1.

A small boy stood still as he watched the extravagance around him. Bandages consumed the upper left side of his face. The scar was still brimming with pain for the young boy. A comfortable seat was behind him but he ignored it in favour of leaning over the balcony bar. His small chubby face barely got over the metal railing. A white haired sixteen-year-old sat on the right of the boy. The white-haired teen watched the injured boy with a slight look of wariness in his striking teal eyes.

The teen, Natsuo, was never told how such an injury appeared. He had his guesses but every time he brought the question up, his father shot him down with a stern fiery glare. His mother had been sent away to hospital. Natsuo was given no details about her whereabouts. He had guessed the mother and son had been attacked. Whenever he asked the youngest sibling about what happened, the young boy would look away from his eyes and stare at the floor. He had given up trying to figure out the mystery. He was no detective so all the clues made no sense to him. His older sister, Fuyumi, was currently teaching her class.

"Natsuo, when will we go home?" The young boy's voice was too impassive for that of a five-year-old.

"Later Shouto, we haven't even started the top ten." Natsuo responded with extreme bored.

Shouto, the young boy twisted his neck to look at his older brother. He analysed the expression present on his sibling's face before craning his neck back at the stage. A large screen was illuminating the dark air. On the screen was the number 10 hero, Dragon hero Ryuku. She said that she was honoured but believed that she did not deserve it as there were many people that she failed to save.

Shouto almost sneered at the woman. His training had told him to keep a poker face at all times. Could the woman not take praise. Here she was, getting huge bouts of praise, and she was playing it down. Saying that she did not deserve it. Shouto knew nothing about being praised. He so desperately wanted to be praised. A flame flickered on his knuckle.

Natsuo, ever the attentive brother, raised an eyebrow at the young boy's quirk firing up.

Shouto looked the next hero up and down. Number nine. The illusive Equipped Hero Yoroi Musha. His samurai armour looked bulky and constricting. Shouto's young mind picked it out for unnecessary style. He saw no practical meaning for the armour. The black plates constricted movement too much. Whilst it was rather traditional, it was out of the times. He would never wear a hero costume like that.

He itched the pale bandages that covered his weak skin as he looked at the next hero in the list. A literal washing machine. The only thing that the number eight hero could say was wash. Talk about having an unlucky quirk. Were they even human? Could they be considered human? It was quite a heated debate online, not that young Shouto would know. After all, he was not allowed access to the internet.

Shouto zoned out for the next few heroes. He only tuned in when the number two hero, Hawks, began to fly upwards. He said quite a lot of quite strange things. Shouto was unable to comprehend the flying man's goal. He said how really, he's number one. He was not. In terms of public ratings, the number two hero was indeed the top hero. Shouto did not know what to think about that. Endeavour was number four?

Finally, the young winged hero dropped down and handed the microphone to the number one hero. Endeavour. Shouto's trainer. Shouto's father.

"I can't say much after that unorthodox speech."

"But I can say this"

"Watch me"

The crowd was silent.

(-)

Shouto followed the towering figure that was his father. His father's flame illuminated the already bright day. His father had decided to take him with him to talk with Hawks. Shouto looked around. He heard the many people whispering. He guessed that it was because of the two best heroes. Shouto hid away behind his father's flaming boot. He poked his head and saw that Hawks was dealing with all the fans half-heartedly. The fans, in their glee, completely missed his disinterest in them all.

His father, Endeavour stood still. Waiting for Hawks to finish up. A few whispers interested him. Fans of Endeavour. They were however, to cowardly to walk to him. Shouto felt empathetic to them. He wouldn't want to approach the two-metre-tall inferno. His father had been getting progressively nicer however. It was obvious that now he achieved his goal, he would try and reconcile with his broken family. Shouto was still wary, he wanted his father to stay at the top. So that he would not dissolve back into madness.

His father tried to take a step forward but he halted after he realised that Shouto was using the boot as a wall against the harsh unknown. The hulking mass crouched down next to the rather resilient young boy. He craned his thick neck down.

"You okay, Shouto?" His voice was gruff yet it held a small bit of concern. It was the first time he had asked the question to his youngest son. The words sounded rather forced, as if he had never said those words before.

"There's a lot of people," Shouto said, his voice quiet as a mouse "What if they see me?"

Endeavor sighed. He seemed to have inherited his mother's shyness. Endeavor had once believed it too be a weakness. But now, he mused that it might be a positive. Perhaps if Shouto were not as intense as him, then maybe he would be the best number one hero. He smiled a small smile before telling him that it was okay to be nervous.

"Your mother was the same, she never liked crowds." Shouto's eyes gleamed at the mention of his beloved mother.

"R-Really?"

"You look just like her," Endeavor responded "I believe that it may be a good thing."

He ruffled the split hair on the young boys' scalp. Hawks had finished dealing with all the fans and motioned for the father son duo to come along. Endeavor walked in great intimidating strides whilst the youngest Todoroki shuffled along. Many fans had noted the young boy and began to whisper among them. Shouto caught up to his father and resided in him for safety.

The two professional heroes chatted among themselves, with Endeavour looking over his shoulder to check on Shouto occasionally. Hawks casually saved some more people with his retractable feathers whilst Endeavour just continued to walk behind him.

They approached their final destination, a large skyscraper. It was a bland grey in colour and windows were scattered across the numerous stories. Inside the skyscraper, Hawks and the father son duo sat down and ordered a meal. Shouto had as usual, ordered a cold soba. It was his favourite dish after all. Shouto decided to eat his meal whilst the two adults talked about some rumours about a new Nomu. It wasn't that Shouto didn't care about the new threat, it simply would not be his problem to deal with.

"Would you like anything else?" the kind faced waiter asked the daunting heroes. Hawks eyes widened and Endeavour barked at Hawks to get the waiter out of the building. Endeavour shot out of the window to meet a black humanoid mass with a flaming fist. Shouto's eyes, one grey the other a piercing turquoise, quickly analysed the situation. He readied his quirk.

"Shouto! Get out of the building!" His father's booming voice reached his ears. He nodded his head and gave verbal reassurance that he would be fine. He watched as his father used another scorching attack before rushing toward the stairs.

Using the power from his right side he slid down the set of stairs with ease. He burst through some staircase door before sprinting. He sprinted toward the nearest glass window. He knew how devastating Endeavour's attacks could be and was only concerned with getting out. Even if he wanted to help, he only knew how to use his dual quirk in combat situations. Making a note in his mind to ask for more varied hero training, he sprinted toward a window. He braced his two arms in front of his rather frail body. Shards of glass hurtled around him as he began to free fall. He swept his right arm forwards and ice began to form beneath his boots. The ice connected from the grey skyscraper to the roof of a shorter building. The ice was made in a hurry and shattered as soon as Shouto had dismounted the ice structure.

He heard Endeavour yell out another extremely powerful attack. Blinding inferno whips sliced through the pesky flying Nomu. It was a battle between light and dark as the two flew around the city, trying desperately to end each other. Shouto could see hawks helping his father out. He looked down to the ground, only to find a couple of the plain blue humanoids terrorising the citizens. He made an ice slide down the side of the building he was currently on. He slid down the ice, shards flying behind him. He built up speed using his left hand to exert bursts of concentrated flame. As he reached the end of the ice, he cocked his left fist backward as he began to lower his body temperature. He charged flames in his left fist as he neared a monster. He let out a punch. It was not his strength that overpowered the weak head of the monster but the powerful output of a roaring flame. The light brightened as Shouto struggled to keep his body temperature under the norm. He roared in determination as the flames began to shift into a deep blue as the Nomus brain cells began to carbonise and disappear. Shouto stopped the flames as his body reached a too high temperature. He stood on the dark road as he began too desperately cool himself down using the ice quirk he was born with. Taking advantage of his excessive body temperature, he launched a small iceberg at a different Nomu. The ice crawled up the overly muscular leg of the monster. The professional heroes on site took care of the beast by using a punch.

Shouto looked upwards to look for the glowing form of his father, but was shocked when he could only see spurts of fire coming from one location. His good eye, the grey one, widened at his fathers supposed defeat. He began to rush to that location, despite the best wishes of the pro heroes behind him who were struggling against two more standard monsters. Shouto's legs moved before he had any time to process the consequences. All he could think about was his father. His father may have been harsh, but no one deserved death by the hands of some villain. His feet pounded against the solid concrete. Bits of rubble trailed behind him. Speed. It was the only thing currently on his mind. He did not want to use his quirk because he might need it later and his stamina was currently quite weak.

He reached the piece of debris that his father was next to. He went to his father's side. Think, temperature. Shouto put his right hand to Endeavour's forehead. It was exactly as he predicted, Endeavour's body temperature was too high for him to use another attack, or anything for that matter. It seemed as though his body might actually shut down. Shouto was now panicking his right hand wavered before he closed his eyes and shut out all thoughts. When it comes to saving people, leave personal feelings behind. You must focus on the task at hand. No distractions. He focused his ice quirk in his hand. It coursed through his veins. He formed a thin layer of ice on his palm to cool his father. He placed his left hand on his jugular vein. Please, Please, Plea- Endeavour gasped for air. A tear trickled down his right eye. It froze halfway down the undamaged side of his face.

"Sh-Shouto," Endeavour's voice was weak. "you need to get out, get to safety, I will see you there."

"I-I am proud," Shouto started "Proud of my father, the number one hero"

Endeavour looked at the young Shouto. He saw the precious small smile and the small frozen stream of tears. A gear turned in him. Pain was a secondary feeling. A fatherly instinct of protectiveness overwhelmed him. In no point in his existence had he felt such a rush. Adrenaline was injected in large volume to his bloodstream. Shouto had moved off to the side. The flames were more intense than Shouto had ever seen.

"I must show, what it means, to be, the number one hero" Endeavour muttered between pained outbreaths.

Endeavour shot after the super Nomu, High End as it would later be found out. Determination and an inferno were on Endeavours face. He no longer cared about his limit. To him there was none, only that his masterpiece – no. His son. Who was proud of him. As a hero. As a father. This was to protect him. To show him how strong he would become.

Endeavour's fire was boiling. It was as bright as the sun. He was now the symbol of hope. "Take it at your own pace" That was the words of advice from the previous owner of the title. All Might. He was still loved, still adored. No one could compete. Endeavour knew this, from the bottom of his heart he always knew. But he still tried. He would not give up. He would not give in to the temptation. He must be the best; he has to be His best. No matter the cost. No. The cost he had taken was too high. There was only one chance at redemption for him. Death. If he died, his son, Shouto Todoroki, would not have to see the face of his tormentor. The reason for the mental instability of his mother.

Another thought crossed his mind however. But I want, no, need to see that smile again.

As Endeavour grappled with the hulking mass of muscle that was designed to beat All Might himself, he looked down to where his son was. He noticed that the boy was ignited. The left side of his body was an inferno not unlike that of his fighting father. Endeavour closed his eyes and began to fly upwards. He cared not for his damaged eye that mirrored his son. He let the flames loose. He cared not for heat restrictions. His cooling gloves began to shatter under such heat. The white gauntlets had finally shattered once Endeavour had wrestled the multi-powered monster into the upper atmosphere. The number one hero let out a long shaky breath. He sucked in as much air as he possibly could.

"PROMINENCE BURN, PLUS ULTRA!"

And so, the sky turned white. Citizens had to wrench their curious gazes away from the blinding flames. The flame hero, Endeavour was pushing his limits. Everyone in the crowd could tell. The helicopters that were trying to scoop in and record the heroic actions were promptly blown away by the pure firepower.

Many reporters began to speculate wildly. Fans screamed in happiness, others in shock. The display of pure power was overwhelming. Many began to cry. It seemed as though many believed this to be his final attack. No one could survive such an attack. Not even the fire-resistant Endeavour. Yet many held out hope and were proven right as scorching red flames licked outwards before finally dying out. A mass flew out of the blazing inferno.

At the epicentre of the cracked roads stood a bulky figure. Gone were the signature flames that surrounded his body. All that stood was a man with an out raised fist. The man's crimson hair was dishevelled and rampant with his sweat soaked into every strand. His head hung low as he struggled to keep himself upright. For Shouto. He no longer wavered as the smoke cleared.

(-)

Shouto swung his short legs underneath one of the stale blue chairs of the hospital waiting room. On the wall were multiple posters of famous and popular heroes. His gaze occasionally snapped to the poster of his father. It was Endeavour in his old costume. The flames were still present and the almost comical beard of flames was still on an undamaged face. The poster depicted his father mid-swing for a punch. It suited his father well. It was rather intense. Even for just a poster. Shouto could almost imagine Endeavour finishing his swing with a powerful gust of flame.

Fuyumi, being his elder sister at twenty-three years old, sat next to him. She had a rather pleasant rounded face. A pair of glasses rested upon her pointed nose. Silvery grey eyes cautiously glanced over at the youngest sibling in the Todoroki family. A small weary smile was draped across her face. She heard the soft notification sound for her phone. She had gotten a message from Natsuo. "I'm on the bullet train now, I'll see you in fifteen minutes!" She quickly replied with a short confirmation before placing the sleek black phone back into her handbag. She itched the skin that was shown from the fuzzy jumper she had decided to wear to the hospital.

She had remembered what it was like, watching the spectacle of a fight that had put her father in the hospital. She had been in a car with Natsuo at the time, their view was limited to a small tablet that they had on them at the time. They had been given an unusually awful view of what was happening. The camera views all seemed to be unprofessional. It was daunting to have such poor quality whilst watching a fight including a pro hero. This had never occurred before.

Fuyumi had been shocked by the sheer amount of devastating attacks her father had dished out to the enemy. She was sure that he must have overheated about three attacks in. She had told Natsuo that their father was perhaps the most stubborn man to exist but this was severely pushing it. What was going through his head? Fuyumi glanced at Shouto again. This time the bandages were removed. Surrounding his left teal eye was a round distorted patch of red skin. This was permanent. The scar would forever be on his face, marring his porcelain skin. Fuyumi almost cried at the news. However, seeing the scar raised even more question in her inquisitive mind. She had deduced that it was not from training, the scar would have been worse. It wasn't fire either. The skin was scolded. Not burnt. The skin tissue was damaged, not destroyed.

A dark-haired man in a surgical outfit called out their family name, Todoroki, as Fuyumi was about to ask whether or not Shouto was okay. Shouto elegantly jumped down from the adult sized chair that he had sat on. His precision and control worried Fuyumi. It was unlike a child his age to be so fine tuned to his body. She frowned but still followed suit following the doctor.

"Mr Endeavour will live, although he will have a rather nasty scar down his left eye. We had to bring down recovery girl from the U.A. Academy to save his eye however. He will most likely be able to continue his hero work."

Shouto nodded, ever the quiet, analytical one. Fuyumi checked her phone and noted that Natsuo should be here in two minutes.

The two Todoroki siblings followed the doctor down the neat organised hospital. It seemed as though they had reached the end to the endless corridors of hospital. The doctor opened the door and let the duo in. Endeavour, their father, lay on the bed. There was continuous beeping resounding through the room, proof that he lay there alive. The majority of his bandaging was gone and a nasty scar lay on his left half of his face. It was large near his scalp and as it trailed down his face it tightened into a sharp corner. At the sound of visitors, Endeavour sat up on the bed.

Shouto walked closer to the bed, but he was still too short to properly see his father. Fuyumi picked out a particularly high chair from the side of the room and sat Shouto down on the chair. He held his father's offensively massive hand with both his frail hands. Endeavour chuckled quietly at his son's actions. He had gotten to see Shouto's innocent smile again.

"Shouto," His father started to speak, "Fuyumi, where is Natsuo?"

"He's on his way."

"I was scared," Shouto's voice was shaky, filled with emotion. Fuyumi looked at him, concerned, "But I shouldn't have been. You always win, you always beat the villains."

Endeavour had actually started to tear up at the words of his youngest son. The twenty-three-year-old was shocked. Never in her life had she seen her unwavering, unemotional father even shed any liquid other than sweat or blood. Tears. Actual tears had started to drizzle down a face she had never seen tears on. She was stunned in place. Her grey eyes were wide in shock.

The second youngest brother, Natsuo, had finally arrived. He blinked a couple times before checking his phone and the number on the hospital room. He sighed before dragging out a plastic blue seat next to his sister. He looked at his sister warily. She looked to him and shrugged her shoulders. This was indeed a recent development it seemed.

"For you, I must be better"

"You are already the best"