"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
– Edgar Allen Poe
Eight year old Chiyo stares down at the wet grass, crying silently while ignoring the rain falling on her.
Chiyo hugs her legs to her chest, sobbing into her knees as the rain poured down on her.
She doesn't hear the footsteps walking up to her before a small hum startles her. She looks up with wide eyes, quickly wiping away her tears.
Chiyo flinches back when she feels a hesitant hand touch her shoulder and looks up with tear-filled eyes.
An eight year old boy with light hair, dark brown eyes, and fair skin stood there awkwardly, holding a slightly wilting dandelion. "Um–Are you–are you okay?"
Shōto stood in the rain with an umbrella and a bag in one hand, eyebrows furrowed and eyes shining with worry–face otherwise blank. "Are you alright Chiyo?"
Chiyo sniffs and rubs her eyes again, shaking her head. Her wings wrap closer around her.
"N-no... not really... The teachers put my brother in another class and I–I don't like being alone..." She says softly, voice thick with sadness.
Chiyo opens her mouth to speak, but stifles a sob instead. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, furiously rubbing her eyes.
"My–I–Sho–Shohei is cheating on me and I–I–" Chiyo starts to cry again "–I just found out and–"
"H-here. Let's go inside. I can stay with you. We–we can play Heroes vs. Villains!" The boy says, holding out a hand. Chiyo stares at him in surprise before smiling brightly, tears starting to fall again.
"O-okay." Chiyo grabs his hand and stands up.
Shōto blinks in shock, staring at the black haired teenager for a few moments while Chiyo closes her eyes and tilts her head down. "Come on."
Chiyo looks up and sees a pale hand in front of her. She stares at Shōto. A small smile grows on her face as another wave of sadness–and comfort–fills her chest and she reaches up for the stoic boy's hand.
"My name's Shohei, by the way!" The eight year old Shohei exclaims brightly. "You're Chiyo, right?"
The eight year old Chiyo nods her head with a shaky smile as she wipes away her tears for the final time. "Mmhmm. N-nice to meet you..."
"I–um–I saw how sad you were in class so... here." Shohei blushes a bit and shyly hands the dandelion to Chiyo. Chiyo blushes and gently grabs the single flower. She giggles shyly and smiles at the boy.
"Thank you..."
"Here." Shōto takes off his jacket and places it on Chiyo's shoulder. Chiyo sniffs and rubs away her tears, giving the taller boy a shaky smile.
"Th-thank you, Todoroki-kun..." Chiyo presses a hand to her mouth and tries to calm her sadness and betrayal. "I-I'm sorry. This–I–"
"You have nothing to apologize for. Let's go," The bi-color haired teenager says, hesitantly placing a hand on the corvid girl's shoulder and starts walking. Chiyo sniffs again and gives the taller boy a small watery smile.
"Shōto, you're back–oh! Hello..." A 22 year old woman with shoulder length white and red streaked hair, glowing turquoise eyes, and pale skin smiles nervously as she turns around from whatever was cooking on the stove. Chiyo sniffs quietly and tries to give the woman a smile.
"Fuyumi, this is Tokoyami Chiyo, one of classmates. Chiyo, this is my sister, Fuyumi," Shōto introduces the two while he walks out of the kitchen. "I'm going to get her a towel."
Chiyo wipes her eyes and glances around. "I–I apologize for intruding. Um... I..."
"Is everything alright?" Fuyumi asks worriedly, walking over. Chiyo sniffs again and stares down at her shoes, shaking her head.
"I–I'm sorry. I just–I just found out my boyfriend ch–he is cheating on me and I flew away. I-I–" She covers her mouth with her hand and lets out a sob.
"Oh, come here. I'll make you some tea," Fuyumi says sympathetically. She grabs Chiyo's hands and leads her to the traditional dining table. Chiyo tries to speak, but couldn't. Grimoire takes the opportunity to come out, incredibly small and dark.
"You don't have to, Todoroki-san..." Grimoire says quietly, startling the young woman. Shōto walks into the kitchen with a towel and gently places it over Chiyo's back.
"This is Grimoire, Chiyo's Quirk," He says calmly. Grimoire makes a small noise as he wraps himself around his user's neck.
"Nice to meet you, Walking Heater's sister..." Grimoire says gloomily. Fuyumi smiles softly and places down a hot cut of tea for the corvid girl.
"Nice to meet you too, Grimoire." Fuyumi sits across from Chiyo and gently grabs one of her hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Chiyo sniffs and rubs her left eye. She takes a small sip of her scalding tea and sighs.
"Shohei... We've been dating for two years and been childhood friends since–since primary, but he–he just disregarded everything we had together to–"
Chiyo's talons clench around the cup, threatening to pierce it. Fuyumi gently rubs her thumb over the girl's hand in a sisterly manner. Chiyo briefly wonders why the woman would care after only just meeting her so suddenly.
"Take your time, Chiyo-san," Fuyumi says softly, making the black haired teenager smile.
Chiyo sniffs and slightly nuzzles Grimoire. "Nanna Hye-mi had taken me to her office to show me the date Sho had–Shohei had with that fucking bitch."
"Sorry." She takes a deep breath to calm her anger. "I saw it through the security feed and–I mean Shohei and I were slowly growing apart. I knew we would need to end this relationship soon. I really truly did know and I–I–I had accepted that. We were still going to be friends afterwards of course, but he–"
"But he cheated on you. Do you know how long it's been going on?" Shōto asks, making his older sister glare at him.
"Shōto!"
"It's alright, Todoroki-san. No, I–I left before he could talk to me. I–it had to have been for a decent amount of time. The flowers he gave Toyonaga..." Chiyo trails off, tears forming but not falling.
"Toyonaga Rie... She is one of my worst tormentors from junior high. Gods, and he–" Chiyo cuts herself off with a frustrated breath and rubs her eyes. Her wings sag, going almost completely limp and she runs her talons through her drenched hair.
She takes a deep breath and stares down at her tea. "I apologize. You–you don't need to listen to this."
"You don't need to apologize for anything. This is horrible, what your boyfriend has done to you. You have every right to be angry," Fuyumi says sympathetically. Chiyo gives her a small smile before taking a sip of her tea. Her wings suddenly shiver harshly, making her make a small uncomfortable squawk.
"Here, I'll take you to the bathroom so you can take a nice warm shower. You're completely drenched." Fuyumi gently takes Chiyo's tea from her before grabbing her hand.
"Oh, no I can't do that! I'm already here uninvited, I can't possibly–"
"You'll get sick. Take a shower," Shōto states bluntly. Chiyo blinks in surprise before hesitantly nodding.
She takes out her phone and hands it to the bi-color haired teenager. "If you have the charger for it, can you charge my phone?"
Shōto nods silently before walking out of the kitchen. Fuyumi rolls her eyes and gives the corvus girl a soft smile.
"Shōto isn't that socially... skilled." She starts leading Chiyo towards what the corvid girl assumes is the bathroom. "I'll bring you another towel and some dry clothes."
"Oh, and we don't mind you being here, Chiyo-san. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on every once in a while," Fuyumi adds kindly. Chiyo feels her face burn under the bone-chilling cold in veins and gives the woman a shaky, but genuine smile.
"Walking Heater's sister is really nice," Grimoire states quietly, still hugging around his owner's neck. Fuyumi giggles at Shōto's nickname before stopping in front of a door.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to shout for me. Take all the time you need. Father won't be home for another two days." Chiyo sniffs and nods her head.
"Thank you, Todoroki-san."
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! So, it's been a while since I updated this. I've been going through some weird shit. I call it a motivation block, but that doesn't really describe it.
I'd like to apologize for all future almost non-existent/sporadic updates in the future and I hope you understand. I am trying to push through this.
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini
