"The world is cruel.

It takes without mercy, without protest and without reason.

Fighting and struggling for seemingly no purpose, already knowing the outcome from the beginning and yet always wishing for another ending.

And though the outcome may never change, the reasons stay the same.

I know that now more than ever before"


Listening to his own silent cries, five year old Todoroki Shoto huddled his knees together before looking out at the sky, the perfect dark colors mocking him all at once.

The newly opened wounds and scars were ever present on his skin as the boy used his shirt to hide his embarrassment, the ones his father called a failure earlier that day.

Training was especially hard today, the man pushing him to the brink of exhaustion over and over until he was satisfied. And now he just felt so alone, so isolated from everyone else.

He had even tried to find his mother but it seemed when the two locked eyes, she just turned away, almost in fear. Were his scars that scary, did his mom think he was a failure as well?

A loud thud seemed to wake up the boy from his own thoughts as he quickly rose to his feet, knowing he shouldn't have been in this area in the first place. If his dad found him then he might risk another punishment.

Although just as the boy pushed open the door, he was met with a pair of cerulean eyes, almost like his own, the boy staring at him with slight confusion and surprise. "Oh, It's you. I didn't know you were here.."

His eyes immediately trailed towards Todoroki's scars before the boy immediately covered them already trying to hurry away. "I'm sorry, please don't tell daddy..."

The stranger seemed confused at his words before seeming to understand a moment later as he sighed bitterly at the boy's shaking voice . "Don't worry, I won't tell. Must be rough, huh? Being daddy's favorite.."

Watching his small eyes crumble, Todoroki felt more tears line his cheeks. "I don't wanna be daddy's favorite. I wanna go outside and play like everyone else, but he says I can't. Mommy doesn't even want to see me anymore.."

That's when the stranger let out a strangled sigh before lifting his head towards the sky. "He's some hero isn't he? Well, at least someone looks at you. You should be thankful for that as least."

Not really understanding, the little Todoroki turned his head to his side. "I'm looking at you."

The boy was silent for a moment before shaking his head in slight disappointment. "No, you aren't. Endeavor made sure of that one. I mean, do you even know who I am?"

He could see the small boy try to piece the words together in his mind to no avail. He knew he wasn't going to realize it, that's just how he was brought up. "Who are you?"

A pained look crossed the red haired boy's expression before standing from his seat as he placed a hand on the boy's head sadly. "Don't hurt yourself Little Sho.."

The two kids looked at each other with a thousand unsaid emotions before the door slammed open a moment later, causing the strangers smile to dip down into a frown quickly. "Shoto, there you are. I told you not to run off.."

Endeavor then stomped up to the two kids before realizing the boy beside Shoto with a huff, his voice rough and uncaring. "What are you doing here? Did you take Shoto away from his room?"

The fact that he was outrightly accusing the boy of something he didn't do made him glare before already walking towards the doors. "No Dad, I didn't."

Although at the word "Dad" Shoto's little eyes widened immediately before turning towards the red haired stranger with surprise. Why was this boy calling Endeavor Dad like him? It didn't make any sense, he had never seen him before in his life.

Pulling on Endeavor's pant leg, Todoroki began to speak his words quietly. "Daddy, who is that? Why did he call you daddy too?"

The man remained silent at that, causing the stranger to scoff before staring at Todoroki with amusement. "Go ahead, Dad, tell him who I am. Say that I'm one of his brothers you never let see."

Widening his eyes in confusion, Shoto began to test the word on his tongue. He knew he had brothers and a sister but he never really saw them given how separate he was from the rest of the family. "B-Brother..?"

He was quickly stopped by Endeavor reaching down and grabbing the little boy's arm, immediately pulling him away from the scene before he could even process it. "Toya, now is not the time for this. Go back to your room."

Toya only scoffed though, watching Endeavor drag his little brother away from his sight before muttering under his breath angrily.

And that was the first and one of the only times Shoto had ever met his brother.


As the sound of the massive explosion shook the entire warehouse everyone on the bottom level stopped their battles in order to check out the ever crumbling ceiling. They didn't know what had caused such a large motion but both sides were rather confused before resuming their own battles at once.

But for Katsuki, when he heard the rumbling from the upper floors, his heart couldn't help but sink entirely in his chest as he looked up at the damage and the small bits of debris raining on top of him in a single motion. It was almost like an ominous omen.

It was the kind of fear the boy had only felt a handful of times in his life, one that shocked him to his very core as a heavy realization came over him all at once, taking in the rest of the battle before snapping his eyes towards the nearby stairs.

Very quickly the memories of their past battle flashed into his mind as Bakugo recalled the purple skinned villain that had grabbed his sister before taking her towards the direction of the stairs and disappearing out of his sight.

When it had happened, the boy wanted nothing but to run after Amari in order to rip her away from that man but a moment later he was face to face with two large Nomu, leaving him no choice but to focus on them instead.

He hadn't had a moment to rest since then and it was making his mind go completely insane because of it.

But after that explosion, that single moment of clarity, Katsuki felt himself completely stop breathing as he realized what that could've meant and who could've caused it.

Amari was up there, wasn't she? That's where Dabi dragged her when he was distracted, that's where he had last seen her. Oh god, please no...

He hoped he was wrong, that his brain was just playing a cruel trick on him but a small voice in the back of his head immediately began to think the worst. He wasn't there, he couldn't see her which meant his sister could've been hurt, injured or even dead by that blast. He hated it but all of those possibilities were very real and that it terrified him to no end.

And that was because once again he had failed to be there for his sister, he had failed at the single most important job to him. She was gone and he wasn't there yet again.

Fuck, why was he was useless when it mattered most?! Why couldn't he hold onto one of the only people he cared about in this world?!

Time and time again he just kept making the same mistakes didn't he?

Feeling his hands ball into tight fists, Katsuki immediately forgot about whatever battle he was fighting before racing over toward the very same place that he had last seen Amari before gasping at the sight before him.

Standing before him was a mountain of debris blocking the way, towering over him in an unsaid hatred as Bakugo immediately began to feel his fingers pop with explosions, pushing them into the rubble before recklessly letting off his quirk. "Shit...I'm coming you idiot..."

Although because he had been fighting for a while now, his arms started to burn with quirk overuse as Bakugo gritted his teeth, focusing his attention on his sister and the unknown state she was probably in. He couldn't do this right now, he couldn't be a coward. She needed him, she needed her brother. He could feel it.

Yet it seemed like his effort wasn't strong enough, realizing it would take more time to regain the strength that he had lost in battle before shaking his head with frustration. This wouldn't work, he would be too late at this rate.

After that moment of terror, Bakugo then blindly raced forward before clawing his fingers and hands into the rubble in order to remove them manually as his insanity for his sister's safety washed over him immediately.

He pictured her body, broken and bleeding, crying out for him just like she had always done in his nightmares the past year, the very idea causing Katsuki to grit his teeth enough to draw blood. Why wasn't he with her, why couldn't he help her?! "Amari, fuck don't do this...come on...come on...!"

Desperation seeped into every part of him as Bakugo continued to jam his fingers into the broken pieces of rubble, the seconds ticking by agonizingly slow as the light flicker of blue fire appeared through one of the cracks a moment later. Just a little more...

Although in his blind horror, Katsuki vaguely felt the presence of something behind him as he kept his back turned towards the enemy. Whoever they were, they could wait. His sister came first. Everything was in chaos and all he could think about was reaching the other side.

No, he couldn't think about anything else, he couldn't care about anyone else but her. His mind wouldn't allow it.

The stranger raised their hands up for an attack a moment later only for a small explosion of sparks to flicker in the corner of his eye as the enemy melted away into nothing a moment later.

Blinking in surprise, he barely saw one of Twice's doubles turn into liquid before a very familiar pair of matching red eyes met his gaze, the girl breathing heavily from the use of her quirk. "K-Katsuki, what are you doing? Why aren't you paying attention?"

Blinking in surprise, Bakugo then took in her appearance all at once,now seeing the trail of blood that led from her body to the floor and the burns all across her arms.

He looked behind himself a moment later just to make sure he wasn't crazy, like he wasn't seeing a ghost.

This broken girl in front of him, was this really his sister right now?

But that wasn't something he could focus on as just seeing her alive was overwhelming enough for him, Katsuki's mind racing all at once at the sight.

There were too many questions to process what was going on. Why was she here, was she in the explosion, what happened to her? It was too much, too much for the blonde haired boy to process. "A-Amari...?"

Then without another moment, Katsuki raced towards his sister before quickly grabbing her face and pushing his body into hers in a heavy embrace, one that made Amari groan out in unknown pain and surprise at the action. "H-Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

At the same time, Bakugo squeezed tighter as his fears leaked out a moment later. "I thought I lost you. Fuck, don't scare me like that..."

Although at the sound of her voice and groans, Bakugo immediately pulled away before actually examining her appearance, and the injuries that she had received in the time they were apart.

He couldn't help but notice the stab wounds around her chest and the large bloody gash over her eye with horror. He hated to admit it, but she looked half dead right now. "What happened, what the fuck happened to you?!"

Amari opened her mouth to reply when all out came out was a hard cough as flecks of blood appeared onto her lips before whipping them away a moment later with a rushed tone. "L-Lots of things, but now isn't the time. Y-You have to help me Katsuki..."

Nodding his head, Bakugo then grabbed her face in his hands before already eyeing the exit. She seemed frantic about something but the boy could care less, only seeing her deteriorating state. "You're damn right. I'm getting you out of here.."

Although a moment later, his sister shook her head, desperation in her expression. "N-No, not that. It's Shoto.."

Bakugo cut her off a moment later though, ready to reject whatever it was she was going to say. "Who the hell cares about icy hot?! He's outside, exactly where you should be right now!"

He was about to scold her even more before feeling her small shaky hands grab onto his shirt before shaking her head once more, his sister's scratchy tone taking up the conversation. "N-No, he's missing, He went back in. K-Katsuki we have to find him..."

Although the uneven tone in her voice caused Bakugo to raise his eyes in concern. "What? To hell with that, he can take care of himself. You're more important right now you idiot."

Amari couldn't help but frown at that, sucking in a shaky breath as she seemingly tried to reason with her brother. "H-He can't defend himself right now and you know it. He needs our help, he needs us...I can't do it alone...I need your help..."

Looking up towards the second floor, the girl then closed her eyes as another wave of pain crashed into her back continuing. "Y-You check the bottom floor and I'll take the top. If we work together...we can find him faster..."

Yet Katsuki was not thrilled about the idea of the slightest, lifting his hands up in anger as Amari already started to turn away. "Whoa whoa whoa, I'm not doing shit. If you think I'm leaving you alone again you have another thing coming to you. Look at you, you look like hell..."

The female Bakugo was also less than pleased about his defiance though, choosing to grip onto his jacket even tighter with clear desperation and need. "K-Katsuki please, I can't do this alone. I need your help to find him…I don't want to do it alone...I need you…"

And it was true. As much as she wanted to race through the warehouse by herself, Bakugo knew she had a limited time frame before her internal organs failed completely. Either that or she would bleed out before completing any of her goals.

She hated it, but Amari realized she couldn't do this alone and save him, she just couldn't.

Although from Katsuki's side, the boy just stood frozen, taking in his sisters words all at once for one single solitary reason. And that was because this was the first time Amari had ever asked for help directly, the first time she had ever put blind faith into him for anything since they were kids.

Time and time again she would always just make her own reckless decisions but now it seemed like she was finally letting Katsuki into her world, like she was fully ready to rely on her brother for help.

First with this war and now Todoroki, she was trusting him to back up her, to support her. The actions itself were so big and unexpected for her and Bakugo didn't know how to take it. She had grown so much in this past year, hadn't she?

And on one hand, the boy wanted to turn her down flat, to forcibly pick her up and drag her out of this war before she got herself killed, to protect her in a small bubble so that she would never be hurt again..

But where would that leave them, where would that leave their relationship?

It would be just as broken as it was a year ago if that was the case. If he trampled on her trust then Katsuki wasn't sure if he'd ever get it again, and that was something the boy couldn't even bear to think about.

The last year together had truly shown him the kind of person his sister grew up to be, the scars that she carried and the need to always be alone and independent. But now, things were different, now she trusted him and that was something that Katsuki couldn't just ignore.

And he knew that if he turned down her request then his sister would probably fight him on it, that she would race forward into danger by herself just like her had done all those times before. No, that wasn't going to happen anymore, not on his watch.

So because of that, the boy closed his eyes in frustration before cursing under his breath hastily. "God damn it, fine. I get it. I'll look for icy hot with you. But I swear to god Amari, the minute we find him I'm dragging you out of here even if I have to carry you, you got that? And there better be no complaints either…"

Nodding her head, Amari chuckled to herself at his words before coughing into her shaky palm a moment later, wiping the blood on her pants so her brother couldn't see. "I-I promise, just focus on finding him okay?"

Katsuki shook out his hands in preparation for another fight before already surveying the space. He needed to find that icy hot bastard quickly before his sister's condition worsened. "Whatever, just stay out of the way, and don't do anything stupid."

Seeing him turn his back around, Amari suddenly felt a hot ball of emotion in her throat before calling back to her brother with unknown desperation. There was something inside of her that wanted to see him one last time, given everything that was about to happen. "K-Katsuki, wait…"

At the sound of her voice, her brother turned back only to find Amari's sad eyes, staring at him with so much admiration and love. "You know you're the best brother I could have asked for right?"

Widening his eyes at her words, Katsuki stood silent before thinking about all of the times he had let her down and twisted her mind before this moment. What the hell was she saying, he was such a goddamn mess and a pretty shit brother at that. "What the hell does that mean?"

Although Amari only shrugged her shoulders before giving him a small smile as tears lined the corners of her eyes a moment later. "I-I don't know, we are in a war and I don't really know what's gonna happen so I guess I just wanted to say that I'm just thankful to have you. I love you Katsuki, never forget that, okay?"

A small warning bell set off in his mind at that and before Bakugo could even process it, his legs were already moving towards his sister, wrapping his hands around either side of her face before bumping heads together lightly. "Idiot, it's you I'm thankful for..."

Feeling uneasy chills down his spine the boy continued. "And don't you even start with that bullshit. This war, it's nothing for us. So, don't act like we are some weak kids or whatever. Didn't you forget? We are Bakugo's damn it..."

But much as Amari wanted to believe those words, to fully give into the safety that he was presenting, the girl knew better.

If it wasn't for Sir Nighteye's prediction, if she didn't know what was actually coming then maybe she would have believed in them. But unfortunately, the girl couldn't be that naive.

But in this moment, Amari willed herself to believe that for just a moment, the idea of surviving this night. "Yeah, you're right. The Bakugo Dream Team doesn't give up, do they?"

At the sound of their nickname for each other, Katsuki only rolled his eyes before lightly pushing his sister's head back with a silent groan, knowing that she would probably never get over that stupid name. "Damn right they don't."

Closing her eyes at his kind words, Amari immediately missed the heat from her brother's forehead before she pulled away a moment later, seeing the determination in his eyes. "Now let's kick some ass."

A moment later, the blond haired girl shared in his energy before seeing him leave her side as Katsuki raced through the Nomu and villains to find Todoroki, causing Amari to narrow her eyes as he disappeared with the crowds.

She still felt uneasy with the idea of him going off alone but she also knew she had to trust her brother like he did for her. Katsuki was strong so he would be able to cover more ground from the bottom level.

Now, it was time for her part as well.

Although as she stepped forward, her entire body racked with a pain extremely familiar to her. It was something that she had been instilled with as a child, the one thing that kept her from caving under the pressure of her own misery time and time and again, It was the desire to fight and keep moving was one the only thing forcing her to move with each step.

Her mind that was filled with past chaos was now empty, focusing on her shaking feet as the girl pushed herself one step further, one step closer to ending this once and for all.

It didn't matter if each intake of breath suffocated her, she didn't care about the blood dripping down her side and pooling onto the ground with each agonizing drop. No, the only thing that mattered was that Todoroki Shoto was still in this building, and she was going to get him out no matter what.

And it wasn't just Todoroki, everyone that she loved and cherished was also in this crumbling warehouse, fighting with everything they had in order for her to be freed. And although all of them didn't really know the real consequences of today's battle, Amari did.

She knew exactly what was going to happen if she stepped back inside. It was a death wish, a suicide mission but even so Bakugo still forced her shaky legs to move forward.

The girl wasn't stupid or foolish into thinking that she would be able to walk out of this battle tonight, although that didn't mean that she wasn't going to stop supporting her family and friends until her very last breath.

In her eyes, Amari was still alive so there was no other choice than to fight for everyone else's futures, everyone else's dreams. It was the least she could do after they saved her and helped her reach further than she could have ever done by herself.

All of Todoroki's kind words suddenly filled her ears and the girl twisted her lips shut in order to calm herself down and pull herself together all over again. He had to be alive, he had to be safe. If not then she would die in a completely new way.

Back at the sports festival she feared that her presence would ruin him and if that truly was the case today then Amari wasn't sure what she would do. She was selfish in loving him, in dragging him into this war and the girl silently prayed that the universe wouldn't be that cruel to take him away because of that.

Her past self had warned her of this outcome but the girl didn't listen, being lost in his arms, his voice and the hopeful future that she longed to join him in. And although it was nice to dream about those kinds of things, Amari had now woken up, knowing that kind of forever was never meant to be hers.

Now the only thing that mattered was his safety, his family and his happiness. It didn't matter if she couldn't be a part of it. Amari knew she couldn't be that selfish because if it was between her life and his, then she already knew what she was going to choose.

Forcing her way further into the building, Bakugo leaned over the side of the wall before sucking in a breath as she felt her insides burn her from the inside at an agonizingly slow rate, fighting a wave of dizziness that washed over her immediately. Crap, she really was in bad shape.

But the only thing on her mind was still Todoroki.

His past state of mind already worried her, the girl realizing that Todoroki was completely under the influence of All for One's torture and drugs when she found him just before the fight.

He could barely even open his eyes before so Bakugo was terrified to even think about him trying to defend himself. He was vulnerable right now and she feared for what that meant.

Although that's when Bakugo saw a flicker of blue fire out of the corner of her eye towards the second floor causing the girl's heart to stop completely.

If Todoroki wasn't on the first floor then he had to be up there, with All for One..

Almost immediately, Amari raced forwards towards the fallen debris that Katsuki had mostly cleared before using her hands to dig through the rest of the rubble quickly, ignoring the cuts and slashes that appeared on her hands at the action.

Once she was finished, the girl took no time to stubble up the small steps as she leaned onto the wall for support, turning the corner just in time to see Toya fly across her vision into the wall a couple feet away from her.

Gasping at the sight, Bakugo's eyes widened as she saw the burns and steam radiating off of the man, his eyes twisted into intense hatred before a large wave of blue flames blocked her vision a moment later.

All for One didn't seem bothered though, swiping his hand away in order to dissipate the fire before Amari took in the scene as an unsaid ball of anxiety and horror washed over her immediately. She was so blinded about Todoroki that she had forgotten about what Toya had done.

And seeing him now, his choice was painfully real, watching the black haired man getting utterly destroyed by All for One all by himself. She couldn't help but be slightly frustrated by the fact, knowing that she could've helped him but he had just pushed her away to do it alone.

And obviously that wasn't the correct choice as she noticed the burns and newly opened gashes that had appeared on his body from the last time he had seen him.

Why was he still fighting alone, why did he push her out of the way of this fight? It was obvious he couldn't take on All for One by himself. This stupid asshole just wanted her gone for no apparent reason and he was going to die all because of this stubborn stupid pride, wasn't he?

No, not if she had anything to do with it.

Suddenly, a new sense of urgency washed over her as Bakugo lifted up her hands before stumbling up in front of the oldest Todoroki and forcing her quirk to put up a gold shield around Toya the moment All for One's attack reached them.

Widening his eyes at the slight gold shimmer around them, Toya grumbled in annoyance before watching her quirk break a moment later as the attack was deflected. "What are you doing here? I don't need your help.."

Yet Amari was less than pleased at his presence as well, hunching over at the fire inside of her before spitting out angrily. "Obviously you do cause you're getting your ass kicked."

Coughing a couple times, Toya saw her blood pool around her lips before the girl continued a moment later. "What the hell is your problem, why did you push me out of a goddamn window?! I was trying to save you, you crusty skinned asshole...!"

Toya rolled his eyes a moment later before physically pushing the small girl away from the fight as he huffed, using his fire to block another one of All for One's hits. "I didn't ask to be saved, or did you forget that? Just go and leave this to me sweetheart. I pushed you away because I don't need a sixteen year old child to protect me."

Although Amari didn't seem to like that answer either, choosing to run back up to him before letting off the biggest explosion she could muster in All for One's direction. "Well, too damn bad! Stop trying to do this alone when you don't have to! Open your fucking eyes Toya, being alone doesn't make you stronger. I should know, I've been fighting that my entire life..!"

Toya watched her arm immediately twitch at the action, fighting muscle spasms as he replied. "Those are some heroic words for someone that's on death's door right now. Give it a rest, Little Bakugo. It's embarrassing to watch."

Yet she only ticked her eyes in fury, her Bakugo side seeping out along with her self control. "Excuse me? The only thing embarrassing to watch is your obvious denial. I'm not dead yet, so better get used to me you pathetic burnt bastard!"

Scoffing, Toya pushed her shoulder back before letting off his flames towards All for One who was just watching the interaction with interest. He had just let her go, he had given her a chance to run away and she wasn't taking it.

Instead, she had run back into a fight that she knew she was going to lose. He didn't understand it, he didn't understand why she was willingly destroying herself for nothing. "Oh, give it a rest already. You're making me sick with all your sweet talk. This is my fight to finish, so stay out of my way and get out of there already. Go reunite with Little Sho..

To prove his point, Toya forcibly pushed her out of the way, before blocking another of All for One's long rage attacks as Amari muttered back darkly. "That's easier said than done..."

Twisting his brow in confusion, the two then locked eyes before the man replied back a moment later. "What are you talking about?"

Bakugo then scoffed in annoyance before lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear, malice and disdain laced in her tone. "Not that you'd care, but Shoto's missing, he went back inside somewhere..."

Widening his eyes a fraction of a second later, Toya's heart stopped before taking in her words. His little brother was missing? He thought he was outside with the rest of his dumb ass family. So that's why Amari was back, to save him.

Although if that was the case, that still didn't explain why she was here now, fighting by his side. She obviously had more important things to do right now. "If that's true, then why are you here?"

The air was silent for a moment before Amari's eyes softened just slightly, sadness laced in her voice. "Toya, I already told you. I care about you along with your family. You really think I'd leave you after all this time?

Her gentle tone couldn't be denied as Bakugo finished with a soft whisper. "As much as you may not believe it, you deserve to be saved too."

A small silence appeared once again as Toya stood dumbfounded at her words. It was obvious she was dying and desperate for his brother, so if that was the case why was she still fighting for him, why was she still trying to save him?

It should've been obvious by now that he wasn't worth saving, but she still hadn't given up for some reason.

Toya barely had enough time to process her words before a gold shield appeared in front of his body as the pieces shattered a moment later, causing Amari to grunt loudly next to him.

He knew she had a hero complex but her determination was only killing her, and that made the oldest Todoroki even more angry.

Toya could feel his skin twitch as he overheated far faster than before. "Again with that, just give it a rest already! I am never going back to that family and if you are seriously going to stay here and believe that then you are going to die that way..."

He was expecting Amari to come to some sort of realization at his words, to fully realize how stupid she was being in this moment. Although instead, he was only met with five simple words. "Fine, so be it then."

This got the man to twist his brow in utter shock and confusion, blocking another attack before shouting back in frustration.

She didn't know what she was saying, she surely didn't know what that really meant "How stupid can you possibly be?! What about Little Sho that you love so much, what about that dumpster fire of a family or your dumb ass brother? You aren't proving anything by being this stubborn..."

As he felt his own skin start to steam with unknown desire and frustration, the man voiced one of his most ongoing thoughts, the one that he could never understand. "Stop trying to save everyone and everything when they don't deserve it! How about you save yourself for once and stop being so fucking righteous all the time?! No one asked for your pity."

Although that's when Amari laughed bitterly to herself before letting off another explosion towards the villain, a few times larger than before. He had no idea, he didn't know the kind of turmoil and devastation that filled her mind.

He had no right to say she didn't care about her life. "Save myself? Don't you get it, I don't get saved, that's the whole fucking point! That's what I've known since the fucking beginning, okay?! I've always known how it was going to end since I was a kid when they told me I couldn't use my quirk. You don't have any fucking right tell me what I'm feeling right now..."

Balling her hands into firsts, Amari could feel her self control slipping as another reckless explosion escaped her palms, one after the other. It was almost like she couldn't control them. "The minute I stepped into this warehouse I knew that I wouldn't get to see the future I wanted, I knew I wouldn't get to open an agency with my brother or spend the rest of my life with Shoto.."

Toya watched as her muscles twitched under the pressure of the explosions but it seemed like she couldn't notice them, that or she didn't care. "Of course I want to live but you are more important to me, everyone else is more important to me! I can only do so much, so just let me protect you damn it!"

The amount of devastation and raw unsaid sadness was clear across her face as Toya stood in silence, taking in her words. If she wanted all of those things then why was she here, why was she willingly signing them away? It didn't make any sense to him.

Then she watched as the oldest Todoroki seemingly rolled his eyes at her statement, unsaid frustration etched on his brow. "You are such a pain in my ass all the time. You could've had all of those things if you weren't so damn stubborn. Any sane person would've just left by now, you know that right?"

Yet Amari only shook her head, the heat building up inside of her ever so quickly. "Yeah well, I think we should know by now that my brain is pretty fucked up. Get used to it..."

Toya then watched her weak arms push him aside with all the power she had before throwing up a shield a moment later to lessen the blast. "L-Look out..!"

As the man turned around, the two found themselves back to back with each other, staring down the blue fire that had almost consumed the space as both broken children huffed out a breath together.

On even ground, Toya felt his flames flicker in the palm of his hand before shaking his head at the idiotic statements she was making. It made no sense for her to be here and it was pissing him off.

Muttering to himself, the man then made his annoyance known as he just barely whispered out in a voice for Amari to hear. "This is ridiculous. Why didn't you just listen to that damn letter? Then Little Sho or you wouldn't have been involved in the first place. But you were too stupid to even realize that, weren't you?"

This caused Amari to stop in her tracks, turning towards Toya for a moment before twisting her brow in confusion. What was he even talking about? "H-Huh?"

Although that's when All for One took his chance, using his quirk to teleport behind the girl and sending her flying across to the other side of the warehouse, away from Toya. "Oh, what a foolish move to be distracted like that. I thought I trained you better pet."

Landing on the hard floor, Amari rolled over before coughing out even more blood from her own suffocating lungs, trying to process what she had just heard with her mind racing and trying to distract herself from the pain.

Toya mentioned something about a letter, about how she didn't get the message inside. But that didn't make any sense, the only letter she received was from All for One after her provisional exams.

Yet that's when the girl widened her eyes, recalling the words on the page that she had just ignored before.


This is your last chance Little Bakugo

Go back to him before you regret it


At first glance there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with the threat, having to have recently received these kinds of messages all the time. But on further inspection Amari really did find it weird how All for One had called her "Little Bakugo" something she had never heard from him before from his letters. It was always "Little One"

Although at the time she played it off as the man just getting creative but now that she really thought about it, the only one that called her that nickname was...

Immediately turned her head to Toya across the room the two then locked eyes before Amari finally put all the pieces together. All for One didn't send that letter, did he?

It was Dabi, he was trying to warn her about all of this from the beginning.

She was quickly interrupted by the sound of low laugher before hearing All for One's voice cut through her thoughts immediately. "Now, what should we do with you? You've caused me quite a bit of trouble, haven't you?"

Widening her eyes, Amari immediately tried to crawl away from the man before he simply reached down and grabbed onto her leg, forcibly dragging her open wounds and scars back to the center of the floor where they were before. "I could kill you, but that would be too simple. Perhaps I should start with killing everyone you love in front of you. Will you learn obedience then?"

He then threw her in front of Toya's feet as she closed her eyes in unsaid agony, stuttering back brokenly. "If you try that, that will be the last thing you ever do. I promise you that. Leave Toya out of this."

Yet a kick to her ribs stopped her own words as the villain hummed back. "But why? Watching you tear each other apart is truly fascinating I must say..."

Pressing his foot into Amari's back, the girl squeaked out in agony as he forced his shoe on her wounds, opening them even more. "S-Stop it. J-Just let him go..."

As the blood pooled around her body at a rapid rate, All for One only seemed pleased by the results, pushing deeper as black spots appeared around her vision a moment later. "You should stop your foolish behavior before it gets yourself killed. What a shame that would be, years of work just down the drain for what?"

And as much as Bakugo tried to fight back, every twist into her wounds made her immediately cease up in agony, knowing that she was dying very slowly. It couldn't end like this, she needed to finish saving the Todoroki's...

Closing her eyes to push down a scream, suddenly a small voice in the corner of the room caused everyone in question to turn around, the familiarity of it almost bringing tears into her eyes. "A-Amari...?"

Immediately flinging her eyes open, both Toya and Amari locked onto the eyes of a very scared and frightened Shoto before both of them felt his name drip from their lips..

For Amari, it was his first name, filled with such devastation and fear and what he had unknowingly walked in on. "S-Shoto..."

But for Toya, he couldn't help but spill out the words before he could even process them, his mind growing blank at the danger that he was in. "Sho.."

Although that was all the destruction All for One needed before using his power to throw Toya into the neatest wall before stomping onto Amari's back as she cried out in immense agony as all of her limbs immediately grew numb.

Then he turned towards the boy before smiling to himself. "Ah Little Todoroki, so wonderful to see you again..."

The sound of his voice immediately made Amari's body freeze, the malice in his tone already telling his intent. No, no he wanted them away from the fighting, that is why he threw Toya across the room.

He was going to do something to Todoroki, wasn't he? He was already out of it from All for One's torture, he couldn't defend himself like this. Fuck no..no...get up...get up Amari...do something...save him...!"

Throwing all the pride out of the window, Amari began to dig her nails into the floor before finding her body ultimately paralyzed from All for One's hit, her legs and arms no longer working. "N-No...d-don't...S-Shoto run..!"

Todoroki heard her shill voice before glaring at the scene before him, his eyes fighting the anesthesia and the effects of the villain's drugs as he swayed back and forth. "Let her go."

It was meant to sound intimidating but All for One could see through his facade, strolling up to him slowly in order to toy with them. "Oh so scary. You know, you're just the boy I wanted to see. My Little One is having some trouble following orders so I think she needs some motivation. Think you can provide for her lover boy...?"

Widening her eyes, a heavy sob escaped her lips as Bakugo cried back with no regard for herself. "N-No...no please don't...take me...just don't hurt him..."

He seemed to have amusement in her words, humming back to Todoroki. "You hear that little Todoroki? She really does love you. It's a shame I'll have to break you a bit because of her rebellion though. Try not to take it to heart.."

Seeing his hand come up, Todoroki immediately lifted his own to counter as ice crystals started to form around his fingers. Although, due to the drugs and medication, his reflexes were much slower than before, only getting one shot off before the villain approached him.

He then swatted his ice quirk away like nothing before immediately grabbing onto his right arm and chuckling towards Amari, forcing her to watch what he was about to do. "You see this, this is your fault. Remember that."

A moment later, All for One used his immense strength before squeezing the boy's arm until a loud sickening crack was heard throughout the room, Todoroki letting out a cry of pain before slumping onto the floor.

Gasping in horror, hot tears poured down her face before Amari screamed out to her love that was slowly being broken. "S-Stop it, oh god stop it please...get away from him...take me instead...just stop please...!"

Her screams filled the air before All for One quickly picked Shoto up by his neck, lifting him off the ground for Amari to see, frantic eyes taking up her vision immediately. "Mmm you hear that? I told you she knows who she belongs to little Todoroki."

Seeing her tears fill her eyes, Todoroki immediately tried to break free to no avail, knowing that Amari was being utterly destroyed right now by the sight in front of her. All for One was using him to torutre her, to scar her forever.

If it wasn't for the anesthetic and All for One's constant torture he would've been able to break free but now it seemed like it was impossible.

He didn't want to be responsible for her tears, he didn't want her to think that this was her fault. He wanted to tell her everything was okay and that falling in love with him wasn't a mistake. He wanted to, but he couldn't, and that destroyed him even more.

And to drive the point home even clearer, the villain lifted up the boy even higher before expressing his fake pity to the shaking crying child. "Oh poor thing, you know it's your fault, don't you? If he had never loved you, you had never selfishly dragged him into your life then he wouldn't die here today. But now because of you, this boy has to pay the price..."

Then he slowly began to dig his fingers into Todoroki's skin as blood started to drip down from his neck in a single line, the words of the villain haunting her forever. "That's right, it's your fault this happened, never forget that Little One..."

Forcing her fingers into the ground, Amari willed everything in her body to move before screaming back with everything she had as Todoroki's eyes grew even more dull by the moment.

No, please no, he couldn't be the sacrifice, he couldn't die. Why couldn't she move, why was she so useless right now?! "No...!"

Todoroki's eyes started to lull closed before a bright blue light entered around them, filling up the entire area and burning the hand that was enclosed around the boy's throat, causing him to let go a moment later.

Falling to the floor instead, Amari watched in shock as a very familiar man strolled up to the boy before Todoroki locked his eyes on his savior. "Sorry but that's not happening."

The two then watched as Toya strolled through the blue flames, an unreadable expression on his face before Todoroki stuttered out brokenly. "D-Dabi..?"

Given the information he had, the boy was utterly confused about his savior, wondering why Dabi of all people would've saved him. He was a villain, wasn't he? What did he have to gain from saving his life?

Although that's when the man softened his eyes into an expression Todoroki had only seen once before as the man smirked sadly, his words suddenly bringing a new sense of clarity into his eyes. "Don't hurt yourself Little Sho.."

As involuntary as it was, that one phrase, told Todoroki all he needed to know, recalling one of the only conversations that he had shared with his brother as a child. His tone, his eyes and that phrase, it brought so many memories back into his mind immediately.

There was no justification or proof for his words, but he believed him even still. "Toya..?"

And when he uttered that name, Toya's expression widened, wondering how he put those pieces together, even after he tried so hard to hide them all of these years. Five little words, was that all it took for everything to come crashing down around him?

Quickly stumbling towards his feet, Todoroki immediately made his way over to Amari, forcing the idea of his brother away for the moment before falling down towards his knees to see her withering state.

Her eyes were closed, causing the boy to shake her back into her senses immediately. "Amari, open your eyes for me. I'm right here, I'm okay, look.."

Lulling her head to the side, Bakugo forced her eyes open before Todoroki fully took in her injuries, a breath of terror entering his throat at the sight. She looked dead. "S-Shoto, you have to...you have to..."

Although the boy only shushed her before lightly replying. "I'm not going anywhere, not without you."

Just then her words grew frantic, forcing her bloody hands onto his shirt before stuttering out brokenly, like she was taking everything inside of her to tell him this piece of information. "D-Dabi..he's...he's your..."

But she was stopped when a light shaky hand met hers, his eyes boring into her with newly found understanding. That proved it to him, his theory was right. The man that had saved him was in fact his brother. "I know. That's what you were trying to tell me before, wasn't it? I'm sorry I didn't realize it before, your reason."

Tears began to well up in her eyes before Todoroki wiped them away a moment later. "We will talk about it later but I'm going to get you out of here, okay? That's a promise, just stay here."

Todoroki then watched as All for One started to move behind Toya, causing the boy to quickly lift up his arm before using his fire side to burn the man in question, enough so that his brother would know someone was there.

Turning around quickly, Toya got the message before aiming his own flames towards the villain in question, sending him further away before hearing the rough sounds of footsteps make their way up to stand beside him.

At first he thought it was Bakugo, fully ready to yell at her again for getting involved. Although that's when he saw the two tone hair as the boy breathed heavily beside him. "W-We have to regulate our fire together. It's the only way to cause damage to him for a short time, since I can't use my ice anymore.."

Twisting his brow in utter confusion, Toya couldn't believe what he was seeing. "And why would I do that?"

Although Todoroki only looked at him sadly before seeing All for One make his way to his feet. "I'm sorry it took so long but I understand now, I understand you Toya..."

And that was something that Toya thought it would never hear from his family, never mind little Shoto, the same boy that he had found crying too many times to count.

But unlike when we were kids, there was a new sense of softness to his voice, something that didn't know he had missed until just now. His brother's voice was so warm, so welcoming.

He always thought then when his little brother found out that he would be disgusted, that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with him. That's why this warmth was so strange to him, it was as if the two had accepted each other. How strange.

So much so that he couldn't deny it any longer, it couldn't ignore the fact that Shoto had figured out who he was. He just couldn't. "You don't understand anything about me Sho.."

Then at the same time, they saw All for One barrel towards them as both Toya and his brother aimed their fire in his direction before letting out a powerful burst of flames together.

The mix of blue and red swirled into her vision as Amari took in the sight of brother and brother, supporting each other, helping each other. Yes it was just a small movement but it was something she thought she would never see. It almost made her cry.

Yes, she could die like this. She could die if it meant they fully understood each other now.

She tried to watch the fight to the best of her abilities but Amari felt her eyes and limbs grow heavier with each breath, knowing that she wasn't going to last much longer. Even her vision was growing clouded as the mix of colored fire filled the sky.

After what seemed like forever, Amari forced herself to open her eyes again only to see All for One about to use his quirk on Todoroki, causing the girl to immediately wake her body back up. Wait a minute, why was she being useless. They needed her, the Todoroki's needed her...!

So much so that Bakugo focused as much power as she could, causing a light gold shimmer to appear over Todoroki's body just as All for One's hit reached him, giving him enough time to counter it with his fire.

The gold dissipated a moment later as Amari wheezed out a breath before All for One spoke towards her with disappointment. "Oh Little One, you are testing my patience. Why can't you just sit still?"

Turning his body towards the small girl, Todoroki and Toya immediately aimed their quirks toward the man only for him to tear down one of the overhanging beams as it fell in between him and the two boys, leaving them on the opposite side of the flames.

Cursing under his breath, Todoroki's eyes grew wide before only hearing the villain's voice, wondering how he was going to reach Amari in time. "I suppose we will just have to try harder, hmm?"

And on the other side of the flames, All for One reached the girl before picking her up by her throat, gazing at her with disappointment. "You know I never meant to kill you, but if things continue like this then I will have no choice.."

The villain then smiled before using his quirk to slam Amari into the ground, causing the area to crumble beneath her as she fell through the floor and towards the first floor level. "Amari..!"

Todoroki just barely had time to widen his eyes before a sickening thud sounded from below them as Amari's back slammed against the hard pavement before blood began to pool around her in an ominous circle.

Looking down at the damage, Todoroki didn't see her move from the spot, her glassy eyeing only staring forward as he cried out in devastation. "N-No..No...Amari no no...!"

Hot tears made its way towards his eyes before they were quickly distracted by All for One cruel voice, amusement in the scene before him. "What a pity that I had to go through such lengths.."

Almost immediately, his devastation was replaced by a hot fiery rage, already feeling his left side spark with flames. He did this, he was responsible for hurting her. "Y-You, you're going to pay for that. I'll make sure of it.."

Although All for One didn't really seem concerned, only chuckling back. "Oh? And if you do that, it won't make you a hero anymore Little Todoroki. It would make you like your brother.."

He expected the boy to be shaken by that, to be distracted by what he was suggesting but even Toya was surprised when the boy only hissed back with clear intent as the flames and hatred consumed his entire body. "I don't care."


Seeing the sky fill up with a fiery mix of blue and red, Amari blankly stared at the colors as the hole in the ceiling that All for One had created looked down on her in silent wait, waiting for her to die, waiting for her to finally give into the warmth that surrounded her.

Everything felt so calm, so wonderful as her entire body began to relax all at once, the black spots appearing into her vision once again. Everything was so pretty, the sky, the fire, she really wanted to give into them.

Forcing her head to the side, Bakugo then looked at the surroundings next to her, vaguely making out the shapes of blurs as they fought a few feet away from her. There was no sound, just the mass of strangers that her brain wouldn't let her process.

Just then, one voice traveled above the rest, his tone terrified as it broke through her silent state, the tone further away then she would've liked. "A-Amari...!"

Opening her eyes at the sound of the voice, she blinked away the spots before her mind focused on a very familiar set of red eyes from across the room, his blonde hair dripping with sweat as she realized that she liked his voice.

Almost immediately, her mind seemed to wake up from her delusions as she recognized Katsuki staring at her from across the room, scared into silence before recalling the fight that led her to this point.

That was right, Todoroki was fighting with Toya and she was dying. That's what that fire was before, it was them, wasn't it?

She forced her muscles to move enough to tell her brother she was okay but they seemed frozen in place as well. It seemed she really was useless. Everyone was fighting and she was just going to die like this.

Although that's when a small object entered the corner of her mind, now seeing the very same syringe that All for One had threatened Todoroki with at the beginning of the war.

It was just laying there, alone and just close enough for her to grab.

She knew the effects of the villains quirk enhancement more than anyone, that it would super charge her quirk so that she could use more power but that also meant using stamina she didn't have. She would die before the effects wore off.

The risk was something that Amari had realized immediately, staring at the object before watching everyone fight around her. She couldn't just give up like this. She was so close, so close to accomplishing something, to changing something. She couldn't give up now, she couldn't be a coward.

So what if Amari was going to die, the girl already knew that, but if she could use that last bit of power to save everyone, then she already knew that she had to do.

Reaching her fingers out with the rest of her power, Bakugo slowly felt her fingertips touch the syringe before turning back to her brother, unsaid emotions passing through their eyes.

Even though she hadn't said anything for what she was about to do, it seemed Katsuki knew. Perhaps it was twin telepathy or something but the minute they locked eyes, her brother's stance immediately crumbled into devastation.

He knew what she was about to do, didn't he?

Forcing a small smile onto her face, Amari felt her eyes cloud with tears as she watched Katsuki immediately run towards her, hopeful to stop what came next. But it was too late, he was too far away from her.

Then she looked at her brother for the last time before mouthing the words she knew he understood immediately. "I love you Katsuki. Goodbye."

Wrapping her fingers around the syringe, Amari then jammed the object into her leg before letting the burning liquid fill her immediately, the pain absolutely immeasurable as she let out a choked scream before closing her eyes a moment later.

She felt herself dying, she felt the liquid overtake her in a single motion before a large burst of gold escaped her body at once, the shimmer filling up the entire space before Amari's eyes grew dull as the life escaped through her tears.

All at once, the pain stopped, everything stopped, and the only thing left was her determination to end this once and for all before her heart inevitably stopped as well.


Okay okay I'm so sorry but I gotta break this up again. I know I keep saying two more chapters and then adding on but I really wanna get this out before Christmas and there is a ton of material left to add. I work retail and I've been given 8 hour shifts like crazy so I just haven't had time. I know it's a rough cliff hanger but I'll get the next part out in a couple days :)

Well, Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoy the pain!

Also I know Hawks and Endeavor aren't in this one, there is a reason.

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