AN: Since a reviewer pointed some of these things out, I decided to put up a list of liberties I'm taking regarding Shiketsu:
- Shiketsu is located in the far west of Musutafu, and not in the far west of Japan
- Camie Utsushimi, Nagamasa Moura and Seiji Shishikura are first-year-students
- There are limited scholarship slots for U.A, which leads to Momo attending another school
- We don't actually know that much about Shiketsu (yet), so I'm improvising most of the time. Bear with me, 'kay?
The Girl From Shiketsu
I. Sunlight On Water
Students streamed into the looming building from all directions, chatting about their vacations and summer homework done last minute. If it were not for the imposing glass building in front of him, Todoroki would have dismissed it as a normal high school.
A student jovially greeted another one to his left, and they headed into the building in a chorus of laughter and jokes.
Todoroki averted his eyes. He wasn't here to make friends. He was here to study, and to show his bastard of a father that he would be a great hero without his help.
And he would do whatever it takes to make his point.
Subconsciously, his fingers tightened around the strap of his bag as he took a determined strides towards the large entrance.
The other students' laughter echoed around him until it drowned out in silence. He didn't have time to idly chat away.
His feet carried him up the stairs, to where he had memorized his classroom would be. He slid through the crowd of heroes-in-training effortlessly, ignoring the few curious glances that were thrown his way.
A few more metres, then around the corner… bingo.
The impossibly large door left quite an impression on him, and he wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Were there really heroes that needed doors this big?
Shaking his thoughts away, he pushed open the door and entered the room. It wasn't too different from his middle school classroom, except that it looked more… modern? Polished, perhaps?
A few of his apparent classmates were already inside, a minority of them locked in conversation. His eyes wandered across the small plaques placed on every desk, searching for the number 15.
He found it in the last row, and a small part of him was relieved he would have a semblance of solitude there.
The numbers 5 and 20 were on either side of his desk, but nobody as there yet. With a ghost-like presence, he crossed the classroom, taking a seat behind his appointed desk.
The classroom gradually grew louder as more students entered and began socializing, and at some point one boy made it a point to shout and scream at everybody who approached him.
Todoroki merely rested his hand on his palm and glanced out the window, not interested in his classmates' shenanigans. They were behaving like little children, and hardly the heroes they were training to be.
Was it too hard to ask for somebody who had an inkling of maturity?
Apparently, it was. The newest addition to the classroom, a loud-mouth who said something about hot-bloodedness, dragged out the chair next to his with a painful screech. Todoroki supressed a wince, but he glanced over at the imposing male next to him for just long enough to see the hateful glare he sent his way.
Todoroki tore his eyes away again, concentrating on a faraway cloud.
What had he done to deserve a look filled with that much rage?
High School was full of surprises.
Aside from the loudmouth next to him being a recommended student despite obviously being somewhat of an idiot, his other classmates were… how should he put this… peculiar.
Their first day started off with a physical test, along with a bluff from their teacher that left half of his fellow students shaking in fear of failing.
He didn't care much for them, since he knew he would pass without question. One of the boys was obviously having trouble with his quirk, but it was more of a mental side note in Todoroki's mind.
The other recommended student was what really caught his eye. When he opened his mouth, he was nothing more than a blubbering idiot, but his quirk was nothing to joke about. Strong gales of wind ravaged across the training field as he launched the ball with a wide grin on his face.
Todoroki found himself admitting that it was quite the destructive force, and if only its wielder was more intelligent, who knows how that power could be put into use.
Inasa Yoarashi.
Maybe he should take note of the name.
The day ended with Yoarashi sending another hate-filled glare towards him before leaving the school.
Todoroki also left the premises, heading home. He wasn't particularly fond of what was inevitably about to come. His father would ask him to report how his day was, along with a rundown of his classmates' quirks should there be anybody stronger than him.
He let out a soft sigh, instead watching the way the setting sun bathed the streets in a warm orange.
Orange, like his father's flames.
A riverbank to the side caught his eye, a relatively even, empty lot, shaded by the bridge passing over it.
An idea flitted into his mind. An idea that would kill more than two birds with one stone.
The conversation with his father was about as pleasant as he had imagined it. Enji Todoroki asked all kinds of questions, and all Todoroki could do was nod and answer the occasional 'yes or no' question, but it left him feeling exhausted and powerless, as it always did.
He slumped onto his futon, staring up at the wooden ceiling of his room.
He hated this life.
The next morning, right after his alarm clock rang, he got dressed and ate the breakfast his sister made before leaving for work.
He still had quite some time before school started, which was usually spent training in the dojo in his house, but he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.
He grabbed his bag and left the house as quietly as he could, hoping his father wouldn't realize. It wasn't as if he was going to ditch training, on the contrary, he was going to train harder than ever before. He just wasn't going to do it at home.
His feet lead him back to the riverbank in a light sprint, just as the sun peeked over the horizon. A quick glance at his watch told him that this was definitely something that could settle into a daily routine.
He put his bag and blazer on the ground under the bridge, making a mental note to maybe wear gym clothes the next time.
Nonetheless, he began with some basic stretches, absentmindedly watching the dew on the grass blades as they slowly began to catch the rising sun's rays.
"You're doing that wrong." A female voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
He lowered his arms and turned around, coming face to face with a black-haired girl who was probably out for a run, judging by her attire.
"I am?" He asked, a slight frown forming on his face. He could have easily dismissed her, but he wasn't going to be rude. She might have a valid point.
She nodded. "Yeah, you're only going to give yourself back problems if you keep on doing it like that. You should do it more in this angle."
She demonstrated it once for him, and with chagrin, he realized that she was right. He always associated those back pains with his harsh training regimen, but it was actually from doing the exercise wrong the entire time.
"Oh, thanks for pointing that out." He answered politely, copying the movement in its correct form. Yes, that definitely felt much better already.
"No problem, we fellow heroes-in-training have to help each other out, right?" She offered him a kind smile that he couldn't quite bring himself to return.
"How did you know?" He asked her instead, confusion washing over him.
She gestured at his clothes, and he realized that he was still wearing his uniform. "Oh, right, I forgot about that."
"Still, doesn't U.A. provide you with gym clothes? Your uniform isn't meant to do sports in." She remarked innocently.
"I'm aware of that." He answered quickly, hoping to preserve some of his dignity. "I was just in a hurry this morning. It slipped my mind."
She frowned and glanced at her wrist watch. "This early?"
"It's complicated."
"I see… Well, see you around, U.A.-student." She gave him a friendly wave before turning to continue with her run.
"Wait." His mouth spoke faster than his brain could think things through.
She turned back around to face him, a questioning look on her face. "Yes?"
"You said you're also a hero-in-training, right?"
A smile grew on her lips. "Yes, that's right."
"Which school do you attend?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. She obviously didn't attend U.A., not with the way she addressed him and his school.
Her smile grew even wider. "I'm a first-year at Shiketsu High."
AN: So, as you can see, this will have rather short chapters and will be more on the episodic side than being a linear story.
Not quite sure where this is going yet... but leave a review if you liked it!
~Emi