━ chap 8. the usj incident (1) !
alt title : unlikely alliances
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"FOR TODAY'S LESSON, YOU'LL be participating in a practice activity of search and rescue." aizawa begins, the bell ringing not so long ago.

classes continued as normal for the past few days, despite the construction work being done at the school. but with the existence of quirks it wasn't that difficult.

[y/n] had her suspicions that she might have been caught by the staff. the fact they haven't made a move caused her to be uneasy.

people with quirks can't see curses, so everything works in her favor. but like always, fushiguro was overthinking it.

"it's been decided that i, along with all might and a third staff member will coming along. as this site is off of the main campus." aizawa continues explaining to the class, as they're getting excited over today's lesson.

"don't get ahead of yourselves."

"yes, sir!"

the dark-haired man sighs, pressing a remote to open the compartments for their costumes. "it's entirely up to you if you wanna wear your costumes. be warned you aren't used to wearing them."

once giving them instructions to where to wait, the class makes their way to grab their costumes.

⨳ 𓏲˖ 🐺 ˖ ࣪ 🐾 ָ࣪ 𓏲⋆.

QUICKLY AFTER CHANGING, fushiguro waits at the nearby benches. her black furred demon dog waiting by her feet, her hand running through his coat.

his head rubs against her leg, showing returned affection. causing [y/n] to smile slightly at his antics.

"so it really does act like a normal animal."

[y/n]'s smile falls and raises a brow at the statement, glancing to see who had said that. to her surprise, it was... todoroki?

the two toned haired boy sat next to her in his god awful costume. his eyes trained on the dog, laced with a certain softness to them. unlike the glare he usually gives to fushiguro.

"why wouldn't he act like a normal animal?" she inquired him, head tilted towards him.

he doesn't look at her, which isn't unusual but the gesture makes her eyes roll. "considering my first impression was it was going to kill me, then yes. i would think otherwise."

"oh? you're still on about that? good to know you're a sore loser."

"at least i don't rely on tricks to win."

[y/n] scoffs, arms crossing her chest and a smirk to her lips. "if that's your only argument, then you already lost this fight."

"this isn't a fight i intend on winning." he retorts, irritation in his tone. he can't count times how much she's annoyed him over the past week or so.

to the way her lips curl up to smirk at him, the sarcasm in her voice when she retorts back with something or the way those eyes of hers sparkled with intellect—

TWEEEEET!

the loud sound of whistle interrupts todoroki's train of thought. leading him to realize what he was thinking, a rigid expression placing on his face. 'snap out of it.'

iida's voice cuts in the air, grabbing the attention of class 1-A, "by using your student numbers, form two neat and orderly lines!"

both fushiguro and todoroki couldn't help but be annoyed by the loud whistling, a deadpan look plastered on their faces as a result.

"wanna bet it's an open layout bus." [y/n] mutters, tilting her head towards the boy next to her. he only meets her eyes for second before she stands up and walks away, her shikigami trailing behind her.

"you don't have to bet," he says with a sigh, following after her. "it's obvious."

⨳ 𓏲˖ 🐺 ˖ ࣪ 🐾 ָ࣪ 𓏲⋆.

"THE LAYOUT RUIN my boarding strategy." iida excalimed, head in hands as he sits with the rest of his class.

[y/n] scoffs in laughter, "called it." her own head resting against midorya's shoulder. while the boy himself held back a chuckle.

"iida you really need to chill." mina mentions, ever so casually as she if she didn't insult him.

that's when [y/n] checks out of the conversation, laying her eyes to rest a minute. her body still aches slightly from the mission she had a few nights ago. but nothing too serious, she just wanted more sleep.

she could feel midoriya's body shift, assuming he was participating in the ongoing conversation.

"well, if any our classmates have pro quirks, it's definitely, todoroki, bakugo and fushiguro."

her own name grabs her attention, why was she suddenly in the conversation? she opens eyes, seeing her classmates either stare at her or the other two in the back.

"sure, but bakugo's always angry so he'll never be that popular." asui adds bluntly and it immediately grabs the blonde's attention.

"what did you say?!" he reacts angrily, reaching over the barrier. "i'll kick your ass!"

the response gets [y/n] laughing a little, pissing him off even further. "you got something to say, you dumbass witch!"

"nah," fushiguro replies, smirking. "just hoping you know that you basically proved her point."

"why you..?! you and me are sparing next time!!"

"in your dreams idiot. you know you'll lose."

class can't help but watch as the usually silent girl squabble with him as if this was a daily thing. others found it hilarious while some not so much.

quickly, moving the conversation along, asui's next big target to ask questions was none other than fushiguro.

"fushi-chan, can i ask you a question?"

sitting up, an appalled expression is clear on [y/n]'s face, blinking rapidly. clearly uncomfortable with idea that the frog girl even called her by a nickname. 'dude, i don't even know you?!'

not bothering to notice, asui continues to speak her mind freely. "i was wondering, can you summon other animals of your choosing?"

midoriya holds back a face, cringing slightly at the unexpected question. of all things the girl could have asked fushiguro, it had to be one about her, "quirk"

now, all eyes were on her. 'fantastic...' she inwardly groans, an eye twitching an annoyance.

but she breathes in, easing herself. she had to stay low, any given information about her, "quirk" could be disastrous as she pulled that stunt at school.

so she shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly and her expression uninterested. "whose to say? never tried it."

of course, that was a lie.

[y/n] knew the ins and outs of her "quirk" because of her doting father. this sole power of her's is fueled by the negative emotions she creates giving her strength to fight.

everyone seemed to be confused by that answer but she paid no mind to it. the silence was thick and tense but asui choose to continue talking.

"your not really good with people, are you fushi-chan."

"and what gives you that conclusion?"

this conversation was going into dangerous levels of impulsiveness. midoriya noticed the annoyance radiating off of fushiguro.

he knows that one wrong move and asui might get to know the wicked witch of the west that bakugo speaks so often of.

"no reason." she croaks, a ribbet laced in her voice. "it just obvious you're only really interested in midoriya's well being."

"yeah, no shit." she slips out, a grit to her teeth. the tone of her voice making her best friend tense up. "it's not like i know any of you that well. of course, i only care about izuku."

the answer was well expected it's just nobody in class thought she had the guts to say it out loud. while midoriya seemed embarrassed, a red flushing to his cheeks.

asui meets [y/n]'s sharp eyes, though the heiress' expression seemed innocent enough. anyone could tell the frog-like girl was getting on her nerves.

"everyone get ready!" aizawa orders, unaware of the situation happening a few feet away. "we're almost here."

the uneasiness was replaced by a loud, "yes sir!" as everyone else went back to talk to each other. fushiguro rested her head against her seat, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. she wonders if she made the right choice in her actions in how she treated asui.

but thoughts like that are overcame with the power of someone more threatening. her green eyes glance around at her classmates, their smiles plastered on the faces. excited what this hero exercise had to offer.

'it's better like this.'

⨳ 𓏲˖ 🐺 ˖ ࣪ 🐾 ָ࣪ 𓏲⋆.

SOON, CLASS FINALLY arrived at the facility where they're going to partake in today's rescue training. along with a very special guest.

"hello everyone!" space hero, thirteen greets the students all piling out of the bus. "i've been waiting for you!"

gasps and smiles overtake the students, excited to meet this exceptional pro! a chivalrous hero who has world record of saving thousands of people. the perfect hero for a course activity such as this one.

midoriya, as always was quite literally trying to hold back his fanboy self. though, [y/n] who stood next to him couldn't help herself either as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"woohoo!" uraraka gushes, pink dusting her cheeks. "thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!"

the hero loved the enthusiasm the class brought before she gestures to building in front. "i can't wait to show you what's inside!"

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thirteen leads the students inside the building, letting stare and gawk on what is laid before them. all different types of natural disasters confined in limited space to emulate the real life situations.

"holy crap! it looks like some kind of amusement park!"

"a shipwreck. a landslide. a fire. a windstorm. etcetera!" thirteen lists spreading her arms out. "i created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of natural disasters." her head turning to her students, "i call it, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. but you can call it; USJ!"

the students can't help but deadpan at the name, noticing that it had identical acronym to— 'Universal Studios Japan.'

but it was cool nonetheless.

briefly, aizawa and thirteen talk for a moment before the dark haired man turns back his class. "the clock's ticking. we should get started." stepping aside so his colleague could have the floor.

"excellent," she replies, stepping up and promptly facing the class. "before we begin, let me just say one thing."

then, she takes a pause, reiterating. "well, maybe two things. possibly three, four or five—"

"we get it!"

"listen carefully, i'm sure you're aware i have a powerful quirk. called black hole." she begins, lifting her dominant gloved hand to show to the class. "i can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."

they take notice on her glove that it had flick to open caps on her finger tips. assumed for easy access to use her quirk when she's on duty.

"yeah, you've used black hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" midoriya exclaims, a cheerful smile on his face.

but that look is quickly swept away when thirteen answers his question. tension thick with seriousness and warning.

"that's true," she recalls, "but my quirk could also be very easily be used to kill people."

[y/n] who only listened, crossed her arms muttering. "it's not rocket science."

thirteen then continues to inform the class how quirks are heavily regulated that it's often overlooked how unsafe they can be.

"during aizawa's physical strength test, you learned your respective powers true potential." the space hero mentions, her hands moving with gestures. "and during all might battle trials, you got the sense of the danger of putting your quirk against someone else."

clasping her hands together, anyone could see there was smile gracing her covered face. "this lesson will serve as a fresh start, using your quirks to save lives!" thirteen bows theatrically, expressing her gratitude. "that is all! thank you for listening so intently and patiently!"

class 1-a sing their praises to the hero, clearly revved up to participate in this exercise. "alright," aizawa mumbles, stepping forward. "let's get started—"

words die in his throat before an uneasy feeling seeps into his bones. instantly, the lights in the in the facility blink and flicker out. causing confusion amongst the students, murmuring.

right in the middle of the facility was a elegant fountain. in front of it, darkness swirled around, as if too form something.

and out comes something horrifying.

a single hand reaches out, opening the shadowy portal. eyes tainted with blood and malice. an aura shrouded only in the intent to harm.

the portal grows bigger before more figures come walking out, all different shapes with their quirks.

aizawa heart drops to his stomach. realization settling into him. the students were in danger.

"HUDDLE TOGETHER AND DONT MOVE!" his voice rasps loudly, his students flustered from what's going on. "13 PROTECT THE STUDENTS!"

all of their attention was brought down below on the lower floors. kirishima the first to point it out. "eh?! what's going on? did training start already?"

"no. those are real villains." fear rattles the students bodies, no longer the happy atmosphere that it was a second ago.

to think they were going to learn how to save lives with their quirks to becoming the ones that needed saving.

⨳ 𓏲˖ 🐺 ˖ ࣪ 🐾 ָ࣪ 𓏲⋆.

THE STUDENTS COULDN'T fathom that there were villains in a place that is protected by heroes. having the gall to march in and attack knowing they could be help on the way.

but that doesn't seem the case.

"sensei," yaoyorozu calls, urgency in her voice. "what about the alarm system? shouldn't it have gone off?!"

"of course, it is in place but..." thirteen words falter, realizing she doesn't have a certain answer to her question.

"is this the only place they're attacking or have the infiltrated other parts of the school as well?" todoroki questions, his eyes wandering down below his steady voice grabbing his class' attention. "if that were the case then they have someone with a quirk who could do that."

"then, it begs the question," fushiguro adds, causing todoroki to glance at her, interested. while also diverting the attention to herself. "what is their goal? if they thought this through that must mean they're after something."

silence only follows the class after fushiguro and todoroki's observations. all their expressions fearful of what's to come.

unnoticed by anyone, todoroki lingers his eyes on fushiguro's figure. that pretty face of her's scrunched up in thought before he directs his attention back to the situation at hand, waiting for instructions.

but as they were being made, [y/n]'s mind races over everything that has happened so far. 'the cursed spirit that was there that day...' thinking back to her mission. 'and the cursed object, were they trying confirm something?'

suddenly, the sound of yelling takes hold of her immediate attention. watching as her homeroom teacher jumps bravely into the fray. his only goal to buy time for his students safety.

"i leave everything to you, thirteen!"

there was a new found respect [y/n] had for him. even if he was bit of an ass. then, the class follows the other pro hero to evacuate the building, fushiguro grabbing midoriya's arm so he doesn't fall behind with the group.

"stay close, got it?"

"y-yeah."

but before the students could even reach the halfway point, that same darkness stopped them in their tracks. the shadows forming a tall whispy figure, sharp glowing yellow eyes, following their every move.

"i can't allow you to leave just yet..." the figure mused, his voice reverberating in the air.

fushiguro once feels a dark presence, her breathing becoming slightly unsteady. 'something's off about him. i can feel feint residuals.'

"greetings, students. we are the league of villains." the figure continues, taking his time to be polite the young children before him. "i apologize for the inconvenience but, we took it upon ourselves to enter u.a. academy, the base of heroes. in order to engage with all might, the symbol of peace."

his eyes survey the group, not expecting anything from the target they're looking for. "we were wondering if we might be allowed the opportunity to extinguish him, you see."

those words get midoriya and fushiguro to hold their breaths, understanding what was really going on. 'is that their goal? to kill all might?!' [y/n] thinks, their eyes glancing at each other a silent conversation occurring instantly.

"but it seems, there was a change of plans." a sigh was heard bringing caution to 13 who stayed on guard. "ah, well setting that aside, this is my role."

before the whispy figure could even make a move, 13 flicked up a cap to one of her finger tips. ready to active her quirk to end this charade.

but something unexpected happen.

flashes of black and red jump in front of 13, their arms raised to attack. the loud explosion gave them away on who it could be, bakugo and kirishima.

a cloud of smoke engulfs the area and the class, [y/n] waving it away quickly. her green eyes go wide at the scene, clearly worried. "katsuki?! are you in idiot?!"

her words had no effect on him nor it did on the redhead, as he only turned around to glance at her, smiling "don't worry! we got this!"

'the fuck you mean you got this?!' fushiguro looks at him ludicrously. blinking rapidly thinking to herself, 'i wasn't even talking to you?!'

"that was quite perilous..."

gasps of fear are heard when the smoke clears, revealing that's the figure was barely effected by the boys's attacks. "it is to expected. you may be mere students.."

it had felt like his glowing eyes trail against the class, observing them intently. while not much for battlefield, he could tell they were strong.

"you are u.a's precious golden eggs, the cream of the crop. it no wonder you children are so brave." he continued, his arms spreading outwards as his aura grew deadly.

"no!" 13 exclaims, fear and worry lacing her voice. "you two, get back!"

but it was already too late.

the villain's figure expanded into a dark shadow rushing towards the class. their world is covered in darkness, the pressure rushing against them.

"my own role is to scatter you!"

some tried protecting themselves against it, others helped their friends and while few tried to avoid it. but it was no use. the class would succumb to the same fate.

"and torture you to your death!"

⨳ 𓏲˖ 🐺 ˖ ࣪ 🐾 ָ࣪ 𓏲⋆.

FUSHIGURO'S BODY FELT weightless as her eyes were screwed shut from fear. she no longer felt the presence of midoriya beside her only open space until she realizes the sound of wind in her ears.

her green eyes shoot open there's a panic that sets within her stomach. her world was spinning, she knew this feeling all too well. she was falling.

'no...!'

her head tilts backwards seeing the harsh ground beneath her. closing in on her by the second, she flails around trying to grab something.

'no, no, no, no!'

her hands were shaking trying to summon at least any of her shikigami. she couldn't breath, 'not this! anything but this!'

when it felt like she going to pass out, every last bit of strength was to summon her nue. it's shadow surrounded their master, grounding her body against its feathers.

she grasps onto them, breathing heavy as she shoves her face into her shikigami. her body shakes in panic, curling up in a fetal and vulnerable position.

hot flashes play in her head as she and her nue fly aimlessly, slowly but surely descending safely.

"hah..." [y/n] breathes, blinking back tears and wiping them on her nue's soft feathers. hoping to ground herself.  'māma, bàba... yieyie... give me strength.'

an alarming sqwak from nue grabs her attention momentarily, fushiguro's eyes peaking up. but seeing what else was flailing about in the air causes her head to shoot up in shock.

"nue, go!" she orders, the shikigami picking up speed. any fear was relinquished only slightly as her main objective has changed.

that being, making sure shoto todoroki doesn't get himself killed.

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for being so prideful, todoroki has certainly found himself to be a very sticky situation and falling through the sky wasn't really one of those situations he thought he'd be in.

his mind raced with options, knowing that from this height both his fire and ice would definitely be ineffective. would he wait until he was at the right height? a miscalculation would prove deadly.

but it wasn't his place to think about about such things. that was until he was grabbed right in midair.

claws gently dig into his shoulders and looks up to meet a very scary bird. afraid, his instincts took over causing him to hit the bird in the leg.

"let me go!" he yells, mistaking its kindness with aggression. the animal lets out a screech of pain before todoroki touches its body covering partly with ice.

no longer able to bare the weight, the animal disappears into a puddle of shadows. through the watery darkness it reveals a person shoto todoroki hadn't hope to see ever.

[y/n] fushiguro.

her eyes widen to what had happened and curses loudly. crashing into todoroki's body, clinging to him making them to fall faster than before.

his cheeks flush from embarrassment, why was she hanging onto him so tightly?! "let go!" he yells over the wind, trying to pry her off him.

she shoves her face in his chest, she wasn't budging in the slightest. "this is all your fault! i was trying to save you!"

"maybe if your bird wasn't so repulsi—"

"—finish that sentence i dare you!"

before todoroki could even make a retort their scenery changed drastically. no longer above the world, they grow increasingly close to the ground.

both seeing this, the two can't help but yell practically clinging to each other in fear.

soon, their bodies collide with the wet and muddy makeshift lake. probably caused by the landslide environment they crashed into.

the mud files everywhere as they sink into it. their bodies ached and soon they slowly starting to get up. head to toe they we're covered in mud, they tried wiping off as they tried to regain their sense of reality.

now, there's wasn't just fear running in [y/n] veins no, it was unfiltered anger. with a deep breath, she tries to wipe off the mud on her face. "you egotistical—"

"—you spoiled" todoroki bites back, his breath just as heavy with irritation.

"disrespectful, pretentious!" she huffs, dragging herself though the mud.

"deluded!"

"pompous, self-centered!"

"high and mighty!"

then, todoroki barely dodges a ball of mud fushiguro threw at him. "ungrateful, impossible, insufferable!" decreasing the distance between them.

"at least i'm not repressed!" todoroki growls, eyes sharp as he grabs [y/n]'s arm, pulling her close. chest to chest as an amused expression plants on her face.

she scoffs, "repressed?" lips flicking up into a smirk. "i'll show you repressed ice prince."

"try me, sorceress." he breathes, noses barely touching as their eyes meet and clash. resentment and anger for each other clouding their judgment.

but once their minds have settled they realize how close they've gotten. embarrassed, both teens quickly separate from one another.

"why were you so close?"

"oh, don't even start."

[y/n] huffs running a hand through her black hair, sticky with mud making her cringe. todoroki was much the same as he tried to clean his face with his sleeves.

silence over takes the atmosphere, assuming to be their in thoughts. that is until todoroki starts to speak. "you heard what the villain said right?"

"of course i did." she replies, a roll to her green eyes. "it was difficult not to notice."

the presence of that shadowy and cloudy figure sends a cold shiver up [y/n]'s spine. that villian was a person with a quirk, not curse energy.

but the fact they were residuals left upon his wispy figure, something wasn't right. her faces scrunches up in thought an uneasiness setting in her bones.

"fushiguro!"

the call of her name causes her to tense up and look over to todoroki, who stood by the edge of the muddy water they were in.

walking over, she takes a peak over the ledge. they weren't as high up as she thought they would be, which eased her spirits a slight bit.

but there stood another problem.

glares painted the teenagers' faces as find themselves surrounded by wandering villains. their eyes keen for any u.a. student that may appear.

"how many are there...?" [y/n] mumbles, eye furrowed with thought.

"more than 30," todoroki states drawing his classmates eyes to him with surprise. "but that doesn't account for the fact more can be brought in from somewhere."

he rolls his shoulders and he flexes the hand in his right side, preparing himself. while [y/n] looks at him like he's gone insane to the point it was comical.

'don't tell me this idiotic ice prince is gonna do what i think he's gonna do?!' she questions, a dread coming in realizing the answer was already in front of her.

todoroki was gonna fight them all on his own.

before he could commit his pending suicide, fushiguro clutches him by the shirt pulling him back. "are you an idiot or something?!" she rasps, turning his body to face her.

todoroki looked at her confused. "wouldn't it be easier if i handled it?" shoving her arm off of him, his confusion turning into anger.

"and you think you're that strong?" [y/n] scoffs, wondering why she was sticking her neck out for him. "you'll be dead before you hit the ground, ice prince."

"don't call me that."

"i'll call you whatever i want, ice prince."

her mocking only made him angrier and his reaction gave her room to smirk. just what about this girl made him so goddamn irritated?!

whatever the case is, the two teens needed a plan to get out of this situation they're in. their brilliant eyes look down, minds gearing for ideas.

one possible solution does cross [y/n]'s mind but even she was against it. 'but what choice do we have?' her eyes glance at the boy next her. 'it's not like i wanna work with him.'

having no choice but to voice the obvious, fushiguro sighs tiredly, "okay so," pinching the bridge between her eyes before making a focused hand gesture. "this is gonna sound stupid."

todoroki meets her gaze, already not in favor for what she's about to say. he gives her a warning glare that had no effect, even she wasn't pleased about the matter.

"maybe we should work—"

"absolutely not."

fushiguro lets out an annoyed sigh, clearly so over his childish antics. "i just think that—"

"—and whatever you're thinking it's a horrible idea already." todoroki argues his arms crossed and turning away. leaving [y/n] deadpanning, he wasn't even hearing her out!

"can you just," she takes a deep breath, feeling herself get frustrated. "...just listen todoroki. whatever grudge you have against me, just drop it. i know being around me isn't the best situation for you."

the dual haired boy stays silent this time but his back was still facing her. she could care less about it as long as he was listening to her.

"but i think, we should work together." she softly suggests, expecting arguments but doesn't receive any. queuing her that she can continue. "facing them head on isn't gonna work. we have to be smarter."

there is only silence in his response it hurts her feelings a bit and it was evident on her face. were they not at least, equals? two students on the path of heroes reaching for a goal so beyond them.

but when the silence starts to consume her, 'i should've expected this.' she knows she isn't the most approachable person. her attention barely waning towards others, falling through a facade of politeness and fake smiles.

fushiguro knows she's quite worthless to when comes to... making friends as she puts it.

even her power was something left to be desired. its strength coming from her own heart tainted with dirt and blood. nothing flashy and pretty like everyone else's.

its no wonder he finds her intolerable. like always, it seems they were proven right once more, fushiguro was a usele—

"fine, let's do it your way."

her vibrant green eyes widen slightly, her gaze looks up and a warm sensation tickles her heart. todoroki turns to face her though his expression was discontent with the whole ordeal.

"i hate to admit it," he crosses his arms, eyes gazing away from her. "but you're right. in the sense we have to be smarter than they are. us staying alive should be our first priority."

[y/n] holds back a smile, "exactly, which is why it's best for us to work together." there's a teasing itching on her lips, approaching the boy with a smirk. "i'm sure you know how to do that, ice prince."

"i'm not incapable of it, sorceress." todoroki rolls his dual colored eyes walking past her to the edge. fushiguro follows after him, but a step less away from the edge. "so i'm assuming you have a plan? considering you suggested it?"

to his question, there was a sway to her hips and her hands going to rest there. todoroki couldn't deny the feeling in his stomach when [y/n] looked at him, confidence overflowing in those darling green eyes of hers.

eyes that seemed to look right through him.

she winks and a playful expression paints her face. "just follow my lead, ice prince."

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villains wander aimlessly looking for any semblance to attack a u.a student. but they didn't have to look very far as the dirty ground was covered in a sheen of slippery ice.

using the landscaping to their advantage, fushiguro and todoroki slide into action. the air whipping against their hair, catching the villains— no, some low grade thugs by surprise; flipping their world upside down.

[y/n] runs in first, her balance impeccable against the ice beneath her feet. she strikes the closest villain to her with jump kick to the stomach following it up with an axe kick.

next, one tries to jump from behind her. she dodges quickly by spinning around before landing a punch on their face. then kicking another who tired to grab her to their side.

it was the first time in todoroki's life he had seen someone adept, so fluid in the motions of their body. fushiguro had him under a trance.

her hits were persistent and precise. never faltering in power behind them. to point even he could feel each attack she threw.

there was also the question that lingered in his mind. 'why didn't she go all out with me then?'

quickly dismissing it, todoroki was fine with freezing up villains. but, he felt inclined to join in how she fought. so with confidence. he knees a villain in the stomach. next a spin kick to the face.

there was a sort of adrenaline rush that came with it, a fraying smile on lips. his legs and hands tingled with anticipation like he wanted more.

"so you can fight!" a voice teases him knowing who it was as she was the only person who had the gall to.

but his body goes rigid when fushiguro uses him as support, spinning around and knocking out villain before they could hack him.

jumping off of him, [y/n] faces him with nothing but a playful smile meeting his astonished expression. her beautiful green colored eyes sparkled with something that was so foreign and beautiful to him

"but," she leans in now smirking. her finger pressing against his chest. "it's gonna take a lot more than that to beat me, ice prince."

god, did she know how to rile him up.

only this time, he accepted the taunt with his own devilish smirk. "who knows sorceress," indulging himself in this little game of hers with grabbing her wrist gently and pulling her close. "by the end of today, let's see who wins."

god, was he annoying with that snarky smirk of his. but she didnt necessarily hate it. she found joy in pushing his buttons to the limit.

her train of thought of is interrupted when a hoard of villains come charging at them. acting in a quick manner and together, they launch a counter attack.

"nue!"

"freeze!"

the deadly combo of electricity and ice proved effective in subduing the so called villains. their expressions were painted with anger.

todoroki even breathed a lowly sigh, the cold air making his breath visible. "don't you have mercy on kids?"

the answer to that rhetorical question was quite obvious. they didn't care and they would never care. unless it benefited them, who they hurt didn't matter.

"your grownups for god's sake." [y/n] sneers, having no tolerance for such things. "pull yourselves together."

though they only seem to be children, their presence was overwhelming. their figures stood tall and shaped to be strong.

but those same figure were carved with knives that cut into their skin. leaving deep rooted wounds that they licked to heal in the dark of the night. burdens that they choose to carry alone.

their shoulders slump realizing that they are safe for now. questions boiling in their minds as they proceed to take their next step to safety.

todoroki mismatched eyes take a glance at the girl next to him. "should we—"

"—start asking questions?" fushiguro sighs tiredly, her dark green jade eyes meeting his. the boy nods, agreeing with her for the second time today.

her face scrunches up, this time in annoyance as her eyes then scan the scared thugs. "not them." she states, looking at boy next her. "let's look for a central leader in this group. they might have the more concrete answers than what mere followers know."

her statement surprised todoroki a bit. he half expected her to just say, "follow my lead" and that would be that.

"what? you got a problem with my plan?"

"nothing, i just, i didn't expect you to share you thoughts with me."

now it was fushiguro's turn to look shocked. her lips slightly parted as embarrassment creeps up her spine. she scrunches her face again, eyes averting.

"i'm sorry, then." [y/n] mutters suddenly, her hand reaching for of her ears, playing with the delicate jade jewelry that hanged there. it was like she was nervous or maybe embarrassed, one of the two.

once more, todoroki seemed to be stunned at her actions. though his expression remained neutral, his raised eyebrows gave it away.

fushiguro rambles, like she's trying to explain herself for her misguided behavior. her hands moved in awkward motions as if to compensate for something.

"i'm not the best person to be around, if we're being honest."

to compensate... for what, he questions. todoroki blinks unknown what to do. but for what it was worth, he wanted at least to be, honest.

"if i," he starts, words getting caught up in throat. he could feel her eyes on him. this has happened before, that day at the staircase.

he seems to find himself in that same predicament. where did gather courage on that day specifically? his hands twitched at his sides, aching to do something. yet he does nothing to ease it.

he is also not someone who is pleasant to be around. he was carved to be heartless while she hides it from behind a fake smile. what an ironic thing. two of the best students in their class, but they fall behind on what others do naturally.

"if i had to pick who would i be stuck with." his eyes meet hers. ridden with a certain spark to them. "i'm glad it was you."

fushiguro's surprised expression was warranted but yet the tickle in her heart was noticeable and warm. but she didn't hate it, not entirely.

as he kept looking at her, [y/n] couldn't help the smirk playing at her lips. her head tilts slightly, that wild black hair of hers swaying with it. "as much as i would like to be stuck with izuku. you're not too bad either, todoroki."

there was a annoyed roll to todoroki's eyes but the amusement was on his face clear as day. which fushiguro caught on quickly, nudging him with her elbow playful.

"awe, c'mon ice prince. you can't hate me that much."

"hmm, debatable sorceress. i find you're presence tolerable."

"here i thought you were starting to like me."

"don't make me take it back."

their steps turned to walk down their own personal ice pathway. hurling playful insults at each other unlike before. their figures side by side with so little distance between their shoulders.

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