Shouto learned that he was not, and would never be, free in the tender age of five.
He was home, and his mother wept in her room as his father dragged him away to train his magic. He was heaving in the courtyard, puking his guts out after a particularly harsh punch. He was on his knees, clutching his own stomach as he looked up at his father through vision blurry with tears and fear, feeling his mother's touch on his shoulders, trying to stop Enji from hurting Shouto even though her voice shook with terror.
"He has to train from a young age," Enji had declared, glaring at his wife. "He has to, if he wants to master both his magic. He will be my greatest creation, and he will achieve what I can't."
When his mother argued more, Enji slapped her away, and Shouto realized that he wasn't free. Not here, not when even his mother was powerless to stand up against her own husband.
Shouto learned that he was special in the tender age of five.
Unlike his older siblings, he inherited both his father and his mother's magic, and it showed. His hair was red and white and fire and ice sprouted off his fingertips as easily as he could breathe. This, he realized, was what Enji had meant when he said Shouto was his greatest creation. This was what drove Enji to marry his mother. This was what Enji was after. Shouto was to be a tool, a weapon, something Enji could show off to people while saying "My son will change the world", as if Shouto was a pedigree dog he bred off instead of his son.
Shouto learned that he was alone, truly alone, in the tender age of five.
Harsh training from Enji often left him sore, bruised and nauseous. His mother would always stand between Enji and Shouto. She would always be hit for all she was worth. She forced herself to protect Shouto the best she could, but the end result was the same, always the same. Soon she grew to fear Enji, and seeing Shouto's left side made her freeze with fear.
She snapped.
Shouto would remember the pain, the confusion, the hurt for years to come. The large scar on his face remained a reminder of what a person could do when pushed to fear too much. The grave that he visited every weekend remained a reminder of what guilt and grief could do to a person who couldn't bear to live with someone who wouldn't think twice before hitting both his children and his wife, who couldn't bear to live with the knowledge that she had harmed her son and scarred him for life.
Shouto learned what hate was in the tender age of five. He didn't think he truly knew what love was.
When Shouto reached the age of fifteen, all his siblings had been married off to other families, but Enji held on to him like a lifeline, refusing to let him go. Shouto knew why. He wanted to train Shouto harder, so he was stronger, so his magic would be stronger, so he could defeat the stronger and become the strongest.
"There is someone known as All Might," he had told Shouto. "You will be stronger than him. You will surpass him."
Shouto decided that he wanted no part of it. He didn't even know who All Might was. All he knew was that All Might was as good as a myth, for he hadn't been seen for years. If Enji had wanted to defeat him, he should do it by himself.
Also, fuck Enji, honestly.
When Enji's training became even harsher, when his punishment piled harder, when meals became rationed not because they were having economic difficulties but because Shouto refused to do as Enji said, Shouto couldn't take it anymore. He spoke, loud and clear, "I want to stop. I'm not you creation. I'm not a tool. Let me go."
Enji scowled. "Stop being a child. Don't give up on this goal when you're already halfway there."
"It's not even my goal," Shouto argued. "I want no part in this anymore."
Enji's scowl deepened. "You're not getting dinner if this continues on. Don't be such a child."
The argument would last for days, with both parties starting annoyed and ending angry, with flames and ice bursting and screams and curses spat out furiously. More often than not Shouto would trudge into bed hungry and weak, but he knew what he was getting into. Arguing meant Enji would be angry, and that meant he would most likely not get dinner.
He would say he regretted it, but he didn't. He knew full well what he was getting into. He would do anything to get away from Enji, even if he had to starve.
When it became apparent that Shouto had no desire to back down, Enji threw up his hands and groaned in frustration. He glared at Shouto, and Shouto could see the gears in Enji's head turning, most likely trying to find new ways to punish Shouto so he would bend, because clearly withholding food wasn't enough for a punishment anymore.
Enji's eyes lit up, having found inspiration, and Shouto braced himself. The punishment would be much harsher this time, and he had to prepare.
"If you truly want this," Enji began, "go to Baba Yaga's hut and ask for light, and we will see if your freedom is well-fought."
Shouto's thoughts ground to a halt. He blinked at Enji. "You want me to go where and ask for what."
Enji huffed. "Go into the forest, find Baba Yaga's hut, and ask for a light. The witch has light that will never go out. Bring it back."
Shouto blinked again. "Baba Yaga is a myth."
"That's what people believe," Enji said, leaning back. "Go ask for a light. That's what you'll have to do if you're so stubborn about this."
As much as a stubborn ass Enji could be, Shouto had to admit that he was not irrational. Giving Shouto an impossible task wasn't below him, but Shouto knew for a fact that Enji didn't believe in stories and myths. If he had wanted Shouto to look for Baba Yaga, then the Witch of the Forest surely existed for real.
He accepted the challenge. Enji's smile made him feel like it was an impossible task after all.
Shouto could never forget the last time he spoke to his mother, the night before she died. She was sitting by the windowsill, looking peaceful for once, and beckoned Shouto closer. When he did, she caressed his face and looked at the scar she had put, and looked away.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"It's not your fault," Shouto responded.
She smiled, and reached into her pocket. Out came a nesting doll of a woman with her eyes closed and mouth parted slightly, and she pushed the doll into Shouto's small hands.
"Take this with you," she said. "Never show it to anyone. Now, Shouto… would you like me to teach you a magic spell?"
Shouto blinked and nodded, leaning in to hear his mother better.
She smiled. "If ever you feel like life has become a burden to you," she began, "feed this little doll a little to eat and tell her what's bothering you. She will help you out whenever I can't."
"Why wouldn't you be able to help?" Shouto had asked, then.
She answered with a sad, sad smile and a kiss on his forehead. The next day, Shouto learned why she would never be able to help him.
He brought the doll whenever he went and made sure no one would see the doll. He never came to need to feed the doll, but he kept it in his pocket anyway. If it was to be the last thing his mother ever gave to him, then he'd want it as close to his person as possible all the time.
Shouto wasn't sure if Baba Yaga even existed in the first place, but according to the myth the Witch of the Forest lived in a moving hut that travelled between the looming trees of the woods.
Shouto figured it was as good a guess as any, so he braced himself and walked into the forest. The tall trees stood imposingly, often blocking his way, and Shouto found he hand to put a hand before him to feel where the trees were. Shouto walked carefully, avoiding stumbling on tree roots and mentally keeping track of his path.
(He knew he would be lost soon enough, but he could pretend.)
(Also, he might have made an error in decision, to go out before the sun even rises to avoid meeting Enji. Which ended up being a futile effort anyway, because Enji still caught him on his way out and grabbed his arm while glaring sternly at him, flame magic spiking into sparks in the air without actually lighting fire before letting go. Shouto could still feel Enji's magic clinging onto him. He doubted it would disappear anytime soon.)
Soon, though, daylight broke through the dark horizon. Shouto couldn't help but sigh in relief, knowing he wouldn't have to stumble around in the dark anymore.
The trek through the woods took a whole day, and it was well past dusk when he finally saw the glow of multicolored flames that seemed more otherworldly than anything. Shouto stared at the glowing lights for a moment, steeled himself, and strode forward purposefully, steps strong despite the fatigue that gnawed on his bones.
The path soon lead him to a wooden house that stood on four fowl legs (Shouto paused, stared, and decided he didn't want to think much about it). He went ahead to the gates that stood as a threshold between the house and the woods, staring at it with morbid marvel once he realized it was made of bones and wood, and pushed it open. The gate felt odd, as if it was there and wasn't there at the same time.
As soon as the gate was pushed, a bell trilled, high and melodious. The path that led to the house, which was illuminated by the soft glows of what seemed to be phantom lights blared to life, showing eight torches that burned with different colors each. For a moment, Shouto thought he saw them flicker and turn into spectral shapes of eight distinct people, but then the fire flickered again and they were flames once more. It was then that Shouto realized that at the end of the torches were skulls, and the different colored flames burn steadily through the bones. How the bones seem perfectly pristine and untouched despite the constant heat was beyond Shouto.
Skulls, though. Shouto suppressed a shudder.
"Ah, welcome!"
The voice snapped Shouto back into reality, and he turned to the house. Someone walked out of it bearing a basket covered with cloth. Shouto stared blankly, unable to proceed what he was seeing.
There was a very vivid image that accompanied the name Baba Yaga. Ask just about anyone and they'd answer the same; an old woman with long, unkempt white hair, face wrinkled with age, tooth razor-sharp like a beast's said to have torn into countless children's flesh. Baba Yaga was perhaps malevolent, perhaps evil, though no one could seem to know for sure. Who came out of the hut was nothing like the image one would get when they heard of the name Baba Yaga.
Instead of an old woman, there was a young man about Shouto's age. He set down the clothed basket he brought on the small chair by the door and bounded over excitedly to Shouto, like a little puppy who was about to play. His hair was curly and dark, and his eyes glittered under the firelight, glinting as green as budding leaves that peeked beneath melting winter snow. He had healthy tanned skin sprinkled with freckles like stars. Shouto stared, rooted to the spot, finding himself unable to look away from the boy's smiling face.
"Hello!" the green-eyed boy greeted as soon as he reached Shouto. "I've heard that someone may be coming today. Welcome to my hut. You may not know this, but I'm the Witch of the Forest."
Shouto's thoughts ground to a halt. "Um. You're… Baba Yaga?"
The boy laughed, almost bashfully. "Yeah, uh, I know I don't look the part. But really, Baba Yaga or Witch of the Forest is just a title. Call me Midoriya."
"Um. Todoroki." Shouto blinked at the slightly shorter boy – Midoriya. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I heard you correctly. You're Baba Yaga?"
Midoriya smiled wide, amused. "Yes. Really, Baba Yaga and Witch of the Forest are just titles that have been passed from person to person. I think the old witch who loves to eat kids is the second or the third holder. Maybe the fourth. I'm currently the ninth."
"Ah." Shouto really didn't know what else he could say to that.
Midoriya beamed at him and beckoned him to follow as he went back to the hut. "Come with me."
Shouto decided that the best thing he could do was to follow. He walked to the hut, climbing up the stairs and trying to ignore the fowl legs. The clothed basket rattled as he passed it, but Shouto decided he didn't want to know what was under the cloth.
The door creaked closed on its own the moment Shouto was inside, and he found himself staring straight into Midoriya's grinning eyes.
"It's been a while since anyone's come here," he said, plopping down to a couch and gesturing to another across the small wooden table. "Here, here, sit down. How may I help you?"
"Um." Shouto glanced around the room as he lowered himself to sit on the couch. It was a homey wooden hut. The furniture were all made of wood, and the fireplace by the end of the innermost corner burned bright and warm. Some herbs hung by the window to dry, some sprinkled down the floor. "I'm, uh. I'm here to bring light from you."
Midoriya tilted his head. "Light? As in fire? Don't you have fire magic within you? I can sense it, you know. Fire and ice."
Shouto pursed his lips. "Yes. It's… a test, of sorts."
Midoriya hummed. "Well, I suppose I can give you light, but there's a price to be paid. I can't just give anything for free to anyone. It doesn't work that way."
"I figured," Shouto smiled wryly. "How should I pay for the light?"
"Well," Midoriya glanced to the door. "I have a delivery to make, you see, and there are a lot to do. If you can sort my grain, clean the poppy seeds, and cook my meal before I return on the morrow, you can take your light. Otherwise I'll have to take something of yours instead." He looked at Shouto expectantly. "Would you do it?"
"Yes," Shouto answered without putting much thought into it. He glanced around the room again. Sacks leaned by the walls, filled to the seams – some with grain and some with seeds. There were more sacks than Shouto would've hoped, and suddenly he wondered if he would be able to finish his task by the morning.
Not to mention he still had to cook.
Oh no, his thought came unbidden. Maybe he should've thought this through.
"Great! I'll leave you to it, then," Midoriya's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. The curly-haired boy stood and walked to the door, and Shouto followed. He took the clothed basket – still rattling, but stilled once Midoriya balanced it on his hip. "Everything you'll need is inside the hut. Good luck doing your task. And I have some leftover from dinner, if you want to eat. I'm sure you're hungry, after walking around in the forest for so long." He turned and paused, then met Shouto's eyes. "By the way… you do realize that it's okay if you don't do all of those tasks alone, right? It's okay to get help."
Shouto blinked. "What do you mean?"
Meaningfully, Midoriya's gaze landed on Shouto's pocket. "A parent's blessing counts as help, you know. I won't mind it." With that, green lightning sparked off his skin, and he jumped to the air and disappeared into the night sky.
Shouto stepped back into the house and closed the door, hand hovering by his pocket. After a moment, he dug into it and took out the wooden doll his mother gave him. It looked the same as usual; parted red lips, closed eyes, hair as white as freshly fallen snow.
"If ever you feel like life has become a burden to you, feed this little doll a little to eat and tell her what's bothering you. She will help you out whenever I can't."
Shouto turned to the dining table. Like Midoriya had told him, there was some leftover food – a bit of rice, some meat, and bread that had started to harden but was still perfectly fine to eat. Shouto reached for the bread and tore a piece, putting it near the doll's mouth.
To his surprise, it began to eat. It bit into the bread and chewed, and in his fascination Shouto found himself feeding the doll more. After a moment, the doll's eyes opened, revealing a pair of painted brown irises. Shouto took a deep, sharp breath, staring at it.
"Hello, Shouto," the doll greeted, and it took all of Shouto's self-control not to throw the doll as far away as he could.
"Um," he said.
The doll smiled. "What's troubling you? I'll help however I could."
Shouto blinked. His mother did say it was a magic spell, so he probably shouldn't be so surprised. There was something about the doll's voice, though. Something familiar that he couldn't quite place. "I, um. Father told me to ask for light from Baba Yaga."
It was probably Shouto's imagination, but it looked like the doll's gaze had just sharpened considerably.
"Baba Yaga told me that if I want to take the light, I need to sort his grains, clean the poppy seeds, and cook his meal. There are… a lot. Of his grains and seeds. I don't think I'd be able to do it by myself."
"Don't worry, Shouto," the doll said. "I'll help you. Open up my husks until the smallest doll is out. Each of my husks will be able to help with your tasks."
Silently, Shouto complied, pulling the doll apart and taking out the inner dolls and putting the outer husk together again, all the way until the fifth, smallest doll was out. The dolls quickly moved about, floating and working. Before Shouto knew it, one of the husks – the outermost husk – had started cleaning the hut while two sorted the grain and the other two cleaning the seeds. Shouto stared for a moment before joining the two husks with the grains.
"Have you eaten dinner, Shouto?" the husk that was cleaning the house asked. "You should eat if you haven't."
"I'm fine," Shouto answered, but his stomach betrayed him by letting out a loud growl. The cleaning husk immediately ushered him to the table and had him eat. He stared at the working dolls as he ate, wondering how a seemingly simple spell could do such wonders. Maybe it was an intricate spell after all. Shouto wondered how Mom could get it to work just by giving the doll something to eat. Intricate spells generally need much more than that to work flawlessly like this.
After he finished eating and washing the dishes, Shouto returned to his post to work with the grains. The outermost husk had taken it upon itself to cook the meal Midoriya had requested, baking bread and cooking rice. Shouto found himself stealing glances in between his work.
By the time the inky black night sky begun to turn into cool blue, Shouto and the dolls had finished the tasks Midoriya had asked. Shouto had returned the husks back into the outermost husk and was in the middle of cleaning the area when the door creaked open.
Midoriya walked in, sniffing the air with a dreamy look in his face. "It smells amazing," he commented, sighing the words as he stepped inside. He looked at the work Shouto and the doll had done and lit up. "You're done with everything! Great!"
"Yeah, um, can I just get the light or…?" Shouto shuffled on his feet.
"Wait, you've just done a pretty much impossible task," Midoriya protested. "Come on, have a seat. It's better if you eat with someone. It's lonely, eating alone."
Shouto didn't think it was lonely, since eating with Enji didn't really feel nice, but Midoriya had been nothing but kind to him even with the tasks he had given and really, Shouto could do with a meal before going back. He settled quietly to a chair, and before he had the chance to reach for a plate Midoriya had given him one, already filled with warm food. Shouto took it and thanked him.
As they ate, Midoriya kept talking about magic and the forest while Shouto politely hummed responses every now and then. It was… nice. Shouto couldn't even remember feeling so relaxed during mealtime. As he took a sip from his glass, he found himself smiling. He hadn't expected the treatment he was given. He hadn't even expected Baba Yaga to be real. He found himself enjoying his stay, nonetheless.
It was saying something that someone who he had known for less than a day made him feel better than the man he had lived with his whole life. Midoriya's tiny hut felt more welcoming than the house Shouto had lived in his whole life. And wasn't that something, to feel more at home with someone he barely even knew than with a man he saw practically every day? Shouto wondered if he could just stay and never go back, but he banished the thought. Until he could prove himself to Enji by bringing the light, he would never be truly free from him.
"That was a good meal," Midoriya said once he finished his food. "I haven't eaten something that good in a while. Thank you, Todoroki."
"Ah – you're welcome."
"I hope the task I gave you wasn't too hard?" Midoriya asked, fidgeting in his seat. "I would've given you an easier task, but my torches are… very precious to me. It would need to be given out at a high price."
"It wasn't easy, for sure," Todoroki admitted. "I might have been in trouble if not for the help I had."
"That's good," Midoriya smiled, fidgets finally stilling. "I would give the light for free if I could, honestly. But it doesn't work that way."
Todoroki stared. "You would've given the light out for free?"
A blush spread across Midoriya's face, and Shouto was suddenly overcome with how cute he looked. "Well, um. I just want to help people, any way that I could." Midoriya wrapped his arms around his own neck, as if trying to hug himself and hide his face at the same time. "Still, I can't give out everything for free. It doesn't work that way. So I ask people to do something. Usually it's small things, like making deliveries or something, but… those lights are important."
"It's alright," Shouto assured. "I understand." He shifted in his seat and glanced at the dancing multicolored lights of the torches. "Can I take a light now?"
Midoriya lowered his arms. "Well, you've done your part," he said, smiling. He looked less flustered, though pink tint still colored his cheeks. "It's my turn to uphold my end of the bargain." He stood up and motioned Shouto to follow before going out of the hut. He pointed at the burning torches. "Go. Take the golden one. You've earned it."
Shouto nodded and went forward, taking the torch off the ground. It slid off the seemingly rock hard earth as easily as an oversized ring off a buttered finger. He gripped the sturdy wood and turned to meet Midoriya's gleaming green eyes. "Thank you."
Midoriya beamed, and warmth that had nothing to do with the torch in his hands or his own flame magic spread in Shouto's chest. "Anyway, just so you know. Once its purpose is filled, the fire will return here. Don't be surprised if it suddenly flies away."
Shouto nodded. "Alright. Thank you for letting me know."
There was silence for a moment before Midoriya broke it. "It's been nice, Todoroki. I wish you a safe travel."
His mouth opened and ran off before he thought, and before Shouto could stop himself he blurted, "Shouto."
Midoriya blinked. "Sorry?"
"Call me Shouto," Shouto said, wondering if offering his name was some sort of a mistake.
It wasn't. Midoriya smiled bright enough to rival the sun and said, "Then call me Izuku." The smile wobbled. "I... wished you had visited longer. This is selfish of me, but I wish we could spend more time together. It gets lonely, here, sometimes."
A lump formed in Shouto's throat. He swallowed. Izuku had treated him well, and he was kind. Spending time with him, even short as it was, had made Shouto feel more comfortable than he had been for the majority of his life. After a moment of hesitation, Shouto admitted, "I don't really want to leave, either." He stepped closer to the hut – one step, two step, then stop, wondering if this was a good idea. "Maybe I can stay a little longer. What's one more day, anyway?"
The forest witch walked ahead, and Shouto stepped forward again, and they met halfway. "If you can pay the price," Izuku said, "you're more than welcome to stay. It won't be expensive. Your companionship would be more than enough." He lifted his hand as if to touch Shouto's face, but stopped, hovering in the air in hesitation.
"I'm fine having to sort grains and clean poppy seeds again, though," Shouto admitted. He leaned into Izuku's touch, feeling his calloused, scarred skin against the scar on his own face. Izuku laughed as he rubbed his thumb against Shouto's face, and it sounded like singing birds to Shouto.
And then, all of a sudden, he felt his magic bubbling to the surface, intermingling with the residue of Enji's flames and sparked off in the air. Suddenly bright flames roared to life, shaped oddly similar to a beast. It rose up and pounced at Izuku and Shouto both.
Two things happened simultaneously in response to this. The first was the golden fire that burned at the torch, which shot up and wound itself around Izuku in a protective embrace. The force of both the golden flame and Shouto's flame magic knocked him off his feet and he fell to the ground in a heap.
The second was the doll. As soon as the flame magic was triggered, it squirmed in Shouto's pocket. It burst into white light and leapt out, an odd spectral figure of a woman hovering around the wood of the doll that glowed faintly bluish-white. The spectral figure screamed a single no as cold that had nothing to do with Shouto's ice magic gathered around Shouto like a shield. As Shouto fell onto his back, knocked by the force of all the magic that suddenly flared in his face, the spectral figure turned to him. It was only for less than a second, but it was enough for recognition to kick in. Shouto stared, a soft gasp escaping his lips.
The fire beast roared as it slammed into the floating doll. The spectral figure jerked in pain and fell to the ground, just as the doll dropped. The flames fizzled out and disappeared. Only burnt remains of the doll was left out.
Shouto pushed himself to sit. He stared at the spectral figure. "…Mom?"
The spectral figure turned to him and smiled. It was a familiar smile, one he had long since seen for himself, but it was the same. His mother reached for him and caressed his cheeks with her cold, cold fingers that felt strangely warm. "Live, Shouto," she said, almost a sighed breath. With it, her image cracked and broke into a thousand tiny fractals that dissolved into the air.
Shouto's gaze dropped to the doll. It was no more than charcoal. He reached to take it into his hands, but it crumbled into dust as soon as he touched it. Shouto closed his eyes and breathed out.
When he opened his eyes, Izuku was staring blankly at his hand. He flexed the crooked fingers, glanced at the ashes of the doll, and turned to stare into Shouto's eyes fully.
Shouto's gaze fell. He couldn't bring himself to look Izuku in the eyes. Instead he glanced at the torch that he had dropped. The golden flames had long since retracted back to the wood, no longer hugging Izuku protectively. It burned just as bright as before, even fallen on the ground. Shouto reached for it and gripped, taking the torch and gripping it like a lifeline.
Remnants of Enji's magic floated still in the air, dissipating too slowly for Shouto's liking. It tainted the atmosphere with its stink that permeated the air stubbornly, like the scent of burnt flesh that had long since seeped into cloth and refused to disappear. Shouto's grip on the torch tightened until the tips of his fingers whitened, until pain began to press at his bones. He didn't let go.
"I'm sorry."
Izuku's voice jolted Shouto, and he looked up in shock. Izuku had averted his eyes, the emerald green of his eyes dulled as he stared at the ground.
"Why are you sorry?" Shouto asked, voice thin and frayed.
"I had felt the magic that clings to yours," Izuku said. "I should've known I wouldn't be able to touch you. Now your mother's blessing is gone. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Shouto protested. Shame curdled in his stomach. "I should have known something like this would've happened. It's my father's spell. I should've known he would've placed a curse to prevent me from getting attached."
Izuku fidgeted. "It could've been intended as a protective spell," he said. He dropped his hands to his laps. "It doesn't matter, though. The end result is the same. The spell ends up attacking us both, anyway. I don't think… I don't think it's wise that you're staying."
Shouto knew it was coming, but he still felt like he had been slapped. He glanced at his arm, at the place his father had gripped him before he went out yesterday. He glared at it. He could feel Enji's magic still wriggling under his skin, still waiting for another opportunity to jump out. Not for the first time, hatred boiled in his veins and Shouto wished Enji had never existed. He bit his lip and looked up to meet Izuku's eyes. "I'm really sorry about this."
Izuku smiled, but it was strained, forced. "It's not your fault." The smile dimmed. "…you should go."
Shouto didn't want to, but he had no choice. He got to his feet, gripped the torch, and stared at Izuku. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said. "You've been a better host in one night than my father had been for years. I'm sorry my visit has to end on such a note."
"It's the least that I could do," Izuku assured. "And… I'm sorry, too." For what, he didn't specify.
"I wish I could visit again, sometime," Shouto admitted.
"Once that spell is gone, maybe," Izuku agreed. Shouto nodded and turned away, walking into the forest to the direction of what he wished to be his house.
It took him another full day of walking, but eventually he reached the edge of the forest by nightfall. It was close to his house, so quickly made his way back. The golden torch provided the light that he needed to see his way, and soon he had found himself in his doorsteps. He pushed the door open and strode inside, torch in hand.
Enji was sitting by the fireplace, staring silently at the flames. He glanced to the door and smiled in satisfaction when he saw Shouto walking in. "You're back," he noted. "That's good."
Shouto held out the torch for Enji to see. "I got your light," he said.
Enji's smiled widened. "Perfect," he said, standing up and taking the torch from Shouto's hands. He caressed the golden flames, his own magic protecting him from the scalding heat.
"Why do you even want the light?" Shouto asked. "You have flame magic. I know you said it can't be extinguished, but it feels a bit too much."
"This is so you will be stronger," Enji replied. "I know of a spell to take an element's attribute as your own. You will take this fire's inextinguishable properties. You will be the strongest mage to ever live, and you will surpass All Might."
Anger bubbled in Shouto's stomach. "This again? I've told you, I want no part in this. You said I'd be free if I bring you the light. Let me go already."
"I'm doing this for you, Shouto," Enji said with a frown, and something in Shouto snapped.
"No, you're doing this for yourself," Shouto growled. "You see me as nothing but a tool. If you want to surpass All Might, do it yourself. Take that inextinguishable properties for yourself. I don't care about your goals."
Enji's voice dropped dangerously. "Watch your tone," he growled back. He gripped at the air, and the golden flames flared, roaring to Shouto.
On instinct, Shouto screwed his eyes shut. He could feel the heat of the flames engulfing him, and he braced for the pain –
It never came.
Shouto's eyes snapped open. He stared at the golden flames that circled him harmlessly, curving around him protectively not unlike the time it did the same for Izuku. Enji looked about as surprised as Shouto was.
The surprise didn't end there. The flames swirled around Shouto and jumped right between Shouto and Enji before towering into a pillar that morphed into the shape of a person; large and muscular with bangs that stood up like bunny ears. Slowly, though, the fiery gold figure morphed again into a skinny form that was almost skeletal, though just as tall and imposing. The blue of his eyes stood starkly against the gold of his whole body.
"All Might," Enji said, quietly, and Shouto stared at the golden fire-person. This was All Might? The very person Enji wanted him to surpass?
How even was he the fire Shouto had been carrying around for the past whole day?
The skeletal figure turned his head to look at Enji. The flames that made his body condensed into what seemed to be nearly solid body that glowed gold. He said nothing.
Enji scoffed. "All this time I wanted my son to surpass you, and you're no more than a skeleton in skin suit with no meat to speak of. A child could come up to you and break you in half."
"Like you were about to do to your own son?" All Might's voice was deep and booming, sending a tremor up Shouto's spine. Despite the golden flames that he was, his words sent chills along Shouto's skin.
Enji clenched his teeth. Licks of flames flared up his arms before disappearing again. His facial hair lit up and refused to dissipate. "You don't know anything."
"What has clued me in is enough," All Might responded. "What sort of parent burns his own son?"
"It's for his own good," Enji argued. "He's made so he could surpass the strongest mage. He will surpass you."
"He's made?" All Might repeated, disgust and contempt in his voice. "He's your child."
"And so he will do as he is told," Enji glared at Shouto.
"I'm not a dog you can just order around," Shouto snapped. Frustration bled into his voice. "I don't want any part of this. I never did."
"I did not have you so you could prance around achieving mediocrity," Enji snapped back. "You have a purpose and you will fill it."
"It's not my purpose!" Shouto's voice cracked with too many feelings for him to count. He felt like his chest was being squeezed. "I never chose it. You're the one who forced me to it. I was supposed to stop being your… pawn after I got your light. I got your light. Let me go."
"You will not go! Not before you fulfill what you were born for!" Enji jabbed his finger to All Might. "You will surpass him!"
"No one will surpass me," All Might spoke up, then, but the words weren't said haughtily. There was no hint of arrogance in his tone. "Look at me, Todoroki. I'm no more than soulfire. I've long since passed the torch to my successor. He is the one carrying the name Baba Yaga and the status as the witch of the forest, now."
"So Shouto will surpass him."
Enji's words gave chills and heat both that spread throughout Shouto's body. He didn't want to fight Izuku. He refused to fight him. When All Might turned his eyes at him in inquiry, Shouto shook his head almost desperately.
"You've harmed your child in your misguided quest for power," All Might said as he turned back to Enji. "You aim to harm my successor. You have harmed him through the spell you put on your son when you sent him away, and that spell lingers still on him even now and will spark and harm more people at a moment's notice." He paused. "Why do you even place such curse-like spell on him?"
"I can't afford to let him let his heart rule him," Enji growled. "It's a weakness. He needs to separate himself from it."
All Might looked more sad and tired than anything, hearing Enji's response. "I see," he said. "Then I presume you have no plans to dispel it?"
Enji remained silent. He narrowed his eyes on All Might.
"I see." All Might bent to a battle stance. His body morphed once more into the muscular form from before. "You've made it clear that you have harmed people and have no plans to stop anytime soon. I cannot let you go."
Enji's lips parted to a snarl. "Are you threatening me?"
All Might's response was quick. "Yes."
The snarl on Enji's lips turned into a mocking grin. "What could a soulfire do to a living person?"
All Might didn't answer. Instead he brought his arm up and slashed the air horizontally, making an arch that ended when the momentum was stopped by his own arm's inability to turn further back. The door behind Shouto slammed open, and he felt something both push and drag him outside. He tumbled unceremoniously to the ground, just in time to look up to the house. The door was creaking close, but from the crack Shouto could see All Might turning back into golden flames that grew brighter and brighter, much brighter than even the sun at the peak of summer solstice.
Something within Shouto tingled. He could sense All Might's magic bubbling to the surface, a raw magic that came from his nature as a soulfire and not from his self. He knew what would happen before it did, and turned and covered his eyes just in time to avoid being blinded by a supernova.
The force of the explosion knocked him further back, and the sound sent a ringing in his ears that refused to disappear. He blinked his eyes open and looked up to his house and found it burned black.
He staggered to his feet and walked to the house. The door swung open easily when he pushed it with his fingertips. It was still hot to the touch.
Everything in the house had been turned to charcoal. There was a pile of ash in the middle of the house. Enji was nowhere to be seen.
There was a flash of gold as someone looped his arm around his torso and dragged him out of the house. He escaped having the roof caving in on his head by a hair's breadth. All Might gently stood him up, but all strength left his legs as he watched his house crumbling. It was no more than a pile of burnt charcoal and broken glass by the time the dust settled. Shouto stared wordlessly at it as he felt the dirt under his hand. It was strangely grounding, something to hold onto that didn't make him feel like he was floating. It was something to counter the ringing in his ears that made him wonder if any of this was real, since he couldn't even hear the house crumbling.
He looked at the golden figure of All Might, who was returning to his skeletal form all while staring at him apologetically as he got to his knees. "I'm sorry for this," he said, and it was odd that Shouto could hear his words clearly through the ringing in his ears. "I can't think of any other way to stop him. A man like Todoroki Enji cannot be reasoned with."
Shouto blinked at him, unable to string words to respond. All Might smiled that sad, apologetic smile at him and pulled him into a hug. The ringing in Shouto's ears slowly disappeared, and warmth seeped to his skin. He wasn't even aware that he was cold. Hesitantly, Shouto returned the hug.
When they parted, All Might's smile was slightly lighter. "I hope we could meet again someday, my boy," he said, and he condensed into a small lick of flame that floated up and shot into the forest.
Shouto sat there on the ground, thinking. His house burnt down, his father was dead; he was effectively homeless. He could go to his siblings, but he wasn't exactly close to them. Fuyumi was the only one that he felt fully comfortable with, but from what he knew she was busy being a schoolteacher and basically the person the whole village turn to to help with their children. Shouto didn't want to impose on that.
He stared at his arm, where Enji had grabbed him yesterday. He couldn't feel Enji's magic staining his own. He couldn't feel Enji's magic at all, in fact. An idea formed in his mind. He stood up, casted one last look to the house, and turned to the forest.
Night has fallen and the forest was never the safest place, but he had the full moon shining his way, and his magic was more than enough to keep him safe. His fire magic could light his way, if he needed it to. Shouto braced himself and strode back into the woods.
The sky had turned the same shade of cool blue when he made his way back to his house when Shouto finally reached the gate of bones. He pushed it open. The bell trilled.
Izuku was there, kneeling on the ground tending to his plants, All Might right by his side. The two of them turned to look at Shouto. All Might smiled and returned to his golden fire form, which then resided on the skull torch. How it returned there was beyond Shouto, but he decided he didn't need to think much about it.
Izuku smiled at him softly, which reminded Shouto of the full moon still shining above their heads; gentle but radiant, with the stars sprinkling the dark sky and wisps of cloud drifting by, never enough to choke away the moon's glow. "Hello, Shouto," he greeted. "I didn't think I'd meet you again so soon."
"My house burned down," Shouto explained. "I have nowhere to go. I was wondering if I could stay here."
"If you could pay the price," Izuku replied.
"I'll be fine with grains and poppy seed," Shouto responded. He walked to Izuku and crouched down beside him.
Izuku's smile widened. He lifted his dirt-caked hand and caressed Shouto's cheek, thumb brushing his scar. There was no fire beast to emerge this time. "Your companionship would be enough," Izuku informed. His eyes twinkled much like the stars.
Shouto smiled back, and he was struck by a realization that made him freeze in place.
Oh, he thought, then, still looking into Izuku's green eyes. So this is what love was.
A/N: At the end of the story Shouto kind of just passes out in Izuku's arms because he's been awake for like... 48 hrs? And that's after walking for a whole day, take up the impossible tasks Izuku assigned him, walk back to his house for another whole day, and another whole night of walking through the forest? *pats Shouto's head and wraps him in a blanket* This child needs rest, smh, the cuddles and intimate chats can wait.
I took some liberties with the source materials. In the original, Baba Yaga is pretty malevolent figure. I used Kadi Fedoruk's interpretation of the fairy tale, which she writes as a comic you can read here: www. blindsprings comic/ valor- page- one (just delete the spaces in the link. ff net is pretty annoying about this thing). It's got really pretty art and the story itself is great. I recommend reading the comic!