Terra and Hiroto walked back towards the training grounds to rejoin their class and watch a few of the other matches. Terra had a giddy spring in her step as they walked along, a change in attitude that Hiroto naturally took notice of. "You seem to be doing better now," he commented with a grin.
"Are you kidding?" she gave him a goofy smile. "With a friend like you in my corner, how could I not be doing better? I feel like I could take on the whole world!"
"So exhausting . . ." Hiroto chuckled to himself.
"You know it! But you wouldn't have me any other way, right Hiro-kun?" Terra nudged him, recalling his previous words.
Hiroto smiled. "Correct," he replied. The two friends strolled happily towards the operation room, but her pace slowed as she heard their classmates' voices echo down the hallway. A wave of nerves swept over Terra as Shion's words reasserted themselves in her mind.
"Deep breath, Terra." Hiroto smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "No matter what anyone else says, you're my best friend, and nothing is changing that.
Terra breathed in and exhaled slowly, calming herself and putting a smile on her face. "Right," she said with a nod as they walked through the entry into the observation room.
"Hey, guys! Where did you run off too?" Kage called over to them, locking eyes with Hiroto, a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Oh brother," Hiroto rolled his eyes. "Well, I went to make sure Terra was okay, and-"
"Ahem." The sound of a clearing throat interrupted Hiroto and drew his and Terra's attention toward Shion, who slowly approached them. Her usual high-and-mighty aura was noticeably absent, replaced with something that Hiroto couldn't quite put his finger on. Instead of immediately latching onto Hiroto's arm, she stopped herself short, clearly addressing the two of them, but not daring to make eye contact.
"What do you want, Shion?" Hiroto asked, frustration evident in his voice. Shion slowly raised her head and glanced at Terra.
"I-I'm . . . sorry, Terra," she muttered, leaving both Hiroto and Terra in a state of shock. "What I said was completely uncalled for and hurtful. I let my feelings for Hiroto get the better of me, and I took it out on you." A hint of annoyance was laced onto each word as she spoke, as if it was a struggle to get the statement out. However, the fact that she said anything at all showed that at least a part of it was sincere. Terra looked at Hiroto, who shrugged and nodded in response.
"Shion, I appreciate the apology, but don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone makes mistakes; that's just how it goes. It's all in the past though." Terra glanced at Hiroto and gave him a quick wink. "It doesn't make sense- crying about something you can't change. You just need to keep moving forward and learn from the experience." Terra gave Shion a warm smile which she returned with a quick nod and a short huff before turning to Hiroto.
"Hiroto, my feelings for you are the same, but you had every right to be angry with me over what I said. Terra is your best friend, and I need to respect that, so I want to apologize to you too."
"This is too out-of-character for her. Uncle Izuku must have had a word with her." Hiroto gave a small smile, not wanting to undo his hero's efforts. "Don't worry about it. Terra's right; it's in the past. Let's move on and try to be better because of it."
"Thanks, darling!" Shion said, immediately brightening up. "I knew you would forgive me!" She blew Hiroto a kiss and strolled away.
"I swear, that girl is gonna be the death of me," Hiroto sighed.
Terra just laughed. "You're such a lady's man, Hiro-kun. How do you handle it?"
"Cut it out!" Hiroto scolded, his cheeks heating up over the taunt. The two walked over to the monitor where Deku and the other students were observing the next fight.
YOU ARE READING
Hiro Rising
Fanfiction"A young boy sets out to prove that he has what it takes to be a hero on his own, but even in an era of peace, he's about to learn that, sometimes, having people by your side is the only way to succeed."
