His Reasons (Todoroki X OC)

The Question

The Question

Amari: Age 20

"Whoaa and you fought those bad guys all by yourself?!"

The little girl practically jumped up at her own words, arms outstretched before Amari couldn't help but giggle at the display as she tried to mimic her signature explosion quirk with some added sound effects.

Throwing her head back, Bakugo replied playfully before pointing a finger towards her in explanation. "I sure did! I was super cool. Just when everyone thought I would fail, I sure surprised them, didn't I?"

Another little boy that was listening to her story then hopped onto his bed before crawling closer to her in excitement. "But weren't you sick like me? How did you get better?"

Looking down at the small boy in a hospital gown, Amari lowered her eyes before carefully reaching her hands up before plopping the little boy on her knee and wrapping her arms around him.

Then she smiled down as they locked eyes. "I was, just like you. But I learned that having a quirk doesn't make you a hero. Sure, it can be super cool and flashy to fight all those mean villains, but it's not everything."

"What matters are your reasons, what keeps you fighting. Sure, you can have the most powerful quirk in the universe but it means nothing if you don't believe in anything. Having a quirk is easy but learning what to do with it, now that's what separates the heroes from everyone else.."

"And if your reasons are strong enough, then you don't need anything but yourself to make that a reality. Anyone can be a hero, even people like us."

The little boy's eyes couldn't help but sparkle at that, a newfound hope inside himself as he nodded his head back in enthusiasm. "Really? So I can be one too? I can save people even if I'm not as strong as everyone else?"

Twisting her lips into a fake frown, Amari couldn't but pretend to be offended by the very idea. "Strength isn't always physical, so of course you can. In fact, all I can see in front of me right now is a bunch of heroes, and that goes for all of you.."

A loud resonance of cheers and gasps could be heard over the space before dozens of kids began talking over each other, their hospital gowns jumping up and down with unsaid excitement and passion, something that Amari wished she had when she was a child.

Feeding into the energy, Amari couldn't help but beam towards all their hopeful faces. "In fact, in a couple years I can't wait to see all of you at my brother and I's agency. We could use some strong faces like you guys on our team. What do you say?"

More talking and shouting appeared after that, all the kids excitedly spinning around in a circle and jumping on their beds as Bakugo couldn't help but laugh at the energy in the room.

She had been visiting these types of hospitals ever since Toya had passed away and it brought a sense of calm in her, being able to inspire past reflections of herself and him.

Because perhaps if someone like her had visited Amari as a child, then maybe things would have turned out different, maybe so many of them would have lost their way. The cycle was cruel but it didn't mean that she would just let it happen.

No, that's not what Toya believed in, what he sacrificed himself for, and staring at these kids could see such hopeful expressions in their faces, finally given a sense of reason unlike what others had probably told them.

She didn't blame them, the doctors for telling the truth, for giving them a reality with the fact that they would never fit into the same box that society that builds for others. But that didn't mean she couldn't urge them to fight, to try and change what was already set in stone.