"No... it wasn't like that.

not really...

I swear.

please, don't...

don't do this.

I...

am so sorry."

"Tominaga?" someone sounded worried, but Hiyoka's mind was too far away for her to be able to listen rightfully. It took a few seconds for her to finally come back to reality and realize Ojirou standing on her front, hands on her shoulders and shaking her body gently.

"Uh?" was all Hiyoka could possibly answer, she felt breathless for some reason after all. The girl stared at Ojirou's worried eyes, trying to find a way to get out of that weird spell Todoroki put on her.

"Are you, mm..." the boy was truthfully unsure about how to ask, knowing that the answer was obvious. But he decided to ask anyway, "Are you alright?"

Closing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows just slightly, Hiyoka took a deep breath. The girl knew her whole class was watching her, and she thanked god almost no one could actually listen too.

"I am..." she opened her eyes. Sorry? Ashamed? Afraid? Probably all of the options. "Okay. No need to worry about me."

She tried to smile, and that was the fakest smile she ever gave so far. But she was utterly used to faking her smiles anyway.

Ojirou knew Hiyoka was anything but okay, but he decided to not bother her with any more questions. "We... need to head back to the monitor room, everyone's waiting for us."

"Oh, right. Let's go, then," she quickly walked past Ojirou, not bothering to wait for him. All she wanted to do was disappear. Or maybe just die.

"Tominaga," he called for Hiyoka, making her pause on her tracks and look at him from above her shoulder. Ojirou sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I won't tell anyone about... you know, what happened. You don't need to worry about it."

Hiyoka's eyes soon landed on the ground before she continued to make her way to the exit as she whispered a low 'thank you'.

Having to wait for all the matches to finish was a torture to Hiyoka. No, being in the same room as Todoroki Shouto after knowing who he was, that was the torture. Maybe she was in a limbo and that was the punishment for everything wrong she did.

She took a few glances on Todoroki, who was now ignoring her existence. She felt her chest tighteing.

Hiyoka should be happy, shouldn't she? She finally encountered her chilldhood friend after a decade. Then why did she feel so... guilty?

The girl had to stay on the back of the room, lonely, not feeling good enough to stay with her new friends - which worried Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero. But they chose to give her space.

It was actually weird for all of her classmates to see Hiyoka in almost the same state as Bakugou. Two of the most 'energetic' students of 1-A acting that way was surprising.

Hiyoka looked at her left, knowing that the hothead blond was there, lonely as well. After seeing him in such state, she felt slightly bad for getting in a fight with him and calling him names. Though she did not know Bakugou also lost to a childhood 'friend'.

"You... were great there," she whispered only for him to hear. Her voice sounded hoarser than she'd realize. "You fought really well. I, uh... like your quirk a lot."

Hiyoka waited for his response, but he didn't even move an inch. She waited, and waited, until she finally gave up and whispered, "Sorry for bothering."

But he did answer. Hiyoka just couldn't read minds to listen to it.

When all the matches finally came to an end, Hiyoka sighed in relief. She quickly changed back to her uniform, choosing to not wear the jacket this time, exposing her arms filled with scars - but she couldn't care less. They weren't self harm scars, at least most of them, though it was what looked like.

Gathering her stuff on the classroom, she saw Todoroki heading to the door, ready to leave. Hiyoka was afraid to, but she couldn't just stand and wait for things to solve.

"Shou-" the girl gulped, unsure if she should still call him by his nickname. "I mean, Todoroki! Wait!"

The mentioned boy stopped and turned to her, staring with his cold eyes as usual. "Hm?" was all he answered.

Hiyoka looked around, observing that they were the last students to leave the classroom. She knew Shouta was waiting for her to head back home, but her uncle was going to wait a little more.

She played with her hands nervously, "Could you... please wait? I..." she looked at her feet. "I need to clarify things."

Todoroki slowly walked to her and crossed his arms on his chest, narrowing his eyes. "Go ahead."

The girl took a deep breath, and faced Todoroki again, wearing an ashamed expression. "Do you... wish to know why I disappeared after that day?"

He only nodded, staring directly at Hiyoka's eyes.

She sighed slowly and closed her eyes desperately, feeling that she couldn't go back now. "In the way back home, we..."

"Papa, mama, look, a butterfly!" Hiyoka's little chubby hands tried to catch a blue butterfly flying around. The streets were fairly empty and the moon was already shining in the sky.

Kimiko only laughed, and her husband couldn't help but laugh too. The little girl's curiosity always made the older woman happy for some reason. "I see, Hiyoka. Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yeah, but! Why is she flying away from me?" the little girl crossed her little arms and pouted, staring at the tiny butterfly flying up to the sky. "Do you think she would follow me if I could make a very pretty flower for her?"

"I think so, darling," Hiroshi answered this time, patting his daughter head with a smile. "When you get older, you'll be able to make a lot of pretty flowers and all the butterflies in the world will come just to see it."

Hiyoka's eyes shone as she grinned, "Really?! I'll have to invent the most pretty flower then!"

Kimiko could only smile at her daughter plans. "We'll be waiting for it anxiously then, my little fairy."

But that sweet moment was interrupted by two villains who were following the family all the time.

"My parents..." remembering everything was very painful for Hiyoka, even though it was so long ago. "They died that night."

The sentence got Todoroki by surprise and his eyes got a little wide. He just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

The girl bit her lower lip as she only stared at the ground. "Two villains... were following us. They... wanted money, I think. Papa and mama gave everything we had, but still..." Hiyoka had to search for air, she strangely felt like drowning.

When the first shot was heard, little Hiyoka could only scream and cover her ears, watery eyes closed as well. She could still hear her mother loud crying and the two men screaming to eachother, though she couldn't understand them.

"They got violent. Papa tried to protect us, but one of them had a quirk that involved guns. They killed papa first," her throat was hurting like hell. "Then mama..."

Todoroki could feel the tension in the air as he watched Hiyoka's body starting to tremble. He just did not realize a certain hothead blond at the door, who accidentally heard everything.

Her little legs couldn't stand anymore and she fell to her knees, finally taking a look at her parents' lifeless bodies. Horror was clear in her eyes, and she could only cry as she saw the two men slowly walking to her, creepy smiles on their faces.

"When they were about to kill me, a pro hero appeared. After that, uncle Shouta became my guardian, and I live with him since then," as the hardest part was already told, Hiyoka relaxed just a little bit.

Aizawa sighed once more, never letting go of the fragile trembling body of his five year old niece. She couldn't stop crying. "Shhhh... I'm here. I... won't let anyone try to hurt you. I swear."

"Then I kind of became paranoid. For almost seven years, I never got out of our house, and cried everyday when Shouta had to get out to work. I was afraid... someone would try to kill the only family I had left. Shouta being a pro hero and fighting villains almost everyday didn't help too," she let out a sad giggle, still not being able to look at Todoroki.

Her watery eyes begged as her hands grasped Aizawa's legs. "U-uncle Shouta, please, d-d-don't go..."

"They, uh... said I have post traumatic stress and other stuff I don't really feel like mentioning. So, uh... it was hard. It still is, but four years ago... Shouta brought me here, to U.A." she smiled a little, finally having the guts to look Todoroki directly at his eyes. There were a few tears on her eyes, but she didn't care.

"I was still afraid to get out of our house, but knowing I would be in a place filled with pro heros and future pro heroes made me relax a little. I met all the staff and a lot of students, too. They were so nice to me. They showed me... that I could help people. That I could become a hero and save other families from having to deal with what I dealt."

"Shouta?" eleven year old Hiyoka called her uncle, who was currently having lunch with her in the teachers' room. Midnight and Vlad King were there as well.

"Hm?" he hummed back looking at her, his mouth full.

"Do you think I could... be a student here at U.A.?"

"And that's why I'm here now, Todoroki. That's what happened. I..." Hiyoka gulped, getting to her knees and bowed in front of him, her forehead touching the floor. Her eyes were closed. "After all that happened, I forgot almost everything about you. It wasn't my intention. You're the first friend I ever had and I'm... sorry."

Todoroki could only stare shocked before grabbing the girl by her arm gently and easily putting her back to her feet. He put his hands on her shoulders, and leaned his face closer to hers.

Both looked at eachother's eyes, not daring to move. Hiyoka, though, felt her cheeks warming up just a little.

"Stop..." the boy began, somewhat unsure. He then leaned in more, making his forehead touch hers. "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. I did not know, I apologize for before, Hiyocchi."

"Uh?" Hiyoka felt slightly shocked and confused. "But..."

"Shh," Todoroki quickly shushed her, distancing himself from her. Both of them secretly missed the previous feeling of being so close to eachother. "It's... okay. Life never goes as planned, I know that."

Hiyoka just stared at her now again friend, confusion clear in her eyes.

Words can save and words can kill. Just like a weapon, it's up to you to decide wich one will go.

The girl asked herself how someone could possibly kill and save her in the same day.

"Also, don't call me Todoroki, it's weird. Shouki is fine to me."


BONUS: phone conversations between Shouta and Hiyoka - part 3

Uncle Shouta~s2: Answer your phone.

Uncle Shouta~s2: Hello.

Uncle Shouta~s2: Hiyoka, it's your uncle.

I am Groot: How do I know it's really you?

Uncle Shouta~s2: Now you just answer the phone when I tell you to. Do what I say.

I am Groot: It IS you! So how have you been?

Uncle Shouta~s2: You know I'm losing hair because of you. You're an awful child.


Well, lots of exposure in this chapter :'v

Answering AmericanNidiot: I also wonder that... maybe Kirishima? ^w^

If you want to, you can check Hiyoka's hero costume with colors! Link: fav. me / dcm0yry (delete spaces)