of recess. Nor did he in class. Even when school ended, he didn't say anything to her. But the words continued to ache in his throat like a sore lump.

Takasaki Eria walked in front of him as they headed in the same direction to the train station. She was accompanied by Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka. He silently watched her as he walked, sometimes wondering what they were talking about.

Speaking of which...... Midoriya Izuku. The boy who was awfully close to All Might. All Might seemed to be very fond of the boy, taking special care like giving small talks to him. Midoriya even jumped out to save All Might when no one else did. What was their relationship? Were they......

"Todoooroki."

Todoroki snapped out from his thoughts. Takasaki was staring at him conspicuously. He almost jolted.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Are you going home? If you are, we should just go together," said Takasaki.

He scoffed. "You're just afraid you'd miss your station if you fell asleep and you need me to wake you up, is it?"

"Ehehehehehehe..." she looked embarrassed. "Yeah that. Wow you are smart, Todoroki. So... can you?"

He sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you!"

They silently walked side by side. "So..." Takasaki broke the silence. "Does this make me your friend now?"

"How so?" He asked, slightly confused.

"You help me, I help you... it's what friends do," she said.

"It's more like I'm helping you instead of you helping me," he mocked.

"Hey, I helped you with that piece of pork in the supermarket, didn't I?"

He had to admit, if Takasaki wasn't there that time, his sister would have nothing to cook for dinner.

"It's just a coincidence."

She rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself."

***

It has become some sort of a daily ritual for them both to walk home together. They often walked in silence, though occasionally Takasaki would start a small talk. At first, it was plain annoying to talk or listen to her, but eventually Todoroki has gotten used to it. If he had to choose between silence or talking to Takasaki, he'd say they were equally enjoyable.

However, one day, Takasaki didn't go home with him. When he walked down the path to the station alone, a weird feeling tingled in his mind.

It was loneliness.

He used to enjoy solitude, but now it was bitter and distasteful.

Why did I feel this way? He asked himself. If Takasaki was here, she might have an answer. After all, there was no one else he could ask. He was never friendly to anyone else in class, except her and maybe Shoji.

I'll be fine without her, he told himself.

The next day, she disappeared without a trace after class. The thought of walking home alone stung him. He hated it.

Todoroki walked home alone again. Loneliness and disappointment were such a bitter concoction.

Maybe she should have told me that she won't be going home with me. At least I wouldn't be that disappointed.

The third day, he finally saw her rushing off to somewhere.

"I'll be waiting for you there, Midoriya," said Takasaki as she left.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," said Midoriya who was gathering his things.

Where?

"Midoriya," Todoroki called the green-haired boy.

"T-Todoroki-kun! Umm... what is it?" Midoriya stuttered in fear.

"What have you and Takasaki been up to?"

Midoriya looked surprised. "Err... umm...nothing!"

"Please don't lie to me. I'm looking for her," said Todoroki who was slightly irked.

Midoriya was horrified. Todoroki could tell from the trembling that took over the green-haired boy. "Umm... we were researching about... her qu-I mean quirks! Quirks in general! Quirks are interesting and fun and mysterious and..." Midoriya's voice trailed off into nothing. He was not very convincing.

Todoroki continued to stare at him with his cold, emotionless eyes.

"S-she's in the library..."

"Thanks." After that, Todoroki went to the library and found Takasaki carrying a pile of books. As he helped Takasaki out with her research, a question nagged at the back of his mind.

Why did I come looking for her anyway? Why did her absence bother me that much?

It took some time, but he finally figured it out.

I've gotten used to her companionship.

***

Todoroki had a lot of things in mind: the Sports Festival, his spite towards his father, and Takasaki Eria. So that night, he jogged around the neighbourhood just to clear his mind off things.

Then, he saw her.

Takasaki Eria squatted down by the street, crying.

"I got sand in my eyes," she said. Her azure eyes glistened with moisture. It wasn't a convincing reason, but he didn't pursue further.

However, when she said she has given up on her research, Todoroki could tell she was lying. She was not the kind of person who would give up easily. He reasoned that maybe she didn't want his help anymore. Maybe she preferred to be alone. Or Todoroki was just not useful at all.

Or she has found something.

But why she didn't tell me about it? Why lie? Why keep it a secret?

The desire to know the truth gnawed Todoroki from within. For a few days, he had been thinking about the mystery, even though he should be focusing on his plan for the Sports Festival.

On the following week, Takasaki Eria made his mind even more disoriented and annoyed than ever.

The girl was no longer energetic as she used to be. Her eyes were heavy and baggy, her limbs bruised, her entire presence spelled exhaustion. She didn't talk to Todoroki or nag at him for his friendship. She could barely focus in class. After school, she would disappear to who knows where doing who knows what.

Stop thinking of her. Focus! Focus on the Sports Festival. It's the only chance I can prove to that useless old man that I can win without using his power.

But he couldn't.

Get out of my mind, Takasaki. Get out!

He thought he was mad.

Why did I care for her so much?

He was a smart boy. He could figure it out. Think!

...... Was it because... I have accepted her as my friend?

Friends. It was an unfamiliar term to him. He didn't have many friends since he was born. So why now? Why her?

...... Whatever. At least I want to know what is wrong with her lately.

This was the first time Todoroki Shouto genuinely cared for someone who was not his family.

***

It finally occurred to him that Takasaki Eria had been avoiding him for these few days.

Why? What secrets did she carry?

When Takasaki got punished after falling asleep in class, it was the last straw. Todoroki knew he had to confront her. He could tell the exhaustion was killing her slowly. During recess, he purposely bought a sandwich for her, just so he could use it as a reason to talk to her. It irritated him as she ate her sandwich as slow as a turtle. As if...

...... she is avoiding me.

After school, Takasaki vanished along with Uraraka. He looked for them high and low. When he finally spotted them, Takasaki bailed, once more. The very last drop of his patience evaporated.

Fine. If you're avoiding me, then there's no need to talk anymore. I have the Sports Festival in my mind, not you. Not Takasa-

"Todoroki-kun, if you're looking for Eria-san, she would probably be at the field," said a voice.

He knew the owner of the soft voice. "Uraraka."

"She got 10 laps from Aizawa-sensei. You can catch her there," the petite girl said with a soft smile.

"Thanks, Uraraka."

"Just give her a piece of your mind, 'kay?"

P-piece of my mind? "But... how can I remove a piece of mind to her? Won't I... die first?"

Uraraka stifled a laughter, to his confusion. "It's just a figurative speech... Todoroki-kun, you're pure, aren't you?"

Figurative speech? Pure?

"Good luck! Make sure she doesn't run off anymore!"

Hmm... that is a good point.

Maybe I should freeze her first when I see her.

***

Todoroki (present time)

"If you try to run again...... I'll freeze you." The threat rolled off Todoroki's tongue easily.

Takasaki Eria laid on the soft grass beneath him as he caged her. Her face was flushed from the running, but now it was even redder than ever. She barely struggled as he gripped both of her hands.

"Fine. I'll talk. Don't freeze me. Your ice hurts bad," she said. He took her word for it and let her go, sitting on the grass beside her limp body.

After some small talk, she asked, "...... why did you bother with me anyway?"

Todoroki stared at the grass as he pulled off the leaves one by one. "Because you... I... I noticed you've not been yourself lately. Ever since you stopped researching about your quirk. I got...... worried."

"Why were you worried? You didn't have to."

Why? Isn't it obvious? "Because you're my friend."

Takasaki stared at him blankly. "What?"

He hated repeating himself. It was too embarrassing to admit. He averted his eyes from her. "...... Because I have accepted you as my friend."

Takasaki gasped happily. Her exhaustion vanished as she sat up and tugged on his arm. "TODOROKI!"

Did my friendship mean so much to her? A smile tried to creep onto his face but he pressed it down.

"You've finally admitted I'm your friend! See! I told you! No matter how cold you are, you can never be alone!"

"Don't change the subject."

She visibly stiffened.

"Why have you been avoiding me lately? Why are you so exhausted lately? What have you been doing?" Mercilessly, Todoroki launched a barrage of questions at the girl.

She inhaled deeply and gritted her teeth. "...... Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes. These questions have been torturing me," he abruptly blurted.

"What?" She stared at him with widened eyes.

"Nothing. Just answer me."

Takasaki clutched her fists tight. She looked at him with determined eyes. Yet Todoroki could see fear brewed within those turquoise eyes.

"...... It's because of Lucifer."

"Lu-who is he? Your... lover?" he said bluntly.

She choked. "No, you idiot! Just... listen to me. And promise you won't jump to conclusions, okay?"

He nodded.

***

"Oh."

"That's it?" Takasaki asked as she finished her story. "That's the only thing you say?"

Todoroki was never the expressive kind. 'Oh' was the only thing he managed to say.

"Shouldn't you be more flustered like 'oh no, your powers might go berserk blah blah blah', those kinds of shit?"

He calmly stared at her while thinking of a logical comeback.

She sighed. "Oh wait. Saying stuff like that is so not you. You're never the kind to say long replies, huh? What was I expecting? For you to comfort me? I must be stupid."

She sounded... hurt.

"Well... if you have nothing to say, I need to go and eat something."

"...... Was that the reason you cried that night?" He asked.

She stopped.

"I don't see any reason for you to cry," he added.

She glared. "Of course you don't. You're not the person who went berserk. You're the strongest student in class. You had perfect control over your quirk. But sorry, I don't. So I get why you don't understand. Cold bastard."

He sighed. "Will you stop calling me cold? I'm not that cold."

"Oh really?" she said sarcastically.

"What I meant was, Takasaki, was that you don't have to cry because you're not Lucifer. You don't have to be afraid because you're not him. You're Takasaki Eria. You're a unique person. And nothing changes that. Not some old article. Not some old hero with a similar quirk."

She stared at him, eyes wide with surprise.

He continued. "Your hidden demon quirk proved that your quirk still has a lot of potential. If you are really some monster lusted for blood, I would be dead by now because I tried to stop you back then."

"...... That was not a gentle way to put it," she muttered.

"But you didn't. You didn't hurt me. Or Midoriya or Kirishima or All Might. You even saved Bakugou. So I think, your quirk is a wonderful quirk for a wonderful person. You don't have to worry. You don't have to fret over Lucifer. You're different. You're unique. You're you."

***

Author's notes:

1.1k reads! Thank you all so much :) i hope you enjoyed my story XD

feel free to vote and comment!

Unfortunately, a new semester is about to start so i cannot continue this story and Akari's Time for a few months. At least, until December is over because this semester will kill me. Sorry for any inconvenience caused :( love you guys :) BYE!!!