Fuyumi sample

Fuyumi wasn't a hero.

She thought about this as she walked into her classroom that day. She came from a family of people that did their best to help people, whether it be for the good of helping others or personal pride. While she genuinely wanted to help people, though, she wouldn't call herself a hero. All day, heroes went from place to place just so they could save people from villains, or fires, or whatever life threatening dangers there were from day to day. Fuyumi really didn't do life threatening- All she had was the aftermath.

Sometimes, she'd let herself think about it while her kids were doing work. She taught at a few different levels, since her class was the only one in the whole school of elementary kids and junior high kids that dealt at the slower pace, so she tended to float around between groups and offer individual support when needed. This gave her a good chance to think about who she was, and what she wanted to do. These kids were ones that had been hurt by the system that swore to protect them, or that could never have protected them in the first place. They were hurting, and who else could help them heal?

She was explaining algebra to one of her junior high students when she felt a little tug at her skirt. She glanced down to see a young girl with scales on her cheeks and a wide frown. "Miss Fuyumi," she said, "Haruka is crying again."

Fuyumi frowned slightly, but nodded, glancing apologetically at her junior high student before straightening up and letting the girl lead her to the first year table. There, most of the desks had been pushed together, and the seats were abandoned. A handful of students crowded around one young girl with tears in her eyes. The crowd parted as Fuyumi approached, allowing her to crouch until she was at eye level with the girl.

She was another case of a tragic backstory. Her father was sick. Her mother was grievously injured in a villain attack. The stress, as one would imagine, was most certainly too much to bear. Fuyumi offered her a gentle smile.

"Hi, Haruka. Are you okay?" Her voice was soft, and her eyes turned sympathetic as the girl shook her head. "That's okay. Do you want to talk about it?" Another shake of the head. To her credit, the girl tried to speak, but Fuyumi quietly shushed her. "It's okay, that's alright too. Is there anything I can do to help?" There's a long pause, and the girl reached out her hand. Fuyumi reached out her own, internally making it cool as the girl cradled her cheek with it. The coldness seemed to be enough to calm her down, and Fuyumi let her sit there for a while, not moving except when directed.

She didn't think she was a hero, but as she sat comforting her student, she was certain that someone out there did.