Enji Todoroki woke up practically choking on air.
His lungs burned as if he'd just overused his quirk. Sweat clung to his skin and he could hear his heart beating into his ears. For a split second, he didn't know where he was. And that pain. That terrible pain was still there, radiating from his core.
Then reality settled in. This was his room. His bed. And standing in front of him, his family.
Rei stood stiffly near the wall, hands folded in front of her like she was afraid of touching anything. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Every time Enji tried to catch her eyes, she turned away, unable to meet his gaze for more than an instant.
Fuyumi was closer. Too close. Tears streamed freely down her face, her lips trembling as she struggled to hold herself together.
Shoto stood beside Rei. His small hands clutched her sleeve. He was pressing himself against her side like a shield.
And Natsuo…Natsuo stared at him with naked contempt.
But standing directly in front of him. Natsu. He looked eye to eye with him. His eyes were fierce. No fear but no contempt either. Just disappointment.
That was when Enji noticed the thick white cast around Natsu's arm. The arm that he purposely broke out of rage. The sight hit harder than any blow.
"How long…?" Enji croaked. He tried to sit up. Pain exploded through him. A surge tore from his groin straight through his spine, locking his muscles in place.
"Agghh—!"
"Just the night," Gray's voice cut in coldly. "Long enough to take this idiot to the hospital."
Enji's eyes never left the cast.
"I… did that…" His voice wavered. "It must have… hurt."
Gray stepped forward, fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white.
"Man… some father you are. I can't believe someone like you is the number two hero. You deserve to lose your title after the shit you pulled!"
Before Enji could respond, Natsu grabbed him by the collar.
Were it not for the gravity of the situation, the size difference was almost laughable. Enji didn't move an inch and Natsu didn't let go.
"The only reason Mom did that," Natsu shouted, "is because of you! We're supposed to be a family! But you ruined it so badly that Mom is afraid of us! Her own kids!"
That hurt more than the pain screaming through his body. Enji stared at Natsuo, wide-eyed. Not just because his son was yelling at him. But because of how he stood. How Gray stood. Straight-backed. Unyielding. Not a single ounce of fear. They were like men who had already grown up.
Natsu released Enji's collar and stepped back.
"You've got a lot to atone for, old man."
"Atone?" Gray snapped. "How the hell is he gonna do that?! You think this scum is redeemable?!"
Natsu leaned close, lowering his voice to where only Gray could hear him.
"Laxus was."
Gray's eyes flared at the mention of the name. Just the memory of the guild reopened a wound in him that hurt.
"You think this guy compares to Laxus?! Laxus didn't murder his own kid!"
Enji flinched at the words. He knew that Gray was referring to Toya.
"Laxus tried to kill gramps." Natsu shot back. "And the entire guild."
Enji barely followed the exchange. The pain dulled his thoughts, their words blurring together like background noise from a distant television.
Then Natsu turned to him.
"He lost his way. Forgot who his family was." His gaze sharpened. "I think you're the same."
A pause.
"Why did you want to become a hero in the first place?"
Silence swallowed the room. Enji's eyes drifted to the floor.
"It started… with a little girl," he said quietly. "One my father died trying to save."
His voice cracked—but he didn't stop.
"They both died in the end. Watching that… watching everything fail… that's what made me want to be a hero."
He swallowed.
"I worked harder than anyone. By the time I was twenty, I was already ranked number two."
He paused for a moment then a bitter laugh escaped him.
"But I stayed under All Might's shadow… for too long."
"So why start a family?" Gray asked.
"To create a successor," Enji answered without hesitation. "Someone who could surpass him."
Rei flinched.
"Failed creations," Natsuo muttered. "That's what we are…all of us without Shoto's quirk specifically…"
The words echoed like a curse.
Gray nodded slowly. "You chose Mom because her quirk countered yours. You overheat, but a child with both wouldn't. This marriage was never real. And Shoto? You isolated him because you were grooming him."
He stepped closer.
"That ends now."
Enji opened his mouth.
"You don't understand. The gap between me and All Might-"
Natsu moved in with a burst of speed.
"Who the hell cares about All Might?!"
The punch came fast.
Enji's head snapped to the side, but he didn't retaliate.
"If you're going to dump your failures on Shoto you might as well change your name from Endeavor to Quitter!" Natsu roared. "Train harder! Have you really given up on yourself that much?!"
A moment of silence fell upon the room after Natsu asked the question.
"You're loud," Enji muttered. "You talk too much…"
He lifted his head. Tears brimmed in his eyes.
"Your words burn hotter than any flame I've ever wielded."
Gray looked back at the family behind them. Then at Enji.
Can we really fix this…?
—
Later That Day
Every step Enji took toward the dining room felt heavier than the last. Though the pain was there, screaming through his body with every movement, he could hear voices beyond the doorway. He knew what was awaiting him.
Judgment.
And there he saw them. Rei sat at the table, hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked smaller somehow. Fragile. Beside her sat her mother.
Upright. Unmoving. Cold as stone.
Enji stopped.
Then, slowly and deliberately, he knelt.
The motion sent a sharp jolt through his body, pain flaring so violently he had to grit his teeth to keep from groaning aloud. Even so, he lowered himself fully, bowing his head until his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Hey…" he said hoarsely. "Mother…"
A dry laugh answered him.
"Your children certainly put you through it," she said. "The number two hero, defeated by children."
Enji swallowed. Those words hurt his pride.
"I didn't go all out," he said, forcing the words out. "That wasn't even one percent of my power. What kind of person-"
The mother in law interrupted.
"What kind of "man" breaks his own child's arm?"
Enji froze.
"When you married my daughter," she continued, voice rising, "I already knew you were low, choosing her only because her quirk suited your ambitions. But this? This is low even for you. I don't know what my late husband was thinking approving-"
"Mother."
Rei's voice was quiet. But it carried. She placed a hand gently on her mother's shoulder. Not in anger. Not in fear. Just exhaustion.
"That's enough…"
Her mother clicked her tongue, exhaling sharply before turning her gaze back to Enji.
"Fine. Down to business."
She folded her hands on the table.
"You will no longer be in the company of my daughter. You've destroyed her peace. Her sense of safety and her mind."
Enji bowed deeper.
"Yes," he said. "I'm aware."
The words tasted like ash.
"I will cover any and all therapy costs. Whatever she needs."
Her mother's eyes narrowed.
"It's not just therapy."
Rei stiffened slightly beside her.
"She needs time away from you," her mother continued. "Months, at least. And while she must remain present for her children, you will not be part of that equation."
Her gaze hardened.
"You cannot be trusted to raise them."
The sentence landed with finality.
Enji didn't argue.
"Yes," he replied quietly. "I understand completely."
"I don't want you anywhere near us going forward. All further communication will be handled through phone and email."
She stood.
"If it were up to me, you'd already be behind bars."
Enji's eyes widened.
"But my dearest, loudest grandson put up quite the fit," she added dryly. "And Rei… opposed it."
Enji's breath hitched.
Natsu…did? And-
He lifted his head. Rei was looking at him. Actually looking at him. Their eyes met. And something inside Enji broke open. Not rage nor pride.
Longing.
A sharp, aching pull in his chest. For the first time in years, he felt it. Something he hadn't realized he still wanted until it was already slipping through his fingers. The weight of her absence. The cost of his choices.
"Farewell," Rei said softly.
She stood, allowing her mother to guide her toward the door.
Enji didn't move.bHe watched her leave. The door closed. The sound echoed through the empty halls of the house.
Alone, Enji clenched his fists against the table, knuckles whitening as he stared down at the wood beneath his hands. He was just a man kneeling in the ashes of his own making.