Fighting Fears

Chapter 18

"How're you feeling?" I asked softly, setting the back of my hand on Todoroki's forehead. "Sore." He croaked. "You don't have a fever anymore." I said, checking the fresh scar on his abdomen. "The bruising's fading too." I added. "Is that a good thing?" He groaned. "Yes, dummy. It means the plant's working." I laughed. "I would've been just fine without you cutting me open." He retorted. "No, you would not have. Just appreciate the fact that I saved you already." I rolled my eyes. There was a loud boom from outside. "When do I get to train with everyone else?" My classmate looked outside longingly. "Soon, I promise. You need to be strong enough that you can give it your all and not get tired." I replied, cleaning up a bit. "Winter I've told you, I'm fine. Just sore." He sighed. "Alright, fine. Get up and try to shove me so I move." I said, crossing my arms. With a bit of effort, he had stood up, preparing to shove me. I stood with my left leg a small bit further behind me than my right leg so I had some balance. "I don't see how this is gonna prove that I'm strong enough." Todoroki said, placing a hand on each of my shoulders. "Just shove me." I snapped. He sighed, and tried. I stood still, not even flinching, as he continued to attempt to shove me out of the way. I could see that he was obviously struggling. This was easy, I wasn't even using my tail for extra balance! "Okay that's enough." I gently pushed him away, seeing him start to pant from exhaustion. "Sit back down." I sighed. He gave up, doing as told. "Look, I know this isn't fun. But the only way you're going to get better is if you just hang in there for a couple more days, okay? Try using your quirk again." I said, sitting down too. Todoroki glared at me, clearly not happy with the fact that I was babying him. "I think I can use my quirk without problems." He coldly replied. I watched as he used both his flame and ice. "Good. The herb's working. Now please, just stay still for one more day." I said, standing up to leave. "Winter?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to be honest with me."

"Okay?"

"Is this really going to be as big of a deal as we're making it out to be? Could this really determine the fate of the world?" Todoroki's bi-colored eyes shone brightly, filled to the brim with emotion. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. "I'm not a prophet. But I've got instincts, and based on my instincts, we've got to get up and fight. There is no such thing as harmony in this world. Villains will always exist. They'll get strong, confident, cocky. When they do, they'll attack. It's our job to put them back in their place. If we want to keep the balance, then yes. This could determine the fate of the world. This is different. There's something going on, and if we wait too long, it'll be too late." I said.

"How are you gonna find out what's going on?" He asked. "By running headfirst into the heart of the darkness." "So you're gonna do something stupid, possibly end up killing yourself?" He glared at me. "I'm not afraid, Todoroki. I'm not afraid anymore. I'm fueled by the anger I've built up over my life."

"Why are you so angry Winter? Your- They're dead! You burned your house down twelve years ago! Isn't that enough?" My classmate stood up again.

Todoroki's POV

"You don't know, do you?" Winter looked away. "I know you're not thinking straight." I muttered. "Maybe I'm not. But the thing is... I don't think They're dead." I froze. "W-What?" I stuttered. "I know how big that explosion was. It only destroyed the building we were in. You know what that means to two villains who've escaped the hands of All Might multiple times, uncaught for over five years?" Her voice lowered. "It means the chances of them being dead are slim to none. Five year old me didn't check that they were asleep. Five year old me did something stupid, with no backup plan. If I survived, you know just as well as I do that they're not dead.

You know how I was yelling at the sky when we first got here?" Winter turned to me. I nodded. "I woke up because I had had a dream. No, a sign. They were still alive. I had lost control and killed you all. Everyone. They praised me for what I had done." "Winter, that's just a dream, you-" "The funny thing was, they weren't transparent. Kasey showed up a little later in the sign, and he was transparent, as if his spirit were visiting me. But they were opaque. They aren't dead, Todoroki." Winter snarled. "Winter, I told you, you're not thinki-" "SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I CAN'T HEAR IT! IF THEY'VE FOUND OUT THAT I'VE MADE 'FRIENDS', THEY'LL KILL YOU ALL! I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH LAST TIME. THIS TIME THOUGH, IT'LL BE DIFFERENT! THEY WON'T TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME LIKE THEY DID KASEY. I'LL BEAT THEM TO IT." Winter roared, leaving the cabin.

She's- she's not thinking clearly! She's going to get herself killed! She has to realize she's being irrational! Besides, we're not that weak! We can defend ourselves! A- wait... she... she said...

I realized that Winter had directed her last sentence at me. Not the class. Not us. Me.