I wasn't entirely wrong about being separated from Shouto. Now that my quirk had manifested, Endeavor had put me through quirk counseling, with only the best professionals in their field, as you would expect. I still saw my baby brother in the evenings, but my days were now filled with intense testing and I was often too tired to stay up for long. The limits of my quirk were tested thoroughly, and I found out that I wasn't limited to only cold abilities. I could also create normal fire with my other side, these ones a pale orange-yellow color instead of Endeavor's dark orange-red. I couldn't create ice directly like Shouto would be able to, but my cold fire had the tendency to freeze things it touched. I also found out that each side of my body ran just a degree cooler or warmer than average. Endeavor was... difficult to read. He seemed conflicted when the results of my quirk testing came in. I could tell he was disappointed that my quirk wasn't the perfect fire and ice ability that he'd envisioned, but he also seemed to take the successful mixing of two powerful opposing quirks as a good sign, that he was one step closer to his perfect creation. I'm sure that meant he'd be keeping a closer eye on Shouto.

While I may not have been exactly what he'd been hoping for, that didn't mean he was going to let such a powerful quirk go to waste. His goal was to surpass All Might by any means necessary. If my imperfect quirk could do that, then all this wouldn't be for nothing. Once my quirk counseling was finished, and I grasped a sufficient amount of control on my quirk, Endeavor had me begin my physical training. Nothing terrible at first, I guess even an abusive bastard like him didn't expect a four-year-old to be anything but an absolute novice at martial arts, so I took beginners lessons from various instructors. The only damage came from bumps and bruises that were to be expected when practicing any physical activity. I'm sure that would change once the basics were out of the way and he became personally involved in my training. I was not looking forward to that.

For the next couple of weeks, my schedule consisted of tutoring lessons in the mornings with Shouto and training in the afternoons until dinner and then bed. Repeat the next day. I guess my baby missed me more than I thought he did because one day, during my very rare personal time (Endeavor had been called in for some emergency.) he said he had a surprise for me.

"Look, Hi-chan, I got my quirk! Now I can start training with you!"

I immediately dropped the book I'd been reading, watching flames dance on his fingertips while ice coated his right hand with growing dread. I grabbed his hand in a vice grip, using my cold side to snuff out his flames.

"Listen to me, Shouto. Don't show this to anybody else, do you hear me? Especially Endeavor! You can't tell him you have your quirk!"

He stared at me, frightened as I shook his arm. He didn't understand why I was suddenly so upset. I only used his full name when I was being serious. It was always "Sho" or "baby brother" or some other endearment.

"You're scaring me, Hi-chan!"

"I'm sorry Shouto, but you have to keep this secret, okay? If Endeavor finds out, he'll hurt you."

He became quiet then, startled. In a moment of insight I wouldn't have expected of a child as young as him, "Does he hurt you?"

That was... hard to answer. As he was not the one actually training me, he had yet to see fit to lay his hands on me, but I knew with certainty that he would if at any point I did not live to his expectations. I couldn't explain how I knew this to Shouto, so I danced around the question.

"He hurts kaa-san."

I didn't know this for sure, but mother has been looking more worn out as of late. The result of me beginning my training, I'm sure. It wouldn't be too much of a leap to assume that she tried arguing against it and he decided to "discipline" her.

Shouto gasped, righteous fury in his eyes. A determined look on his face, that at any other time would have made me coo over him, merely made me cringe now. I knew how stubborn my twin could be.

"If I go to training, I can protect you! I won't let him hurt you or kaa-san!"

"No, Shouto." I kept my voice as firmly as possible. I had to make him understand. "We're not strong enough. If you try to fight him, he'll hurt you and me."

"Then I'll get strong, like All Might! He's number one! That means he's better than Endeavor."

I cursed his childlike optimism and naivety. Taking him into my arms, I embraced him tightly.

"That's not how it works, Sho. It'll take a very long time to get strong. Years and years. By then, he'd already hurt us a lot."

He hugged me back just as tightly and I could feel him trembling like he was holding back tears. A sniffle and his small voice confirmed my suspicions. I ran my fingers through his hair, soothing him.

"So what are we gonna do?"

"You let me protect you for as long as possible, okay? We can't hide your quirk from him forever, but that doesn't mean we have to tell him right away. I can go to training and then I can show you what I learned. That way, you can still get stronger without that man's help."

For a moment, I thought he would keep protesting, but then he slumped in my hold, sniffling again.

"Okay, Hi-chan."

I thought it would be best to do a "controlled reveal" as it were. Better to do it on our own terms than have it be out of our control. As I had already developed my quirk, it would make sense for Shouto, as my twin, to develop his soon after mine. We couldn't pass him off as quirkless, so we decided to only let Endeavor know about one part of his quirk. It took some cajoling on my part, but I managed to convince him to only use his fire side. I was hoping to get a head start on preventing him from seeing that part of him as that man's quirk. I wouldn't have my little man hindering himself just to spite our sperm donor.

Endeavor, of course, was disappointed with Shouto's apparent lack of cold abilities, and trust me, it was almost a task we couldn't pull off, what with the best of their field looking into his quirk. I suspected that our mother knew about our little deception, and helped us out, but I couldn't prove that, aside from the looks that she'd give us sometimes.

We found a way to work around his ice abilities. I would use my hot side to push warmth into his cold side to prevent him from using it. This wasn't a perfect solution, of course. I couldn't always be at his side to shut down his ice powers. It was only a matter of time before our ruse was discovered, but for now, this would do.

We saw less and less of our other siblings as time went on, the only one around with any consistency being Fuyumi. Shouto joined me for our beginner's martial arts training. The first few lessons weren't bad, just learning and memorizing katas. I'd already taught him the ones I knew, he just needed professional guidance to correct his form properly. Unlike with our homeschooling tutors, we were actually much more engaged with our training, as this was entirely new material for the both of us. It didn't take my precious twin very long to catch up to where I was, and I suspected he'd surpass me in terms of physical skill before long. Even Before, I never had the inclination towards physical activities. I'm only so invested now because my life literally depends on it. Shouto was just good at this sort of thing.

Our routine didn't last long, however. Once we'd gained sufficient proficiency in the basics, Endeavor really cracked down on our training. Every moment that wasn't spent eating, sleeping and studying, was spent in the dojo with that man. Mother tried her best to take care of us when we weren't with him, but I could tell it was taking its toll on her. I made sure Shouto never wandered alone at night, just in case. He may have been willing to forgive her in that other timeline, but that doesn't mean I would. Being a victim of abuse does not give you the okay to hurt others, especially an innocent child, mental illness or no. She's still my loving mother though, and I can understand that Endeavor is the one really at fault, so I'd rather not see her get taken away because of a mistake she made. I hinted that perhaps she should take some time to herself and visit her family. With Endeavor busy training us, he didn't pay attention to her as long as she stayed out of his way.

Training was hard on us, but I imagine it was made easier by there being two of us as opposed to just Shouto by himself. In the story, he didn't have anyone to lean on but his mother. Now he has me. Since we started training together, the two of us haven't spent a moment apart. Our schedule practically demanded it. We trained, studied, ate and even bathed together. In hindsight, that probably wasn't very healthy for Shouto's or even my development. I hope he doesn't develop a complex or dependency on me.

I did my best to protect Shouto and, to a lesser extent, our mother, from Endeavor, but that didn't always work out. I tried to make sure I was physically punished in front of my baby brother as little as possible because he'd only get upset and try to challenge him, resulting in punishment for the both of us.

Speaking of punishment, the worst incident and the one that cemented Shouto's hatred of Endeavor in place of the boiling water incident that never happened was when he discovered our deception about Sho's quirk. If I'd known the consequences of lying, I would have never suggested it in the first place.

Endeavor had been pushing us particularly hard that day, and we were pretty much at our limit. It was the two of us, sparring against him, and we were losing badly. Already I knew we'd be too battered and bruised to do anything but rest tomorrow. The number 2 hero would be gone all day, so I supposed he was making up for the missed training by pushing us twice as hard now.

Our teamwork was pretty solid for a couple of 6 year-olds, but it still wasn't enough. We were beginning to flag and I'd moved too slowly for Endeavor's tastes, getting kicked into a wall. I must have blacked out for a few seconds because the next thing I know, the entire dojo is covered in ice. Ice that I most certainly did not create. Through blurry eyes, I stared in horror at the maniacal grin on that man's face.

Endeavor's excitement over Shouto's quirk wasn't enough to overcome the fury he felt at our deception. As punishment, he had us separated. Normally, it was more efficient to have us take our lessons together, but the Todoroki patriarch knew his punishment, which doubled as special training, would be more effective if he split us up. We were even given our own bedrooms. Apparently, he felt we were getting too old to share a room anyway and moved us out of our old nursery. Not that it stopped my twin from sneaking into my room at night- which mother helped cover for us by making sure Shouto was in his own room come morning- but still, for the most part, we only saw each other at night or during meals. The two of us were miserable.

Shouto's hatred towards our genetic donor only seemed to increase when Endeavor showed no signs of ending our punishments after a full month had gone by. Personally, I thought he might never decide to merge our lessons together again, besides pitting us against each other in the occasional sparring match to test our skills. Despite the fact that he put effort into training us both, I could tell he cared more about Sho's results than mine. Shouto was his crown jewel and I was just a flawed diamond. Not to mention our difference in genders. Endeavor was a flaming garbage can of a human being, but he had a soft spot for his daughters, minor though it may have been. It wasn't enough to spare me from his brutal training methods, but he was definitely harder on Shouto than he was on me. I did my best to comfort him during the night, telling him things would be better someday, but as we fix up each other's bruises from the day's training, we both knew that would be a long time coming.

Our mother was looking more worn down as time went by, and I knew she'd be at her breaking point soon. I tried to make sure Shouto and I weren't around her when she was in one of her moods- I didn't want her taking it out on him like she would have in that other reality. Unfortunately, whatever deity up there seems to be set on ruining all my plans. Shouto had woken me up to go to the bathroom- I'd long since gotten him in the habit to not wander around the house at night alone- and I sleepily followed him down the hall.

"D'ya wash yer hans?" He nodded with a soft smile at my slurred speech. Apparently, he thought it was cute, which I took great offense to. He was the adorable sweetie, not me. He took my hand to lead us back to his room. The wooden floors were cold and I leeched off some of my twin's heat as we stumbled through the dark. I was so out of it, I didn't notice the kitchen light was on until it was too late. Suddenly awake and alert, my grip on him went from lax to a near vice when I heard mother's soft tones from inside.

"Let's go back to bed, Sho." I whispered quietly so as not to attract her attention. My heart in my throat, I was damn near ready to drag him away as he peeked through the door.

"It's kaa-san. She's on the phone." I didn't need to hear her to know which conversation she's probably having.

"I know, candy cane. It's rude to interrupt when someone's on the phone, remember? Let's go to sleep."

"Okay, Hi-chan." With a sigh of relief, I tug his hand to lead him back. Unfortunately, I underestimated the strength I used and ended up pulling him too hard. He bumped into me with a loud thud and I immediately froze when mother's soft chatter stopped.

"Shouto? Hien?"

The kitchen light washed over us as the door opened fully and terror gripped my heart when I saw her standing there with that awful look on her face. I gathered my baby brother into my arms protectively with a soft reassuring kiss to his confused face, making sure both of our red-haired sides were blocked from her view as best I could.

"Sho had to use the bathroom. Don't worry, we'll go back to bed now, kaa-san."

She stood there looking at us for a few moments, and for a second I thought I might have averted her psychotic break, only for her to reach for the kettle on the stove.

"Your other sides are so unsightly."

Without a second thought, I pushed Shouto behind me as that terrible woman threw the kettle's boiling contents at us. I took the brunt of it, but was unable to protect Shouto from getting splashed with scalding water. With twin cries of pain, we both fell to the floor and I instinctively froze the water to create a barrier between her and us. Ignoring the burn on my back, I quickly went to check on Shouto. He was cradling his right arm and I could see the skin was bright red under his tiny hand. Both us were crying- Shouto outright sobbing- and that woman screeching about how she hated looking at us. The commotion must have woken someone up because I heard thundering footsteps in our direction. I never thought the day would come when I'd be glad to see Endeavor.