❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

"No."

Karin sat on the very edge of her seat as the long expected response left her mother's mouth. She'd expected resistance when she came to her with the forms she'd carried around for several weeks now, they'd weighed so heavy on her and now that she'd finally revealed her intentions to her mother she thought she'd finally be able to breath, to relax. And yet...

She shook her head rapidly, avoiding her mom's eyes,"You can't say no."

"I'm your mother, it's my right." Sana Kobayashi countered her daughter as she tightly gripped the U.A. application in hand.

"No—" Karin took a deep breath before reiterating firmly,"No. You may not like it, you may disagree, that is very much well within your right as my mother, but to simply deny a choice that is mine alone to make, i-it's wrong, it's cruel—"

"Cruel would be for you to put me through this life once more, Karin. You remember what happened, you know what that life brings, it ensures pain and suffering for all those involved." Sana expressed her concerns.

"That may be so, but it's still my choice to make!" Karin stood up,"I have been the best daughter, listened to your every teachings, respected the fact that you chose to leave your life as a hero because of all it brought you, all the pain, but it can't have been all bad! You used to help people, mom! The world loved you! Young girls looked up to you... I have observed, through you, through other heroes and people, there are many things I could do with my quirk, and I don't want to be a bystander, mom, I want to be strong, I want to be brave, I want to be..."

Sana closed her eyes,"Don't."

"A hero." Karin pushed on, she walked over to her mother and kneeled beside her on the couch,"This is something that I need to do, please."

Tears pooled in her mother's eyes,"Why?"

Karin shrugged, smiling sadly,"To prove that I can? Because all my life I have been told to repress a part of me that is dying to see the light. Because it is all I have ever been able to think about doing for as long as I've wanted to do anything." She held her gaze,"Because I can't stand to think that I have this power and not do anything with it."

"You really won't change your mind?" Sana held out hope.

"I can't know that for sure, especially not if I don't try." Karin explained,"I need to try."

"You'll be safe?"

She frowned,"I can't know that for sure either, you better than anyone know that."

Sana nodded, a single tear dropping from her right eye, she gripped her daughter's hand and looked down at the papers in her hand. "I'm extremely proud of you, you know?"

Karin laughed,"I haven't even gotten in yet."

"You will." Sana said with confidence, she wiped her tears away and held out her hand for the pen her daughter was holding. With a slight tremor, she signed her name at the bottom of the page asking for a guardian's permission before meeting her daughter's eyes again,"You're the daughter of two heroes, after all."

She held out the completed application, but Karin let it drop in favor of jumping into her mother's arms.

One trial passed. One step closer.

Next was the matter of the entrance exam.

━━

Karin had stepped out after the long conversation at home in order to collect her thoughts. It took work, but her mother agreeing for her to attend U.A. had actually happened. She could have just as easily done it behind the woman's back, she had a hand for forging signatures and Sana Kobayashi had turned into a bit of a recluse since the passing of her husband. Even more so since Karin decided she no longer wanted to be homeschooled by her and wanted to attend a real school.

Once she was comfortable with Karin being out more, she began asking her to retrieve their groceries and any other thing that required her leaving the house, really. Karin understood her mother's grief, not to its full extent, but she got that the woman now lived in fear of losing all she had left.

She never met her father so she couldn't speak on how it felt to lose him, but the way her mother would describe him, they were as yin and yang— two halves of a whole that partnered up as heroes and in life.

It was a real tragedy. Karin met her first breath of air just as her father took his last, the day of her birth was that of his death. She admired her mother for not allowing the depression and loss to interrupt the love she'd grow for her. Sure, they never really celebrated her birthday, but what use did she have for cake when she had her mother?

She was grateful.

I'm gonna be a hero.

A breeze caressed her face, taking with it a handful of sakura that were slowly starting to bloom on a few trees nearby and she chased them with her gaze as they crossed the street and made their way toward a small soba restaurant.

Her heart skipped a beat at who she found herself looking at.

Their first and last conversation replayed constantly on her mind since that Friday afternoon, today was Sunday. (It'd taken her a while to build up to courage to go to her mother for the confrontation). She couldn't help herself as she checked both sides of the street before following the path of cherry blossoms leading to his table.

"Hi!"

Shoto Todoroki did a double take before his eyes met her own and he sat up, abandoning his book to greet her back,"Hello."

Karin smiled,"Um, I saw you, from across the street." She turned and pointed to her previous path, as if needing to prove she wasn't some weirdo following him around town,"I just thought I would come over and say hi, um, it felt rude not to. I-I mean I know we're not friends or anything, but we did talk that one time, and I might be going to U.A. so... um, yeah, hi."

"Wait, you convinced your parents?"

She was surprised he'd remembered that detail, considering she'd been lying at the time.

"My mom, yeah." She stuck to the truth this time,"She's a tad overprotective, I guess you could say, and there's still the entrance exam for me to worry about, but maybe I'll see you there. It'd be nice to see a familiar face."

She repeated what he had said to her before.

"With a quirk like yours I'm sure you won't come across too much difficulty." He said.

"Thanks, yours too." Karin remembered what he'd revealed about his power,"I bet you've had a lot of practice with it."

"You could say that." He nodded.

Before she could ask him anything else, a young waitress came over with what looked to be a plate of cold soba. She smiled nicely and set the bowl in front of Todoroki before pulling out her pen and pad,"Hi, welcome to the Soba Sanctuary, will you be joining the table tonight?"

Karin felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment and she was quick to shake her head,"Oh, no, sorry, I was simply—"

"She will." Todoroki cut her sentence short as he stood up and pulled out the chair from across his and placed it next to his own instead, he indicated for her to sit,"Please, I insist."

"I—"

"You must be hungry." He said,"It's quite late in the day."

It was. She hadn't realized the passing of time, and if she focused on it she would definitely hear the sound of her stomach grumbling. And his soba did look pretty delicious. She hesitated once more, but he didn't let her contemplate it further as he looked to the waitress,"Another serving, please."

"Right away." The young woman smiled, looking at Karin to ask,"Cold or hot for you?"

She allowed herself to be swayed as she responded,"Cold, please, if it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all." The pretty girl continued to grin at the two,"I'll put the order in, and could I get you anything to drink in the meantime?"

Karin asked for their options before making her choice, watching her walk away before finally sitting down and facing Todoroki once more. He had a strange expression on his face, her eyebrows scrunched,"What's that look for?"

"You like your soba cold?"

"By the looks of it, so do you." She smiled.

Underneath the small table their knees touched and she jerked away which caused their elbows to knock into each other, neither of them brought it up though as they tucked their respective limbs in. Karin sat up straight, feeling her face warm again,"Thanks for letting me join you, you don't have to pay for me, by the way, I always have my wallet on me."

Todoroki chuckled,"It only makes sense that I pay, however, seeing as I invited you."

"Yes, but it wasn't your initial intention seeing as I was the one that interrupted your meal, so it's fine." She explained her logic,"I'll pay."

He didn't argue, but she could sense that it wouldn't be the end of it as he picked up their previous conversation once more,"So, U.A., are you excited for it?"

"Yes, and no." Karin frowned slightly,"Yes because I've always been intrigued by heroes and the lives they live, but no since I don't exactly know what I'm walking into. Add to that the fact that I don't have much experience with my own quirk, I feel as if the journey is long ahead in order for me to be a hero."

"You're very self aware, I'm sure you'll get far that way." Todoroki encouraged.

"Thank you, I hope so. How about you though, have you always known you wanted to be a hero? Your dad is one, right?"

"He is." He nodded,"It was always his wish for me to follow in his path, though recently I've decided I'm doing this for myself, not for him. I want to be the best."

She wanted to comment on his unused power, but refrained on doing so because they weren't exactly friends and it was none of her business why he chose to not use it. Eventually her drink was brought out to their table, and the soba followed soon after.

Todoroki didn't begin to eat until she had her own in front of her and slowly their conversation left the topic of U.A. in preference of the book he was reading before she interrupted him. It was a manga she'd already made her way through and she was quick to offer up her copy of the second volume if he finished and liked it enough. They talked about other books they'd read and shows that they watched, finding overlapping similarities in the things they liked, and in the end she was right. He insisted on paying for her meal despite her arguing.

He even offered to walk her back home.

Usually she would say no, but it being Todoroki and her having been curious about him, she didn't want their night to end. Though, like all good things, it had to and before they knew it they were standing in front of her house.

Karin placed her hands behind her back,"Well, this is me."

Todoroki seemed to hesitate before saying,"I enjoyed talking with you today. I don't have any friends either, you know."

"Consider me your first then." She gave him a half smile,"If you'd like to, that is."

"I would." He responded rather quickly.

"Good." She allowed her smile to become full and open now,"I'll see you soon then."

He nodded. "Tomorrow."

"Right." She was thankful for the darkness, for it concealed the warmth spreading across her cheeks for the third time now. "Thanks for walking me home, Todoroki."

"You're welcome." He took a single step back, he said goodnight and watched as she made her way through the gate and into her house. He lingered outside for a few seconds more before opening his book, he'd used a cherry blossom to mark his page. Now it was a memento.

His first friend.