Shangri La Pt. 1

121: Burned

As he sat on the bed with his hands clasped together, Shoto wasn't entirely sure what Momo meant earlier when she asked if she and him could still talk before the night was over. 

"I– Perhaps there is something you wish to talk to me about?" "It's– I-It's more like there's something I would like to hear from you." 

'Something she wants to hear from me? But what? We've both discovered a lot of things today, and I'm not even sure what's the most shocking thing I've learned. That I've never had fire powers but actually ice this entire time? That Bakugo is holding onto a Ruby that father never told me about or why? The fact that the woman who killed the Betta King's father turns out to be the Empress who's also the mother to Momo? Or maybe... that this Arranged Marriage was nothing but a lie just so the Empress could take our lives...? That... That one sounds the most shocking of all to me, but how does Momo feel about all of this?' he thought as he could remember the disdain and disbelief written on her face from hearing all this news that'd been hidden from her for so long. 'Will she be able to recover from all of this if this ever gets past us?'

"I-I'm here." 

"Ah–" 

The second he heard that easily recognizable timid voice, Shoto bopped his head upwards to see Momo entering his room. Now wearing a nightgown with her hair still dripping wet, Shoto knew that whatever Momo wanted to talk about, she wanted to know in a hurry. 

And even when her hair was dripping wet, she appeared just as beautiful as the very first day he'd met her almost 3 months ago. 

"Momo... Ah– Ahem– Y-You said you wanted to talk to me about something. I suppose you wanted to have this conversation tonight before we leave tomorrow?" 

"Y-Yes. And... it's a personal question." 

'Personal question?' 

"Oh, then sit down." he offered, as he watched the Princess approach him to then sit right next to him on the bed.

The scent of sweet peaches wafted right past him as Momo settled herself, causing him to be left in a trance of craving such a delicious fruit. 

'Has she... always smelled this sweet?' 

"Um, S-Shoto?"

"Huh? Ah– Y-Yes, what is it? What kind of personal question did you want to ask me?" 

"W-Well... I-I just hope that what I ask you... you will be able to answer. O-Of course you can always say no and I'll understand, but um... H-How did you get your scar?" Shoto batted his eyes at the Princess as she sat there clenching her hands tightly in fear that he'll react harshly. 

"Erm– I knew it, you don't want to tell me. T-That's fine, I won't ask again. I'm sorry I made you wait, so I'll just go back to my room and–" 

The second she stood up from the bed and was about to walk past the Prince, she felt an abrupt stop as something grabbed onto her wrist. 

"Eh?" 

She mumbled as she looked down to see a hand holding her wrist, and then followed where this hand was coming from to see Shoto holding her but averting his eyes from her.

"Shoto–" 

"This scar... It's not something I earned if you were wondering." 

"Eh?" 

Shoto sighed as he calmly stood to his feet and then rested his hands on top of the Princess' shoulders and pulled her to then sit down on the bed and he could continue.