Izuku knew himself to have a curious, analytical mind. With levels of which some people often find creepy or weird. He just can't help it! Without a quirk to practice on, there's only so few resources at his disposal that it's a given he had to use his brain to make up for it. It's through that determination to be a hero despite being quirkless that drove him to do his best and have a positive outlook on life.

Which is why he can't help the broad grin on his face when he wrote the first pages of his 13th Hero Analysis for the Future notebook. To think he was able to gather so much data from just observing heroes.

The hero who earned the honor of being on the first page of said notebook was none other than the foreign heroine everyone, including himself, have crazed about for the last few months. Though Izuku wasn't a fan of the No. 2 Pro Hero, that did not exclude him as a subject for his notes. The Flame Hero had garnered quite a few pages in his previous notebooks when it came to strength and technique. Although the hero preferred to work alone, he was not averse to working with fellow heroes if the situation called for it. Still, it surprised even him and his mother when it was officially announced that he got himself a support.

Needless to say, Izuku gathered as much info about the new heroine that came out of nowhere as he can. And for the first time… he was challenged.

Underground Hero was his first and immediate assumption of her for being so unknown. It only made sense and she said so herself that she didn't like any media recognition. Something most underground heroes agree to. Not that he knew much about underground heroes. So it begs to question why did she suddenly came out to be a Pro Hero's Support. It can't be that she changed her mind about getting attention since there's no lie in how she openly avoids the camera like the plague.

At first, she piqued his interest for the fact that she gained the spot to work beside Endeavor alone but his attention skyrocketed when he she saw her fight for the first time. It only went up further than that when she and All Might fought the Golem Villain.

Speed, quick wit, technique, and especially strength, her quirk practically screamed All Might's. Super Strength was a fairly common quirk but rarely can they match his favorite hero's. Also, in her delicate, small, and almost innocent form, one could hardly think her quirk was related to anything of raw power. It made him wonder how her quirk operated.

For a brief moment, he suspected that Shamrock Queen could also be the hooded person whom he encountered in the train station months ago. But the timing is just too good to be true and it all happened too quickly for him to register what happened so he doesn't have enough evidence to assume. There's also the fact that the hooded person had multiple quirks. Though not unheard of, such a gift is rare in and of itself. Besides, the quirks of those rare people are related in a way in terms of classification.

It's impossible for a strength-based quirk to have a rare healing-type quirk too.

So with that thought out of the way, that's where the challenge began. To the masses, many saw her elusiveness and refusal to talk to reporters as part of her charm- a mysterious sort of charm that her growing fans practically lap up. However, from what he observed (as well as from the magazine his mother miraculously obtained), Shamrock Queen- or just the Queen, in short, as most people call her nowadays, is deliberately avoiding and constructing her sentences in a way that answers questions without giving anything away.

And from the way she could answer those questions out of the top of her head, gave him an impression that she's a master in being tight-lipped.

The Queen's a mystery alright. A mystery Izuku gladly ate up like everyone else.

Rough hands snatched his newly-bought notebook out of nowhere and Izuku felt his blood leave his face at the sight of his blonde childhood friend (and bully) sifting through his notebook with a scowl on his face.

Over the last few days, Kacchan was in a very sour mood. Not in the usual conceited, prideful way but in a legitimate I'm-very-pissed-off kind of way. At first, Izuku thought someone picked a fight with him and got away with it. It's no secret that the blonde would get into fights with other students from other middle schools for claiming he's the best of them all. Many challenged him for the title and sometimes Izuku would get involved in the fray (unfortunately). Most of the time Bakugo would end up triumphant but occasionally, someone would pull a fast one on him that would piss off the bomber until he exacted some sort of revenge.

However, Izuku had a feeling that this was different compared to those times. In the beginning, Kacchan's temper was on overdrive he'd snap at anyone who so much as looked his way. That included Izuku himself, who tried to approach the blonde out of concern. The only ones who got away were the teachers, but even he didn't spare them a frown or glare. He'd use his quirk every time he can too. To the point he incited a few fights himself. Sure, many called him out on his arrogant attitude before but Bakugo never out-right touched his would-be opponent first.

Then one day, he became silent. Sure, he'd still snap at everyone, even to his so-called friends, but a full day of the blonde bomber being just silent while sitting on his desk was more than enough cause for concern. Izuku even thought it was an omen of world catastrophic levels.

That period was probably the longest time Izuku wasn't subjected to the blonde's bullying.

Until now, of course.

"Can Her Damn Majesty render people immobile with her quirk?" Katsuki's sudden question effectively snapped Izuku from his fearful daze. He had been shaking in nervousness in his seat at what could possibly await him now that the bomber reappeared before him.

A random question was definitely something he didn't expect.

Also, 'Her Damn Majesty?'. The only hero logged in his new notebook was-

"U-Uhmm are you ref-referring to Sha-"

"Just answer the damn question!" the blonde practically roared at his face. it's dismissal time and most of their classmates were already out the door. Not that Katsuki shouting expletives at the only quirkless boy in class was anything new.

Izuku couldn't help let out a shriek, "N-N-Not that I know of! I-I mean it's never been s-shown and strength type quirks can't p-possibly will another person's body motionless unless they broke their opponent's bones o-or something like that!"

His answer must've been sufficient but it didn't seem to appease the blonde. If possible, it only made his scowl deeper as red eyes stared back at the notebook on his hand.

Izuku prayed to every god he knew that the blonde wouldn't blast his notebook out of anger.

It's brand new!

"Hey Deku," Izuku froze in place the second he felt the blonde's hand on his shoulder. He swore all his blood drained from his body as smoke filtered between Katsuki's fingers, "All your data on Her Damn Majesty, tell me everything."

Midoriya Izuku knew himself to have a curious, analytical mind. With levels of which some people often find creepy or weird, but just this once, he wouldn't dare question Bakugo Katsuki's sudden interest on the pink-haired hero.

"I advise taking it easy for a while. Although your injury's not serious enough to ban you from training, just don't do anything excessive and stop the second you feel your muscles strain," said the pinkette, patting the sidekick's shoulder lightly.

During her free time whenever in the agency, in-between helping Endeavor with his paperwork, Sakura would find her feet heading straight to the clinic. It may seem odd, for an agency to have its own medical system, but Endeavor is nothing if not overwhelming and that includes facilities to cater to his employees. As if the sparring arena and numerous training rooms wasn't enough. It what makes his agency appealing to apply to despite his difficult reputation.

There's never a time when there's no job application form found on his desk; whether they were applying as a sidekick or as a regular company employee. Unfortunately for them, the Flame Hero has a pretty tight criterion for hiring, and even though he's not-so discriminative towards the diverse array of quirks, he obviously has a preference to those with fire-based quirks.

So it was really a great wonder how she got the job in the first place.

'What can I say, even the Flame Hero can't resist my charm,' she nodded to herself confidently.

Needless to say, the medical practitioner in her can only stray from the familiar setting of white walls, curtained cots, and shelves lined with medicine and instruments for so long. The agency's doctor had also taken quite a liking to her that she could come and go as she pleased. There's also the satisfaction of conversing with one of her own without having to restrain herself from geeking over the wonders of the DNA and its power to transcript, override, and rewrite alleles to cater to an individual's quirk, or at least not hold herself back from medical jargon.

It's still a topic of debate in the scientific community what triggers a person to manifest a quirk or not. Since over the generations, everywhere you turn is a person with a distinctive quirk, and yet almost 20% of the world's population remains quirkless.

Of course, the science community of the Hidden Villages have their own theories but neither they nor she will share any of that information anytime soon.

The sidekick, who unfortunately had his arm twisted from an earlier training mishap, grinned sheepishly at her, "I will, and thank you very much for treating me, Queen. Who knew that you really were a doctor!'

A pink brow rose at that. Not at the doubt on her other profession but at the obvious disregard of the first word of her hero name. Lately, she's been noticing more and more people calling her just Queen instead of her full hero name, at least in the agency, except for Endeavor who remained consistent. She supposed it was quite a mouthful to begin with. Sakura was appalled when Endeavor pushed for her to make up a hero name and signature to go along with it. She thought she could get away with being nameless considering she's only acting as a support and made it explicitly clear that she has no intention of joining their ridiculous glorified hero ranking system.

Back in the Hidden Villages, hero names are not made, they are given. Oftentimes reflecting on someone's greatest feat in strength and prowess in the field. The more names and aliases a hero of a hidden village has, the more exceptional (and feared) they are. Most especially, if they earned a name for an entry in another country's bingo book.

Honestly, Sakura just decided on her name right out of the top of her head. With the word 'Queen' being the only thing that held a special meaning to her. Out of the three sacred lands in Fire Country, the holy Shikkotsu Forest gave her that title alongside her predecessors: the Mistress, the Princess, and her- the newest Lady of the Forest after fifty years- the Queen.

"Ah! I didn't mean to sound it like that!" the sidekick blushed in embarrassment, waving his hands around for mistaking her incredulous expression as something else, "It's just that, it's not everyday you see a hero with a very serious profession on the side. Usually, they pursue careers in entertainment! You're a really amazing hero so it's just a big surprise! I think it just makes you even cooler!"

Sakura smiled back at him genuinely in thanks. A common trait Endeavor's sidekick seemed to possess is their passion for anything. Though not as high as Gai and Lee's level of youthful passion, it's still pretty up there.

"I'm glad you think so. Thank you, but I just hate seeing people hurt," she didn't lie. Knowing her teammates, if she can't haul their asses to seek medical aid when needed herself, out of stupid masculine bravado, then no one will. Getting swept into the nearly endless amount of information just catered to her insatiable thirst for knowledge. As the saying goes- Knowledge is Power. Besides, if one knows how to heal someone, then it's easier for them to know how to best kill them. "I'll take my leave now. Make sure to have Dr. Tachibana look at your arm first before you have him sign your clearance."

"Will do!"

The pinkette set the nice man a final smile before turning on her heel. Although it left a pinch at her pride, even Sakura can't do anything against policies and jurisdiction. Given her name and reputation back home, she missed waltzing into any clinic or hospital as if she owned the place. Out here, she can only perform basic treatments that doesn't necessarily require her to submit her license and wait for their approval. The only event that could bypass that is if a hospital head gives her permission. Once she starts working at U.A. however, as an assistant and stand-in for Recovery Girl (sometimes she felt sorry for the old woman being the only competent person with an H-Type Quirk, always being in demand), she'll be mostly limited to conventional medicine. At least, the free time would allow her to study more and the opportunity to observe Outsiders through her medical profession is an added bonus.

Sakura made her way back to Endeavor's office. Her feet leading her by muscle memory alone. The first time she had free time whilst on duty in the agency was to create a mental map of the entire building in one day.

In the meantime, she contemplated on what to do with her taciturn, unofficial pupil. Shoto kept true to his word as a subservient student, but his impatience was obvious and had grown worse each passing day no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He'd still perform her instructions, sure, but every chance he gets, he will bring up the topic of quirk training. The strict quirkless training must have started grating on his nerves. Another cultural difference that Sakura found herself frowning on in several occasions.

Even at the academy, the use of quirks were sparse. If not for quirk assessment, then as a point of reference to measure a student's growth. Sakura can't count the times she came home all bruised and bone-tired from physical training alone.

To not solely rely on one's quirk is a discipline their academy instructors drilled into them as often as they can. Even clan children, who had an advantage of starting training earlier and extracurricular than the academy's minimum 6 years of age, started off with purely taijutsu.

Shoto's training was hardly difficult, academy-level at best, in consideration with his lack of proper earlier training. It's common sense to start working with and overcoming his physical strength and weaknesses first. Of course, she's careful to not show him anything beyond basic katas that resembled the Outside Nation's martial arts. It's against the law to share techniques outside of one's respective hidden village.

Although, to give credit where credit is due, Shoto has improved over the last few weeks. Though he may not be able to see it, Shoto has improved on his laps and their breathing exercises allowed him to pull through strenuous forms.

"Maybe it's time to reward the little carp," she hummed to herself before her eyes hardened at the flash of grey and teal eyes shrouded with a familiar dark veil of blind anger and recklessness. Sakura shook her head, "No, he's not ready."

Spotting her employer at the end of the hall, Sakura added a skip to her step until she sidled up beside the hulking man literally on fire. At one point in their dynamic, she had moved up from just being a few steps behind him to walking right at his right side.

"Done for today?" she tilted her head up at him.

"Hardly," he scoffed, "It's intern season again. The agency had a spike of them and I have to make sure we won't be spread too thin."

"You mentioned something like that last week, but I thought internship is offered to prospects rather than being applied to?'

A flash of memory reminded her of her time as an intern. Based on evaluations by instructors in the academy, students are required to undergo an internship for six months under departments for experience and in the hope of enticing them to join said department in the future. It was only by (un)holy divine intervention that a half-drunk Anko overheard her read aloud one of her internship options the second she stepped outside of the academy building. Before she knew it, she was being dragged into the imposing object-of-nightmares that was the Torture and Interrogation Headquarters, and Ibiki giving her a stern lecture (more like threatening) of committing to the thick notebook that was her schedule for the next half year under their 'care'.

She wasn't even given a chance to see the other two options on her paper, and since most of her classmates were clan children, their internships were already set in stone by their parents even before they were briefed about internship. Needless to say, she was the only one who experienced the hellish training that was T&I and lived to tell the tale.

She made sure to stop by at least twice a week whenever she's in the village.

"That'll hardly stop people from shaking hands under the table," he pinched his fingers over the bridge of his noise before releasing a groan of irritation, "I'll have to do a 'purge' later on and punish those involved. Including you."

"Me?! What did I do?" she cried in exasperation.

"It's no thanks to you that wannabe-heroes became more interested. Most of which are hoping to intern directly under you."

Sakura blinked her eyes disbelievingly at him. She'd think Endeavor's joking if only he's capable of joking, "But I'm just a Support Hero."

"Still a Hero, nonetheless."

Her lips pressed into a pout, "Well that's hardly a reason to be punished about. Need I remind you that your ratings have been steadily increasing by the month since I came along."

"Yes, and Uchiyama's been having a field day ever since. Of course, I can always overlook your mishap under favorable circumstances."

Teal eyes stared at her from the corner of his eyes and Sakura met them with a mixture of incredulity and amusement. She found that there were only two things that could sway her employer in her favor, and she doubts it's the other since they spar as often as his schedule allows. It seems that she wasn't the only one frustrated to not find a suitable sparring partner who can handle more than the average person.

"Fine, I'll give you a full box of kuzumochi first thing in the morning," she openly rolled her eyes. It was only minute, but her trained eyes didn't miss the way Endeavor's knitted brows relaxed at the promise of his favorite treats, "You tyrant. This is abuse of power, you know."

"I'm well aware."

"So shameless," she couldn't help sputter a small laugh, "But isn't this a good thing? Having more interns in the agency means better revenue and image for you, right?"

"My agency's pride is in quality over quantity. Besides, I'm only interested in training one future hero."

"And that is?"

"My son, Shoto."

"Ahh, a tyrant who practices nepotism. It's no wonder your name's kept its power and reverence," her twisted sense of humor was rewarded by a toothy smirk and a huff of laughter he quickly tried to conceal with a cough.

As they waited for the elevator to reach their position on the third floor, Sakura leaned over the glass railing that overlooked the main lobby. Sunlight easily pierced through the floor to ceiling glass of the building's first three floors from the entrance, lighting the lobby with its mid-afternoon rays.

Sakura hummed, "You know about this family friend I told you I was visiting over the weekend?"

He nodded.

"I may have destroyed their backyard when I visited."

"Why did you destroy their backyard?" she didn't need to look to see the mirth reflected on his usually serious eyes.

Sakura took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and raised a finger to begin iterating a practiced explanation but the redhead snuffed her chance, "No. Stop. I don't want to know."

She visibly deflated.

The quaint establishment that housed a humble number of patrons that appreciate the foreign that was the Hidden Villages, was uncharacteristically barren on a weekend of all days. Save for one loyal customer who paid the owner in full just to reserve the entire place for herself and her guest for the rest of the day. She can only hope that Sorahiko-sensei wouldn't be too upset for missing their shogi match. The old man wasn't kidding when he said he wanted some company.

Sakura didn't so much as blink when she heard the familiar chime of the bell at the front of the café. Her eyes fixed on the tablet on her lap, zooming and scrolling through MRI scans while her other hand took down notes at the only table set up.

"Welcome," Sakamichi greeted from behind the counter just as he was preparing tea. The old man tipped his head at the direction of her table, to which the newcomer wordlessly walked to in measured steps.

"Right on time as always. Go on, take a seat," she tipped her pen towards the empty spot across her.

From her periphery, she watched Shoto settle on the bean bag, adjusting himself so he's able to sit up straight. Silence followed them immediately after except for the soft jutting and strokes of her pen over paper. Meanwhile the bi-colored teen respectfully kept his silence as she worked. She knew that in his mind, he contemplated why she instructed him to go to this café rather than meet at their usual training spot after school.

After double checking her diagnosis, Sakura nodded to herself in satisfaction before popping the pen out of the side of her tablet to sign her signature over the screen. She sent that file over to Shizune, who took over her position in the hospital in her absence, knowing that the brunette will assign the right doctors to perform the operation.

With her tablet and notebook now tucked safely away on the bag beside her, Sakura finally met her unofficial student's confused yet determined eyes.

"Here you are, my lady."

She broke contact to smile up at the café owner as he set the freshly brewed fire tea on their table. Shoto thanked silently with a small bow of his head.

"Thank you very much, Sakimichi-san," she said before taking a sip out of her own cup, sighing as she did as she let the warm liquid make a trail down her throat. The unusual heat that lingered came with a perfect blend of sweet and bitter aftertaste, "A perfect brew as always."

"You flatter me, Sakura-san. Do let me know if you need anything else," he tipped his head to both of them before making his way to the back of the store, as per her request for complete privacy.

"Go on, Shoto, try some," she coaxed since the bi-colored teen had yet to touch his drink, "I guarantee you'll love it."

His lips pressed into a thin line for a moment before taking the cup in both hands, blowing the steam off once before taking a considerable gulp.

Shoto blinked down at the clear, amber fluid for a few heartbeats, "It's… different."

Sakura nodded her head in satisfaction, sipping on her tea more before answering, "It's called Fire Tea. A pride of my home country and, in my opinion, the best tea in the world."

At her smile, Shoto took more sips of his tea, sighing once in-between them. When she first met the boy, Shoto's demeanor reminded her far too much of Sasuke's angsty years but with Enji's tenacity. As much as the boy hated being compared to his father, there's no denying the similarities between them. But lately, that crease between his brows had smoothed, his hardened, tense shoulders finally drooped, and she managed a smile or two out of them during the times they spent together after training.

Really, she was definitely spoiling him.

No doubt that release in tension was a result from his training regimen. The intense workout (at least to him), allowed him to release most of whatever pent-up frustration he'd been holding onto. He may not have noticed it, but unlike before when he used his anger and angst to drive him forward, his heterochromic eyes reflected a strong determination to self-improve.

However, despite all that, there's still something wrong.

"Thirty days," she said, catching the boy's attention, "I have been helping you with your training for exactly thirty days, excluding today being the thirty-first. Although the hours of your availability have hindered you to improve further than standard, you still showed great development over the last few weeks. You have grown used to your exercises and repetitions, your katas are nearly perfect, and your patterns have finally found rhythm and grace. Therefore…"

Shoto inched closer towards the table, hands gripped on his school pants in anticipation for her next words.

"I have decided to stop helping you. Yesterday will be the last day I shall aid you on your growth."

Gray and teal eyes widened explicably at her revelation. His lips were parted and there was nothing but complete and utter shock in his features until it shifted into something ugly.

"Why?! You said I improved!" he demanded.

"Yes, you definitely did."

"But why stop now?! Is this the extent you're willing to help me with?! You barely even taught me anything to improve my quirk!"

"Shoto," she said firmly, making him retreat a bit back on his seat, but his hands still laid flat on the tabletop, "You're a smart kid. Why did you think I made you train under a no-quirk rule for the last month?"

He answered after a moment, "To train my body first."

She nodded, "Very good. A fragile piece of glass can't contain a ball of storm, after all. But why?"

His brows knitted at that. When his silence stretched and Sakura knew he wasn't giving her any answer, she said, "Because only an idiot will always rely on their quirk. Think of it as your favorite weapon, something that you believed can get you through any challenge, and then one day, that weapon disappears. What then? You'll be left defenseless, vulnerable, and highly likely to get killed. And before you say that's impossible, then I'm sorry to burst your bubble but there are people out there, nefarious people who can take that precious weapon away from you both temporarily, and permanently, if not overpower you. Hopefully, you won't be meeting those people in the future but in the advent that you do, I want you to be ready, I want you to survive. I don't want you to be one of those who cower and despair the moment they realize they lost control over their power."

She let her words sink in for moments. In the meantime, she refilled their cups of tea.

"There is a discipline, Shoto, in achieving true growth," she said sagely, "The body, the mind, and the heart; all three must be in harmony if one wishes to traverse the path greater than the strong- the path of a master. Even though I don't expect you to come anywhere near that level in such a short amount of time, those three cores I mentioned are the basic of the basics. Which then begs the other reason I haven't allowed you to use your quirk; see, there would be no point since your heart is not in its rightful place."

"My… heart?"

"What was the first lesson I taught you again?"

"Overcoming the fear of death, to realize one's vulnerability and weaknesses, to be able to face head-on any opponent, and grow without any shackles holding me back," he recited.

"Yes, but unfortunately, you haven't fully achieved that, have you?" she continued when he made a move to refute, "and I don't mean because you still can't move at the face of bloodlust, but something else entirely.

"People often think that it's other people's fault for putting the shackles that keep them down. Although they may have a role in it, people become too consumed with anger, sadness, and hate, that they become blind to the solution staring at them all this time. So blind, that they thought the key to those shackles lies somewhere else, or someone else," she stared pointedly at him at that and the teen lowered unconsciously in his seat. "But what they didn't know, was that the key was with them all along and they can break from those shackles anytime."

The pinkette was confident she didn't imagine the sound of his teeth gnashing. Shoto's a smart kid, she knew he can read between her lines, "Then besides their hatred, what's holding them back from breaking free?"

"They're afraid," she said immediately, "Afraid what might happen when they break free. You might think the idea of freedom comes easy, but there's always that fear of the unknown and the consequences, that's what makes it scary."

She spoke from experience, and she knew he could sense it in her words. Even though her origins as a hero was pathetic, stemming from a whim of a clueless little girl, setting her mind was easy, getting her body to train was doable, but getting herself to commit to that career and unknown future that path will bring was terrifying. For Sakura, the shackle that held her back then, was leaving the comforts and blissful peace of her home, and into the world of danger, paranoia, and unbreakable bonds that was the life of a hero.

What held her back was her own incompetence.

She continued, "And that's the problem I see in you, Shoto. You have a shackle holding you back. Anxiety? Trauma? I have no idea, but whatever it is, it's keeping you from the strength you're seeking so desperately."

Silence reigned over them again as she let him be with his mind for a moment. His mismatched eyes became instantly unfocused the moment she said those words. She tried to be as subtle as possible, but she's not Naruto, and her brief study on psychology couldn't help break the truth it into the boy any easier.

Then she noticed it. His eyes blew wide open as pupils constricted into acute points, his body trembled and his mouth opened as ragged breaths escaped from heavy breaths. Sakura was instantly in front of him, steering him away from the confine between the table and chair as she knelt in front of him.

"Look at me, Shoto, look at me," she said firmly with a hint of urgency as she dipped her head to meet his unfocused gaze, "Breathe with me, Shoto. Just like I taught you, in and out, in and out."

She instructed carefully; her medical eye watched carefully every move he made. She'll have to worry later what could evoke such a panic attack but for now, she has to stay calm for the both of them.

Shoto closed his eyes when his breathing finally found its rhythm back. She let him take his time as she moved her own chair to the side in front of him, now without the table separating them, Sakura could see the hallowed expression that overtook him and her heart pinched at the sight.

'Did Endeavor know about what his son's going through?' she wondered, but pushed that thought aside for now to focus all her attention on the boy, who looked like the world just fell on his shoulders.

"Are you back with me now, Shoto?" she asked carefully. Shoto moved his head down minutely in response, it was barely a conceivable answer but it was better than nothing.

When Shoto opened his eyes again, breathing finally back to normal, but now with sweaty palms and sadder eyes, he turned his head away as if in shame.

"Have you ever heard of Quirk Marriages?" he asked. Sakura had to blink at the sudden question, but he didn't give her the chance to respond as he continued, "That thing that became a problem, for the second and third generations after superpowers appeared."

"Shoto…"

"Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own quirk-"

"Shoto."

"-and passing it onto your children, forcing people into marriage. He-"

"SHOTO!"

For the first time, Sakura raised her voice towards him, but that effectively brought him out of his rambled stupor as Shoto snapped his head to her in response. His eyes widened in surprise at her outburst.

Her hands reached forwards to cup his face, forcing him to look straight into her eyes, "Shoto, you don't have to tell me anything. I didn't tell you all that stuff to force you into saying things other people aren't meant to hear. I'm sorry if my words hurt you. I'm sorry if I made you remember something unpleasant. I'm very sorry, Shoto, but there are some stories you just can't tell to other people and there's nothing wrong with that. You just had a panic attack, and I respect you too much to value your life and privacy. Shoto, you don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to say and I promise you, my little carp, that I won't think any less of you for it."

White and red brows furrowed, lips pressed tight and trembling, and eyes glossed with unshed tears. When Sakura decided that morning to reveal Shoto's shortcomings, she didn't expect, nor did she mean to get him through a roller-coaster ride of emotions. She wasn't lying when she said there are some stories not meant for her to hear. The bond they shared over training, during trips to the sweet stall, and the occasional meal over cold soba and tempura; Sakura saw in Shoto a culmination of her precious people, some resembling him more than others, and she cursed her bleeding heart for it. Still, she'd be damned if she'd just turn her back on him right now.

Even though she didn't deserve it. Even though she thinks she's not the best person to comfort him right now.

'I'm not his sister. I'm not his mother. At most, I'm just his teacher, but I'd like to think I'm at least his friend.'

She watched him lower his head. The fringes of his hair made a curtain that casted over his eyes. Shoto nodded slowly, and she watched his developing Adam's apple bob.

"When I was a child-"

"Shoto-"

"It's okay, Sakura," he said firmly, surprising her this time. She had told him before that he could refer to her real name, but all this time he's only ever called her 'ma'am' or 'Shamrock Queen'. This was the first time he ever said her name, "I want you to hear this…"

Sakura dropped her hands from his face and her lips pressed together in a thin line. She counted to three to mentally prepare herself of what's to come. She really doesn't deserve to be in this position right now.

"Alright."

Shoto nodded again and this time, he raised his head. His hand came up to the scar on his left side, "When I was five, my mother gave me this scar, by pouring boiling water on my face."

For a brief moment, Sakura found herself back in the Kazekage residence and Gaara was in Shoto's place. Sakura steeled her nerves and waited for him to continue.

"She had a mental breakdown, so she had to be taken away. I never saw her since," he breathed in deeply, "I knew she was only forced to marry my father. I knew she hated being with him, but she's my mother. So when he took her away, I blamed him, and hated him ever since."

Ahh, so that's why he brought up Quirk Marriages. It's a topic that has its own chapter in any Quirk Physiology and Genetics textbook. Whilst the people from the Outside Nations chose variety, the Hidden Villages sought improvement of quality. So it comes to no surprise that part of Konoha's dark history included inbreeding. All stemming from the belief that a quirk is a familial symbol and one cannot call themselves a member of a clan if they do not have the same quirk. Thus the segregation and wars between clans started, brought from pride that their quirk is the best of them all. Even though that chapter is only a part of history now, and inbreeding has even become banned by law, it has rooted itself deeply in the DNA of clans like a permanent tattoo. Case in point, any child born from an Uchiha will always have a fire-based quirk no matter if it's combined with the other parent's quirk or not. To the Uchiha, fire-based quirk has become its own dominant gene.

Sasuke's parents, Mikoto and Fugaku however, are an exception. Though they came from the same clan, they were distant relatives no closer than third cousins so the consequences were negated and their marriage was approved.

Their marriage was arranged too, but they learned to love each other over the years.

Oh, Shoto…

"Then my father pushed me, kept training me even at a young age, drilled into my head that I'll do the thing he can't all these years. He wants me to surpass All Might for him. And it got worse because the people around me always see me as nothing more than Endeavor's son. All the attention I receive, they're all just criticisms that are waiting whether I would live up to him or not, and I hate it. To them, all they see is my father and not me. It's frustrating," he paused, "But don't misunderstand. I do want to be a hero, and I do want to surpass All Might, because surpassing All Might meant I surpassed him. Just… not in the way he wanted me to," he raised his right hand and stared at his palm, "I made a vow that I'll become strong, stronger than he ever was. I'll beat him in his own game, but I'll do it only with my mother's quirk. I refuse to be his tool. I refuse his fire."

Despite the sadness, his eyes glinted sharply that reflected his determination, of the promise he made himself.

Sakura breathed in deeply before she let out a small, sympathetic smile, "You really love your mother, don't you, Shoto?"

His eyes dulled again, but nodded nevertheless, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry about what happened to her and I hope she's doing better now, but Shoto, you're misunderstanding something. You think your fire belongs to your father but its not. It's your own, and because you don't realize that, you're denying a part of yourself. And that's what's holding you back, Shoto. That's your shackle. You're the one holding yourself back," his head snapped up to her with a frown on his face mixed with confusion, but she held up a hand and continued, "Do you remember what I said to you, on the first time we met? Before you ran away from me?"

Shoto blinked, and looked like he's rummaging his brain of that day. Until his eyes widened in realization, "You said I'm not Todoroki Enji…"

"That's right," she scooted closer and held both his hands with hers, "We can't help who our parents are, Shoto, that's a given. But whoever they are is their own, and who you are, is whoever you want to be. Forget about what other people say, drown out their voices, stop listening to them and start listening to yourself. May it be fire or ice, it's not their's, it's not your mother's, and it's especially not your father's. Shoto, all of these things belong to you and only you. And no one's ever going to own it, or take it away from you. When I agreed to help you train, I saw Todoroki Shoto, a boy with an amazing quirk and with a bright future just waiting for him to achieve. And in my selfishness, I wanted to see that carp climb up his waterfall, and become the great dragon he's meant to be."

Amused by her own cheesiness, Sakura couldn't help let out a small spittle, but the moment she looked up, her eyes widened in shock at the tears that freely flowed down Shoto's cheeks. She bet that the boy doesn't even realize he was crying, as he looked at her with epiphany, as if all his answers were written on her face.

"But… dragons only breathe fire," he choked.

"That's solely a western belief. Where I come from, dragons also breathe water. Some are even made of wood."

He didn't react, but she had a feeling he heard her. Cursing her bleeding heart once more, Sakura's hands came up to cup the teen's face again. This time, her thumbs wiped the trail that formed from the corner of his eyes.

"You said you're going to surpass your father and All Might, right? I would fight anyone for the best seat to see that," she smiled at him encouragingly, "And when the time comes for you to show the world who the real Todoroki Shoto is… well, I just hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day."

Like a dam that finally gave in, large hot tears freely flowed down his cheeks. And when he followed it with unrestrained sobs, Sakura felt her heart ache. Throwing caution to the wind, Sakura brought the troubled teen in her arms. Unexpectedly, after a moment's hesitation, she felt Shoto's arms hug her back.

"You're a good kid, Shoto. It takes greater courage to break free from those shackles than facing death," she whispered as she let him sob and cry on her shoulder, "So don't ever lose yourself, alright? Or else that courage will follow. Never forget who you are."

"What?" Endeavor finally broke the silence in his office. His teal eyes made contact with verdant depths that rested on the couch across his desk.

It's been a week since Sakura had that moment with Shoto. As relieved as she was that she was able to help release that pent-up emotion and angst that's actually been plaguing him, she knew the heart is the most delicate yet most resilient part of a person. So she gave him time to heal, to think about how he would like to move forwards from now on. She has no doubt he'll break free from his shackle; she can tell a strong spirit when she sees one. Just as Naruto can see a good soul, and Sasuke could see reason in shadows.

But even though Shoto was smiling at her when they parted ways, she couldn't help the anxiety she felt with each passing day. That's the extent of how much she could do for him, she knew. Anymore and that would be meddling and she's not dishonorable enough to go back on her word when she said she respected his life and privacy.

She gave him a week to sort himself out, to decided whether their relationship as an unofficial master and student should continue. And as the days went by, Sakura felt sadder whenever she opened her phone and not see the boy's name. She can't wait on him forever. If Shikamaru noticed her sullen mood, he wisely didn't comment about it even as he busied himself with Intel between their spies scattered around Japan and to Konoha.

"You could tell?"

Endeavor huffed, "Only the blind wouldn't be able to notice how weird you've been acting lately. Did something happen?"

Sakura took a deep breath at that before setting down her tablet and walking towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the entire right wall of his office. She gazed at the orange-hued sky before looking down the ever-moving city below.

"Do you think a quirk determines a person? Is it the quirk that makes them great?"

There was silence for a moment, "What's all this about?"

She casted a small smile at his direction over her shoulder, "Humor me a bit? I just wanted to know your opinion."

Endeavor huffed, "Any quirk can be great depending on how you use it. It's a power waiting to be mastered and a person's greatness depends on how far they can push themselves to achieve it."

"But what happens when they don't achieve that greatness they wanted?"

"Then the fault lies on themselves," she felt a subtle heat waft from her side, indicating that her employer joined her in looking down at the city, "There are a hundred ways to fail, but there are a thousand ways to succeed. What's best for another might not be the best for you."

Sakura nodded, "That's right. That's why hero worship is more of a crutch than anything else, because no matter how hard one tries to be like another, it would be impossible. They can never become that person. Those who aspire, can only end up weaker than them, or better than them."

She looked up and locked eyes with his narrowed ones. Always so sharp and fierce. It makes her wonder if there's ever a moment they've completely softened.

"What are you on about?"

Her lips quirked up with her shrug as if dismissing the serious mood that came over her moments ago.

"Oh hey, when was the last time you went back home?" she asked in a chirpier tone, "I know you become so busy with work sometimes that you had a room built for yourself to sleep on in the agency."

"What's it to you?" suspicion laced with his tone at that.

Apart from their occasional lunch or dinner, they almost never talked about anything personal. At most, they would only mention something in passing or as a point of reference. They haven't gone drinking since the last time on the grounds that their schedule couldn't risk them getting drunk again (at least for Endeavor).

Sakura lifted a shoulder again, "Nothing really, just thought you might want to spend some time with your family. I know I would. I can take off some of your workload if that helps. You know you can trust me."

"I do trust you," he said almost immediately that almost made her rear her head back in disbelief. His next words were so quiet she almost didn't hear them if not for her trained ears, "but I don't think they'll be happy to see me anyway."

Pink brows furrowed a bit at that. Remembering how Shoto said how he hated his father with vindication for taking their mother away. Did his other children hold a grudge against him for that too? She hadn't met his other son but Fuyumi doesn't seem like it, even though she's a bit reluctant around her father. In the eyes of a child, seeing their own mother taken away (possibly forcibly) by their own father, only to never be seen again, could easily paint their father as the villain.

She knew of a couple back in Konoha, a case that Inoichi-jii-san shared (of course, he never mentioned any names), about a couple who was also brought together by an arranged marriage. However, the wife was overcome with social pressure and loathing for marrying a man 'below her station', and she would take those inhibitions out on her children. And being the innocent minds they were, the children believed their punishments were normal and they still cared for their mother despite it all. However, when the husband found out the truth, he took his children away and the forceful separation made the children think their father was evil. Needless to say, the wife was punished accordingly by law and the children had to undergo counseling.

Of course, Sakura has no right to say that case applies the same with the Todoroki family. There are a lot of other factors that could cause a mental breakdown but either way, she can't help but feel sorry for Shoto. She can't imagine how it must've felt for him to bottle up those emotions over the years. Even Sasuke's grudge against his own father didn't exceed more than three.

She casted a glance again, and at the distant look on his expression.

Endeavor must've at least tried to console his children, right? If his daughter's concern for him was any indication. Though she supposed he could only do so much knowing how he's not the best person to give a pep talk.

Or is his wife's absence had also hurt him enough to make him reluctant to go back home? Knowing that there's no significant other that would welcome him back with open arms. How long has he been letting his children see him as the villain?

"Mind your own business," he said with finality after a moment of silence that brought her out of her reverie. "Come, it's time for our patrol."

He turned on his heel and proceeded to walk to the door without giving a single glance back. Hopefully, the topic about family hadn't upset him too much and that another box of kuzumochi in the morning would make up for it.

Just as Sakura turned to follow, she felt her phone buzz in her white pants.

Little Carp: You said my katas were nearly perfect. Can you help me perfect them this time?

The relief and happiness that made her heart jump at Shoto's affirmation was instantly crushed by a dreadful wave of realization that nearly broke her phone in her grip.

Shit. She's becoming attached.

#ShotoNeedsAHug

I would like to remind everyone that this is NOT an AU where Endeavor's a good guy, but Sakura's POV and what you've read in this chapter are her train of thoughts and TOTAL MISUNDERSTANDING about Shoto and Enji's situation.

I just tailored it a bit so it doesn't give Sakura the impression that it's all Endeavor's fault without ruining her chance to give Shoto an eye-opener to open up and finally use his left side.

Of course, there WILL be a confrontation between Sakura and Endeavor once he finds out Sakura's been training Shoto all this time behind his back. So don't forget to subscribe to know when that chapter will finally be released!

This has got to be the longest chapter in the entire fic so far. I always made it so my chapters have at least 5000 words for consistency's sake but sometimes there's so much I want to convey in one chapter that I'm torn with just going through or cutting it off to another chapter.

So I'd like to know you guys' opinion whether you mind reading longer chapters or not.

There's definitely some Treasure Planet references in there, if you're familiar with the movie.

Stay Awesome!

Ciao~!