一寸先は闇

issun saki wa yami

It is dark one inch ahead of you. / Who can see the future?

I woke up to a polite knock on the door. I instantly sat up, wondering where I was. Why was I in a bed? I hadn't slept in a bed in over a year, what was going on - I recognized the hospital room of the arena, and relaxed. I had taken a nap after my fight with Bakugo. Sighing in relief, I swung my feet to the floor, silently padding over to the door. My muscles still ached and my joints still groaned, but the pain was tolerable now, subdued by the painkillers and my short rest.

Rubbing one of my eyes blearily, I opened the door, wondering who had managed to find me. I realized I was looking at someone's stomach, and raised my head. Impassive heterochromatic eyes stared back down at me. I squeaked in surprise, instantly awake, and jumped backwards.

"U-uh, h-hey Todoroki!" I chirped uneasily. "W-what are y-you d-doing here?" Unconsciously, my feet shifted into a defensive position, as I automatically moved to protect myself.

Todoroki's gaze shifted off to the side, and he almost looked as uncomfortable as I was. My eyes sharpened, because Todoroki had never looked affected by tension in the air before. Just what exactly had Izuku changed, by forcing Todoroki to use his fire abilities? Clearly, Izuku had a better understanding of the situation then I did, but then again, I was divining all of my knowledge from three sentences.

After an awkward silence, Todoroki spoke. "Midoriya told me you knew about my… situation," he said slowly and carefully.

"Y-yeah," I confirmed. "I'm n-not g-going to b-blab, if that's w-what you're w-worried about."

Todoroki finally looked at me again. "Good," he said. I waited for him to speak again tensely, because surely that wasn't why he had gone through the trouble of hunting me down.

When a full minute had passed in silence, I got impatient. "I-is th-there a reason y-you came h-here?" I pushed, observing Todoroki carefully.

"You threw your fight with Bakugo," he pointed out abruptly. "Why?"

I looked at him oddly. That was why he had come searching for me? "Th-that r-really isn't any of y-your business," I said curtly. "B-but I kn-knew I couldn't b-beat you, with both y-your f-fire and ice t-together, so I l-let Bakugo win c-cause he actually h-had a shot." It technically wasn't a lie… it just wasn't the full truth either.

"I'm not going to use my fire again yet," Todoroki informed me. "You were willing to lose because this is just a competition. I wanted to understand your reasons, before I entered the final match," he paused oddly, before turning around. "Thank you."

My eyes widened in disbelief, before narrowing in anger. He wanted to understand my reasons, before throwing his match as well. First of all, Bakugo was going to blow a gasket. Second, that was ridiculous. "Y-your mother isn't d-dead, right?" I asked suddenly.

Todoroki froze immediately. "Yes," he answered coldly, the temperature in the room lowering several degrees as he grew more angry. I didn't care, because this needed to be said.

"D-do you th-think sh-she's watching you right n-now?" I inquired calmly, staring at the floor and not Todoroki's angry expression. I was treading on thin ice here.

"There are televisions in the hospital," Todoroki not-answered. I decided that counted as a "yes", and continued speaking.

"I g-get that your f-father s-sucks," I started, valiantly ignoring Todoroki's furious face. "B-but y-your mother cares f-for you still, and if sh-she's watching, if I were y-you, I w-would w-want to make her p-proud of me," I took a deep breath, as Todoroki's anger melted into confusion. "I'll n-never get to know m-my p-parents, b-but I wish I c-could know if th-they were proud of m-me," I was saying more than I should, so I ended my speech quickly. "S-so, don't screw th-this up for y-yourself."

Todoroki stared at me, looking rather lost. I'd clearly just crushed whatever twisted resolve he'd had to throw the final. "You're an orphan," he said finally. I nodded in confirmation. Todoroki visibly hesitated, before responding. "I'll consider what you have to say," he compromised. I nodded again, relieved I had gotten that off my chest. Whatever decision Todoroki made from here, I had done my part. Todoroki turned to leave again, but the door was slammed open in a familiar manner.

"HALF N' HALF BASTARD!" Bakugo roared, leg extended from kicking the door open. He was practically breathing fire in his fury. I could imagine steam pouring from his ears. "THE DAMN MATCH STARTS IN FIVE MINUTES, SO STOP WASTING TIME FUCKING AROUND WITH ICHIMI AND GET READY!" He ordered imperiously, before rounding on me, jabbing a finger in my face. "And you! You aren't missing my fucking fight after you fucked up the last damn one! Get your ass out to the box!" His piece spoken, the blonde stormed back out the doorway, closing it heavily behind him.

I blinked in shock. "Wh-what…?" I said finally, unsure who I was asking. "Why d-do I h-have t-to watch…?"

Todoroki walked out the door calmly. "It's probably best you don't attempt to understand him," he answered, unperturbed by the screaming blonde's interference. He turned around, holding the door open. "Are you coming?"

"Ah, s-sure," I agreed, rushing out the door. I was on better terms with Bakugo right now, and didn't want to screw that up by avoiding his watching his match. I tried to escape down the hall quickly, but was stopped by Todoroki.

"Wait," he said, and I paused, glancing back over my shoulder mid-step. "You… aren't weak."

I looked at him oddly. "Y-yeah," I agreed. I was pretty confident about my fighting abilities, with Mister Aizawa as my teacher.

"Is Bakugo easily frustrated?" Todoroki asked, meeting my gaze evenly.

I grinned. He was going to try and win! "If y-you kn-know what buttons t-to push," I answered, before adding, "H-he wants t-to w-win 'for real.'"

"Thank you," Todoroki said, nodding his head. He turned around sharply, walking back down the hall. I watched him round the corner, before facing forwards again, and starting towards the student seating box. I had a feeling this was a match I was going to enjoy.

When I finally reached the Class A box, I was beginning to feel fatigued again. I opened the door to the seating area, feeling slightly out of breath, only to recoil at the sudden sound of clapping. My classmates were clapping and looking towards me, so I froze, scanning the area around and above me for why they were cheering.

Kirishima stood up and ruffled my hair, grinning from ear to ear. "Your match with Bakugo was awesome!" He complimented, flexing one of his arms. "You both were so manly! I need more practice to keep up with you."

"Yeah!" Ashido agreed, bouncing up as well. She leaned in, yellow eyes gleaming, and I leaned back automatically, resisting the temptation to defend my personal space violently. "You're the strongest girl in the class, it's super cool! I really hope you get third place!" She elbowed me in a friendly manner, winking. "One of us needs to get up on that podium, right?"

I shrugged, feeling a bit awkward. "H-honestly, I d-don't want a m-medal. I d-don't n-need an internship offer, s-so it's b-better if Izuku g-gets th-third p-place," I explained, waving at Izuku casually through the window of space between Ashido and Kirishima's legs. His green eyes were wide in shock.

"Geez, Kurosaki," Sero laughed, scratching the back of his head. He stood up next to Ashido. "You're way too nice. Leave a little glory for the rest of us, yeah?"

I blinked in confusion. "...W-what?" I looked to Kirishima for an answer.

The redhead laughed. "He means you're way to selfless," Kirishima explained. "Most of us would love to have third place, and you're saying you'd rather give it to someone who needs it."

"B-but Izukun d-does n-need it more th-than I do," I pointed out, not understanding what Kirishima meant. Wasn't the objective of a hero to be selfless anyways?

All three of the other students laughed, before Kirishima said, "Nevermind. We'll stop holding you up here, Kurosaki. The next match is about to start anyways." Ruffling my hair one last time, Kirishima headed back to his seat. I huffed in irritation, raising my hands up to rearrange my bangs as I headed to my own spot.

Sitting between Ochako and Izuku, I smiled. "H-hey guys!" I cheered. "Excited f-for th-the fight?"

"Of course!" Tenya agreed, leaning past Izuku to see me as his glasses flashed. "And I must say, your fight with Bakugo was most impressive!"

Ochako grinned. "It really was! I'm kind of disappointed you didn't win, actually. I tried doing what you said during my own match, not releasing all the rubble at once, but I didn't have enough control," she laughed light-heartedly. "His reaction when you let him hit you was great though!"

"I j-just have more p-practice," I assured Ochako. "I-if you d-drill y-your abilities, you'll get m-more control," I told her.

Izuku added his own input. "The way you manipulated the pace and style of the fight was really cool. You made a big impression on everyone, especially since you didn't use your quirk," his words were complimentary, but his eyes were concerned. I swallowed, focusing on the arena below. I had a feeling Izuku was on to my quirk's functions. Bakugo respected my strength and ability enough to shut up and not interfere with me using my quirk. Izuku wouldn't let me heal him, if he knew the price.

"I g-guess," I agreed, not making eye contact with him.

Meanwhile, the jumbotrons were switching on again, and the audience was growing quieter, as people awaited the start of the final round. Present Mic's face appeared on the big-screens, pointed sunglasses flashing.

"Hey listeners! Are you ready for the final showdown?!" He pointed finger guns at the camera as the crowd roared its approval. "I don't know if I could hear you well enough. I said, ARE! YOU! READY?!" The audience cheered even louder, as people stomped their feet, clapped, hooted, hollered, and whistled. I covered my ears, because all the clamour was hurting my hearing. "GREAT! In the running for the top spots, we have Shouto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, Izuku Midoriya, and Ichigo Kurosaki! The winner of this match will get first place, and their previous opponent will get third. EVERYBODY GET IT?!" The crowd cheered, and Present Mic raised his arms. "THEN LETS! GET! STARTED!"

The flames on the stage shot high into the air, as the jumbotrons switched over to show Todoroki and Bakugo exiting the tunnels. Bakugo had his fists already closed, eyes lit with bloodlust. He wanted to win, and he wanted to win absolutely. I grinned, because now that I knew him better, I could understand his motivation. Bakugo wanted to win on his own merit, to prove that he was the best. He didn't want handouts, and he wouldn't cheat. It was a twisted code of honor, but I could respect it nonetheless.

Todoroki was harder to read. He looked calm and relaxed, but his eyes were filled with cold determination again, like at the beginning of the Sports Festival. However, unlike before, this time he was focused. At the start of the festival, Todoroki was like an avalanche, an angry storm of ice and hatred, indiscriminately freezing anyone that got in the way of his war-path. He looked different now, more centered and less enraged.

The camera's zoomed in on their faces, as the entire arena held its breath, waiting for the signal. After a few seconds, Present Mic's voice cut through silence. "START!" He barked, and immediately half the arena was swallowed by a small glacier. The audience gasped loudly.

Todoroki leaned forwards, watching the ice intently. With every second, there was a repetitive booming noise that was growing louder and louder. As Bakugo tunneled his way out of the ice, I moved to the edge of my seat, wondering what Todoroki's strategy was. Did he plan to exhaust Bakugo? If he used his fire, Todoroki could probably outlast Bakugo, but it didn't seem like his style.

There was a final, resounding explosion, and Bakugo broke free of the ice. His hands were smoking, as the last peices of ice fell to his feet. He narrowed his eyes and Todoroki, and then flew forwards. His hands grasped Todoroki's head and shoulder on his left side, using his momentum to send the heterochromatic boy flying. Todoroki went soaring towards the boundary line, but he compensated with his ice, using the frozen water as a ramp and surfing back into bounds. Bakugo lunged forward again, and Todoroki redirected his explosion with his left hand… but didn't use his fire.

Bakugo landed back in the center of the arena, hands popping with tiny explosions as he practically shook with anger. "DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME!" The blonde screamed, and I could read his lips on screen. I looked at Todoroki's eyes, and grinned. He had just successfully pissed Bakugo off, and now he had to use the blonde's anger to push him into irrationality. Bakugo flung himself towards Todoroki, aiming for his left side.

As soon as he got close enough, Todoroki lit himself on fire. Bakugo changed course immediately, but Todoroki had timed his attack perfectly. The blonde flew over Todoroki's head, unable to attack at his current angle and speed. Having equalized his temperature again, Todoroki turned the arena into an icy bowl, raising the sides a few feet up for his own convenience. Bakugo hit the icy and slid backwards, clearly having trouble keeping from slipping. On the jumbotrons, his breath was visible, as he pushed himself to his feet and tried to compensate for his tactical mistake. He'd put too much power into his last attack, letting go of his major advantage of having more control than his opponent.

"Todoroki's disarming Kacchan by lowering the temperature," Izuku noted, scrawling away in his notebook. "The less he sweats, the less powerful Kacchan is, and his last few attacks have probably used up ammo too."

I shook my head, grinning widely. "Y-you're t-too short sighted, Izukun. Th-the most impressive th-thing about T-Todoroki's quirk is that h-he c-can directly control th-the battlefield. H-he pissed off Bakago b-by not using h-his f-fire, and waited f-for an opening," I pointed at the battle field, which was growing colder and colder with every passing second. "N-not only is h-he l-limiting Bakago's power, h-he's creating an environment th-that benefits him, and puts Bakago at a d-disadvantage."

This time, Todoroki rushed Bakugo, having no trouble running on his own ice. Bakugo flung himself into the air, dodging Todoroki initial attack, but Todoroki made no efforts to use his ice to follow Bakugo, just letting the air get colder and dogging Bakugo, who dodged Todoroki from above, trying his best to fling aerial attacks the heterochromatic teen's way.

After several minutes, you could see them both running out of stamina. Todoroki was fairing better than his opponent, but his strategy required that he not warm himself up and risk Bakugo being able to generate more sweat, so he was beginning to slow down from the effects of his own ice. Bakugo was off even worse. With the several feet thick coating of ice on the ground, he couldn't land without slipping or falling, and every second he spent in the air, the blonde used sweat that he wasn't capable of reproducing due to the cold.

In a last ditch attempt to finish the fight before he ran out of power, Bakugo used his explosions to fly over Todoroki's head. Todoroki, now slowed by the frost spreading up his right side, wasn't fast enough to dodge the heavy explosion Bakugo aimed at his back, using the last of the blonde's power. The force of the explosion sent Todoroki to the ground, skidding across the surface of the ice towards the edge of the icy bowl. But the curved edges of the carefully shaped arena served their purpose. Todoroki slid back into safety, rolling to his feet. He stood up on the ice slowly, panting from exhaustion. Every breath was visible.

On the other side of the arena, Bakugo pushed himself up onto his feet much more unsteadily. Regaining his footing, the blonde glared at Todoroki angrily. His hands didn't spark, as he was clearly too low on power to compensate.

With enough distance between them, Todoroki smirked, and the frost climbing up his clothes dissipated. He didn't use his left side for long, but it was enough to solve the speed deficit from earlier. Bakugo seethed, but everyone in the arena understood what had just happened. This was game over.

Todoroki ran forward again, aiming a punch at Bakugo's head. Bakugo managed to duck under, throwing his own blow towards Todoroki's side. Todoroki glided to the side, skating away from the fist and kicking Bakugo in the side. The blonde tried to defend himself, redirecting the kick, but the ice under his feet destabilized him, and he slipped to the ground. In an instant, he was covered in an icy shell. There was a moment of silence, as everyone waited to see if Bakugo could break free of his prison. Todoroki didn't relax his guard, holding himself ready, just in case the blonde had any surprises.

After several seconds, Present Mic's voice rang through the stadium. "TODOROKI WINS! ALL OF THE MATCHES ARE OVER! THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S YUUEI FRESHMAN TOURNAMENT IS…" Present Mic paused for drama, but everyone knew what he was going to say. "CLASS A'S SHOUTO TODOROKI!"

The audience erupted, standing up on their feet and roaring their approval. Today's tournament had been one of the greatest Yuuei Sports Festivals ever, and it had been in the Freshman category. I cheered with everyone else, but I wasn't really sure if I was happy or not with Todoroki's victory.

I turned to Izuku, grinning toothily. "Looks l-like you get th-third place!" I chirped happily. Izuku smiled back widely, practically vibrating with excitement. Ochako squealed, overjoyed, and hugged Izuku tightly. Izuku's face turned red as a tomato immediately, and I started giggling at his expression. I turned towards Tenya, wondering what he thought, and paused. Tenya's seat was empty, and by the lack of an impression of a body on the cushions, had been empty for a while. I frowned, knowing that Tenya wouldn't have missed the final match on a whim. What had happened that made him leave in the middle of the final round?

I didn't have time to play detective further, because Kirishima was pounding me on the back. "Congrats, Kurosaki! You got fourth place!" He cheered.

I grinned back at him. "Y-yeah! B-better than I th-thought I'd do!" I agreed, bouncing onto my feet. We'd have the prize ceremony soon, so I celebrated Class A's major achievement in the Sports Festival with my classmates - we held all four of the top spots! - and tried not to worry about Tenya any further. He'd have told Izuku, Ochako, and I about the situation if it was emergency, I told myself.

I was pulled into a group hug by Ochako, and I forgot about everything beyond my friends and celebrating.

I stood in the center of the now cleared field. The concrete battle area had been removed, and replaced by four circular stages, at varying heights, set up in a square shape. At the highest, with a large "#1" painted on, was Todoroki, who endured the cheering of the audience with his usual stoicism. A few feet lower, Bakugo stood with his hands shoved into his pockets grumpily, glaring at his feet and radiating an aura of hatred. Todoroki appeared unaffected by the blonde planning his murder a few feet away.

On the third highest cylinder podium, Izuku was beaming. His smile was so wide it practically split his face, and his cheeks were flushed excitement. His head was spinning as he scanned the crowd, waving back at Ochako in the Class A box. The brunette was waving back at him twice as furiously. I covered my mouth to hide my giggle at their behaviour.

I was standing on the last and lowest stage, in front of Todoroki's high platform and between Bakugo and Izuku. I wasn't all that bothered by placing fourth. I was content with the fact I'd come out of this competition with a better understanding of Bakugo, a new love of fighting, and not-terrified of Todoroki. I felt noticeably more comfortable in my own skin, so when I smiled and laughed at Izuku and Ochako's obvious crushes on each other, it didn't feel forced. I honestly felt comfortable under the cameras and eyes of millions, and it was wonderful.

"IT'S NOW TIME TO GIVE OUT THE MEDALS!" Midnight announced over the intercom through the tiny microphone I could barely see taped to her cheek. "AND THE ONE WHO'LL PRESENT THE MEDALS THIS YEAR IS NONE OTHER THAN OUR HERO…" She raised her arms dramatically. "ALL MIGHT!"

All Might came flying down from the top of the stadium, doing several flips as he fell. He landed just as Midnight finished speaking, in a large puff of dirt. He was wearing a read, white, and blue costume, and as soon as he stood, he loomed over me, despite the fact I was standing on a stage. My giggles died, as my instinctive fear of loud and booming things set in. I had gotten used to the cameras, which I couldn't see and couldn't hear. I was not used to All Might. In contrast, Izuku became ten times more excited, which I wasn't even aware was possible.

"I AM HERE!" All Might announced, hands on his hips. The crowd became impossibly louder, cheering for the number one hero. As All Might gathered the medals in his hands and approached me, I shivered in fear. My eyes grew wide, and I clearly wasn't doing a good job hiding my new terror, because All Might placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. I had to fight to keep from falling over at the weight. The hero had to lean over to pat my shoulder as well, since I barely reached mid-thigh high on him. "Young Kurosaki, you have performed extremely well. It wasn't too long ago you were timid girl afraid of showing off her new costume," I swallowed in disbelief, surprised that All Might himself had noticed and even cared about my anxiety surrounding my costume the first time I'd met him. "I'm excited to see how you improve. Congratulations," he hung the bronze medal for fourth place around my neck, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

I toyed with the metal disc hung around my neck in wonder. Just like all the other Pro Heroes, All Might had a charisma that allowed him to dispose of fear with ease. I watched him hang the third place medal around Izuku's neck, eyes widening when the hero hugged the green haired boy. Izuku was tearing up, wiping his eyes and grinning triumphantly.

When All Might reached Bakugo, however, he found more difficulty. The blonde snatched the silver medal out of the hero's hands, refusing to wear it. He clutched it in his fist instead. "I'm going to win next time," he growled warningly, and instead of being afraid, I grinned at the thought. Competing with Bakugo next year would surely be entertaining.

Todoroki accepted his gold medal much more easily. He looked at peace with himself for once, not once glancing in Endeavor's direction, even as the Flame Hero roared his approval with the rest of the audience. Todoroki was actually blatantly ignoring his father, and I found myself giggling again.

This had been a good day, I decided. As Present Mic and Mister Aizawa entered the field to shake hands with the winners, along with Cementoss, Midnight, and the other heroes who'd helped host the competition. I met Mister Aizawa's eyes from across the grass, and he nodded his head once approvingly.

The smile that spread across my face was the brightest I'd ever had.