Rage was sometimes a useful ally in the heat of a fight, but it was a trickster. It made everything seem possible. -Jonathan Maberry

III

Enji could feel the pressure between his shoulder blades. It was inexplicable to anyone who wasn't a part of the chase for number one. And though he had fame, it was nothing compared to that of All Might.

The shadow loomed over him.

No matter how hard he trained, how many villains he stopped, crime he suppressed, he could never overcome the shadow of All Might.

Enji rubbed his temples. The latest reports had come out, ranking the heroes. Though he was number two, the fastest rising hero in the ranks, a young man of twenty, All Might was still leagues ahead of him.

His dream of being number one was slipping through his fingers.

Narrowing his eyes, he lit the paper on fire and watched until it burned to ash. Whether or not he could see them, he knew it was true; the gap could not be closed. He would never admit it to anyone, but it didn't need to be said.

All Might—the smiling hero, symbol of peace, a buffoon—would crush him in a head to head fight.

He ran his hands through his hair, letting off some flares from his body, a method of keeping his body temperature down. The number two position was a cage, one he couldn't escape.

A call from the front door pulled him from his thoughts, and Enji looked up to see his friend. "Kaito. What are you doing here?"

Kaito removed his shoes and stepped inside the house. "I'm here to get you for the Shiketsu Showcase, obviously."

It took a moment for reality to register, and Enji stood up. "That starts tonight, doesn't it?"

Kaito gave him an amused look. "Yeah. I tried calling, but you didn't answer. I'm guessing you aren't packed."

He internally debated about possibly skipping the event. Not only was he just busy in general, but the last thing he wanted to do was go watch high schoolers who thought themselves gods.

Kaito sighed heavily. "I know that look. C'mon, Enji. Go to this showcase. Let's scout some talent. Maybe one will prove a good sidekick."

Enji grunted in response. "Fine. But you are buying dinner on the way."

Unlike the U.A Sports Festival, where Enji and Kaito made their debuts, the Shiketsu Showcase was an invitation only event, untelevised, and only the top sixteen third years in the hero course performed. Much like the sports festival, it was a night of tournament style one on one fights, ending in one victor. All the pro-heroes with a rank to their name were invited, and more often than not, the sixteen students showcased moved on to have bright careers.

Enji had made a name for himself through the U.A. Sports Festival. There was a good chance he would actually see some students with promise.

As he and Kaito moved to their seats, box seats up high in the arena, Enji rolled his eyes at all the unnecessary accessories they added to heighten the event. "This whole place is pretentious," he muttered.

Kaito looked through the event program that listed out profiles of the featured students. "Doesn't mean they don't produce great heroes."

Enji scoffed and crossed his arms. "They even have complimentary drinks."

Kaito smiled. "You don't drink. Look at her; she has an energy quirk. That might be able to play off yours, you know." He pushed the program towards Endeavor, the page open to the student profile of a girl who could absorb the energy around her.

Enji merely sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"So hard to please," Kaito commented as the lights dimmed.

The spotlights illuminated the middle of the stage, where sixteen students stood, their signature school hats gleaming. Other students stood around the ring, those of years two and three. And the announcer went on their introductory drivel.

"One of them has a lava-type quirk. It would go with your aesthetic," Kaito whispered, even though no one but Endeavor could hear him.

Enji looked around, wondering if All Might had made it. Was he looking for a new sidekick perhaps?

The tournament was explained, and the students were given an introduction. Each student stepped forward when their names were called, but Enji didn't pay much attention. Even when Kaito rambled on about all their statistics, his thoughts were on the gap, on his ambitions.

The fights began, and Endeavor focused more on the outcomes than the actual skills being presented, and he briefly wondered if the pro heroes felt this way about the U.A. Sports Festival. Every year, he watched the festival to see if U.A. was holding to their standards, or if anyone new was up and coming.

In the third match, the energy girl and lava guy Kaito liked faced off. The stadium floor was filled with lava, and the girl with the energy quirk was quickly absorbing the energy from it and counter attacking. The match came down to two powerful displays, the lava guy sending a wave and the girl shielding with a surge of energy.

When the two forces collided, there was an echoing crack, and the lava wave exploded. Multiple teachers from Shiketsu sprung into action to protect the crowd in the stands. But before any had the chance to use their quirks, an ice wall spread around arena, clashing against the flying lava bits, cooling them instantly.

Everyone in the arena quieted down, and Enji stood up from his chair to see better. The angle of their box seats allowed him to see within the ice circle from above.

Towards the center of the oval, off to the side was a young student with snow white hair. She was crouched down, a hand touching the ground, and when she pushed up from the arena floor, her right arm and both legs were frosted over.

Enji put both his hands on the glass.

Kaito did the same thing next to him. "Did that girl just make… all of this?" He waved his arms at the ice wall that was now slowly crumbling. "That quirk is insane."

"I want to know who that is now."

Kaito pulled back from the window. "I think ice is opposite your brand, and she's not pictured as being in the hero course."

He couldn't explain the feeling, but it was as if the future, his future flashed before his eyes. Power combined with power made power—enough to challenge the top hero.

"I want to know everything about her." There was an almost predatory look in Enji's reflection in the glass, but it was merely the look of someone whose dream had been restored to them.


IV

Hana and Yui both linked their arms with Rei's as they walked down the streets to their houses.

"All I'm saying is that if I have to do one more math problem, my brains are going to fall out of my nose," Hana complained.

Yui rested her head against Rei's shoulder. "Your brains will probably fall out anyway."

The girls laughed, and Rei patted Yui's head. "Are you all right?"

Yui sighed heavily. "I just have a bad feeling."

Hana groaned. "Why are you so depressing? Your feelings are always wrong, anyway."

"Not always," Yui shot back.

Rei slowed the trio to a stop in front of the old broken gate to her house. "Yui, I'm sure you just are worried about exams. And Hana, be nice." She hugged her friends, bade them goodbye, and headed to her house.

As she pushed open the front door, she saw an extra pair of shoes, ones she recognized. Strange tingles flooded her body as she moved within the house. What was he doing here?

"Mom? Dad?" Rei called, turning the corner.

There were her parents and Enji all sitting around the table with some tea.

She hesitated in the worn doorway. Enji—Endeavor—was casually sitting in her house. "Uh… Hi." She searched the three for some sort of explanation.

"Rei, come sit." Her father motioned for the vacant spot next to Enji, and she took it slowly.

"Okay. Did something happen?" There was a serious energy bouncing around the room, something shared between the three of them she didn't yet know.

Her mother's greying hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and she fidgeted with it as the silence drew out a touch past uncomfortable. Her father gave her a reassuring smile and finished off his tea, to which her mother quickly poured him more.

"Mr. Todoroki has taken an interest in you, Rei."

Rei folded her arms, a small chill slipping from her palms. "Well, I told Mr. Todoroki more than once I have no interest in being a hero. He knows this."

Her mother looked down to her lap, as her father continued. "That was not his interest. Your mother and I have given him our permission and blessing to marry you. He is well-off, has a good reputation and a bright future. We believe it is a good match for you."

Rei snapped her neck to look at her now-betrothed, holding her breath in surprise. "What? Marry? I'm only sixteen. I still have school. One more year at least. And university."

Enji gave her a quick smile. "I can and will provide you with everything you need. You'll want for nothing in my household."

As he spoke, there was a tightness in her chest, a rolling of her gut. The room was growing hot, and she couldn't tell where the heat was coming from… him?

"Mom…" She couldn't even finish her thought, and her mom's head remained towards her lap.

Her father cleared his throat, drawing attention to herself. "Mr. Todoroki and I have set out a date. It will be a quiet ceremony in three months time, at the end of your current term."

As her father laid out her future in front of her, Enji not once taking his eyes off her, she felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding.


V

Dabi uncrossed his arms, the heat rising under his skin as he prepared for a fight. Before the ice came his way, he knew Shoto would use it; their mother's quirk.

His brother wasn't old enough to know of all the things that had happened before his birth, and with a blue blaze, Dabi melted the ice. Immediately he began his usual routine of testing the heat around his body. His limits to his fire were strict, the backlash nearly unbearable. Against a body meant for ice, fire was the ultimate weapon, something both he and his mother knew well.

Shoto seemed momentarily surprised through the bit of steam rising around the two of them but went with a more precise ice attack.

Once again, Dabi melted the ice upon impact with his flames, and tried to ignore the sting beneath his skin. Shoto could produce so much ice, and it took just as much fire to melt it, if not more. Deciding on a new tactic, Shoto activated both sides of his quirk, and though Dabi wouldn't admit it, he looked almost menacing at the entrance to the alleyway.

This was his father's masterpiece.

During his last few attacks on the students of U.A., Dabi had never actually fought one on one with his youngest brother. Looking him over, it was clear Shoto was stronger now, but even as a children, they all knew he would be the strongest. And just as their mother had said, Shoto's left side resembled their father.

"I bet you haven't had someone melt your ice like that before," Dabi said almost as a side thought.

The flames and ice flew his way so quickly, he was nearly too late to counter. The ice dissolved, and blue and orange flame clashed, sending fire to both buildings on either side. Before the buildings set alight, Shoto frosted over the lingering flames, extinguishing them.

The sting under Dabi's skin was now a burn, most concentrated around his scars, and steam seeped from his body. He was at his limit. Shoto required that much fire, and his body was protesting.

He turned to his second tactic, his trump card. "At least not since Endeavor did it to you."

Dabi hadn't seen it happen to Shoto specifically, but he'd seen their father control their mother more than once that way.

Shoto seemed shaken by the words, and he scrutinized Dabi. Dabi knew in the dark, with the way he looked, their connection couldn't be confirmed, but still Shoto's mind worked through the possibilities.

In his distraction, Toga snuck up behind him and hit him over the head with something, causing Shoto to fall to the ground unconscious.