Freeze Frame

Chapter 104

Third person pov

Shoto barreled through the trees, desperate to find Lillian and Bakugo. He almost hoped they were together, but he knew that would only make things worse. If the villains found them, it was more likely that the pair of them would both get taken were they with one another. That being said, being separated out here was just as dangerous. Both could handle themselves, but the term 'strength in numbers' was no lie. The half-and-half teen wasn't Bakugo's biggest fan, but even he hoped he wasn't alone out there somewhere. He thought back to the man who'd cut off Hitoshi's hand, and bile threatened to rise in his throat.

Had you told Shoto Todoroki a few months ago that he'd have his mother back, his father would be in jail, and he'd have some amazing friends, he would've just stared blankly at you. Even now it felt unbelievable. He had gained so much, so fast, and now it felt as though it was all washing down the drain. He knew that wasn't the case. Mr. Aizawa would call him irrational for thinking as such. But the sensation... it was there, and it was terrifying.

He had to slow to catch his breath after sprinting for a solid five minutes or so, his chest heaving and his hands shaking. The ground was rumbling heavily beneath his feet, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed before. The teen's head whipped about in search of the source, his aching muscles tensing further. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Without him meaning it to, his left side slightly flared up to combat the abnormal chill in the air. Shoto wasn't sure when he'd last gotten goosebumps that weren't due to overuse of his ice side. When had he been this afraid for someone who wasn't himself? He couldn't recall.

There was a crashing sound not terribly far away, but not terribly close either. Shoto took a slight step back, debating whether or not he should go investigate. He wanted to call out Lillian's name, but his voice was caught in his throat. There was a high chance that was a villain. But if it was a villain, they they were almost certainly on the hunt for his freckled friend, or that they already had her. He shook his head slightly, stumbling back until he hit a tree, and allowing himself to slide around it for cover. The terrified teenager crouched down low, sweat pouring down his face and the back of his neck. 

He wanted to find Lillian. He felt useless. Hitoshi was hurt, and he was... he was perfectly fine. Nothing was wrong with him. He was tired and afraid, but he hadn't been hurt. It left a vat of guilt to bubble to life in him. He wanted to do more. He had to do more. For once, he praised the harsh training he'd gone through. His shitty childhood made this seem so much better, despite how horribly bad it was. Things would work out. They had to, for better, or for worse. 

A familiar sound cracked through the air like a whip, and Shoto was shooting to his feet just as fast as he'd hunkered down. A hulking chunk of ice not unlike the ones he often produced towered off to the left, appearing just in time to curve the path of what looked like a huge mass of shadows. The terrifying creature let out a shriek, violently shaking its head to try and get the person latched atop it to let go. Shoto squinted through the darkness at the sight. That was a quirk he'd only ever seen in a few people. One being himself, the other his mother, partially in Natsuo, and finally...

"Fuyumi?" Shoto breathed, his mismatched eyes widening in surprise when he finally realized that the figure atop what could only be a very out-of-control Dark Shadow was indeed his older sister. Her hair, which was almost completely white, contrasted greatly against the multitude of black surrounding the small woman. The startled teen's gaze rose to the sky, where another figure was clearly circling overhead. His first thought was a winged Nomu like Vlad was present, but he caught a glimpse of red and immediately knew it had to be Hawks. But why were they there? Had Chad brought them as back up? His sister... she'd have a lot of explaining to do after this. No matter how welcome the help was.