Chapter 4 - That's the Idea, Emiko

Part of the allure of going to UA was their Sports Festival. Once Quirks became the norm, competitions like the Olympics slowly slipped off the radar, with quirk-focused events like the UA Sports Festival proving to be a diversion that captured the imagination of the masses much more than old sporting events could have. For Emiko, it presented a credible opportunity for her to make an impression and get a good internship and all the doors that would open. For others, like Shinso, it was an opportunity for them to prove they belonged in a more advanced class than where they were assigned.

Emiko's head still swam with thoughts of the recent events at the USJ, as news coverage continued on the attack and her classmates swapped stories of their experiences up against the villain. Aoyama still stuck to his tactic of keeping his involvement in that day's event a secret, which left a terrible taste in her mouth.

All the pre-class chatter died down once Iida demanded they all be seated, which was already the case, and the chatter picked up again, as each student began speculating who might take Aizawa's place while the homeroom teacher recovered from his various gruesome injuries sustained from the USJ attack.

Their questions were cut short when Aizawa himself walked in, bandages covering his face and his arms in bandages and slings. Pain lanced through Emiko as she stared at him, noting the way he seemed to limp with every step. Each of the students in the room no doubt felt the same, each of their hearts straining with the image of their teacher being nearly turned to dust only a day or so earlier.

She could still see him, flying through the air as though he had wings, his scarf snapping in an imagined breeze.

His suspenseful reveal of the Sports Festival brought about conversation about the logic of holding the Festival, and its importance to the students. Emiko couldn't help but have her own set of questions. It seemed to her that the school quite clearly didn't care about the ramifications of the attack. They only cared about upholding and maintaining their image and their status in the community, which left a pit of irritation in her stomach as she pondered the peculiar circumstances the students found themselves in. Lost in her own thoughts, the morning passed by as the remainder of her classmates were collectively distracted by their excitement for the Sports Festival.

Once lunch came, the excitement bubbled over as they all talked among themselves. The biggest surprise was the intensity with which Uraraka approached the excitement.

"I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!" The anti-gravity hero shouted, pumping a fist in the air determinedly.

"YEAH, ME TOO!" Emiko shouted with a full mouth as she was still working on her bento box, raising her spare hand. The slight gasp from Momo at her lack of manners was not missed by Emiko, who merely chuckled at ruffling the prim and proper girl's feathers a bit.

In all the years of their friendship, Emiko had never understood how someone as polite and mild mannered as Momo seemed to put up with someone as rowdy and chaotic as the Komatsu family.

Some of the others filtered out to make their way down to the cafeteria to get some of Lunch Rush's food, as the others who'd brought their own lunch in began working on theirs.

As afternoon classes dragged on and finally came to a close, Emiko and her classmates began packing up their bags for the day, only for Emiko to feel a sudden buildup in her Quirk, which told her, along with the growing din outside their classroom, that a crowd was forming, fellow students as it turned out.

Her vision clouded over slightly as the emotional volume surrounding her grew, and she lost her focus on the students, missing when Uraraka, Midoriya, Mineta, Bakugo, and Iida all spoke, then her focus returned as a voice she recognized as being Shinso's cut through the din. She couldn't help but grin brightly at the idea of seeing her purple haired friend, though that excitement was quickly stamped out as she listened to what he was saying. Or, more accurately, how he was saying it.

"So this is class 1-A, I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass." His voice was low, bordering on angry, a tone she'd luckily never been on the receiving end of.

Toshi is scary when he's angry.

"Is everyone else in the hero course delusional or just you? How sad to come here and find a bunch of egomaniacs." She couldn't help the low hum of laughter that escaped her slightly pursed lips as she sidled behind Bakugo and made a silly face at her purple haired friend.

He stifled a grin, his lower lip slipping in between his teeth as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Hm. Interesting.

Emiko grinned wickedly before starting to move. Her arms shook out at the sides and her legs bent at the knee. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going for as her chaotic dance began, aside from a wanton desire to make the boy standing in front of her break character.

No response to the dance came, so she switched tactics. She folded her arms over her chest and scowled at the purple haired boy in front of her. She moved her mouth as he spoke, tapping her foot in an annoyed manner.

"I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others here, I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life. I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance. If any of us do well in the Sports Festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course." He smiled cruelly and flitted his eyes quickly down to Emiko. She smirked up at him, baring her teeth.

"And they'll have to transfer people out to make room. Scouting the competition? Maybe some of my peers are, but I'm here to let you know if you don't bring your very best, I'll be there to steal your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war." Shinso scoffed, tearing his gaze away from the offending student, settling his eyes on Emiko and giving her a nod before mutterign a half hearted "Komatsu," before turning and walking away.

Just before he broke contact, Emiko flicked her middle finger in the air and stuck her tongue out wickedly.

Idiot.

Finally turning away from the altercation, she wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection before making her way slowly back to her desk. She rested her face in the crook of her elbows, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Though she had done her best to play it off, it made her heart ache to think that Shinso, one of the only people she wholly trusted, viewed her as little other than competition.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT CREEP, EMI?" Mineta wailed, tears forming in the corner of his widened eyes.

Emiko groaned as she looked up at the little grape gremlin and growled, "First off, it's Komatsu to you, Mineta. Second, you're hardly the person to be calling someone else a creep. Third, he was a great help to me, once, and now he's stuck being my friend until we're both old and wrinkled."

With that, she gathered her things and stood up, leaving the others behind now that the crowd had filtered away.

As she got to the front doors of the school, her phone buzzed with a message from her aunt.

Out front! Better not keep me waiting!

Emiko merely rolled her eyes at her aunt's antics and stowed her phone away, feeling an increasingly familiar presence pull up beside her.

"Todoroki," she offered in greeting.

"Komatsu," he replied, shifting his bag up on his shoulder.

"So, you excited for the Sports Festival?" she asked, looking at the boy, whose dichromatic eyes were focused straight ahead.

"I wouldn't say excited, necessarily. More determined," he offered, and she could just barely feel his emotions, confirming as much. "How about you?"

"Same," she merely said as she stopped in front of her aunt's car that was parked at the curb. "I do plan on holding you to training with me, I hope you know that."

Todoroki nodded, and it was at that moment that Emiko noticed the window was rolled down and the surge in intrigue from her aunt was never a good sign and she prepared for the worst.

"What's that, Miko? Training? Why don't you invite your, uh, friend here over for dinner and you can use the dojo to train?" Sakura asked, eyes twinkling as she knew exactly how embarrassing she was making this for Emiko.

"Aunt Sakura, that's fine, we were just going to train on campus after class sometime, plus I'm sure Shoto has plans with his family," Emiko stammered.

"Nonsense! We can invite Shoto over! I can even talk to his parents and get their permission to have him over for dinner!" She insisted, motioning her hand to the stoic boy. "Shoto, why don't you call them and I can talk to them?"

"Aunt Sakura, I really don't think that's necessary," Emiko said forcefully, hoping her notoriously stubborn aunt could read her niece's stern and irritated voice.

"Oh come on, Shoto, call them and I'll talk to them?" Sakura persisted, her voice taking on a saccharine edge and she batted her eyelashes at him, which caused Emiko to roll her eyes in irritation.

Blasted woman. She's just doing this to get a rise out of me.

Shoto merely shrugged, pulled out his phone, dialed, waited a moment before wordlessly handing the phone over to Sakura.

She paused a moment before her eyes widened owlishly.

"Endeavor?! Hi, Sakura Komatsu here, we haven't had the privilege of working together, I'm a criminal attorney, so if you ever need some help putting those criminals away, you know who to call! Anyways, my niece Emiko is classmates with your son at UA and we just wanted to get your permission to have him over for dinner and training in our dojo… Oh really? That's fantastic, thank you so much! I'll have him home at a decent hour! All the best!"

With a smile and a wink, she handed the phone back to Shoto, who simply slipped his phone back into his pocket wordlessly, before stepping around to the passenger side of the vehicle.

"Are you coming, Komatsu?" He questioned, opening the bright white door of the sports car. She nodded wordlessly, slipping into the backseat.

She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it certainly hadn't been this.

Shoto sat at the dining room table surrounded by food and noise and chaos, seemingly unfazed by the music that was floating through the air of her home.

"Is the music distracting you?" She whispered, leaning closer to him. "I can have Sakura turn it off, if you'd rather."

Shoto had merely shaken his head, his gaze still swinging around the expansive kitchen dining room combo they were sitting in. The expansive countertop was coated in ingredients and Sakura stood by the stove, stirring a boiling pot of water.

"Is your house like this?" Emiko asked, shifting so that her left leg crossed under the right. "All chaotic and wild, I mean?"

A momentary pause, followed by an uncomfortable glance around the room made her nervous that she'd asked the wrong question.

"No. It isn't." He pondered a moment longer, as if deciding just how much he should share. "I don't think my father has ever listened to music a day in his life."

Before she could respond, Sakura turned. Her arms were laden with bowls and she slid them down the counter to where the two classmates sat.

"Ta-daaaaa!" Sakura cheered, brandishing bowls of Soba. Emiko was glad that for once, her aunt had the courtesy to ask what their guests wanted for dinner. There had been many gatherings at their home where heroes and commissioners alike had tried to hide their distaste for the meal from Sakura and her painfully observant niece.

"Thank you," Shoto smiled softly, reaching his pale hand out towards the steaming meal. "For this meal, and for welcoming me into your home."

In the blink of an eye, his bowl near frosted over. The steam stopped almost instantaneously, which caused Sakura's eyes to widen.

"Was the meal not to your liking?" She asked, trying to stop the panic she felt from breaking into her voice.

"Hm?" Shoto paused, food halfway to his mouth. "Oh, no. My apologies. I just prefer my soba cold."

The sound of noodles slurping mixed with the soft music playing overhead as both Emiko and Sakura stared open-mouthed at the boy.

"An ice quirk?!" Sakura all but shouted, her hands slamming down excitedly onto the dining room table. "How the heck does that happen?!"

"Sakura!" Emiko admonished, turning her startled gaze over to her dark haired guardian. "You can't just go around asking questions like that!"

"My mother has an ice quirk." Shoto mumbled around a mouthful of noodles, gazing down at the table.

Not for the first time, she wished she could more clearly read his emotions. Though he gazed down at the table and his voice seemed to have softened slightly at the mention of his mother, she still couldn't quite get a read on her classmate, and that infuriated her. She was the girl who could read emotions, damn it!

"How interesting, Shoto. You know, Miko's mother here had almost the exact same quirk as her kid. How funny is that?"

The mention of her own mother turned her blood to ice in her veins. She clenched her jaw tightly and tried to kechiep a hold on her emotions, but she could feel the memories rushing back as if they had all happened yesterday.

Cigarette burns and knives and pain and so, so much sadness crept into her mind. She could still hear her mother laughing as she screamed out, her small voice begging for help.

"Her father though, my big brother? He was a badass." Sakura finished, awe and longing slipping into her normally light voice. "Hisato was a hero. A real, genuine hero. Y'know?"

"Hisato was the type of man you want patrolling the streets. A good and honest person, who just wanted to keep others safe. He used to be able to get people to do whatever he wanted, just by saying a few words." Sakura sighed wistfully, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

The mention of both her mother and father in such a short period of time brought Emiko to tears, and she stood up quickly.

"Sakura, I'm going to change. Please provide our guest with the appropriate clothes for training, and then show him to the dojo."

She moved quickly through the house, turning to sprint up the stairs towards her room.

Fuck. Why did she have to bring them up, and in front of him? God Damnit, Sakura. Can't you ever keep your goddamn mouth closed?

Angry tears poured from her eyes as she quietly shut the door to her bedroom before crumpling to the floor in a pathetic heap. Her heart ached to hear her fathers happy laughter again, and if she squeezed her eyes tightly enough, she was almost sure she could feel the warmth of his hand, pressing against her back.

Pull it together, Komatsu. Change and train.

She sighed, standing up and threw off her school uniform, leaving it in a crumpled heap by her bed. She changed as fast as she could, before slipping out of her bedroom door quietly and slipping down the wide staircase.

"I'm sorry, Miko." Sakura tried to talk to her niece, startling as she earned a pained glare.

"Don't. Don't ever do that again." Emiko spat, turning and moving towards the wide open doors of the dojo that took up the majority of the bottom half of the home the two women shared.

Scattered around the wide open space was a variety of work out equipment, including treadmills and stationary bikes. Weights lined the far back wall and mirrors reflected the bright overhead lights and made the space seem even larger than it really was. Tatami mats lined the floor and absorbed the impact, and Emiko grinned softly as she walked in and saw Shoto sprawled on the floor, stretching.

"Sorry that I left dinner so quickly." She bowed her head, not meeting his gaze.

"You don't seem particularly willing to talk about your past, which is something I can understand. You have no need to apologize." He mumbled, turning his lopsided gaze to her own.

"Ah-" she paused, awkwardly scrubbing a hand over her reddening neck. She was embarrassed that she'd been caught in such a situation, embarrassed that she'd let herself be vulnerable with someone who was so closed off all the time.

"Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it."

The rest of the night flew by, both students collapsing into an exhausted and sweaty heap on the floor within a few hours.

"You are insanely gifted, Todoroki." Emiko panted, in between gulps of air. "I have no idea how you're able to fight like that."

He paused a moment, before turning to his side and gazing at her.

"I have been training since I was a child - no older than 5. So I guess it's to be expected that I turned out the way I did." Shoto finished, gazing at Emiko's shocked expression.

"I see. Well still, you're much better than I am - and I started training at 8."

A grumble of acknowledgement slipped from his lips as he pondered her response.

"Why?"

What does he mean, why?!

"Sorry?" she startled, skimming her gaze over his relaxed form.

"Why start training so young?"

"Ah-" she paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. "My dad disappeared when I was 7, and…"

Silence filled the room as she tried to find the words to describe what Hisato vanishing did to her world.

How do you describe losing the sun? Losing all taste or sight or sound? Losing the one thing that made sense, that gave you purpose?

"I guess, I don't know. Losing him, it gave me this insane desire to become the same kind of hero I was, because maybe… maybe then, I could bring him home." She finished, holding back tears.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear about your father's disappearance."

She only nodded, rolling onto her back and covering her teary eyes with her arm. "Since you asked me a personal question, I think it's only fair you pay me the same courtesy. Why did you start training so young?"

Just as she had, Shoto took his time to find the right words. Neither seemed to be in a rush to divulge their innermost secrets, though Emiko knew that she would tell him anything he asked. Something about him, the way he carried himself, made her trust him almost immediately. Perhaps the way he'd guarded her during the USJ attack, or maybe even before then. His presence reminded her a lot of Shinso, in a way. Both of them were calming and steady presences, a rock she could cling to if she got lost in the sea of emotions that frequently threatened to drown her.

"My father... " Shoto spoke, startling Emiko from her short daydream. "He wanted me to be the next Number One Hero, and I guess for him that meant I should be forced to train my life away."

Shock flooded her veins at the callous way he spoke, his distaste and dislike for his father evident in just the way he spoke. Though well hidden, pain made his words sharp. They sliced through the air like a knife, cutting into a soft piece of Emiko as she felt his emotions for the very first time.

Anger and pain radiated through him, tainted by sadness. It was nauseating, laying beside him like that. Despite barely knowing him, she wanted to roll over and wrap her arms around his shoulders. Wanted to help him heal and grieve and move past whatever pain he had felt in his life to leave him feeling as torn up as he did in that moment.

"Miko-" she heard Sakura's voice call from just beyond the glass doors separating the gym from the rest of the home. "It's getting late, I should take Shoto home now."

Emiko stood quickly, reaching her hand out and helping him to his feet.

"What time is it?" Shoto asked, stretching his arms up and over his head and letting out a small groan as the tightness taking over his muscles loosened.

"10." Sakura responded, leaning against the door. "I meant to come get you earlier, but you were both very into whatever was happening in your sparring session."

"I couldn't ask you to drive me home at such a late hour, miss Komatsu."

"Please-" Sakura laughed, waving a hand in front of her face. "Call me Sakura. Miss Komatsu makes me feel like my mother. Besides, I told your father I would have you home at a reasonable time. Though, that does seem to be a task I have failed miserably at…" Sakura trailed off thoughtfully, rubbing a hand under her chin as she pondered her position.

"Oh! I know!" She yelped, striding into the gym. "Shoto, may I borrow your phone again?"

Shoto nodded and strode to his bag, retrieving the device and sliding it into Sakura's outstretched hand.

"Hello, Endeavour. Sakura Komatsu here, again!" She grinned brightly, swinging a wink to the two students staring at her. "Yes, the one who brought your son home to train and promised to have him home at a reasonable time. Yes, yep. That's the one! Right, the one who promised to be a responsible and proper adult. Mhmm. Yep."

Emiko stifled a boisterous laugh as she watched her aunt get more and more uncomfortable. At only 29, it was unusual for her to be caring for a 16 year old child, Emiko knew. Her aunt still hadn't quite mastered the part of raising a child that forced her to be an adult, which always made interactions with other parents an… experience.

"Anyways, sir. Enough about me. I was actually on the way to bring Shoto home, but wouldn't you know it? My car won't start!"

"Sakura-" Shoto started to interrupt, but Emiko nudged him in the ribs and shook her head, as if to say 'Let her crash and burn, it'll be funnier this way.'

Shoto glanced at her curiously, closing his mouth and raising an eyebrow in Emiko's direction.

"Right, well… You see - my home is quite out of the way and I wouldn't want to inconvenience you by having you come all the way out here to grab him. Right, of course. Of course it wouldn't be an inconvenience to come and pick up your son, but -"

Sakura pulled the phone from her face and sighed deeply, rolling her eyes.

"Endeavour, sir, if I may continue. Yes, thank you. All I was going to offer was my spare bedroom. I drive my niece to school every morning, and I would have no issue keeping him here overnight and bringing him with us tomorrow."

You witch. You absolute witch.

"Right, okay. Got it! Thank you sir. I appreciate your understanding about my unfortunate car circumstance. Have a good night."

She handed the phone back to Shoto quickly, not even attempting to hide the irritation on her face as she stared at the pair.

Not a good impression, then. Noted.

"Sleepover! Yay!" She fake cheered, turning and exiting the gym. "Miko, I expect you to help Shoto get to bed and provide him with sleeping clothes. I'm going to bed."

Emiko sighed and rolled her eyes, before turning back to Shoto.

"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to-" She was cut off by him though, as he interrupted.

"No, please. Your aunt has already spoken with my father, and it will be much easier if I just stay here for the night. Thank you."

And so started the tradition of Shoto's near weekly stays with the Komatsus, both he and Emiko slipping silently into sleep that night, each with a soft smile playing on their lips.

Emiko should have known that showing up to school the next day with Shoto would draw some stares, though she hadn't expected them to start the moment the pair stepped out of Sakura's car.

"Todoroki, you BASTAAAARD!" A high, nasally voice shrieked from somewhere just behind the pair as they climbed out of the vehicle.

Here we fucking go, I guess. Time to enter the circus.

She rolled her eyes, turning to face the purple haired boy sprinting towards her with tears pouring from his eyes.

"NOT EVEN DONE THE FIRST TERM, AND YOU'RE ALREADY SEDUCING ALL THE HOT BABES?! IT'S NOT FAIIIIIRRRRR!" Mineta wailed, slumping to his knees in the middle of the parking lot.

"Excuse me?" Todoroki's voice was bland and empty of emotion, his eyes almost dull as he stared down at the over-enthusiastic boy in front of him.

"Yeah man, what the heck?" Another voice rang out from the din, a shock of blonde hair joining into the fray. "Save some for the rest of us."

"Denki Kaminari." Emiko snarled, turning her harsh blue glare to him. "Don't you get in on this, too."

With a final glance at Shoto's confused face, Emiko grabbed a hold of the two boys' ears and dragged them away, muttering threats of pain and suffering under her breath the whole way.