Warnings: Family politics, child abuse, infidelity, trauma, Rei as a person, really bad parenting

Chapter Seven - Armor, Plated

Endeavor is arrested this time, really arrested, over a dozen witnesses see it. But it had been a fight, such a fight and so not like him. Hirose… doesn't know what to think.

He hadn't even looked sad, or defeated or angry, like he was supposed to. He was meant to look like that, like the villains always looked. No, his eyes… were happy. Happy, proud, intent… on Fuyumi-nee-san. Fuyumi-nee-san, who they knew had power, who had two powers melded seamlessly into one.

Yet she had never been strong, not like that. Not brave or determined or anything heroic in the way that everyone knew heroes to be. And now they were wrong, all wrong.

She's carried off in a stretcher, and Shoto hurries to climb up beside her to squeeze her hand in comfort before she goes, eyes wet and smiling despite that wetness. Hirose looks around at the others, who look dreadfully scared and confused.

"Why was she fighting Endeavor," Sero whispers to him, so tiny and confused. There was no way Hirose had ever been that in his life.

"Because Endeavor is awful," Hirose says matter-of-factly because it's true and god are they all screwed. Who is going to get custody of them? Their mother? Their grandparents who married them off? Was she okay?

Hirose wants to ask, desperately, but he also wants to go with Fuyumi in the car but he also knows that if he tries either of those things that he's going to swear and that will get nothing. So he tugs Riki's wrist, points once.

And mercifully, thankfully, his brother understands, and he goes. And he's left with Shoto. Which, incredibly, he doesn't mind. Shoto at least listens to him.

"But Endeavor's a hero," Sero says, but not angry or defensive or upset. Just thoughtful.

But he feels the steam on Shoto when the little boy speaks. "Well, he's not mine," the little boy declares and his fingers are rubbing his face a little too hard. "He's never going to be. Ever."

Hirose says nothing, but Shoto goes quiet anyway, doesn't ask questions, doesn't think of anything else to blurt out. But when Sero sits down in the sand, he still goes with him.

Todoroki Rei has made mistakes.

She won't deny that. Looking at the frail form of her daughter on this hospital bed as they get the room ready, keep her alive with healing Quirks, she can't. But she can be relieved that it's the beginning of the end.

She doesn't have to ask herself how things ended up like this anymore. She rubs at her eyes, bloodshot and red. She doesn't have the energy to cry over herself anymore. She just has enough to squeeze Fuyumi's fingers to see if they crack, and breathe a sigh of relief when they don't.

Perhaps he's not so terrible.

Don't be stupid, of course he is.

She doesn't recoil from this thought, sadly enough. He probably was always this terrible, this desperate, this feeble. To beat children, to beat her. To keep trying for a suitable heir. To make her absolutely sure that it's a good idea. And she had believed him and his lies.

And his truths. She'd believed his truths too.

There's a knock. Not a professional one, but an annoyed sort of rapping that there was a door in the way at all. And she knew exactly who it was, and she does not want to let them in.

Rei does anyway.

It's a woman, of course it's a woman. Her mother in law is nothing if not meddling and demeaning and controlling. She's more subtle than her son that is for sure, even though she taught him at her knee. But Rei knows the woman well, and just the sight of her is enough for the familiar nausea to creep up her throat with the pain.

The same pain as she had begun having at these feeble things she had birthed oh god what had she done?

"A pleasure, Rei." Her mother-in-law's voice sounded like a burn, like flesh roasting and that was a skill how is it possible? "If only it were other better circumstances."

Rei almost spits out the first words that come to mind until she sees the small child standing rigid at the woman's side. It takes a lot of control, but she's had control for years. She knows a test when she sees it. "Indeed, Hotaru-san." She turns away in her chair and looks at the little girl. Her hair is a vivid red, the color of blood and stained dynamite string. "You're up late, Etna-chan."

The woman makes a noise of disapproval, but the little girl nods, meets her blue eyes with her own hazel. "Yes, mother. Do not worry, I will rest soon. I was concerned about Fuyumi-onee-sama."

Rei curls her hand around the chair to control herself, the rage the sadness, the pain so much pain because she only has one daughter and it is not Todoroki Etna. Todoroki Etna is the only scrap of pity that she can muster for her husband and another innocent who is just being used in this game of trash and meaningless rankings. She has to remember that, has to remember this is just a child these are just children oh gods these are her children.

"She'll be resting for a while," she finally says. She doesn't lie to this girl, she'll find out the truth later anyway. "They have to check the state of her chest."

"She fought father?"

This girl is nothing like Shoto. She is too poised, too smacked upon. She has already resigned herself to being a puppet in a long line of them. And yet her heart weeps all the louder on the inside.

"She did," Hotaru says, pausing the tirade that had been burning Rei's throat again. "A foolish, idealistic notion but it likely pleased my boy nevertheless. I suppose there had to be one good heir of the four of them."

Rei dpes twitch and does not hide it. "I suppose to you that is exemplary."

"What else would it be? She needs training and now my son cannot give it. And you certainly won't."

Rei struggles for thoughts, for words. "Etna-chan? Why don't you sit with me until the others get here? You haven't met them yet."

She turns away from her mother-in-law, and the woman makes a dissenting sound in hatred of being ignored. But she goes ignored anyway.

Rei's not sure if her husband being arrested is good or not anymore, if not even three hours later this is what she has to deal with.

Mother is putting on a smile. Hirose's not an idiot, he can see this. She's smiled less and less this year and there's no reason to be happy when one of your children is put in the emergency room by your husband. Except they are there and therefore she has to fake it. She also has a small child literally the same height as their little brother and he's…

What's going on?

"Mother?" Thank every circle of life for Riki who has no fear when talking to their parents even when it could quite possibly end up with him getting a cracked head. "Who's that?" He's also holding Shoto's hand, which is good because their baby brother is trembling and three steps away from doing something ungodly stupid. That's what little brothers do. Even Hirose had done it, though he'd never say that out loud. Ever. They'd think he was joking. Or worse, trying to get out of something.

Their mother turns her head. The lights overhead make her more pale, more sad, draw out the lines in her face. The bandages stand out so much more when she looks at them, stretching her skin under them.

The child is still steadily looking at her book, unconcerned. Or maybe she doesn't care. Hirose couldn't guess.

"This is your half-sister, Etna," their mother finally says, and she sounds so tired, so empty. "Your father was required to present an heir. We were not the family that was initially chosen. And now with him under arrest, everything is suspect. But she is rather fond of your sister and asked to stay."

For a moment, Hirose sees red. So much red that he can't see anything else. But as he looks away, he hears the last part that isn't being spoken, the part they are too young to have worded properly.

This was not a child their father wanted.

And it makes none of this okay, nothing better. It makes it all worse when put like that. But this child is one of them, also unwanted, also a failure. And she will be one of them. Where else could she go?

Riki nudges him. Shoto hasn't made a sound. So Hirose takes the hint and takes their brother's free hand. He bristles a little, but he stops, his little face torn up with too many decisions.

Riki however steps over with a big beaming grin. "Hiya," he says. "I'm Riki."

She responds surprisingly fast despite not even looking. "I'm Etna." Her voice is chilled, but Hirose can hear how the sounds drag out. She's a tired kid.

If anything, Riki smiles wider. "Nice to meet you. You met Nee-chan, right?"

"Duh."

Shoto twitches and Hirose digs his thumbnail into his brother's palm. He makes a noise of pain but doesn't speak, which is enough. They'll think it's just that his face hurts. Which it probably does. Huh. That'll work.

"Come on," he says. "We should get your eye looked at."

He resists a moment, looking away stubborn as always. This is such a bad family of stubborn people. But then he nods and lets himself be pulled away.

Good. Because Hirose doesn't want to be there either.

A/N: It lives! This beast has changed a lot since well, we got all these new chapters and I have all sorts of complicated... things. That Shoto's eventually going to get into. And we'll get back to the other kids soon I promise! I just wanted to go into the aftermath of well, Fuyumi fighting someone like her father. Even the immediate reaction. Also Etna. Little Etna. Oh is she going to be fun.