PHOENIX: A Pro Hero Toya Todoroki AU

Chapter 31: Graduation (December 30, 2119)

Warning! This chapter has explicit sexual content!

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I look up at the empty bleachers where my family was supposed to sit. Where Keigo was supposed to be.... He'd promised he'd be here to support Rue and me, even if work got in the way. Rue and I sit beside each other in the P.H.T.A. Stadium as we wait for instructions from the headmaster. Rue sees me nervously glancing up in the stands and comfortingly puts her hand on my shoulder.

"They'll show. Don't worry," She reassures me, and I take a deep breath. I couldn't stop worrying about my dad...I wouldn't put it past him to forbid my siblings from showing up... especially Shoto. It was his first act of defiance against Enji...grabbing that ticket from the table and standing up for me. I was still having trouble believing that happened.

"Alright everyone, please take your seats in alphabetical order. The ceremony will begin shortly!" The headmaster announces over the loudspeaker.

"See ya on the other side, Todoroki," Rumi smirks before leaving so go sit in the rows behind me. I anxiously tap my foot as I stare at the empty chairs. Miss Kaminari walks to the podium at the center of the stage and leans into the microphone:

"At this time, our class of 2119 Valedictorian, Ryuko Tatsuma, will come to speak!"

...

"Ryuko Tatsuma. Dragon Hero: Ryukyu," Miss Kaminari announces, and Ryuko gets up from her seat next to me to go walk to the stage. My heart pounds in my chest, and I glance up at the empty chairs once more. I just had to accept it...they weren't coming.

"Toya Todoroki. Cremation Hero: Third-Degree."

I stand up and walk to the stage, passing the rows of my classmates. I walk up the metal steps and strut towards Miss Kaminari, who holds my diploma in her hands.

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH! GO TOYA!!!!!!!!"

My head whips to the stands to see Keigo hovering in the reserved seats; he's holding Shoto in his arms so he can see over the crowd. Fuyumi and Natsuo stand on either side of him, and they're all waving to me. Keigo must have brought them all here. I hold my head high and smile as Shishido snaps the picture of Miss Kaminari and me shaking hands whilst I take my diploma from her. After the flashes cease, Miss Kaminari wraps me up in a hug and whispers to me:

"I'm so proud of you, Toya. You've earned this all on your own."

I bite back the tears that suddenly well in my eyes as I hug her back. She'd done so much for me these four years at the Private Hero Training Academy. She was practically my second mother, jumping through hoops to make sure I was okay mentally, physically, and emotionally. I didn't deserve her. I sniff as she lets me go, and I walk off the stage to return to my seat. Keigo blares an air horn as my family cheers, and I rub the back of my neck as I try to hide my smile.

...

After the graduation ceremony, Keigo and I walked together to my dorm to grab all of my belongings so I could move into his Agency. Keigo's agents were working diligently on finding land to build the PHOENIX Agency, but they said it would probably take a couple of years to find a good fit and break ground. In thirty minutes, I fit everything I own into two suitcases, a cardboard box that Keigo brought, my duffel, and my bookbag.

We walk together in the student parking lot to my Dodge Charger and start to load up. Rumi pulls up beside me in her bright red Mazda with Ryuko in the passenger seat.

"We following you guys to Kei's?" She shouts, honking her horn to Ryuko's chagrin.

"I guess so. Is Ryuko working in Kyushu?"