Shatter [BNHA]

Chapter Four

The girls of Class 1B had given her a lot to think about. They'd all continued acting strangely throughout the day and stuck to her like glue. They forced her into conversation between classes and when the day had ended she found them, along with some of the boys, crowding around her desk wanting to talk to her. It was unsettling...but she didn't necessarily dislike it. Though they were all, most certainly, annoying, she didn't mind their presence or their pestering behavior.

The cast iron kettle in front of her began to squeal and spit steam. Oblivious to the steaming kettle, Kiyo continued analyzing her classmates' actions throughout their interactions during the day. Why were they all so determined to force their friendship on her? What exactly did Kendo mean her words had been a cry for help?

"Kiyo? I think the water is done." Fuyumi called to her as she stepped into the kitchen to see why the kettle was screaming for so long.

Startled from her thoughts, Kiyo reached forward and gripped the cast iron handle with her bare right hand.

"KIYO!" Fuyumi panicked and picked up a towel as she raced to her youngest sibling's aid. She wrenched the kettle from her hand, nearly dropping it as it burned her through the towel, it was so scalding. She dropped it atop a hot plate and grabbed Kiyo's pale wrist in her hand.

Kiyo stared at her older sister in awe. Why did she do that?

"Let me see, how bad is it?" Fuyumi panicked.

Kiyo unclenched her fist exposing her unscathed hand.

Fuyumi breathed a sigh of relief, "thank heavens you're not hurt."

Kiyo frowned. Why would it matter if she had been? She wasn't their father's masterpiece, it didn't matter if any of them got hurt. Shoto was the only one who mattered...the only one who would ever matter.

Her heterochromatic orbs fell on the red mark forming on Fuyumi's palm as she dropped the towel. "You burned yourself." She noted absently.

Kiyo frowned once more. Fuyumi burned herself because she thought she was in danger and rushed to her aid. Feeling somewhat guilty for worrying her older sister, Kiyo left the kitchen. Fuyumi stared after her, not sure why she'd suddenly taken off. She finished making the tea for dinner and was surprised when Kiyo returned and set a small jar of burn cream and a bandage on the counter before taking the finished tea out to the dining room.

Fuyumi smiled as she picked up the burn cream. Her brothers often liked to joke that Kiyo was a robot, and while the youngest Todoroki could often appear unfeeling, Fuyumi knew it wasn't true. If anything, Kiyo felt more than any of them did. She applied the burn cream to the burn on her palm and covered it with a bandage before joining her siblings in the dining room for dinner.

"Everything okay?" Natsuo asked their elder sister as she took her seat. He threw a wary look at Kiyo wondering why Fuyumi had yelled at her before.

"Everything's fine." Fuyumi smiled.

They all grew tense as they heard the front door open. Their father had returned home unexpectedly early. He stepped into the dining room noting the scowls his sons were shooting in his direction.

"You're home early, we weren't expecting you." Fuyumi said softly. Despite her words, there was an extra setting laid out for him. Kiyo always prepared a place setting for him, though most nights it went untouched, it didn't deter her.

Kiyo quickly poured her father some tea as he took a seat at the table.

"I wanted to discuss the upcoming Sports Festival-." Enji began.

Kiyo perked up a little, though no one other than Shoto had noticed it.

"-with Shoto."

Kiyo felt the cold knife of rejection slip between her ribs and into her heart. She busied herself with dishing food onto their father's plate trying not to look hurt or rejected.