Author's Note: We all know Toya has to leave the story for Keigo to continue on. I promise it's not graphic and he will pop back in here and there. Again, thank you for following and reviewing! I enjoy writing this as much as I hope you all enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: This story is rated for content. I don't own MHA or its characters. Original characters are mine. Story contains sensitive subject matter including but not limited to mentions if rape, assault, abuse, torture, drugs and more.

Chapter 27 - Depression

Keigo was very fast. According to his last evaluation at the Heroes Public Safety Commission he was ranked one of the top five fastest fliers they had on their files at age 12. Keigo also knew how to ride the thermals and give his wings a break so he could stay airborne longer. He knew when to fly highs and low for the best wind currents as shown to him by Jin. Keigo knew all of these techniques that would allow him to fly fast for a long time if he wanted to. But right now he wasn't paying attention to any of his training or knowledge.

He'd left without his glasses or earmuffs, the wind whistling sharply past his ears and buffeting his eyes with cold as he flapped his wings hard to pick up speed and height. He was going to go as high as he could stand and then plummet down at a degree to get to the Todoroki estate as fast as possible for a 12 year old with wings. His friend needed him and that's all he cared about. His text message had been left unanswered but read. The news said there were blue flames amidst the fire, too hot for the rescue personnel to get to. That had to be Toya, otherwise flames that hot needed a fuel source.

He saw the flames ahead and gave his wings a bit of a curve as he dove, straight for the scene. There were fire trucks, ambulances and rescue personnel. Police cars and news crews as the smoke billowed into the sky. Keigo looked at the flames from above and only saw orange flames with thick smoke. He let his wings spread out so he could land, ignoring the burning sensation in them from flying so hard and fast. He saw Endeavor talking to the police, still larger than life, but somehow less intimidating without his costume and flaming mask. Looking around, Keigo also saw an older woman with three children off to the side where an ambulance was at.

She didn't look like a family member, maybe a nanny, and she was holding little Shoto. His hair half red and half white with a bandage around his left eye. Keigo also saw Fuyami and Natsuo leaning on each other as they watched the fire being put out. Keigo pulled his phone from his hoodie pocket and tried to call Toya, getting no answer. He ran up to where the kids were, not caring that he was in socks, or that his hoodie was covered in soot from flying through the smoke. He ran up to them, shaking from adrenaline as he choked out.

"Where's Toya?" The elderly lady gave him a look that said he shouldn't be here. Fuyami blinked her grey eyes at Keigo before recognition dawned on her face, eyes on his wings. "Keigo?" He nodded as he tried to catch his breath and the older woman stared at him as she shifted Shoto on her hip. "Who are you? Where are your parents? You shouldn't be here!" Fuyami quickly pulled Keigo into a hug as Natsuo seemed to growl out a response to the old lady that shut her up. Fuyami was crying, Keigo could feel her shaking and felt the tears on his neck as she hugged him.

"It all went wrong. It all went so wrong." She was crying while trying to talk to him, and his instinct and training kicked in. Putting a wing around her for comfort, the other around Natsuo, he looked at the fire and listened.

Endeavor had driven Toya's mom to a mental breakdown, and she had poured boiling water on Shoto's face. The side that looked like Endeavor. She was taken away to a mental hospital, and Toya had figuratively and literally own up when he got home and found out. He'd cussed out Endeavor, blamed him for Shoto's face. Blamed him for the fear that was instilled in his own family. When he called Endeavor a villain, the older man had backhanded his eldest son to put him in his place. Instead of being quiet, Toya erupted like a blue fountain of flames, and Endeavor could only try to engulf the blue flames with his own red to try and control them.

The nanny had gotten the kids out. Endeavor and Toya were in the fire far longer than anyone should have been able to withstand. When Endeavor stumbled out of his house with burns on his arms and side without Toya, they knew their brother was dead. Endeavor said part of the house collapsed on him while he was trying to convince his son to leave with him. Toya threw more blue flames around himself refusing Endeavor's help. He yelled that Endeavor was no hero and he would rather die than be saved by a false hero.

Keigo listened to everything Fuyami said and what she didn't. By the time she was back to a crying mess, all he could do was pull both older kids into him with his wings and squeezed his eyes shut. He heard the nanny complaining to someone that he was there. An adult, probably a police officer asking him where his parents were. He still clung to them as he felt a hand on his shoulder starting to pull him away. Natsuo yelled to leave him alone and a second hand was now around his waist. Pulling him from Fuyami as she turned to cry on Natsuo's shoulder. Keigo kicked and pulled to get away from the officer manhandling him. Somehow his quirk wasn't working, wings limp behind him.

"Let him go! That's my son! Let him go!" Keigo barely registered Soji's voice amidst the smoke, crying and yelling. He was going into shock and he knew that. He'd been trained to help others if they went into shock, but there was very little he could do for himself as the officer suddenly let him go.

And then he was surrounded by warm familiar arms. A smell that his instincts knew to be Azumi sent him over his limit to his breaking point. He buried his face into her arms and wailed. Another warm body hugged him from behind and he wailed louder. Crying and sobbing as his arm latched onto something and whatever it was, it held him back as he cried. He cried because his hero was a lie. He cried because he hadn't been fast enough or clever enough to stop this. He cried because his friend was dead and never coming back. And then he shut down.

/

Azumi watched in horror as Keigo ran from her arms to the back door and was outside and airborne before Soji could grab him. She yelled for him to come back. Running to the balcony and screaming his name after him, but the red wings disappeared in the evening sky faster then she imagined they could. Soji ran to the door and grabbed his car keys and jacket, tossing Azumi hers as he rushed to get his shoes on.

"Come on, we're going after him." Azumi's hands were shaking as she put on her coat, Sion staring at the TV declared she would lock up for them. As they hurried to the elevator to go down to the parking lot, Soji wrapped his arms around his wife speaking quietly. "He's going to be ok. He flew to their house to try and help his friend. He's not stupid to go into a fire. It will be ok." She nodded, hands shaking as she gripped one of his and they practically ran to Soji's Tesla. He unplugged it before starting it up and they were off.

The entire drive to the scene they were silent. Nothing needed to be said because their priority was getting to their son and making sure he was ok. Soji wove in and out of traffic, speeding and cutting off people as he got to the Todoroki estate in record time. By the time they got there the smoke was billowing because the flames were more under control. They stepped out of the car, Azumi pulling her sweater closed as she looked around for any sign of Keigo. The ambulances were all there but the backs were blackened out.

Azumi's medical experience told her that meant there was no need for medical assistance. Meaning either everyone was safe, or those injured were dead and there was no need for lights. Soji kept a hand in hers as he looked around for Keigo. Both adults were moving quickly through the first responders and policemen. Suddenly Soji pointed and ran forward yelling as Azumi saw a police officer holding Keigo by his shoulders. He looked like he was going into shock. Wings limp, the fight barely left in him as he kicked and tugged. Soji grabbed the officer's arm as Azumi wrapped her arms around Keigo and pulled him from the police officer.

He was sobbing and shaking, face buried in her shoulder as his wings folded onto his back. Soji talked to the officer as Azumi held her little boy, listening to his sobs. Soji came over and hugged them both, allowing Keigo to latch onto his arm in his panic and grief. Out of respect for what had happened during the fire, no one interrupted them again. Keigo didn't remember being put in the car or driven home. He never let go of Azumi and she kept her hands buried into his feathers, his back and his hair.

When he finally decided to look up, his eyes were blurry from crying and he didn't know how he had gotten home but he was on the couch with Azumi holding him in her lap. She crooned as he slowly sat up looking around. Soji was sitting next to them and gently rested a hand on Keigo's back. A glass of water handed to him and Keigo needed both hands to take it.

"I'm sorry." He choked out after a sip of water, too scared to look up. He knew he was in trouble for flying off without any notice. Probably more so for ignoring them when they called. He didn't really care though, and even his apology seemed half hearted as he looked at them both. He expected anger, disappointment and maybe even a lecture. He wasn't expecting Soji to be straightening his feathers out. Wiping them down with a washcloth to clean the soot off of them. Or Azumi, gently running her fingers through his hair and wiping her thumbs on his cheeks.

"Talk to us Keigo. Don't just apologize because I know you are such a clever handsome little boy. What happened? Why did you take off and not tell us what was going on?" Azumi's voice was soft, her quirk not even in use as she gently turned his face to look at her. "We will help you, no matter what it is. That's our job as your parents. No matter what is going on with you. So talk to us." Keigo looked at Soji and then back to Azumi, eyes watering as he nodded. And then he told them everything.

He talked about the pain Toya had during his training and why Endeavor sent him to the Commission. The abuse Toya told him about, his siblings, their mother. What Fuyami had told him and even the fact that he had gotten no reply. By the time he was done, Azumi was hugging him close as Soji stood and paced a bit, one hand over his mouth. Azumi started rocking him as Soji looked over at her. He had a look in his eyes she had never seen before. Soji picked up Keigo's hoodie that they had removed and moved into the kitchen.

It was almost 30 minutes before Keigo fell asleep. His wings hanging limp as Azumi let Soji pick him up and carry him to bed. She moved to start making a cup of tea as Soji walked back into the kitchen, leaning on the counter. He hadn't said anything at all since Keigo had spoken about what was going on. Azumi bit her bottom lip and looked over at Soji. "This is bad, isn't it?" Soji nodded and folded his arms, staring at Keigo's phone on the table. "I need to call the Commission. Keigo needs some time to cope with this." Her hands were shaking as she began to steep her tea. "Poor Toya. I didn't know."

Soji moved up next to her and gently wrapped his arms around her. "Zumi, I need a second opinion." She glanced back at him and saw he was staring at Keigo's phone. "Second opinion about what?" Soji took a deep breath and spoke gently. "Keigo called Toya when he got there. He sent a few texts asking for Toya to reply. I looked at his message log." Azumi frowned and looked at him. "He also said Fuyami told him Toya lit the area on fire and Endeavor stepped out saying the house collapsed before he even got there."

"All his messages have been read." Soji whispered and Azumi stared. "M-maybe the phone is left open somewhere?" Soji shook his head. "That's not the way phones work love. It only marks as read, if you open the app and see it. The screen would have timed out." Azumi looked at the phone. "Maybe someone has the phone?" Soji was looking at the phone thinking and shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't want to erase them, but he is clever. He'll see it and he'll know."

They were silent for a bit before Azumi turned around and hugged him. "Let's just keep the phone from him for now. I don't want to lie to him, but we don't know." Soji nodded and eyed the phone as they remained quiet, thoughts wrapping around what to do.

/

The Commission requested a mental examination of Keigo before approving time off from school and training. They weren't able to get Keigo to eat anything before the therapist showed up, but as he sat with the Commission's therapist, nodding and giving one word answers, Azumi and Soji both saw the shadow of depression hovering over him. Keigo sat, his wings curled around him slightly as his hands remained folded in his lap. Once they were done, the therapist approved two weeks off and gave Azumi and Soji a prescription for medication to try and help him if he had trouble sleeping.

Once the therapist was gone, Keigo remained sitting on the sofa. He asked gently about his phone as Axumi sat next to him, an arm around him as he leaned into her. They didn't give it to him, and he didn't push the issue as he started to fall into the hole of depression. He barely ate anything, only coming out of his room when asked to by Azumi or Soji and going back once they were done trying to talk to him or have him sit and stare at his food. After three days of this, Soji managed to get Keigo to eat some warmed raw chicken. Azumi was surprised at ravenously Keigo dug into it, but once he was full of chicken, Azumi was able to coax him to the sofa, hands preening and tending his wings.

He didn't want to talk about Toya. He didn't want to train or study or even spend time with Azumi and Soji. The news declared Toya had died in the fire. A funeral memorial was scheduled after the mourning period of the Todoroki family. Keigo stared at the news, golden eyes dull and empty as he looked down at his talons on his feet. Azumi was working on filing them shorter to fit into his boots but she never filed them off completely, allowing him to grip with them as needed. He hopped off the sofa after one such grooming and walked to his room shutting the door. Soji and Azumi discussed what to do after the 5th day, and Soji made a phone call.

That weekend, Keigo was laying on his bed staring at the wall. He'd cried every chance he could get, and felt like a piece of himself was gone. He wanted his phone, wanted to call and have Toya pick up. He wanted to hang out at the dorms, with Toya dangling a leg or an arm over the bed and poking at his feathers. He wanted his turquoise eyes to reflect the moon and the playful way Toya would throw flames with his left hand.

The door opened and Keigo moved his wings to shield him from his parents. He knew they were trying to help, but he didn't know what he needed. What he wanted. His mind was foggy and confused and it hurt all over. He was about to sigh, resigned, and felt someone sit on the bed.

"Dang Keigo, for a hero, you thure look like a meth." Jin spoke. Not moving to touch his friend as Keigo sat up, whirling to face his best friend. Jin smiled sadly as he tilted his head at the blonde. "Hey." Keigo blinked, eyes wide and disbelieving of how, but he threw himself into Jin's arms hugging him. Jin hugged him back, both boys quiet as they held tight to each other. Jin spoke first, not wanting to waste the time together that isn't a holiday.

"How are your wingth? Feel like you can fly?" Keigo nodded and leaned back watching Jin before he stood to get Keigo's glasses and earmuffs from their hook. His own tinted glasses and muffs on his forehead and around his neck. Helping Keigo get his hoodie and equipment on, Jin walks out of the bedroom, a hand holding one of Keigo's hands. Keigo doesn't say anything as he slides his boots on, Jin's duffle by the door as Azumi and Soji watch the boys. Despite Keigo looking tired and zoned out, Jin gave them both a reassuring smile as he herded Keigo out to the balcony.

They flew. Keigo followed Jin as Jin flew up high above the apartment building. They were heading towards a park that was outside the neighborhood with a community building that they ended up landing on. This was a spot Jin and Keigo had decided was just theirs when Jin had come back for a holiday. Once they landed, Jin leaned on the railing and watched Keigo as the blonde pulled a wing around to pick at the feathers.

"I called you. Tected too. Your dad anthwered the phone and told me what happened." Keigo blinked quickly to keep from crying as he was looking at his wings. Jin pulled his phone out and opened something starting to read.

"Blue Dragon: Hey Batman, hope your day ith going good.

Batman: Yeah. I mith you guth but I'm learning a lot. What are you up to?

Blue Dragon: Birdy thaid to thpend time with my folkth tho I am. I'll methagge you later.

Batman: Thoundth good. He knowth whath up.

Blue Dragon: Are you available?

Blue Dragon: Take care of Keigo for me."

Jin watched as Keigo squeezed his eyes shut, hands gripping his wing. "I don't know the timeline of what happened, Keigo. I know you are my friend and Toya ith my friend. And he thaid to take care of you. Tho let me take care of you." Keigo nodded and took a shuddering breath in before he spoke.

"He wouldn't have been there if I didn't suggest it. And he's always been an angry idiot. Like a dragon and you touch his gold, you know?" Jin nodded as Keigo rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I'm training to be a hero and I couldn't save my friend from his own family. I've been there, you know? My parents threw me out. Didn't want me. And I wasn't able to stop it from happening to Toya and he's gone." Keigo started crying, his hands over his face as Jin walked over to give him a hug. He let Keigo cry it out as they stood on the roof.

Sitting on the edge of the building, they sat looking over the playground equipment, Keigo's wing over Jin's shoulder. "Tho, what are you gonna do now? Quit trying to be a hero?" Jin looked at Keigo and saw the small blonde shake his head. "I can't quit. Toya would roast all my feathers if I quit or tried to." Jin grinned and put an arm over Keigo's shoulder. "That'th the thpirit. And you thtill got me. I'm gonna be here for a bit to make thure you get back on track. Toya wouldn't want you to be a thulky chicken butt." Keigo bumped Jin and got a bump back as they started to stand.

"Mom and dad are gonna want me to eat and be normal or they'll worry." Keigo spoke as he sighed a deep sigh. Jin shrugged and shook his wings ready to fly. "Do it for Toya. Ok? Don't let yourthelf fall apart, he wouldn't want that." Keigo nodded and put his glasses and muffs on before diving off the roof with Jin close behind. They flew high and together, Keigo closing his eyes as the wind carried him back towards home. Jin followed, keeping an eye on Keigo. He knew once his visit was done he would need to make sure Keigo's dad was careful with the phone.

The fire may have been Friday, but Toya's last message was Saturday morning.