Chapitre 41: Present From Beyond

"So," I ask, draped across the bar in front of Shiggy-Wiggy. "We have someone who can set up a completely secure connection yet?"

He scowls at me. "No. Sensei said he'll have someone in a week or two so stop bothering me about it." He turns away, turning the tv on and blasting the volume to drown out my usual follow up questions. So I throw a knife at it, giggling as he curses and sparks fly before something in the tv explodes.

Mamagiri sighs, opening two portals; one under it and one above it, immediately replacing it with an indistinguishable replacement. By this point so many have been destroyed that I'm curious where he's getting them all from. I mean, there are only so many junky tvs to go around. Are they custom made or something?

"Please refrain from destroying the televisions, Midosagi. Or next time I shall be informing Himiko Toga of your late-night drinks."

I gasp in outrage, putting a hand to my chest. "I don't drink alcohol! How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I say again, how dare you!"

"Apologies," he sighs. "I shall inform her of your late-night 'sips'."

I nod happily. "Better. Wait, no it's not!" I look at him with wide eyes. "How am I supposed to build up a tolerance to alcohol if you tell Himi that I've been sipping bourbon while she's sleeping!"

Shiggy's snickering and a sudden feeling of danger tells me that I just messed up. Stiffly, I slowly turn around and see my girlfriend flexing her claws with a closed-eye smile on her face. "Care to explain what I just heard, Izuku?"

I swallow at her not using a nickname, raising my hands in what I know is a futile defense. "Uh, it's not what you think?" I try, and when she doesn't immediately make a move I continue. "It's just, one day you might want my taste to have a hint of some kind of alcohol. So I'm trying to build up a tolerance to it so I won't pass out from only drinking a little, before it can affect my taste."

I give her puppy dog eyes as she tilts her head back in thought. "Hmm, ok," she nods.

I blink. "Really? That's all?"

Another nod. "Yep! Since you did it for me it's fine." I let out a sigh of relief only to stiffen as she continues. "But the guilt you've been feeling since you started doing that on Christmas has been affecting your blood, so we're going to have to clean out the source."

Her eyes open wide, a gleam I've long become familiar with shining brightly as she thrusts her hand forward. "Kali Ma!"

A few seconds later I'm in front of the receptionist, sheepishly scratching my cheek while she glares at me. "Yeah… she found out."

She shakes her head, ruffling some papers. "I did tell you she would kill you."

I chuckle before shaking my head. "Yeah… But what about you? That one guy still giving you trouble?"

She waves my redirection aside, like she usually does whenever our conversations turn towards her own life. Unlife? Half-life? However she exists. "There is nothing you are able to do about that, so there's no need for you to be better informed about it. More importantly…"

She peers at me with a raised eyebrow. "Did you not have something important planned today?"

I blink for a few seconds, trying to remember what she's talking about. Which is kind of a shock, her actually remembering dates given time is funky down here. When I do remember I smack my palm into my forehead. "I needed to drop off her present!"

I sigh, shrugging. "Well nothing I can do about it now. Her dad always takes her out for breakfast before having a party where he invites important people with kids. Presents aren't opened until almost the evening so I can only hope that Himi drops it off for me."

`~`

(Toga)

"Smoothy~, smoothie~! Heart-y smoothie~!" I hum while singing a happy song, watching the heart, pomegranate juice, and blood oranges mix together in a blender. I ignore Shigaraki-Chaparaki's look of distaste, it's better than his reactions when he first saw me doing this! He has girly screams!

Mamagiri's look of disapproval is harder to ignore. But it's not my fault Izu bleeds so much when I take out his heart! Blame humanity for evolving like that! I'd rather that the blood doesn't get wasted on the floor too! So don't hold out the mop like you expect me to clean it up!

"I will ensure that your smoothie is blended to your preferred texture."

"..."

Knowing that he'll get it just how I like it, I reluctantly accept the cleaning tools and get to work mopping up Izu's blood, grumbling as I do. "Never see Shigaraki sweeping up his dust… The only girl here shouldn't have to do the housework… Wait a minute."

I stop after picking up Izu's body and laying it in one of the booths. He's already stopped bleeding, thankfully, or else cleaning up would be a lot more effort. But that's not what has me stopped. It's a niggling thought that I'm forgetting something. Something important…

Good thing we have people for that! "Mamagiri!" I shout. "What am I forgetting?"

He sighs. "Do you have any clues as to what it is you have forgotten?"

"Hmm," I tilt my head with a finger on my cheek. "Dunno, but I think it had to do with a girl."

Shiggy snorts. "'Sagi finally decide to pick up a chick who's sane?"

Without looking I flick my arm and a knife imbeds itself in the seat of his chair, just an inch higher and it would have been in his thigh. I roll my eyes as he curses at me

Obviously I wouldn't be mad about Izu finding another girl for us to have fun with, we'd already said we were ok with that! Especially with all the blood I've drunk from him~. At this point I could probably just transform into him and not need to go back to normal ever!

I won't though because Izu said that he likes me how I am. I don't have to be someone else for him to accept me. I don't need to wear a mask for him to like me. For him to love me, I just have to be myself.

Of course, he doesn't complain in the bedroom. Double the Izus is double the fun for both of us~.

But Shiggy's good for something other than playing his games! He reminded me of what I forgot!

"Birthday!" I shout, and the three of us turn to look at the birthday calendar. Unlike a normal calendar, there's only six dates on it, and they're all hand-drawn. Originally they were just the birthdays of the members of the League, but after Izu found out that his bitch of a mother hid the fact that he's still alive he's added another.

"IT'S TODAY!" I can't believe I forgot! He even learned how to sew for her present! I'm not jealous since he gave me the same thing he's giving her for Christmas, plus he took me out on a killing-date! So I think I've gotten the better present between the two of us.

Still, I know how important this is for Izu, and I killed him before he could do it! "I'm a bad girlfriend…" I mutter, tracing circles in the remainder of Izu's blood on the floor. "He had this big plan all planned, but now it's ruined…"

Kurogiri sighs, putting a hand on my shoulder and pulling me out of my sad thoughts. "Do not worry, Himiko Toga. Midosagi had already prepared everything, so long as you drop them off I do not think he will be angry."

I sniff, looking up at him with unshed tears in the corners of my eyes. "Really? You think so?"

"I know so," he reassures me. "I cannot imagine him ever being angry at you. The only time I believe he even came close was when you thought he was hiding something from you."

I wince at the memory. I think I was justified in being suspicious, but… I'm just glad it didn't ruin our relationship. After finally having someone I can be myself around I don't think I can ever go back. More than that, with Izu, I don't have to be restrained. Even with the other members of the League I can't act how I do when Izu and I are alone.

I don't think any of them realize just how… broken, we are. It's not just how we both suffered simply because of how we were born, it's that we support each other. We're like two broken knives, me missing the handle and him missing the blade. Without both, it's not really a knife. They still have their uses, but they're not a knife. It's only when we're together that we're whole. In fact, we fit together even better than the original designs. Like the person who made the knife messed up when they put us together.

We were supposed to be the same knife, but they separated us. Making us something faulty, that others look down on. And when the part we were never meant to be with has had enough-

We became broken.

But now that we're together it's all ok! I hop up, smiling at Mamagiri and how he takes care of us. "Thanks Mamagiri! Let's go!" I rush off to get the present and the letter, casting a single glance back at the smoky figure that takes care of us.

Maybe…one day…maybe we'll let him see how broken we are.

We can all be broken together, instead of separately.

(Shoko)

I stand by the food, slowly sipping from my cup as well-dressed people mingle around me. It's only here that I can avoid talking to the multitude of well-wishers and their children, who are practically pushed into talking with me by their parents. It's clear to me that they're as reluctant to talk to me as I am to talk to them, though I'd guess for different reasons.

I'm the daughter of Endeavor, one of the most intimidating heroes there are, as well as holding the number two spot for many years. They're likely afraid of what he might do if they were to offend me. As for why I don't want to talk to them?

This is my first birthday since what happened to Izuku.

Ever since I'd met him, he'd been there for me. It didn't matter how bad his own day was going, he'd always be more than happy to listen to my own problems, giving out any advice he could with his smile that could rival the sun.

Before…before Endeavor changed, before we started becoming a family again. When I'd be forced to do these 'birthday gallas', he'd always have a plan to help me sneak out. A different plan than the one before just in case the previous had been discovered. But they never were.

Each year he'd come up with a different plan, when the previous ones worked perfectly. Each year I'd follow the new plan, no matter how convoluted or even nonsensical they became.

Because every year, after I told him how well his plan worked, he'd give me that smile. The one I never got to see except for that day. A smile that said he had no doubt it would. That showed, for one single day out of the rest of the miserable year, that he believed in himself just as much as I did.

It didn't matter what we did after; sometimes we'd go to the park, others we'd get ice cream. What was important to me is that I got to spend my birthday with my best friend.

But now?

Now here I am, surrounded by people who don't care. Who only see this as a convenient event where they can gather and make connections, for their children to make connections. And-

"You must be Shoko Todoroki, the birthday girl!" I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a boy my age, dressed just as well as the adults. If you disregard how his ears and nose resemble a bat's, he's kind of plain looking with brown eyes and black hair cut short.

"Allow me to introduce myself; I'm the son of-"

"I don't care." I cut him off, already having him pegged as the most unwelcome kind of person at these events. One of the main reasons I've always tried to sneak out as soon as possible before.

He laughs drily. "Of course you don't. As the daughter of such a prestigious family I suppose my own wouldn't garner much attention." He smirks at me. "But… we have been rising steadily, absorbing our smaller competitors and increasing our profits. Pretty soon we might even rival the Endeavor agency!"

He laughs again, this time I pick up some mockery in it. Something most people don't realize, just because I don't understand emotions doesn't mean I can't pick up on it. Sometimes. But with this boy it isn't hard. But as I'm reflecting on my emotional acumen, I realize that he's been talking.

"-though obviously it would be in both of our family's interests to keep good relations. Perhaps I could interest you in getting to know each other better over a nice dinner?"

I don't let my lips move how they want, holding back the scowl. I absolutely hate it when parents try to push for their kids to start a relationship with me. But I hate it more when self-assured jerks like this one act like it's only right that I should date them.

I open my mouth to tell him to leave me alone -in a polite way, given the company- but someone else beats me to it. A blonde girl with long flowing hair walks up and loops her arm around my own, looking at the boy with a happy smile. "Sorry, but Shoko and I already have plans. In fact, we need to talk about them now, so could you leave us alone."

It's more of a demand than a question, and the boy's flabbergasted look tells me that he picked up on that as well. Then his face turns red and he storms off while muttering under his breath.

I turn to the girl, raising an eyebrow. She giggles, pulling her arm free. "You looked like you needed help." She pauses and taps her chin. "Well, not really, but I needed to get you alone for a moment."

I sigh, the brief moment of appreciation gone as quickly as it had appeared. My suitors are not limited to the males, and it appears that this girl decided that driving the boy away would help her case.

It won't, but now I'm unable to dismiss her without coming off as ungrateful, so I need to let her stay.

But to my surprise she just hands me a wrapped present and a letter. "Open both of these when you're alone and don't have to go back to anyone. I don't think you'd appreciate the questions."

And with a wink and a smile that flashes a sharp canine, she's gone as quick as she appeared. I look down at the present, squeezing lightly. I can tell that it's not heavy, nor is it hard. There are only a few things that it could be, but none that I'd particularly like to have. Nor any that would require the secrecy the girl clearly wants it to have.

"Shoko! Come meet the Yaoyorozus, they have a daughter who plans to attend UA just like you!" I nod absently, tucking the mysterious items away for the moment. I can see what they are after the party.

`~`

My hands shake as I lower the letter, my head turning to the still wrapped present. Slowly, hesitantly, I reach out. I gently work at the tape, being careful not to rip anything.

As the present is slowly revealed I stare at it. Then my eyes refocus on the letter. I don't believe it. I can't believe it. But as I turn back to the dark green bunny that I can tell has been hand-sewn, I can't help the seed of hope that takes root in my heart. Because there's only one person who ever called me that. And they've only done it a few times, when we were alone.

'We can meet again after you get into UA, Candy Cane Princess.'