Echoes of Past Ties (Todobaku Fanfiction)

06.Echoes of the Past

"Uraraka... did you marry Bakugou?" Uraraka, taken aback, looked at Shoto. 

"Shoto, let's go outside. We have a lot to catch up on." 

The cafe's hum of conversations was abruptly cut off as Shoto and Uraraka stepped out into the park. It was a place of sanctuary amidst the city's hustle, where children's laughter mixed with the chirping of birds, forming a symphony of life.

"Sweetie, go and play with the others," Uraraka said to Hina. They went to a bench and sat down. Uraraka's gaze fixed on Hina, who was already busy playing in the sandbox, her innocence shining through. 

"I don't know why you asked that question, but I think you've already met Bakugou, right?" she asked. Shoto whispered, 

"Yeah, I met Bakugou with Hina before at the cafe."

"Hina Midoriya, Bakugou... he's been with us, but not in the way you think," she whispered, turning back to face Shoto. The pain was evident in her eyes, and Shoto felt a pang of guilt surge through him. "I don't know; Bakugou said Hina is his daughter, so I thought-" Shoto sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. Uraraka waved her hand, telling him not to apologize, as she felt she should be the one apologizing.

Seeing Shoto's struggle for words, Uraraka took the lead. "The doctors... they weren't optimistic after Bakugou's surgery. They feared the worst." Her voice was soft, tinged with pain. "After you went to Australia, Bakugou knew something was wrong. He asked about it from us. Sorry we couldn't hide anything from him; I swear he didn't get angry with you. He understood why you lied to him. But he made me promise not to tell you if things didn't look good. He didn't want you to suffer alongside him."

Shoto's gaze dropped, and the pain was evident. "But why? Why keep me in the dark? I had the right to know!"

Uraraka squeezed his hand, her touch comforting. "He wanted you to remember him at his best, not as someone weak, fading away. After he regained consciousness, he hoped to recover and then reconnect with you. I secretly tried to contact you... but I couldn't reach you."

Uraraka's face turned solemn. "After regaining some strength, Bakugou tried to find you. He wanted to contact you when he got better. But you'd vanished. You'd cut ties with everyone."

The revelation hit Shoto like a freight train. The choices he'd made, the pain he thought he was sparing himself, had only compounded the heartbreak.

She took a deep breath, her voice barely a whisper, "He even refused his parents when they came back for him after abandoning him at the orphanage. He said if he left with them, he might miss you. No matter how much time passed, he insisted he'd wait for you."

"His parents?" 

"Yeah, they came for him with Bakugou's sister,  Hina. You should see her. She looks exactly like him." Uraraka looked at Hina.  

"We named our daughter Hina. Because of her. She was the reason his parents left him, but Bakugou missed her dearly, and when our Hina was born, he found solace in her. He treats her like a little sister, guarding and loving her fiercely."

Tears threatened to spill from Shoto's eyes. The weight of his decisions pressed down on him, the missed opportunities, the years of pain both he and Bakugou endured separately when they could've faced it together.

Shoto's voice was a hoarse whisper, "I wish I knew, Uraraka. I wish I never left. I've been drowning in my guilt and regret, thinking I lost him forever."

Shoto's fingers trembled as Uraraka held his hand, seeking solace in the midst of their shared heartache.

"All this time... I thought he was gone. I blamed myself, thinking I'd lost him forever. And yet, he went through so much more, waiting for me."

Uraraka's expression softened. "It wasn't just that, Shoto. After his recovery, Bakugou faced another trial, one that nearly shattered him."

The next moments felt like hours as Uraraka recounted the harrowing tale of the massacre at the orphanage. She spoke of how they had found Bakugou, the sole survivor, cradling his knees in a corner, his eyes vacant, surrounded by the stillness of death. "That day... it was horrifying," Uraraka whispered, her voice quivering.

Shoto's eyes widened, aghast at the revelation. "Bakugou... he went through so much?" The weight of Bakugou's suffering, the deep scars of trauma, the loneliness, and the persistence of hope amidst it all came crashing down on him.

Uraraka nodded, her face a mask of pain and concern. "Yes. The orphanage was a refuge for him; after his surgery when his parents went away, it was the place where he started to heal, surrounded by love and care. The nuns and children there were his family, and he started showing interest in music. But that one fateful day, everything changed."

Shoto's eyes welled up. He tried to picture the scene but was instantly repulsed by the imagery. "How... how did Bakugou survive such a trauma?"

Uraraka hesitated, her voice choked with emotion. "He was hiding. But he saw... everything. He saw friends, siblings of the heart, torn from this world. The staff who had been like family, all gone."

The grisly image of an orphanage bathed in blood, children's laughter silenced forever, hung heavily in the air. "He was traumatized," Uraraka continued, her voice quivering, "Bakugou locked himself in a shell. He was already grappling with the weight of his recovery and this event... it broke something inside him. He would wake up screaming, reliving that night; He'd shut himself away, wouldn't speak to anyone, wouldn't eat or even look at anyone. he has a phobia of blood.  It was heart-wrenching to see him like that. That's why Izuku and I decided to take him in. Izuku and I couldn't leave him alone," Uraraka confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

"He became like a brother to us, and when Hina came into our lives, he embraced her like she was his own. But Shoto, we never forgot about you. Izuku and I always thought you would come back..."

Shoto glanced over at the little girl playing in the park, her laughter echoing through the air. Hina, the bridge that connected their past and present, the living testament to Bakugou's resilience.

Shoto found himself clenching his fists, a rush of anger and sorrow engulfing him. "How did this happen? And why? Who would do such a thing?"

"We don't know," Uraraka replied, her voice shaky. "The police investigated but didn't find any solid leads. But Bakugou... he never stopped looking, never stopped hunting for answers."

Taking a deep breath, she added, "And then one day, he made a decision. He wanted to bring the monster responsible for this carnage to justice. That's when he decided to become an investigator. I've never seen someone study with such fervor and determination. He channeled all his pain, all his anger toward one goal."

Shoto looked away, trying to process everything. The weight of all the missed years, the chances not taken, and the guilt of having abandoned someone he loved so dearly crashed down on him.

"Uraraka... I should've been there. For him, for all of you."

Uraraka, sensing his turmoil, said softly, "Bakugou never blamed you, Shoto. He always hoped to reunite with you. He believed that if he became strong again, fixed himself, he could face you without any regrets."

The realization that Bakugou had been waiting for him all these years, through unspeakable pain and torment, was too much for Shoto. Tears flowed freely.

Uraraka reached out, wiping his tears, "He's fighting his demons, Shoto. And now that you're back, maybe, just maybe, you can help him conquer them."

"D-do you think he will give me a chance?" Shoto asked. Uraraka smiled, kissing Shoto's forehead.

"Definitely..."