Aika Age 12
Toya Age 13

~Aika's POV~

When I wasn't needed to help Giran with a job, I had free rein of the city. So long as I didn't cause too much of a ruckus, Giran didn't mind if I ran wild. He'd taken me in when the rest of the world had shut me out. My parents weren't the most fiscally responsible, my mother had a shopping problem and my father had a gambling problem and together they'd managed to amass a massive debt with several loan sharks. When the loan sharks came to collect and they couldn't pay they were made into an example, I would have been too if I hadn't activated my quirk in time and ran for my life. Giran found me weeks later starving on the streets digging in dumpsters for scraps of food to survive.
He got me a hot meal and after discovering my quirk, invited me to stay with him. It had been nearly two years since then and we had a good thing going. Whenever he went to meet with a client or make a deal, I would stand watch and activate my quirk if any heroes or law enforcement showed up to get him out so we could make a clean escape.
I skipped down the sidewalk casually glancing through shop windows as I drifted by to see if anything caught my eye. Nothing tickled my fancy so I continued on my way wandering the city. A few adults threw me curious looks as it was most definitely a school day but the city was my classroom and I'd picked up far more useful skills on the streets than I ever did in a traditional classroom.
It was a little chilly out and I smiled as I spotted a coffee shop ahead of me. I activated my quirk as I reached the door. A faint pale wispy gray light seemed to shoot out of me and everything around me froze in time. I stepped into the coffee shop pushing past the frozen patrons and headed to the counter. I peeked at the drinks waiting to be picked up looking for something hot and sweet. I grinned as I spotted a sea salt caramel hot chocolate and quickly snatched it before slipping back out onto the street. I released my hold on my quirk and continued on my way. Time resumed and the few people who were on phones returned to find their other party asking them why they'd been put on hold. Unfortunately my quirk had a limited radius but it was still very useful for my exploits.
The hot chocolate was decadent and warmed me right to my core as I sipped at it. I stepped off the main road and began wandering aimlessly, sipping at the delightful beverage as I went. After I finished my drink, I glanced around looking for a trash bin and realized I didn't recognize my surroundings. I'd wandered a little out of the city and was standing outside the gates of a fancy looking middle school. On the front steps I spotted two ridiculously clean trash bins and shrugged my shoulders. I was luckily small enough to slip through the slats in the gate and skipped down the paved path and up the stairs to the trash bins.
As I tossed the empty cup into the trash bin, I heard the sound of voices coming from around the side of the large fancy building. I could hear kids laughing and an occasional squeal. Curious, I hopped down the stairs and crept to the side of the building where the sound was coming from. Kids my age and a little older wearing stuffy uniforms were exiting a side door being released for a recess outside. They immediately huddled in groups most looking at phones or handheld gaming devices, some just chatting amongst their friends gossiping. I spotted a boy with white hair off on his own, away from the other students furiously scribbling in a notebook and seeming to be muttering to himself.
"He's at it again." A voice sounded from within the crowd of students before three boys moved toward the white haired boy.
"Seriously, what kind of failure of a hero can't use his quirk without hurting himself, give it up, Toya." The boy in the middle of the three, appearing to be the ringleader scoffed as he stepped forward.
I glared at this. They were bullying him. The boy they called Toya ignored them and continued writing in his notebook looking determined and thoughtful.
One of the boys reached out and snatched his notebook away.
"Hey!" Toya snapped and attempted to grab it back but the boy who'd taken it tossed it to the ringleader.
The ringleader opened it up and laughed, "a training schedule. Oh look, don't forget the ice to cool down after." He pointed to one of the little notes written in the schedule.
"Yeah everyone wants a hero who has to carry his ice pack with him to help his ouchies." One of the boys laughed.
I don't know why I was getting involved but I'd had enough, "leave him alone!" I snapped, as I stepped around the corner of the building.
"AH! A stray!" One of the lackeys yelled upon taking in my appearance. My clothes were a little grubby, my pale hair was probably a windswept mess from the chilly winds that had been beating me on my walk.
"Ew, why would they let an impoverished person in here?" The other lackey grimaced and took a step away from me as if he thought I were diseased and contagious.
"Leave her alone." Toya positioned himself between me and the three jerks.
"What are you going to do about it, your quirk is such a failed experiment your parents had to keep trying to get a kid with one that actually worked right." The ringleader shot cruelly.
I felt rage stir inside of me as Toya deflated at his words, "shut the hell up, asshole!" I lunged forward and activated my quirk. A burst of pale wispy gray light shot out from me and the entire school ground froze in time. I sprinted forward, scooped up several rocks off the ground and hurled them at the bullies. Once they left my hand they too froze in time. I released my hold on my quirk and the rocks flung themselves at the bullies at a rapid speed.
I grinned as they hit their marks and the three bullies let out panicked shouts and cries of pain. The biggest rock cracked into the ringleader's temple and a steady stream of blood gushed from it and dripped down the side of his face causing his lackeys to scream.
Toya turned back to look at me in awe not knowing what had happened.
"You're dead meat!" The lackeys suddenly jumped on top of me, catching me off guard.
I couldn't activate my quirk fast enough and winced as the larger of the two tackled me to the asphalt and slammed my head into the ground. I flinched, waiting for them to start punching and kicking me. Instead, the boy who'd tackled me was suddenly kicked away from me as Toya rushed to my aid. He extended a hand to help me to my feet while the lackeys prepared another assault.
Before things could escalate a girl with glasses appeared with a teacher in tow and I took off running.
"Get back here! I'm calling the police!" The teacher yelled after me.
I scampered away and hid at a nearby park playing through the events in my head on repeat. Was Toya going to get in trouble? Why did I have to get involved? Why did he try to protect me? Worried he was going to get in trouble I doubled back and hid out in a spot that gave me a clear view of the entrance and kept watch.
Twenty minutes later all the students were back inside and I saw a sleek black car pull up to the entrance. Two people stepped out; the man looked somewhat familiar, he was a hero. I'd seen him once before while helping Giran. He had a hulking figure, deep red hair and piercing turquoise eyes, the same color as Toya's. The woman had white hair, gray eyes and looked meek.
"I told you he was your responsibility now." The man growled, seeming annoyed at having been pulled away from work.
"They insisted we both had to be here." The woman said timidly.
"I don't have time for this." The man grumbled before stomping toward the school. Despite his rude behavior and attitude he held the door open for the woman before following her inside.
Ten minutes later I saw them exiting the building with Toya walking between them. He looked chastised and I had a feeling he'd gotten an earful. My stomach twisted with guilt. It was my fault he was in trouble.
"Seriously, fighting classmates? Even if you could be a hero, that kind of behavior isn't befitting a hero." The large man scolded him.
Even his parents squashed his dreams of wanting to be a hero? That was deplorable. Weren't parents supposed to be supportive? My parents used to support me and my silly dreams, they just weren't great with money. Dad was totally on board with my pirate donut shop in the middle of the ocean idea and helped me sketch some sample designs and logos.
"They attacked a girl." Toya retorted.
"A street urchin who broke into school grounds." His father corrected him.
"That didn't give them the right to attack her!" Toya snapped.
"Nor did it give you the right to fight them!" His father snapped back before brandishing the notebook at him, "and what's this? Are you training again? I told you to quit."
Toya shut down, refusing to answer.
His father reached over and briefly lifted his shirt. There were burns lining his entire torso. "Damn it, Toya! Enough is enough." He turned his angry gaze at the pale woman on Toya's opposite side. "He's your responsibility! He shouldn't be training."
Toya looked downcast and tried to look anywhere but at his parents looking as if he were about to cry. His gaze flicked to the tree I was hiding in and his eyes grew wide. I offered him a small apologetic smile and a shy wave. He looked relieved to see that I was alright, and waved discreetly so his parents wouldn't notice. I activated my quirk freezing time and scrambled to his side. I slipped my hand in his and he let out a panicked yelp as I seemingly appeared before him as he was pulled from the freeze.
"What is this?" He stared at his parents frozen in time in awe.
"My quirk." I grinned.
"You can freeze time?" He asked in awe.
I smiled, "that's not all I can do with time." I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "sorry if I got you in trouble and thank you for protecting me." I focused on him and was able to localize my quirk to where I had seen the burns before turning back time.
He suddenly gasped and looked at one of the smaller burns on his arm as it began to vanish. He stared at me in awe.
I felt blood begin to gush from my nose, a side effect when I used my quirk within my time freeze field.
"AH!" Toya panicked, "you're bleeding!" He fumbled with his school bag, found a handkerchief and hurriedly pressed it to my nose in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood.
I giggled and took a step away from him, "it's okay, it'll stop in a bit." I offered him a bloody grin. "I'm Aika."
He stared at me in concern for a moment before offering me a smile, "Toya."
"If your quirk hurts you, I can reverse the clock on your injuries, anytime. Please keep following your dream." I beamed up at him. I noticed my radius beginning to shrink. I was going to lose my hold on my quirk. "Shit! I gotta go! Toodles!" I took off running back toward the trees before swan diving into a bush as I lost my hold on my quirk.
Time resumed and Toya's parents blinked in confusion for a moment feeling a powerful sense of deja vu.