Pins and Needles | Todoroki Shoto | S/H

The Ripped Fabric of Society, Bleached White in Faux Purity

・・・　・・・　・・・

     Nobody even asked her about it.  They settle into their desks when they heard Aizawa coming.  He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately looking at the girl.  
     "Are you okay, (S/N)?"  He asks.  
     "Oh, yeah, I'm fine!"  She announces.  
     "Are you sure?  You still have a staff."  She reflexively looks down and lightly kicks it with her left foot.  
     "Yeah, my body's just getting used to the bullet.  They said they don't need to take it out at all."  He nods slowly before setting some papers down on the podium.  They were surprised he could simply begin class, but nobody objected.  

     Todoroki anxiously follows her to a seat until she sits down.  He finally relaxed and took the one next to her.  The class was gathered around in the living room area of the bottom floor.  The two had gotten back a few minutes after the others because of her slowed speed.  
     "Were you actually shot, (S/N)?"  Ashido asks hastily.  "Like with a gun?"  She chuckles for a moment.  
     "Yeah."  
     "What happened?"  Ojiro questions.  "How did you even get shot?"
     "We'd just detained 7 criminals with guns and one had a hostage, so we made sure she was okay as well as her son.  I looked over at her one last time and saw some guy holding another gun pointed at her.  Backup to take out critical witnesses, probably."  She shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal.  "I knew I didn't have time to say what was going on, I just wanted to protect the child.  Get the woman out of the view of the shot and hug the kid so he'd be okay."  
     Ashido shivers at how calm she was.  
     "That's insane, (S/N),"  Uraraka says.  "You weren't scared?"  (Y/N) almost laughs at that.
     "I was terrified, I thought I was going to die."  She answers.  "But I would've rather died than see the look on that child's face when he got hit, or when he was covered in his own mother's blood.  I couldn't accept that reality."  
     "That's so manly, (S/N)!"  Kirishima announces.  She smiles.
     "It's just common sense.  I shouldn't really be rewarded for it."  She shrugs again.  (Y/N) looks down, murmuring something to herself with a slow nod, but nobody heard her.  Something about Stain.
     "Midoriya, I've been wondering,"  Iida starts, catching the room's attention.  "why do you think Stain saved you two?  It still bugs me."  
     "Todoroki-kun already gave an answer."  The green-haired boy offers.  
     "I was curious about your thoughts on the matter.  I wish I could just ask."
     "Oh, yeah, Akaguro-san said we were true heroes."  (Y/N) says offhandedly.  Suddenly her head shoots up to see if anyone heard her, but they were all staring at her.  
     "Who?  Stain?"  
     "U-Uh, yeah, his name is Akaguro Chizome."  She mumbles.  Kaminari and Sero share a look.
     "I didn't hear about any interview."  
     "No, he doesn't seem to like them."  She says into the open air.  "His ideology is centered around self-sacrifice.  All Might went through years of struggle and being disregarded but he didn't waver on wanting to be a symbol for the people.  He said he saw that same drive in Midoriya-san, and self-sacrifice is my entire census, so that's logical."  
     "But there are other heroes like that!"  Ashido says heatedly.
     "Yes, Ashido is correct.  There are plenty of heroes who follow that just the same.  What he did was reckless."  Iida follows, only to leave (Y/N) chuckling softly.
     "Actually... it was quite well planned."  She states.  "If you look at the attacks, all of the people he hit were people he believed did not contribute enough.  They may have given too much of their work to sidekicks or didn't do much outside of handling petty crime.  It was all people he considered less important.  I don't agree with that, let me say before you yell at me, but these weren't random crimes of passion."  
     "You say that like you spoke to him directly, (S/N)."  Jiro laughs.  She pauses when (Y/N) eyes flickered away uncomfortably.  "Did... did you talk to him?"  
     "When?"  Midoriya asks.  She hadn't spoken to him at all during the fight.  
     (Y/N) sighs, leaning back a bit, though the stool she sat on didn't have a back.  "I went to see him in Tartarus."  She breathes.  
     "You what?"  Uraraka practically shouts.  She sits up again.  
     "His ideology is interesting.  If he hadn't attacked people, you have to agree that the core of his beliefs are right.  Is he a terrible person?  Absolutely.  He's not some poor, misunderstood soul, but he is right.  I think any aspiring hero should be interested in his message, it's going to affect our generation the most and we're the ones who can influence it.  So I went to go talk to him, just ask about why he saved Midoriya-san and I, ask why he believed what he did, why he did what he did." 
     She huffs out a heavy breath again.  Stares burrowed into her from the entire class.  It was the first time she truly had everyone's attention.  "Akaguro-san is correct.  He went about it in the most backward way and I do not condone what he did.  Still, that doesn't change the fact that he did bring about a lot of good change.  You can't ignore that.  Villain?  Yes.  100%.  But he was a cause of change that's been long overdue and that at least deserves some acknowledgment."
     They all continued to stare at her for an agonizing amount of time.  
     "How could you say that, (S/N)?"  Kaminari asks, motioning to Iida was clearly distressed.  
     "Say what?"  She questions back.  "I'm sorry that he attacked Iida's elder brother.  It's disgusting.  What he did was disgusting.  I do not disagree with that."  
     "You're saying that the person who ended his brother's career was correct in what he did,"  Asui tells her.  
     "He's not, and I tried to make that very clear.  It was the first thing I said.  'If he hadn't attacked people...'  His core belief is that the hero pool is being poisoned by people who are only in it for fame or money, and that's driving out more heroic and more capable people.  He is correct about that.  Even by his own standards, I don't think Ingenium quite fits that, because he seems to have a very good reputation.  It's gross that he took to hurting people.  It is.  That doesn't mean the root of his ideology was wrong."  
     "She is right."  Iida pipes up.  "I'm not angry at (S/N) at all.  It just hurts to think about.  But she is correct.  I, too, understand his message, and I agree with it.  He did not convey his thoughts properly and that has led to a lot of lives lost and lives ruined.  It is, as she said, disgusting.  Don't shun her for speaking her mind."