Hi! I have tried to write the new chapter as soon as possible! And I hope I can be updating every Wednesday. Please leave me your comments to motivate me to continue translating my fanfic!
"Are you alright Enji?" the woman asked in a warm voice as she squeezed her hand linked to his.
Her husband beside her turned his face a little and looked at her peacefully. A slight, quick smile settled on his face.
"It was a good idea to come," he said as he ran his hand around her waist and pressed it against his.
"I was surprised you wanted to do it, but I'm happy about it."
Rei looked at him with a big smile on her face. Her warm gaze, her cheeks flushed like an excited little girl, and her joyous aura made Enji want to kiss her in the middle of that sidewalk, but he only returned the smile and gathered a bit of whitish hair behind her right ear. The driver appeared an instant later as they both got into the car, which was lost in the busy streets of the city.
The appointment with Rei's doctor had gone wonderfully. Previously, he had never included himself much in his wife's pregnancies, it was enough for him to be informed of the progress. Always claiming to be too busy at work to accompany her to appointments and checkups. Now he was looking at that very different and wanted to share with his wife these moments that he had previously missed.
Upon returning home the children were watching a movie with the young babysitter. They had put together a fort with pillows and had a feast of goodies to enjoy their movie.
Natsu ran to meet his mother, waving his arms and screaming for her. His arms wrapped around her as best they could and his face pressed against her swollen belly.
"Be careful Natsuo," Enji warned his son.
"Okay, okay," Rei said as she leaned down to kiss the face of her mischievous younger son, "how did you behave with Yukino-chan?"
"Good," he replied, and nodded vigorously.
"Natsu-kun is an adorable boy," the girl said.
"I hope you didn't have a problem with these little mischievous ones," the woman said with a discreet laugh.
"Not at all, Todoroki-sama has been a lot of fun, now I will help the children remove the pillows fort and go home to do homework," she replied kindly.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of it, right Natsu?"
The youngest of the Todoroki nodded and and directed a thumb up the girl who ruffled his hair.
"You are adorable Natsu-kun."
The boy's cheeks were painted the color of strawberries and he smiled nervously.
Rei gave the girl her pay and she politely said goodbye.
"Our driver is waiting outside to take you," Enji said.
"It is not necessary," she said ashamed.
"Of course I do," Rei replied, "come on, thanks for the help."
The young lady nodded and left the house.
The kids finished watching the movie and then helped their parents lift everything. Touya locked herself in his room with the excuse of having chores to do and Fuyumi stayed reading in the living room. While her mother, who felt tired, went to lie down in her bedroom.
Enji had a good time sitting in the backyard, lost in thought, as he watched the trees shake in the wind, the birds fluttered through the leaves, and the sun began to drop.
Soon it would be dinner time so he decided it would be good to help with that as his wife was still sleeping. When he went to the kitchen he heard noises coming from his training room, he cautiously approached and peeked through a small opening in the door. He looked at Natsu using his ice quirk, he was sweating and agitated apparently he already had time there. He was jumping while throwing blasts of ice, moving fast and with precision. He used his quirk to freeze the air for a moment and jump on it. He seemed very focused on what he was doing and that made Enji smile approvingly. Suddenly his foot slipped as he jumped from one piece of ice to another and he slammed to the ground, hitting his left side. His father heard him scream and without further ado he entered the room.
"Natsu, are you okay?" he asked as he reviewed it.
"It hurts a little." His eyes were filling with tears.
Enji lifted his son's shirt and looked at the huge bruise that was beginning to form. He placed his hand on his son's aching skin and began to radiate a little heat that relaxed his muscles and calmed heispain a bit.
"It doesn't burn me," Natsu said in surprise.
"I know," his father smiled, "what were you doing?"
His son looked away.
"I just wanted to ..." He paused, Touya used to tell him that he was sick of having to train and hurt himself, that he wished he had an ice quirk that his father wouldn't like. "Do you hate ice quirks?"
Enji finished applying heat to his son's blow, and sat next to him on the floor.
"No, I don't hate them."
Natsu jumped to his feet and with his fists clenched in front of his, he said:
"Then let me take my brother Touya's place ... I ... I ... I'm strong too dad"
Enji stand up and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. As watched him hold back the tears. Natsuo had been growing strong behind everyone's back so that he could help his brother and prevent him from suffering. The commitment he showed and his strong desire to protect his brother from pain pushed him every day to demonstrate that he could be what his father wanted, despite having an ice quirk.
"Natsu is not necessary."
Little Todoroki's face turned into a frustrated grimace. He lowered his face thinking that all his effort was not being taken into account. His father did not choose him, that made him want to cry. He felt tears welling up in his eyes and a lump in his throat. He lifted his face, squeezing the fabric of his shirt as a desperate attempt to avoid letting go of the cry that was kept in his chest. It couldn't be a weeping child, it had to be strong.
"I am strong," he said with all the determination his small body could contain.
His father looked at him with his piercing blue eyes and Natsuo couldn't help but feel self-conscious. He had never dared talk to his father like this before. He was a small child, but he learn quickly what things would be like at home if his father's wishes were not fulfilled. He still remembered the words he had dedicated to her a year earlier when his quirk showed up. He remembered the cold gaze and the little tact.
-It does not work…
Those had been his words after Natsuo showed him a small ice ball made by himself. The excited little boy had run to show his parents. Enji's disappointed face made him feel he was not helpful. Then his parents began to argue and he felt guilty for causing the screams that echoed throughout the house. Natsuo was taken by the hand of his older sister who appeared to lead him to Touya's room where her arms comforted him while he could still hear his parents yelling at each other.
"This is all bullshit," Touya exclaimed as he sat next to his brothers on the bed.
"Don't talk like that," Fuyumi rebuked him, who was stroking the whitish hair of her brother who rested his head on her lap.
"Sorry," Natsuo muttered, "I don't have a good quirk, it's my fault that they fight."
Touya patted him on the back and smiled gently at him.
"It's his fault ... not yours Natsu, you are perfect right Fuyu?"
The girl nodded with the lenses of her glasses beginning to blur with tears. She understood how her little brother felt because she had felt the same way when their father was disappointed in her quirk.
"You are perfect Natsu," Fuyumi whisper, joining her head with his.
The screaming had stopped, and then the door to the room opened. Their mother appeared with red eyes and forcing a smile for her children who looked at her with a saddened countenance.
Rei took Natsuo in her arms and sat on the edge of the bed. Her older children stayed by her side, leaning their cheeks on her.
"Sorry guys, your father and I shouldn't have screamed like that."
"Mommy, isn't my quirk useful?" asked the younger Todoroki weakly.
"Don't say that baby, you have a beautiful quirk that you should be proud of, you can achieve whatever you want with it, my love."
"Then why was Dad upset?"
"Because he is an idiot," Touya said quickly.
"Don't express yourself like that about your father," Rei chided.
"It's the truth." The older son jumped out of bed with his fists clenched at his side.
His mother took him by the hand and looked at him calmly.
"He just needs to realize he's making a mistake, son. Your father is not a bad man, believe me."
Touya sat next to her again and said nothing more. Fuyumi looked at her older brother and smiled at him. He had the right to be angry, he was the one who bore the brunt of having a quirk more or less suited to their father's purposes. Rei had spent a little more time talking to her children and comforting Natsuo.
After that Enji distanced himself a little more from his children, however, Touya was forced to train daily and had been injured countless times, his body was weak so Enji convinced Rei to have another child. This time she had not been as excited as the past times, but she worked hard every day to keep her family happy and together. Although this involved heavy emotional spending, mediating between her husband and the children was often difficult.
Natsuo had been feeling Touya's pain, and his mother's pressure all along. And now that he could do to face his father, having better control of his quirk, after that first scorn, he felt like he was being underestimate again. He was about to shout something when his father cut him off.
"You are a very strong boy Natsuo."
The little boy looked at him with a mixture of puzzlement and curiosity.
"You've gotten strong without help from anyone," his father continued, "well done."
"But Touya ..." he replied still confused.
"I'll let him stop forever his workouts, what do you think?"
Natsuo's face lit up with a huge smile and he couldn't help but jump to hug his father, or at least his legs. Releasing Touya from training was an even better achievement than being his replacement.
"Thanks, thanks"
Enji stroked his hair and thought this would be his first official step to fix his family's future. Have a good relationship with Natsuo.
"Come on, today you will be my assistant in the kitchen."
"Will you cook?" What if you burn the kitchen? he said laughing.
"That's why I need you there to use your ice."
He started to walk towards the door and his son followed with little jumps.
"Dinner is ready," Natsuo shouted, tugging on his mother's hand and hurry up his brothers.
"Calm down Natsu," Fuyumi said, "you're going to make Mom fall"
"Just a little slower, darling," said the mother.
When Rei and the children arrived at the dining room were surprised. The table was set and the dishes served. The menu was miso soup, rice, salad, and fried fish, all prepared by Enji with Natsuo's help.
Enji Todoroki appeared bringing a pitcher of iced tea that he placed in the center of the table.
"You've cooked?", Rei said, still surprised.
"I used to do it before, remember?" He said offering her a chair "Natsuo has helped me"
The little kid hug to his mother, happy to have helped with dinner for her and his brothers.
"Well done, my love." Rei kissed her son's face.
They all took their places at the table and dined together while chatting quietly. Rei felt a warmth in her chest that she hadn't felt long ago. She was relieved. She was certain that her husband had finally understood that he was making a mistake. She also knew that he was willing to make changes and she believed in him.
