"Something else is on your mind." She pointed out and Midoriya tensed and clenched his fists. "What's wrong?"
"I'll meet you out front." Nemuri told her, giving them a few minutes of privacy. Most of the students had already made it to class. Aurora gave her friend a smile before returning her attention to Midoriya.
"I'm worried about the games." He admitted and Aurora watched him, giving him time to tell her what he needed to say. "I spoke with All Might. He told me to use this as a chance to tell the world "I am here," but.." He paused and looked up at her. "I can't. I don't think I'm ready. I mean, I can't even use One for All." Aurora listened. He had been put under so much pressure to perform well when Toshinori hadn't even had the chance to really show him how to use his quirk. It's a frustrating situation for everyone involved.
"Midoriya." She smiled at him. "You have nothing to worry about." She assured him and he looked at her in surprise. "You are a student. Your studies and health needs to come first," She explained. "You will take his place when you are ready. Until then, focus on improving in a school setting. Strive for high grades, always put your best foot forward, enjoy your time as a student." She paused and looked at him with a sad look. "Sometimes, teachers forget you all are still children."
"But, I knew what I was asking for when I accepted his quirk." Midoriya argued. "I know I have to take his place. Someone has to!"
"But that someone does not have to be you." She pointed out. "The world needs heroes, good heroes." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You have the makings of being a wonderful hero." Midoriya blushed at this a bit and looked at his feet. "You have such a large heart, and so much passion. I know you will do great things. But make sure you do them on your time. I'll have a talk with All Might. I'm sure he doesn't realize how much pressure this is putting on you."
"Oh, you don't have to do that." Midoriya tried to say. She waved him off.
"As your mentor, it's something he should know." She told him firmly. "Now, get to class and keep up the good work." She urged him and walked away. After she was down the hall she sighed to herself. How did she not realize how much pressure Toshinori must have been putting on him? She chuckled to herself and shook her head. She would deal with that later. Now she had some fun to do.
"None of these are catching my eye." Nemuri pouted and looked over the rack to her friend. "You find anything?" Aurora sipped her smoothie and shook her head.
"You're looking for what color again?" She asked as she sucked more on the straw. It was making the obnoxious noise that happens when you reach the end, and Nemuri was less than amused.
"A wine color," She told her and scowled before grabbing the smoothie. "Aurora it's empty. Just toss it."
"Sorry. It just tastes so good and I've wanted one all week." She pouted and returned to dress shopping. "What cut did you want?"
"Something tight with a slit. You wanted pink right?" Nemuri asked, looking over at an unexplored section. Aurora followed her gaze and saw a dress. It was perfect.
"Oooh." She cooed and Nemuri and aurora walked over to the mannequin. "It's beautiful." She said and reached out to touch the light fabric. "I think I want this one." She said.
"Well, try it on and let me see!" Nemuri said as she shoved her friend and the dress into a changing room, Aurora laughing all the way.
"I'm home!" she called out and stepped inside. She walked into the kitchen and saw Toshinori cooking something and he turned and smiled in greeting.
"You find a dress?" he asked and she beamed.
"It's perfect. I wish I could show you!" She giggled and Toshinori just smiled at her.
"Why not? It's not like it's your wedding dress." He teased and tried to reach for the bag. She stepped back.
"No peaking." She told him, waving her finger at him. "It's a surprise."
"Well, go hang it up before I get too curious. Dinner is ready." He told her and went back to stirring the food. She hung up the dress deep in her closet and made sure to keep her hair up in a bun. There was one more surprise she didn't want him to see yet.
The couple had a pleasant dinner, talking about school, what they would be doing during the sports festival. Aurora was on duty that day. She was tasked with walking the perimeter. Toshinori, as the number one hero, had to be present at the games. She wanted to be able to watch with him, but she would have to do with watching the screens.
"So, I spoke with Midoriya earlier." She mentioned. Toshinori stopped eating.
"Is something wrong?" He asked. Aurora sipped her water. Her stomach was starting to be a little upset. It was a sensitive topic and she wasn't sure how to approach it delicately.
"No, I don't think so." She assured him. "He is just feeling as though he is under a lot of pressure."
"As he should be." Toshinori agreed. "He agreed to train under me in order to become the next pillar of peace. He knew what he agreed to."
"Have you been working with him?" She pointed out and Toshinori didn't respond. "You just have not had the chance. You are there to mentor him, but there is only so much you can do." She paused and took another sip. She felt as though she had heartburn and the food wasn't even spicy. Just nerves. "He's a child, toshinori. He still has so much to learn. He only just acquired a quirk."
"He doesn't have time-" He began to argue.
"Toshinori, he is a child." She all but snapped. How could he not understand that? "He needs time and guidance not stress and pressure from his idol. He needs to focus on learning his quirk and doing well in school."
"Aurora, I don't have time for that." He reminded her. "Every day I can feel myself growing weaker."
"He will step up to the title when the time is right." She told him, minding her tone. She wasn't mad at him and she wasn't sure why she was feeling a little defensive. "I'm sorry. I just worry about him."
"I understand." He assured her and he stood up from his seat. He made his way around the table and she turned in her chair. He knelt in front of her and held her hands. "The world needs me and I cannot do what I used to. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place." He admitted and leaned into her, resting his face on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him. "I will not be a hero for much longer, and I fear what will happen if no one is there to take my place." There it is. She squeezed him tighter before leaning him back to look in his eyes.
"Toshinori, you will always be a hero." She told him intensely. "Even after you hang up the suit, even after One for All has left you, you will still be a hero. These kids need you. Continue to be their hero and guide them. Show them what it takes."
"And if no one can take up the title?" He asked her. She smiled at him.
"What, like you are the only hero?" She teased and he cracked a smile. "I think we will do just fine until someone steps forward." Aurora smiled at him. She could feel his dis-ease leave. He began to relax and slumped against her, exhausted. He felt as though a small weight was lifted off his shoulders. They sat like that for a small while, Aurora embracing him gently, wrapping him in her love.
"Are you all ok?" Aurora asked as she opened the door for the waiting room of 1-A. She could feel the tension from outside and down the hall. She found Midoriya and Todoroki standing facing each other while the class looked around. She pieced it together quickly. She could practically taste the tension in the room and her stomach rumbled a bit. Not now, I just ate. She whined internally. No one answered her and she let it go. Perhaps this new rivalry would help push them past some road blocks. "Any who, I'm going around to the different classes to wish them good luck." She offered them with a smile.
"But why are you in your costume?" Midoriya asked her. "Aren't you going to watch?" Aurora really stood out in her costume. That was the point. If she was in a dark area, or covered in soot or dirt, there was still a good chance she would be seen. Her outfit was form fitting and it wasn't quite white. It was more opalescent and as she moved, flecks of color all over shone. She wore matching boots and a utility belt containing emergency medical gear. Her mask was simply and covered her eyes. It was made out of the same material of her uniform. She designed it this way so her aura could reflect off of it, making it brighter.
"No, I am on patrol duty." She told them. "I'll be watching on the screens when I can. I just wanted to let you guys know, I'm proud of you." She looked at each one. "I'm proud of all of you. Keep up the good work and do your best!"
The class had gathered to one of the schools many practice areas. This one was the city replica. It was another exercise that involved fighting, but this time Aurora was ready. She had been working with her friends, practicing on controlling her aura and practicing fighting without it. She had picked up a lot of elusive fighting techniques from Aizawa. She seemed to do better with the fighting that relied on speed and accuracy rather than brute strength like Toshinori. However, she did pick up a few moves from him. She was feeling pretty confident. She might not win in a fight, but she would at least make it a challenge for her classmate.
"All Right, line up." Gran Torino ordered and the class did as instructed. "Two of you will be going in at a time, each from the opposite sides. Your task is to find each other and fight." He paused and looked at his students. "Consider this practice for the exams." He suggested. "The assignments will be randomized and it is at my discretion to change it or not. Some of you are clearly on different levels. I don't want one student getting pulverized the moment they step into the arena." Gran Torino didn't look at any one student in particular and he didn't say it condescendingly. It had been clear from day one who had more effective quirks than others. "And with that, I am going to draw the first two names." He announced. Aurora spared a glance at Toshinori. He looked ahead intently. Ever since the party, he had been itching for a chance to go against Todoroki.
Aurora worried about this. She was never informed why fully. Even Nemuri didn't know the full story. Only Hizashi and Toshinori knew. He caught her staring and winked at her. She blushed and looked ahead instead. She could hear him chuckling next to her and refrained from elbowing him in the side.
"Todoroki." Gran Torino announced and the boy stepped forward with a serious glare. Aurora's heart raced. Toshinori was strong, but his temper could get the better of him, especially when Todoroki was involved. She turned and shared a look with Nemuri. Her friend leaned over.
"I really hope it's not Toshinori." She stated. "But at the same time, I'm hoping they can punch each other and move on."
"Nemuri." Gran Torino announced and she froze. Aurora looked surprised. She never would have thought of that paring and she wasn't really sure who would win. "Stop talking." Gran Torino ordered and Aurora giggled as she relaxed with a sigh. "Anyway, the person going against Todoroki is" He took a second to read the ticket. He scowled. "Aurora." People erupted. Even people who didn't like Aurora asked him to change it. It was so clear she would be beat into the pavement. Aurora could only stop and stare.
"Are you serious?" Toshinori cried out. "He'll kill her!" Gran Torino looked at the ticket and looked at Aurora. The girl had hung her head and he considered it.
"I agree." He announced and everyone quieted. "then the next person will be…"
"I'll do it." Aurora announced, snapping her head up and stepping forward. "I want to do it." Gran Torino looked at her.
"What are you doing?" Nemuri hissed. "Are you insane?"
"Aurora, you don't have to prove anything, I don't even want to go against him." Hizashi told her. Aurora ignored them.
"Please sir, I've been working hard for this. I'm prepared. I know I can at least put up a fight." She practically begged and her teacher just looked at her, trying to see what was really going on. She wasn't one to show off or seek attention. Did she have a death wish? He thought on it a bit more before sighing.
"If you are so determined." He relented. "Both of you head to your respective gates. The rest of you will follow me to the observation room. You have five minutes." Gran Torino looked at her once more before shaking his head and moving on. Aurora took a step forward when a hand grabbed her arm. She turned and saw who it was.
"Why are you doing this?" Toshinori asked her, genuine confusion showing on his face. "You don't have to do this." Aurora gave him a soft smile that melted into a mischievous smirk.
"Have a little faith." She encouraged him and he let go. "Just you wait, Toshinori. I'm not the small helpless thing I once was." He looked at her sadly. She had improved over the past two months, but she had nothing to protect her from fire. What the hell was she thinking? He could only stand there, shocked as she ran towards her entry.
"Come on," Aizawa mumbled as he dragged Toshinori away.
"We can't let her do this." He argued and tried to walk away but Aizawa had a strong grip. "I have to talk to her."
"Relax." Aizawa told him and Toshinori looked at him.
"How can you be so calm about this?" He shouted and turned to Hizashi. "Especially you! You know about him! What he's like!"
"Look, she seems to know what she's doing." Hizashi pointed out. "Besides, if she turns into a hero, she's going to need to be able to adapt to fighting people much stronger than her!" Toshinori clenched his jaw and watched as she disappeared around the bend.
"Trust her." Aizawa suggested. "I'm sure she'll surprise us." He told her as he walked away.
"Come on, what's the worst that can happen?" Nemuri asked. "Gran Torino will shut it down if it gets too risky, right?" Toshinori couldn't help but feel she didn't understand their homeroom teacher.
Aurora stood at the gate and her stomach was in knots. What the hell was she thinking? She breathed in. That wasn't the mindset she needed. She got ready to run and once the doors opened, she took off as fast as she could. Todoroki was straight forward. She assumed he would just be rushing in to meet her and take her out the second he could. He had mobility on his side, so there was little chance she could beat him to the center. Instead she would have to draw him closer and give herself the terrain advantage.
Aurora ran to the tallest building in her vicinity and went inside. To her relief there was an elevator and she stepped inside, hitting the top button.
"What the hell is she doing?" Hizashi asked.
"Getting a better view most likely." Aizawa pointed out as Aurora ran up a flight of steps to reach the roof. She looked around and to her joy, the buildings around her were about the same height. Perfect. She looked at the distance between each one and took a running jump. She landed roughly on the roof of the second building. She looked over the next edge. It was a long drop, but if she fell right, she wouldn't break anything when she landed on the next building.
Now that she had an escape plan, she needed to draw him in. Aurora moved into the center of the roof of the building and planted her feet firmly. She breathed deeply for a moment, gathering herself and calming her nerves. Then with a large exhale, she released her aura. Bright colors swirled around her brightly and she looked skyward. She flung one of her hands up and the aura followed, shooting up into the sky like a beacon.
"Woah, it's beautiful!" Nemuri pointed out. "That could be really useful in the real world."
Aurora kept an eye out and seconds after she sent up her aura, she heard him. Todoroki Enji was hurtling through the air towards her and he hit the roof so hard she felt the shake. She immediately went into a defensive stance.
"You're a fool." He growled at her. "You really think you stand a chance?" Aurora listened and thought over her words carefully.
"It's a shame really." She spoke slowly and she saw his eyebrows raise a margin. "You really could have had a chance at being the best." She smiled to herself when she saw his jaw clench. "Too bad your head isn't screwed on right!" Todoroki charged her and he swept his arm at her with fire following after it. She immediately dropped and leaned back, watching as his arm went right over her. She pulled her torso forward and crouched before pushing forward, passing his exposed side. She struck him in the ribs with her elbow and followed through with a shove from her shoulder, making him momentarily lose his balance.
Instead of attacking again like he expected, she ran and jumped to the next roof. He looked around until he saw her.
"Why is she antagonizing him like this?" Nemuri asked. "She's just going to make him more angry."
"I think that's the idea." Aizawa pointed out with a sigh. "he's such a hot head." He mumbled and Hizashi laughed at the pun. Nemuri looked at Toshinori. He was uncharacteristically quiet.
Aurora waved at Todoroki and he took a running leap. He pulled his fist back and slammed it down, aiming at Aurora. She jumped back out of the way and he struck the roof. His fire quickly burned a hole in the roof. He charged her and she jumped to the side, dodging again. This time, instead of staying put, she went for the hole in the roof.
"Get back here!" He shouted and threw fire at her. She dropped into the hole just in time. She could smell the fire singe her hair. She dropped into the hall and sprinted. She heard him following and turned down the hall. She just needed to get to the right place. She could hear the fire roaring and she threw herself into the stairwell as fire flew past her. She slammed into the metal railing. She hopped up on it and looked down. It was a long way down. That meant he would have to take longer to find her. She dropped and tossed herself to one of the landings and paused. She heard the door upstairs open and she quietly stepped out into the hall. Before the door could latch closed, a wall of fire fell down the shaft of the spiraling staircase. She hissed in pain at the heat and stumbled back. He was getting pissed. She took off down the hall and took a running jump through the window.
Aurora crashed into the roof below her and rolled. She ended up on her hands and knees on the roof of a warehouse. She looked up and a few floors above her broken window, Todoroki stood in his own window and his fire was out of control. Aurora smirked at him and stood. She jogged across the roof to the door and left.
Todoroki flew in a rage and burst through the door. He looked around frantically for Aurora. It was dark in the warehouse. He turned sharply when he heard giggling. Nothing. He threw flames onto the ceiling, wanting to try and make some light and push her out into the open. He waited.
Aurora watched him through the grated walkway they were over. She slowly and quietly willed out part of her aura into him. She made sure to keep it discrete. Aurora pushed out the nervousness she felt earlier, the anxiety. She pushed out fear and hesitation. Todoroki might not have realized it, but he was afraid. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't angry. He was scared. Then Aurora willed out something knew. The gold aura was difficult to dim, but she did it. It mixed with the grey and yellow. Pride and fear. She watched from her hiding spot as he grew more and more frustrated. She felt a sick pleasure at watching him suffer. She paused for a moment and reached down, grabbing a rock from her pocket she gathered earlier. She chucked it across the room and she smiled as it clunked around loudly. Todoroki took off towards the noise, throwing fire. He landed in his fire and looked around.
"Where are you?" He shouted in rage as his fire grew even more. He never noticed the debris falling from the ceiling. He heard another noise and Threw fire again only to find nothing. Fire licked the walls and they began to crumble. He turned when he heard the door on the lower floor slam shut. He took off towards it, but a beam fell in front of him cutting him off. Every move he made was cut off by falling debris. He looked around and cursed himself. The building was coming down on top of him. He had to get out. He used his fire to propel himself forward and threw himself through the wall. He fell and hit the ground rolling, not having a chance to steady himself to land. He had only stopped for a moment when he felt a foot connect with his ribs, rolling him a few more feet. This time, he forced himself up but stumbled. He was exhausted. He had let his anger control his quirk and it was taking all of his strength to reign it in.
Aurora smirked at him and then he saw it. Low to the ground a mix of colors shone dimly. Her quirk. Her smile fell when he saw it and she snapped it back into her. It didn't matter now. He was on his last legs. He charged her and she struck out with a kick, landing in his stomach. He was like a bull. She brought her leg up higher and slammed her heel down onto his head. Todoroki hit the ground with a solid thud.
Aurora stepped back and looked at her classmate. He was trying to move, but was too exhausted. He could barely do more than prop himself up on an elbow.
"holy crap she did it!" Hizashi cheered and hung onto the stunned Nemuri. Most of the students were flabbergasted at what they just witnessed.
"She really beat him." Toshinori said to himself before smiling and pumping his fist in the air. "All Right!"
"Good work, Aurora." Gran Torino called over the announcer speaker. "Todoroki, I advise you learn how to better control your temper. It seems as though it is something you consistently struggle with it." He struggled to get up, but her propped himself up on his elbows and glared at Aurora with hatred. After all, how dare she pretend to stand on the same level as him?
"You two come on back to the observation room." Gran Torino instructed and without a word or look towards Todoroki, Aurora turned and began to head back. Toshinori's blood boiled and he activated his quirk, dashing through the wall at break neck speed when he saw Todoroki lift his open palm up and ignite a fire.
As Aurora walked, she felt so accomplished, so proud of herself for all of her hard work. She couldn't wait to see the looks on her friend's faces. She was so excited and lost in thought she didn't hear it coming.
"Todoroki, don't-" Gran Torino shouted over the speakers but it was too late.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Aurora's mind went blank as a searing pain erupted across her back. Her breath caught in her chest and she couldn't cry out in pain. A strangled noise was caught in her throat as she fell. Her back hurt so much she didn't even feel her head smack against the pavement. Her vision was blurry, a mix of tears and shock as her body began shutting down to protect from the pain. The last thing she remembered was a distant roar of thunder.
Toshinori had taken off in a blind rage and he hit the ground with an explosion, throwing Todoroki even further from Aurora. He gathered his strength to strike Todoroki when Gran Torino entered the scene. He had taken off a few seconds after him and kicked him away, keeping him from injuring Todoroki further.
"That's enough from the two of you." He shouted at the two boys. Todoroki was sitting, propped up weakly on his arms. He felt drained and exhausted. She had only struck him maybe twice, but he felt as though he had been battling for hours. He needed to gain more stamina for his quirk. "Toshinori, while I admire your care for your friend, you cannot rush into dangerous situations head first. What if it had been an ambush? And your landing tossed Todoroki, but what if you had further injured Aurora?" he pointed out and Toshinori stood in his spot. He had been so angry, he didn't even stop to think that he could hurt her. He felt shame and hung his head just the slightest. Then Gran Torino turned towards the smirking Todoroki. He was enjoying watching his rival get chewed out. "You can wipe that smirk off your face, young man. You will be meeting with the principal today and I am going to advocate for your immediate removal from the school." He turned away from them and didn't even bother to wait to see the boy's reaction.
Gran Torino knelt next to Aurora and looked at her back. She was out cold and she needed immediate medical attention. Todoroki had been unnecessarily aggressive and the fire that reached her back were extremely hot. She would be lucky if she didn't need a skin graft. He heard someone slowly approach from behind and looked up at Toshinori. To his surprise, Toshinori had a neutral mask on his face. He had worked with the boy long enough at this point to realize he was trying not to let his emotions show. He didn't want to show the shame and guilt he felt. He felt responsible for not reaching them fast enough.
"Go and get the school nurse." He instructed calmly. "I will watch over her here." Toshinori could only nod before running off to get help. Gran Torino watched him leave as the rest of the class met up with them. Most people were around Aurora, wanting to see how bad the damage was. Nemuri was next to her, crying.
"Is she going to be ok?" She asked her teacher, scared for her friend.
"She'll be just fine." He assured her calmly. "At worst I'm sure it will just be a faint scar." He lied. He already had one student going into shock, he didn't need anyone else.
"Why isn't she moving?" Nemuri asked. "What's wrong with her? Why isn't she awake?"
"She's most likely in shock from the pain." Gran Tornio explained. "I would move her, but I can't risk injuring her back. If she wakes up before the nurse arrives, we must be sure to keep her still and calm." He explained, using this as a chance to teach some rescue skills. "It is best to wait for medical help at this point."
"Shouldn't we cover her or something?" Hizashi asked as they looked at their friend on the ground. She was face down and her back was facing them. Todoroki had burned through her shirt. Her entire back was exposed and the plastic from her uniform and bra were melted or completely burned away. The smell of burning flesh was heavy and the majority of the class backed away to get away from it.
"No." Gran Torino told them. "The fabric and any bacteria could cause serious infection. It's already going to be difficult enough for this to heal."
"How could he do something like this?" Nemuri asked as she tried to wipe away her tears. She rested her hand on her friend's arm. Gran Tornio didn't answer her. He had always been worried about Todoroki's future. His disposition and attitude towards others concerned several teachers. He could easily become a difficult villain.
Aurora was walking down the hall after wishing her students good luck and was humming to herself as she practically danced down the steps. She was acting a little childish and she couldn't help it. Things had just been feeling so right. Sure she worried about her students and their rivalries, but she understood it. They are reaching the point where they will have to choose to make their quirk theirs, or let it consume them. These games almost always snapped students out of self doubt and she was so excited to see how strong these games would make them.
Aurora stopped walking and paused before she reached the exit. Her back tingled and she smirked to herself. She looked over her shoulder to see Endeavor standing there, staring at her. More like glaring at her. She couldn't help it. Aurora smirked at him.
"I see you've added another scared body to your list." She poked, referencing Todoroki's scar.
"Not that it's your business, but his mother was the one who gave him that mark." He announced condescendingly, as though he had nothing to do with it.
"Yes, after years of being forced into a quirk marriage with you." She pointed out. "I hold you accountable." Endeavor just looked at her. "You're a terrible human being and you aren't fit to have children."
"Unfit?" He scoffed. "I have created a child who has the capability of surpassing and defeating All Might. I have raised him to be as strong as he is. Once he stops acting like a child, I will continue to raise him to be what I created him to be."
"You're vile." Aurora told him calmly. She already knew this. Shoto had told her this. "Shoto has his own goals, own needs. It is my duty to help him reach his goals." Aurora expanded her aura and he couldn't help but shiver at the intensity though he hid it well. "He will never be your tool."