Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 29 ~ Part 1||

Shouto sat frozen in disbelief. He felt as if he'd been punched. His fingers trembled with fury. "What did you say?"

Kaminari tensed. He looked up and paled visibly. "Hold-hold on, Todoroki," he stuttered, slowly rising from his seat. "I-I can explain —"

The leash holding him back snapped. Shouto didn't think. He shot to his feet and lunged forward. Kaminari jerked back with a screech and tried to dodge, but Shouto had a warrior's reflexes. He caught Kaminari by the front of his chiton and lifted him up.

"Denki!" Jirou cried, jumping from her seat.

"Hey, man!" Tetsu-Tetsu jolted forward and grabbed Shouto. However, before he could restrain him, Tetsu-Tetsu jerked back with a yelp as fire and ice erupted along Shouto's skin.

"You lied to me!" Shouto snarled. His voice vibrated with rage. "You let me think I was still cursed."

"I did-didn't lie," Kaminari gasped, struggling against Shouto's grip. "I-I was just going with the flow."

"Shut up!"

Shouto's fingers twisted tighter into the fabric of Kaminari's chiton. It felt as if his blood was boiling.

Why?

Why did the gods always use him?

What had he ever done to deserve their attention and manipulation?

First, it had been his bastard father who took him away from his mother and impelled him to become a warrior. Then it was Kaminari's arrow that made him fall in love. Then it was Dabi who attacked Shouto for his own amusement.

And now Shouto realized he had been further manipulated. Not only had Kaminari cursed him with unrequited love, but he strung him along and let Shouto believe he was still cursed so that he would rescue Ashido and handle whatever else Kaminari planned to coerce Shouto into.

He'd had enough. Shouto gritted his teeth as the whole world turned blood red. Magic crackled around him.

"You gods are all the same! Arrogant and self-centered! You use humans to do what you fucking pieces of trash don't want to do yourself. Thinking you are better than us. That our lives don't matter as long as you get what you fucking want. How long did you think you could get away with using me before I noticed?"

"Todoroki, stop!"

Yaoyorozu's voice was like the sharp yank of a leash, pulling him out of his fury. Shouto jerked his head up and found her staring at him with an icy expression. Flakes of snow from his right side glittered through the air, catching onto her hair and lashes.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure what is going on," she continued in a clipped voice. "Nor am I denying that you have the right to be angry, but this isn't like you. Violence is not the answer. Now, let Kaminari go, and let's sit down and talk."

Shouto's jaw twitched.

"That's right," Jirou said from beside Yaoyorozu. Her voice was strained. She pressed a hand to her chest. "It's not Denki's fault. If you're angry, blame me."

"Kyouka?" Yaoyorozu glanced at Jirou; her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Jirou didn't look away from Shouto. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. "It's my fault for wanting to protect Momo and Tokoyami. So, if you are angry, blame me."

Shouto hesitated. What was Jirou saying? Hadn't she been used by Kaminari as well? Why was she defending him? Or — could it be — was she telling the truth?

'I asked to make a deal to protect you and Tokoyami.'

A faint sense of discomfort crept over him. Shouto glanced over at Yaoyorozu. Her eyes remained narrow and hard, like onyx shimmering in the night, as she held his gaze. Not begging for mercy but obliging Shouto to listen. His stomach clenched, and he looked away. The magic crackling along Shouto's skin grew feeble and then died. He lowered Kaminari back to the ground, then shoved him away.

Kaminari stumbled backwards.

"Denki!" Jirou shouted. Her expression twisted as she rushed forward and caught her husband before he fell to the ground.

Shouto stared at the pair for several seconds, trying to collect himself but failing. He didn't know what to think. His chest hurt, and he felt trapped in a tangle of emotions. Thoughts and feelings wrapped around his chest like vines until the mire left Shouto gasping, and he found it difficult to breathe.

He needed to get away. He needed to be alone.

Shouto stepped back and turned towards the forest.

"Todoroki," Yaoyorozu's voice hitched from behind him. "Where-where are you going?"

A nervous quiver in Yaoyorozu's normally confident voice made Shouto pause. He bowed his head, but he didn't look back. His mouth felt dry.

"To think," he said before walking away from the fire and into the forest. "Don't follow me," he added in a stiff voice.