Battle of the Heroes | My Hero Academia x Rani Fujimoto

♡ Invitation & Preperation ♡

Narrator P.O.V

"I'm sorry, what?" Shoto exclaimed. "You want me to what?"

Fuyumi then swiftly turns to her younger brother, then back to her father.

"There is no way I'm letting her anywhere close to someone like you."

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you, young man" Endeavor calls over his shoulder. The flame hero makes no moves towards his room, as if waiting for this conversation to end.

"W-What he means to say is-" Fuyumi suddenly butts in. "He'd be happy to invite the Riviera's over! I-It's been such a very long time since we've seen that, as you said, isn't that right Shoto?"

The elder sister then turns to her youngest brother, eyeing him directly. Shoto turns his attention her for a moment, before nodding his head slowly.

"....Yeah."

"Good." Endeavor adds. "Tell then Sunday night, next weekend. no food will be required from them."

And with that, the asshole that both Shoto and Fuyumi know as their father continues his way down the hall and into his training area.

Shoto can't help but sigh out-loud, before turning to Fuyumi.

"What were you thinking?!" He asks.

"I wasn't! Listen, I know you don't like dad, but for your sake you have to agree. If Raine and James are the same from when I knew them, they will put him in his place if he lays a finger on Rani, ok? You just need to trust them."

Shoto then glares at his older sister for a moment, thinking over the situation. "You trust Rani, don't you?" Shoto then nods his head once again, before turning away from her and charging down the hall to his room.

He didn't like this, at all. He didn't want his friend to be hurt by the same man who'd made his life a living hell. 'Yeah... friend.'

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Rani P.O.V

It was now lunch break on Monday, the next week, and Shoto and I were gathered beneath the same Sakura tree from my first few days. Throughout the entirety of the recent lessons, I could Notice that something was up with Shoto, and couldn't help but feel a sense of worry during the day.

As the two of us sat down, I took a bite of my sandwich, before turning to my classmate. "Hey Shoto?"

"Yeah?" He responded instantly.

"Are you ok? You seem to be a little.. off." Shoto is silent for a moment, taking a bite of his own bento.

"...what makes you say that?"

"I don't know, but you've just seemed a little off during lessons. At least, you're acting like your normal self when I first met you."

Shoto then turns to look at me, placing his food back into its box and on his lap. I do the same, looking him dead in the eyes.

"I'm worried about you, Shoto. What's going on..?" I watch as Todoroki takes a moment, lost in thought before looking down at his food.

"...my dad." He says after a minute.

"What about him? What's he done now..?" I ask in return.

"When I got home on Saturday night, I asked Fuyumi if she remembered anything. She began to tell me a little, but then my father walked in..." I watch as Shoto clenches his fist, his expression turning into one of pure seriousness. I watch as his jaw tightens, before continuing.

"He asked me to invite you and your family over for dinner.. but I just don't like the idea, Rani!" He explains, swiftly turning to face me. His expression was one I'd never seen before, one of concern, worry, anger, and in general emotions I had never seen Shoto express.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Narrator P.O.V

"After living with him for the majority of my life, I can't help but worry you'll get hurt..! I'd be powerless to stop him and I..!" Shoto lowers his head back to his lap, body still turned to look at Rani.

Rani had an expression of shock on her face, eyes and mouth opened slightly. But yet, something in her eyes showed a sense of delight, but even she couldn't explain why. "...Hey.." Rani spoke after just a moment.

She lifted one of her hands slowly and softly, placing it on the Bi-hair coloured boy's cheek. Shoto quickly looked up with his own expression of surprise, looking her dead in the eyes. Rani showed him a gentle smile, one that almost made his heart melt.

So many thoughts and emotions ran through him, many he was hoping to say, but yet he was frozen, unable to move or say anything.

"Shoto, I'll be ok. I promise you, your father could not do nor say anything to be that I either haven't heard before, or would hurt me physically or mentally. If anything Shoto, I just want you to be safe. Ok..?"

Shoto was frozen still, unable to tear his gaze away from Rani's eyes. Sparkling in the sunlight of the day, Shoto was on cloud 9, so happy and carefree.

'As long as she's smiling... she has everything under control' the thought crossed his mind. Rani continued, unaware of the battle her friend was facing inside.

"Your sister, my parents, my brother, my sister, and even you will make sure nothing happens to me, and you can be sure if even tries anything, I won't go down without a fight. You just have to trust me... ok? Like I trust you."

Slowly but surely, Rani began to pull her hand away from Shoto's cheek, but was shocked when his arm suddenly raised from beside him and cupped the same hand, keeping her hand on his cheek.

"S-Shoto?" Rani choked out, surprise filling both her expression and voice. "Everything ok?" All Shoto could do was nod, before speaking in nothing above a whisper.

"...Just keep your hand there please..." Shoto mumbles, slowly lowering his own hand away from Ranis'.

"Shoto..." Rani mumbles in return, only to be returned with a smile from the same boy and a quick verbal response.

"And please.. continue to say my name.." Rani's expression then changed from a soft and loving expression to a shock one, she couldn't believe that the same boy from the festival was now begging her to keep still and beside him.

She felt heat begin to rise to her cheeks, but instead of fending off the feeling, she decided, for the first time, to allow the emotion to completely rise to her face.

The two sat there, in the calming silence of each other's company. Neither Shoto nor Rani could explain to anyone the emotions that began to rise from their hearts that day, nor did they expect that the emotions they were feeling to lead to something much bigger later on in their lives.

The same emotion would change their fate and course of their lives, both for better and for worse, but neither would change it for anything. After however long, the bell signally the next few lessons sounded, and it only then did the two teenagers break apart.

Rani swiftly picked up her food from her lap, shoving the last tiny bit into her mouth, before standing up and waving to the Half-n-half classmate of hers.

"I-I'm sorry! I have to go! I have to speak to recovery girl about something! See you in class!" And with that, the music-loving teenager ran off without a look back, at least, from what Shoto knew.

The ice and fire user sat at the bench for another minute, fully thinking over each of the things he said and did during their time together, and began to feel the same heat rising to his own cheeks.

With no one to spot his emotions, he let them do whatever they wanted, standing up and grabbing his own things.

Much to his surprise however, his moment of peace was interrupted when another purple-haired figure approached him out of nowhere, hands in pockets and back slouched.

"Hey, Shoto Todoroki right?"