SUMMARY: Todoroki Touya is the son of Japan's number two hero. Ever since he got his quirk, his father began training him ruthlessly. He wasn't given a choice to be the kind of hero he wants to be as his father tries to mould him into a better, stronger version of himself in his goal to surpass All Might. Touya began to lose himself in hatred and madness. He wanted to be saved but who would believe Japan's number two is as bad as the villains they all see?

Over the years, Touya began to doubt how society sees heroes. No one saw the dark side of heroes but him. He could see through their pretences and he began to despise how society put these fake heroes on a pedestal as if they're all perfect. So he made it his mission. He will change society, expose the ugly truth. The world will burn and he'll walk over their ashes.

This is my take on how Todoroki Touya became Dabi.

A/N: This is a side story of my main fic a title "To be a Hero" where it will be Touya/Dabi-centric. The story will eventually converge with my main one.

Prologue

It was every child with a quirk's dream to be a hero. Everyone wants to be at the top. Everyone wants to be someone amazing. Touya used to dream of being a hero, just like his father. He wanted to be as strong, heroic and intimidating as Japan's number two hero. He wanted to catch the bad guys and save the day. He wanted…

He wanted all the pain and suffering to stop.

"Get up!" said his father harshly.

Touya kneeled on the floor, body trembling with exertion. Sweat dripped from the tips of his hair, nose and chin down to the floor, staining the wood dark. He gritted his teeth, his eyes stung with tears at the pain on his arms, he shook his head, "I – I can't."

He grimaced when his father grabbed him by the hair, his hands automatically flying up to grasp at his father's wrist. Enji pulled him up to his feet and he let out a strangled cry. He stumbled when his father released him. Enji glared at him intensely, "Do it again."

Touya held back a sob as he brought his trembling hands up. He tapped into his quirk and summoned flames to his shaky hands, they were a mixture of orange and blue. He hissed as the fire burned his skin. He threw his arms forward, sending the fire flying in an arch toward the practice dummies. However, it vanished before it reached the targets. Touya pulled his arms against his chest, he let out a sob, "I-it hurts!"

His father clicked his tongue, "Stop your snivelling, boy. Don't let your emotions overwhelm you, they'll only make you weak!"

Touya nodded his head mutely and tried to slow down his breathing. A mantra of 'men don't cry' repeating in his head over and over. He blinked his eyes to stop the tears. His father sighed heavily, "Let me see them."

Enji roughly grabbed his son's hands. The boy let out a pained cry as his father held his hands none too gently, inspecting them with narrowed eyes. The man frowned at the redness on his palms and up his arms to his elbows. He growled, "You need to learn to control the heat of your flames."

"H-How?" asked the boy shakily.

Enji sighed and summoned a ball of flame on his palm, "You need to breathe properly. Your fire is part of you, it breathes with you. Focus on regulating the heat without putting out your fire."

Touya nodded hesitantly. His father released his hand, "Your flame gets hotter as it grows stronger. You almost achieve a flame far hotter than mine."

"The blue flames," Touya whispered.

Enji stared at his son and scowled deeply. The boy had turned nine but his body was still too small, too thin. He's weak. It's infuriating! His firstborn was gifted with a strong quirk, a flame that could surpass his Hellfire. Unfortunately, Touya's body could not withstand such a powerful quirk. He was built too much like his mother. Not only that, his boy's will is too weak! He's afraid of his own flames for God's sake! It's disgraceful!

"Put some ointment on those. I'll give you two days to heal. Now, get out of my sight," he growled.

Touya bowed his head and quickly exited the training hall. He quickly went looking for his mother; she'll make it better. She'll take away his pain. She always does. His hands were still trembling as he held them close to his chest. He stopped outside his parents' room, "M-mom?"

"Is that you, Touya? Come in, my dear," said his mother's gentle voice.

He bit his bottom lip and tried to ignore the pain as he slid the door open. His mother was sitting by the futon, his new baby brother sleeping soundly in her arms. Touya quickly went to her side, "Mom."

Rei frowned at the red patches on his skin, "Oh, Touya…"

Her hand was cool against his skin and Touya sighed as the coolness soothed his pain a little. His mother put his brother down on the futon and went to fetch the first air box she kept in the drawer. She returned to his side and smiled gently, "Let's patch you up, alright?"

Touya sat quietly as he watched his mother apply the burn ointment on his skin. Her hands were careful and gentle, unlike his father. She wrapped his hands and arms with bandages and then put away the first aid box. She returned to his side and pulled him into a comforting hug. Her chin resting on top of his head. Touya wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose into her shoulder. His body shook as he cried silently.

Rei held him tightly, "Shh, it'll be alright, darling. I'm here."

"Why… why is he so cruel? Isn't he a hero?"

His mother cupped his face and wiped the tears with her thumbs. Her face was sad as she gazed into his eyes, "Your father… your father is a lost man."

Touya sniffed, "W-what do you mean?"

"Some men become consumed with greed and envy that they become blind. Your father, my husband, is one of them. He's consumed by the need to be stronger than All Might that he's become blind to the damages he's done to you, to us. He is a lost man."

Touya rubbed his eyes, "How do I make him see? How do I make him stop?"

"Oh, I wish I know, darling. I've tried to reason with him but my words fell on deaf ears…"

"Do you still love him?"

Rei lowered her gaze. She turned to stare at her youngest, Shoto. The baby was just four months old and she couldn't help but worry for his future. She hoped her youngest wouldn't inherit his father's fire like her other two children. She didn't want Shouto to suffer like Touya. She turned her attention to her eldest, "I'm not sure anymore."

"Well, I hate him," said Touya as he clenched his fists on his lap. He flinched as his skin stretched at his action. He relaxed his hands and stared at them with a frown, "I don't want to be like him!"

"Touya, you're nothing like him. You're you."

"I wished I have your quirk, mom."

Rei took his hands in hers gently, "A quirk is an extension of oneself. You may have a quirk similar to his, but it's still uniquely yours. It's how you use it that defines you."

Her son remained silent for a stretch of time. He then met her eyes, "Then I'll become stronger. I'll show him that I can get the blue flame and control it. I'll make him see what he's done to us. I'll make him realize that he's wrong."

Rei smiled uncertainly. The way her son's eyes darkened concerned her. She squeezed his hands gently, "There's my brave boy. I'll be watching you, Touya."

Touya smiled at his mother, "Thanks, mom."

"You're going to shine bright and surpass him. I believe in you."

Just blow out the candles
Oh, little boy, when will you learn?
You don't play with fire
Unless you wanna get burned
Wanna get burned.

(Grace VanderWall - Burned)

A/N: The title of Touya's story "Blow Out the Candle" is a quote from Grace VanderWaal's song, Burned. I love how poetic this phrase is.

The story in her song reminds me so much of Touya. The music gave off a sad and dramatic feel that fits the story I have in mind. It inspired me to start writing his side of the story sooner than I originally planned. Missio's Twisted is also another song I used as inspiration for Touya's story! That song gave off the madness and chaos that I feel fits Touya once he becomes Dabi.