Kaori vacuumed her house's living room, creating straight lines directly next to each other. One after the other, creating a perfect design on their whitish-tan rug. She turned the vacuum off, wrapping up the plug once more. She rolled the vacuum back to the closet, hiding it away. She walked to the kitchen, taking a seat on her kitchen table. She fiddled with the silver locket around her neck, twisting and untwisting it between her fingers. She took it off at one point, clicking the small button and opening it once more. She looked at small picture, seeing the images of her deceased family. Her Haha, her Chichi, her Nana, and her Koko. They were all gone. Why wasn't she with them when it happened? Why did she have to face the aftermath? The lingering, poisonous thoughts that surrounded her? She started to tear up, remembering the most random memories.
" Chichi used to call me Mako....he liked Mako Shimura better...he called me Mako because he disagreed with my name choice..." She said, giving a weak smile as she talked to nobody. She hung her head, smiling in pain, again.
" Koko loved it...Nana too....they loved making up nicknames..just for me..! They wanted my name....to be special..." She cried more, breathing in and out harshly. However, it was all stopped when there was a knock at the door. She looked up, confuesed. She dried her tear-stained face, sniffling a couple times. Was her Chichi....out of the hospital already? She stood up, leaving her locket open and on the table. She walked toward the door slowly, her hands shaking. However, when she opened the door, she was even more so confuesed.
. . .
" Shoto?"
There stood the boy with heterochromia eyes, standing unsure and awkward before her. He wore a dark blue turtle-neck, a pair of black pants to suit them. What is he doing here..?
" Hello, Kaori. How are you doing?" He asked, pushing away the awkwardness as he starred straight at her, showing no utter expression upon his face.
" I'm alright....how did you find me?" She asked, holding onto the door-frame as she leaned onto it. He held up his phone, showing the Friend Finder app.
" I asked Ashido for your number. I hope you don't mind." He said, putting his phone back into his back pocket.
" It's no problem. Would you like to come in?" She asked, moving to the side a bit as she gestured for him to come in. He nodded, stepping aside quickly. He looked around as Kaori closed the door, looking back at the curious boy. He seemed to be captivated by...everything.
" 64 degrees? You like the cold?" He asked, turning around to look at her. He'd expected her to have it at something more like 75 during this chilly autumn.
" Yeah, it calms me.....it's also one of the reasons why my Dad appears at school with a sleeping bag..." She said, chuckling a bit before becoming quiet. He then turned to look at her, seeming a little sad for her. She looked back up, clapping her hands together lightly.
" Would you like some Tea?" She asked. He nodded, her nodding in return. She walked into the kitchen, readying the kettle as she poured water into it. She set the kettle of water on the front burner, allowing it to boil. She heard a small meow, making her head pop up. I forgot to tell him about Mon! She walked out of the kitchen, looking down the hall. She flipped the switch on, seeing their Shiba Inu Dog, Mon, playing with Shoto. Shoto looked up, stilling rubbing Mon's belly. She couldn't help but adore the scene in front of her.
" You didn't tell me you had a Shiba Dog." He said as Mon flipped back up, prancing toward her as he barked softly.
" Forgive me. I was just coming to tell you in case you were allergic or something. This is Mon, our Shiba. My Chichi prefers cats, normally, but he holds a special place in his heart, only for this dog." She explained as she knelt down. Mon looked at her, placing his front paws on Kaori's knees as he reached up to her head, licking Kaori's cheek lightly. Kaori chuckled a little, scratching behind Mon's ears. Hearing Todoroki chuckle, she looked up, meeting his eyes. They sat there in a moment of peaceful silence, but the tea kettle interrupted them. Kaori looked behind her, standing up to walk towards the kitchen, Mon trailing after her.
" Shoto, what kind of tea do you like?" She asked, looking toward him.
" Chamomile." He said, walking into the room. She nodded, grabbing the tea kettle with a cloth. She took the kettle off the burner, allowing it to cool. After a while, she poured the hot water into two cups. She glanced at Todoroki, who looked visibly on edge.
" Shoto, are you alright?" She asked, setting the tea kettle on the back burner. She brought the two cups of tea to the table, setting one down in front of Todoroki. He thanked her, taking a sip. As he set his cup down, he looked back up at her.
" How is Mr. Aizawa? Have you seen him yet?" He asked. She expected somebody to ask her how Aizawa was, but if she saw him? She felt embarrassed to answer. She set her cup down, still starring at it.
" From what the doctors say, he's stable, but I.......I've been avoiding seeing him." She said, feeling vile for not going to see her own father.
" Because you're scared to see him at a vulnerable state." She heard him say. She looked back up, a little surprised. How did he know her exact feelings?
" Seeing the people you love hurt can be terrifying....I came here to return these to you," He said, changing the topic quickly as he brought out two of her puppets. Her's and Aizawa's. He held them out, allowing her to softly take them. For some odd reason, she felt an odd feeling of butterfly's in her stomach.
" I noticed you dropped them when I was at the Central Plaza. I thought you might want them back. I'd also like to ask if you'd want to be...allys...?" He asked, averting his eyes from hers as he took another simp. He was like her. Unsure of how to make friends without being awkward. Going it alone. She smiled a bit, nodding.
" Friends." She said. His eyes looked back at her, seeing the smile on her face. It made him something in his heart light and fluffy. He stopped the strange feeling, nodding back in agreement. The two sat there, drinking their tea. However, Todoroki finished his sip before her.
" There was a picture in the hall. Mr. Aizawa and a woman. Is that your mother?" He asked. She coughed a bit, setting her tea down as she held her heart, looking away.
" I-i'm sorry. I should've waited till you finished and then asked you the question. I didn't think if it was a traumatic story or not. Please, forgive me." He said, shame filling him. She waved him off, clearing her throat.
" No, no, you're alright. It's nothing traumatic. To answer your question, yes, that's my adopted mother. I was adopted by Mr. Aizawa and Naomi when I was 2. My mom is in the hospital currently, getting treated for a toxin in her body." She said.
" That sounds a bit traumatic to me. You were adopted at the age of 2 for a reason I don't know and your mother is currently in the hospital getting treated for a toxin and on top of that, Mr. Aizawa is also in the hospital in an unconscious state. How are you so calm about this?" Todoroki questioned. She seemed a little surprised by how he analyzed all of that in less than a minute. She chuckled, glancing at her locket she'd left open.
" You know, I was ok before you analyzed all that, but you made it sound much worse." She said, taking her locket and closing it.
" ...! Gah...I'm sorry. Normally I don't pry like this. I hope you can forgive me...again..." He said as she clicked the chain around her neck once more.
" No, it's no problem. You're alright." She said. Later that day, Todoroki had left, leaving her home alone. She'd cleaned most of the house, not having much to do. Mon enjoyed having another person's attention. Now, it was just the dog and the person. The person and the dog. Kaori laid down on her couch, a blanket draped over her. Mon crawled up by the spot next to her, laying his head on her lap. There, he fell asleep in less than 5 minutes. She chuckled, looking back at the Aizawa puppet. She smiled.
" I hope you're doing alright, Chichi. I promise I'll come and see you tomorrow." She promised herself, closing her eyes. However, upon hearing the door handle jingle, her eyes shot open. She was up in a quick second, grabbing the extra capture scarf from beneath the couch. She put it on quickly as she held it out, ready to attack any villain. The door opened, suddenly crumbling her fierce demeanor. There in the doorway stood Shota Aizawa, her Chichi, his face and arms bandaged up so much you couldn't see them. Her lip trembled as he closed the door, her legs giving out. Aizawa rushed over to her, kneeling down to make sure she was ok.
" Kaori, are you alright?" He asked, panic rushing through him. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She latched herself onto him, hugging him tightly. He leaned his head on her shoulder, not being able to use his arms to hug back.
" DAD, YOU....YOU MORON!! YOU H-HAVE NO IDE-A HOW SCARED....I WAS! I-I THOUGHT I WAS G-GOING TO LOOSE....YOU.....JUST L-LIKE HOW I L-LOST.....T-THEM!!"
" Shh, shh....it's alright. I'm never going to leave you, Kaori. I'll always be there to pick you up. "