Kids, Hearts, & Feelings

"Thanks for accompanying me to the therapist's." Terra exhale to calm her trembling body. Talking to a stranger about what happened to her as a kid wasn't as easy as she hoped it would be. But the first day was over. It would get better. She hoped.

"Any time." Toshinori smiled. "Have you hear any news about your blood tests?"

"Not yet." Terra's eyes dropped to the bend of her elbow. It had been a week since she had been to the doctor's. They all wanted to know if anyone else with plant quirks could control her. The principle set up a test between her and the other plant user from Class 1-B, Ibara. Ibara was unable to take control of her. The second part of learning what this control was all about was doing blood samples.

A few of UA's teachers had a theory that Thorn's ability to take control of Terra was a genetic mutation.

Terra had mixed feelings about the theory.

"I thought that Young Todoroki would join you," Toshinori said.

Terra jolted from her thoughts as the kiss flashed back into her mind. Todoroki had been keeping his distance since then. So had she.

"Something wrong?"

"N-no. It's nothing." Terra looked out the window to watch the passing buildings.

"Did you two have a fight?" Toshinori leaned forward to look at her. "Are you blushing?"

"No! It's nothing!" Terra covered her face with her hands to compose herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay." Toshinori blinked. "Oh, we're back. How are things in the dorm?"

"It's different from living underground all the time. But I'm adjusting. It helps that Mister Aizawa is living there too. If Thorn shows up he'll be easy to stop."

Toshinori nodded. "So are you ready for the provisional licensing exam?"

Terra slump in her chair. Her seat belt pressed into her chin. "No, not really."

"You're going to do fine." Toshinori patted her knee.

"I hope so." The car pulled up to the dorm. Terra opened the door and crawled out.

Toshinori followed. "Call me any time you need me."

"I will." Terra hugged her uncle before heading inside.

...

"So have you told him yet?" Ojiro swung his tail at Terra.

Terra dodged the attack then snapped a vine at him. He blocked with his tail. She snapped a vine at him again and pulled one up from the ground. She wrapped the ground one around his ankle and held him in the air.

"You've gotten better at simultaneous control."

"Thanks." Terra sat him on his feet. "It's getting easier."

Ojiro brushed sweat off his chin. "What about speaking to Todoroki?"

"No progress whatsoever." Terra shook her head. "I just want everything to go back to normal."

"That can't be possible if you don't talk to him."

Terra rubbed her arm. "I'm going to shower then go to my room."

Ojiro sighed but said nothing more.

...

"You want to have a sleep over?" Terra asked. "But we sleep over all the time since we live in the same building."

"Yeah, but it's not the same," Hagakure said. "We're going to have a real sleep over. Just us girls. We already have Mister Aizawa's permission to sleep in the common room."

"We would have used one of our rooms but they're way too small for that," Ashio added. "Plus we want to make cookies for everyone."

"So will you come?" Jiro asked.

"Okay." Terra removed the earphone from her ear and sat Birdie down on the bed. She followed the girls downstairs. A while later warm cookie aroma floated through the air. "How did you get the boys to leave us alone?"

"Mister Aizawa threatened them to stay in their rooms. If they didn't they would run a thousand laps around UA campus," Yaoyorozu said.

"Ribbit. He really stressed that to Mineta." Asui lapped up another cookie with her tongue.

"There! That's the last batch!" Jiro placed the cookie sheet on the counter. "After I get these off the sheet we can move into the common room."

A few minutes later the girls were sprawled out on the floor. Terra was sitting in front of Yaoyorozu having her hair braided. Sitting there she noticed the girls exchanging glances. "Something wrong?"

"Why are you and Todoroki fighting?" Ashido asked.

Terra blinked.

"Ashido!" Uraraka said. "That was too brazen!"

"Sorry." Ashido ducked her head.

"We've all noticed that something odd is going on between you and Todoroki," Asui said. "Ribbit."

"Everyone?" Terra asked and got a nod from all the girls.

"We weren't going to say anything until you came to us, but Ojiro was worried about." Yaoyorozu tied of Terra's pigtail braid then sat beside her. "You can talk to us."

Terra thought about it for a moment then told them what she told Ojiro.

"What?! He kissed you?!" Hagakure and Ashido screamed.

"Keep it down," Jiro said. "We agreed not to get so noisy."

"Sorry." The girls ducked their heads.

"I'm so at a loss on what to do. We've always been friends." Terra hugged her knees.

"You're worried that this might hurt your friendship with him so you don't want to face it," Uraraka said.

Terra shrugged. "I guess. All I know is I don't like how things are right now."

"Ojiro's right. You have to talk to Todoroki," Yaoyorozu said. "It's the only way things will get better."

"But what if things don't go back to the way they were?" Terra asked.

"What if they get worse by not talking to him?" Jiro asked.

"Jiro! That's a little harsh!" Hagakure said.

"Maybe but she's right. Ribbit." Asui placed her hand on Terra's head. "Talk to him. Even if you don't have romantic feelings for Todoroki I'm sure he won't hold it against you. Your friendship will always remain. You two have been through a lot together, right?"

Terra nodded. Asui was right. Sho-chan would always be her Sho-chan. He would always be there for her no matter what. "Okay. I'll talk to him."

...

"You want me to come with you?" Terra blinked.

"Yes." Toshinori nodded from Birdie's screen.

"I didn't know I could."

"Well, it is me. I'm sure they won't complain. Besides we'll be sitting in the stands so we won't be in the way. I thought you would like the time out with me. There seems to be something on your mind."

"Oh, yeah." Terra twirled a stand of her hair. She still hadn't spoken to Todoroki. Maybe spending some time with her uncle would help. "Sure. I'll come."

"Great." Toshinori smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night."

"Night." Birdie cut the call. It flew to her desk and plugged in for the night. Terra laid down and pulled her cover up to her chin. Closing her eyes she tried to sleep.

The next morning Terra woke early, ate breakfast, and headed outside before anyone else. While waiting for Toshinori to arrive she practiced with her vines.

"Looking good, Terra!"

Terra turned to find the bus, her uncle, and Present Mic had arrived.

"Thanks." Terra walked over to them. "When did you all get here?"

"A couple minutes ago! You were totally focused!" Present Mic said.

"Walk behind me, you idiot!" Bakugo barked.

Terra turned to find Bakugo and Todoroki walking towards them. She caught Todoroki's eyes for a second. They both looked away.

"You're late! Bad boys!" Present Mic sang.

"Present Mic. And All Might," Todoroki said.

"We'll be leading the group today," All Might said, placing a hand on Terra's shoulder. "Terra will also be joining us."

"Because of the incident yesterday, it looks like Eraser's tied up with a bunch of things he needs to do for the school." Present Mic tapped Bakugo on the forehead.

"What do you mean?" Todoroki asked.

"Something to do with the rescued girl's quirk. Something they need his power for, apparently. Anyway! All Might will be the substitute! Eraser asked me to come along as a bodyguard!"

"A measure we're taking in light of the League's movements," All Might said. "Tardiness is prohibited. Go ahead, board the bus. Let's get those provisional licenses! Hop step! Here we go!" Present Mic said.

They boarded the bus. Terra sat down with her uncle. The bus was silence but for the humming of the engine as it moved through the city. A while later they came to a stop in front of a building.

"All right, we'll be watching from above!" All Might waved to the boys.

"Do your best!" Present Mic added.

They walk down the plain hall.

"Well, well... if it isn't the former number one hero." Endeavor looked at Terra.

Terra shivered. Why did he have to come? Why is he even here?

"My thanks for looking after Shoto." Endeavor looked back at All Might.

"Endeavor." All Might shifted on his feet.

"Good timing. I wanted to have a proper chat with you."

Terra cocked an eyebrow. Since when did Endeavor want to talk to All Might?

"I'm gonna go by some coffee! Bye!" Present Mic rushed away.

"I'll come with you!" Terra raced after Present Mic.

"You don't care much for Endeavor, do you?" Present Mic asked.

"I don't." Terra rubbed her arm. She expected him to ask question but he remained silent. "Did you really want to get a coffee?"

"No, I didn't. I could tell those two needed time to speak without an audience."

Terra hummed, even more curious as to why Endeavor would want to talk to All Might.

Ten minutes later they joined up with All Might and Endeavor.

Terra glanced over the room. It was some kind of arena, probably for simple indoor training. A wall separated the seats from the training area. Todoroki, Bakugo, and a few others from the provisional licensing exam stood in their costumes.

"We should go up front, don'tcha think? It'll be easier to see!" Present Mic said.

"I'd rather sit where we don't stand out too much. I wouldn't want to distract everyone," All Might said.

"Shoto!" Endeavor bellowed. "You should be stumbling around a place like this! You're better than that! Now get out there and show'em that you're in a class of your own!"

"See? Here we go." All Might sighed when the students noticed them and called out. "Let's just sit down.

Terra watched as Endeavor sat two chairs over from All Might. Not wanting to be close to the fire hero she took a seat beside Present Mic as Gang Orca yelled at the students below on their short comings and such.

Then a door opened. Kids came rushing into the room and start criticizing the students.

"What in the world?" Terra asked. "Why kind of exam is this? Are they really going to earn their licenses like this?"

"Heroes often have to deal with children during disasters and villain attacks," Present Mic said. "It's important for future heroes to learn how to deal with kids."

Terra hummed. That was something she should have known. She was only a kid when All Might and Endeavor saved her from her brother. Her eyes went back to the kids. She cringed. All the teens were being over run by the kids.

"My M.C. soul! It's reached it's limit!" Present Mic shouted.

"Uh, are you okay, Present Mic?" Terra glanced at the pro beside her.

"BGM! Live commentary! We've gotta have at least that much! An event without those has got no soul!"

"Honestly, whether it has soul or not isn't really-" All Might started.

"If your choices are have or have not obviously it's better to have, Mighty Boy!" Present Mic slammed his foot on the chair in front of him.

"Ah! What are you-" All Might started again.

"Come on, Terra!" Present Mic grabbed Terra's wrist.

"What?! Why me?!"

Present Mic swooped her up in his arms and jumped over the chairs then the wall and landed on the arena floor. He sat her down and grabbed the microphone from Mera and started talking into it. "Alright! Let's get some good vibes going, you dropouts! It's begun! The battle between the rugrats and the nascent heroes!"

The students continue to have trouble, some grab Bakugo's gauntlets.

"Uh, oh, folks! The expressions on team gobies' faces are telling me that they have no idea what to do next!" Present Mic said.

Terra stood by the table, unsure of what she was suppose to do now that Present Mic brought her down here.

"Look, I don't particularly mind or anything, but this is suppose to be a training course, so don't go too crazy," Mera said.

"You got it, Fan! However, it sounds like they have no idea what to do? What is your desire, miss?" Present Mic turned to the kids' teacher.

"Yes. The lower grades of elementary school are a very important time for the formation of their personalities. And because the differences in everyone's quirks have such a large effect on this, we provide counseling, and support them however we can in hopes of fostering a healthy state of mind, but unfortunately, counseling alone has its limits. The children in this class have completely closed their hearts off from us." The teacher bowed her head. "And I know full well that I am the one to be held accountable for that. However, it's my hope that, by interacting with all of you who are striving to achieve your dreams, it will help the children return to their pure, earnest selves."

Terra watched the teens talking among themselves, trying to come up with a plan no doubt. She watched as Inasa picked up a couple kids then flew them in the air. Then Todoroki tried to reach them with his backstory. It didn't work as the kids thought it was boring. She tapped her fingers on her thigh. So what were they suppose to do? How were teenagers suppose to keep the attention of unruly kids? Her eyes lift to All Might. What would he do?

The kids fired their quirks. A boy shoots a black ball with teeth at Bakugo, ripping his mask.

"Kids these days are the worst!" Present Mic said. "Hey, hey, what's going on here? When I was their age I wasn't able to demonstrate this kind of power!"

The teens block the attacks with ease.

Coldness settled over the room as Todoroki created an ice slide. The kids were lifted by Inasa winds.

A heated thump tapped a Terra's heart as she watched her oldest friend with the kids. Never before had she seen him be so gentle with kids before. She pressed a hand to her heart. Is it possible that I've felt about him like this but didn't know it? Or am I just seeing him in a different light now?

No, Terra thought. This wasn't the first time she had seen him be gentle with a kid. It happened to her. Not long after she had been moved underground for her protection he appeared to her. She was curled up in the corner of her new room. The tears kept pouring from her eyes with no sign of stopping. He placed his hand on her head causing her to jump. She was unsure of him. Scared of him. Until she noticed the bandage wrapped around his left eye and the sadness in his right. He was hurt.

Terra never understood why seeing him like that made her feel better, but it did. Maybe it was because she had seen someone her age who was hurting too. Someone who had a slight idea of what she had been through. Both had been hurt by a family member. Her brother. His dad. Their bond formed that day. And only grew stronger.

Terra's heart thumped against her chest.

Todoroki turned to her, locking eyes.

Without a thought Terra rush to him. He lifted her up with ice and she stood at the top of the slide. With a spin and released flower petals from her hands. They fell down on the kids below her. Looking down she found Todoroki warming kids up with his fire. Another heated thump warmed her chest.

Terra had no idea how long she stayed so high in the air, thinking about the effect her best friend was having on her now. Back on the floor she walked over to him. "Sho-chan?"

"Yes?" He turned to her.

"Can we talk? On the ride back?"

"Sure."

After cleaning up the mess they made, Terra followed All Might and the other pros outside to wait on the teens to change clothes.

"Terra, you've grown up a lot," Endeavor said.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Terra shifted on her feet, darting her eyes everywhere but on the man. The teens came outside.

"Long time no see, Shoto. You've changed quite a bit." Endeavor reached for his son.

Todoroki slapped his hand away. "Quit it."

"Shoto, I'm proud to call you my son," Endeavor said. "And so I will endeavor to become a hero that you can be proud of. I will be the number one hero... and you can brag that your father is the greatest man in the entire world."

"Do whatever you want." Todoroki rubbed his neck.

Terra cocked an eyebrow. Is Endeavor trying to change? Can he even change?

"Endeavor!" Inasa marched over with stiff arms swinging, blood poured down his face. "I will be rooting for you!"

Terra blinked. Did he hit his head on the sidewalk again?

"Thanks." Endeavor smiled. "You're bleeding a lot there, boy."

"The bus is here," All Might called.

Terra sat beside the window and tensed slightly when Todoroki sat beside her.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Us." Terra licked her lips and forced herself to look at him. "I think... I'm pretty sure that I... that I like you too. More than a friend I mean... I wasn't sure at first. Your kiss confused me. I was scared that things would never been the same between us again. Then I saw you with those kids in there. Something changed. Or maybe it didn't change. Maybe it was there all the time and I only noticed it now. I really don't know. All I know is I want to be with you. I'm scared. I don't want things to be messed up between us. What if we do this and we end up hating each other? I don't want anything to change between us." She chuckled nervously. "But I guess that's impossible. Things have already changed. Maybe that's the point. I mean I-"

Todoroki placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "You're talking way too much."

Terra blushed. Before she could attempt a replay Todoroki placed his lips over hers. She stiffened for a few seconds before kissing him back.

"Whoa! We've got some hot stuff happening in the back of the bus!" Present Mic shouted out.

The teens jumped apart. Their faces flushed red.

Suddenly the bus was engulfed in darkness.

"What's going on?" Todoroki asked.

Light blinded them.

Terra blinked the light away and looked out the window. The city had been replaced by a forest.

"What the heck?!" Bakugo demanded.

They all scrambled off the bus.

"Is this an attack?" Todoroki asked.

"You don't think it's the League of Villains, do you?" Terra asked.

"Not exactly." Thorn stepped out from behind a tree. "Good job, Adria."

Adria rose out of the shadows, panting. "That was way too much. Be thankful that it worked."

"Oh, I am." Thorn leered at his sister.

Terra shivered and took a step back.

"Not going to happen!" Bakugo released a couple small blasts as he and Todoroki stepped in front of her.

Thorn listed his head. "Do you really believe I'm scared of you?"

"You will be!" Bakugo said.

Present Mic stepped forward. He opened his mouth to attack. A shadow rose up around him.

"Present Mic!" All Might grabbed for the man. But he and Adria vanished.

Terra's heart hammered her ribs. Her feet wanted to run. But she knew she couldn't. This had to end. She was no longer going to live in fear. "Stand back, guys."

"Huh?" Bakugo and Todoroki looked back at her.

"It's okay. I can handle this." Terra walked in front of them. "Thorn..."

"Sweet sister. Glad to see you come to your senses." He held out his hand. "Come. Let's get out of here."

"No." Terra swallowed. "I won't come with you. Ever."

"What?" Thorn's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not... I'm not your toy." Terra took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was fine. She had her friends behind her. She could do this.

"What are you talking about? I love you." Thorn stepped forward.

"Stay back!" Terra lifted vines from the ground and wrapped them around his ankles.

"You have improved. I'm so proud of you." Thorn grinned. Lifting his hands he threaded vines out towards her.

"Stop!" Terra shot out her own vines. Wrapping them around his she pinned them down. "I'm not going to let you control me anymore!"

Thorn's smile faded. "What's wrong with you, little sister? All I want is to take you home."

"No. All you want to do is hurt me, control me, force me to do your dirty work." Terra shook her head. "No more. This ends today."

"You're making a mistake, little sister." Thorn's eyes darkened.

"The only mistake I've made is not standing up to you before now." Terra glanced at the three guys standing with her. She smiled at them then faced her brother. "It's over now. I am going to be a hero. And I am going to stop people like you."

Thorn jerked at his vines.

Terra tightened her hold on them. "It's over. Come along peacefully."

"No. No. No!" Thorn's eyes went wild. He rushed her.

"Terra!" Todoroki shifted his ice.

Bakugo released a few mini blasts.

Terra wrapped her brother up from head to toe, leaving only his eyes uncovered. "You can't win this, Thorn. Even if you manage to escape me... Sho-chan and Bakugo here will stop you."

Thorn gritted his teeth.

A shadow slithered under Thorn's feet.

"Terra! Release him!" Bakugo cried.

The shadow rose up on her vines. Terra pulled back. Thorn vanished in the shadow.

"After him!" Bakugo cried.

"No." Terra held out her arm. "It's pointless. With Adria's shadows they could be anywhere by now."

"Don't worry, Terra. We will find them." All Might walked to her side.

"It's okay, All Might," Terra said.

"Terra?" Todoroki joined her.

She smiled. "I'm okay. Really. I still have some work to do but I'm no longer going to crumbled at his feet. He can come after me all he wants. I won't bow to him anymore."

Todoroki smiled.

"That's good to hear." All Might ruffled her hair. "Let's get back to the school."

"Hey!" Present Mic's voice rang through the forest before he appeared dashing towards them. "Don't leave me behind! I hate the country!"

"So you manage to get away," Todoroki said.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. That woman didn't know how to fight." Present Mic stopped beside them. "She mostly drug me into her shadows then released me in another spot to keep me at a distance." He looked around. "Where's Thorn?"
"He ran off," Bakugo said. "The coward."

"I don't think he'll be coming around anymore." All Might put his arm around Terra's shoulders. "Now that my girl here stood up to him."

"Huh?" Present Mic looked between the two.

"I'll explain on the ride back. Let's go." All Might guided them all to the bus.

...

Author's Note: This may or may not be the end. Despite the number of favorites and follows people don't seem to care for it. And I'm not feeling it much either.