てんはみずからたすくるものをたすく

ten wa mizukara tasukuru mono o tasuku

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Quick Recap!:The Yuuei Sports Festival has begun! Class 1-A is under fire from all directions, with their spots in the heroics program on the line. But before the competition can start, Shouto Todoroki issues a challenge too Izuku Midoriya - he's going to win! Ichigo Kurosaki plans to drop out of the competition, however Izuku manages to convince her otherwise, putting their friendship in danger. Ichigo is determined to beat Izuku, and Todoroki and Bakugo aren't willing to be ignored either. In the first trial, Ichigo appears to be wiping away the competition, using her new training from Eraserhead himself. However, with a lucky punch towards the end, Izuku Midoriya manages to make first place! Frustrated with herself, Ichigo teams up with Ibara Shiozaki and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from Class B, along with Hitoshi Shinsou from the General Ed Department. Together, they manage to win the second trial! Elated, Ichigo prepares for the third trial, a series of one on one matches. But before she can move on, she needs to talk to Izuku, and try to repair their friendship before it's too late...

"You were so awesome, Icchan!" Ochako cheered, pumping her fist. "You just came out of nowhere, like bam! And then you took the points!" She pointed at me accusingly. "And I haven't forgot about that, by the way! You totally stole first place out from under us!"

I blinked in surprise at Ochako's animated speech. We were standing outside the arena, getting ready to head to lunch. Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki, and Shinsou had gone their own ways after we were released, and I met up again with Tenya and Ochako on the walk to the cafeteria.

I grinned in good humor. "It's only f-fitting, Izuku did r-rip th-the rug out from under m-my feet d-during th-the first trial," I quipped.

Tenya nodded slowly. "I suppose that's true. Speaking of Izuku, where is he?" He looked around us for a head of curly green hair.

I sighed in relief when he didn't spot anyone. Talking to Izuku would be really uncomfortable right now, and I wanted to spend some time with Tenya and Ochako before the third round started.

"M-maybe he'll sh-show up later?" I suggested, continuing towards the cafeteria.

Ochako was quick to follow. "Probably! He was super cool during the games as well, I need to thank him for helping me reach the third trial!" Ochako held up her fist. "I'm gonna aim for the top!"

I laughed, startled by her emphatic declaration. "I th-think everyone is aiming f-for the t-top, Ocha-chan."

"Indeed," Tenya agreed, before making his own dramatic stance, glasses flashing. "But that does not mean we cannot announce our intentions! I will aim for the top as well!"

"Th-then I guess," I giggled, covering my mouth with my hands. "I sh-should s-say that 'I'm gonna b-be number one?'" I quoted Bakugo shamelessly, lowering my voice to make fun of the blonde.

Ochako busted out laughing. "Yeah! That's it!"

I clapped my hands together, hungrily eyeing my food. "Itadakimasu!" I chirped, immediately digging in. I scarfed down my rice and katsudon ravenously, today's battles having seriously increased my appetite. I had gotten even more food than usual, and was plowing through it all.

Ochako laughed at my messy eating. "Jeez, Icchan! You look like a wild woman!" She teased.

I paused mid slurp, udon noodle hanging from my mouth. "Huh?" I asked, voice muffled by my food.

"Your hair looks crazy right now, and you're eating like a maniac!" Ochako pointed out, hugging her sides as she cackled.

Tenya nodded seriously. "I can see the resemblance," he added, hand raised to his chin thoughtfully.

I sighed, swallowing my food. Standing up, I unzipped the jumpsuit halfway, revealing my white undershirt. I removed my braids from the jumpsuit, and zipped it back up. "I g-guess I'll have t-to fix it," I mumbled reluctantly, reaching down and undoing the ties on each braid. My hair cascaded down to the backs of my shins.

Ochako gasped. "Icchan, your hair is so pretty!"

I hummed in appreciation, sitting down again. "I-I'll b-braid it up again l-later," I decided aloud, returning to eating my food. "My friend-slash-employer is up in th-the stands, I'll b-borrow a hairbrush f-from h-her during intermission."

Ochako scooted her chair over to me. She started to play with my hair. "It don't get why you ever put it up," she cooed, stroking the long strands. "It looks so much better down. You look amazing!"

"That would be difficult, Ochako," Tenya inserted matter of factly. "Long hair would be a burden in a fight."

I nodded. "Th-that's right. I don't want t-to c-cut it, so I have to k-keep it out of the way. R-right, Izu-" I cut myself off, eyes widening. I had instinctively tried to pull Izuku into the conversation, forgetting he still wasn't here. I set my jaw, and stood up abruptly. I gathered what was left of my steak and third bowl of rice, dumped them together, and grabbed a cloth napkin, wrapping the bowl up.

Tenya stared at me oddly. "Ichigo, what are you doing?"

"I'm going t-to find Izukun," I decided, turning towards the cafeteria doors. "H-he needs t-to eat, and w-we n-need to talk." I walked towards the door determinedly, ready to face whatever may come. I needed to get things straight with Izuku, before the third trial. Not only as a fellow competitor, but as a friend. Because I valued our friendship, and I didn't want to lose it.

I could put what little pride I had on the line, for that.

I approached the arena again, covered bowl in my hands, a few minutes later. The cafeteria was just across the street from the stadium, which made things much easier. I scanned the back area quickly, searching for Izuku. I spotted a head of green curls peeking out from one of the hallways leading to the tunnels under the arena. Speeding up my steps, I approached the open hall.

"- Fuck him...! I'll never be that piece of shit's tool!" I halted, hearing Todoroki's angry growl. I tensed, wondering what would have motivated Todoroki to corner Izuku after the game was over. Was Izuku in trouble? "In my memories, my mother is always crying. She told me that my left side is ugly, and she dumped boiling water on me," I inhaled sharply, suddenly recognizing that this wasn't something I should be listening to. I backed up quickly, jumping over the rails protecting the students' path to the cafeteria and hiding near the closest food stand.

Leaning against one of the many picnic tables, I sighed, closing my eyes. I mulled over what I had just heard. Todoroki had mentioned a "him", who he clearly disliked, and then followed it by mentioning his mother, so the two were probably connected. His "left side is unsightly"… I considered the pictures I had seen of Enji Todoroki, the Pro Hero Endeavor, and compared them to Todoroki. I gulped. His mother was always crying because of something connected to Todoroki's father, who wanted to use Todoroki as a tool.

Was he describing an abuse scenario? It wasn't a secret that Endeavor wanted All Might's spot as number one. Todoroki had the ability to melt his own ice, so it wasn't unlikely that he could create flames as well. Was he trying to avoid being like his father? That only further supported an abuse scenario, but then why aim for the top spot? Wouldn't that cater to his father's wishes?

"Excuse me, miss!" I glanced down, and spotted a little boy. He had wide eyes, was missing his front teeth, and wore an All Might T-shirt. He pointed at me with sticky fingers, grinning happily. "You look like the girl who won the tournament! Are you her?"

I smiled, kneeling down. "I am," I whispered, raising my finger to my lips in a gesture to stay quiet. "I wanted to see the festival for myself, so I snuck out. You can't tell anyone, okay?"

The little boy nodded urgently, peeking around. "I won't tell anyone!" He agreed frantically. "But I wanted to tell you - you looked really cool, you know!"

I smiled gently. "Thank you. How about you get back to your parents before they get worried though?"

"Okay! It was nice to meet you! I hope you win the next round too!" The little boy cheered, waving at my while he ran away.

I gave him a small wave back, unable to help the soft smile stuck to my lips. Little kids were always so honest and innocent, I loved spending time with them. "Wait," I realized, stunned. "Did I just talk to that kid without stuttering?!" A beatific expression spread across my face. I had spoken without stuttering!

"Ichigo?" My head whipped around, and I saw Izuku, who was looking at me curiously, seeming surprised I was here.

I blushed. "Uh, h-hey, Izuku," I muttered. Damnit, I was back to stuttering again! I held out the bowl. "Th-there wasn't going to be enough t-time f-for you to eat, s-so I brought some food," I stammered.

"Oh," Izuku stared at the bowl in astonishment, taking it from my hands. He glanced up at me, and smiled brightly. "Thank you!"

I nodded slowly, turning away from him. After an awkward moment of silence, where Izuku ate and I tried to look anywhere but him, I coughed. "I w-wanted to apologize," I started awkwardly. "W-we had a b-bit of a m-misunderstanding b-before the festival, and I d-didn't give you th-the ch-chance to explain."

Izuku stopped eating, looking at me in shock, before nodding. He swallowed quickly. "Uh, yeah. About that," he inhaled deeply. "I'msorryIdidn'tmeantosayyoucouldn'tbeaheroIjustwantedyoutotakethecompetitionseriously - Ididn'tmeantohurtyourfeelings-"

I couldn't help the giggle that burst free from my lips. Izuku glanced at me with wide eyes at my outburst, and from there the giggling got worse. "W-we're b-both crazy!" I gasped, continuing to laugh. Izuku grinned in agreement, obviously understanding he had been forgiven for the misunderstanding. After a few seconds of laughing, I reined in my amusement. "S-sorry," I said, wiping my eyes. "I-It's just - I'm p-pretty sensitive about b-becoming a h-hero, a lot of p-people t-told me I couldn't, s-so w-when you said th-that I just-"

"Snapped?" Izuku guessed. I nodded, and his grin dimmed into a more wistful expression. "I've been told that too." He looked up the ridiculously high wall of the arena. "But now I'm here, and it's like I'm in a dream."

I smiled, looking up to the same place he was, the gigantic Yuuei Academy flag flapping in the wind at the top of the arena. "A d-dream, huh?" I mumbled. I felt tension build in my chest, and I couldn't help the words I said next. "I-I heard w-what Todoroki said to you," I bursted out, and Izuku's eyes snapped back down to me, stunned. I hurried to finish speaking. "I d-didn't hear all of it, b-but it s-sounded like he was b-being abused, and…" I rushed out my next words. "He didn't make sense!"

"W-what?" Izuku asked, bewildered.

I fumbled over my words. "It's j-just - emotions aren't l-logical, I know - b-but he doesn't w-want to use his quirk b-because of his dad, y-yet he's still aiming for th-the top? Th-that's not a coherent t-train of thought!" I bit my lip, clenching my fists in frustration. "It'd m-make sense if h-he didn't w-want t-to be a hero at all, but he isn't t-trying to d-disassociate himself f-from h-his father, he's trying…" I broke off, growling in frustration.

Izuku waited patiently. "Ichigo, what are you trying to say?"

"I-It sounds l-like he's lost h-his own dream in his f-father's," I said finally."I-I've been th-there, and w-when people try to c-control your l-life, it's easy t-to get your d-dreams mixed up w-with th-their wishes."

Izuku turned his eyes back up to the Yuuei flag. "... Does he need help?" Izuku questioned eventually.

I nodded slowly. "In th-that situation, it t-takes a m-miracle or a-another p-person to break you f-free," I looked to Izuku determinedly. "I-I m-may not like Todoroki, b-because he's m-mean, b-but being b-bitter can do that, s-so… if y-you can help him, p-please do!" I blinked the tears from my eyes. "I c-certainly wish someone had h-helped me," I whispered, turning away. I walked away quickly, entering the same hall Izuku had just left, to go hide in the back rooms.

This was too much emotional drama for one day. I found myself stuck between wanting Izuku to have heard my final words, and hoping he hadn't. But I had been stuck here before, in between my own wants and someone else's my needs. I could hold out for a little longer. Maybe Izuku could help Todoroki, maybe he couldn't. I had tried, at least.

Sitting down in the locker room bench, I grabbed my hairbrush from my duffel bag, happy that I'd remembered to grab it. I couldn't talk to Missus Yukihime right now. Beginning to brush my hair, I closed my eyes and started to hum songs I could remember from the radio in the flower shop. I tried to lose myself in the rhythms, and forget about Todoroki, Izuku, and the entire situation. I had tried to help. And that had to be enough. It had to be.

I wouldn't lose myself in someone else again.

"Anmatsu! Anmatsu, where are you?" Grandmother called from the kitchen.

I looked away from the TV, brushing the hair that barely brushed my ears out of my eyes. "Over h-here, mama! In th-the living room!" I called, eyes bright and excited. "Th-the Yuuei Sports Festival is s-starting!" I cheered, wrapping myself up further in my old blue blanket on the couch.

Grandmother came out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of popcorn in her hands. "I remember! Didn't you say you wanted to be a hero, Anmatsu?" She sat down next to me, pinching one of my cheeks affectionately. "How could I forget the sports festival? I even made your favorite treat - popcorn!"

I took the bowl from my grandmother. "Th-thank you, mama," I said, forcing myself to sound enthusiastic. I hated popcorn, actually, but if Grandmother insisted, I would eat it. Reluctantly, I stuck a handful of the snack in my mouth.

"Of course, Anmatsu," Grandmother answered happily, wrinkled brown eyes focused on the television screen. "I love you, you know. To the moon and back."

I swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. "I-I l-love you too, mama," I muttered. Grandmother loved Anmatsu, I knew. She didn't love me, I realized.