Chapter Thirteen

It's been a little over two weeks since the training grounds fiasco but I haven't seen Shiori much since, electing instead to eat lunch elsewhere or skip it altogether. I haven't been able to face her since then, so instead, I've thrown myself into hero work. Endeavor Agency has been my life every day so far and Endeavor's come to expect me earlier than everyone else and watch me leave last. He's even trained with me a few times, helping me to hone my skills and develop more focus. I don't think Todoroki approved one hundred percent at first, but his desire to keep his father from corrupting me lead him to training with us which neither Endeavor or I could complain about.

"Alright, that's good, but you're still lacking focus, Kaida. Your attacks need to be more direct and you need to be able to expend your energy in short enough bursts to prevent you from damaging your own body. That requires precision you don't have yet" Endeavor says, after another training session. I try to catch my breath, wiping sweat from my forehead.

"I don't understand. We've been at this for over a week now. How haven't I improved at all?" I demand, frustrated. Endeavor observes me a moment, his shrewd gaze picking me apart mentally. I just stare back, no longer intimidated by the giant of a man. Honestly, if he wasn't such a roid-rage kinda guy, he'd be pretty hot for an old dude. Almost as if sensing my thoughts, his expression darkens exponentially.

"Stop getting distracted!" he commands and I make an incredulous face.

"I didn't even say anything!" I argue and he shakes his head.

"You're worse than Shoto. Never taking this seriously" he growls and I throw up my hands.

"I'm literally waiting for you to say something! If you'd just hurry up about it and stop acting like such an old man!" I retort, earning an intense glare.

"A what?" he snarls darkly. Todoroki sighs, disinterested.

"Are we training or having a pissing contest?" he asks and I grin at him sheepishly.

"A little of both" I offer while Endeavor goes on muttering about the amount of disrespect. Todoroki looks up at me, at first annoyed, but once he catches a glimpse of my smile, he smiles back, expression softening.

"Your ability to be so combative and warm at the same time is impressive" he tells me and I shrug.

"It's a talent" I tell him, walking over to where he stands and taking one of the extra towels to wipe the sweat from my neck. In the last two weeks, Todoroki and I have managed to become even closer friends, though originally he was a little put off by my refusal of his help during our training exercise. I apologized to him as soon as I saw him but it wasn't until we started training at Endeavor Agency's private gym that we were able to reconnect a bit.

"You're doing well, you know. It's not often that anyone does under the guidance of Endeavor" Todoroki tells me, a dark and faraway look in his eyes. Suddenly, I feel guilt like a pit in my stomach and I touch his arm.

"You don't have to keep training here, Todoroki... you know that right?" I say and he gives me a sad smile.

"Regardless of my own feelings on the matter, I'm not letting you train alone" he replies. My heart leaps but I quickly yank it right back into place, returning the smile. Todoroki made it clear that we were friends, no matter how I've been feeling about him lately. Just friends.

"My hero" I chime and he rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, come on. Let's go a few more rounds" he says. I nod in agreement, setting down the towel and following him back onto the mat in the middle of the enormous room. We begin to spar as usual, the two of us beginning with hand to hand, when Endeavor races back into the room, shutting off the lights. In the darkness, Todoroki and I both freeze, his hand around my wrist and my elbow hovering next to his chin.

"Um..." I pant, confused.

"Is this some sort of new exercise?" I ask aloud as Todoroki and I break apart.

"Quiet!" Endeavor commands, rushing to the window and staring out into the sheeting rain. It's only sunset now, but the sky is black with enormous clouds and the rain is pelting down without mercy out there.

"It's been raining all day, is he okay?" I whisper to Todoroki, but he doesn't laugh, instead, his face falls very serious. What the hell? What's going on?

"The two of you, don't move from here. No matter what happens. Do not leave this place. Do you understand?" Endeavor booms, expression grave. Todoroki and I both nod, but I don't understand what's happening. He leaves suddenly, disappearing down another hall and when I go to see where he's going, Todoroki grabs my arm.

"Don't follow him" he says and I make a face.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" I demand and he looks outside, a flash of lightning lighting up his face.

"Someone's here" he says with certainty and I blink.

"What like a villain?" I demand. He nods gravely and my blood boils.

"And we're just sitting here? What if your dad needs help?" I protest but the way Todoroki looks at me makes me feel like a child.

"We can't help him. You don't understand. Agencies have been under fire for that kind of thing lately and if we try... that could be the end of my father's company" he tells me. I pause, feeling completely helpless. So we're allowed to go on patrols on our own but we can't fight? How does that make sense? Especially since all of us have our hero licenses, something like this should be a no brainer. What aren't they telling me? Flashes of fire suddenly catch my eye outside and I race to the window, looking down at the ground to see Endeavor face to face with a masked villain.

"Kaida, get away from the window" Todoroki says and for once, I listen. I back away from it and have a seat beside him on one of the benches lining the room. It seems like we sit this way for hours, both of us wondering what's going on, but as more time passes, I can't sit with myself knowing that Endeavor's out there alone.

"Hey, Todoroki? Can you get me my towel?" I ask him, trying to feign fatigue. He raises his eyebrow but nods, getting up and walking across the room to retrieve it. I know Todoroki is itching just as badly as I am to get out there but whether it's fueled by faith in his father or his inability to disobey a direct order, I don't share in the same kind of self-restraint. Once he gets to the far end of the room, I make a mad dash for the door, racing down the hall and stopping for nothing.

"Kaida!" he shouts out after me, but I ignore him, bare feet smacking against the carpet as I dart through the maze that is Endeavor Agency's tower. Last I saw, Endeavor was facing off with the villain in the middle of the street, rain pouring out of the sky endlessly. I dash to the front of the building and shove through the front doors. Rain immediately starts soaking me to the bone and I come to a stop in front of a shocking scene. The masked villain stands up from a crouch and faces me, tilting his head to the side eerily. I gasp, seeing Endeavor flat on his back, struggling to get up and it awakens both panic and anger within me.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I shout over the overwhelming noise of the rain beating down on everything around me. My heart beats harder and instinctively I pull my arms back, thrusting them forward to send out a pulse in the villain's direction. My heart slams against my ribs and almost as if in tandem with it, my pulse slams into the masked figure, throwing them to the ground and pinning them there with the force of it. I don't waste any time once he's down, racing to Endeavor's side and kneeling to help him up.

"Hey!" I say, urging him to get up.

"What are you doing, Kaida?!" he demands furiously, but he's barely able to get up without my help.

"Come on, get up!" I plead, pulling him with all of my strength but just as he's about to rise, the masked villain seems to appear out of nowhere. I jump, staring at a red and white painted mask of a terrifying demon for only a few moments before they grab me by the throat, their hand nearly crushing my wind pipe. I gasp against their hold, struggling as they lift me off the ground. I choke, fighting just to breathe, then they throw me, hurling me against the Agency's building. I crash into it, gasping raggedly as I fall to the ground, my entire body soaked and heavy with the rain and an intense soreness.

"Kaida!" I hear Todoroki yell and he rushes to my aid, not even looking in the direction of his father, but I am. The masked villain turns his attention to a scowling Endeavor and I can see the murderous intent in the way they carry themselves. They're going to kill him.

"NO!" I scream, throwing my hand out and blasting the villain away for a second time, but I don't stop there. I push my energy to keep running, to keep pulsing out of me and anger drives me to keep him down. Even as Todoroki hauls me up from the ground, desperately trying to get me to stop. But I can't.

"KAIDA" Endeavor bellows and I drop my arm, staring at him as he stands and looks down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. I try to catch my breath, rain making it hard to see, but Endeavor turns away from us then, walking over to the masked villain and grabbing them up with one hand.

"Take her inside, Shoto!" he calls, voice leaving no room for argument. Todoroki complies wordlessly, taking me by the arm and guiding me inside. At this point, the shock is too much for me to react. I saved him... how could he look so disappointed? How could he expect me to just stand here when he was in trouble? Todoroki and I are both silent then, even when he takes me to a bathroom to get changed and grabs my bag from the gym. Instead of changing right away, I just stand there, dripping on the bathroom floor and staring at myself in the mirror. I can tell they're both mad at me... so much so that it radiates through me even behind a closed door... but what did I really do wrong? What do I have to be sorry for if I saved Endeavor's life? Isn't that what I'm supposed to be training for?

____________

The next day, as expected, Aizawa reams me out, though this time it's in front of a surprisingly patient principal Nezu. In fact, Mr. Aizawa goes on for so long that I'm afraid he might actually pass out, that is until he pulls out the worst card he has.

"Expelled? What do you mean expelled? I saved his life!" I argue, standing up out of my seat and ignoring the way my skirt rides up a bit. It's pretty much common place at this point.

"Now, now, miss Ito" principal Nezu begins, offering an eerily kind smile as he hops down from his chair and walks around his desk to face me.

"No one's trying to expel you. But Mr. Aizawa has a point. It seems that every problem we've had in the last couple of months at this school, has almost directly involved you. If you're not more careful, you could start putting yourself and others here at risk... I'm afraid that's not something we can simply allow here" he explains and I feel like I'm gonna puke. Expelled? I can't get expelled. I didn't do it on purpose, don't they understand? I was doing the right thing...

"Consider this as a simple conversation explaining to you the severity of your actions as of late, Miss Ito" he finishes and I sit back down, shaking my head.

"I'm sorry" is all I can say to them, hoping it's enough. Neither of them tries to make me feel better though, instead, Aizawa dismisses me back to my dorm, suspending me from both school and my work study for the day.

I walk back home alone, irritated and disappointed. How would they know? They weren't even there... and what about Endeavor? How could he go to anyone without telling them that? How could he throw me under the bus without even trying to defend me? Doesn't he know how much it means for me to be here? How badly I need it? It feels like all I've done lately is screw up but it's not like I've been making all of these mistakes by choice. At every turn, I've been trying to do what I feel is right. Is it so wrong that it doesn't always match up with everyone else's ideas?

My dorm seems somehow colder today when I get inside, silent and unyielding, but I know I don't have anywhere else to go. With Shiori gone and my hero agency under attack because of my actions, not to mention my lack of sleep over the last few weeks, it seems like whatever options I had before have long since evaporated. Even my friends here haven't seen much of me and it was already a stretch calling them friends. I close the door behind me and shrug off my uniform jacket, unbuttoning my shirt shortly after. It feels better to get out of the stiff material but as I go to remove the shirt, I remember the look on Endeavor's face when he realized I hadn't listened to him. I grit my teeth, staring at myself in the mirror across the room. Screw that asshole, he would've been dead if I hadn't shown up when I did. I was there to help. Student or not, someone needed me.

A knock sounds at my door in the midst of my inner monologue, so I ignore it, too focused on the events of today to worry about socializing. Maybe I should've stayed put and done as I was told, Mr. Aizawa said as much earlier, but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had. I curse under my breath, throwing my tie down on the bed. What do I have to do to prove it to them? To show them that it wasn't just a reckless decision? The knock sounds again and my irritation gets the better of me, prompting me to throw open the door with an agitated look on my face.

"What?!" I snap, instantly feeling lucky that Todoroki is accustomed to my moods.

"Kaida, can we talk?" he starts just before his eyes widen and he looks away, face burning bright red.

"Shirt, Ito, I-" he stammers and I look down in horror. My face flushes as I turn away from him, slapping my arms over my nearly bare chest. Oh my god. Oh my GOD. Todoroki has now, quite unwillingly, seen both my ass cheek and my breasts. I practically scream with the mortification as I grab a tank top to pull over my head, hiding the plain black bra that was just in view.

"Jesus! Don't you knock?!" I demand, the embarrassment only increasing with every passing second.

"I did!" he argues, sounding just as flustered as I feel. I shake my head, straightening out my shirt to make sure it's covering everything before turning around.

"You can come in now..." I mumble at the back of his head. Todoroki turns back around slowly, trying not to look me in the eye.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."

"It's fine, Todoroki. What are you doing here?" I interrupt, cutting to the chase. After all, it's his agency too, not to mention his father, and I did everything I did yesterday even after he warned me not to.

"What you did for my father... thank you" he says finally and I look up at him in surprise. I wasn't expecting a thanks, but the earnest look on his face makes my cheeks flush.

"Yeah... uh, no problem" I half mumble, unsure how to take it.

"It was stupid. And you were incredibly reckless going after him like that. Honestly, it really pissed me off at the time... but thank you" he reiterates and I make a face. I guess I deserve the criticism.

"He's my mentor. I wasn't about to let him die" I grumble, turning back towards my bed so I don't have to look at him.

"Kaida..." Todoroki starts again but when I look back at him, he stops, eyes lingering on mine. One slate grey and one a brilliant turquoise... the two sides of Todoroki that I've come to know and respect so deeply, sometimes it surprises even me.

"What is it?" I ask, wondering why he hasn't said anything. He shakes his head.

"I, uh..." he hesitates and the look on his face makes me flush. I swallow.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right? If they don't ban me from hero work anyway?" I ask, interrupting the mood out of sheer anxiety. Todoroki stills for a moment, looking away from me like he's not sure what to say.

"Right" he says in a low voice, ready to leave me alone. My heart squeezes at the thought and I don't know if it's the fear of being alone again, the emptiness that's been nagging at me for weeks, or the look on his face just now, but I find myself grabbing the door and taking a step closer to him.

"Thanks by the way... for coming to check on me" I tell him. He meets my eyes and suddenly seems to realize how close we are, catching his breath. I hesitate, inhaling the familiar scent of campfire and mint, and before I can talk myself out of it, I lean forward to kiss him. It's not a big kiss, but a soft and gentle one, so short that it leaves me wondering what more would be like, and when I pull away, my heart is racing. Todoroki's eyes widen when I step away, his face as full of color as I'm sure mine is.

"Why did you...?"

"Goodnight, Todoroki" I say, sounding much cooler than I feel, and close the door, leaning against it. I let out an enormous breath, hands shaking as I try not to laugh out loud. I can't say I haven't been wanting to do that for the last few days at least, but the bravery to do it? I clap a hand over my mouth as if I could wipe away the embarrassment. What was I thinking? Todoroki's never going to speak to me again. I try to take deep breaths and reassess the situation, but all I can think about is the way it felt to kiss him and the look on his face right after. A look that might even mean he wanted me to.