Peppermint || Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 11

When they arrived at the training ground, Fuyumi and Natsuo were already there. 'Guys, I made Shoto laugh!' Y/N yelled, breaking free from Shoto's grasp and waving her arms about. 'He never smiles or laughs in school!'

Fuyumi was thoroughly shocked. Her younger brother hardly showed any emotion growing up. But this girl, who he'd known for about a few weeks, had managed to make him smile and laugh naturally like he should. Her bubbly personality and cheerfulness was something Fuyumi liked, clearly Shoto liked that about her too. 'No wonder Shoto fell for Y/N. That girl walks into a room and the mood instantly lightens up.' She thought to herself. 'I like this Y/N girl. Maybe she's the key to Shoto's happiness.'

'We'll do a ten minute match, rest for five and increase it to fifteen and so on, is that good with you?' Shoto asked Y/N, who was stretching. 'Fine by me.' She shrugged, doing a few high-knee jumps to get herself warmed up. 'Fuyumi, do you mind helping us keep the time?' The heterochromatic boy questioned, earning a nod from his sister.

'If you immobilise me, you win. The same goes for me, okay?' Y/N declared. 

'Ready... begin!' Fuyumi clicked the timer. Without waiting for Y/N to react, ice spread from under Shoto's right foot and he tried freezing Y/N. However, the girl knew his intentions. Shoto never gave his opponent time to react, he preferred a hard, fast fight. Y/N, on the other hand, was a manipulative, flexible fighter whose mind was never at rest, always analysing the scene before her and taking mental notes. Y/N thrust out an arm, palm faced upwards, and pulled her hand up in a rising motion. The ice confining her to the ground melted away in a hiss of steam. 

Shoto glared at the brunette, whose face was frowning with concentration. Stamping his foot again, he sent another wave of ice at the girl. This time, Y/N jumped onto the biggest crystal meant to freeze her in place, using its sturdy structure as a boost. She landed on Shoto, tackling him to the floor, causing the dual haired boy to let out a small 'oof'. 'Y/N wins!' Fuyumi cried. Y/N got off Shoto and offered him an arm, mumbling an apology. 'It's fine.' He groaned, massaging his neck. 'Good job, Y/N! I've never seen anyone beat my brother in battle before.' Natsuo commented. 'He has excellent technique and speed, so I'm really surprised.' 

Y/N let out a small, but humble laugh. 'I try not to use my quirk while I'm moving in a battle. I didn't develop a quirk until I was eight, and my father had trouble controlling me for two years. He was only able to start my training at the age of ten, so I have a long way to go. I hope the two weeks of time I have can help me improve though. Once I burst the pipes in my house during training.' The brunette added sheepishly, rubbing her nape. 'It still happens sometimes.'

'I see. Maybe Shoto can help you. What are you focusing on?' Natsuo asked.

'Um... Mainly speed, control and strength. If I have full control over my quirk then I have great advantages, but because I lack that, I'll always be two steps behind others.' Y/N explained as she did a simple demonstration. 'I can control liquids. As long as water is part of what makes up the liquid, I can manipulate it. Currently, I can stay in the air for an extended amount of time compared to the others, because of the water molecules that try to support me. When I'm strong enough, I'll be able to create a platform to use as a boost or to travel across large gaps.' The young girl jumped up to prove her point. True to her word, the girl stayed in the air for far too long, descended far too slowly, and landing far too lightly. 

'Wow. Do you have any other abilities?' Fuyumi asked, not believing her eyes. 'Um...' Y/N shyly tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. 'I can convert water molecules into energy, to either keep for myself or transfer into items. I absorb the energy and if I throw a softball using that energy, it'll work kinda like an engine, if you know what I mean. I can maybe manage humans, but rarely. I can freeze or heat up liquids, as you saw earlier. If you're standing in a building fitted with pipes, I'll know your whereabouts through the water flowing in those pipes. And my charmspeak, which I inherited from my mother. I can tell Shoto to get me something, anything, and if I use this quirk, he'll have no choice but to obey. But, it doesn't work as well against people who are alert and are actively fighting it.'

'Impressive.' Natsuo clicked his tongue, nodding. 'Just a question, Y/N. Did your parents perhaps have a quirk marriage?'

Y/N reeled slightly in shock. 'No. My parents loved each other truly and were over the moon when they had me. They believed me to be quirkless, but they never gave up on me and supported me in whatever I did. However, I lost my mother at age eight... she was killed in a fire. I never got to show her my quirk.' She finished softly, her tone shifted to a much more solemn and sad one.

'I see. Our father, whom you know as Endeavor, married our mother, Rei, in hopes of creating a child who had both their quirks so that he could one day surpass All Might, a mission that he was unable to be successful in. Fuyumi, Toya and I were failed experiments in his eyes. When Shoto showed signs of having both ice and fire, he immediately started the harsh training resume that he had drawn up years ago. Shoto had his childhood taken away from him. We lost our baby brother. Then, mother was put in a hospital because she became so mentally unstable from how father treated her. She was abused, beaten every other day, treated like nothing. He began pushing our brother even harder since there was no one to stop him anymore. We hardly saw Shoto's shadow around the house, only heard his cries and our father's yelling. This household is a cruel, loveless one. We damn him to hell.' Natsuo finished, fists tight and eyes glossy.

'Endeavor is a good hero, but a bad man. He has a twisted perception of the world. The reason I lost my mother is him.' Y/N sighed, eyes harsh and unforgiving. 'I will never forgive him for that deed. My mother was a sidekick of Endeavor's. Perhaps you have heard of her, my mother was quite well known. My mother, Yui, was a kind woman. She loved me to bits and provided me with everything I needed. She was humble, selfless and loving. I lost her when Endeavor caused an explosion that was followed by an inferno. He escaped. Told my mother that only the strongest and the fittest survived. It was a lie. My mother was the strongest woman I ever knew.' 

Y/N let a small tear slide down her cheek and continued with a trembling voice. 'He tears apart happy families to fulfil his personal desires and I hate him for that. I know I'm selfish for thinking this way, but I lost a mother that day. My grandma lost a daughter. My father lost a lover. The world lost a heroine. Because of him.' 

'I'm sorry.' The girl smiled tearfully at the three siblings in front of her. 'You must hate me now.'