Old Habits

Chapter Three

Enji could only glare as Kagome ran towards All Might and happily leapt into his open arms. It was so fluid and natural like she had no doubt in the world that he would catch her and it made his blood boil.

He wasn't as open about his affections like All Might, he knew it had to do with the years the other man spent in America during his youth. Americans were much less formal and way more liberal with their words and feelings. It was a freedom that he himself longed to have yet he knew that it would ruin the traditional image of the Todoroki's and he was loath to incur his mother's wrath.

Just thinking about his mother made him shiver and his anger flare to life. Glaring at the two who were happily chatting he couldn't help but feel like the odd one out. He hated this feeling, like he was intruding, that he was once again being left behind. So it was with a dark scalding glare that he shoved his hands in his pocket's and approached the two. A small smirk on his lips as Kagome turned to look at him, her body sliding down All Might's as her feet were once again placed on the ground.

His eyes snapped to All Might's catching the small light of amusement in them, the bastard had done that on purpose. While no one would believe him he knew the other man very well, behind his smile and good guy mask he was a prideful and possessive man. The only reason he had backed off Kagome all those years ago was due to the fact that she was very adamant that they stop trying to woo her or she would remove herself from their lives entirely.

Sure, after graduation they had all gone their separate ways but back then high school was their whole lives. They were so caught up in the then and there that they lacked the ability to think about their futures beyond becoming the best heroes they could be.

"All Might." His voice was clipped, his gaze narrowed at the other man gave him a wide grin, his hand settling on the small of Kagome's back. It was subtle but the undertone was not lost on him, he merely glared harsher.

Kagome could feel the tension between the two, it was so thick that it was almost pliable and it made her shiver. For a second there she was back in high school, stuck between the two as they tried to win her over if only to outdo the other. At the time she had feelings for both of them yet she had quickly pushed them down in order to save their friendship.

She shoved the memories out of her mind as she moved to stand between the two of them, Toshi's hand falling from the small of her back to rest by his side. She took a moment to run her eyes over him, he like Enji was a mountain of a man, tall and muscular, his black suit was almost skin tight, the buttons of his blazer barely holding the lapels of it shut over his white dress shirt.

His bright blue eyes seemed to twinkle as his pearly white teeth shined in the light. He was a poster boy for what the world's number one hero should be and it made her proud that he had achieved his goal even if it meant earning Enji's ire. Honestly they were both great heroes, if they could only put aside their rivalry they would make an unstoppable team but both men were to prideful.

They were like night and day...and she had been the twilight that brought them together. They had been the top three students back in the day and were projected to have great hero careers...and yet out of the three of them she was the only one to fall flat on her face. It left a sour taste in her mouth yet she knew she had no one to blame but herself.

She had let her emotions lead her into a toxic situation, she had made so many bad choices...turned down so many opportunities all just to stay at her Ex's side... All the while he was using her as a stepping stone, eagerly crushing her and her career under his foot just to boost himself further up the hero ladder. In the end she had been used up and tossed to the side for the next rung in the ladder.

This was her chance to start over, to discover who she was without the title of pro hero. It must have been fate that brought them all back together and while she was worried they would fall back into their old roles she was also glad that she wasn't alone anymore.

The past year had been devastating for her, people she had called her friends had turned their backs on her. Letting the rumors taint their opinion of her. It was like once she had left her ex's hero agency, she no longer had any value to them. It was a bitter pill to swallow and it had been so very hard for her to find validation in life choices.

So, when Midnight had reached out to her, wanting to recruit her for UA's hero support class she had jumped at the offer. They saw the value she had and thought it was good enough to help shape the next generation of heroes. She would still be able to help people, it had been the spark she needed to get off her ass and reclaim her identity as Kagome Higurashi, not just a failed hero.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" She flushed as she pulled herself from her thoughts, ignoring Enji's amused snort as she turned her attention to Toshi. Clasping her arms behind her back as she rocked on her heels, a smile lighting up her face. "I'm going to be a teacher this year, just like you and Enji!"

Thick bushy eyebrows rose in surprise, a smile blooming to life on his lips as he gazed at his high school crush. Not much had changed, in fact the only differences were that her body was more curvy , her muscles more defined, and her bright blue eyes were a shade darker with the loss of her child-like innocence.

It made his eye twitch in anger, while he had spent years in America trying to get over her he had also kept tabs on her. He knew about the horridly messy and public breakup between her and her ex. The man had almost single handedly ruined her career, a feat that he returned in kind. The man would be hard pressed to find work anytime soon, his agency was no longer around and his name black listed from almost every hero agency in Japan.

All it took was a few words from him and the man's life was ruined. It was one of the perks of being the number one hero, was it an abuse of power and status? Yes, did he care? Not particularly.

He wasn't stupid, he knew his time as the number one hero was nearing its end. He had to find a successor for All For One while he still had time. It was why he was back here in his homeland and at UA, what better place to find the next number one hero than the very place that had helped mold him into the hero he was.

It had to be an act of God that the two people that had the most influence on shaping him into who he was were standing before him. While Enji was his rival, he was also his closest friend, he knew sides of him that he had to hide from the world and vice versa. Their rivalry had been a key part in both of them pushing themselves to be the best version of themselves that they could be.

Kagome, Kagome had been his first love and his hardest heartbreak. Every woman he had ever dated while in America had been nothing but a poor stand in. The relationships never lasted long and it was why he had made the decision to just stop dating in general and focus instead on his career.

So as she stood before him, gazing up at him with a smile he could only grin stupidly. Maybe this was a sign that things were going to be okay, that after everything he had given up in order to be the pillar of peace the Gods were going to reward him...

Enji sighed as he looked between the two of them, his mood was turning more and more sour by the second. "I don't know about you two but I have places to be. I'll see you guys when I see you." He took one hand out of his pocket's to wave at them as he turned to walk away.

"Ah, wait! It's been so long since we've all seen each other! Why don't we go have some tea and catch up?" Kagome chewed her lip as she looked between the two men, hoping they would take her up on her invitation. She was eager to not only catch up with them but to reconnect with them.

Enji paused, weighing the pros and cons in his head. Did he really want to rekindle old friendships and feelings? He had to focus on his career, if he didn't then everything he had done and given up to get where he was now would be for nothing... He was finally on the cusp of surpassing All Might...

"Please?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and it seemed to tug at his heart strings, it sounded so small and tired...yet also hopeful.

"Fine, but I can't stay long." He grumbled as she gave a happy laugh, quickly moving to his side to grab his hand. He tensed as she curled her fingers around his larger ones and gave him a bright smile before turning her smile towards All Might, her other hand tightly holding his as she tugged him towards them.

The two men shared a fierce glare above her head as she happily began dragging them towards the on-campus coffee shop. It would seem that old friendships weren't the only things being rekindled this day.