Frigid Flame

Chapter 11

It had been twenty minutes since the tear-filled reunion of the older Todoroki siblings. The three of them sat in the kitchen, drinking green tea as Natsuo asked question after question to Shimo. Her younger sister sat next to her with a large smile as their elder sister answered each one with a small one.

"So my biggest question. Where did you go after you left?"

Shimo took a deep breath and shook her head. That was something they could not know. With their warm welcome, she could only assume that their father said nothing about his run-in with her during that undercover mission.

"I can't tell you. Just know I was safe."

Her little brother did not look happy and looked ready to call her out on it when their youngest brother stepped in. Shoto moved his dual eyes across the kitchen until they reached Shimo. His eyes widened with recognition and took on a glassy sheen at the sight of her. Of his four siblings, Shimo was the only one he truly had gotten close to. Her leaving hurt him almost as when their father took their mother away.

She could tell how pained he was, just from the look on his face. The ten-year-old was trying his hardest to keep his tears in. She needed to fix this somehow, so she did what her mother would do when her father was too rough in training. Slowly, Shimo stood up and walked towards him. Tilting her head down as they looked into each other's eyes, she quickly embraced him as tightly as she could.

"I'm sorry, Shoto. I'm sorry I failed in protecting you from him."

The young boy wrapped his arms around her the best he could. There was some wetness against her shirt, making her hold him tighter. He kept a near-death grip on the young woman as she began to rub his back with a soft smile. The two stayed like that for a while longer. Natsuo and Fuyumi watched in a mix of awkwardness and sadness.

"Are you coming back home?"

The young boy's voice rang out muffled against her shirt. It took Shimo a moment to filter out his muffled words before she felt a sinking feeling in her chest. A sigh left her as she rubbed the top of his head.

"No Shoto... I won't be moving back. I'll visit as much as you three want me too when He's not here."

Her younger siblings grew quiet at the mention of their father. Fuyumi held an uncomfortable look while both her little brothers had looks filled with anger and hate. She reached over and pat Natsuo's head as well, keeping a smile on her face as she looked at them.

"You can also visit me whenever you would like. My boyfriend's going to be really busy, so I would love the company."

You could almost hear a record get cut off at her words. Shoto quickly pulled away from her, squinting incredulously. Meanwhile, Natsuo and Fuyumi looked at her in shock. Natsuo's face turned into a more disgruntled one after a few seconds while Fuyumi's broke into a huge grin.

A red flush slowly filled Shimo's cheeks the longer her siblings looked at her. She wasn't used to feeling so embarrassed around anyone that wasn't Keigo or Yamato. Shimo quickly turned her head as the red in her cheeks deepened, making her younger brother laugh.

"Man Shi, I don't think I've ever seen you show so much emotion before!"

Natsuo poked fun at her with a good-natured laugh, it was enough to make Fuyumi giggle and Shoto to give her a small smile.

"Oh hush, Natsuo! Leave our big sister alone, let her be smitten!"

Her sibling's laughter only grew louder when her face became as red as a tomato. They continued in embarrassing her some more as Shimo sat back down at the table, Shoto almost glued to her side. She found it amusing that he was trying so hard to make it seem like he wasn't, but the three of them were not fooled. Not bringing their attention to Shoto's slight clinginess, the three of them changed the subject and went back to speaking over what happened the last few years.

Shimo's phone buzzed when a half-hour passed, but she ignored it. She was enjoying the feeling of getting to know and speak with her brother and sister for the first time. Shoto had fallen asleep against her side about ten minutes prior holding on to her shirt in a death grip, she couldn't leave if she wanted to for now.

Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shimo were laughing over a small joke when the three of them heard the door open and a gruff voice rang out. Fuyumi looked uncomfortable as both Shimo and Natsuo glared out the door of the kitchen.

"I'm home!"

Her younger sister was the first to get up, trying to make their family seem somewhat normal. With a look back towards her older sister and younger brother she watched as the two of them refused to get up to greet the man they both despised.

"A-ah... Welcome home D-Dad! I hope you had a good day at work!"

Shimo watched as her sister tried to keep a happy attitude when their father came home. She and Natsuo both turned back to each other at the table and started drinking tea as Fuyumi led their father into the kitchen.

The tall, imposing red-haired man stopped short at the doorway when the sight of his eldest daughter came in to view. Everything stopped, time stood completely still as Enji stared down at her in silence. Shimo turned her eyes to him and slurped her tea noisily.

"Yo."

"Why are you here Shimo."

A heavy awkwardness fell over the four of them. Fuyumi and Natsuo had no idea about the two's reunion some years earlier, only just what was said when she left the home. Natsuo gave the man a sideways glare while their sister looked between the three of them worriedly, ready to step in and play peacekeeper.

"I needed some answers."

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New Message:

Keigo: My future father-in-law is on his way. Better hurry if you don't wanna see him Icy-Wifey!