Hello,

it's finally time to get this chapter done with! Again, my beta still is a bit occupied so I couldn't send her the final draft yet, and there may be another final update later on.

However, about the chapter... whew. I really hope you like it since this was so long in the making. I pretty much started imagining and writing this scene months ago, because I feel it is very important in Enji's and Rei's story. I also know that many of you were looking forward to meeting Rei since forever ago, plus with the Manga pushing Rei back into the story just two weeks ago, it really was time to getting her into this story. I hope you aren't disappointed!

Anyway, have fun with the chapter!

Rei

Matsumoto closed the door behind him, but Enji hardly registered it. Tanaka sat on a chair next to the bed, but Enji didn't really look at her either. Tanaka's hand rested calmly on the light grey linens of the bed for Rei to grab in a moment of fright, but so far, Rei hadn't grabbed it, so it laid lonely on the mattress right next to Rei.

It was her that Enji's eyes were glued on. She sat ramrod straight on her bed, looking at him with a mixture of uncertainty and naked fear. She looked a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights when Enji's eyes met hers. Her fingers were fiddling nervously in her lap as if she really needed to hold something if only to distract herself.

She didn't say anything, so at the moment of his entrance, there was just oppressive silence. He waited for a bit, but she remained quiet, waiting. Enji registered Tanaka staring at him and it was only then that Enji coughed embarrassedly.

"Uh," he started helplessly, "hello Rei. Long time no see." He inwardly cringed at his own words. 'Long time no see'? He made it sound as if they were just old schoolmates meeting the first time in years just by coincidence.

Still, the words seemed to somewhat take the edge off her fear. He could hear her audibly release her breath and just for a second her eyes flickered to Matsumoto who had sat down on a different chair on her side of the room. It was a black swivel chair next to the desk turned around so Matsumoto faced Enji. Then Rei's grey eyes focused on his face, as if she hadn't really seen him before. There was a clear spark there, that he didn't quite remember from so many years ago. Her grey eyes seemed more awake. Other than that, she still looked the same. As if hardly a day had passed.

"What happened to your face?" She wondered instead of greeting. The question just slipped past her lips and once it was out, she looked as if she was shocked to hear it herself. Her right hand immediately moved up to her face, covering her mouth as if she regretted the words already.

He found himself unconsciously mirroring her gesture, with his fingers touching his scar. "Uh, that," he answered in a deadpan voice. "I had a fight." He looked around the room, but there didn't seem to be a TV or anything. Just a big window facing the patio, an empty vase sitting on the window sill and blue curtains. To the right of the window was her bed, where Rei was sitting and looking at him, on the other side of the window was a desk where Matsumoto sat quietly. A painted still life hung over the desk, the only thing decorating the beige colored walls. To Endeavor's right was a wardrobe, a cupboard and a sink. Most of Rei's personal belongings were in that corner. "You didn't see?"

"I…," there was a brief helpless glance in Tanaka's direction, but after the doctor nodded encouragingly, Rei went on, "no. I didn't see it. Fuyumi told me, but I didn't think… I imagined it less… obvious, I guess."

Enji found himself smiling wistfully. And suddenly everything fell apart.

He could just stare in confusion and helplessness, as she burst into tears. What had he done wrong? He glanced at Tanaka silently asking her to help his wife, because this wasn't planned, whatever he had done wrong wasn't on purpose and if Tanaka could maybe do something to help his wife?

But Tanaka didn't really do anything. Instead she just moved a little closer to Rei, but other than that she just let her cry her eyes out. Why wasn't she doing anything?! Wasn't that her job? He found himself moving one step forward, because if the doctor wouldn't help his wife, then he had to do it, but he froze again immediately remembering that he wasn't supposed to be the one initiating the physical contact.

"What's wrong?" he asked a bit harshly in his confusion and almost-panic. He looked at his wife, who hunched in on herself a little while crying, furiously wiping at her cheeks but the tears were spilling faster than she could wipe them away. "Did I do something?" he asked confused, because he didn't even remember saying anything noteworthy. Was his scar alone so frightening that she couldn't stand the sight of him?

He glanced at Tanaka again. "Should I leave?" he wondered quietly as if hoping, Rei wouldn't be able to hear it.

Rei said something through her tears and sobs, but he couldn't even make out the words.

Maybe he should leave, he thought a bit more decisively. It had been a bad idea and Tanaka had warned him about the possible repercussions, but he just had to stay stubborn. He should have just asked Natsuo to finally tell his mother about what had happened. Natsuo might have done it in his own time or Enji would have to pressure him a little, either way that would have still been a better alternative to himself. As long as Rei knew about Toyua, was it really important who told her, or if she was told now or some few days later?

He was about to leave, when he heard Tanaka order him back. "Stay for a moment longer, please, Todoroki-san," she asked now with a tentative hand on Rei's shoulder but still not doing anything to alleviate his wife's invisible pain. "Sit," it was worded like a command, as she pointed at the last of the empty chairs.

It wasn't a very comfortable chair and it was a bit too low for his liking, which had been the reason he hadn't sat down on it when he first entered the room. Now he sat down immediately, feeling a bit like an adult sitting low on a kid's chair. Similarly to Rei earlier, he started fiddling with his hands, so he crossed his arms in front of his chest to stop himself. After another second, he opened his arms again, thinking that posture would only make him look more intimidating. As intimidating as a man could look, who sat on a plastic chair built for a person a foot or two smaller than him. His fingers now curled around the edges of his seat, which automatically made him sit up a bit straighter which in turn made him look more nervous. He must have given a ridiculous sight, he feared when he heard Tanaka's silent snort about his posture.

"Rei?" he started again, after he had finally found his halfway comfortable sitting position. "Do you want me to leave?"

By now, it looked as if Rei had calmed down a bit. She was still sobbing audibly, and he couldn't see most of her face other than the tear-streaked chin behind a curtain of white hair, but apparently, now at least she registered his question. "N-no," she hiccupped, "no-o, I… I'm fi-fine." Enji nodded unbelieving, because if she was fine, why would she sob as if the world was ending. "I ju-ust didn't ex-pect…" He didn't understand the rest of her words.

"My scar?" he wondered, thinking she was still talking about that but confused why that would make her break apart like this. It didn't make sense to him. Still, if that was what was so disturbing to her… "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "but it's not that bad, really." It hardly hurts anymore at least. "Sometimes it's a bit itchy, but that…", he was rambling and there was a soft noise from her that he couldn't quite place and a ridiculous look from Tanaka. He cut himself off. "I could hide it if you want," he suggested, thinking immediately of his flames. "It's not so bad, when my flames are on."

"No, no," Rei said immediately, almost begging in a frightened tone. "Don't… I like you m-more, with-without the flames." Her voice seemed more secure now, but every now and then she interrupted her own words with a sob or hiccup.

He stared at her dumbfoundedly, immediately dismissing the idea of using his fire. "Then a cloth?" he asked, uncertain. "Maybe one of those medical masks?" He glanced at Tanaka. "You must have those here somewhere, sensei?"

She only raised a sleek eyebrow at him, as if he was suggesting something extraordinarily stupid.

"No, silly," Rei suddenly said, looking up at him, "it's not yo-your scar." There was a spark in her eyes. Almost as if she… Was she laughing at him?

But his mind was fixated on another thing. "Silly?" he repeated slowly, "did you just call me 'Silly'?" But his voice wasn't threatening or angry, just surprised. Still, from his words alone a look of fearful shock passed over her face. It was only a fleeting thought, as if it was just a memory that was quickly dismissed.

Enji shook his head in confusion. "If it's not my scar, what were you crying about?"

There was a short moment of silence, just long enough for her to take a deep breath as if she prepared herself for something. "You haven't smiled at me since Natsuo was born," she said very quietly almost inaudibly. "I do-on't know if you smiled at anything since then. Really smiled-ed, I mean, not…" her voice drifted away.

He blinked at her twice. "You cried because I smiled?" he wondered. Spoken aloud this sounded even more ridiculous.

She blushed hotly. "Of course, you would find it stupid", she grumbled with a pouty smile, reminding him of their daughter. He had forgotten how similar Rei and Fuyumi were in looks.

And at that sight, Enji smiled again, more openly this time. "Neither have you... smiled at me, in a long time," he said.

They had never really been a happy couple or one of those young, doe-eyed couples. Their marriage had been purposeful and distant from the start, more like a business relationship. But they had been happier once. In their first couple of years of marriage, it almost seemed as if they could make this work. They didn't really love each other, but they could at least be good friends, and more than just tolerate each other. Around Natsuo's birthday they had grown more distant, mostly because of his increasing frustration with his stagnating career.

Now she smiled at him more openly, too, if still very shyly and with the thinly concealed worry, that this fragile peace might shatter at any moment.

Enji sighed at the thought, that very possibly, he would shatter it with his next few words about Touya. He had come to inform her about something very important, not to rekindle a relationship he had ruthlessly destroyed years ago.

"I'm sorry, Rei," he said anyway, instead of mentioning Touya. "I made a lot of mistakes and the way I treated you is pretty much first on that list." She didn't answer. "I'm...," his gaze slipped away from her for a moment, shamefully seeking the ground, but he forced himself to look back up at her. "I'm trying to be better now and do as much as I can to make up for it. I know it won't undo anything, but… I just wanted you to know."

There was a long pause after that. A pause in which he almost held his breath waiting for an answer that would condemn or liberate him, before he reminded himself to breathe.

"I know," she said to his surprise. She didn't specify what it was that she knew or how she knew it, just left it at that, leaving Enji with his confusion. "But I-"

Her words cut off abruptly, as if something was clogging her throat and she couldn't bring them out. Enji looked at her, searching her face for whatever she wanted to say, but her eyes were guarded now and her lips a bit pinched. He was good with reading people after so many years as a Hero, even if he wasn't good with interacting with them. He had the feeling she wanted to say something he wouldn't like and stopped herself maybe for fear. He waited a bit longer for her to continue, but she stayed quiet, so he just left it at that.

There were more important things to discuss, anyway.

"I just wanted to say that before the next thing, I'm going to tell you," just in case they wouldn't get another chance to talk like this ever again. He didn't say that part out loud, though. There was a certain fear in his mind that this would be it. Their last conversation was almost 10 years back, the last time they talked for real about something substantial even longer. How big was the chance, that after this, they would never get another opportunity to talk? What if he was killed the next time he met the League, after he only barely survived twice? What if she had another setback and the doctors advised against another meeting between them? What if the news about Touya would make her react like Fuyumi and turn away from him for good? At least if any of these things happened now, he had already said the most important part.

"It's about Touya," he started slowly and immediately he could see the reaction on her face.

With just the name her guard seemed to shatter, her face showing open vulnerability, grief, loss, and burning anger. She thought him responsible, he realized. Of course, she would. Just because she hadn't been around to show her anger openly didn't mean she wouldn't blame him for her son's supposed death. Of course, she would. And with good reason. He was Touya's father and the only parent around during the time of the – what he now knew had been an accident.

"What about Touya?" she asked, her voice strained.

"I think… No," he started again. "I know. I've seen him. He's alive."

One, two… He could count the seconds. Nobody made a noise.

He made it all the way to seven. Seven seconds of crushing silence.

"What are you talking about, Enji?" she finally said. Her voice sounded almost cool now. "Our son is dead." Deadpan, like a fact she had finally accepted— Only it wasn't a fact.

"I thought so too," he said almost defensively. The hairs on his neck stood on end.

"Our son died six years ago." She sounded like a broken record to him, just stating what she had been told was true— Only it wasn't.

Was it getting colder in the room?

"Rei," his voice was hardly more than a whisper, "Touya is alive. He didn't kill himself."

There was frost appearing on her fingertips and Tanaka suddenly jumped up. "Rei-san!" She exclaimed worriedly. "Please calm down, your quirk! Todoroki-san, please, if you could leave the—"

"No!" Rei bellowed furiously. "What happened to my son?!"

Enji had already jumped up from his chair to leave as the doctor had demanded when he halted. "He's alive," he repeated, "it was just an accident."

"Just an… My beautiful baby boy, of course, he wouldn't kill himself," she muttered, then her eyes focused back on Enji. "Then why was I told, he had died?" Rage twisted her face.

Enji stood rooted to the spot, half of a mind to help Tanaka calm Rei's quirk down, half of a mind to leave, but ultimately doing neither and staying where he was. "We thought he was dead." Still, his answer sounded defensive.

"I get that," she bellowed, frost sneaking up her arms uncaring of Tanaka's attempts at calming her. Rei made to move, but she was never a strong woman and even in her rage she had trouble getting past her physically stronger psychiatrist. Still, he knew that if Rei actually used her quirk, she would not just get past Tanaka, she might seriously injure her.

"Get away from Rei," he hissed at Tanaka who jumped back so fast as if she had just waited for him to say it. She looked almost relieved to be away from Rei who had suddenly turned dangerous, something nobody had really expected.

Matsumoto had stood up from his chair and was coming to restrain Rei with his superior physique.

"Stop," demanded Enji and the other man stopped in his tracks. "Leave her!"

The moment Rei was let go, she jumped from her seating position on the mattress hurling herself at Enji with raised fists. He caught her awkwardly as she almost fell against his chest punching him, tiny specks of ice immediately vaporizing against his heated skin. She produced increasingly stronger ice but it was obvious that not only had she never been really strong, lacking years of training, she also hadn't used her quirk much in those last ten years, so even now with her quirk power increased with her anger, he only had to activate some of his flames to have her ice all vaporize immediately until the room was wet with humidity, condensed water fogging the window and the mirror over the sing.

"I'm sorry," Enji said again, as her attacks finally weakened, until she was only drumming against his chest without even using her quirk anymore. He didn't really do anything. He didn't stop her, nor did he hold her close, he just stood waiting, ignoring the small fists hitting his torso.

Finally, she shoved away from him violently and because she didn't have the strength to actually push him away, he took a tentative step back himself.

"Tell me what happened!" she demanded. Tears were leaking out of her eyes again, but she wasn't sobbing, instead, she stood strong right in front of him, almost intimidating even though she was so much smaller than him.

And so, he did. He told her everything.

It was an accident. His quirk, he lost control over it on his way to school but he managed to get away.

It sounded so unreal as he told it. The Police had found his DNA among the ashes, and thus assumed he had incinerated himself. Instead, he had fallen into the river and was saved by some guy, Enji didn't know. Rei was crying as he tried to tell it with as little gruesome detail as he could. Her hands were over her face, covering her mouth and nose, leaving only her angry grey eyes gazing at him with renewed anger.

He didn't come back. He didn't think… My fault. He said he didn't think I would...

The words were stuck in his throat. He could hear Matsumoto's heavy breathing behind him, almost seeking that distraction. It suddenly occurred to him that he did not want this stranger to listen. He didn't want anybody to know. Begrudgingly, he accepted Tanaka in the room, who despite her tall figure seemed to almost blend with the background that he almost forgot she was there. Tanaka was Rei's psychiatrist. So she would find out anyway; she would have to help his wife deal with all this new information. But the man behind him, who was he that he should be privy to Enji's deepest darkest secrets.

Touya… he is covered in scars.

He moved his hand, indicating his jaw area, his eyes, chest, arms, all the areas where Dabi had these horrible purple scars. Dark and raw and made even more gruesome, by what had to be purposeful mutilation.

Rei was crying. He realized it somewhat in the back of his mind. He wasn't. She was probably imagining their young son with his red hair, big turquoise eyes, how his cheeks bloomed rosy red when he laughed or was embarrassed. He had always been small for his age, a lot thinner than both his younger brothers. A bit clumsy, and as a teenager with a somewhat righteous attitude. Was she imagining that kid mutilated with scars like the one she had herself inflicted on Shoto. Did she see that innocent boy?

All he saw was black hair, eyes narrowed in hatred and the barrel of a gun against his head. He could not tell her about that, he realized. He could not speak those words, not to her, not even to himself in an empty room with just himself and his sins.

Natsuo, you know about his disappearance a few weeks back.

Of course, she knew, but she looked so blissfully unaware, and he realized they hadn't told her. Natsuo hadn't told her, that he had himself been part of that kidnapping, and Fuyumi and Shoto apparently hadn't told her about the involvement of the League of Villains either. It was the only thing that made sense. She was so unaware. Even though it had been her who had realized Natsuo's disappearance first.

He was with the League, faked his own kidnapping to test if I would...

"I thought he was just visiting his girlfriend," she hissed from between clenched teeth, backing away from Enji. "Why would he…? Our sweet boy." She muttered it to herself, but there was a clear accusation in his voice, whether he wanted to hear it or not. Matsumoto's breathing was still heavy and loud and oppressive and he wanted the man out, out, out of the room. This had nothing to do with him! Bad enough that Tanaka was there. He did not want to deal with their accusation on top of Rei's and his own guilt. What did they know!?

"Our son joined the League of Villains?" she asked almost disbelieving but not quite. Not like Fuyumi who had been in absolute denial. Rei sounded as if it seemed utterly unbelievable to her, but she still thought his words were sincere enough. Enji somewhat doubted that she even really knew what the League of Villains was. "And even Natsu… Oh, our sweet boy, how lonely he must have felt to go to such means." She was mostly talking to herself, he reckoned, wrapping thin arms around herself.

Finally, she glanced back up at him. "This is your fault, Enji. You drove our boys away. All they wanted was for you to be proud of them! To spend some time with them! And now..." He let the accusation stand as it was. "Because of you, my oldest son…," suddenly there was a shift in her demeanor. "He's still alive!" The words were like a breath of fresh air, filled with relief and hope and just a tiny tinge of fright as if she was worried this was all a dream and as soon as she woke up, it would turn out to be a lie. "He's alive and I…"

Her eyes focused on him again. Zeroed in on his face with sudden purpose. "I want a divorce."

The words were out in one smooth line, not the stuttering and stumbling and half-sentences she had uttered before. Four crisp little words as if she had thought to speak them a dozen times already until finally there was no doubt left.

"What?" he asked in utter disbelief. He had expected a lot, but not this. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

"I want a divorce," she repeated as if she actually thought he hadn't understood the first time; or as if the words were themselves empowering and just saying them would make her stronger. "I want to divorce you," she now rearranged her words.

"I…" It was the shock about the declaration that first left him speechless. His first instinct was to tell her 'no', and maybe list a thousand reasons why not, but he didn't find them. Truthfully, now that he thought about the reasons 'why not' he started wondering why she hadn't divorced him already. Fear, he knew, which was surely not a good reason he should bring up to make her reconsider. And suddenly he knew he could. What she was doing was in many ways a leap of faith. If he wanted to, he could easily intimidate her into not going through with it. He could even do it in a subtle way right in front of Tanaka and Matsumoto, he knew. Probably just telling her 'No' or even 'I'd ask you to reconsider' would be enough. Or asking her to repeat it again and again until her courage would falter. With his lack of response but his obvious adversity to her idea written all over his face, he could already see her hunch in on herself.

Finally, he realized, there was only one thing he could do. Only one right answer to what was never really a question.

"Okay," he said finally.

A/N: Whew, I'm so sorry, Enji. But I had to do this.

I've thought about whether it's possible to save this marriage or not, but finally, I decided whether I want them to reconcile in the end or not, the first step has to be for Rei to get out of this marriage. I swear, I wrote this before the developments in recent chapters. So, I like the way Horikoshi 'solved' this but I decided to just keep it the way I imagined it before the developments in the manga threw a wrench in my plans. So here the separation isn't Enji's idea but rather Rei's. Ultimately I think (and from recent chapters I assume Horikoshi thought the same) that for Rei to get better and out of the hospital, she needed a safe place to go to, and I felt this safe place would not exist as long as they were married and lived in the same house. I honestly didn't even get the idea that they could live separated but still be married :D. I also wanted Rei to be the one deciding she wanted the divorce because I felt in a way it was an oddly empowering move to say to her abuser (even if he's doing better now) that she wants to get out of this marriage that really only served to oppress and harm her. In the end, I don't want to discourage any Enji/Rei-shippers, I just felt that if there will ever be a reconciliation between Enji and Rei it should not be 'because they are stuck in a marriage that really hasn't made either of them happy and now they just have to make it work'.

So, as I mentioned last week there will be a 'Rei I' Chapter in 'I'm Watching!'. That will be uploaded in a few days. Maybe Thursday. Last week, if you haven't seen I uploaded the 'Shoto II'. Next week, I don't know yet, if I can make the update by Sunday, but you'll get the next chapter on Monday at the latest. It will deal a bit with the aftermath of this decision to divorce and Enji finally getting back to work. It will also probably be a very long chapter.