Dystopia (MHA AU)

23. Dreams and Deaths

[Fuyumi's POV]

[11 Years Ago]

Fuyumi placed yet another plate in the clean pile. She honestly liked when she had dish duty, since it wasn't much work, and it wasn't hard. The kitchen was also relatively empty this time of day, meaning she could be alone with her thoughts.

Her thoughts weren't always kind, though.

All Fuyumi could hear when she was alone was the whispers of her queen. Her mother. The silent sobs, the desperate way she held onto her daughter, the soft but quick words.

I'm sorry.

How could I let this happen?

How could he do this to his own daughter?

Why was she disgraced like this?

What could I have done?

I'm so sorry, Fuyumi...

Fuyumi shook her head. No. She wouldn't let these thoughts consume her. She's known for a few months now, yet she still could barely wrap her head around it.

She was the daughter of the King and Queen. She was a Todoroki. She wasn't allowed to inherit the throne. Daughters were disgraceful to the king. Only God knows why!

It's not like she'd want the throne anyways, right? Touya had first dibs. But if something happened to him, she'd be next...

Would she get the throne if the other three boys didn't want it?

"Fuyumi? Are you in here?" The soft and familiar voice of Rei Todoroki called as she peaked her head into the room.

Fuyumi put on a slightly forced smile, "Yes, I'm here. What can I help you with, your highness?"

"Oh, none of that please. We're family, remember?" Rei smiled sweetly. "Besides, I'm only here for tea. I like to do it on my own, gives me some sense of purpose."

Fuyumi passed Rei one of the cups she finished cleaning, "Here, be careful. The kettle gets awfully hot, it could cause a terrible burn."

Terrible burn.

Rei heated the kettle, getting the sugar ready as well. She tapped her finger on the pristine white teacup. "Do you mind if I speak of my troubles for a bit?"

Fuyumi looked over at the queen...her mother. "Go ahead."

"Well...it's just my sons. They...they look more and more like their father every day. Touya and Shoto especially; lucky Natsuo doesn't have a fire bone in his body. I'm honestly acting a bit different around them I think...Shoto is too young to notice, I assume, but Touya notices. He acts more distant himself, which makes me feel like a terrible mother. Should I...do anything to fix this?" Rei turned hopeful eyes to her daughter.

Fuyumi's hands tightened their grip on the plate she was cleaning slightly. "I don't know if there's much to do, your...Mother. They are who they are, and if their appearance reminds you of the king, there isn't much to be helped. I'm sorry."

Rei sighed, "No, it's fine. You're right, it can't be helped." The kettle whistled, signaling it was ready, and Rei poured the water into her cup. "I'll come back to visit you again soon. Have a good day."

The next time Rei entered the kitchen was to get her morning tea. Unfortunately, her youngest son Shoto was looking for her, and Rei wasn't in the right mind space at the time. She poured the boiling kettle water over her son's left eye, since all she saw was the face of her husband.