Gift from the heart

Kimika walked slowly and silently to the place where Toga was waiting for her. She didn't know why, but when Toga sent her the message, she emphasized that it was very important. 

As she continued walking, she constantly passed people hurrying about their business. She barely paid attention to them, although she saw some joyfully hugging their loved ones, while others rushed on their errands.

She walked past two elderly women who were laughing, sitting on a bench and having a pleasant conversation. Then her gaze stopped on a group of her peers, who were discussing the entrance to the hero academy, which would soon open its doors to new students. Everything seemed so simple and carefree that Kimika couldn't hold back a bitter smile. 

She became curious about how things were going with Izuku — whether he would be able to get into the academy or not, and what she would have to do to support him if he failed. Although they saw each other very rarely, they still remained friends, and despite the fact that he was quirkless and his personality didn't suit heroism at all.

Stopping by the playground, she watched as the children happily ran around, laughed, and played heroes, while their parents talked to each other. 

Her heart tightened with pain because it reminded her of the times when she was a child and spent time on similar playgrounds with her parents. Back then, everything seemed so carefree, and now her life had become completely different.

Kimika took a deep breath, remembering how much fun they had when they were all together. How her father would toss her into the air, how she laughed, how they played hide-and-seek, how they had picnics with the dishes her mother made. 

But those happy moments now remained only as memories, cut short and filled with the pain of knowing that such times would never come again. Her father, after the attack by the criminal, was now in a coma at the hospital and required expensive surgeries. Her mother, who worked around the clock to pay for those surgeries, only came home at night, completely exhausted. 

And Kimika would give anything to spend another day together, all three of them, as a family, without worries or troubles.

As she continued walking, not wanting to look at or envy those happy families anymore, she couldn't help but clench her fist and exhale deeply as she remembered her childhood dream — to become a heroine, the number one heroine, who brings smiles and justice. 

But now… now she was a criminal. To go against her dream for the sake of a loved one… A criminal, who, instead of bringing smiles, justice, or protecting people, did the complete opposite. And because of this, she couldn't help but smile bitterly, the realization of what she had become killing any attempts to find joy within herself. 

Recalling those childhood wishes, she even stopped for a moment, clenching her fists. Now this dream, which once was supposed to be her life's path, would remain nothing more than a dream — a dream that would never become a reality. Even though inside her, the little girl who dreamed of becoming a hero and believed that it was still possible was still alive.

And despite all of this, she forced herself to keep walking. Her childhood dream remained, like a quiet voice deep within her soul, but she couldn't go back, even if her quirk was time manipulation. Going back to the past? It sounded impossible, even in this strange world of quirks. 

She walked, lost in her thoughts, and didn't even notice when she reached the old house on the outskirts of the city. It seemed long abandoned and slightly ruined. It was strange — why would Toga want her to come here? This definitely wasn't her new temporary home: it was too far and didn't look like a place where one could live. 

Even if Toga lived on the streets and constantly moved around, she still wanted at least a minimum of comfort, and this house clearly didn't meet those standards.

She paused for a few seconds, surveying the house. Deep down, something whispered to her that something was wrong, and that it would be better to leave, because whatever was about to happen would be inevitable. 

But in the end, not giving herself room for doubt, she decided: this was Toga — the person who was always there. Even if she seemed a little "peculiar," or rather, unique, she certainly wouldn't have brought her here without a good reason. 

Approaching the door and opening the old, creaky door, she stepped inside. The air was heavy, filled with the scent of dust and old wood, and the light that filtered through the cracks in the walls cast strange shadows.

"Toga?" Kimika called softly, feeling the unpleasant atmosphere of the house, especially due to the oppressive silence, broken only by the creaking of the floorboards beneath her feet. She listened, but heard no sounds, no reply. 

She took a few steps deeper into the house, involuntarily glancing around, as if she were expecting someone or something to emerge from the darkness. The only sound was her own footsteps, creaking on the old floorboards, reminding her of the abandonment and emptiness of this place. Kimika called out to Toga again, this time louder. 

"Toga, where are you? Toga, you're not joking, right? This isn't funny!"

She listened, and for a few seconds heard no sound, but suddenly the door creaked open, and clouds of dust were thrown out. Kimika saw Toga, completely covered in dust and dirt. 

"We should have picked a different place... If only I knew it was this bad here..." Toga muttered to herself, immediately walking up to Kimika and looking at her with relief. "I'm so glad you finally came, Kimi! If I'd been here alone for a few more minutes... Ugh... Well, come on, follow me. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of here!" 

Kimika nodded silently, watching closely as Toga turned and motioned for her to follow. Toga looked completely covered in grime and dust, slightly exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all.

She followed behind Toga, who turned back toward the door she had just come through and opened it wider. Again, a cloud of dust rose, causing both of them to shield their faces with their hands, trying to protect themselves from the dust storm. 

"Be careful, Kimi, the floor is old here. It'll be bad if you fall through anywhere," 

They descended the narrow, creaky stairs into the basement. There, amidst the darkness and the heavy smell of old wood and dust, there was very little space. Only a dim lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a yellowish light on the shabby walls. In the very center of the basement stood two chairs, their backs turned toward them, covered with old fabric.

Toga, having lit several candles she brought with her, placed them around the room, as if trying to illuminate every corner of it. 

Kimika still couldn't understand why Toga had brought her here, to this dark room, surrounded by dust and the uncertain light of the candles. She could feel her anxiety growing, so she couldn't hold back from asking: "Why are we here? And what are these chairs covered with fabric in the middle of the room?" 

Toga turned to her with a sly smile, one that was both friendly and slightly ominous. She waved her hand as if these questions were completely unnecessary.

"Kimi, Kimi, I knew you'd ask that! But don't worry, we'll get to those 'chairs' soon enough," she replied, adding a half-joking tone to her voice. 

Toga stepped aside, sitting on the edge of a wooden crate that stood nearby, close to the wall. Her eyes carefully watched Kimika. 

"Let's talk a little. How do you feel about... well, the situation in your family?" 

Kimika wasn't ready for this question. Her gaze dropped darkly, and her fists clenched unconsciously, as if she were trying to hold back all the emotions that had built up over time. 

"Everything is hard..." she finally whispered, trying to find the right words. Her voice sounded muffled, as if she were weighing each letter. "I feel like I can't handle all of this… it's hard for me, Toga..." 

She paused, beginning to doubt her actions, and her gaze became more uncertain. "I even started to doubt whether I'm doing the right thing. Maybe I shouldn't have become a criminal… maybe mom can somehow gather the money for the surgery without this... somehow... I don't know… but... but what's the point of this question?" She fell silent, unsure whether she should have voiced her doubts, but they tormented her more and more with each passing day.

Toga leaned back, resting against the wall, and looked at Kimika with a curiosity that bordered on some strange satisfaction. 

"I just decided to ask, but there's me, always ready to help! And you know, I want to cheer you up! We're almost at the end of this criminal path! Only two things left: this one and another, where we'll get so much money that you'll not only be able to pay for all the surgeries for your father, but even a few more! And that task is really easy, no killings or anything like that! Cool, right?" 

Kimika froze in place, stunned by Toga's words. The end of the criminal path? A lot of money? And just one easy task, without murders? Her thoughts swirled in a whirlwind of doubt, and she could barely believe what she was hearing. 

Her heart raced faster, but somewhere deep within, a small, almost forgotten hope began to resurface. If this was true, if they could really finish everything, then perhaps she could live peacefully again... Without guilt, without constant paranoia, without the terrible dreams where her mother finds out about it all, or where she dreams that all of it was in vain. 

And maybe even more — perhaps she could still become a hero, bring goodness to this world, and atone for all her dark sins. 

Kimika took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and looked at Toga, who simply waited for her to process everything, her face wearing the same unchanging smile. There was not a trace of deceit in her eyes — only confidence and calm.

"It's true, Kimi," Toga leaned forward slightly, catching her gaze. "You want to go back to a normal life, right? I know you do... And you're almost there... No! We're in this together..." Toga didn't manage to finish her sentence when suddenly one of the covered chairs in the center of the room began to move, as if someone sitting there was trying to break free. 

Reacting instantly, Toga jumped off the crate and rushed to the chair. She immediately struck something or someone sitting there, causing all movement to stop. 

Kimika opened her mouth to say something, but Toga quickly interrupted her, raising her hand.

"Don't even think about it," she said, her voice calm and confident, yet with a slight hint of dangerous playfulness. "So, there's a catch. Only the second task, the easy one. But the first... no. The first task is a different story." 

She paused for a moment, as if savoring the tension she'd created with her words. But suddenly, her mood shifted sharply. Toga bounced closer to Kimika, grabbed her by the hands, and, bouncing up and down, exclaimed joyfully, "Because it's my task!" 

Her eyes sparkled, and her smile became so genuine and wide that for a moment, she seemed like a child who had just received their favorite gift. 

"Your... task?" Kimika repeated uncertainly, trying to make sense of what was happening. She was still confused and couldn't understand who was sitting in that chair, why Toga had struck it, and what had even happened. 

Toga abruptly turned around and glanced at the chair, then looked back at Kimika. Her voice became a bit more serious, though the smile on her lips never faded. 

"So, back to our previous topic... How would you feel if you saw those two? The ones who started all of this. The ones who made you give up your dream. Made you go against yourself. Lie to your mother. See your father in a coma? And ultimately become a criminal?"

Kimika flinched upon hearing those words. Her heart tightened, as though her wounds had been reopened. She didn't know how to respond. Her thoughts were too tangled, and the situation around her was too tense. 

She involuntarily glanced at the chair, beginning to understand what was happening, but still hoping that things weren't as she thought. Her hands clenched into fists, and all she could do was whisper, "I don't know..." 

Her voice trailed off as she looked away. 

Toga leaned in a little closer, as if trying to catch her reaction. "Don't know?" she extended, her voice laced with a hint of irony. "Really?"

Kimika sharply inhaled, trying to find the words, but Toga had already taken a step back, watching her with eager fascination. Laughing, her voice became light and playful, and her eyes sparkled with bold excitement. 

"Well then, let me say it! As your best and only friend, the one who knows you like the back of my hand! I'll take on the role of the detective!" She took several dramatic steps, as though beginning her 'investigative game'. 

"First, you felt fear for your father when you found out what happened to him... Then you felt pain, and tears started to fall down your face..." Toga paused, as if waiting for a reaction. "Then you felt relief that he was alive, but also a hint of anger towards your idol, the All Might, the one who didn't save him faster. But you quickly pushed that anger aside, because, after all, he did save him. And no one else could have done it." 

Turning around, Toga began to slowly walk toward Kimika, speaking something new with each step she took.

"Then you felt hopelessness... *step*... Then you felt anger... *step*... Then hopelessness again... *step*... And then you felt a chance—support from me... *step*... And your emotions kept changing... *step*... And now, right before you, here I am." She stopped, standing directly in front of Kimika. Gently placing her hand on her cheek, Toga slowly lifted her face to meet hers, their eyes locking. Kimika stood frozen, listening to every word, and Toga felt there was no resistance, not even the slightest.

"But... all of that was just secondary emotions. At the forefront, there was rage, anger, and a sense of injustice over the pain you suffered because of them, those two who did this, wasn't it? And don't say it's not true. Deep down in your soul, you blamed them, because if it weren't for them, none of this would have happened. You would have definitely become the hero you wanted to be, spent happy days with your family. Maybe you'd have joined the hero academy, found new friends, and built a completely different life for yourself. But... because of them, all of that became out of reach." 

With these words, she released Kimika's face, and Kimika unconsciously reached for her hand. Toga slowly turned and took a step toward the chairs.

"But you still remain so sweet and innocent, even after we've spent all this time together," she said, her voice softer now, tinged with a hint of sorrow. "I... I'll say it as it is... I tried to take away your moral principles so we could have fun to the fullest, but... I didn't succeed in the end... Because... I realized I didn't need to do that..." Toga sighed, taking another step forward, pulling away from Kimika. Then she stopped, turned around, and took a step back toward her. There was genuine remorse in her eyes — the guilt of realizing her mistakes. 

"I acted like a very bad friend. I didn't understand my own feelings, and most importantly — yours. I wanted you to always be by my side. I wanted you not to run away... I wanted you to be like me... But... the understanding of my mistake came to me too late."

She approached Kimika again, gently taking her face in her hands, and after softly stroking her cheek, left her fingers resting on her skin, as if trying to convey an apology without words. 

"And that's why I decided to end this. We won't be criminals anymore. We'll complete these two tasks, and that's it. We'll leave together. The money they'll give us will be enough for a lifetime, even after you pay for your father's surgeries."

Toga let go of her friend's face once again, her hands slowly lowering, and she began to step back, not taking her eyes off Kimika's face. 

"And as your best friend, the best and closest, though guilty, I've decided to accept the punishment and present it as a reward... under the envelope of the task." 

Reaching the chairs and standing between them, she turned the two chairs to face Kimika and removed the cloth.

"This is my sincere gift to you, Kimi, although I regret that it had to be me to unpack it. But that doesn't make it any worse," Toga said. 

As the cloth disappeared, Kimika saw the tied-up director of the first school she attended and an unknown person. Both appeared untouched, but they were unconscious. 

Toga turned back to Kimika, meeting her frightened gaze, and with a smile and a bright flush on her cheeks, added, "I haven't touched them, not a finger... well, except for one time with a light punch..."

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What do you think of the characters emotions? How about their movements during the dialogues? I feel like I approached it a bit better this time, and I hope you liked it! But don't worry about the fact that Kimika didn't express her feelings or thoughts — everything will come! Everything will!

Well, it looks like Toga confessed one of her wrongdoings, but not entirely, and it's not looking great since she immediately gave Kimika a "gift" in the form of two people... 

What do you think will happen next?))) Leave your comments! More comments!!!

Want to see the continuation even faster than the next day? Or perhaps you want even more chapters? Head over to my Patreon — it's all there! But don't worry, sooner or later, it will be here too! patreon.com/Zoi4erom

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