Chapter Text
As planned, the Academy for Gifted Children began to grow rapidly after a while.
Shota Aizawa made sure to wait a few months before training Shoto Todoroki’s quirk, allowing the boy to gain confidence that his powers wouldn't spiral out of control. Thanks to observations and connections Yagi Toshinori had in the United States, two pairs of gloves were created, one as a backup in case the originals were lost or damaged, designed to keep the left side warm and the right side temperate. This way, while wearing the gloves, Shoto wouldn't have to worry about losing control of his powers.
Soon after, more children began arriving at the Academy. After Shoto, the first to arrive was a boy with red wings and blond hair, dropped off by his mother on an otherwise ordinary day. She left him with nothing but a grocery bag full of clothes and a letter begging them to help and care for her son, as she could no longer protect him (her words). The boy, Keigo Takami, was four years older than Dante and Shoto (making him eighteen), and unlike them, he seemed to take to the place quite easily.
Apparently, when you have an alcoholic father and a negligent mother, a place that looked like a freak show could feel more like home than what you had before in the blink of an eye.
Shoto was cordial with him, and despite a few jokes here and there, Keigo respected Todoroki (he thought his power was really cool). And despite a somewhat... turbulent start with Dante, Dante may or may not have used his telekinesis to knock Keigo out of a tree once, they ended up becoming very good friends, even laughing about the similarities between their powers. After all, Keigo could control his feathers using a sort of improvised telekinesis and sense vibrations through them.
"Copycat," Dante had turned up his nose when he saw Keigo's feathers carrying a book.
"Technically," Shoto, standing beside him, raised a finger, "you're younger than him, which means-"
Dante snapped his head toward his friend. "You're supposed to be on my side, dumbass!" He scowled when he heard Keigo's irritating laughter echo through the room.
As previously described, it was a rocky start.
A few weeks later, not months, as before, Yagi rescued a girl a year younger than Dante and Shoto from a freak show; she had features reminiscent of a frog. Her name was Tsuyu Asui. Since Keigo didn't need much help controlling his mutation (just some training on how not to get overwhelmed by the vibrations he sensed through his feathers) and was older, Aizawa had more freedom to help Tsuyu recover psychologically. The girl didn't have a volatile mutation like Dante and Shoto, but she had been terribly mistreated by her parents, who ran the circus.
Realizing he would need extra help sooner than anticipated, Aizawa called upon a colleague, a woman with a quirk who worked for the government. She used the cover story that her abilities stemmed from a chemical accident (someone explain to Aizawa why powers caused by horrific accidents are viewed so favorably compared to quirks?) and, after some persuasion, Nemuri Kayama joined the team.
It was good; Nemuri was great with children, and her quirk, which calmed people down using a type of scent she exuded from her skin, helped a lot with Shoto and Asui whenever they had nightmares.
Thanks to her physiology, Tsuyu could jump to superhuman heights (which reminded Dante of Izuku), and she could extend her tongue up to three meters... it was a bit gross, but Dante couldn't deny it was useful.
Things changed a bit one day when Aizawa asked Shoto and Dante to accompany him on a new "operation" (he didn't call it that, but that was how Dante interpreted it).
"Oh, do I have to bring my babes again?" Dante asked, recalling the frantic operation he’d carried out nearly a year ago. He was standing at the mansion's doorway, waiting for Aizawa, who was already further ahead near the car.
"No, it’ll be peaceful this time”, or at least, Aizawa hoped it would be. Dante sighed in understanding.
"What's the situation?" Shoto asked, opening the back door for Dante (who made a comment about chivalry not being dead) before getting in himself.
Aizawa knew that question was coming from Todoroki and that there was no easy way to explain it. "A girl three years older than you two had an incident at a boarding school a few hours away, in the Yokohama district." He started the car and began to drive.
"And what happened?" Dante asked out of morbid curiosity.
"It seems she was being bullied," Aizawa said, recalling the report Nemuri had brought him, "which caused her to... freeze half the school hallway."
Shoto and Dante’s eyes widened, and the latter looked at Shoto. “Damn, what are the odds of someone with a quirk similar to yours showing up?”
“Yeah… it really is quite a coincidence-”
“What if I told you it’s not a coincidence at all?” Shota knew it was better to speak up now than to let Shoto find out in the moment.
Dante looked at the old man. “What do you mean by that?”
“Todoroki…” Aizawa began carefully. “Remember how you told me you had siblings? And that you were separated when your mother ended up in that psychiatric facility and lost custody?”
A few months later, shortly before Keigo showed up, Todoroki finally began to open up more to Aizawa and Toshinori (Dante isn't included here, as he never had trouble doing that with Dante). Even without Yagi asking, he ended up telling him and Shota about his family one day during dinner.
His father had died in a fire (the irony wasn't lost on anyone) when Shoto was just a baby and Shoto’s older brother, Touya, died in that same fire. Their mother came from a wealthy family, so they had no trouble finding another home and going on with their lives.
One ordinary day, when Shoto was about six years old and his siblings were at school, he was painting in the kitchen when his pencil caught fire. Then, it wasn't just the pencil, the entire left side of his body ignited. It didn't hurt, Shoto made a point of reiterating that, but he got scared because his mother started screaming loudly, and he knew he had to stop it before something like what happened to his father could happen again. He needed to cool it down.
The ice appeared from that thought.
Due to his mutation, Shoto’s body was resistant to fire and frostbite, but the contact between the two elements over his left eye caused the scar he has today to form.
When the police arrived to figure out what had happened, Rei Todoroki took the blame, saying she had done it herself so that no one would think badly of Shoto.
She was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital, Shoto didn't know which one (Aizawa looked into it but found no records) and Shoto ended up in Dr. Garaki’s orphanage. He didn't know where his siblings had ended up; that was likely Garaki’s doing as well.
But that didn't mean he didn't remember the name of...
“Fuyumi?” Shoto couldn't believe he was saying that name out loud after so long.
Aizawa nodded.
“Damn…” Dante was shocked… completely dumbfounded. What were the odds? He placed a hand on Shoto’s shoulder. “How are you holding up?” What wouldn't he give to be in Todoroki’s shoes and know his own brother was alive? It was a silly thought, Vergil was dead and it was his fault.
(Just a few years, Dante, only a few more years.)
“I…” Shoto didn't know if he was okay, but, “I’m happy she’s alive. Is she alright?”
“Aside from the shock and some property damage, no one was hurt. She’s fine, but the school wants to call the police, and we’re going to stop that,” Shota said with determination. The truth was, the police would send Fuyumi Todoroki to some rehabilitation center, and if her quirk flared up again, it was hard to say what they’d do to her, though the chances of it being anything good were certainly null.
Dante didn't really know what to say (shocking) as he kept looking at Shoto, waiting for a reaction, and when he saw Todoroki’s expression shift from astonishment to determination, he managed to relax a little.
“There’s my other brother, Natsuo.” Todoroki pointed out.
“I haven't found anything yet, but given his age, he’d be an adult by now. If he was in an orphanage or a school, he would have been released already, that complicates things a bit.” Shota remained candid.
“I understand.” It was better for Shoto to keep a goal in mind before dwelling on anything else.
As Aizawa had mentioned earlier, a few hours passed before the group arrived in Yokohama. Yokohama was a poorer district of Nagano, quite a distance from Musutafu, which was closer to Tokyo. The journey was miraculously quiet; even Dante could tell when the mood wasn't right for small talk. The boarding school actually seemed decent and traditional, a stark contrast to the Academy, which featured a more Western-style décor (heavily influenced by Toshinori during its construction, whereas Aizawa couldn't have cared less about design). There were no police cars around yet, which was a very good sign.
Aizawa had brought Shoto along for obvious reasons, and Dante to keep Shoto company. He had also brought the pair to help convince Fuyumi that attending the Academy was the best option, since she was nearly eighteen, and given the incident that had occurred, the institution wouldn't stand in her way if she chose to leave of her own will.
A school secretary led Aizawa and the two boys to Principal Kusakabe’s office; they had to walk down the hallway affected by Fuyumi’s mutation, and the scene was peculiar, to say the least.
The wooden corridor was no longer frozen, but it was still wet, with water dripping from the ceiling; some posters looked melted and were certainly ruined. The overhead lights were clearly wrecked as well.
As they drew closer to the principal's office, a man’s shouting could be heard from outside:
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you! I already expected-”
And it went on in that same vein.
The secretary looked shocked, and Aizawa knew he had to step in. “Dante, stay here outside with Todoroki for a moment,” he said, heading toward the door.
“Old man-”
“Aizawa-”
“You two stay put.” Aizawa didn’t even turn to look at the boys before entering. Once he stepped inside, the man’s shouting ceased.
Dante and Shoto leaned against the wall, the albino tried to listen to the conversation inside but had no luck. After five minutes, he gave up and turned to Shoto. “How do you feel? You’re about to see your older sister.”
How did Shoto feel? He felt strange, though he knew Dante was likely expecting more of a response than that.
“I… I’m happy, I guess? It’s good that she’s alive.” Even though he didn’t remember much about her, and she likely didn’t remember much about him, given she was nine when they were separated.
“Aren’t you excited?” Dante tilted his head.
“I think so, but she probably doesn’t even remember me, and I don’t remember much of her… still,” Shoto said that last part under his breath, “if she really does come with us…”
“You can make new memories. I get it.” Dante flashed a wide, toothy grin, and Todoroki didn’t need to reply.
It wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind, but Dante’s addition sounded far better than anything Shoto could have put into words. It didn’t bother him, quite the opposite; he was grateful to have someone who could speak so openly.
Things were simple and easy with Dante, even when nothing else seemed simple or easy.
The office door, which had been slammed shut by a strike from Aizawa’s cane, flew open with such force that the sound echoed down the hallway. Shoto barely had time to process what was happening before he was caught in a hug so tight it made some of his bones crack.
A few seconds later, he realized the person hugging him was sobbing uncontrollably, and he caught a glimpse of something that instantly took him back to a memory from years ago:
White hair with scattered red dots.
“Shoto…” The girl was sobbing, clinging to him as if he might vanish if she let go for even a single moment. And it was entirely possible that was exactly what she feared.
Her shoulders were shaking violently, and for a moment, Shoto didn’t know what to do with his arms. Fuyumi was crying so hard, clearly in need of comfort, yet Shoto wasn’t sure exactly how to provide it.
He glanced at Dante, who was still standing beside him looking surprised, and wondered: what would the albino do in his shoes? Dante wasn’t usually one for hugging people, but in an extreme situation like this…? Would he do it? Shoto would ask later; even so, he decided to go with what felt right and raised his arms to Fuyumi’s back, she made a sound in her throat when she felt it.
“Shoto…” It had been so long. Fuyumi never thought that day would come, or that it was even possible.
She thought Shoto was gone forever; after turning fifteen, she had tried to find him and Natsuo, but without success. She assumed the brothers had been adopted by some family and decided to move on with their lives, leaving behind the tragedy that had been so inextricably woven into her own existence.
Fuyumi wouldn't blame her brothers for that, she couldn't, given that it was exactly what she had wanted for herself, too, but she had never been adopted. Her hair was too strange, her glasses too thick, and her teeth not good enough.
But she was smart. Smart enough to land a scholarship to this school that covered all her costs and tuition, the director of the orphanage where she lived hadn't even been angry when she found out Fuyumi had applied without saying anything, after all, they wouldn't have to deal with her or her presence anymore.
She would have done the same thing if she could, don't get her wrong. Even so, she had tried so hard to make friends... but no one wanted to be friends with a loser who had weird hair and no parents.
Fuyumi understood that. And she kept understanding it, right up until the day a boy approached her with a pair of scissors. His friends were shouting that she might finally look normal if she didn't have that ridiculous hair, which looked like a botched bleaching job.
She just reacted, she swears she only wanted him to go away and hadn't meant to hurt him. That didn't matter after what happened in the hallway, even though the boy hadn't been injured and it had been an act of self-defense, she was the one getting lectured by the principal while everyone called her crazy and a freak, even though she didn't even know what had happened. Fuyumi hadn't expected anything to save her from what she had supposedly done, it didn't matter that it hadn't been her intention; if everyone said she’d done it, then it must be true. At first, she thought the black-haired man was a police officer ready to haul her off to jail, but then he mentioned taking her somewhere, and she honestly stopped listening the moment Shoto’s name left his lips.
She stepped back to look closely at her brother, her heart ached at the sight of the scar their mother had inflicted on him, but aside from that, it really was her little brother. That hair, odd like hers, and those eyes, even stranger than her own... Fuyumi still had a family.
“Fuyumi...?” Hearing Shoto say that was the best thing she’d heard since... since... since...
“Shoto!” Fuyumi probably looked completely unhinged right now, thank goodness classes had been cancelled after what happened.
She glanced to the side and saw a boy with white hair and blue eyes and her eyes went wide. “Natsuo...?” Fuyumi tried to compose herself, shouldn't he be bigger by now?
Dante gave an awkward smile. “My name is Dante... Fuyumi, right? I’m a classmate of your brother’s...”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Fuyumi immediately bowed to apologize, though she felt a twinge of disappointment. Then, the boy’s words sank in: “Friend, you’re my brother’s friend?!” Shoto had friends! “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, crushing Dante in a hug. Dante let out a surprised squeak and raised his arms, unsure of what to do for a moment, before he started patting the young woman on the back.
It seemed Shoto hadn't been so wrong in his conclusion before.
“T-thank you for looking after my brother!” Fuyumi pulled away and bowed again.
“No… it was nothing, miss- please don’t do that.” Dante took hold of her shoulders and helped her straighten up.
“Right, of course!” Fuyumi turned to Shoto. “How… how are you doing?”
“I’m okay, sister,” Shoto replied with a nod and a small smile. He hadn’t been okay for a long time, now he was doing very well.
Sister.
Sister.
Fuyumi was a sister again.
She may or may not have cried for another ten minutes after that, but at least Dante and Shoto were there to pat her on the back.
Aizawa was glad the boys had stayed with Fuyumi during his conversation with the principal, because it hadn’t been pretty.
Let’s just say the man needed some… funds to be convinced not to call the police and to let Fuyumi go. Aizawa had to restrain himself from whacking the guy with his cane.
What mattered was that, in the end, he managed to have a conversation that was barely civil, and, just as he’d thought, the school was more than happy to get rid of Fuyumi Todoroki as quickly as possible.
Scoundrels. Aizawa felt entitled to think they were a bunch of scoundrels, even if their scoundrel-like behavior was exactly what he was counting on and what he needed at that moment.
In the end, he (unfortunately) didn’t have to whack the principal with his cane before leaving the room.
“So this ‘academy’,” Fuyumi’s voice caught Aizawa’s attention as he stepped out of the principal’s office, “isn’t just for the gifted, but-”
Aizawa shut the office door firmly, and not just to cut the girl off. “Please, let’s not talk about that here,” he requested, walking over to the group.
“Oh, right! Of course! I’m sorry!” Fuyumi exclaimed, bowing stiffly.
“You don’t have to do that…” Dante said, taken aback by the display.
“Sorry!” She did the very thing Dante had just said wasn’t necessary.
“Sister,” Shoto placed a hand on Fuyumi’s shoulder; she jumped slightly at the touch. The boy’s eyes widened a bit at his sister’s reaction. “Are you okay?”
“I am!” Fuyumi was more than okay, far more, since her brother was alive and there! Shoto was alive, and he had come for her! She still had a family! This was the best day of her life-
“I understand it can all be overwhelming all at once,” Aizawa stepped a little closer, not much, just a few paces. “If you need a moment, don’t feel ashamed.”
Fuyumi nearly wept at those words, which made her want to sink into the ground, though that wasn't what she wanted to do right now. She could do that later, but for the moment... “I- can I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“Are you... am I really leaving with you?” she asked, twisting her fingers together.
“You’re still a minor, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t truly want to do,” Shota said, telling a slight lie. Of course, he wouldn’t drag the girl along if she didn’t want to, however leaving her here wasn't an option either. They would likely find a middle ground until Fuyumi turned eighteen.
“But- but can I really go where my brother is?”
Ah. Aizawa understood her concern better now. “Of course. That’s what we’re here for.” Her reaction was unique; she hadn’t asked about the place or the conditions yet.
“A-are you s-sure...?” Fuyumi could feel tears streaming down her face again.
“Do you want to come with me, Fuyumi?” Shoto asked, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
“I do. I want to more than anything.” The girl lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. How embarrassing. How had she been chosen to join such a prestigious place after what happened? She was smart, though not smart enough to go to a school so far away and so elite that she had never even heard of it.
“So you’re coming,” Aizawa said, relieved by the girl’s response, she seemed relieved by his answer too, as she allowed herself to cry a little more.
The teacher turned to Dante and noticed he looked a bit uncomfortable with the whole display of emotion. “Can you come with me to get her things from her dorm?”
Dante was relieved to have an excuse to leave. “Yessir.”
Fuyumi’s eyes widened. “I can-” She didn’t have many belongings, nor anything really important, but who was she to let someone else fetch her things instead of doing it herself? She wasn’t lazy! (No one had even suggested that).
“Leave it to us, babe,” Dante said, raising his hand. “I swear I won’t open your diary.”
“I don’t have a diary.” Fuyumi barely even had notebooks for her studies.
“Oh…” Damn, she really is Shoto’s sister, Dante thought. “Anyway- old man, do you know where it is?” He was practically begging on his knees for the old man to get him out the hell of there.
“I do,” Aizawa decided to be merciful that day. “Come along. Todoroki-” Both siblings looked up at Shota, and he realized something had to change. “Shoto,” he corrected himself. “Can you take your sister to the car while Dante and I get her things?”
Shoto nodded and took his older sister’s arm.
“Are-are you sure you don’t want help?”
“Yup.”
“Yes.”
Student and teacher answered in unison.
Shoto and Fuyumi walked in almost total silence, save for a few sniffles from Fuyumi. Her younger brother didn't force the conversation, he didn't even know how to start it. One thing he did know was that he didn't like his sister's attitude, and he wanted to do something about it.
What would Dante do? Ask a question? Tell a joke, though Shoto wasn't good at jokes, so he’d have to go with something else.
“Did you know about our ice powers?” It was a good thing they were already close to the car when Shoto said that, even though he hadn't really thought that part through.
“What?” Fuyumi stopped when she heard that, confused but feeling her heart sink right into her stomach.
Shoto was very direct.
“What you did in the hallway,” he continued bluntly, “I don't know how to control it properly either. Don't worry, Sister when we get to the Academy, I can lend you my spare pair of gloves.”
“Gloves? Shoto, none of this makes sense.” Fuyumi pressed her hand against her forehead and leaned her back against the SUV's door.
“If you don't want to wear them, I'm sure Mr. Aizawa and Toshinori will come up with something else.” Shoto tilted his head thoughtfully. The gloves were quite comfortable, so he wanted to ask his sister to at least try them on before dismissing the idea.
Fuyumi furrowed her brow. “Something else? Shoto, what happened was probably the fault of a fire extinguisher.” As she spoke, Shoto slowly removed the glove from his right hand, he had to. The only other explanation would be something completely fantastical and detached from reality...
Telepathy wasn't one of Shoto's powers, but, as if he were suddenly capable of it, he created a thin layer of ice; after all, he didn't want to draw attention. Once they arrived at the Academy, he could demonstrate it better (he had gotten much better at using it).
“But- but- but-” Fuyumi stammered, “how? How?!” If what happened earlier hadn’t been an accident, then… then it really was her fault. She was dangerous! Oh God, she could hurt someone!
“It’s our quirks, I can make fire too.” Shoto put his glove back on his right hand and started to pull on the left one, but Fuyumi’s hands stopped him.
“Shoto, be careful-that could hurt you!” Fuyumi could hurt Shoto, too. She had to-
“It doesn’t hurt.” Shoto took his sister’s hand. “Aizawa is going to help you, too.”
“What are you talking about-what is this-”
“You won’t lose control around him, since he can nullify quirks-”
“Shoto!” Fuyumi placed both hands on her brother’s shoulders. “Explain everything… from the beginning, please.”
Shoto didn’t understand what was so confusing, but he did as his sister asked. He started with Dr. Garaki’s orphanage, moving through the day Dante appeared to save him and Aizawa brought them back to the Academy. Then he explained about the quirks and how they worked, and spoke about Yagi and Nemuri, and how the Academy had more students now, including Keigo and Asui.
Fuyumi listened to the entire explanation without saying a word, but she grew paler with every detail Shoto shared about what had happened and the reality of the orphanage.
What a fool she had been. Thinking her brother had found a family and forgotten about her, Fuyumi would never admit to herself that, even though she would have understood if Shoto had done that, she had felt a twinge of envy and anger at the very idea.
What a jerk she had been. She was the one who’d had an education and a decent upbringing, while her brother was being tortured by a madman. And yet, she’d had the nerve to call herself his big sister.
That wasn't the worst of it, though. Those thoughts would come in waves, filling Fuyumi with shame and worry for her brother, but the first thing that truly crossed her mind was:
“So, Mom didn’t do that to you, then,” she said, her hands trembling. Had Aizawa not been nearby to nullify her quirk, something he’d been doing ever since parking the car, she likely would have frozen the entire campus.
Shoto felt that sentence hit him like freezing water poured over his head. “I… it wasn’t her. It was me.” He lowered his head. “She took the blame so they wouldn’t investigate any further.” At least, that was what he thought.
Fuyumi had hated her mother for a long time because of that. How could she not? She had hurt her little brother, and because of the madness she’d unleashed, her family had fallen apart all over again. As if the deaths of her father and Touya weren't enough, that woman had to go and do that. Now, she was discovering that her mother had done nothing but try to protect her little brother. Years- fucking years of resentment that had ended as suddenly as they began, and now it was all ending like this? Out of the blue? In a matter of seconds? And she was supposed to know what to do.
She hated that, for a split second, the first thought to cross her mind was this is Shoto's fault, even though, seconds later, she realized it wasn't. Because if Shoto was to blame, then so was she, given what had happened in the hallway and Fuyumi knew that, even though it was technically something she had done, she hadn't wanted to do it. Shoto wasn't to blame for what happened that day, so neither was she.
Feeling small in the silence, Shoto looked closely at his sister. "Are you... okay, Fuyumi?"
That really was her little brother. After everything he’d been through, Shoto was still asking if she was okay. She was the one who had harbored such horrible thoughts...
"Yes, Shoto, I'm fine," she partially lied. "It's just... a lot to take in."
"Aizawa will answer any questions you have."
"And does this teacher treat you well? Is he nice?" Fuyumi asked. Depending on the answer, she was ready to grab her brother's hand and run, futile as it might be, she would have tried. But when Shoto nodded, the plan she’d been concocting fell apart, and she felt relieved. "He helped me a lot with my powers, and he did the same for Dante for even longer. He’ll help you too, sister."
"It seems there’s no other option," Fuyumi whispered with a joyless smile. She would go because anywhere was better than there; she would be with her brother. And since this quirk thing didn't seem to be going away anytime soon, she would learn to control it, after all, Shoto was doing the same. What kind of sister would she be if she didn't follow in his footsteps?
She would be better, and she would help protect her younger brother, no matter the cost.
Shoto looked toward the school entrance as Aizawa emerged, carrying a few bags over his arm and a backpack on his shoulder, with Dante right behind him, holding two boxes.
Fuyumi rushed over, taking the boxes from Dante and some of the bags from the teacher, while Shoto opened the trunk with a light kick (it was pretty cool that the car did that, even when Shoto’s hands weren't full). Everything was quickly and easily stowed in the trunk, and Aizawa turned back to the young woman.
"I didn't properly introduce myself, but my name is Shota Aizawa, the principal of the Academy for Gifted Children. And beside me," he gestured toward Dante, "this is Dante Alighieri, one of my students."
Dante gave a casual wave while Fuyumi greeted them with a bow. "My brother talked a lot about you two while you were away."
"Oh, really?" Dante looked at Shoto with an amused expression. "Only good things, I hope."
"The best things," Fuyumi said, straightening up. "I really want to go to your Academy and become the best version of myself I can be; that’s what Shoto deserves." It was what she deserved, too, though it was uncertain if she would ever see it that way.
"I’ll do whatever I can to help make that happen," Shota said, pressing the button to close the trunk.
"Oh, so you can make things float?" Fuyumi asked, watching in awe as Dante made a water bottle hover in the air.
"Basically," Dante shrugged. It was simple enough for him.
He just didn't know that it wouldn't stay simple forever. That there was something inside him burning infinitely hotter than any fire Shoto Todoroki was capable of producing. His luck that day was that this story isn't meant to be told now.