Toshinowa

11

"I wish I was more like you. Then maybe he wouldn't hate me so much."

"You don't have to be like me. You just have to get stronger. He doesn't see how much potential. I believe you can be bigger and stronger than even him."

"What does potential mean?"

"It means you have room to grow. Come on, let's get you back to your mom."

"Where's your mom?" He sighed.

"I don't know."

(-)

Keeping Eri calm proved a lot harder than I originally thought. She seemed more worried about Mr. Aizawa than herself. I was also struggling to keep myself calm, so I missed most of the fight. It wasn't until I heard silence that I looked out the crack in the door.

Mr. Aizawa was laying in a heap on the floor, right next to the window. Thankfully, as I watched, I saw that he was breathing.

"Come on out. I don't want to kill the old man, but I will if I have to." Eri whimpered.

"Shhh. Just stay right here, really quiet. Don't come out, no matter what you hear or see. Ok?" She nodded. I scooted her as far back as I could. I stood up, opening the door just enough that I could slip through. I approached the window, standing to the side behind the wall so he couldn't see me.. "You're not going to touch him. He's out. Leave him be."

"Only if you come out. I have orders to bring you back to my boss."

"You would really take me back to that?"

"Girl, I don't even know you. I was just told to retrieve you." Wow. He really forgot about me. I stepped outside, standing in front of Mr. Aizawa. I watched as his face twisted.

"You really wanna say you don't know me, Dabi?"

"Tosh-"

"Don't. You've lost privilege to that name." He sighed.

"Look, I have my ordered to either bring you back or kill him."

"Ignore your orders and leave. Tell him you failed."

"I can't do that. You know better than anyone that I can't."

"I'm not going back."

"I'm not going to fight you, Inara." I felt a sting in my chest at the mention of my old name. I lit the flames that I spent years training to use while learning how my quirk worked.

"Then you shouldn't have let me see your face." Before I could do anything, the ground split open. The edges fell away until it was right in front of me and the unconscious teacher. The small section of ground we were standing on was extremely unstable.

"Don't move!"

"Oh, so now you care?"

"I never said I didn't." He was on the other side of the split. There was no way I could fight him from here. I sighed and released his quirk.

"Just leave. The other teachers will be here soon, maybe even some other pros. Get out of here so you won't be arrested."

"No. I'm going to stay here and make sure you don't die." The ground beneath us shifted. I let out a length of silk and grabbed the metal framing of the balcony above us. It fell away.

"Inara!" I grabbed Mr. Aizawa, still out, with the other silk as tight as I could, hanging suspended in the air.

"I'm fine!" The silks were pulling at my wrists. I knew they wouldn't be ripped out or anything, but it still hurt. I grabbed them with my hands and let out some slack. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"Because he wanted me to come." I scoffed.

"I can't believe you sought him out."

"The world needs to be purged of false heroes."

"So you became a villain?"

"What would you have done?"

"I would've became a model hero! Someone they'd look up to, who they'd strive to be. Trying to force them into being something they've never seen before? That's just nonsense." And there it was. The shouts and footsteps of a rescue team. "The're coming. Now get out of here."

"Not until I know you're safe." I rolled my eyes, wrapping my body through me left silk- the one holding the balcony- and creating a foot brace so I could dangle upside down without using my arm strength. I used both hands to pull Mr. Aizawa toward me. I wrapped my arms around him, then my right silk around us. It was a tangle of silk, but we were secure. As long as I could keep my grip on the balcony.

"I don't need your help. Now go." I heard him sigh.

"Fine. But only because I know they'll get here before you lose your grip." I heard his footsteps walk away. "And by the way, your mom misses you."

Then he was gone, and the rescue team arrived.