Assassins Can Be Heroes Too || Todoroki Shoto

|53| Familiar Faces

The trio hushed, the girl breathing heavily and her golden eyes darting around wildly, the girl holding out a hand. Her breathing was shaky, heavy as her chest heaved up and down. She shook her head.

She wouldn't show weakness in front of them.

"Rie, what's going on? Who's following us?" Shoto frowned.

"Shh, let me listen," she placed a finger to her lips, listening intently, "three heartbeats... three people... we've got to be careful, we don't know who-"

"Are you sure you don't know us, Rie?"

Her entire world collapsed around her as her face visibly fell, her heart hammering loudly against her chest as her blood rushed to her ears. She didn't want to turn. She couldn't. She didn't want to.

And yet her body seemed to move on its own, her golden orbs meeting a male's dark, dull ones.

He wore a neutral expression with long, jet-black hair which was combed behind his head. His large, black and pupil-less eyes bore into hers.

"Illu... mi..." she murmured, "who else... who else is here?"

She cursed internally for her stammer, the boys gazing at her in perplexment.

"Hmm?" he cocked his head eerily, "oh... your parents are here too, Rie."

Her breath hitched, eyes widening.

"My..." her voice was strangely quiet.

"Hah? Why the fuck are your parents here?" Bakugo suddenly interceded, his voice distant. She remained silent, breathing heavily as she struggled not to have a panic attack.

Not here.

Not now.

Not when their lives were quite literally at risk.

"Where are they?" she snapped, harsher than she had intended and swearing under her breath.

"Oh~?" he cocked his head, "are you... perhaps... yelling at me?"

"No," she declined immediately. He outstretched his hand, the girl whimpering slightly and opening her mouth to speak when a familiar voice suddenly rang in their minds.

"First-years! Two of the Villains' targets have been identified!" the Pussycat's frantic voice rang in their minds, the students anticipating the names, "Kacchan and Riri!"

All three students stiffened, their expressions falling as Illumi continued to blankly stare at the trio.

"Kacchan and Riri need to avoid battle combat! Do not make any movement alone!" she continued, "do you understand, Kacchan, Riri?!"

"We have discovered two of the Villains' targets! Kacchan and Riri!" Bakugo glared, irked as he let out an animalistic growl and Rie's eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat. "You two are to not engage in combat or use your Quirks... can you hear me? Do you understand?"

A forced smile slowly made its way onto the ash-blonde's face.

"What the fuck is going on? First, we get told we can use our Quirks, and now we can't?!" he argued, obviously displeased, "what the fuck is Deku playing at?!"

"This isn't Midoriya's doing, Bakugo," Todoroki tried to ease him, shutting his mouth as two more figures emerged from the forest, the boys hearing a small 'mother' and 'father' exiting the girl's lips.

"Rie..." her father's shoulders sagged in disappointment, a mock pout forming on his face, though his voice was cold, "how dare you... attend a Hero's school?!"

"Your brother really is a bad influence on you," sneered Reyna, "well... just come with us, sweetie, and we won't harm you." Her gaze flickered to a triggered Bakugo. "You too, Bakugo... just come with us... and nobody will die."

Her breath hitched.

"Die, huh?" sneered Bakugo, "the only people who will die are you three; the Sword-Bastard and I aren't going anywhere with you lot."

"Bakugo, please," the girl pleaded, eye twitching as she gritted her teeth, "don't engage them in combat."

"Hah? Why the fuck not?!"

"You heard what Manderley said, we can't use our Quirks or engage," she murmured, "out of us three, the only one who can use his Quirk is Shoto..." she shot him an apologetic look, "so..."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Make an ice wall to distract them, then we run on the count of 3," she murmured, backing away slowly, "I'll explain everything later, trust me."

"Where the fuck do we-"

"1..."

"Sweetie," her mother smiled, licking her lips.

"2..."

"Rie, it's simple. Just come with-"

"3... go, Shoto!"

He didn't need to be told twice, the assassins sneering as an ice wall suddenly blasted its way through the ground and separating the two groups. Rie pointed to a random direction, the boys following her.

They must have been running for at least ten minutes, the boys panting and leaning on their knees for support. The ash-blonde was the first to speak.

"So, what the fuck was that all about?"