"What is your purpose, Shoto?"

The bi-colored teen paused mid-chew to look up at the pinkette sitting across from him. Every other day they would go out and eat after a training session, and if he's able to impress her with his growth, she would treat him to spicy ice cream from Mr. Sakamichi's café as reward.

Since that day he cried his heart out to her, a stronger bond has been forged between them. At this point, if there's someone Shoto believes and trusts with his life, it's Sakura. All Might may have started his interest in being a hero as a kid, and his father may have fueled him on that path, Sakura was the one who held his hand to be more than that.

To Shoto, there's nothing more valuable than his connection with his master.

That's right… Sakura is his master.

Since she wouldn't accept him calling her his teacher, it's only right to call her that. It's the least he could do to show his appreciation and gratitude. After all, isn't that what her lessons have been telling him lately? The heart of a warrior, the code of honor.

Shoto highly respects his master, therefore he will honor her.

Though he's yet to call her that to her face.

"My… purpose?" he asked confusedly. She should know that by now, right?

The pinkette nodded, "I know you wanted to be a hero to surpass your father, and that's truly an amazing goal. In case I haven't said this before, from where I'm from, striving to surpass your betters is highly respectable. But that's the thing. It's only a goal. An achievable flag. What about the big picture? What will drive you to continue walking this path once you achieved it? To whom or what do you dedicate your life for?"

Shoto flapped his lips in no answer. He's never thought about it before. All his life, he's only been driven by the deep-seated desire for revenge by beating his old man at his own game. He tried to imagine it, imagined that day after he beats him, and a shiver runs down his spine.

He saw nothing.

"I don't know…" he said forlornly, and almost jumps at the sudden feel of familiar warmth atop his head. The petty part of him was a bit annoyed that he still couldn't sense her movements no matter what they are despite his training.

When he looked up, there's the usual kind and understanding smile on her face.

"That's alright," she said, "by you Outsider's standards, you're still young. You'll come to find that answer soon, but it's important that you think about it. Alright, Little Carp?"

Initially, he was insulted and a little embarrassed when she started calling him by that. That is, of course, until she told him about the legend of a carp who swam against the tide of a raging waterfall and transformed into a mighty dragon once it reached the top. That meant she believed that he could achieve and become someone greater in the future. Like a dragon.

Thinking about it now, it actually sounds cool, and flattering.

He nodded, "What about you? What is your purpose?"

The pinkette instantly beamed, and answered without pretense, "My village, of course."

That's right, she's from Konoha, one of the Hidden Villages of the Elemental Nations that lived independently apart from the rest of the world. His history classes in school only ever mentioned them briefly because apparently, they are very private people who separated themselves because of their differences in belief about quirks. But whatever those beliefs were, still remain unsaid because they hardly leave their nations. His teacher once told them that they were mostly militaristic, and nothing on the internet could tell him more than what he sparsely knew. Although there is a level of cooperation between them and the rest of the world (or 'Outside Nations', as they have dubbed them), they'd rather keep to themselves.

Spending time with Sakura had convinced him that what his history teacher said could be true. It would explain why there's this certain air of confidence and strength from his master unlike other heroes. She's strict when the situation calls for it and is firm on discipline- discipline that he's slowly absorbing himself with. Like, for example during training, Shoto would never fail to greet and stand in attention whenever he's being addressed, he would bite his own tongue to keep himself from saying anything that's even remotely a complaint, and he would bellow a sincere thank you and bow low to her after each session no matter how tired or battered his body was.

Then again, Sakura's the only Village Hero he knew.

Whenever the Hidden Villages, especially Konoha, was mentioned even in passing, she would always brighten up and have this glow of pride and reverence. It's no question that she loves Konoha, patriotic even, but whenever he tried, she still won't tell him anything more about her motherland apart from how beautiful and lovely it was.

"My purpose is to serve and protect my village," she continued, pride evident in her tone, "my friends, my family, the people I care for and love, are all in my village. Konoha is our home, and I would do anything to protect our home. I would even happily kill a god."

.

Sakura smiled uncomfortably at the elder Todoroki siblings across the chabudai. It's not that she hadn't expected someone would be home but she still hoped that no one would be present when she and Shoto arrived.

'Ah well, that's another bet lost,' she sighed.

"It seems that we can't seem to meet in better circumstances. I'm sorry for the trouble and barging into your home unannounced like this again, Fuyumi," she bowed her head sincerely.

"Again?" Natsuo, she recalled, seemed to blink out of his stupor.

Fuyumi snapped her gaze from her youngest brother lying on the floor on an extra futon she hurriedly took out.

"Ah! No- uhmm… thank you for taking Shoto home," she stammered before bowing back politely, "but can I ask… what happened, exactly?"

Well, she supposed she owed the younger woman an explanation at least. She almost gave her a heart attack when she rang on their door half-drenched with her unconscious brother on her back after all.

"Shoto overdid his training," Sakura answered.

"H-His training?" Natsuo stumbled.

She nodded and continued, "We're starting off with meditation and more breathing exercises for his quirk training. Since he's gotten the principles down and understood the concept of equilibrium and homeostasis, we've been attempting to find his center of balance. Since his quirks are equally powerful but also the complete opposite of one another, it's only common sense to bridge that gap-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute!" Natsuo interrupted with his hands up as if physically stopping her.

"Yes?" the pinkette tilted her head confusedly, "Would you like me to repeat what I just said?"

"Repeat what you said?! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're the one who's been training my brother!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up and leaning forward, "You are her, right? You're the one who's been helping Shoto! And all this time I thought he was training on his own!"

Green eyes widened at that, "So you're saying… Shoto never mentioned anything to you?"

She looked on in silence as Natsuo confirmed her question with a vigorous shake of his head while Fuyumi's eyes remained wide and wholly bewildered. Almost as if she, too, was processing this revelation.

Sakura let out an inconvenienced sigh, "When I told him to keep our sessions mostly secret, I meant towards his father and everybody else. I thought he had at least told one person as security since I can't be sure he's taking care of himself after training."

"So… how did this…" he gestured with hand between her and his sleeping brother, "happen exactly?"

She told them how Shoto's been secretly watching her and trying to imitate her morning routine, much to Natsuo's amusement. She told them how they bumped into each other in the grocery and how Shoto begged her to teach him. Natsuo had a look of shock and disbelief this time. As she continued to relay how their dynamic started, all the while omitting the sensitive stuff like how she nearly scared him to death and the time at the café, she observed the two siblings.

While Natsuo was the most expressive, Fuyumi had remained quiet in her seat. Shifting only to widen her eyes and open her mouth in surprise at parts of the story. Sakura supposed she couldn't blame the bespectacled girl. She'd be shocked too if she found out someone she knew, especially someone close, had been taken under somebody's wing unofficially.

In the Hidden Villages, being accepted as an apprentice, especially by a named master, is a huge deal because it would mean greater responsibility and expectations for the pupil to uphold their master's teachings and legacy. Sakura herself had faced that hardship when Tsunade took her in, especially since she's from a civilian family. Fortunately, through her dedication and hard work, she proved those critics wrong, and when she became a Named Hero on her own and not just because she was 'The Slug Princess's Apprentice', even surpassing Tsunade, the satisfaction and pride she felt was absolutely overwhelming.

Though in this case, since no formality was made to make Shoto her official pupil, and since it's illegal for a Village Hero to accept an Outsider for a pupil, it's safe for her to insist that she's only helping the boy in his training and everything he's done has been mostly on his own.

"…then it started to rain so I had to carry him home and now, here we are," Sakura gestured.

"So… you're like what? His teacher? His master?" Natsuo asked, wide-eyed, after she finished.

Sakura gave a firm shake of her head, "There was never any ceremony, therefore I can't be his master, and he can't be my student. You could say I'm just… helping him."

"But you're still the reason Shoto always comes home tired," Fuyumi spoke for the first time. Her hands balled into fists over her shorts, "You're the one who made him wear those weights on his wrists and ankles. He never wore them off!"

"Really? Well, that's a relief," Sakura nodded with a small smile, "Yes, it's part of his training."

"How could you do that?!" the younger woman suddenly burst, surprising both her brother and Sakura. By now, her expression twisted between anger and disappointment, and her eyes had a glimmer that was indicative of the start of crying.

"F-Fuyumi… what's wrong?" Natsuo asked gently, shocked at his normally polite and composed sister.

"Don't you realize it, Natsuo?! If she's the one Shoto's been training with, then she's the one who caused all those bruises on him!"

Natsuo's eyes widened exponentially and his expression changed akin to horror at the realization.

"Come now, I didn't cause all of it. He still stumbles a bit when moving between harder katas, but most of them is because he couldn't dodge the stones I throw at him. He's gotten a lot better now though," Sakura explained with a nonchalant shrug and confused tilt of her head. But even with her defense, the siblings continued to look on at her in abject horror (completely unaware of the unwanted flashbacks running in their heads about their father's abuse to Shoto when they were kids) and she has no idea why.

If anything, they should be content that she's using stones to train Shoto's perception, peripheral vision, speed, and reflexes. In Konoha, she and her boys would throw partially sharpened shuriken, kunai, daggers, and knives at each other after academy classes to also practice their aim (under someone's watchful eye, of course. Usually, their parents or Itachi or Shisui, whoever's available). When she was training under Tsunade, her master would hurl chunks of rocks to actual boulders at her while she answers medical case study questions. No, Tsunade's aim doesn't falter even when she's drunk.

'Ahh good times,' Sakura reminisced.

"How could you say that as if you've done nothing wrong? Can't you see you've been hurting him?!"

"Because I have done nothing wrong," Sakura stressed, her own brows now furrowed. She never liked being told on. Not to mention she's still confused on what she's being accused of. Of course the pinkette knew about the bruises; they're practically superficial wounds! She makes sure to heal up anything that would become an annoyance later on every after session after all. Honestly, Sakura had worse when she was training, "Fuyumi-san, what do you think training is? You think he's just going to wake up one day and suddenly become invincible? That's called a fantasy, a fever dream. This is reality. Shoto knows this very well. He understands that every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes him greater. His bruises are just reminders that he has a long way to go. That's why he's working so hard to become stronger. To achieve his goal. He's a very diligent and dedicated boy brimming with potential. As I said, Shoto's the one who begged me. He's that determined. Honestly, don't you know your own brother?"

She must've hit the bullseye again because one moment Fuyumi's glaring (albeit weakly) at her, the next her expression flipped as if someone just slapped her. A second later she promptly stood and ran off. As for Natsuo, the poor boy looked so torn as he looked between her and where his sister left to before getting up on his feet and chasing after her.

Sakura though, just groaned with her head thrown back and her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, "Outsiders are so confusing."

.

Eyelids fluttered open to a grainy image of a familiar wooden ceiling.

"Had a nice nap, Little Carp?"

Shoto turned at the sound of that voice. His pink-haired master was there beside him. With a small smile on her lips, he belatedly realized he was lying down on some futon and her hand was over his forehead.

"This is… where…? How did…" he stumbled over his words as he tried to sit up. He felt a bit sore, especially at his middle region, making him a bit lethargic as he tried to remember what happened.

"You overdid it, didn't you?" a shiver instantly ran down his spine upon recognition of that tone of voice. Sakura never raised her voice against him, but her tone would always have this certain sharpness whenever she would scold him for something he'd done wrong or to make sure she'd get her point across.

Shoto automatically sat properly on the mattress and faced the pinkette with his head down. No, he's not being subservient because he fears her. Yes, she can be scary. He has no doubt she can easily break him like a twig. Just the thought that he's disappointed or failed someone he highly respected actually makes him feel embarrassed- shameful even.

"I told you to do it carefully- steadily," she had her arms crossed over her chest this time, "the power behind both your quirks is incredible, but without that middle ground, they're going to end up devouring each other for dominance. Remember, greater power means lesser control. Because of what you did, you confused your brain into thinking your body's running a high fever while also on the brink of frostbite. It had to forcibly shut your body off just to get itself to work properly again. What were you thinking?"

Shoto pressed his lips together in a firm line for a moment before answering, "I… lost hold of the fire for a moment so I thought coaxing more ice would douse it… I panicked."

"You should've just let it out," there was a heavy sigh, "I get that the idea of using both your fire and ice at the same time is exciting, but there would be no point if you can't control it. You'll just end up injuring yourself, or worse, and if you can't do anything, you'll just become a liability to the people around you. Every quirk has a drawback, a limitation, no matter how foolproof it looks. Which is why we need to create a solid foundation, and to do that, you need to know your quirk both inside and out. Literally and figuratively. Remember, Shoto, no grand kingdom is built on brittle sticks. Am I understood?"

"Yes," Shoto answered firmly as he pressed his forehead down to the tatami mat, "Thank you for your guidance."

"Good," she said, "Now, how do you feel, Little Carp?"

With the sharpness now absent in her voice, Shoto finally looked up and relaxed in his kneeling position this time. He brought both his hands up to examine them. They became rougher and a little calloused since their training but in his mind's eye, he imagined trails of liquid fire and ice coursing through them like veins, and traced them all the way down to his stomach.

"I feel a little sore here," he put both hands on his stomach, "but tingly at the same time. It's like there's a pool of water going round and round in circles inside me."

Sakura gave a single nod and a small smile, "Good. That means you're close to a breakthrough."

"Breakthrough?" he inquired, but the pinkette just gave him a knowing smile.

"It started to rain when you passed out, you know," she changed the topic, "So I had no choice but to take you home. Your siblings however, they weren't very… keen when they found out I was helping you train all this time."

"My siblings?"

She nodded before propping her chin on her palm where her elbow rested on the chabudai, "Your bruises. If I didn't know any better, it's almost like your sister is accusing me of abusing you."

"Abusi- oh no,"

It wasn't hard to figure out what led Fuyumi to that assumption.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Sakura asked.

"You said you'd prefer to keep our meeting secret."

"Yes, I did say that, but I never said I forbid you to tell anyone, only that I prefer it secret," there was a mixture of disappointment and understanding in her voice, "May this be a lesson, Little Carp, it's a valuable skill to pick apart and look between words, even for your own benefit. But that's beside the point, isn't it? I know you won't tell a word about this to your father, but I was hoping that you would at least tell someone you're close with. You have a family, Shoto, people who care about you. Even if it's unofficial, your training is something important in paving your life- for your future. So it's unwise to keep them in the dark."

Shoto hung his head low at that.

"Hey now, raise your head. There's no need for you to feel so sorry. After all, this is mostly my fault. I should've been clearer in my instructions, I'm very sorry for the trouble I caused, Shoto."

When he shot his head up, it was the pinkette's turn to bow her head down to him. Though not quite touching the floor, it was still low enough for it to be more sincere than necessary. Shoto's noticed that his master has always been a bit more formal- cultured even- in her actions, but even if she's taking the blame in this misunderstanding, seeing the person he respects the most in such a position, even for his sake… leaves an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"Please don't," he tried to salvage, "Even if you made your instructions specific, I still wouldn't have said anything to my siblings."

"I've told you before that there are some stories you don't have to tell, right?" his face must've mirrored the conflict inside him for her to remind him of that.

Shoto nodded. He trusts her, respects her, he even looks up to her now. Sakura's training may be difficult but she's never pushed him to do anything he didn't want nor is she nosey about his life- which he highly appreciates. To her, he's only Shoto, she's never looked at him more than what she sees. It's liberating.

However, that very fact that she doesn't know anything about his sordid background is also the reason why he's also trying to keep her from knowing.

"Don't you trust your siblings?" she asked.

"It's not that," He shook his head vigorously before taking a deep breath, "I just didn't want them to worry, especially Fuyumi. My sister… she worries about me a lot. Especially since mom was sent to the hospital. She took it upon herself to be like a mother-figure, especially to me. I know she just cares about me, but it's honestly overbearing at times. She just tries too hard most of the time that I just… wish she would just stop and take it easy for once."

Snippets flashed in his mind of the times Fuyumi would fuss over him about the smallest things, how she would always ask him if he needed anything. He knew why she's such a mother hen towards him, but at times it can get pretty annoying. The way she treats him is like he's some fragile glass that would break any moment. Granted, his attitude wasn't any better during those times. He believed he's simmered that rage since the start of his training since he also treated it as a sort of outlet. The meditations and that time he cried to his master have also helped significantly. As for Natsuo, even though his brother prefers to not be in the house most of the time, there's this sort of silent understanding between them he couldn't quite put into words. Which is why he placed his confidence in him about his bruises.

"Have you… ever tried talking to her about it? Have you ever told her how you feel?" Sakura asked and Shoto felt his eyes downcast.

"No," he answered, his hands balling into fists on his lap, "There's a lot I wanted to say but at the same time, I don't. It's like I don't know where to start. Is that… normal?"

There was a moment of silence between them, and when she realized he wouldn't be elaborating more on his words, she answered.

"Yes. There are times, when we just couldn't find the right words to say. It could be because of a lot of different reasons, not all necessarily bad, so it's wrong to judge others when we don't know the full story. There are also people who just have a hard time expressing their feelings, about things they wanted to say, and this miscommunication oftentimes lead to misunderstandings. It's not that they lost the ability to express anymore, it's just that for these types of people, they're better off to take it slowly, one step at a time, but first of all, they have to let the people they care for know, even in the smallest actions. So now, Shoto…" she paused to cup her hand on his cheek, making him turn his head up to her to meet her wizened eyes, "You know why your sister acts the way she does towards you, right?"

He nodded.

"And you remember that you don't have to tell me anything, right? You don't have to tell your sister everything, but you have to tell her something. Bonds are important, Shoto, especially with the people we care for and love. It's almost as important as our pride and honor. So with that said, what do you want to tell your sister the most right now?"

Shoto flapped his lips for a moment, and when he took a deep breath, the hand on his cheek left to place a finger over his lips.

She smiled at him in understanding, "I think your sister is in the kitchen."

Having given expressed permission to leave, he let his feet guide him towards the kitchen where Fuyumi had taken to spend a lot of time in the last couple of years. True enough, he found his sister there, sitting alone by the kitchen table, with her fingers steepled over her forehead in front of a cup of tea that had gone cold.

"Nee-san," he started, jolting her head up. Her hair was a mess.

"Shoto!" she ran towards him, stopping only a foot away to hover her hands over him, "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good," she sighed in relief before her brows furrowed and suddenly grasped his shoulders in a firm grip that even surprised him, "Shoto, I know we haven't spoken much lately but, you have to tell me. That woman… is she hurting you?"

At that, Shoto shook his head firmly as he took off her hands from his shoulders, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Nee-san, if you said anything untoward Sakura, please apologize."

"Shoto," Fuyumi gasped.

The bi-colored teen took a deep breath, "I know how this looks to you, but trust me when I say that I was never in any harm in the first place. I got hurt, yes, but they're never anything I didn't deserve."

"But this is wro-"

"There's no gain without pain, Nee-san," he said firmly, "This is all part of my growth, to become a strong hero. Besides, unlike with him, I begged Sakura. I was the one who approached her. She never forced me to do anything I didn't want, and she's a far better teacher than the old man. So please don't accuse her of anything when I was the one who started this."

His sister worried on her lips as she continued to look at him with conflicted eyes, "Shamrock Queen-"

"Her name is Haruno Sakura."

"Haruno-san… she means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

Shoto puffed out his chest slightly as he met her eyes head on, "She is my master. She is very strong and wise. I respect and trust her with my life."

"Oh…" her eyes fell downcast, but he still caught that flash of jealousy.

"But that doesn't mean I don't trust you," he swallowed a lump in his throat when she shot her head back up to him in shock, "I didn't tell you anything because I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how you would react. You always worry about me, treating me like I'm something fragile. I wasn't sure if you would support my decision."

"Shoto!"

He continued, "I know you just care about me. I know you're just trying to… make up for those times."

A flash of guilt.

"But this isn't like that anymore."

Fists clenched.

"I chose this, Nee-san."

A patched eye.

"It wasn't right for me to keep you in the dark. I was afraid you wouldn't approve. But I'm better now."

A vow of indignation.

"What I'm trying to say is, please stop looking at me like I was nine years ago. Stop looking at me like this scar is all you can see."

A scarred face.

"You always ask me what I wanted, well this is what I want, Fuyumi-nee."

Freezing eyes.

"I want you to trust me. You don't have to keep being my crutch anymore."

Her hand trying to reach out.

"And… I'm sorry I've been inconsiderate of your feelings and never showed how appreciative I have been for all you've done."

Shoto took both his sister's hands in his and squeezed.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Fuyumi-nee."

Even through the cloud of her tears, Fuyumi finally saw all of her brother for the first time.

.

Just outside the door to the kitchen, Sakura closed her eyes and let a small smile tug at her lips as she listened to Fuyumi's silent sobs. She came here just in case things go awry, but it looks like she didn't need to step in. Which was great.

Memories hit her like a ton of bricks when this scene presented itself before her. When they were twelve, Sasuke had been struck by a curse by the ex-Konoha hero Orochimaru. This curse had strengthened him immensely at the cost of his sanity. It took a while before they get rid of it. Needless to say, his brother Itachi hadn't taken this incident towards his brother lightly. Itachi had become overbearing in his protectiveness that it almost cost the entire team's dynamic. And of course, since Sasuke has the emotional spirit of a cactus, he couldn't properly express his feelings towards his brother.

At least Shoto and Fuyumi didn't have to fight it out to prove a point.

Part of her lamented on how tragic the siblings' childhoods would've been, based on Shoto's story. However, before she let her bleeding heart gnaw at it any further, she allowed herself to detach from such feelings. She's already too attached to her Little Carp. Whatever their family history was, it's not in her place to butt in nor does she have any right to fix it.

She won't be staying in this country for long anyway.

'This isn't good for my heart,' she sighed defeatedly, letting the back of her head hit the wall behind her gently, "Shouldn't you be joining with them in there?"

She peeked one eye open to the snow-haired Todoroki the moment he stopped just a few feet from her.

"This is their moment," he said while scratching the back of his head, "I'll butt in later."

Sakura quirked up a smile, "And you? Do you have anything you want to say to me?"

"Honestly? Not really."

"Ho?"

"Don't get me wrong. I care about my brother. I was shocked and worried too, but then I remembered the look on his face when he let me treat him for the first time and how he asked me to never tell anyone. I never saw him so determined in doing something other than defeating our old man. I guess… that's because of you. I think Shoto was just making sure you wouldn't get in trouble because of him. Besides, keeping his secret was the least I could do. I kinda suck like that as a brother. I can't do much for him."

Sakura ignored the pinch in her heart at that and shook her head as she faced him fully this time.

"You lend him your ear, and you trusted him without question. To some, that weighs more than any words of comfort that can be said. And I'm sure Shoto appreciates that the most. I'm glad he has such an understanding brother," she dipped her head in respect towards him, making Natsuo blush and chuckle embarrassingly, "You're the one who treated his bruises, weren't you?"

He nodded, "Mostly the ones he can't reach. My quirk isn't as powerful as Shoto's but I use it to help out with the vasoconstriction so it would help heal him faster. I read that that's reason why you use a cold compress to- ah! I'm sorry, I almost started to ramble there."

"Not at all," this time, Sakura's smile turned into a toothy grin as an impressed spark flashed in her green depths, "You have skilled hands. You seem to have experience in first aid."

"Yeah, I'm part of the basketball club in my school and it's usually up to me to check on other members. I also volunteered to a First Aid Training Program last year."

"How wonderful!" Sakura clapped her hands together, "Have you ever considered on pursuing a medical career?"

Natsuo returned her grin with a wider one of his own, "Actually, I do."

CLACK

"That was a good move," Sakura praised and the bespectacled younger woman flushed. Between them was the old Go board that had remained collecting dust in the Todoroki's storage room for decades. It's old, but still in mint condition.

"Thank you."

The pinkette hummed at the strategic display of black and white stones along the grid before her. While Shogi was the game between her and the Nara household, Go was the game she and her parents had bonded over.

She had a day off today, and they insisted on inviting her over for lunch and dinner.

CLACK- goes another of her stone against the board.

"Fuyumi," she called, gaining her attention, "I can't promise to guide Shoto in everything. How strong he will get will ultimately depend on him. I can only steer him in the proper path. However, what I can promise, is that I'll make sure he'll know how to survive, and have the strength to come home."

Understanding, and a bit of guilt, crossed over the younger woman's face. She had apologized profusely at the pinkette over the misunderstanding, and Sakura was more than happy to let bygones be bygones so long as they understood Shoto's training.

Shoto asked Fuyumi to trust him, he trusts Sakura with his own life, and Fuyumi can see the sincerity in the pinkette when she talked about her younger brother's well-being. Personally, she didn't care whether or not Shoto becomes the best hero of them all. For her, he didn't need to be the strongest, or most powerful. So the pinkette's words brought a great sense of relief and comfort. Shoto chose this. So all she can do is support him.

Because yes, Shoto didn't need to be number one. She just wanted him to always come home.

"Yes, please take good care of my brother, Sakura-san," she bowed her head low, and beside her, Natsuo, who has been reading a book about basic medicine the pinkette had lent to him, mirrored her action.

"Please, call me Sakura. Both of you," Sakura smiled and dipped her hand on a small bowl of stones. No, this wasn't the bowl that contained her black stones. These stones were all picked up from the Todoroki's very own garden. "Now, let's continue."

Without looking, she threw the stone with such strength and speed for a mere flick of her wrist. Shoto, who was going through his set of katas for a third time in his family's courtyard, only had a fraction of a second to notice the projectile coming his way.

.

.

.

However, like the calm before the storm, on the third weekend they invited her over, the Todoroki manor once more shook with roaring fire.

Obviously, I took the liberty of adding some drama between the siblings but I didn't put much into it because I didn't want to drag it out too long. I just wanted to establish a bond between Sakura and Fuyumi and Natsuo. I expounded on the description of Fuyumi acting as the mother of the family and Natsuo pursuing a degree in health and welfare.

I couldn't fit the part of Enji and Sakura confronting here so I had to cut it.

So, expect that things are going to be really… LOUD in the next chapter. Knowing Sakura, she will definitely shout back at Enji.

Stay Awesome!

Ciao~!