Chapter Five


Kagome sat on the park bench, her hands still red and blistered from her recent battle with the thugs. She looked around, expecting the heroes or the police to arrive any moment. As she waited, her thoughts drifted to the odd encounter she had with a stranger earlier in the day. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and now she was dealing with the aftermath of a villain encounter.

Suddenly, the sound of sirens filled the air, and Kagome's heart leaped with relief. Help was finally on its way. She turned her attention to the park's entrance, where a group of Pro Heroes had arrived. They quickly assessed the situation and began to apprehend the villains.

Kagome's eyes widened as she recognized one of the heroes among the group. It was her father, Endeavor, one of the most famous heroes in the country. He had always been a distant figure in her life, and they rarely spoke or interacted in any way. Her mother had once told her that Endeavor had never publicly claimed her as his own, and she had grown up in the shadow of her father's fame and success.

Endeavor's icy gaze swept over the scene, and he seemed to purposely avoid looking in Kagome's direction. She couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions – relief that help had arrived and dread at the prospect of facing her father in this situation.

As the villains were being taken into custody, Endeavor approached Kagome. His face was stern, and his eyes bore into her as he spoke in a cold, detached tone. "You shouldn't be here. You don't have a hero license, and this kind of vigilante behavior is unacceptable. Do you want to be labeled as a criminal, Kagome?"

Kagome clenched her fists, her resentment towards her father bubbling to the surface. "I did what I had to do to help these people. You're always so quick to judge, Endeavor-san, but you don't even know me."

Endeavor's expression remained unyielding. "Your actions have consequences. I'll let you go this time, but it'll be on your record. No reputable hero agency will take you on now. You've dug your own grave."

With that, Endeavor turned away and rejoined the other heroes, leaving Kagome seething with anger and frustration. She had always felt like an outsider in her own family, and her father's disdain for her was a constant reminder of that fact.

She left the scene and made her way back to her apartment, her hands still throbbing with pain. Filled with rage and despair, Kagome couldn't contain her emotions any longer. She began to tear apart her small living space, throwing objects and furniture in a fit of uncontrollable anger.

In the midst of her emotional breakdown, the photos from the black envelope fluttered to the ground, and Kagome, unaware of her surroundings, continued to sob and scream. She hid her face in her hands, her fingers pulling at her hair and digging into her scalp in an attempt to release the overwhelming pain inside her.

Unbeknownst to Kagome, someone had entered her home. It was Shoto and Dabi, using Kurogiri's Warp Quirk to reach her quickly. Shoto crouched down by Kagome's side and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, her tear-streaked face filled with surprise and vulnerability as she saw him smiling down at her.

Without a word, Kagome threw her arms around Shoto and sobbed into his chest, her voice trembling as she asked why she wasn't good enough and why her father was determined to hurt her, despite her efforts to stay distant and independent from the Todoroki name.

As Kagome clung to Shoto, her sobs echoing in the small apartment, Dabi couldn't help but feel a profound sense of regret. He had known Kagome his entire life, and while he used to harbor resentment toward her when they were younger, he had always been jealous that their father didn't force the same brutal training onto her. In his childish mind, he saw it as favoritism, but as he grew older and witnessed the personal hell Kagome had been subjected to in her own way, his feelings shifted.

He watched her pain, her vulnerability, and the scars that ran far deeper than the physical ones he carried. Dabi had always kept his distance, both physically and emotionally, from his half-sister. But seeing her like this, hurt and crying, was a stark reminder of the family bonds that had been neglected and torn apart by their father's obsession with power and control.

As Shoto held Kagome close, Dabi's thoughts swirled with regret. He wished he had been a better big brother to her, wished he had reached out and tried to protect her from the emotional neglect and abuse they had all endured. It was a painful realization that he couldn't undo the past, but he could be there for Kagome now.

Shoto, on the other hand, held Kagome with a mixture of relief and fury. Seeing her in such a state only fueled his deep-seated hatred for their father. He couldn't understand how a parent could tear their own child down without a hint of remorse. As a child, all he had ever wanted was to be with his elder brother and sister, to have the family he felt he deserved.

But Kagome had been treated like a stranger, a tolerated presence but not a wanted one. She had been the stain on the Todoroki line, the reason she carried the surname Higurashi, and Shoto couldn't forgive their father for it. He remembered the night Kagome was abruptly shipped off, like an unwanted possession, without even the chance to say goodbye.

Not long after, it had been his elder brother who had almost died trying to become the hero their father longed for. Endeavor had branded him as useless and moved on to his next child, Shoto. It was then that Shoto had been forced into the torturous training that his brother had endured, the same training that had left its indelible mark on all of them.

In this moment, as Kagome clung to Shoto and cried out her pain, Shoto made a silent promise to himself that he would be there for her. He would not let their father's cruelty continue to define their lives, and he would make sure that Kagome knew she had people who cared for her, even if it wasn't in the most traditional of ways.

Shoto held her tightly, his heart aching for his half-sister. He shared a knowing smirk with Dabi, who had been quietly observing from the background. Dabi stayed in the shadows, there but not seen. It was far too early to reveal his deep connection to her, she remembered him as Touya, the young boy who only ever wanted their fathers approval.

Now, now, he was the man Dabi, a man obsessed with showing the world the true colors of one of its greatest heroes. He would tear the number two hero down off the pedestal he had been placed on. Taking with him the Todorki name.

It would no longer be a name that conveyed history, tradition, and power but shame, greed, and villainy.

So he could only grin manically as he watched his two siblings take comfort in each other. Kagome curled into Shoto's arms like a small child whimpering as he whispered into her hair, "It's okay, Kagome. We'll be there for you. All you have to do is say yes." He pressed a small kiss to the crown of her head whispering sweet words into the raven locks.

Kagome nodded, clinging to Shoto, her voice a whisper as she repeated, "Yes, yes." The word fell from her lips like a mantra, her gaze blurry as she finally gave into her body's demands for rest. As her eyes began to slide closed they glanced past the dual colored hair of Shoto and locked onto a very familiar azure blue gaze. Yet before she could ponder it anymore she lost her battle with sleep. Her mind and body shutting down after such a long and emotionally draining day.