Assassins Can Be Heroes Too || Todoroki Shoto

|61| Poison Dart: Origins {Himiko Toga}

Sarinai Elementary was a rather small elementary school, tucked away on the outskirts of the city. It was a co-ed school, with a garden in the entrance, split up by ramps that all converged before diverging into two separate paths into the school. It was two-storeys high, children from the ages of five to eleven running around excitedly, catching up with one another from the holiday break or meeting new people.

Near the entrance was a thirteen-year-old black-haired boy with a five-year-old girl cowering behind his legs. The teenager sweat-dropped at his younger sister's antics, trying to get her to walk in front of him. He turned, squatting down so that he was at eye-level with the child, a slightly disapproved frown masking his usually placid face.

He had black hair that swept to the right side, partially covering his black eyes that shot her a disbelieving glare, though she remained unfazed. He wore a white, collared shirt with a red tie, with matching grey jeans and sneakers.

"Look, kid... you gotta go to school," he began before he realised he wasn't entirely sure what to say, "you'll be fine, it's just for eight hours, and once school's over, I'll come back and pick you up." He glanced over her shoulder to see more children trickling into the school gates and discreetly pointing at them. "See? You've got a lot of other kids your age, Riri. Who knows, maybe you could make some friends."

She gazed over in their direction for a solid half-minute before shaking her head and turning away, ignoring her brother's sigh of irritation.

"No," her voice was barely over a whisper, shaking her head as she gripped her straps, "I-I..."

"It's fine to be nervous," he tried, "you'll be fine, I promise."

"B-but Ace-" she squeaked as the bell rang. She flashed her older brother an alarmed look as he ushered her inside. She continued staring at him as he made shooing motions with her hands. She lowered her gaze as she watched the other children be farewelled by their parents, Ace merging into the crowd until she couldn't see him anymore.

She kept her golden eyes downcast, focusing on the concrete path below her feet as she kicked a pebble along the path, watching as it skipped and skidded along the rugged surface.

Like the other children, Rie had parents. Unlike the other children, however, Rie's parents were always busy. At least, that's what they told her and Ace; Rie was always left in her older brother's care, her parents being practically nonexistent for the majority of her childhood so far. She wanted to be cared for by her parents - don't mistake that for anything, she loved her brother to death - but she knew that they'd be asking her about her family at some point... right?

"Welcome to Sarinai Elementary!" the principal stood at the podium, watching as new and old students trickled in. He had dyed-bright hair with pink highlights, giving off an energetic aura. "Welcome back to the old students, and welcome for the new ones, especially our five-year-olds." He flashed the youngest children a bright smile, many gazing up at the principal and around the building in awe.

The welcoming assembly ended and the class slowly filed into the classroom.

"Psst," whispered a girl behind Rie. She jolted as a finger poked her shoulder, turning to face a blonde girl. The girl was fair-skinned with a small blush dusting her cheeks and her bright yellow irises wide. She had a feline-like face, her upper and lower canines pointed and long. The girl gently tugged her locks, stroking it. "Your hair is really pretty."

She flushed when hearing the compliment.

"T... thanks..."

"You're so cute!" she cooed with starry eyes, the girl shifting uncomfortably, "oh, oh, I'm Himiko, Himiko Toga."