The next day, a letter arrived at the Yagi Mansion. Short and terse, it said essentially only one thing:
"Lord Izuku Midoriya, Heir to the House of Yagi, is hereby invited by Lord Enji Todoroki to the Todoroki estate, with full guarantee of safe conduct. Lord Todoroki wishes to personally welcome Lord Midoriya back to Japan after his long absence, and discuss the futures of Houses Todoroki and Midoriya."
When Izuku looked up from the letter, he found himself staring into the worryingly unreadable eyes of Toshinori Yagi. He hadn't been dragged into his father's office that morning-that implied a level of roughness which his father would never dream of-but neither had the invitation been optional.
"I feel that I don't need to explain my surprise at receiving this a few hours ago," Toshinori said dryly.
Izuku winced. "Yeah, I can imagine," he muttered, trying not to look guilty.
"It is quite unusual for Lord Todoroki to issue such an invitation," the other man in the room observed. "Clearly, he has other motivations here."
Izuku turned to regard the man who had spoken. Mirai Sasaki was one of his father's closest and most loyal advisors; from his spindly appearance, rumpled white suit, thick glasses, and the general demeanor of a jaded salaryman, most people assumed he was a particularly skilled accountant.
Those people were hilariously wrong. Mirai-known more commonly outside of the Yagi family by his codename Sir Nighteye-was the commander of the Yagi House Guard, personal bodyguard to Lord Yagi Toshinori, and the most capable professional soldier in the service of any Japanese noble. He was, perhaps, one of the most dangerous and capable men Izuku had ever known.
It was because of Mirai's skill and leadership that the Yagi House Guard was the elite paramilitary force it was-and it was he who had been one of Izuku's primary trainers after Toshinori chose him to inherit One For All; Mirai had done this despite his stated personal misgivings with making Izuku heir. Izuku appreciated that more than he could ever say-even now, Mirai made no secret of the fact that he didn't think Izuku was ready for so much responsibility. And yet he followed Toshinori's orders impeccably, as he always had. Mirai had always been like that, fanatically loyal to his Lord, even to a fault.
"To be sure," Toshinori agreed. "Though identifying that motivation is another matter entirely."
Once more, his father's gaze fell on Izuku. "Do you have any idea why Lord Todoroki would suddenly be so interested in you?" he asked.
Izuku fought back a grimace. Yeah, he did. Shoko. She clearly had an agenda with him, and had pulled her father into it somehow. But seeing as saying that would be admitting that he'd screwed up, he instead shrugged and replied, "I am a complete outsider who's going to inherit the most powerful House in Japan. It makes sense if he just wants to meet me face-to-face."
Toshinori hummed. "A good point," he conceded. "But Lord Todoroki is a canny man. This feels rather…blunt for him."
Izuku shrugged. He thought of what Shoko had told him, not that long ago: "Sometimes, when your opponent is expecting a knife fight, the best thing to do is pull out a club and hit them on the head."
"Why not be direct about asking?" he pointed out. "Worst thing that could happen is I turn down the meeting."
"The worst thing that could happen is that the meeting is a trap of some sort," Mirai corrected dryly. When that earned him an appraising look from Toshinori, the spindly man shrugged. "Apologies, Lord Yagi, but that is my assessment. I do not trust Lord Todoroki, and I certainly do not trust this message asking for a meeting today."
"It's your job to not trust things like this, Nighteye," Toshinori said, waving it off. Mirai dipped his head, conceding the point. "However, I do think there is merit in accepting the meeting."
Izuku blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. "Aren't the Todorokis our rivals?" he asked. "How do you know Lord Todoroki won't…I don't know, try to take me hostage or something?"
In response, Toshinori tapped the letter. "He guaranteed you safe passage for that specific reason," he replied. "That means something, to the nobility; if it was found out that he broke his word, it would be catastrophic."
"But your heir might be a prize worth the condemnation," Mirai countered.
Toshinori shook his head. "No, Nighteye," he repeated. "Words like these, guarantees of safety…these are the rules by which the game is played. To break something like that is to invalidate the playing field-to overturn the pieces and devolve back into chaos. Lord Todoroki is not so foolish a man. He is a soldier, yes-but he is also a man who values discipline and the structure of the game. This offer is genuine, and made in good faith. The content of the meeting, though…that is what I do not know."
He turned back to Izuku. "Would you be willing to accept this meeting?" he asked. "If Lord Todoroki wishes to meet with you, he has a good reason for it. He is not a man to waste his words."
Izuku wondered, for a moment, if Toshinori knew exactly how much he and Shoko had interacted recently. He had to have some idea; the look in his eyes was too knowing to be as clueless as he acted. But even then…he seemed to trust Izuku's judgment far more than Izuku expected. He really did need to stop doubting Toshinori so much, and give the man the same trust he'd given Izuku.
"It seems like a good idea to me," he agreed. "What time does the letter say?"
Toshinori checked again. "Five p.m," he replied. "Plenty of time. I'll have a car take you there this afternoon. But in the meantime-might I ask how your marriage search is going?"
Izuku had perked up as Toshinori spoke-but when he heard the word "marriage," he wilted all over again. It still left him feeling so fucking dirty every time the issue came up.
"Well enough, I guess," he said awkwardly. "I met a few more of the women you suggested at last night's party."
"And?" Toshinori prompted. He did a good job of hiding it, but he seemed almost hopeful.
It was a genuine hope, born from a good place, Izuku knew; Toshinori had seen how crushingly lonely Izuku had been, before he'd left for America all those years ago. On some level, he worried that Izuku would fall back into that loneliness now that he returned.
But…still. Izuku sighed. "Alright, I guess," he said uncertainly. "They were pleasant enough, but…I don't know. They all felt like they were looking through me, you know? Like they saw the Heir to the House Of Yagi and wanted that, not me."
Toshinori hummed, while Mirai snorted dismissively. "I'm afraid that will be a recurring problem," he admitted. "But while perhaps you should be prepared to accept that you will not love the woman you marry right away…it is also true that you must marry someone you trust. Someone intent on using you for your status is not trustworthy."
Izuku nodded-but he knew it was more than that. He was very aware of how often he felt like he was still that timid, awkward, useless boy he'd been, back before fate had brought him to Toshinori. He'd felt that way in America, too, as Titan-and he'd run into this problem, even then.
See, there'd been girls in America; some were fellow mercs looking for quick flings to blow off adrenaline and the rush of victory after a successful job, some had been "gifts" from grateful clients or prospective employers…that sort of thing. Most of all, though, the girls had always been the sort that were drawn to the power-and the danger-of a man with a reputation like Titan's. Izuku had...never really been all that interested, to be honest. Katsuki had, and Ochako-to them, the women were as much a part of being a merc as the money. But Izuku hadn't been drawn in the same way-and besides, the girls tended to lose interest when they realized that behind the scars and the power and the danger was a man who could be profoundly awkward and uncomfortable with himself.
That was why Izuku hated that fucking binder so much. It felt like he was playing a part whenever he interacted with the women from it-as if he had to be the sort of man who chose a wife off a list, who could essentially buy a woman and be entirely comfortable with himself afterwards. He'd known men like that in America-had often pretended to be one of those men, in order to avoid standing out.
But Izuku was not one of those men. He couldn't be. He'd learned that about himself in America, and had learned it again here. It was most definitely not a good thing, but it was the truth. He'd have to deal with it, one way or the other.
Toshinori watched him with those deep, understanding eyes, and as always, Izuku had absolutely zero idea what his adopted father was thinking. Finally, though, he sighed.
"Very well," he announced. "Be sure to prepare yourself for the meeting with Lord Todoroki. I'll have a driver and car prepared. And…be careful, my boy. Lord Enji is not a man to trifle with."
Izuku nodded gratefully. With one last farewell, he fled the office, trying to feel like he hadn't just failed yet again.
Time to focus. He had to prepare for a dangerous mission: meeting Shoko Todoroki's father.
The trip to the Todoroki estate later that day took barely an hour of travel; Izuku hadn't realized the two estates were so close. Apparently, while most of the Great Houses had redoubts and mansions all across Japan, many were actually based in the Greater Tokyo region. This made sense the more Izuku thought about it; Tokyo was the center of Japan's political and economic power, after all. Living close to it was simply good business sense.
As the limousine pulled up to the gates-waved through triple-layered defensive gates that looked pretty tough, though Izuku imagined that the real bulk of the place's defenses were completely invisible to him-the most striking difference between the Yagi estate and the Todoroki one became apparent. Where the Yagi mansion was a stately European-style building situated atop a steep hill overlooking the town of Musutafu-Izuku's hometown, as it happened-the Todoroki manor was set deep in a remote forest, with miles of heavily-patrolled woodlands all around the actual mansion.
And as for that mansion, the sight of it made Izuku's eyes widen as he stepped out of the limousine. The building was huge, damn near the size of House Yagi's manor, though he couldn't say for sure which one was actually bigger. Part of the problem was the style; unlike the Yagi manor-indeed, most House mansions-the Todoroki estate was a colossal homage to traditional Japanese architecture. It was all wood and rice paper, elaborate multi-tiered roofs and towers sprawling over the mountaintop.
It looked to all the world as if a millennia-old castle, a fortress straight out of the Sengoku Jidai, that half-mythical era of shoguns and samurai, had been resurrected in its full glory perhaps an hour's drive outside of Tokyo-except, of course, this mansion was four times the size of any samurai castle. It left Izuku feeling off-kilter as he stepped towards the front door, where a stern-looking man in an immaculate butler's uniform stood waiting for him.
"Heir Yagi," he said, "I see you have arrived a few minutes early."
Izuku nodded. "I did not wish to keep Lord Todoroki waiting," he said, though the man hadn't asked for an explanation.
The butler replied, "An astute choice. My Lord dislikes tardiness. Unfortunately, he is currently occupied with other work, and is not yet available to meet with you. However, Lady Todoroki left instructions to direct you to her."
Izuku…wasn't sure how he felt about that, honestly. He was already stressed enough about meeting her dad, he didn't need to deal with Shoko and her scheming as well. But he had to admit, it sure sounded like he didn't have much of a choice.
Also…calling Shoko Lady Todoroki like that was an interesting piece of information. Such a title would normally be reserved for Lord Enji's wife…but from what Izuku knew, something terrible had happened to that woman quite a while ago. Nobody he'd met had given him more detail than that.
"I see," he said cautiously. "And where is she?"
"She is currently in the training arena," the butler replied. "I shall take you to her."
The training arena? That seemed like a weird place to welcome guests-let alone the son of Toshinori Yagi. But before Izuku could ask any more questions, the butler had turned, beginning to make his way down the grand entrance hall behind him.
Feeling distinctly uneasy, Izuku followed the man. It turned out the rest of the Todoroki estate was just as traditional and ornate as the entrance had been; it felt like he'd somehow been teleported back into the past, like men with swords would turn the corner at any second.
They did not. There were people in the hallways, servants, guards and the like-but shockingly few of them, to Izuku's eyes. The Yagi manor always felt bustling and packed, full of people who had business with Toshinori, or servants, or members of the Yagi House Guard, which was based in one of the manor's wings. By comparison, the Todoroki estate felt…empty. Cold, even.
It took them nearly five minutes of walking through identical, winding hallways until the butler stopped outside a particularly large and heavy-looking door.
"Lady Todoroki is inside," he informed Izuku. "She requested the room while you are present, so I will remain here; if you require anything, please do not hesitate to ask."
With that, he drew the door aside, clearly expecting Izuku to enter. Instead, he hesitated for just a moment.
Something about this felt off. After a moment, Izuku thought he'd figured it out. Much like any aristocratic system, the nobility of Japan had very strict senses of propriety and acceptable behavior when it came to single, unmarried nobles. Couples who were courting or even actively betrothed were required to have multiple chaperones at all times; to say nothing of an unmarried man and woman, who were never supposed to be alone in a room together.
And yet, here Shoko was, demanding-and receiving-complete privacy while entertaining the single most eligible bachelor in Japan. She'd always come off as someone who was more than willing to pay lip service to the rules while happily violating them, of course, but still…it was shocking, how all the servants of House Todoroki-hell, even Lord Enji himself-seemed completely unbothered by something that should have bothered them greatly, for fear of reproach by other Houses if nothing else.
Could it be a setup? Possibly, but that didn't seem like Shoko's style; the simple fact was that even Izuku had already heard the story of the last man who had touched her inappropriately-an older nobleman with something of a reputation when it came to virginal young noblewomen-had been summarily blinded by Shoko's flames on the spot. His House had ceased to exist within the year.
If it was a setup, it was an uncharacteristically hamfisted one. Besides, Izuku had come this far; stopping now would achieve nothing.
With a sigh, he nodded to the butler, and walked inside. The door closed behind him with a thud.
The moment Izuku stepped into the training room, he stopped dead.
He didn't know what he had been expecting; rice paper walls like the rest of the estate, probably, tatami mats, like in an old martial arts dojo. And to be sure, there were some of those-but the dense, thick modern blast padding on every surface, covered in scorch marks and battle scars, told a very different story.
More than that, the room was vast, several times the size of any gymnasium Izuku had ever been in. It seemed to stretch on and on in every direction, full of equipment he recognized as incredibly high-end exercise and training gear, along with things he had no clue at all about.
Inevitably, he found his gaze drawn to the most striking feature of the whole gym-the vast swimming pool at the center of the huge room, easily five or six times the size of an Olympic swimming pool, though not quite as deep.
On second thought, perhaps it was more accurate to say that his gaze was drawn to a point above the pool, where Shoko Todoroki stood atop a twelve-foot tall pillar of ice.
Her back was turned to him, and she seemed so intensely focused that she wasn't aware of his presence-not that he could blame her; the level of grace and balance required to stay perfectly still atop the pillar of ice was ridiculous. More than that, she was doing it on one foot, the other one folded over her knee in a yoga-like pose. She was so utterly still, Izuku could tell that she was completely in her element; whatever training she was doing, it was like second nature to her. No wonder she was such an incredible dancer, with poise like that.
No sooner had Izuku formed the thought than Shoko moved. Moving gently, almost daintily, she raised her opposite arm towards the ceiling-
And unleashed a blast of fire so vast and hot it roared like a dragon. Izuku's eyes went wide as the column of flame splashed against the heat-resistant ceiling-but Shoko was so very far from done. Still shooting fire from the palm of her hand, she leaned backwards, one foot still planted on the ice pillar beneath her, while the other rose up to serve as a counterbalance; then, she began to twirl atop the pillar, picking up speed as she spun in effortless circles, turning the jet of flame into a ring that spun around and around with her, so bright she almost vanished within it.
Then, she stopped spinning, and ice erupted from her other hand, cold crystals springing out in all directions to crash against the heat. They annihilated each other, each so fierce they transformed instantly into wispy steam. Fire flared again, and the pillar melted away beneath her.
For a second, Izuku thought she was going to plunge into the pool beneath her. But then, to his shock, the split second Shoko's foot touched the surface of the water, ice shimmered into a thin but solid veil on the surface; her power was so strong, the slightest touch of her cold so intense, that it froze instantly. But the other half of her body was burning so fiercely, that icy platform's time was already ending; he could see it transpirating, turning directly to steam beneath her feet.
But that was fine; Shoko had already begun to move. As Izuku watched, she began to literally walk on water, her flowing, dance-like steps creating icy footholds wherever she landed. It was dainty, ethereal, otherworldly; she seemed like a goddess, effortlessly commanding the very elements.
But those ice floes were always short-lived; her other half melted them as quickly as they formed. Though her fire had settled down somewhat, clinging to her arm and shoulder like a protective sheet, the sheer heat coming off of her set the pool beneath her feet to steaming.
The fire lengthened, grew brighter; bit by bit, it seemed to take the shape of a wing, curling brilliantly off of Shoko's back as she twirled and danced and flowed easily through contortions and leaps that seemed to defy gravity. She was an angel with burning wings, dancing to music only she could hear; she transfixed Izuku, made it impossible to look away.
Shoko twirled like a ballerina; with a flick of her wrist, a glacier materialized into being, racing towards the far wall of the room. A moment before it could strike, though, Shoko sent a fireball screaming after it; the two collided, leaving only a haze of steam and water, air rushing in the aftermath. Any one of those attacks could have leveled buildings, a feat impossibly beyond most quirk users Izuku had ever met. Even those who could were never able to maintain that power for long; a feat such as this would have exhausted them. But Shoko did it again, and again, opposing forces held in perfect balance, annihilating each other in explosions of superheated air. And all the while, she danced atop the water, on ice floes that flickered in and out of existence like heartbeats, temporary and fleeting and beautiful all the same.
Izuku had seen powerful, skilled quirk users before. He had faced some of the most dangerous people alive in open combat. He had seen incredible feats achieved by equally incredible people. He'd even seen unimaginably powerful flame quirks used in all their glory; that thought made his left arm itch. But he had never seen anything like this. The grace with which Shoko moved, the absolute mastery of two facets of her powers so utterly different and overwhelming, the utter control she wielded…
This was beyond skill. This…this was art. And it held him spellbound, unable to look away.
At last, Shoko came back to the center of the pool, where she had begun. The moment her foot touched the water there, she leaped upwards off the ice floe-and now her other foot erupted into a jet of fire that pushed her higher, faster. It flared bright, roaring like a rocket, until at last she hovered even higher than she had been atop her pillar of ice.
And then, she looked down, and made eye contact with Izuku. And he realized that she'd known he was there all along.
She smiled. It was a terrible thing, that smile; beautiful to behold, but utterly without mercy, ferocious like a supernova and twice as bright.
She raised her arms, stretching them out to either side…and then she used both sides at once, flaring so bright as ice and fire roared that Izuku was forced to look away.
He could still make out the sheer ferocity of the explosion that followed, however, as the air all around Shoko, heated and cooled and heated and cooled again, exploded outwards, sending fire and ice racing outwards in a surge of pressure that Izuku was forced to brace himself again.
As he watched Shoko rage like a wildfire and a blizzard all at once, wings of fire and ice making her look like an avenging angel come to Earth, Izuku finally realized something: this was the woman he had been warned about. This was the woman who used all of Japan as her chessboard, who treated entire noble Houses like pawns, who lurked behind the smiling socialite he had bandied words with. Beneath Shoko Todoroki's grin lurked something terrifying: Here was the woman who burned like the sun.
And yet, for all that Izuku found himself abruptly terrified of his new understanding…he still could not look away.
At long last, the fire faded and the ice melted away; when Izuku could at last make out Shoko Todoroki's form, she was walking towards him, leaving a trail of ice as she strode across the steaming pool.
While Izuku tried to figure out how he could possibly speak right now, Shoko accepted a towel from a servant, draping it around her neck. She seemed to be studying him, searching for something. Izuku wasn't sure what; all he could do was meet her eyes and let her look.
Whatever she found, it made her smile. "Lord Izuku," she said, somehow both formal and informal all at once, "I apologize for meeting you in such a state. Forgive me."
Confused, Izuku glanced down-and nearly blushed like a fucking teenager.
Though they had been forced to compromise with more modern sensibilities to an extent, there were rather strict dress codes among the nobility, especially young women, in the name of "propriety." Long gowns, dresses eternally toeing the line between risqué and conservative, even down to shoes and jewelry and all the rest of it. Shoko Todoroki was no exception; despite the undercurrents that suggested otherwise, every time Izuku had met her, she had been the very model of propriety, using the sensuality of mild deviations from what was considered truly "proper" to enhance the air of transgressive danger about her. The effect had been as if she was showing that she was more than willing to break a few rules here and there…so watch out.
But that wasn't what was happening here. Indeed, what Shoko was currently wearing was…well, it wasn't exactly that bad, compared to what Izuku was used to on some of the women in Mercy's Bar. But it was definitely little more than a sports bra and yoga pants. And somehow, that made Izuku feel distinctly off-balance; he'd known, obviously, how attractive Shoko Todoroki was, in evening gowns as well as just in general. But holy fuck, she was hot as hell. Her tall, slim figure flared out to wide, supple curves that made Izuku's mouth go dry; her skin was flawless and smooth, almost like porcelain as it rippled across her toned, bare midriff.
Judging by the way she grinned at him, Izuku rather suspected that this had been part of her plan; she was trying to get him off-balance, with displays of both her incredible power, and, well…herself.
Well, it was fucking working. But Izuku was made of stronger stuff than that. "Lady Todoroki," he replied at last, equally formal. "It's quite alright. I'm sorry for disturbing your training session."
Shoko's eyes glimmered with a light Izuku couldn't quite place. "Oh, I was just wrapping up," she said cheerily. "Now, if you don't mind excusing me for a moment, I'll go get changed into something more…appropriate. Then, I'll escort you to see my father."
Izuku nodded. "By all means," he said, finally getting himself fully under control.
He was grateful for the ten minutes or so he sat alone in one of the estate's lounges, the watchful eyes of the butler on him; it let him fully recover, and sort through his whirlwind of thoughts.
Most importantly, holy fuck, Izuku would not want to fight Shoko Todoroki. He had been aware, on some level, that all of the Great Houses gave their scions some level of martial training with their quirks; given the degree of personal danger they were often in merely by existing, to not do so would have been utterly stupid. But that display had not been self-defense tactics. Clearly, at least to some extent, Shoko Todoroki had been trained for war.
That wasn't too surprising, given who her father was; Izuku knew of Enji Todoroki, as did most of Japan. He was, quite literally, a war hero; his unprecedented ascension to the nobility had been earned on the battlefield. It made sense that he would train his heir accordingly.
But even then…Izuku had himself been trained by the commanders of House Yagi's House Guard, and though their training had been among the best in the world, he had still found enormous, dangerous holes in it the first time he'd been in actual combat. Experience had made him as dangerous as he was, not training. Regardless of how well the Great Houses trained…he found himself wondering how many of them, heirs and soldiers alike, had seen actual combat.
He shook himself out of his thoughts just as Shoko reentered the room, now wearing something more suitable for guests-though he had still sort of been expecting her to be wearing a long, slinky dress. Instead, she wore a comfortable but severe-looking pantsuit, muted blue in color. She looked more like a pre-quirk businesswoman than anything-but as with everything she wore, she somehow managed to look utterly at ease and commanding in it.
"My father is ready to see you now, Lord Izuku," she said, still wearing her ever-present smile.
With a nod, Izuku rose to his feet, and began to follow Shoko. She led him through long, ornate halls dripping with finery and decorations; about the only difference between this and any given corridor in the Yagi mansion was the traditional architecture.
As they walked, Shoko asked, "So? What did you think?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" he replied, deciding to play her game right back.
Shoko half-turned to him, though she continued walking. "I would think the answer is obvious," she answered. "I would like your opinion on this outfit, of course."
Izuku chuckled; if she wished to continue dancing around the blazing supernova in the room, then so be it. "I like it," he said after a moment. "Though I think I prefer your evening attire more."
Shoko grinned. "Even over my attire earlier?" she shot back, removing any doubt in Izuku's mind that her level of dress had been an accident.
With a smoothness that he would never have managed as a teenager, Izuku jokingly replied, "Why, Lady Todoroki! I am a gentleman; I have already forgotten that I ever saw you in such an improper situation."
For his efforts, Izuku was rewarded with the first time he ever managed to render Shoko Todoroki briefly surprised into silence; it didn't last long, of course, as she broke out into a vicious-sounding snicker a moment later.
"My, you learn quickly," she chuckled. "In more ways than one, I might add. Speaking of your own attire, that is."
Izuku glanced down at himself for a second; he was similarly not quite as dressed-up for the occasion as a gala, having worn a vest and slacks with a jacket, rather than a full suit-though he still wore long gloves, something that looked slightly out of place with such an outfit. He shrugged, and said, "I've picked up a thing or two."
Shoko nodded. "I presume you didn't have many opportunities for a proper three-piece suit while you were a mercenary," she added.
In response, Izuku chuckled. "You'd be surprised," he said, making Shoko shoot him an intrigued look. "Half of being a merc is having a brand, a reputation. One man I knew decided to go for a more gentlemanly appearance. He wore a suit everywhere-including into combat."
Shoko raised an eyebrow. "And how did that turn out for him?" she asked.
Izuku smiled. "Quite well, actually," he replied. "His name was Tobita-but we all called him Gentle. A good fighter-and a good man, too, which is even rarer. He retired a year or two ago-and that makes him a legend all by itself. Mercenaries don't usually live long enough to do that."
Shoko had been nodding along, her expression fascinated and amused…until Izuku's last sentence. Abruptly, without warning, her laughter died; her eyes grew dark and distant. As if a cold breeze was blowing through the halls, the conversation died with a chill.
Izuku took a few seconds to work up the courage to speak again. "Lady Shoko?" he asked. "Are you alright?"
In response, Shoko held his gaze for a few moments, then sighed; she seemed merely disinterested, and a little cold-but Izuku thought he caught a few traces of sadness in her voice as she said, "I was merely wondering how I could try so hard to pry any scrap of your past out of you and fail…only for you to offer it freely as an anecdote. I must admit…I don't understand you."
Izuku thought for a moment-then decided that he didn't dare trust the part of him that almost wanted to apologize. Instead, he answered, "The feeling is profoundly mutual, Lady Todoroki."
Shoko chuckled, but said nothing more. That made Izuku fall silent himself; they stayed that way right up until Shoko stopped outside a large, ornate door a minute later.
"My father is waiting in his study," she said. "He is quite eager to meet you, as I'm sure you've realized."
Izuku nodded. "Thank you for the escort, Lady Todoroki," he said, stepping forwards. As he raised his hand to knock, though, Shoko spoke again.
"Lord Midoriya," she said formally. When Izuku turned his head, she continued, "Do…be careful, yes? I would very much like to continue our mutual lack of understanding."
Izuku raised an eyebrow…then nodded. "Of course," he said, low and soft. "Though, with all due respect…I've faced far worse things than your father. I'm not particularly afraid of him."
Shoko laughed dryly. "Keep telling yourself that," she replied. Then, she turned, and left, vanishing back into the infinite mazelike halls of the Todoroki manor.
With nothing else to do, Izuku knocked on the door. A moment later, a gruff voice called out, "Enter."
He did so, ready to meet the second most powerful lord in Japan face-to-face.
As he stepped into the surprisingly dark study, Izuku laid eyes on Enji Todoroki for the first time.
The first thing he noticed was the sheer size of the man; well over six feet tall, and built like a tank, he was still every inch the iron-hard ex-soldier. Even seated behind a majestic mahogany desk, he seemed too large for the room.
"Lord Todoroki," Izuku said as he stepped inside. "It is good to finally meet you."
Enji looked up from the paper he'd been reading. "Ah, Heir Yagi," he said. "I've been waiting for you. Come, have a seat."
Enji rose from his own chair to shake Izuku's hand; he had a firm, almost overpowering grip, one that would have crushed a lesser man-but Izuku's own strength made it easy to meet the force with his own. If Enji was impressed by that, he didn't show it.
"Tea?" he asked as they sat down on horrifically expensive-looking seats around a small coffee table in one corner of the study. No sooner had Enji said the word than a servant appeared as if by magic, bearing cups and a pitcher of steaming tea. Izuku accepted a cup from the servant, who poured with steady, masterful movements, then vanished again as quickly as they had arrived.
As Izuku sipped at it, he saw Enji sizing him up; the man's eyes were a piercing, intimidating blue, a shade and intensity he recognized from Shoko Todoroki. Clearly, she took after her father in more than one way.
Just as Izuku wondered if Enji would ever actually speak, the man said, "Doubtless, you are wondering why you received an invitation to meet with me."
Alright, so no pleasantries, then-not that Izuku had really expected any. Enji's reputation was not that of a man who enjoyed wasting his time with elaborate greetings. By now, Izuku was in the cool, unflappable flow-state that he always achieved under pressure-a holdover from years of combat, where panic meant death. He did not think, did not worry, did not stress over how he might screw this up-he simply acted. As a result, the words of a more confident man came more naturally to him than they normally did.
"The question had crossed my mind," he agreed, formal and stiff. "I rather suspect you don't do this every time a House chooses a new heir."
Enji snorted; one odd thing Izuku had already noticed was how Shoko's father seemed to be significantly less adept at hiding his reactions than his daughter was. "You're quite right," the man confirmed. "But, to be frank, you are no ordinary heir, either."
Izuku said nothing, but nodded; they both knew that well enough. Enji studied him silently for a few more moments, then spoke again.
"You wish to know why I have invited you to meet?" he asked. "It's quite simple: I would know the man who will one day stand at the top of our world."
Izuku frowned. "I…don't quite understand what you mean," he said slowly.
Enji's eyes were cold and harsh as he stared Izuku down. "You, boy, appear not to know just how great a void you will one day be asked to fill. The Lord you call your father is, without question, the greatest man Japan has ever known."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Oddly high praise, coming from his most hated rival," he observed mildly.
Enji's gaze darkened. "It is because I have tried to surpass him for thirty years now that I have such a full measure of the Lord of your House," he said, his voice lower, more dangerous. "So, since you seem to be unaware, allow me to lay it out for you: Lord Toshinori Yagi is, in many ways, the reason the aristocracy exists in its current form."
Izuku kept his expression guarded. "That is quite the claim, Lord Todoroki," he replied.
Enji nodded. "Then understand that I do not make it lightly," he rumbled. "But allow me to put it this way: your house is the greatest in Japan, not just in the personal strength of its Lord, but in financial resources and military power. You, as a family, are the fulcrum upon which the rest of our world can sit. Lord Yagi uses your wealth to prop up families which have made foolish investments or bad loans, preserving the stability of our world; his House Guard serves a similar purpose. And all of that, of course, pales in comparison to what his personal reputation does any time a foolish Lord considers declaring a House War on one of his fellows."
Izuku blinked. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he admitted yet again.
Once more, Enji's expression was unreadable-but Izuku couldn't help but feel that something else shifted dangerously.
"Tell me, boy, are you familiar with the concept of a nuclear deterrent?" he demanded.
At last, something Izuku did know. He nodded.
Enji took a deep sip of his tea before continuing. "Imagine, then," he said softly, "that instead of two sides each having nuclear weapons, and thus each side being unable to destroy the other without being destroyed in turn…that the nuclear weapons themselves were a third side, able to choose who they would fall upon-and that they made it abundantly clear that they would always fall upon the aggressor in a conflict. That is the situation the world of the nobility has found itself in for thirty years, because of Lord Yagi. We have had thirty of the most peaceful years in our history, because of a man who can destroy entire armies without breaking a sweat. He has done it before-and there is not a Lord or Lady alive who does not fear and love him in equal measure for it."
Izuku did not say a word, but something on his face must have spoken for him, because Enji rose to his feet, pacing out towards the large glass window overlooking the setting sun.
"I was there, you know," he said more quietly, seeming to stare out into the distant past. "At the Battle of Tsushima Strait. Not much older than you are now, a lieutenant in the Self-Defense Forces. I saw the warlord's forces come over the horizon. Three hundred ships. Three hundred. All we could muster against that was thirty. We were fools, sitting there waiting to die. And then…Lord Yagi appeared."
Without warning, Enji turned back towards Izuku. "Lord Yagi saved Japan that day," he said, without the slightest hint of exaggeration. "Of that, I have no doubt. I watched him do it-he annihilated that war fleet, like the Divine Wind itself. More than twenty thousand men, dead in less than an hour, all at his hands. All that power, all that death…he stopped it with a wave of his hand. That was when I learned what real power looks like. And now, Lord Yagi is on his way out of this world…and you are rising in his place."
Izuku opened his mouth, perhaps to protest…but something in Enji's eyes stopped him. It wasn't quite awe, or worship…but it was closer than he thought possible, from a man like Enji Todoroki, a man who to all the world seemed to hate Toshinori Yagi, the only man who had ever really gotten close to being his equal.
Enji's gaze once more fell on Izuku, crushing down on him like a thousand tons of bricks. "You inherit more power than you can imagine, boy," he rasped. "Your quirk is one thing-your wealth another. Lord Yagi has his tendrils in every sector of our economy; hell, half the Great Houses owe him sizable debts. Your House Guard puts some national militaries to shame. And if you are not the man your adopted father is, if you fail, you risk bringing us all down with you."
Izuku…had never thought about that, really. He almost quailed at the idea. Him, the most powerful man in Japan, able to send the country into a spiral with one mistake, one overstep? Him, commander of a private army that could bring down the country if he but gave the order?
It was so easy to forget, when he spoke with Toshinori, what the man had achieved in his life, what he had become; he was the pillar of modern Japan in many ways, the central foundation upon which so much rested. But he would soon set that burden down…and Izuku would have to pick it up.
When he looked up again, he found that Enji had once more turned away from him. "You can imagine my concerns, then," the man continued, "When my daughter informed me that the man Lord Yagi had chosen was a mercenary."
Izuku stiffened, ever so slightly. Eyes darkening, he considered how to take that. It made sense that Enji, a former military man, would have a dim view of mercenaries…but something in his voice suggested a deeper hatred, something more personal.
"I would think," he said eventually, somehow managing to keep his voice under control, "That you would appreciate my father's intention to ensure that his successor had combat experience before inheriting the nation's largest armed force."
In response, Enji snorted. "Do you really believe that what you engaged in was combat, boy?" he sneered. "What you did was closer to street brawling than any military action. Mercenaries are little more than disorganized rabble, scarcely more than criminals. You lack discipline."
Izuku's eyes darkened further. "You don't know me," he said through gritted teeth. "You don't know the things I've done."
For a moment, Enji was silent. But then, he met Izuku's eyes, and replied, "On that, at least, you are correct, Heir Yagi. I do not know you. Nobody does."
Izuku blinked; his confusion gave Enji the opportunity to continue, "My daughter claims to see something in you; I believe that what she's actually seeing is a man so closed-off, so guarded, that even she cannot see who you really are. In a way, that is an impressive feat, eluding her so well…but it is a stupid thing to do, and it cannot continue."
The mood in the room was getting darker, now, and fast; Izuku thought he could smell smoke, or perhaps ozone-though perhaps that was his temper beginning to burn. He opened his mouth to retort, but Enji spoke again before he could.
"When I look at you, I see a man who is hiding," he said curtly. "Hiding from the world, and hiding from himself, too. You are scared of being judged-but avoiding the world does not mean you can escape from judgment. Tell me, will you ever give those who are waiting for a sign that you are the sort of man who can succeed Lord Yagi what they are looking for? If you don't…that will be taken as a sign as well. And the vultures will begin to circle. If you are too timid, too weak to be the man who can carry the world on his shoulders, you will not survive."
Izuku growled. "Did you invite me to this meeting just to insult me?" he hissed. Lightning crackled in the corners of his eyes; the study began to smell of ozone.
Enji stepped closer; he loomed over Izuku, a huge, shadowy shape backlit in bloody red and orange by the dying light of sunset. His eyes burned like cold voids in the night.
"I called this meeting," he answered, voice low and deadly, "to take your measure. To know if you will be an enemy to be respected, as your father is, or an obstacle to be removed. So far, I am not impressed."
Izuku snorted. "I'm not a dog doing tricks," he said, equally dangerous. "Nor am I a show horse, trying to make people gasp in awe. I don't show off what I can do just for people to gossip about me. I don't care if the simpering nobles are impressed with me or not."
Enji sneered. "Have you learned nothing about our world, boy?" he demanded. "You do have to impress me. You have to impress all of us, or we will not respect you. Power not demonstrated is power you do not have. So come on, you up-jumped common mercenary, show me why you deserve to inherit the House of Yagi!"
With that, out of nowhere, Enji flared. Fire erupted from his face, his body, swirling in his fist as he reared it back.
Izuku, caught off guard, could only watch as a fireball took shape right in front of his face, so close he had no hope of dodging-
For a moment, his left arm burned, agony as half-remembered as the words that entered his mind unbidden, fragments of a past he had tried so damn hard to forget. Suddenly, he was not facing Enji Todoroki, but a different man with blue eyes and flames swirling in his fists, choking the life from him until his lungs were full of smoke and ash.
"What fucking good is a reputation if you're not around to use it? Stand the hell down!"
"That's the thing, Titan. What else is left of us when we die, if not our reputations? Men like us…we're like smoke. When our time is up, we vanish."
Lightning flared in his blood; for a moment, he was ruled by sheer, overpowering instinct. He became Titan again, in all his glory, for a fraction of a fraction of a second.
He moved.
There was a flash of light, and a shout, and a cry of abrupt shock. When Izuku could think again, he almost gasped with surprise.
He had vaulted from his chair, surging up towards Enji before he could connect on his attack. He'd swept the bigger man's leg out from under him, moving too fast to see, too fast to stop-and then, he'd caught Enji's blazing punch out of midair, snuffing out the flame in his fist as he forced Enji to one knee, overwhelming him with sheer strength as lightning coated his skin.
He leaned over, and met Enji's eyes, burning with green electricity so bright it turned dusk to day, if only for a second.
Whatever Enji saw in Izuku's gaze in that moment, Izuku would never know; he could only catch glimpses of it reflected in Enji's pupils, fragments of a man made of thunder, a silhouette in black and green.
No words were spoken, but meaning was communicated bright and clear.
"I am more than you can imagine."
And then the moment ended, and lightning flickered and faded. Shocked, Izuku released the Lord of House Todoroki, trying frantically to think of a way to talk his way out of this shitshow. He couldn't find one.
And here he'd thought that he could keep his promise to Toshinori not to turn this into a giant mess. He'd gotten into a fistfight with Lord Enji Todoroki within fifteen minutes of meeting the man. Fuck.
As Izuku stared numbly at the mess he'd made of it all, Enji grunted, regaining his feet with surprising speed, considering his size and age. Izuku braced for him to attack, or call for his guards, or do something very, very bad for Izuku's immediate health.
Instead, Enji harrumphed, a little half-grin flickering on his lips for a moment. "Not bad," he admitted begrudgingly. "Seems like you've got something of a spine, after all."
Izuku blinked. "I'm sorry, what the fuck was that for?" he demanded angrily.
Instead of answering, Enji turned his back on Izuku. Walking over to his desk, he collected the papers that had been blown away by the force of Izuku's sudden, One For All-enhanced movements, then sat down in his chair, beginning to thumb through them once again.
"I told you," he said dismissively. "I wanted to take your measure. See if there was really something to respect, under it all."
Izuku's eyes narrowed as he slowly put the pieces together. "So you attacked me?" he hissed.
Enji snorted. "Hardly," he replied. "Believe me, if I had attacked you, you would have known. That was just a little wake-up. And it worked, if you didn't notice."
Izuku swallowed heavily. "I see," he said slowly. "And?"
Enji raised an eyebrow. "And" what?" he replied. "Be grateful I don't feel like escalating this into a feud, boy. You did raise a hand against a fellow Lord. That's all I wanted from you. You're dismissed."
Izuku was still trying to wrap his head around the abruptness of it all, but he decided to heed that command; he wanted out of this fucking house and its crazy inhabitants as quickly as possible.
As he made his way to the door, however, he heard Enji say, "Oh, one other thing, Heir Yagi."
Izuku turned back, and found Enji wearing a smirk that was unnervingly similar to the one Shoko wore when she successfully completed a scheme.
"Give my regards to your father, boy," Enji informed him. "Once again, he has proven to be a worthy adversary."
Izuku considered whether it was worth trying to interpret the meaning of that, then decided against it. He nodded once, then replied, "Thank you, Lord Todoroki. I can see myself out."
With that, he closed the door, not quite sure how the fuck he was still alive.
Perhaps ten minutes later, once she had received confirmation from a servant that Izuku Midoriya had left the estate, Shoko entered her father's study, trying to suppress her grin.
"Well?" she asked as she closed the door, taking in the disturbed papers, the tea that had apparently been spilled across the serving table, and the pensive, almost disturbed look on her father's face. She hadn't been privy to her father's plans for this meeting…but then, she didn't really need to be to understand Enji's intentions. "How did it go?"
Enji looked up from the glass of scotch he'd poured for himself; Shoko thought she detected the slightest quiver in his hand as he set it down on his desk before meeting her gaze.
"You were correct," he noted in a deep, heavy voice. "There is something about that man that belies his origin. Though he'll have to learn to be more proactive, if he's ever going to amount to anything."
Shoko put her hands on her hips. "Well, isn't that a surprise?" she cooed. "You were more impressed than you let on, weren't you?"
Enji raised an eyebrow. "You weren't even in the room," he replied. "You have no idea what I did or did not let on."
Shoko finally lost the battle against her grin; it spread across her face like a false dawn as she said, "No, but I know you, Father. If he hadn't impressed you, you'd be much crankier right now…and he'd probably be leaving on a stretcher."
Enji grunted, though he did not confirm or deny the point. There was no reason to; Shoko knew the truth.
With one swift motion, Enji finished his glass, then turned to Shoko, spinning the empty drink in his hand. "From now on, he is your primary target," he commanded. "I want you to learn everything you possibly can about Izuku Midoriya. Draw him in, and keep him close. I want him to trust you absolutely."
Shoko blinked, mildly surprised; she hadn't expected that, which was practically Enji's version of a ringing endorsement.
"The trust part will be difficult," she mused. "But I'll find a way. But regardless…to what end? What do you want me to do once I know more?"
This was the part Shoko hadn't yet decided herself. What did she want from Izuku Midoriya? A man like him offered such intriguing possibilities; he was almost a Pandora's Box, and she had no idea what else might still be lurking inside.
Enji shrugged. "I haven't decided yet," he replied. "All I know is that the game board has just changed dramatically. A man like him is a threat-and an opportunity, too. We should be prepared for all eventualities. And that means I want you to handle him."
Shoko's smile returned with a vengeance. She loved it when her father's instructions aligned so perfectly with what she would've done regardless of his orders. It was just so much simpler to do what she wanted anyway. "Got it," she said evilly. "He'll never know what hit him."
It was time for her to have some real fun with Izuku Midoriya.