🝆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 🝆
𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑
Naoko had allowed herself a few moments hesitation before resigning herself to watch the match between her brother and Midoriya.
Kirishima, after his match, joined the class in the stands and sat on her left side while Bakugo stayed on her right, subtly leant toward her after Kirishima spouted something about keeping her warm during the next fight.
"And now for the next round of the sports festival! Both competitors are at the top of their class! And the world ain't big enough for the both of them! Midoriya vs. Todoroki!"
Naoko cuddled deeper into Mina's jacket that she let her borrow earlier, and sank further into her seat.
"Start!"
Immediately, Shoto sent forth a large wave of ice, only for it to be shattered as Midoriya used a flick of his fingers, enhanced by his strength quirk (Naoko, by the way, was still convinced that the freckled boy is All Might's secret son).
The impact sent cold air into the crowd, eliciting yells and complaints about the temperature while Kirishima and Bakugo both felt shivers rack their spines.
Kirishima turned to Naoko, worried, "Are you sure you don't want to sit inside? There's TVs inside that are showing the fight! Isn't it too cold?"
Naoko waited a moment for her chattering teeth and trembling shoulders to calm, "I... I can use this as- as practice."
Kirishima looked at her confused, then looked up at Bakugo to see if he knew what she was going on about. Bakugo clicked his tongue, and scooted closer to Naoko, knowing his body heat was a bit more prominent than a lot of peoples'.
"If she beats Four Eyes, she has to fight Icyhot," Bakugo explained, "I guess if she can get used to the cold now, it'd help with her fight."
Naoko nodded at Bakugo's explanation, but still added on to it with an embarrassed laugh, "Or it could just put me out of commission before my match even starts."
Present Mic called out loudly about how Midoriya smashed Shoto's ice, the announcement stealing Naoko's attention so she couldn't dodge Bakugo's elbow as it bonked her in the head. She went to glare at him, only to come face to face with him watching the fight intently, leading her to huff and lean toward Kirishima.
The blond sent her a nasty side eye, which, despite the fierceness behind it, did nothing to deter Naoko from sticking her tongue out at him.
The two competitors in the arena went back and forth for a few minutes, Shoto sending waves of ice that made Naoko fold in on herself, and Midoriya shattering them with controlled hits.
Kirishima seemed to have a realization, apparent in the way he suddenly perked up and leaned in front of Naoko, "Hey, Bakugo, I just remembered I'm fighting you next, huh?"
Without peeling his eyes from the fight, which seemed to be at a standstill, Bakugo replied bluntly, "I'm gonna beat you to death."
"Hah! I'd like to see you try!" Kirishima laughed while Naoko snorted. "Anyway, the two of you and Todoroki can send out a whole bunch of attacks rapid-fire without breaking a sweat, huh?"
"We don't just shoot rapid-fire, you know," Bakugo spoke, eyes still focused on the match.
As Kirishima made a questioning noise, violent shivering attacked Naoko, prompting Bakugo to further explain even though he knew Naoko understood what he meant and could've spoke, had she not been shaking.
"If you overexert your muscles, the fibers will wear down. If you run too much, you'll run out of breath. Quirks are just physical functions, so Goosebumps and Icyhot would have some kind of limits too. Even I have a limit on how much power I can use, that's why I designed my costume to amplify my explosions."
Kirishima looked back out into the arena, "So if we think like that, then for Todoroki, Midoriya is making this an endurance match..."
"Todoroki is closing in without even flinching at Midoriya's power!"
With another sequence of powerful blasts, Midoriya packing more power into his blows as Shoto closed in on him, the two boys took a moment to catch their breath while the audience went wild.
Naoko couldn't hear the words that fell from her brother's lips, but she could just barely make out his eyes hardening as he glared into the audience— somewhere not at her.
The girl followed his gaze, searching for anybody in the crowd that he could possibly be glaring at, and nearly came up empty until her eyes finally landed on him.
What's Shoto doing glaring at... Endeavor? Does he really...
Naoko thought back to her brother's conversation with Midoriya, that she had overheard after the cavalry battle. Sure, the boy had called their father a piece of shit, said he was a bastard— but in the same breath, said she symbolized all of that too. So what the hell was she supposed to think?
Regret bubbled inside of Naoko's chest, no one noticing the shift in her expression as the battle playing out in front of them grew in intensity. Frost noticeably creeped up Shoto's side, while Midoriya's fingers grew more mangled and blackened.
Midoriya spoke to Shoto, and from the silence in the audience, Naoko probably would've been able to hear if her thoughts weren't drowning out the world around her.
Just this morning, Naoko would've sworn on her life that her brother was Endeavor's perfect little creation-- someone who came along and pushed her out of the way for his own gain. Just this morning, Naoko would've stood by the idea that Shoto was a miniature Endeavor and nothing more, a bastard that viewed himself as a cut above the rest—someone who relished in the recognition he received, relished in their father's attention.
Was she wrong?
Why exactly was it that she could separate her fire from the man who passed it down to her? She never thought of Touya as someone marred and tainted with Endeavor's quirk—it was always just his. Her fire was always hers and it was something they shared together, the two of them burning their father from the picture frame completely.
And though she spent nights past crying to herself, wishing that she had never been given the curse of a quirk she wielded, she still managed to separate her fire from the man who passed it down to her.
She stopped seeing her father reflected in her flames, and started seeing the warmth and comfort that they truly stood for.
Why had she never done that for Shoto?
Did he not lead the same life as her? The same life—one of abuse and betrayal, suffering at the wills of those meant to love them? Were they not scarred by the same hands, confronted by the same eyes that looked at them and saw something evil?
It was him weeping in their mother's arms only months after Naoko had done the same, both children having had the same lessons beat into them, falling onto their knees on the same floor, and crying the same tears.
It was him who peeked around doorways and into the TV room, eyes holding the same sparkle as hers when All Might would appear on screen and she would gush about him loudly to Natsuo.
It was him that had started out hoping she'd become a hero despite Endeavor's words, it was him who would stare longingly every time he caught sight of her with a hand in Touya's.
It was Shoto who experienced the same shit as her, so why was it not Shoto that she saw whenever she looked at his fire?
Why was it not Naoko that he would see when he looked at her?
Naoko's mind was reeling, her heart growing heavier and heavier with each passing second she questioned herself.
"It's your power and only yours!"
And just as suddenly as Midoriya yelled, Naoko was enveloped by a heat she'd never felt.
It was different—it didn't wrap around her like the heat from her own flames did. It didn't seem to crawl under her skin in comfort like Touya's had. But still it danced along her body, stilling the trembles in her muscles.
It lit up her face in a way that made her glow, a way that made her hair look like fire itself, and her eyes like the sea just before dusk, in the moment when the sun kissed the water and doused the world in a filter of... warmth.
It was warm.
It was warm... and she laughed despite the tears that spilled over her cheeks.
It was so warm she couldn't bring herself to react as her father's voice grated against her eardrums, managing to travel through the entire arena as he shouted, "Shoto! You've finally accepted my power! This is your origin! You carry my blood and will someday surpass me and fulfill my ambition!"
Shoto didn't even glance back at Endeavor, only Present Mic paying the hero any mind as he questioned, "Endeavor-san suddenly gives some... encouragement? He sounds like a doting parent, huh?"
Naoko slapped her right hand over her mouth, not wanting her crying to be heard, but the action garnered the attention of the boys sitting at her sides. Both Bakugo and Kirishima looked at her face worriedly, but with her eyes zeroed in on the match, Kirishima did nothing but grab onto her hand while Bakugo pressed his arm into hers.
Midoriya and Shoto powered up their attacks one last time, Shoto sending forth a huge amount of ice as Midoriya's limbs lit up with his quirk. Midoriya leapt over the ice, attempting to close the distance between him and Shoto. However, the half and half boy used his fire as well, causing a massive explosion, one that Cementoss' throwing up a line of concrete barriers between the two could do nothing to quell. Despite the hero's effort, the walls shattered immediately, and the combination of quirks sent the audience into a frenzy of confusion while wind blew harshly into the stands and dust blocked their vision.
As the cloud of debris from the explosion cleared, Midoriya could be seen, slumped over against the far wall, collapsing out of bounds. Shoto stood staring at the boy, deep breaths escaping him while his shirt burned away and steam formed along his skin.
"Todoroki-kun advances to the semi-finals! Will he have to fight his classroom representative or will his next battle be a fated brawl between siblings? We'll find out after this next match!"
Naoko took a shaky breath, her two best friends still wondering what happened as they watched her wipe tears from her face while she stood.
"Next up, after the arena is cleared, Todoroki Naoko vs. Iida Tenya! Both from Class 1-A!"
Maybe Naoko was worried earlier. She'd told herself that she wouldn't be able to get far, that she'd let her brother down.
But her eyes had been opened, her heart had been opened, and Bakugo's voice whispered, "You got this," as she left. And it all made her think:
Maybe I do have this. Maybe I can win this.
Before she walked into the building, Naoko looked up at the blue sky, the color rushing through her sight. And Blue's watching as well, so I can't let him down.
a/n
anyway. this chapter almost kinda felt a little confusing to me. maybe i was word vomitting naoko's thoughts during the fight, so PLEASE tell me if something didn't make sense. idk how well i can describe her feelings bc theyre all over the place but ill try my best!
[ gif credit ] grave of the fireflies, 1988