Note: Italic: Russian | Bold: English | Normal: Japanese
There are some italic words that aren't Russian, sometimes they are thoughts and written letters, etc.
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With his arm crossed, Enji Todoroki tapped his finger in his left arm, glaring down at the young bluenette girl standing in front of him with her head hang low. Right after watching his son work with the kids, Umi Hirano had gathered her courage to have a talk with him privately. He didn't really want to go but she insisted that it is an important topic to discuss and so they both left their confused company. The bluenette had led him into an empty hallway, far away from anyone who could possibly pass by.
"What?" Enji asked in a hard tone, raising an eyebrow as he finally managed to process the words she had said "You wanted to cancel your engagement with Shouto?" the female nodded quietly, keeping her eyes down on the lilac-colored flooring.
The engagement between the heads of the Todoroki and Hirano family has been long discussed ever since Umi and Shouto were little kids. Since the families had been friends for years, Hikaru Hirano had proposed an engagement between his own daughter and Enji's son, convinced that the two families will greatly benefit from it.
If Enji wanted to continue on with a strong bloodline for his family, Umi is the best candidate for Shouto. Not only just because of her quirk but the connection, power and intelligence that her family holds are too great to decline, and so he accepted the offer. It was when the two became young teens that a proper introduction was decided. The first day that they were introduced as engaged partners was the very day that the two grew distant with one another. Never did Shouto had expected that he will have to get engaged with his childhood friend.
Shouto was so against it that he had accidentally lashed out on Umi after the meeting. He didn't want it; he didn't want to end up in a fate that is similar to his mother's—caged into a prison she could not escape—and only led her to ruin.
The hatred that he holds towards his father had only fueled in the moment his father had introduced his childhood friend as his fiancée. He felt a group of shackles wrapped around him, and the door to his own freedom was completely locked away from his reach.
As two young children, they held no authority of cancelling the engagement. It was already decided, and the only thing left is for them to announce it publicly. Shouto had no hope for himself since that day.
Fire blazing around his hero suit and face, his height was enough to intimidate Umi, but she surprisingly managed to keep her legs straight and still "Did you discussed this with your father?"
Umi shakes his head, answering in a calm tone "No, I haven't but I will once I have your permission to cancel this. Knowing my father, he would not grant me the request of cancelling the engagement" especially that the Hirano family had been hoping to finally tighten their bonds to the family of strong and known heroes.
"And what makes you think that I will agree to your request?" the older male asked, unblinking.
Despite of the warmth surrounding the dull hallways, Umi felt her shoulders getting a bit colder but she ignored it and said "Your reason to be strong—You already know the answer to that question, Endeavor-san" Endeavor's brows slowly rise in surprise, almost burning the small female in his gaze while he tightens his holds in his crossed arms "You are fully aware of the mistakes that you have committed and not a simple apology would easily provide you with the family that you needed. There are a lot of things to consider, long steps to be taken so you could properly atone for your sins not just as a father, but also as a husband—"
Gritting his teeth inside his lips, Endeavor let out a dissatisfied grunt and warned in a sharp tone "Enough"
Refusing to back down, Umi finally raised her chin to properly looked at Endeavor's turquoise eyes—the same color as Sakura's and Shouto's left eye "I don't want Shouto to end up in a marriage he doesn't want, I don't want him to be unhappy. So please, Endeavor-san—no—Enji Todoroki-san, if you truly care for your son, grant him the freedom he deserves. He had been in pain all this year, the trauma—" she almost break her gaze away when a sudden wave of memories about Shouto's panic attack had flashed on the back of her mind "He deserves to be truly happy this time as a hero of his own. This will be a good step to be a proper father—please" she bowed her head as low as she can. A proper father is what she said. How can she say that when she haven't had any chance nor remember having a father by her side? Is she being a hypocrite?
Endeavor stared at the young lady in front of him with amusement in his expression. He had seen her multiple times ever since she was a little child. She had always been timid, hiding behind the back of either her nanny or her best friend, Sakura. And now, she's showing independency and courage. Perhaps she gained it from training herself in becoming a hero.
What would her father say to this? He wondered.
Hikaru is truly blessed with a daughter like her, it is a shame to cut off the marriage.
"Fine" the male let out an annoyed sigh, finally taking his eyes away from Umi "I'll have it cancel. I will ask my secretary and lawyer to work on it" Stiffly, he placed one of his huge hands on the top of her head, catching the girl by surprise "Stand properly, Hirano. Now I've done you a favor, do something for me in return"
--
"Oh great, you guys are done changing" Sakura called out as she took a turn and saw Katsuki and Shouto walking through the hall in a fast pace. Their briefcase that contains their hero suits swung along with their movement "I'll see you out—" she stops in mid-sentence when she noticed two students following the boys, one was a particularl familiar buzzed head and the other was a female that she saw a moment ago "I see you made friends"
"Like hell they're friends!" Katsuki shouted, opening his free hand while spatting his words towards the pink haired. The female could only sigh and calmly told him not to shout so loudly, fearing that his voice will ruin her hearing.
The fawn-colored haired young woman approached Sakura with curiosity and said, "You were with All Might earlier, right? Hi, my name is Utsushimi Camie. I'm a second-year student at Shiketsu High" she extended a hand which Sakura instinctively accepted, forgetting to bow instead "Nice to meet you" her glossy and plumb lips formed into a smile.
Sakura returned her smile and said "Likewise. I'm Todoroki Sakura"
"Todoroki?" Camie looked between Shouto and Sakura "So you guys are siblings?" the two immediately moved their heads and said no. The pink haired Todoroki answered that they're cousins "I see! Wow, it must've been the genes, right? I mean you two are so good looking. You must've been popular"
Pursing her lips to keep a polite smile, Sakura only nodded to her in response and suddenly the buzzed head approached her, bowing aggressively as he energetically introduced himself "Inasa Yaorashi! I am a first-year student from Shiketsu High! I aim to be a hero—"
Raising a hand up, Sakura immediately stopped the buzzed head and said "There's no need for you to introduce yourself to me like that. The name is quite enough" she strictly said which made the huge male freeze in his stand. He wasn't offended or anything, he was just simply processing Sakura's words properly.
Noticing the missing female, who's usually tailing Sakura, Shouto tilted his head in wonder and asked "Sakura, where's Umi?"
"She said she had something important to do" Sakura replied, placing a hand on her hip. She's quite worried as well since Umi suddenly asked for All Might's permission to leave after she had asked Endeavor for a talk. Sakura wanted to ask what happened but the blue haired female was in a hurry that she didn't even managed to spare her a second glance "Umi didn't specifically said where she's going but I'm sure we'll see her again back in the dorm" her cousin replied with a silent okay, his expression remaining impassive.
"Who's this Umi, you guys are talking about?!" Camie pressed on, poking on Shouto's shoulder with her eyes filled with curiosity.
Looking at the fawn colored haired girl, Shouto proceeded with his reply "She's my—"
"ARE WE JUST GOING TO DAWDLE HERE OR WHAT?!" Katsuki cut him off with a loud shout, almost tempted to throw his bags because of frustration "It's getting fucking late. If you're going to keep on gossiping here, then I'm out!" he turned his heels and started walking out of the facility with heavy footsteps
Sighing, Sakura rolled her eyes and briefly gave the remaining students a glance "Let's go, the teachers are already waiting outside. I'll lead you to them" she walked on ahead and ignored the complaints of Camie.
The sun is already setting by the time they stepped out of the facility. The sky is auburn, painting the nearby buildings with colors of yellow and orange. Once the sliding doors had opened, the students noticed All Might and Present Mic having a conversation with Shiketsu High's supervisor and Seiji Shishikura. Endeavor was there as well, keeping his distance but listening as the conversation goes on.
Quite intrigue at the unusual scene in front of her, Camie passed by Katsuki and skipped towards her schoolmate and supervisor to ask "Oh? What's going on, Shishikura? You're chatting with All Might? Seriously, the symbol! That's crazy, what were you talking about? Like life and stuff?"
Seiji still couldn't believe that Camie has no idea of what happened during the provisional licensure exam. It takes only a few things to piece themselves together and yet Camie remain ignorant by the fact that a member of the League just copied her and entered the examination posing as her. Quite annoyed with her babbling, he turned his face in her direction and emphasized to make sure she understands "We were talking about you, you dunce!"
"Seriously? Crazy!" Camie gasped but remain unaffected by Seiji's rude statement.
Approaching the group with the others, Sakura could clearly hear Shiketsu's supervisor said "The reality is that the League has gone after a school that's not U.A" the pink haired female's eyebrow raised at this, mentally taking notes of his words "Up until now, we have not had any special deep interactions with U.A., but we were talking about coordinating in the future to share more information. We still do not know why you were targeted, Utsushimi" Sakura briefly stared at the fawn-colored hail female from behind "We are hoping to get better idea of what they're after by working together"
Camie reacted and Seiji added "this means joint trainings are also being considered for the future"
Hearing this, Katsuki lifted his chin and said in a rasped voice "Next time, I'll beat you up one on one
Offended, Seiji approached Katsuki with his finger pointed at the ash blonde "You're still behaving and speaking so violently! Know your place!" he shouted
Katsuki closed his eyes for a moment and said "I don't want to hear that from you" he opened his eyes when he suddenly heard Endeavor calling Shouto's attention.
"Long time no see" Endeavor calmly said, standing in front of his youngest son. He wasn't in his usual crossed arm posture, rather he was keeping his arms on the side of his body so he could at least try to lessen the intimidating demeanor that he usually carries "You've changed a lot—" he attempted to raise a hand and place it in his son's temple, just like what he did to Umi earlier, hopefully to be more fatherly but Shouto aggressively pushed his hand away before he could even touch a strand of his hair
"I don't want to hear it" Unlike earlier, his impassive behavior became seething. Witnessing this, Sakura opened her mouth to say something but decided not to press on it since it felt like it was not her business to attend to.
She was honestly expecting Endeavor to shout again but to her surprise, Endeavor's expression turned solemn for a moment when he said "I'm proud of you, son" However the sincerity that he wanted to show his son had only disgusted him but he continued on, with hands balling into fists "So I'll become a hero that you can be proud of too. Proud that your father is the number one hero—the most powerful man"
Hearing his father's little speech, Shouto could only place a hand on his nape and looked away "Do what you want"
While the others are still engaged in a conversation, they could still hear Endeavor's words, but no one dared to break off the atmosphere between father and son, so everyone remained quiet. Sakura's lips were slowly forming into a smile but a certain someone had caught her attention. She turned her head towards Inasa when he suddenly punched his cheek, resulting with it getting bruises, both of his mouth and nose bled. She and Camie watched in surprise when he walked towards Endeavor in a stiff pace, calling the current number one hero's attention.
"I'm cheering you on!" Inasa suddenly spoke with a smile, the blood on his nose and mouth had tainted his face
"Thank you" Endeavor replied and honestly pointed out "You're bleeding a lot"
The conversation had ended after saying a few polite and cheery goodbyes. They had parted their ways. Endeavor had insisted Sakura to visit the household in her free time which she promised to do so when she finds an opportunity. Unlike her cousin, she properly bid him goodbye and wished him well.
As they parted their ways, Sakura noticed her cousin taking a glance back to his father's disappearing figure before he continued on with his walk with a smile. She smiled and elbowed his side. Shouto looked at her and she suddenly ruffled his hair playfully, quietly teasing about him looking back which the male could only reply with a look.
One step at a time, they are moving forward.
--
Holding a white and cerulean colored wrap for the bouquet, Umi walked through the halls of the gray and white hospital after talking to the nurse to inform her sudden visit. The woman, who's probably in her mid-30s, gladly smiled at her and guided her through the number of hallways. It was fairly quiet with only a few hushed voices in the rooms they passed through and the sound of her heels clicking. There are some female and male nurses who gave her a polite smile as a greeting which she shyly returned. The smell of antiseptic had wafted through her nose and the cool air inside the hospital had started to slowly send shivers in her bare arms.
Its been quite a while since she visited Rei. The last time was around when she came back from Russia. She had grown closer with the white-haired female and yet she still find herself sometimes nervous around her.
"We're here" the nurse gently said, motioning her hand towards the blue-colored sliding door "Visiting hours will end in two hours" Umi bowed at her as a thanks and the nurse returned it before walking back to her station.
Adjusting her hold on the bouquet, Umi reached her free hand to the cold long handle of the door and quietly slid it open "Excuse me?" she gently called.
The room was not that spacious but enough for a few people to stay in for a visit. There's a bed good for one person, wrapped with soft pink covers, and a set of wooden table and chair to keep her busy whenever she gets bored.
Rei was quietly sitting on the chair in front of her table, re-reading the letters that Shouto had been leisurely sending her. Most of it contains the progress of his trainings and questions like how she was doing. Since U.A. had embraced the dormitory system, Shouto couldn't easily ask for permission to visit his mother in the hospital just so he could spend time with her, because of that he settled with sending her letters that successfully sends happiness to his mother.
Gray soft eyes moved away from the bundle of letter in her hands to see her surprise visitor of the day. She wasn't expecting anyone today and was sure that her children visit her in a scheduled day. Surprised immediately filled her expression when she noticed the familiar ocean blue-haired female standing in her room's doorway "Umi-chan!" she gently called with a smile, placing the letters in the table before standing up to welcome her "Come in, please"
"I hope I'm not intruding, Rei-san" Umi said with a smile, rather happy to see her as well. She closed the door behind her while Rei reassured her that she wasn't intruding. The white-haired female offers her a seat while she settled herself in the bed "How are you feeling today?"
"I am doing well, Umi, thank you for asking. It's been a while hasn't it—" Rei watched as Umi took the seat she offered for her before handing her the bouquet of a very familiar flowers "These flowers?" she blinked, her hand unconsciously touching the bouquet of blue Rindou, Autumn bellflower, wrapped in a thin white and cerulean paper. Her gray eyes immediately landed on Umi's azure ones, asking if she got it from someone.
Understanding her questioning gaze, Umi gave her a small smile and said "I was hesitant in bringing those here, but he did me a favor and I couldn't say no. I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable"
"No" Rei immediately replied, shaking her head "I was just surprised to see you delivering me this" It wasn't a surprise to see her favorite flowers once in a while. She never saw him visiting but she somehow knew he was the one sending the same flowers that she only mentioned to him once. The thought was rather bittersweet whenever she sees a new Autumn bellflower in her glass vase "How is he?"
Rei's question earned a smile from the young female. She knew she wasn't talking to her son, Shouto, but rather her husband. The same man who's the very reason why she ended up in a psychiatric ward "He'll be officially number one soon. I don't know the full details of how he is doing but I can clearly see that he's starting to look things differently, he's trying to move forward in atoning for his sins"
"I see" was the only response Rei could utter. Feeling the gloomy atmosphere, she immediately changed the topic and asked "How are you? Is school doing well?"
Umi nodded, welcoming the new topic with no question "It's been a while since we resided in U.A but training and school is doing really well"
"How are you and Shouto? Did you two talk about things?" Rei carefully asked, hoping not to touch a sensitive topic "He sends me letter when he can, he told me about you sometimes" She's not really alienated by the fact that her son and Umi had a misunderstanding before she went to Russia. If she could, she would try to help but she had her own condition that she need to fight and for years, not until recently, she had no chance of having a proper conversation with her son. It was only Umi who had been honest with it.
"Yes, we already did" Umi answered, fiddling her thumbs together as she felt the sudden gush of nervousness in her chest "He had apologized for it and we're trying to handle things as friends"
Noticing her nervous state, Rei quietly watched Umi's movements before she asked in a questioning tone "but it wasn't just that?"
Pursing her lips together, Umi looked away and took a few deep breaths "I had a few other reasons why I visited today, Rei-san. As his mother, you had the right to know about this and I am also here to say my goodbyes. The favor that I mentioned earlier was about my request of cancelling the engagement with Shouto-kun" Rei's eyes slowly widens at this, she placed a hand on her lips as she tried to keep herself from gasping in surprise "He surprisingly accepted after a few attempts of persuasion. It will only take a little time until its officially ended"
Even though the engagement would mean restricting Shouto's ability to choose the path that he could take, Rei doesn't really mind having Umi as her son's future wife. She was kind and she love her son. However, she does understand where Umi is going with this "You will do that for my son? I know it's not my place to say this, but I know you adore him very much. Umi-chan" she placed a hand on the top of the young female's "Since you were a little girl, you have always been so selfless. There's nothing wrong about it but I'm worried that someday it will hurt you. You should think this through—"
Umi shake her head in response and said with a sad smile "I have been thinking about it for a year and this is my decision" she placed her other hand on the top of Rei's and almost felt herself crying at the coolness of her hand. Rei had been such a great mother figure for her and she owed her a lot for that fact. Ever since she was a child, Rei never failed to take care of her and treat her as if she was her own. She's somehow afraid of not seeing her again after cancelling the engagement but she thought that this is probably for the best "It's for the best, Rei-san" she gently let go of Rei's hand before standing up from her seat and bowing formally "Thank you for taking care of me up until now, this will probably the last time that I would visit" she stood up, unable to look at Rei's eyes "Excuse me" she turned her heels and hurriedly walked towards the doorway, leaving Rei before she could even call out her name.
Rei could only watch the young female leave the room, her gaze from the doorway went to the bouquet of flowers in her arm.
Autumn Bellflowers signifies as Love is sadness.
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A/N: My midterm exams had ended this day and I didn't get nice grades, sadly but meh--we still got to live. Since I had a lot of time after exams, I'm giving you this chapter!
Was it something unexpected to happen? Its my intention from the start that Umi will have the cancellation of the engagement. I'm sorry for those who ship Shouto and Umi. A story got to have some downside as well. What's going to happen next? No spoilers for you because I don't have concrete plans yet, I just really rely on ideas that comes to mind (I don't really have some set of plans, just going with the flow). AND HAVE YOU SEEN THE LATEST UPDATE IN THE MANGA? I SWEAR TO MIDORIYA IZUKU THAT I'M SUPER CLOSE IN BALDING HORIKOSHI. I'M HONESTLY FRUSTRATED LIKE WHAT THE HELL?!
I hope I didn't break any hearts tonight. Stay healthy and safe!