CHAPTER 4
A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed my fic, and all anonymous readers!
Disclaimer: My Hero Academia belongs to the fabulous author Kohei Horikoshi. I only own a couple OCs.
After the Big Reveal (yes, with capital letters!) both Todoroki and I were left in a state of 'What-the-fuck-are-you-telling-us-now?' Mom never talked about her family, so this certainly came as a surprise. Todoro– I mean, Shoto apparently felt the same, because he just kept eyeing the three of us with a mixture of confusion, disorientation and not a small amount of surprise in his young face.
Apparently, Yuki and Koe's parents had been a poor family, worried about his two daughters. Their father didn't want them to leave in the same environment he'd had to grow up in, knowing a woman had even less possibilities of survival in such a harsh reality, and had urged them to find a suitable spouse in the higher society. Mom and Yuki left the most gruesome details out because we were only kids, but my adult mind could imagine what kind of hell the three of them had to go through in their lives; a heart-clenching feeling of pity filled me for a moment as I looked at the two women, one of whom I learned to love with all my heart.
Providence smiled down on not only one, but both of them as they each fell in love with honorable and wealthy men. My father, and Todoroki Enji. The fortune they gathered served to give my grandfather a new life, but he hadn't had much time to enjoy it before he passed away from an unknown illness. Of course, Mom and Yuki were saddened by the outcome, and promised themselves to live the life their father wanted them to live; one without regrets, and full with love. My grandmother, who still lived, helped them with the limited resources she had.
As Shoto and I listened to our mothers, I felt... strange. Sure, having one of the main protagonists as your family had to have its advantages, but it also put me in an uncomfortable position. For instance, I knew perfectly well the incident between Yuki and her son because of the former's mental illness, his future scar and her internship in a mental hospital. By making me become Shoto's cousin, could I be able to change that? Could I stop Yuki from spilling boiling water on her own son's face, thus allowing her to stay at his side as he grew up with the beast of a father he had?
That mental reminder of Todoroki Enji stopped my thoughts. Could I do something about his attitude at all?
As the four of us walked down the streets, I subtly observed both Yuki and Shoto, searching for mistreatment on their bodies. I already surmised from Shoto's cold demeanor that Enji had begun his harsh training (you could see how, instead of a bubbly little kid, he was quite quiet and even a bit submissive in comparison of someone like Gurakumi), so that part of the older Todoroki's aspect I was too late to change.
From what I remembered, it was Enji's brutal treatment to Shoto and his obsession of becoming the Hero #1 via his son that got her fights with her husband; putting that apart, she did really love him, as far as I knew. I didn't know for sure if Enji loved her back to be honest, but I was willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt, if only because I didn't want to see my aunt hurting. Or Shoto.
Either Yuki had too much experience masking her bruises under a lot of make-up, or Enji knew just where to strike so that the clothes hid his henious actions. Shoto only had a small limp in the left leg that he hid quite well. Nevertheless, I knew what they were going through, and the simple knowledge set my veins on fire with rage.
But…
"En-kun?"
I jumped at my mother's voice. At some point, the four of us had arrived to our house and Mom had noticed how quiet I've been during the whole walk. Understandable; normally I was a chipper kid who loved to talk someone's ear off.
What she didn't know, was that I loved to do that only to her, because she was my precious Mom.
Said Mom was looking down at me with a half-amused, half-concerned smile on her face. Yuki and Shoto had begun talking about something that every now and then brought a smile on my cousin. I didn't know if my aunt considered we were talking about something private or if she was reminding her son to behave properly in someone else's house.
"Are you alright?" Mom asked me, a worried twinkle in her eye. "You've been awfully silent…"
But I smiled. "I'm okay, Mom. I'm just nervous because I have a cousin, and I don't know how to behave."
Mom's face softened. True, I didn't have any siblings, and the lack of children back in the mountain mansion left me at a disadvantage of how I should behave with a kid of my age, much less family. If it were the elders, I was expected to behave with the utmost respect and treat with the other at an arm's length. But that was too much to ask for a kid who craved for contact that wasn't constantly his mother.
In my previous life, I only had my baby brother to worry about, but I'd been so occupied with searching part-time jobs to support both him and myself when I finally could become independent and carried him with me to the horrendous flat I owned. But here, I thought I didn't have any family besides the elders and Mom. The former were too stiff and worried with status and their own prestigious name to worry about me, so they only counted as 'half-family'. The latter, well… She was my mother. And as much as I loved her, it just couldn't compare with the feeling of having a sibling to share all your thoughts with.
I glanced over at Yuki and Shoto, and how they conspiratorially snickered under their breaths, as if they were sharing a secret only they knew. A knot in my stomach loosened at the sight; it was heartwarming the evident adoration Shoto felt for his mother. It was like the relationship Mom and I had.
"Don't worry En-kun." Mom said, bringing my attention back to her; she was smiling softly as she followed my gaze to the pair. "You'll get along wonderfully."
And with that, she incorporated and, setting the shopping bag on the floor, began searching for the keys on her purse. At that, as if previously decided, Yuki and Shoto stopped talking and waited for Mom to get us inside the house. They still had smiles on their faces (well, my cousin had more of a subdued smirk), and that brought a smile on my face too.
Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I could get past Shoto's iron defenses.
"Akira-san, Kaito-san!" Mom called out, and I slipped in past her with a bright smile on my face.
"We're back!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs, with Mom shushing me as to not molest the neighbors.
Both butlers appeared, bowing and greeting us in unison. Akira had a pink apron around his waist and a cloth on his pink head, while Kaito had slipped off his jacket and had the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up just before his elbows. Judging the smell coming from the kitchen, they'd been cooking something that smelled wonderfully. I recognized curry and some hint of mushrooms with garlic, and it made my mouth water at the mere thought of their cooking.
"We have visitors today." Mom gestured towards Yuki and Shoto, who bowed respectfully. "My sister Yuki and her son."
If they were surprised, they didn't show it at all. Both merely bowed deeply at the waist, lower than my aunt and cousin.
"Nice to meet you." Kaito then stepped forward to take the shopping bag from Mom's hand and brought it to the kitchen. Akira stayed a bit longer. "Food will be ready in a few more minutes. May I prepare some appetizers for the wait?"
"I'd like some of your wonderful tea, Akira-san. What do you think, Yuki?" Mom turned to her sister as we all slipped out of our shoes and wore the slippers waiting at the shoe cabinet. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Some tea would be lovely, thank you." Yuki smiled.
"And what about the Young Masters?" The robust man looked down at us.
I looked at Shoto, who looked back at me. I smiled goofily and returned to Kaito, who already had an amused smile on his bearded face, knowing what I'd say.
"I want some dango!" I smiled goofily with my hands behind my head.
"You and your sweet tooth, En-kun…" Mom sighed but smiled while shaking her head. Shoto had a confused face, not understanding just why I wanted dango at this hour, and without tea to complement it.
"It shall be ready soon." Kaito bowed and gestured for us to sit down at the dining table. Out of respect, Shoto and I waited until our mothers sat down before sliding on our seats ourselves.
I was secretly amused by Shoto's confused expression as he looked at the ultra-modern flat Mom and I owned. In comparison to his traditional, Japanese-style house, ours was an epithome to modernity. We didn't even have the wooden flooring he'd grown so used to.
The food was delicious as always. I'd always been a huge fan of mushrooms, and in this life I continued having that love. I didn't even notice how happy I was until Mom remarked with amusement my slightly flapping wings; apparently I always did that whenever I was happy. We didn't talk during lunch, but occasionally Mom and Yuki would engage in a brief conversation, generally about their respective lives. Yuki told us about her other three children apart from Shoto, and about Enji and his works as a Pro Hero; I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed her slightly tense smile or Shoto's disapproving frown whenever his father was mentioned.
As tersely as she could, Mom changed subjects and talked about cooking, despite her not being really proficient at this. Apparently Yuki took the bait willingly and drew a genuine smile as she stepped on more comfortable grounds, talking about recipes and cooking tips to her oblivious older sister. I just listened in silence, aching to know about the real relationship Yuki had with her husband, but also knowing that she wouldn't say anything in front of children, much less her own son.
"Mom, can I take Shoto to my room?" I asked my mother, smiling as goofily as a five-year-old kid was supposed to.
Apparently I've surprised her, considering her almost startled look. For a moment I inwardly fumbled with my thoughts, wondering if I'd given out something that had led Mom to believe I was acting too maturely for a five-year-old kid.
But then she gave one of her pretty smiles. "That's a wonderful idea, En-kun. Go have fun, okay?"
"Yeah!" I nodded, scrambling off my seat and taking Shoto's hand to drag him to my room, pointedly ignoring his confused protests.
No way in Hell was I gonna wait to see if Mom had caught me in the act.
To be honest, I'd acted on a whim. I knew Shoto didn't like me very much, so having some buddy time with him would end in either a really awkward moment, or one situation that could end quite badly. I didn't know much about his personal preferences, apart from him liking the wooden flooring of his house and being used to living in a wealthy environment. I had the feeling talking about All Might could be disastrous (considering Enji was 'training' him to 'dethrone' the Symbol of Peace), so that was an off-limits topic. I doubted he'd be interested in videogames like me, and it was just too soon to talk about school homework or the guys and girls at our class. Talking about our Quirks was also prohibited; Shoto's was a combination of his father's and his mother's, the whole reason why Enji was so obsessed in him becoming his instrument to become #1 Pro Hero in the world.
Gah! This was so Goddamn stressful! What could I talk about, the weather?!
I tried not to let my thoughts show on my face as I excitedly opened the door to my room and let him inside with all the childish pride of a kid who loved his room.
"Here we are!" I rushed to the middle of the room and extended my arms. "Welcome to my room!"
Shoto at first just stood at the doorframe, taking in the massiveness of the furniture in the room. In the two weeks I've been living here, I'd added some gadgets I'd desperately wanted to own in my past life, like some videogames to play in my Ultra-Plain HD TV hanging on the wall next to the bathroom's door (childish ones, and I had restricted time to play 'because I was still too young'); the same happened with my computer resting at my desk, too high for me to reach without someone else's help (I'd insisted on having them stay there until I was old enough to reach it and used it on my own; sue me, I was a mentally full-grown man with nerdy needs!). The only things remotely infantile I had around were some kind of Scalextric's based cars, and I'd never used them.
'Then again…' I eyed my book-filled library with a frown. 'Maybe I could entertain him with some books… Shoto did peg me as a nerdy guy who loves to read everything he could get his hands on… Or maybe even a movie.'
"What do you want to do?" Tired of getting my head hurting because of indecision, I just let him decide with all the nonchalance of a five-year-old. Man, I was going to miss being able to speak as freely as this. "I have some cars, and books, and maybe we could watch a movie."
At first Shoto didn't answer, still stuck in the doorframe, eyeing the whole room with a look I just couldn't interpret. His brows were furrowed, looking at everywhere but me. I began shuffling my feet where I stood, worry beginning to fill me; just what was going through this guy's head? Even as a kid, he was a mystery to me.
"Uh, Shoto?" I called, and I couldn't help the concerned tone in my voice. It sounded kinda cute, and that gave me a cringe.
"–ke it."
"Huh?" I blinked. What did he say? He spoke too low for me to catch.
For some reason, he blushed and quickly entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Nothing."
"Uh, okay then." Man, I was not looking forward to when he became a socially awkward person. If he was this awkward as a kid, imagine when he grew up.
For a moment all we did was stand in the center of the room, two extremely uncomfortable kids (one with too much to worry about with his family, the other a grown-up man in the body of a kid that didn't remember how to behave like one at all) just looking at each other. We could very faintly hear our mothers talking outside (the walls were especially thick here, something I was grateful for) but couldn't make out the words.
I shifted my weight to one foot, uncomfortable, unconsciously ruffling my wings. That apparently attracted Shoto's attention, because his mismatched eyes looked up from my eyes to my wings.
"So… You can fly?" He finally asked.
I blinked. Of all the topics, I didn't think he'd be interested in that.
"Well, not yet." I finally smiled as I rubbed the back of my head. "Aquila-san, my teacher, he says I must first get stronger to actually fly."
"Hm…" He hummed, I didn't know if in interest or in a noncommital way. You never knew with this guy. "Can I… touch one?"
"Uh… Sure…"
I sat on the carpet-covered floor and extended one of my wings at Shoto, feeling a bit uncomfortable. The only one that ever touched my wings was Mom, so having anyone else do it felt a bit strange for my likings. Shoto sat down too, and scooted over closer before hesitantly hovering a hand close to my extended wing.
He was as nervous as I was. Both of us felt like this was something unnatural, or at least oddly intimate (not like that, Jesus!) In fact, I was almost fighting to keep my wing extended… both because keeping it like this felt strangely vulnerable, and also because I was scared I'd pull a back muscle or a wing muscle if I held it for too long. Shoto's cool hand grazed the primary feathers, near the alula ones, and moved over to the marginal coverts as if caught in a daze. I repressed a shudder, because even if the feathers were there to protect my wings from the low temperatures, Shoto's unnaturally cold hand felt a bit too sharply for me. He apparently didn't notice, judging the fascinated look on his young face.
And it was then that I remembered. Todoroki Shoto was just a kid. It broke my heart to see a child who'd learned to suppress his natural curiosity because of the brutal mistreatment of his egotistical father. For a moment, I wondered if his nervousness before touching my wing had been because he'd feared I'd lash out at him.
"They're soft…" He mumbled almost to himself, but this time I could hear him.
That sent a smile across my face, feeling somewhat proud. I spent a lot of time preening my wings to get all the down and stray feathers that I wouldn't need out of the way, so that they'd look as pristine and soft as they were right now. Having Shoto admit it made me a bit giddy.
"I know right?" I grinned like a loon, almost puffing my chest out. "I spend a lot of time to make them look this good."
"They also feel strong." Shoto finally removed his hand, but by then both of us had left most of the awkwardness behind and were sitting close to each other, cross-legged and one knee almost touching the other's. "Why do you need even more strength?"
"Because I'm heavy. If I want to fly, I need to grow stronger. I didn't want to stop eating, so I chose to start being stronger."
"Oh. Cool."
I retracted my wing and smiled at my cousin. He seemed to doubt, but finally returned a small one.
I considered that a victory nevertheless.
We had a bit of a rocky start, but we finally settled with small chat about what we liked and disliked. A very basic conversation, that actually revealed more about the aloof boy that I'd known before in my previous life.
I learned that, as I supposed, he was a very studious boy by nature, an avid reader and lover of Japanese traditional ceremonies. He preferred staying indoors than going out to play. He adored his mother, as I already knew, and I was surprised to find out that he loved his siblings too. Not a word about his father, but it was somewhat expected. At such a young age, a kid was far more perceptive than many adults thought, and he knew Enji wasn't behaving like a father would.
I admitted to him my love for cooking and videogames. I was surprised to discover that he'd never tried playing videogames before, and I promised myself that, we were older, I'd teach him how to play. I surmised he'd need it, what with his future estrangement from his parents.
Soon after that, Yuki and Mom entered to find us in deep conversation, me boasting about videogames and Shoto listening with interest. They seemed happy and satisfied with our nascent friendship. I really was glad that we seemed to get along to be honest. Once you get past his tough exterior, Shoto could be a really good listener and a great person to speak with.
It was only after the two Todoroki members left the house that I let my smile drop into a concerned frown. She'd tried to hide it, but I'd noticed Yuki's red eyes and slightly puffy nose when she'd come to my room to collect her son, and the small crease on my mother's forehead whenever something worried her deeply. As I supposed, the sisters had taken advantage of us leaving the room to talk about her difficult situation (to say the least) with Enji and the brutal training Shoto had to go through.
So, it had begun. I was too late to protect Shoto from Endeavor and his 'training'. I was too late to help Yuki cope with it all.
My heart was torn. I didn't know how much time I had before Yuki finally snapped. I didn't even know just how I was supposed to cure her mental illness, and just what triggered it in the first place.
"Enzeru."
My mother's voice, for the first time ever, spoke my full name instead of my favorite nickname. It was that, added with her serious expression, what convinced me that my mother intended to give a really important message to me.
So I gave her my full attention, turning to her as she knelt before me and put her hands on my tiny shoulders. Her blue eyes spoke volumes, a mixture of repressed anger, grief and deep worry, her mouth tight and serious. I could feel her fingers trembling as she grasped my shoulders, not too tight but not loose enough for me to slip away either.
For a long moment she just looked at me, examining my face as if searching for something… or trying to memorize my face as best she could. Her expression never wavered, but I did notice her anger subduing a bit. I didn't know just what she saw in me, but it served to calm her temper a bit.
"You've always been smart." She began in a low voice, her harmonious voice sounding a bit distant to me. "Far smarter than you should be at your age, in fact. You perceive far more things than you should be capable of."
One of my wings twitched. I didn't notice it, too concentrated in not tensing up and still keeping my grey eyes fixed on my mother.
"I know this is selfish for me to ask." She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze to the floor beneath our feet. I didn't like seeing her like this, but soon she was looking back at me with a determination that nearly threw me off. "But I want you to help Shoto-kun in whatever way you're capable of. Stay by his side. Alright, my boy?"
It wasn't quite an order, but the strength in her voice and eyes certainly made that request feel like one. For a moment all I could do was look back at her, trying to gather my suddenly strayed thoughts and form a proper answer, whichever came to mind that felt appropriate.
But then something ignited inside me. All my previous thoughts about what Endeavor was making his wife and son go through, and the feelings that came with them. Rage filled me again, but this time a familiar fire came along; the will of making things right.
I was just a boy. A winged boy with diamond covering half his body, but a boy nonetheless. I could do next to nothing against someone like Todoroki Enji, #2 Pro Hero in the world. I couldn't stop him from hitting his wife and out-right physically abusing his child into fulfilling his selfish and a bit twisted desires.
But I could stop Shoto from falling into the endless pit of hatred towards his father. I could help ease the guilt he'd feel for his mother's internship in the mental hospital. I could stay by his side in whatever way he needed.
I could be his family…
Yes. I could do that. It could mean nothing in the future, but if it changed something, then I'd be satisfied.
"Okay, Mom." I nodded with all the seriousness my young face could muster. "I'll stay with him."
And Mom smiled, pure relief seeping out of that simple gesture. She then pulled me towards her and embraced me tightly, arms going under my wings to avoid that sensitive joint between shoulder blades and wings. I returned the hug just as tightly, as if sealing the promise we just made.
Four years came by and went in a blink for me. In that time I made good friends with Gurakumi and Matsuoka, and convinced Shoto of joining us instead of 'brooding on his own' in the corner of the class. We quickly became an inseparable bunch of kids, well-behaved in class and almost all of us managing to get to the top of the class; we'd have that silly competition of who'd become the next #1 student in class. Matsuoka would merely settle with passing the tests, but he'd have as much fun as any of us in making those bets.
After school I'd spend my time with the three of them all around town, or merely with Shoto at home. He never invited me to spend time at his house, and I never asked him to. I made a silent point of never talking about his father or his Quirk, though sometimes I'd catch his gaze whenever I brought up someone else's Quirk, like my Mom's.
When we were seven, Shoto stopped coming to school for three whole days. Toriumi would explain that he'd had an accident at home, and I knew that was only partially true. I felt sick to the stomach during those three days, worried about him and wondering just what I could have done to avoid that from happening. When he finally returned, I noticed with heart-clenching guilt that he only looked the shadow he'd been, half his face showing that horrendous scar that would mark him and accompany him for the rest of his life, and mismatched eyes showing unsuppressed hatred whenever anyone even mentioned Endeavor's name. It costed Gurakumi, Matsuoka and I months before he returned to our little gang.
But he never returned to be the way he'd been before. Ever again.
Todoroki Yuki also stopped coming by our house. No one explained me why, but I already knew. I also heard Mom softly cry in her room at night for a whole week. It hurt, both her cries and the difficult situation both Shoto and Yuki had to go through because of Endeavor. And once more, I felt my guilt grow at my inaction in that situation. Mom made a habit of visiting her sister at least once a week, and would spend hours talking to her. I tried to accompany her, but she insisted that it wasn't a proper environment for me; I had the feeling she was just worried of how I would react to see the poor woman, sitting alone in a small room overlooking the world through her window.
The atmosphere at home became a bit more serious than usual from then on. Even more whenever I brought Shoto home. Sure everyone would behave properly, but no one could pretend nothing had happened whenever Shoto's dull eyes glanced over at us. Not accusing, of course, but uninterested, as if he were wondering why we bothered taking care of him.
Gurakumi and Matsuoka became Shoto's good friends, while I became practically his shadow. I refused to leave him alone when he was so obviously hurting, both because of the increasingly brutal training and the guilt that threatened to overwhelm him whenever he thought of his mother. Most of the time I just babbled about whatever, desperate to keep his thoughts occupied with something that wasn't his mother or his father; but there were moments I just couldn't find a way to break the oppressive silence, the both of us silently watching All Might's videos or playing videogames.
I wanted to think those moments served to ease some of Shoto's pain.
It was when we were ten when I finally got the best news of my life.
Summer break had just turned around. My exams had gone quite well (this time Shoto became #1) and I just received wonderful news from Aquila just the day before. I immediately called in Matsuoka, Gurakumi and Shoto and asked them to meet me where Aquila had told me to go, excitement evident in my voice. Even Mom couldn't keep me still as she tried to get me to eat my breakfast before going.
I ran as fast as I could, avoiding the early risers in my eagerness to reach the rendezvous point. I couldn't help but laugh aloud sometimes, earing bemused looks from the people around me, but I didn't care.
Only Shoto was waiting for me in the solitary park near the bridge. He'd always been the one who always got first at the places where we'd hung out.
"Shoto!" I called to him.
He nonchalantly turned and saw me just as I stopped beside him, trying to catch my breath. Once I got that covered, I breathed in deeply before beaming at him, my feet unable to stay still.
"You look happy." He remarked dully, an unimpressed expression on his face.
"Heheh, I am!" I snickered with my hands behind my head. "You'll soon see why!"
He shrugged and waited with me for the other two slowpokes to arrive. They did come just two minutes before the appointed hour, but I still couldn't help but rant them because of their lateness. Gurakumi didn't seem to mind, and Matsuoka just looked slightly miffed at my evident enthusiasm coating my half-hearted rant.
"Then?" Gurakumi lifted his glasses with his forefinger, grabbing his notebook in his other hand tightly. "Why are we here, Enzeru-kun?"
My smile couldn't grow any bigger. I swear it looked even wider than All Might's right now. Obviously confused and interested in the cause of my happiness, the three of them looked over at me.
"I'm finally learning how to fly!" I exclaimed, pumping my fists to the sky in triumph.
At that, I got different reactions from everyone as always. Matsuoka's eyes widened as an equally excited smile crossed his face; Gurakumi's lenses shone as he hummed; Shoto lifted an eyebrow, the only thing that denoted his interest in all this.
"Really?" Matsuoka slung an arm around my shoulders. "Congrats, man!"
"Heheh, thanks!"
"So Aquila-san told you your muscles are ready for the strain?" Gurakumi asked.
"He said he believed so!" I nodded. "Today we'll find out actually."
Shoto crossed his arms over his chest. "And why are we here?"
At that, my excitement subdued a bit, my smile turning a bit sheepish. I rubbed the back of my head in embarrasment. "To be honest, I'm a bit scared. I wanted you all to be with me today. I'm sorry if I troubled you..."
And I was scared. I had no idea how Aquila pretended to know if I could fly or not, but all the videos I watched of birds and ornithology in general showed me that mothers usually pushed their baby birds out of the nest for them to learn to fly. It seemed a bit extreme to me, and I was incredibly nervous that Aquila would just tell me to jump off the bridge and fly just like that.
Matsuoka punched me lightly in the arm, ignoring the diamond underneath the cloth. "Don't be an idiot!"
"He's right." Gurakumi lifted his glasses again. "We're happy to help you. And we're on summer vacations, so we didn't have to interrupt our studies or anything."
"Are you sure?" I frowned in concern. "You told me your father hasn't been feeling well lately..."
But he brushed off my concern with a wave of his hand. "Meh, he's simply being a bit melodramatic. My sister's taking care of him right now."
Shoto said nothing, as always, but I knew he preferred to stay away from his home right now.
The sound of flapping wings called our attention to the skies, where we saw Aquila slowly descending next to us and taking ground. He'd lately looked a bit more tired and stressed than usual, probably the signal of so many villains appearing. It was evident by the bags under his eyes that he'd caught little to no sleep in the past weeks.
"Good morning, Aquila-san!" I greeted him, quelching the nervousness in my stomach.
"Hoseki-kun, good morning." He nodded at me with his always-present stony face. He turned to my friends and cousin. "Todoroki-kun, Gurakumi-kun, Matsuoka-kun. Good morning to you too. Did you come to support Hoseki-kun?"
"Morning, Aquila!" Matsuoka waved with a giant smile. "Yep we did! He called us here."
Aquila clicked his tongue as he looked between the four of us. "Well, it's not like this is a private reunion. Alright then, you three can stay. Now, Hoseki-kun," he turned to me with a tone of finality, "are you ready for this? We can always leave this for later on, get some more muscle to your body and wings."
I bit my lower lip. If he asked me like that, then of course I'd want to wait a bit longer and grow even stronger. You can never be careful enough with something as delicate as flying, Aquila would say. It was far better to wait as long as you could before attempting to throw yourself over the edge... almost literally in this case.
But...
"I don't want to wait any longer." I lifted my head and looked at Aquila's eagle eyes, my own shining with determination. "I've been waiting to fly for far too long. If I don't learn now, then I'll never gather the courage to try it."
He looked down at me for a long moment before giving out a tiring sigh. That offended me a little; did he expect me to surrender and wait a bit longer?
"Alright then, have it your way. I hope you're ready, because after this your muscles will ache so much you won't be able to move properly for about the rest of the day."
I... admit I swallowed heavily at that not-so-subtle threat. I should be really used to this, I really should, but this time I knew Aquila wasn't bluffing. The ache that I felt in my early years when trying to open my wings would be nothing in comparison with actually trying to fly. That, if I didn't break my neck in the process.
Much to my chagrin, Aquila guided me up to the bridge and made me stand on the edge. I looked down, at the five or so meters before my sight met water running under the bridge.
"Remember what I told you, Hoseki-kun." Aquila said in a low voice to me, attracting my attention and momentarily making me forget my nervousness about this. "Trust in your instincts. Let your wings carry you."
'That's easier said than done...' I wanted to quip, but my voice wouldn't come out. Did I develop my muscles enough for this task? Did I have those instincts Aquila assured me I would have?
"Do you want me to push you?"
At the man's question, I quickly shook my head. I wanted to do this. I just needed to gather my courage and remember how much I wanted to learn how to fly. I just couldn't chicken now... Yes, that's right, ebb away little nervousness... Thank God no one was in my head beside myself, else they'd think I was crazy...
Aquila saw me prepare myself and just waited for me to make my mind.
I looked down at the water, many feet below me. I could faintly make out Shoto, Gurakumi and Matsuoka looking our way from the park. I breathed in deeply, then exhaled with a gush. My tense body relaxed almost completely, save from my shoulders and my wings. Wind picked up at my back, ruffling my hair, clothes and the outer feathers of my wings. Every noise quietened, except from the thundering beatings of my heart stammering in my chest almost rhythmically.
My body tilted forwards.
I fell.
A/N: To all those who don't know me: I'm a person who's terribly addicted to cliffhangers. Should I say sorry? Maybe, but I would be lying xD
This is slightly longer than the past chapters, but it's nowhere near my full capabilities. I promise I'll work even harder to make the chapters longer.
I jumped a lot of years in this chapter, and I'm aware of that, but I'm honestly eager to start with the proper plot already! There will be still at least two more chapters before the plot runs around though.
-Hawkright-01121999: Thank you so much Hawkright! Sorry, I'll make him an asshole through and through. Shoto didn't peg me as someone who would hang out with friends at his own house, so it didn't make sense for me to change him. Also, he's only a kid, regardless of his connections. I made this chapter specifically to ensure that everyone understood that, despite his newfound life, there are things that are simply beyond his reach. I'm not saying that no one did anything to make Yuki and Shoto's situation better of course; it's just that Enzeru couldn't do anything.
-SandSasori (from chapter 2): ... I'm sorry to hear that. But why bother to even leave a comment about that? You don't like it, then leave.
-In Brightest Day: Glad to see you liked it ^^! Honestly, this chapter has been slightly more difficult to write down.
-Nemforellik: HI! Hey, I'm sorry for suddenly deleting the other fic, but I just couldn't write anymore... Aw, you make me blush~! I hope to live up to your expectations then. At first I didn't plan to make anyone from the main plot to be his cousin, but when I realized I made Koe (Enzeru's mother) awfully familiar to Todoroki's, then the idea came to my mind. And I'm glad I did so! I think it worked out pretty well.
Well, see you guys next chapter!
