A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 42: School Festival

Today was the day my class would perform in front of the entire school. Nerves ate away at my confidence as I navigated through the thick sea of bodies. The school gym was barely in sight; faceless bodies swayed and shuffled in an array of disorganization.

"Hey." Two girls slithered up beside me and stood tall above me. "Aren't you that girl?" They grinned diabolically.

"Apparently, since birth," I quipped, not taking much notice of the two girls I'd never seen before. They looked like they were a few years above me.

"Aren't you meant to be that villain?" One of them said before they both exploded into a laughing fit. I couldn't quite understand what was so humorous to them. The way they cackled between each other reminded me of evil witches.

"Weren't you that girl who was once top of her class but now is a Quirkless loser?" the other girl spat with a venomous tone. I felt anger bubble beneath my skin, my hands hardening into fists at my sides. These bitches wouldn't be saying these things to me if I still had my quirks—they would be too scared.

"I think that's enough," a masculine voice I'd never heard before cut in. "Leave her alone." I peered up at the blond hair and blue-eyed guy. The girls became silent at his presence, almost starstruck.

"Who are you?" I grumbled, ignoring the girls.

"My name's Mirio Togata," he beamed cheerfully. Togata had a tall, muscular build that filled out his senior uniform nicely. "Midoriya told me to come and find you. He said to look for a short, pale girl with dark black hair, Amara Aizawa, he said your name was." Togata seemed to chirp happily. I found it hard to stay angry with Midoriya's description of me.

"A crude description, but yeah, that's me. What do you want?" I asked flatly with crossed arms.

"Oh, nothing!" Togata raised his hands in a panicked defense. "Midoriya just wanted me to give you some company since you can't perform with the rest of your class," he explained. I nodded at him before my dark eyes noticed a little girl with unkempt and messy off-white hair.

"Who's the kid?" I asked harshly.

"This is Eri! She's staying with us for a while."

"Uh-huh," I replied in a monotone, not really caring.

"Bad," I heard Eri whimper.

"What's that, Eri? Did you say something?" Togata asked the little girl.

"She's bad," Eri whimpered again as she raised a shaky finger at me. Togata's blue eyes widened as he looked down at me.

"No! Aizawa isn't bad. She just looks grumpy," he replied.

"No! She hurt Deku and she's a villain," Eri persisted. My dark orbs softened at the fearful girl. She must've seen me around when I was a villain and when I attacked Midoriya and Shoto while under the influence of the mind control gear.

"I'm sorry, Eri, but I'm not that person anymore. I don't even have my quirks," I forced a smile in an attempt to reconcile with her.

"Amara!" I heard Shoto's voice rip through the air. I spun around to see him running towards me. He caught me by my arms, his fingers softly wrapping themselves warmly around my skin. "Have you seen Midoriya?" he asked, panting.

"No."

"Shit, okay. The show is starting soon, so you might want to go in now and get a good spot," he told me before running off, disappearing as quickly as he arrived. My attention was drawn back to the blond giant and the nervous little girl.

"Shall we go in then?" I tried to sound positive, but I did not have the energy. Togata nodded at me as his face hardened.

"So you don't have your quirk either?" he asked me as we walked together. Quirk as a singular entity? Oh right, not many people knew I had several. I guess it's not as common; not many people are groomed to become the strongest Nomu to take over the world.

"No, I don't. I got shot by one of those bullets," I replied.

"So did I," he sighed. I didn't have the heart to tell him that mine were steadily growing back. An awful guilt wrenched in my gut. I felt bad for him. He doesn't have a secret quirk that regenerates his body's cells. Togata didn't know when or if his quirk was coming back. "But hey, we're at a festival, so let's have some fun." He quickly changed the topic along with his mood.

Fun? What was that again? The concept was so foreign, it felt unobtainable. Togata and a hesitant Eri walked behind me as we walked single file into the gym. Dozens of people had already gathered, excitement bubbling within the audience like simmering water. Even my own darkened heart began to race.

"Isn't this fun, Eri? Deku will be here to dance soon," Togata chimed to little Eri, who clung to his side. My eyes skimmed down her gaunt, scar-kissed skin, bringing me back to the torturous and horrible memories of my childhood. My chest tightened as I tried to force out a sigh. I hadn't thought of my adoptive family in forever. "Are you okay, Aizawa?" Togata asked me. "You're looking a little pale."

"More pale than I already am?" I quipped sarcastically. "I feel fine," I forced a smile. Until I didn't feel fine. Pain crept up my neck before it sank into my temples, sprawling back down the muscle fibers of my neck and down to my toes. My vision flickered for a moment before I felt the hum of energy ripple around us. Electrical particles zipped silently around us, my mind searing as I felt my body stitch together from the inside. I felt sweat trickle down my forehead and onto my top lip. What was happening? "Aizawa, what's wrong?" Togata asked me.

"I think I can feel the electricity," I uttered, my heart wired with potency and finesse. I felt alive for the first time since I became Quirkless. Togata looked dumbfounded as he narrowed his small eyebrows at me.

"Your quirk?" he questioned.

"I think so," I breathed. Energy burned through my skeleton, igniting my cells. The lights in the gym flickered for a moment before they died.

"No no no no, the lights!" I heard the familiar voice of Iida screech from somewhere in the distance. It was probably my fault the lights died. I think my electricity just came back, and I accidentally channeled it. Stuff like this used to happen all the time when I was younger; I had to learn how to control it. Murmurs swirled around me, tugging at my heartstrings. I took a deep breath in and let the electrical energy cycle through my bones.

"Now I just gotta put it back," I muttered to no one in particular, any lost soul willing to listen.

"What?" Togata asked. Perhaps he didn't hear me. I didn't care enough to respond. I chose to ignore him and focus on sending the electrical energy out of my body. The ceiling lights whirled before they exploded back to life. My chest heaved, but I couldn't feel happier. My quirks were coming back, one by one. I couldn't wipe the smirk off my face, and suddenly I felt more excited about this festival.