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A Boy She Once Knew

Childhood fiends reunite to find themselves in very different circumstances. An heiress to a media empire and a hero-in-training are caught between power, control and attraction. ShotoxOC.

Valentine999 · Anime et bandes dessinées
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21 Chs

The Distance Between Us

The Ishikawa family gardens looked like something out of a fairytale this time of day. The setting sun splashed oranges and pinks across the sky, casting long shadows on the lawns, the golden light making everything glitter. The air was thick with the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass, a stark contrast to the tension that hung heavy between the two properties. At the far end of the garden, where manicured lawns gave way to wilder, untamed foliage, stood a weathered wooden fence. It was here, in the fading light of day, that a small figure waited patiently in the long grass.

Ren, a few months shy of six years old, lay on the soft grass, staring up at the patches of sky she could spy between the branches and leaves of the large oak tree. Her delicate features were set in a look of concentration as she strained her ears, listening for any sign of movement from the other side. She wore a pretty blue pinafore dress over a crisp white shirt with billowing sleeves, the fabric pristine despite her outdoor activities. Her dark hair was half pulled up, secured with a blue ribbon that matched her dress perfectly. It was an outfit carefully chosen and put together by Hana, the Ishikawa family's housekeeper, who had taken on the role of surrogate mother since Ren's own had been taken from her just over a year ago. If Hana saw Ren laying on the grass, she would scold her for dirtying her clothes, but Ren loved to feel the earth beneath her, especially here, beside the fence.

Her home was a strange place to her; gothic and imposing, hardly a home at all. The carefully curated gardens all felt false, like a pretty veil hiding something dark underneath. But here, by the fence, in the wilderness untouched by the gardeners, Ren and Shoto had created a small piece of home for themselves. A place to be safe, far from the turbulence that stayed within the four walls they were trying to escape.

The little girl's fingers absently played with a blade of grass as she waited, her grey eyes fixed on the sky above the oak tree. It had been days since she'd last seen or heard from Shoto, her neighbour and best friend, not that he ever liked to call her that in return. The silence from the Todoroki household was unsettling. Usually, even when Shoto was busy with his training, Ren could hear the muffled sounds of his quirk in action, the crackle of ice forming or the whoosh of flames igniting. Sometimes she could hear him crying, hear his father shouting mercilessly. But for the past few days, there had been nothing but an eerie quiet.

Ren's young mind raced with possibilities. Had Shoto left? Gone on a trip without telling her? The thought made her heart clench with a mixture of hurt and worry. They told each other everything; surely he wouldn't just disappear without a word. As an only child in a house that often felt more like a museum than a home, Ren treasured her friendship with Shoto. He was her confidant, her playmate, the one person who made her feel less alone in the vast, empty spaces of her privileged life.

Her father, consumed by the demands of his ever-expanding media empire, was little more than a ghost in their home. His rare appearances were brief and distracted, his attention always elsewhere. Ren had learned early on not to expect much from him, to find her joy and companionship elsewhere. She found that in Shoto….but now, without him, she wasn't sure where home was.

As the sky darkened and the first stars began to twinkle overhead, Ren felt her hope begin to fade. Maybe he wasn't coming. Maybe something had happened. Maybe-

The sharp snap of a twig on the other side of the fence jolted Ren from her thoughts. She scrambled to her feet, her heart racing with excitement. Pressing her eye to the gap in the fence, she could just make out a familiar silhouette standing a few feet away.

"Shoto!" she called out in relief, a sweet smile spreading across her face. "I've been waiting for you!"

But the response she received was not the one she had been hoping for. Shoto's voice, when it came, was low and cold, as though it took him a lot of effort to form the words. "Go home, Ren."

Shoto did not use his quirk but his voice alone was enough to make the little girl feel as though she'd been doused with ice water. Her smile faltered, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Why?"

"I said go home!" Shoto's voice rose, an edge of anger creeping into his tone. "Why do you always have to know everything? Why can't you just leave me alone? You're so annoying!"

Ren flinched at the harshness in his voice, her lower lip beginning to tremble, her big grey eyes already shimmering with tears. Shoto had never spoken to her this way before. His personality was often reflective of his quirk, he had a cool, calm, soothing side to him but sometimes…sometimes what he inherited from his father came out too. Ren bit her bottom lip to stop it trembling. Her voice sounded as small as she felt: "I... I don't understand, did I do something wrong?"

There was a moment of tense silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the evening breeze. Then, slowly, Shoto stepped forward, moving into a patch of fading sunlight that filtered through the oak tree. As his face became visible through the gap in the fence, Ren's eyes widened in shock.

A large white bandage covered the left side of Shoto's face, obscuring his eye and part of his forehead. The stark white of the dressing stood out in sharp contrast to his red hair. His left eye narrowed in a mixture of pain and anger. Ren felt a shudder run through her body, her small hands balling into fists at her sides. Something dark and unfamiliar - something that felt a lot like hate - surged through her veins as she took in the sight of her injured friend.

"Did he do that to you?" Ren asked through gritted teeth.

The moment the words left her mouth, Ren knew she had made a mistake. Shoto's face contorted with rage, his right eye flashing dangerously. "Shut up!" he shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.

Ren recoiled as if she'd been slapped, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm your friend," she protested weakly. "Why are you being so mean?"

But Shoto was beyond reason, lost in a storm of emotions he was too young to fully comprehend. The trauma of what had happened with his mother, the shame of his injury, the constant fear and pressure from his father - it all came pouring out, directed at the one person who had always been there for him.

"Friend?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "You think you're my friend? Look at you in your pretty dress, with your perfect life. You don't know what it means to work hard for something! You're quirkless, no one cares what you do, what your future looks like!" Each word was like a dagger to Ren's heart. She wanted to scream, to tell him how wrong he was. To remind him that she had lost her mother too, that she knew what it was like to feel alone and scared, pining after the approval of your father. But the words wouldn't come. All she could do was stand there, tears streaming down her face, as Shoto continued his tirade.

"You think you can fix everything with your stupid questions and your constant pestering," Shoto railed, his voice rising with each word. "My dad keeps trying to fix me, now my mum too! I don't need you to fix me either! So just... just go away and leave me alone!" Ren's mind was reeling, trying to make sense of Shoto's outburst. She could see the pain in his eye, could hear the anguish in his voice. But mixed with that pain was something else - a spark of jealousy, a flicker of resentment. As he looked at her in her pristine dress, cared for and loved despite her loss, Shoto felt the unfairness of their situations more keenly than ever.

"I'd never try to fix you," Ren managed to choke out, trying desperately not to cry. "I think you're perfect." She could never understand what Shoto's parents wanted from him- he was so young and powerful, so talented, so caring…what more could anyone ask of him? From where Ren was standing, he really was perfect.

For a moment, something softened in Shoto's expression. A flicker of the boy Ren knew and cared for shone through the anger and pain. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by a cold, hard mask.

"I don't need you," Shoto said, his voice low and final. "I don't need anyone."

With those words, he turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the lengthening shadows of the Todoroki garden. Ren called out to him, her voice breaking with desperation, but Shoto didn't look back. He kept walking, each step taking him further away from the fence, from Ren, from the friendship that had been his one source of comfort in a world of pain and expectations.

In that moment, as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon, Ren held onto the wood of the fence and wished with all her heart that he would come back. The fence that had once been a place of secret meetings and shared laughter now stood as an insurmountable barrier between her and her best friend. She pressed her forehead against the rough wood, her tears soaking into the weathered planks. She didn't understand why Shoto was being so cruel, why he was pushing her away when all she wanted to do was help.

"Shoto," she whispered, her voice small and broken in the gathering darkness. "Please don't leave me alone."

But Shoto's figure faded from view and Ren's little heart couldn't take anymore. She sank to her knees, her small body wracked with sobs. The pretty blue dress that had made her feel so special that morning was now stained with tears and grass, it snagged and ripped on the wood of the fence as she knelt on the ground and cried. The absence of Shoto's voice, once a constant comfort, now felt like a physical wound. The realisation that she was truly alone, that her best friend had abandoned her, crashed over Ren like a tidal wave. Her small body shook with the force of her emotions, hot tears streaming down her face in an endless torrent.

Her sobs turned to wails that echoed in the growing darkness, the silence from the other side of the fence unbearable. She furiously wiped at her cheeks, desperate to stem the flow of tears, but it seemed futile. Nothing would stop her tears…In fact, the the more she tried to dry her face, the wetter it became. In her distress, it took Ren a moment to realise that something was terribly wrong. Her hands, usually so small and delicate, felt strange when she touched her face. Blinking through her tears, she looked down at her palms and let out a small gasp of shock.

Where her hands should have been, there was only a shimmering, watery substance. Her skin had become transparent, her fingers blurring at the edges as if they were melting away. The strange transformation was creeping up her arms, turning her flesh into liquid before her very eyes. Ren's mind reeled, unable to comprehend what was happening to her. A scream built in her throat, fuelled by fear and confusion.

But before she could cry out, a familiar figure came rushing towards her. Hana, her ever-present caretaker, appeared like a guardian angel in the twilight. The woman's dark hair shone with silver in the moonlight as she, without a word, threw a thick blanket around Ren's shoulders, hiding her altered state from any prying eyes.

Hana's pink eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and concern as she knelt down and gently wiped Ren's face with a corner of the blanket. Her hands trembled slightly as she took in the sight of her the little girl, watching in disbelief as Ren's body seemed to shimmer and shift, parts of her becoming translucent and watery.

"Ren," Hana could barely whisper through her worry; "you have her quirk? Since when?" The older woman grabbed Ren by the shoulders and shook her slightly, trying to get an answer out of her in the panic. "How long have you been like this?"

But that little girl was still so lost in her grief over Shoto's rejection and overwhelmed by the strange changes happening to her body, could only continue to sob uncontrollably. Her words came out as unintelligible wails, her small frame shaking beneath the blanket, small gasps of shock hiccuped from her throat as she looked down to her hands that were threatening to melt away.

Realisation dawned on Hana's face as she watched Ren's distress; if she didn't calm down soon, Ren would completely disappear. The housekeeper took a deep breath and looked straight into Ren's hurt filled eyes. With gentle hands, she cupped Ren's face, forcing the little girl to meet her gaze.

"Ren, sweetheart, I need you to calm down," Hana said, her voice soft but firm. "Take deep breaths. That's it, just like that."

As Ren's sobs began to subside, replaced by hiccupping breaths, Hana's expression grew serious, she was fighting away tears. "Listen to me very carefully, Ren," Hana said, smoothing down Ren's hair, watching in relief as the little girl stopped fading away. "What's happening to you right now... it's your mother's quirk," the little girl's starlight eyes widened, half thrilled to have a connection to her mother, half terrified of what that might mean. "But you can't tell anyone about it, do you understand?"

Ren's eyes widened, confusion painted across her tear-stained face. "But... but why?" she managed to ask between hiccups.

Hana's eyes darted around nervously, as if checking for eavesdroppers in the empty garden. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Because if people know you have a quirk, bad people might come for you. Villains, like the ones who..." she hesitated, pain flashing across her features, "like the ones who took your mother." A fresh wave of tears welled up in Ren's eyes at the mention of her mother's death, but Hana pressed on. "You can't tell anyone, Ren. Not Shoto, not your father, nobody. You need to live as if you don't have a quirk at all. Do yo understand?" The gravity of Hana's words seeped into Ren's young mind, but the little girl felt like if she could tell Shoto, maybe he'd treat her differently, maybe she could rebuild the home they were making together by the fence. "Ren," Hana said again, reading the child's face, "you will be in danger if anyone finds out. Do you understand?"

All thoughts of Shoto were forgotten as Ren took in the seriousness in Hana's face, the graveness in her voice Ren had never heard before. Hana only ever looked after Ren, only ever wanted what was best for her. The little girl knew Hana would not lead her astray. Ren nodded solemnly, her tears finally subsiding as the weight of this new secret settled on her small shoulders.

Satisfied that Ren understood, Hana scooped the little girl into her arms, blanket and all. As they made their way back to the house, Ren's body slowly solidified, returning to its normal state. But something inside her had fundamentally changed.

In that moment, as the warm lights of the Ishikawa mansion grew closer, Ren's feelings towards heroes and quirks crystallised into something hard and unyielding, something that would stay with her forever. This world of superpowers and heroics had taken her mother, was torturing her best friend, had turned her father into a distant, work-obsessed stranger. It was a world of pain and loss, of secrets and fear. And in that moment, Ren made a silent vow to herself: she would never be a part of it.

As Hana carried her across the threshold, Ren closed her eyes, making a promise to herself, to her late mother and the woman who had sworn to protect her; she would live as if she had no quirk, would distance herself from anything to do with heroes. It was the only way to protect herself, to ensure she never experienced the pain of loss again. Maybe one day she'd have the strength and power to take that world apart.

She raised her little hand, as Hana lay her down in bed, and stared at her palm as though willing it to turn to water again, but it did not.

Now, fourteen years later, that little girl had grown up to be a striking young woman. Ren found herself lying in bed, staring up at her palm as she had all those years ago. The soft glow of early dawn filtering through the curtains, pale gold light illuminating her skin as she wiggled her fingers gently in front of her eyes. The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of steady breathing beside her. She turned her head, her eyes falling on the sleeping form of the boy next door.

In the gentle light, Shoto's face was relaxed, free from the usual tension that seemed to cling to him in his waking hours. His hair was a mess from sex and sleep, strands of red and white falling across his forehead in a haphazard pattern.

As she lay there, watching the rise and fall of Shoto's chest, Ren felt the weight of her secrets pressing down on her. The memory of that day by the fence, of the moment she discovered her quirk and made the decision to hide it, felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. She had lived so long pretending to be quirkless that it had become her reality. The lie had become so ingrained that it didn't even feel like a deception anymore. To her, reality was that she is quirkless, she never used it, never practiced, never cared to know more about it.

But now, looking at Shoto's handsome face, Ren felt a pang of guilt. They were falling into something real, something deep and meaningful. The connection between them was undeniable, a force that seemed to draw them together despite all the obstacles in their path. How could she keep lying to him? How could she continue to hide such a fundamental part of herself from him?

Her grey eyes traced the outline of Shoto's scar, remembering the pain and anger in his young face when she had first seen it. The scar was a permanent reminder of the moment that had changed both their lives so profoundly. He had no idea though, she realised, that that incident had shaped her life too.

Without really thinking about it, Ren reached out, her hand moving to brush away the strands of red hair that had fallen across Shoto's scar. Her fingers were mere inches from his face when suddenly, Shoto's hand shot up, grasping her wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Ah!" Ren let out a cry of pain as heat seared through her skin. Shoto's eyes flew open, confusion quickly giving way to horror as he realised what he had done. In his sleep-addled state, his quirk had activated instinctively, his fire responding to the perceived threat before his conscious mind could catch up.

Yanking her hand away, Ren leapt from the bed, rushing to her bathroom. She turned on the cold water tap, holding her burned wrist under the stream with a hiss of pain. The burn was angry and red, far more severe than it should have been from such brief contact. As always, Shoto's quirk seemed to affect her more intensely than it did others.

Shoto appeared in the doorway, frowning with regret, blinking away his tiredness. "I'm sorry, Ren," he said, his voice still rough with sleep. "You surprised me. Do you need-"

"I got it. Don't be sorry," she replied, soothing her aching wrist in the cold water. Shoto nodded at her back, still feeling guilty; he had never slept in the same bed as someone else, he was a little unprepared for…

"What were you doing?" He asked suddenly.

Ren shrugged, her mind clearly elsewhere despite the very real pain in her wrist. The shock of the burn had brought all her swirling thoughts and memories into sharp focus. She knew she needed to tell him the truth, to finally unburden herself of the secret she had carried for so long. But the words stuck in her throat, held back by years of habit and fear. She could barely admit the truth to herself, how could she possibly tell someone else? "I just wanted to touch you," she said softly, looking up, her eyes meeting his in the bathroom mirror. She watched with a small smile as Shoto's brow furrowed in confusion.

"But I was asleep," he pointed out, as if this was a perfectly logical objection.

"Yeah," she said gently, a small smile of affection tugged at Ren's lips in spite of what was going on in her brain. "I still like you when you're asleep." Shoto blushed a little at her words, never having heard someone say something like that to him before. Their eyes met in the mirror, and in a moment, Ren felt her resolve strengthen. She needed to tell him. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him. "I need to talk to you, Shoto," she began, her heart pounding in her chest.

But before she had even finished her sentence, the shrill ring of a phone cut through the air. Shoto's head turned towards the sound, his body already moving back towards the bedroom where his phone lay on the nightstand.

Ren wrapped her hand in a cloth and followed Shoto out of the bathroom, the morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft, golden glow across the bedroom. The air was still thick with the lingering warmth of sleep. Ren's damp wrist throbbed gently, her dark hair a mess of waves as she leant against the doorframe and watched Shoto. As he reached for his phone, Ren noticed the way his shoulders tensed, as if bracing for impact.

To Ren's surprise, when Shoto answered the call, he held the phone at arm's length, his expression a mixture of resignation and irritation. Before she could question his actions, a booming voice erupted from the device, filling the quiet room with its forceful presence.

"SHOOTOOO!" The voice was unmistakable - Endeavor, in all his loud, domineering glory. Ren couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh, the absurdity of the moment momentarily washing away the weight of her earlier thoughts. She met Shoto's gaze.

"He still does that?" Ren whispered through her laughter. Shoto nodded and, with a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, he brought the phone to his ear and replied in a flat tone, barely concealing his irritation.

"What is it?" As Shoto listened to his father, his face settled into its usual mask of stoic patience. Ren watched him, taking in the subtle changes in his expression - the slight furrow of his brow, the tightening of his jaw. She could almost feel the tension radiating off him in waves.

Suddenly, the sharp trill of another phone cut through the air, making Ren jump. Her own phone was ringing, the sound seeming unnaturally loud in the quiet room. She shot Shoto an apologetic look, worry flashing across her features as she realised the noise might give away his presence in her apartment.

Shoto's eyes widened slightly, but he gave her a small nod, silently urging her to answer. Ren hurried over to her phone, her heart racing as she saw her father's name flashing on the screen. With one last glance at Shoto, who was now speaking in low, clipped tones to Endeavor, Ren slipped out of the bedroom and into the living room.

The living room was bathed in the soft light of early morning, the city skyline visible through the large windows. Ren's bare feet sank into the plush carpet as she paced, her free hand running through her hair. What could her dad possibly want right now? Taking a deep breath, she answered the call.

"Ren," her father's voice came through, smooth and controlled as always. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Ren fought the temptation to role her eyes. "And?" she retorted, unable to keep the bitterness from her tone. "You didn't see me for ten years." There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Ren could almost see her father's disapproving frown.

"Don't be so quick to pick a fight with me, darling," Akira Ishikawa schooled his hot headed daughter.

Ren grimaced, grateful that her father couldn't see her expression. "What can I help you with, dad?" she asked with false sweetness, desperate to cut to the chase and end one difficult conversation so she could go and start another.

"I just want to spend some time with my daughter," at this reply, Ren had to stop herself laughing.

"In exchange for...?" she prompted, her grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turned white.

She heard her father sigh.

"Ren, we could at least try to have a normal relationship."

"I guess the nineteen years of anecdotal evidence I have to the contrary leads me to be a little suspicious." Ren said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"You'd think all the financial support I've offered you would make you feel differently," Akira countered, his voice taking on a harder edge.

Ren felt a chill run down her spine as she realised what her father was implying. The threat of withdrawing financial support hung in the air, unspoken but unmistakable. But Ren wasn't about to back down.

"Well, since I now have access to the trust mom set up for me, you haven't funded anything in my life for three years," she shot back, her voice steady despite the anger bubbling beneath the surface. "Would you like me to call you back and you can start over with a different, barely-veiled threat?" To her surprise, Akira laughed, a sound that was both familiar and foreign to Ren's ears.

"Only my kid could be so sharp and quick-witted," he said, a note of pride creeping into his voice. Ren felt a confusing mix of emotions at her father's words - anger at his manipulation, a flicker of warmth at his praise, and an overwhelming sense of weariness at the constant push and pull of their relationship.

Akira's tone turned serious once more. "I would like you to have dinner with me once a week."

Ren paused, considering the offer. Part of her wanted to refuse outright, to maintain the distance she had worked so hard to establish. But another part, the part that still longed for a real connection with her father, saw an opportunity. It could be a way to keep him close but at arm's length, to manage the relationship on her own terms. She thought of Shoto; he was taking a step closer to reconciling with his father by working with him, perhaps she was being childish, holding onto all this unnecessary anger?

"Sure, dad," she said finally, "sounds good."

"And get in touch with your PR team," Akira continued, as if the agreement was a foregone conclusion. "They've been trying to prep you for your interview on Good Morning Japan."

Ren's brow furrowed in confusion. "What interview?" she began to ask, but before Akira could answer, movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

Shoto had appeared in the doorway of the living room, his phone call apparently finished. He was fully dressed now, his hero costume peeking out from beneath a casual jacket. His hair was neatly combed, the red and white strands falling perfectly into place. But it was the look in his eyes that caught Ren's attention - a mixture of apology and determination that made her heart sink.

He mouthed "goodbye" to her, already turning to leave. Ren felt a surge of panic, suddenly remembering all the things she had wanted to say, all the truths she needed to share.

Covering the mouthpiece of her phone, Ren whispered urgently, "No, I need to talk to you."

Shoto paused, conflict evident in his expression, he looked over his shoulder. "I have to go, Ren," he whispered back, "it's the first day of my work placement." Ren felt her chest tighten, the weight of her unspoken confession pressing down on her. She wanted to scream, to beg him to stay, to blurt out her secret right there and then. But she knew she couldn't. Not like this, not with her father on the phone and Shoto already halfway out the door.

"Okay," she said, her voice small and defeated. "Just... can we talk later?"

Shoto was already moving towards the front door, his hero duties calling him away. "I'll call you," he said, his voice carrying a promise that Ren desperately wanted to believe.

As the front door closed behind Shoto, Ren was left standing in the middle of her living room, her father's voice a distant buzz in her ear and the weight of her secrets feeling heavier than ever. The morning sunlight that had seemed so full of promise earlier now felt harsh and unforgiving, illuminating all the complications and unspoken truths that stood between her and the life she longed for. She ended the phone call with her father, barely having paid attention to the end of it.

She looked around the apartment and saw small clues of Shoto dotted around the place; two cups of tea instead of one, his scent was in the air, his touch still painful around her wrist. Ren took in the emptiness too; the loneliness she had felt for so long crept back into her life along with the pressure of maintaining relationships with two different men in her life.

"Is this what being an adult is?" She asked the empty apartment, "because I don't like it."

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