Eria

After the fulfilling trip at Nabu Island, the first thing I did was to do a thorough medical checkup at the hospital, as my parents had insisted. The report showed that there were no abnormalities in my body and it was functioning perfectly. The cells were not deteriorating as bad as the doctors thought, despite the prolonged usage of my quirk without the help of Scarlet's medicine.

With Aizawa-sensei's permission, I enlisted Todoroki and Kaminari's help to assess my body's condition when I tried to absorb energy. The doctors strapped various electric rods, needles, and all sorts of medical instruments across my body to get an accurate reading as I absorb the energy Todoroki and Kaminari emitted.

"You look like some Frankenstein," Kaminari laughed, holding his stomach.

I frowned hard at him. "Could you burn him for me, Todoroki?"

"Okay." Without any hesitation, flames emerged on Todoroki's left hand.

Kaminari jolted. "I'm kidding!"

I shook my head dismissively. Ignoring him, I activated my quirk, flexed my limbs and readied my stance. "Come on. Give me all you've got."

Todoroki and Kaminari exchanged nervous looks. Flames emerged on Todoroki's left hand. "If you want me to stop, just say it quick. Don't force yourself." His brows furrowed as he hesitated to burn me.

I nodded.

With a short, exasperated sigh, Todoroki released his raging flames at me. Deluged in the raging flames, it felt warm, like Todoroki's comforting embrace. I reimagined the feeling of absorbing energy from fire and took in deep breaths, letting the energy seep through my skin. Renewed energy surged through my body. I activated my quirk, feeling powerful and refreshed.

Todoroki stopped releasing his flames when he saw my quirk was activated. "How do you feel?" he asked, concerned.

I grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

The doctors who peered at their computer screens were discussing among themselves and writing notes in their notepads. One of the doctors gently stabbed a syringe into my arm to take a blood sample.

The next experiment began with Kaminari's electricity attack. Even though the blond was reluctant to attack me with all his strength, I strongly insisted. Reluctantly he unleashed his ultimate move, Indiscriminate Discharge 1,300,000 Volts at me.

I braced for the strong impact. Within less than a second, electrifying pain coursed through my veins and I knelt on the ground. Even though I was confident my demonic resistance could resist Kaminari's attack like before, I was afraid I might not be able to withstand the overwhelming electricity. Indeed, Kaminari had grown stronger.

At the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw Todoroki urging to move, as though he wanted to shield me from the pain. Kaminari faltered when he saw me writhing in pain, and his electricity output was drastically reduced.

"Don't stop!" I yelled, getting desperate over my weakness. I tried to focus on absorbing the electricity but the electrifying pain was distracting.

Focus! If you can absorb the energy when the villain attacked you, you definitely can do it now!

Soon, the electrifying pain slowly ceased and I thought Kaminari had reduced his output. Instead, a gentle feeling of a warm embrace wrapped around me, like how Todoroki's flames soothed me when I absorbed it. It took some time but I finally absorbed the electricity and turned it into my energy.

Kaminari's brain short-circuited after his output exceeded the limit and he cried "Weeeee~" while giving me thumbs-up. I panted and laid on the ground sprawled-eagle, exhausted from the experiments.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki's face appeared in my vision as he looked over my face.

"Yup," I panted, putting a wide grin on my face.

The doctors took another blood sample from me and they began to run tests with their computers. After a few more rounds of experimenting with Todoroki's flames (Kaminari couldn't do it anymore since his brain short-circuited), it was safe to conclude that my body's cells were functioning well using the energy I absorbed. There were minimal signs of cell deterioration and the condition had improved a lot since the drugged incident.

"Apparently, there seem to be some changes in your Quirk Factor as well, but we'll go into it deeper after we research on your DNA," one of the doctors said. "We will share our results with Scarlet as well and do more research to ensure your body is truly evolving and adapting well to the changes."

It was a fruitful event that left me feeling like all my efforts were not going to be wasted at all. I was slightly light-headed but overjoyed to know that I had grown stronger, and nothing else would stand in my way of becoming a hero. Everything was slowly coming into place, like finding the missing pieces to the complex puzzle called life.

"This doesn't mean you are free to go, Takasaki," Aizawa-sensei said before he released me to my dorm. "I will still constantly monitor your condition and if I see any mishap, you will stop using your quirk immediately. Prove to me that you're good enough to adapt to your newly evolved changes."

I nodded eagerly.

"And......good job," Aizawa-sensei praised right before he turned around and left.

The smile on my face widened into a grin. It all seemed too good to be true. Despite the obstacles thrown at me, I managed to overcome them after the efforts I poured into it. I recalled the emotional upheavals and the depression I had and realised it was definitely a good choice not to give up easily. Perseverance was my key to success.

"I'm glad for your changes. You've earned it," Todoroki said. He heaved Kaminari's arm over his shoulders and I helped him to carry the poor blond back to the dorm.

"Me too. Thanks for being there always," I said.

Todoroki smiled his gorgeous smile. "You're welcome."

***

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The boys roared with laughter, clutching their stomachs as they writhed in pain from laughing. They continued to peer at Kaminari's phone, which was playing a video on a loop for several times.

"I can't believe they cut you out!" Kaminari wheezed, pointing eagerly at Bakugou, whose teeth were gritted and fists clenched in anger.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up," Bakugou snarled, his hairs bristled angrily. If he could, he would have whirled a punch in the boys' face.

"And you let Todoroki hog all the glory!" Sero laughed amusingly. "You completely disappeared off screen!"

"You should definitely learn from Todoroki!" Kirishima joined in the teasing. "Boy, everyone in the comments love him!"

"SHUT UP!" Bakugou roared furiously, but it only made the boys' laughter worsen.

I shook my head, trying hard not to laugh as I watched the video on my phone for the umpteenth time. It was an interview from a media who found Todoroki and Bakugou after their amazing hero debut by catching a villain. Todoroki, despite his impassive face and calmness, earned plenty of affection from fans everywhere as they showered him with their love in the video's comment section. They were absolutely right. Todoroki was perfect with his handsomeness and his display of power. It wouldn't be a surprise if fan clubs starting to pop up everywhere.

"But we're friends -" Todoroki claimed in the video.

"WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!" Bakugou roared in the video, but his face were completely cut off as the video only focused on Todoroki.

I tried to hold in the laughter because I feared if I laughed too loud, Bakugou would turn his attention to me and murder me instead.

"How many times have you been watching that?" Todoroki asked in a gentle voice. His presence startled me and I yelped quietly. He was so close I could smell his lingering, flowery scent of shampoo.

A tiny blush formed on my cheeks. "I-it was amazingly funny," I stuttered, trying to focus on the video, but Todoroki robbed me of all my attention as usual.

"I don't understand why the viewers said they like me." Todoroki's eyes moved from the screen to meet mine. "They don't know me personally."

With Todoroki's handsome face barely inches from mine, I couldn't think of a smart answer to reply him. "Err...... maybe because you're good-looking?" I blurted, and instantly regretted it.

Todoroki blinked, fazed by my answer. He wanted to ask more, but it seemed he wouldn't comprehend better even if he did. "People like good-looking people... I'm good-looking? Hmm......" he muttered in an undertone.

I couldn't decide which was funnier: Bakugou being continuous slammed by his classmates, or Todoroki who kept failing to understand he was handsome.

***

The next day, the school arranged for a media exercise session, with Mount Lady starring as the guest lecturer. She would be conducting Hero Interview Trainings for everyone in Class 1-A, since Bakugou made a fool of himself in front of the media. A makeshift stage was erected and a few Pro Heroes were invited to act as the media with actual mics, cameras and filming equipment.

The first person to be 'interviewed' on stage was Todoroki.

"Amazing work out there, Shouto!" Mount Lady shoved a mic at Todoroki's face, who was fazed by the current events. "Now tell us, what sort of hero do you want to become?"

"The type who can make everyone feel at ease when I show up," he replied calmly, without showing any nervousness. If it were me, I would probably be fainted by now with all those eyes staring at me.

"Fantastic! But if a looker like you suddenly showed up, I think my heart would burst out of my chest!" Mount Lady gasped. Even though Todoroki was barely 16, his height prevailed as they stood side by side.

Without any changes to his face, Todoroki blurted rather earnestly, even though it sounded like a joke. "Do you have a heart condition?"

I choked. My heart couldn't take it. How could this guy be so smart and dense about social cues at the same time?! It only makes people want him more! I know I would!

When Mount Lady asked about his ultimate moves, Todoroki unhesitatingly showed his Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall, conjuring a large ice barrier that displayed his physical prowess.

"What about Flashfire Fist?" Hagakure asked.

"...... that's that old man's move. I'm not at his level yet," Todoroki explained, though in a slightly gloomy tone. His classmates wouldn't understand why he seemed so dismissive of his father. It was still a long way for Todoroki to fully accept his father, but at least I was one of the lucky few who knew the real reasons.

"It's okay to have personal topics...... but if you're trying to put people at ease, smiling would be a good start. Flash some smiles and you'll be a genuine lady-killer!" Mount Lady commented enthusiastically.

But it only earned a look of horror that dawned on Todoroki's face. "My smile will kill women?!"

"ALL RIGHT'S THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Fazed, Todoroki walked down the stage and towards me. Horror sprawled across his face. "Is my smile that lethal?" Todoroki asked, eyes glinting and mouth pouting like a poor puppy.

"In a way, yes," I admitted. "In fact, everything you do with your face kills women."

He gaped in horror. I chuckled at his silliness. You're too cute!

"So my face... my smile... does it kill you too?" he asked in an innocent tone. His gleaming eyes and his slightly pouty lips had killed me over and over.

"Ermm -"

"Eria! You're up next!" Mount Lady shouted.

Saved by the bell!

"Talk later!" I said and sped towards the stage.

On stage, Mount Lady skewered me with various questions that I found hard to answer without stuttering like an idiot. The only confident thing I did was a solid display of my power by smashing a boulder and soaring in the air with my wings. The moment I landed, I tried to smile brightly like every hero should but my legs were still shivering with anxiety. The trembling gave away my weakness and my confidence fell apart like a building being demolished.

"You need to build up your confidence and relax. Don't worry. You'll get a hang of it soon. I suggest you try to practice so that you don't get clumsy when the real thing comes," Mount Lady commented. "Next! Deku!"

I digested her advice, my legs were still trembling like a leaf as I passed Midoriya, who was equally nervous. He started mumbling to himself incoherently again, as though he was practicing on a script. But eventually, he didn't manage to read out his 'script' smoothly as he had practiced. He stuttered and fidgeted, a living male example of me on stage.

I took in deep breaths to calm myself, watching my other classmates on stage, amused but in admiration of their confidence on stage. Some were a little anxious, while some seemed to be naturally born with stage-confidence. Iida was a little rigid with movements on stage, Yaomomo gleamed glamourously like a star, Ashido's bubbly personality entranced the audience and Bakugou did not held back his explosive personality or threats that made him look less a hero and more a villain.

When Mount Lady's training ended, Todoroki was still contemplating on how his smiles could kill women. He frowned hard and his eyebrows scrunched together. I silently giggled as his aloofness.

"Should I practice on how not to kill women with my smiles?" Todoroki mumbled. I choked, trying hard not to wheeze. He tried to put on a wide smile but it seemed weird and awkward, like a person who had never smiled before.

I shook my head. Why do I still think he looks cute like this? "Just be natural and stop thinking about how your smiles kill people. It was metaphorical."

His awkward grin slid off his face as he frowned hard, trying to decide if he should listen to my advice.

"How did you handle this so confidently?" Midoriya asked, apparently exhausted from the overwhelming anxiety.

A small smile naturally crept onto Todoroki's face. "I did it as normal as I could," he replied.

I continued to shake my head and sighed, wondering how many fangirls I needed to defend him from in the future.

***

"Where are you going?" Ochako asked on Saturday morning as she lounged by the sofa, reading a book.

"I need to drop by Scarlet's lab. Apparently they've sent an email to get another blood sample from me for research. They were going to work with the hospital for the research," I said, tugging my bag strap on my shoulder. "I'll be back ASAP."

"Todoroki's so gonna miss you~ he was looking forward to hangout together~" she cooed and a smirk appeared on her face.

I pinched her chubby cheeks and she yelped in pain. "You're getting a little bold now, huh? You want me to tell Midoriya on you?" I hissed.

"I'll shut up if you shut up!" she begged and I let her go.

I bade her farewell and left to catch the latest train into the city center. Countless looming skyscrapers came into view and went as the train streamed past. My eyes remained glued to the view outside, though occasionally Todoroki's face would find its way to my mind, and I wondered if he ever felt lonely when I wasn't around.

I weaved my way through the busy streets of Tokyo and reached the skyscraper where the lab was located. It was a off day, so barely anyone was working in the lab right now, except a few researchers who probably had to take overtime to finish their endless work, including Hayato. His handsome face lit up brightly when he saw me, and hopped excitedly to me like a puppy whose human had returned home.

"I didn't expect to see you here again. I'm so glad," he flashed a toothy grin that gleamed under the light. "Just hold on. I'll get the person-in-charge."

I sat by the sofa at the lobby, peering around to kill time. But eventually my attention was drawn to my phone, as a little part of me clung onto the hope of Todoroki messaging me just because he missed me.

"You're such a talented student. Did you think of working here as an intern?" a man was talking to a young girl across the lobby.

The young girl with sleek black hair bowed appreciatively and chuckled. "Thank you very much. I will consider about it." As the girl turned a little, I caught a glimpse of her face.

It was Sakamoto Miori.

A twinge of hatred and jealousy struck at my heart. I disliked the fact of meeting her here, and I hated the fact of her gleaming with natural beauty. Her long hair swished at every subtle movement like leaves blown by a breeze and her chuckle sounded like a singer's melodious voice.

I prayed hard for Todoroki to never meet her again. I could not risk him falling in love with her.

"Hey, come on. We're ready for you," Hayato said, nudging me.

I peeled my eyes off the incarnation of beauty called Sakamoto and followed Hayato into the depths of the lab.

"You know, I wasn't expecting to meet you again. I know you're busy and all, so I didn't want to disturb your studies. I heard from Scarlet that your condition has improved a lot and I'm very glad for you. Though, I'm not quite sure why Scarlet want you back for some samples...... Anyway, we'll just ask Miss Mugen about it. She'll have an idea, since she will be taking the blood sample from you -"

"I saw Sakamoto just now. Why is she here?" I asked, cutting Hayato off mid-sentence. I was getting increasingly anxious over her presence. I couldn't stop thinking of how pathetic I would look standing next to her: it was like a chicken standing next to a peacock.

"Oh Sakamoto? She's here as a part-time job. She said she wanted to go into the field of Quirk Studies so that she can be one step closer to her dream. Something about being a scientist to support someone she likes. Todoroki...... is it? Boy, she's so fond over him," Hayato replied nonchalantly, ignoring the mixture of anger and fear appearing on my face.

I knew it! I don't know how she is going to do it, but she's trying to get to Todoroki again?!

"Well, her quirk isn't very hero-like so she couldn't be a sidekick. Then she thought being a scientist would be better. What lengths she would take to get closer to him."

Yes. What lengths she would take. And why?

"What's her quirk?"

Hayato tapped his chin, scrunching his face as he tried to recall. "Something about illusions? But not the pretty kind like creating auroras or flowers. She said it was rather the opposite. I've never seen her do it before but she did it on a bully once. He ran off screaming he saw spiders crawling around his entire body." He shuddered and rubbed his arms. "Creepy."

My footsteps froze. The world around me went silent and all I could hear was the violent thumping of my heart as a horrifying thought started to form in my mind. Blood ran cold in my veins and my feet started to tremble involuntarily.

Illusions.

Illusions of fear.

It all started to make sense to me, like missing pieces of a puzzle filling up the empty parts of my mind map.

I had always wondered how the villains managed to find me in Kabukicho. The only person who knew I was there was Sakamoto, who 'coincidentally' spotted me out of so many places in the complex city of Tokyo. I didn't suspect a thing of her even though I hated her because I thought she was innocent and harmless. But now, that innocent sweetness of hers tasted fake, bitter and lethal, like a viper's poison.

She's the illusionist. She's the one who tried to kill me. She's the one who tried to use me to kill my friends. She's the one who nearly tore my family apart. If she hadn't found me on purpose, I wouldn't be kidnapped or drugged.

And all the bad things that had happened to me would never have happened.

Anger, fear and bewilderment charged me, filling me with extremely foreign and negative feelings. I thought I wanted to confront her and punch her into submission before she could make a move. But fear was prevailing every of my senses, and I began to doubt whether I had the mental strength to defeat her.

There was no other way. I needed to leave. I couldn't do this alone. I needed help from the Pro Heroes to apprehend her.

I turned on my heels, heading in the opposite direction to the exit.

"What's wrong?" Hayato asked as he tugged on my arm.

"I need to leave," my voice cracked with strain. "I have to go back to U.A."

"But you just got here......"

"Sorry, I have to -"

But Hayato's grip on my arm tightened. "You can tell me anything. I'm here to help."

"Hayato, I'm sorry." I pried his hand off my arm and feigned a smile. "I'll tell you when I reached my dorm."

"Can't you just stay? I'm here for you," he said pleadingly.

"Sorry......" I couldn't stay any longer. If Sakamoto caught up to me, there's no telling I would be able to resist her illusions. I couldn't afford to let her brainwash me like the last time. I needed to go back and tell the Pro Heroes that -

"You can't leave. I'm not letting you," a low, deep voice hissed threateningly.

My blood ran cold. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Alarms resonated in my mind immediately, signalling imminent danger.

I wouldn't believe that was Hayato's voice if I hadn't heard it on my own. My eyes trembled as I looked at him. His friendly, enthusiastic personality took a drastic turn: his warm brown eyes turned dark and dangerous, like a predator waiting to pounce on his prey.

"You're not going back there. You're not going back to him."

Hayato took a step forward and I instinctively took a step backward.

"W-what are you talking about?" I said warily, my legs staggering, trying to put a distance between me and him.

"I'm not letting you going back."

My eyes widened as I felt a sharp, painful jab at my neck. I looked down and realised there was a syringe stuck at my skin. Before I could comprehend how did it got there, my legs felt weak and I fell to the floor. I tried to hoist myself up, but my arms soon turned numb. Panic overwhelmed me as I knew this feeling all too well - Dabi that asshole villain used a paralysing drug to prevent my escape.

The horrifying concoction of fear and confusion filled my mind. I still couldn't believe what was happening to me.

"Don't worry Eria. I won't let her hurt you. I'll protect you, so you don't have to go back to him," Hayato's voice was a mixture of gentleness and danger. He crouched down to look at me in the face, his features contorted with a wicked grin.

I tried to move, but I felt helpless. "What are you doing?"

Hayato continued to wear a smile on his face, ignoring my question. He touched me and instantly the hallway around me disappeared in a blur of colours. I found myself in an unfamiliar room and goosebumps appeared across my limbs.

"Where am I? What did you do?" I shouted defiantly, trying not to expose fear in my tone of voice.

"I teleported us here. This is my little room," Hayato murmured gently. "No one will disturb us here."

Shit! Fear worsened in me. I still couldn't understand what had happened and why was Hayato doing this to me. It took a heavy toll on my mind, and I thought I should faint so that when I wake up this would all be just a harmless nightmare. So many questions filled my mind but one question stood out.

"What did you mean by teleportation?" I asked.

Hayato's smile widened. Fear continued to bubble in my chest.

"You see. I lied about my quirk. I told you my quirk was fast speed, right? Well, I had to, you know? If you knew my quirk was teleportation, you wouldn't be friends with me anymore." Hayato's calloused hand caressed my cheek. If it was any closer, I would probably bite his hand in retaliation. "After all, I did try to hurt you with my quirk."

His quirk was teleportation? Hurt me with his quirk? The words resonated in my mind as I digested them, and finally a terrifying answer came to mind.

"You're that...... teleporting villain......"

Hayato's smile didn't fade. It was eerily creepy and it caused scary imaginations flashing through my mind even though I tried hard to stay calm.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked.

Hayato let out a melodious chuckle. "Of course not. Even though she insisted to kill you, I won't let her. At first, I thought I wouldn't mind, but...... you're so sweet and gentle and beautiful...... I like you too much to hurt you." His thumb caressed my cheek.

I refused to believe in his promise in such circumstances, but I had to know more. I knew my priority was to stay calm and escape, but I needed to ask more.

"Who is she? The illusionist?" I asked. Is it Sakamoto Miori? Is she the one trying to kill me?

"Yes. But don't worry. I won't let her hurt you," Hayato replied in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I won't let anyone take you away from me."

I couldn't fight my way out. So my only choice was to persuade Hayato.

"Look, Hayato, I know you don't want to hurt me. But you can't keep me here. I still need to go back or -"

"Go back? So that you can go back to him?" Hayato's eyes turned dangerous. His grin abruptly faded. He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed me tight. "Why do you keep trying to go back to him? Why can't you see I'm better than him? I can definitely protect you."

I was scared of the drastic change in Hayato's personality, but I remained calm, trying to bide time for my body to recover. "Who do you mean?"

Hayato's eyes gleamed even more dangerously. His squeeze on my shoulders tightened.

"Todoroki Shouto."

***

Author's notes:

1. Cliffhanger and plot twist! It's been awhile so why not? XD Anyway, I had never watched yandere characters in anime before, so if the interpretation of Hayato was not good enough, please tell me so I could write it better.

2. Adulting and work are too tiring that sometimes I didn't feel any motivation to write new chapters. Sorry but the next chapter could take a while because I need time to reorganise my thoughts and get better inspiration. The one method I do now to motivate myself and get new ideas is by reading novels. Currently I'm reading His Dark Materials and it sort of works!

3. A beloved fan drew a picture of Eria so I've decided to share it here with you all! See the cover photo above. Thank you _starcaster !!!!

4. I've decided to write a special chapter called A Glimpse of the Future (Tentative) which would depict the future of our beloved characters. It would bring a fresh new perspective to the story. It's more like a side story and may not be canon but this idea had been itching in my mind for so long I just had to write it. Most probably it will be posted after this chapter.

5. Thank you for the 5k+ likes!!! That's a lot!!! I'm glad everyone loves my story (give plenty kisses). I hope you will continue to enjoy this story as much as I did!!!