A flash of flames lit up the room that Touya knew so well. The ten-year-old boy shot his palms out and soon, a blue heat quickly flooded his view.

His father, Enji Todoroki, produced his own flames and shot them towards his son. He, Endeavor, was a great hero. In Touya's eyes, no one was more important than him.

And one day, Touya would be just as great. He couldn't wait to grow up.

The boy grinned as he threw another set of flames at his father. The flames met in the middle of the room and did a little dance before going out.

Ow…

Touya held his arm. It was warmer than it should have been.

His father took notice of this. He fell back from his offensive stance and made strides to his son.

"What happened?" His father asked.

Touya stayed quiet. He didn't want his hero to worry about him.

"Touya," his father drew out the last part of his name, making Touya feel reprimanded.

He finally spoke up, "It's nothin' dad. My arm just burns a little…"

His father raised a brow, making Touya panic.

"B-but it doesn't hurt that much! Just a sting."

His father sighed and crouched to Touya's level, which made Touya feel even smaller than what he knew he looked like – which was pretty short.

Just as his father was about to say something, he paused. He ran his hands through Touya's hair, making him a bit more at ease.

"Your hair… Looks like you're growing white."

Touya huffed, "What? No way! I'm not old yet! Now come on dad, let's practice some more."

His father laughed at him, "Of course."


Later that night, like all nights, Touya layed in bed, pretending to be asleep. He had one goal in mind at the moment and that wasn't going to be taken away just because his parents were scared of him getting kidnapped. Touya can handle himself! He's a future hero in the making!

He heard the door of his room click. He stayed still, the only movement being his breathing. He heard his mother's feet slowly pad through the room.

She made a stop at his bed and played her hand on his head. Touya knew what she was going to do, as she does it every night.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead, saying a quiet I love you, and making her way back to the door.

Touya waited five minutes after she left before he slowly got up from his bed, making sure not to make it creak.

He made his way to his window and opened it tentatively. Soon enough, he was out of the room and in their backyard.

With the shape of their house, it was hard to get to where he wanted. He needed to go to one of the corners and climb one of the poles to get to the roof. It took him a few minutes and a chunk of his patience but he finally was able to lay across the roof and stare up to the sky.

Touya loved being out at night. He mostly trained all day and it was always too hot inside the house with his and his father's flames constantly lit up. The fresh cool air of the night let him clear his head.

Or at least it normally did.

Tonight, he heard a soft flapping noise. He dismissed it as simply being a bird. However, the longer he sat there, the louder the noise got.

As Touya turned around to investigate, the noise suddenly became so loud that Touya almost thought the noise was coming for him.

Except it was.

Touya was hit with a face full of red feathers and was promptly knocked off the roof.

"ACK," he screeched on his way down. The bird (?) also made a shriek that sounded similar to his. That's when Touya knew — this was not a bird.

They both landed in a bush below, making a loud crash.

Touya mentally cursed and stood up as fast as he could. He had to run to his room, there was no way that noise didn't wake up his father. He didn't want to be caught just yet.

"Wait!" a quiet voice rang out in the night.

Touya turned. There stood a boy, slightly taller than him, with blonde hair and magnificent bright red wings. He wore a plain white t-shirt with black cargo shorts, a bit too exposed for the nightly cold since he was shaking.

Touya heard the back door open. Without thinking, he grabbed the boy's hand and ran to his room. The boy stumbled over a branch but was able to keep up.

Touya hopped into his room and helped the other enter as well. Touya let out a sigh in relief as they weren't caught. He looked out the window to see his father standing outside, looking around aggressively. He watched as his father swiftly entered the house again.

"Um," the boy's voice interrupted, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to crash into you-"

"Wait," Touya held up his hand, "My dad might come in. Hide in the closet."

Touya led the boy by hand to the white closet in the corner. The boy simply stayed silent. It was weird, Touya decided.

Once he made sure the feathered boy was safely hidden away, he ran to his bed.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He recognized the heavy footsteps of his father.

Right as Touya fell into place, his father opened the door. Touya held his breath, hoping the other boy wouldn't make a sound.

Silence.

Just as fast as he entered, his father left. The second he heard the door close, Touya opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He got up and made his way to the closet again. He opened it to find that the blonde boy was staring right at him.

Trying his best not to seem freaked out, Touya stared right back.

"Again," the boy spoke, looking at his feet, "I'm sorry. I don't know how to fly too well."

That caught Touya's interest.

"You don't? Were you not born with those wings?"

The boy looked away, "... I wasn't allowed to use them."

Touya made an offended noise, "What?!" He smiled and pushed his fists together, "I would fight whoever told me I can't use my quirk."

The boy was quiet again.

Touya sighed and moved to sit next to the boy. He fidgeted.

Touya held out his hand, "I should probably know the person who I let hide in my closet. My name is Touya! What's yours?"

The blonde stared at his hand for a moment before slowly taking it.

"Kei–" he cut himself off, "Hawks. My name is Hawks."

Touya tilted his head, "Why would your parents name you that?"

"Well, they didn't. My name was changed by the people who took me in."

Touya smiled, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Hawks."

Hawks finally smiled back, "Nice to meet you, Touya. I haven't met anyone my age."

"Well, besides my siblings… Neither have I. How come you're out?"

Hawks' blushed, "Technically, I'm not supposed to be out. My trainers don't allow me to leave but they never check up on me at night either."

"Trainers?"

Hawks nodded, "The hero commission. I haven't fully learned the name yet… This is my second week there."

Touya's face lit up excitedly, "Woah! Are you training to be a hero?!"

Hawks nodded.

Touya continued, "So am I! My dad has been training me since my quirk first appeared. He says that I am meant to be the number one hero one day!"

That caught Hawks' attention, "Is your father a hero?"

Touya stood up proudly, fists on each side of his waist, "Yup! The number two hero. His hero name is Endeavor!"

Hawks' eyes began to sparkle, "Your dad… Is Endeavor?"

Touya giggled, "The one and only."

Hawks let up a big grin, "He saved me. I… He's my favorite hero."

Touya beamed, "Maybe I can introduce you to him one day." Then he paused. Suddenly remembering how they met. "Once we figure out how we fake met."

Hawks gave a soft smile, "I would like that."

The two boys sat in silence for a bit. Touya normally would have felt awkward but… He felt peaceful with Hawks. The blonde boy quite literally dropped out of nowhere and is now sitting in Touya's closet, listening to him breathe.

"Hm," Hawks looked past Touya, "If you didn't have your siblings, would you feel lonely?"

Touya blinked. He had never really thought about it. Sure, he plays with his siblings from time to time but he wouldn't say that he absolutely needed to. His hero training comes first.

"Do you feel lonely?" Touya finally asked.

Hawks' eyes widened, "Well… I don't know. I guess so."

Touya tilted his head back and tapped his finger against his chin – pretending to think. After a few seconds, he gasped and held the same finger up in the air.

"I have a solution!" Touya said, watching Hawks' stare at him doe-eyed, "If you ever feel alone, come visit me!"

"... Really?"

Touya nodded aggressively, trying to reassure the winged boy. Hawks beamed from ear to ear, showing as much energy as Touya for once.

"I would love that!"

Hawks would end up taking that deal. The two boys, both friendless at first, finally found someone. Later, Touya would realize that that very moment forged a strong friendship that would last forever. Or at what seemed like would be forever.


Almost two years later, the two boys found themselves making yet another decision that would change the course of their lives.

They always stayed on the roof of Touya's house but today was an important day. It was the day Hawks turned double digits.

"Come on, Hawks! Let's go get some food," Touya whispered as Hawks lifted them over the fence.

"I can always fly us…" Hawks said, apprehensive of the whole situation.

"What fun is that?"

Touya hadn't been out of his house much. His father claimed that bad people would get him and siblings if they left. Touya felt bad about sneaking out past the house but… It was his best friend's birthday! And with the new year approaching, he knew the streets would be beautiful (he's heard about it in magazines). Hawks wasn't given money from his handlers and while Touya could just ask his parents for more money to buy a nice gift, he would have to explain why he needed it. So with the little money Touya had and a pocket full of hopes, the two boys explored the world ahead of them.

They were quiet on their way to the main city. They weren't scared of making noise, they were already out anyways, but some days they enjoyed the silence. That was why Touya liked Hawks. They could talk for hours at a time but they could also just sit and watch the moon. It helped for the days where he was more exhausted from training than normal.

Training.

Touya's training and quirk has been strange as of late. Two years ago, his hair had begun turning white but now he had a full head of snow hair. Touya wished he still had his red hair – he would still be matching his father. His father… His father was another reason he wanted to leave tonight. His father hasn't been training him as much, and when he does, Touya felt more and more warm. His arms would still sting when he used his quirk. Touya wanted nothing more than to make his father proud. But his father hasn't been as excited about him as of late. No matter, Touya knew he could prove to his father that he is getting better.

Once the two boys made it to the city, the blonde one gasped and looked around him. He spun slowly and took in the beautiful gaze of snow on the buildings and the bright lights hung up. The Christmas tree was still up in the center of it all.

While Hawks was entranced in the beauty of the town, Touya was entranced in the beauty of Hawks.

Wait. Beauty…?

Touya blushed at his own thoughts and turned to the Christmas tree instead.

"So," Hawks began, "What are we going to get?"

Touya turned back to him, "Hm, lets go around the stands and look."

The two boys walked around the main street of the city and found all kinds of cool gifts that were on discount from Christmas. They had walked into three shops so far. Touya would have loved to buy Hawks one of the Endeavor figurines that were on discount but he wanted them to have a meal together. He needed to use his money for that.

"Hey, Hawks!" Touya tackled him from behind, making them land in the snow.

Hawks let out a chirp as he fell.

They both froze.

"Um," Hawks stuttered, "Sorry-"

"You can chirp?! Like a bird?!" Touya exclaimed.

Hawks face lit up in a red hue, "L-Look! They have fried chicken over there. I've never tried it."

Touya was suddenly hauled up from the ground and was slipping over his feet as Hawks dragged him to the food stand.

"You've never tried fried chicken?"

Hawks shook his head, "Too unhealthy."

Touya took out his money, "Well, it's your birthday so you can be as unhealthy as you want."

Hawks grinned.

The two sat on a bench once their food was made. Touya took a huge bite while Hawks stared at his food.

Touya noticed it, "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to try it."

"Nothing's wrong… I just… My trainers would be mad if they knew."

Touya wrapped an arm around the boy, "It's okay. No one will know. And if they do, blame me!"

Hawks smiled shyly, "Well, I can't really tell them about you… But thank you, Touya."

Hawks let out a breath and took a bite of the chicken leg. His eyes widened exponentially. It freaked Touya out a bit.

"Um… Do you like it?"

In response, Hawks promptly took 3 more mouthfuls of the fried chicken. Touya began to laugh as he saw how fast Hawks was eating.

Who knew the bird would love eating another bird.

Once they finished, they decided to walk back to Touya's house. They were running around the streetlights and overall just acting like dumb kids when they suddenly heard an echo of a voice.

"Stop!" The voice yelled out. It was a girl.

The boys looked at each other and began running towards the voice in sync.

What if it's a person in trouble?!

They only had to run a bit in front of them to reach a dark alleyway where they could hear sounds of rustling. Without looking back, Touya and Hawks ran through the dark area. Once they were in the middle, it was silent. Not a sound of anything besides the wind blowing.

He heard Hawks shiver next to him. Touya turned to face him.

"You think they left?"

Hawks' wings shook a little and Hawks turned his head fast enough that Touya got a second hand whiplash.

"There!" Hawks turned to a dark wall, "There's a big man and a little girl."

A deep voice rang out, "Big? Now that's insulting, kid."

Touya faced the voice and saw a man holding a girl their size by the neck coming out of the shadows. He was easily over six feet tall and had a menacing presence. The girl struggled against his grip but her face was quickly turning red. Touya felt rage build up.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" He yelled out.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of feathers shoot out to the man, pinning the hood of his jacket to the wall.

The man laughed and pulled forward, ripping his jacket and leaving the hood still pinned by the feather. He used his other hand and turned it into a large hook.

Touya felt a bit disappointed.

"You want her? Come and get her, toddlers!" The man called out.

Touya held up his fist, creating a ball of blue flames, "You better drop her! Or I'll light you!"

The man stumbled back a bit when he felt the heat of the flames but quickly recovered, "As if, little babies like you should stop trying to copy the heroes on TV!"

Then he took off running.

Hawks grabbed Touya by the arms and flew them both ahead of the man. Touya felt a little queasy at the movement but understood. The second he got dropped down, he threw flames towards the man, aiming for the top of his head. The man's hair quickly lit up in blue. The man yelled and threw the girl to the ground. The girl luckily seemed to know what to do. She was able to turn to and on her side instead of her head. Touya saw a little container fly out of her pocket.

Touya ran to help her but she recovered quickly, getting up and facing the boys. She was the same height as them but seemed to be a little younger. She had light blue hair and eyes that started off at golden but faded into red at the bottom. The lack of emotion in her eyes made her seem a tad bit lifeless.

"Thank you! I can normally defend myself but I didn't combine with anything tonight. You guys really saved me," she smiled brightly. Her eyes still didn't match her smile.

Combine?

The three heard a shout from behind them. The same man had put out the flames and was fuming. Literally and figuratively.

The two boys felt a hand grip one of their wrists.

"Come on!" The girl tugged at them. They began to run and the girl quickly grabbed the container from the ground and opened it. The nearby lights hit her hands and Touya was able to see what she had inside.

A dead blue butterfly.

"I'm gonna grab you," she shouted to Touya, "Don't get too scared."

"What-?"

The girl touched the butterfly and it disappeared into her skin. Soon enough, wings matching the bug were sprung out of her back, ripping her shirt in the process.

At his right, Touya saw Hawks nod to the girl.

Hawks and the ground each grabbed one of his arms and he felt his feet begin to lift off the ground.

His heart raced like a bunny when he realized what was going on. The two of them lifted him to the roof of the nearby building. Touya wasn't much of a fan of flying, it scared him a bit thinking about the possibility of being dropped.

He felt his feet touch the ground but the grips on his arms were not let go of.

"Where to?" the girl asked Hawks, completely ignoring Touya's exasperated expression.

"Lets go this way," Hawks pointed to the area Touya lived in, "There's a park nearby."

They took off again, not letting Touya have a say in the matter. He closed his eyes as they flew over the city. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they let go.

Touya decided to listen to the sound of their wings instead. The girl's wings fluttered a lot faster than Hawks' but Hawks was still slightly ahead of her. The one thing that Touya did enjoy about being high up was the feeling of cool air kissing his skin.

When they arrived at the park, the two fliers softly put Touya down. But that unfortunately didn't save him from completely falling over when he took the first step.

The girl giggled and Touya felt himself turn red.

She pushed her hand towards him, "I'm Sayori Chisaki. And you?"

Her smile calmed down Touya.

"It's Touya Todoroki. And I didn't say it but you're welcome for saving you. This is Hawks," he replied, pointing to his best friend.

He waved.

Sayori smiled at the two of them, "You guys have pretty names."

"You think Hawks is pretty?" Hawks lifted a brow.

"Well, I'm sure that's not your real name. But I don't need to know it. I think your name is cool because you're cool." She waddled closer to him, "You understood what I wanted to do without me needing to say it back there!"

Hawks scratched the back of his head, "... Thank you."

Touya still had another question, "Why was that guy trying to capture you?"

Sayori frowned, suddenly looking ashamed. "Oh… Well… He is one of my father's clients. He's a, um, businessman. The people he works with can be scary. Sometimes they follow me or try to… grab me."

Touya opened his mouth but no words came out.

Instead Hawks' spoke for him, "And your father doesn't care?"

She held out her arms, "He just… Doesn't have the time to go get me is all. My mom is really sick so he takes care of her-"

"And not his daughter?" Hawks interrupted.

Sayori paused, her chest moving faster.

"Hawks," Touya called out.

Hawks seemed to realize what he said and immediately apologized for his lack of sensitivity.

Sayori simply smiled, "Don't worry about it."

"A little girl shouldn't be out at night, it can be dangerous," Touya said.

She huffed, "You guys aren't that much older than me. In fact, I'm taller than you, Touya! You guys shouldn't be out either."

"W-well, I do a lot of training during the day so this is my time to do stuff for myself. Besides, it's my first time leaving the house at night. Normally we just sit on my roof."

"Well, since we all sneak out at night…" She paused. "We should be friends"

"Hm," Touya pulled back, "Let me talk to my agent about it."

He turned to Hawks and they both walked away from Sayori and huddled together.

They pretended to whisper while she looked at them anxiously.

Touya walked to her with the most serious face he could muster. He ran up and tapped her arm before running away.

"We can be friends if you can catch us!"

Sayori laughs, "Oh, you are so on!"


By the time winter was over and spring came, it had become a nightly thing for him and Hawks to meet Sayori at the park. Two friends became three. Sayori made it a point to never ask about Hawks' real name and the boys made it a point to never ask about the bruises that appear on her limbs some nights.

Except for one late Tuesday night.

They were on the park's swing set, just swinging when Sayori had asked about their families.

"Do you guys have any siblings?" She had asked.

Touya immediately replied, "I'm the oldest of five. Two brothers and two sisters. The youngest two are twins."

"Do you… Are you happy they exist?" She questioned.

Both Hawks and Touya looked at her.

She became flustered, "I don't mean it like that! It's just… My little brother just got his quirk a few days ago and I'm a bit worried for him. It's a strong quirk: the ability to transform and infuse his body with any nearby element. I'm worried people are going to target him based on that."

"Target him?" Hawks asked.

She looked apprehensive. "If I tell you guys something, can you promise you'll never tell anyone?" She held out her pinky.

Hawks linked his pinky to hers first, then Touya followed.

"My dad isn't really a businessman. Or at least a good one. Do you guys know what a Yakuza is?"

They both nodded. Touya had heard about them from his dad.

"Well my dad is part of one. He was taken in when he was a kid by the boss. He met my mom because she was the daughter of a hero who was tasked with infiltrating the Shie Hassaikai – the Yakuza my dad is a part of. She was 17 and he was 15 when they had me."

Touya gasped while Hawks' jaw dropped.

"So your dad is… 23?!"

One time a few weeks ago, Sayori had told them that she was seven years old. Touya was surprised since he knew she was younger than them but didn't know by how much. She acted much older than he did when he was seven.

"Yes. He's 23."

"Do you live with him?" Hawks asked.

"Yeah, I do. Everyone in the Shie Hassaikai lives together. But anyways, my mother is sick because her body doesn't work with her quirk: the ability to create any element she wants. She was going to be a hero like her mother with a powerful quirk like that but her body is too weak to handle it. My dad says that quirks are diseases that need to be ridden of. So he's been trying to make an erasure of quirks to heal my mom. And well… to heal everyone."

"Is he quirkless?"

"No, I get most of my quirk from him. His quirk is Overhaul: the ability to take apart and put together whatever he wants."

"So," Hawks said, "It's sorta like how you can combine inanimate objects with your body but weaker?"

Sayori shook her head, "I wouldn't say he's weaker. We'll have to see how much my quirk grows when I'm older. My brother's quirk is like a perfect combination of our parents. And the thing that I'm asking you to keep a secret is… Sometimes my dad will experiment on people's quirks to create his solution or whatever."

"He… Experiments on people? Has he experimented on you?" Touya asked with concern in his eyes.

Sayori winced, "Well… Yes, b-but never badly!"

Hawks stayed quiet.

Touya shook his head, "That doesn't matter! It's not at all okay for him to experiment on you."

"It's okay, really. He hasn't in a while anyways because the Yakuza is running out of money. It just makes me wonder if he'll ever experiment on my brother. Or if anyone else will because he's got a pretty neat quirk."

"I've never thought about stuff like that… Heroes usually come and help!"

"Yeah, well I haven't seen a hero in sight," Sayori replied bitterly.

Touya has never really thought of quirks negatively like that. He hasn't had any bad experiences apart from the sting of his own quirk.

The next day would prove him wrong.

Him and his father were training as usual when Touya suddenly felt a strong pain in his arms. He exclaimed and his father stood there, watching him struggle.

"Touya, I know you've noticed that you've been getting hurt more and more often."

Touya stared at his feet.

His father sighed.

The door opened suddenly, alerting the two of them. His sister, Fuyumi, ran in with Shoto and Sasha – his twin siblings.

"Dad! I'm sorry for interrupting you guys, but look! Do it again, guys," Fuyumi urged.

Shoto lifted out his hand and created a red flame like their father's. Meanwhile, Sasha shot out a piece of ice, which landed on the floor.

A fire and an ice quirk. That's nothing! I'm much more impressive, right da-

The ice on the ground exploded into flames, which Shoto promptly put out with a wave of ice.

Everyone in the room went silent.

Then his father grabbed the twins and spun them around, the two four year olds giggling in glee.

"Finally! My greatest successors! One of you will be the one to surpass me and All Might!" His father laughed in pure joy.

Fuyumi began jumping up and down too, excited about the twins having both ice and fire powers. Natsuo and their mother walked into the room, asking what everyone was happy about. After their father explained the situation, his mother congratulated them on having strong quirks. His mother avoided his eyes. Touya didn't talk to his mother often but he felt the pain of rejection.

"Now I can stop training Touya, Shoto and Sasha will be my main focus," his father grinned.

Touya felt his world cave in.

What do you mean by that…? You're not actually going to… give up on me?

Noticing Touya's tears, his father walked over and put his heavy hand on Touya's shoulder.

"Touya… I know you want to be a hero. But you inherited your mother's weak condition to fire. I consulted a doctor. That sting you always feel is your body burning from your own quirk. You have to find a more realistic dream."

Realistic…

Touya felt years of pushed down rage bubble up. He was meant to be the hero. He was supposed to make his father proud! HE HAD THE STRONGER QUIRK.

Touya's anger came out in a rage of flames, aimed at the twins. His siblings screamed as they backed away, scared of the burning heat. His father grabbed him and held him in place before he could shoot out more fire.

"TOUYA, STOP!"

Touya couldn't tell what was going on but all he knew was that he was thrown onto his bed. Touya got up quickly and raced to the shutting door. The door slammed in his face before he could escape.

"NO!" He yelled from the stop of his lungs, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO."

He banged both of his fists against the door.

"No, Touya! You're staying in that room for a week or until you can come to your senses! You will no longer be around the twins."

Touya heard his father walk away. He collapsed to the floor and sobbed against it. There was no way this could be happening. He was… Replaced.

Touya wanted to tell Hawks and Sayori about how unfair this whole situation was but… He was ashamed. How could someone as powerful as him be replaced by a toddler? Even worse… What if they agreed with his father? He knew he should apologize, it just hurt.

Later that night, he did his usual and climbed out of his window. What was different from normal was the footsteps that followed him. He quickly turned back and found Sasha standing there.

He did not jump.

Before he could even say anything, she began to speak, "Touya, I know you've been sneaking out for a while now! Let me come with you!"

"No."

"I'll tell dad if you don't let me come. He's already mad at you for trying to attack me and Shoto," she pointed out.

Touya knew that he was being manipulated.

"How are you not scared of me?" he mumbled.

"You're not that scary," she quickly answered.

Touya felt a twitch. He sighed, "Fine. You can come. But no telling dad."

He didn't know it then but she would later come on all his little field trips out.


Sasha hid behind the couch as she heard her twin counting. She fiddled with the necklace around her neck. She and Shoto received matching ones from their mother two days ago for their fifth birthday. Hers was silver and his was gold. Both necklaces had their birthdate and the letter S.

Before Shoto could count to 20, she heard him run towards her.

"Hey, that's no fair! You didn't finish-"

"Shh!" Shoto covered her mouth, "Dad is coming."

She instantly went quiet. When dad was home, that meant…

"Shoto. Sasha." He called out, "I can see you. Stop playing games and get ready to train."

They both went limp. They hated training. It meant… They would have to fight each other.

While they were "sparring" (fighting), her father would yell out all sorts of comments – usually about her.

"Sasha, your form is off!"

"Sasha, why are you letting him beat you!

"How are you already tired?!"
She collapsed to the ground, heaving and panting. She felt her food in her throat.

"Sasha. Why do you let yourself be so weak? Shoto is way ahead of you despite you guys being the same age. You're just like the rest of them…" He spat before he grabbed a towel and left the room.

Sasha began to cry, slowly at first. But the more she processed those words, the more she let out her sobs. She knew she wasn't as good as Shoto. And she resented herself for it.

As she cried, Shoto stood still; seemingly unsure of what to do. He finally came to his senses and rushed over to hug her. His warmth made her feel a bit overheated but safe.

Sasha knew it wasn't Shoto's fault.

But it didn't mean that she couldn't feel the slight resentment build up.


That night, she, Touya, Hawks, and Sayori planned on going to the beach instead of the park like how they have been normally doing for months.

Once her mom left the room to check up on her, she exited her window. There stood Touya, messing with his fingernails. He perked his head up.

"Ready to go?" he asked, like always.

"Yup!"

Sasha knew that Touya was still upset about no longer being trained by their father. But she also knew that he did care about her. She could tell by the way he would let her borrow his jacket if it was too cold or when he would make sure to catch her when she hopped over fences. She truly loved her brother. And maybe he would love her too one day.

When they got to the beach, they found Hawks and Sayori already kicking sand at each other. Sayori turned to them and waved.

"Hey, you guys!"

She ran to go pick up Sasha and spin her around, Sasha giggling in the process. Sasha loved how nice Sayori was to her. Hawks smiled at Sasha but didn't make any move to pick her up like Sayori did. Sasha figured he wasn't the affectionate type.

They spent the night playing in the sand and swimming (once Hawks removed his feathers so they wouldn't become wet).

Then Sayori made a bet.

"I bet that I could beat you to the buoy and back carrying Sasha!"

Hawks seemed to be up for the challenge, "Oh, yeah? I bet I could carry Touya and still be faster!"

That was what led them to actually go through with the bet. They both held one of the Todoroki siblings and stepped foot at the edge of the water.

Sasha counted to three and the two took off. Hawks with great red wings and Sayori with her Blue Morpho wings attached to her back. It wasn't very fair to call it a competition since Hawks beat her by quite a bit of time. Once she finally made it back to the sand, she stuck her tongue out at him.

It was then that Touya tried to take a step forward and fell flat on his face.

They all couldn't stop laughing at Touya's lacking abilities for being able to be in the air.

Moments like those made Sasha wish that they could all be friends forever.