"I want to be a hero."

It was said firmly, but Touya's eyes were as dead as ever, the light in them a mock of the child he had been.

Understandably, Duster was dumbfounded at the out-of-character declaration.

"That doesn't sound like you, Dabi," he pointed out. "What are you up to?"

He scowled in response.

Touya knew this was his chance. With Eri's quirk, he wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt. As long as he came back to her, she could heal any wound as if it had never been there. Sure, he still needed to be careful, since her quirk had a cooldown, but had he survived all those years on his own, he could do some months without being reset.

All he needed was to figure out how to make it to a hero school without being discovered by the authorities or the yakuza.

And that's what he needed the old man for. He had the contacts to make it happen.

"What do you know?! I wanted to be a hero when I was a kid! So bad I almost burned myself to death!"

One of his feet stomped on the floor in time with the statements, bringing a fond smile to the man's face.

"I get your mind is back to that age too, huh?" he teased before fixing him with a serious look. "Then, let me remind you that the hero industry isn't like they make it seem."

"I know! That's why! There are so many heroes that don't deserve the title! I want to change that!"

"Now, that sounds more like you. So, you're infiltrating?"

"Call it whatever you want," he grumbled. "I know it's not what you expected of me, but even if my quirk isn't good enough as it is now, I want to try."

"You'll be fine. Most people barely use their quirks, remember?" Duster said.

"I don't care what most people do. I want to be a hero able to surpass even All Might! Just getting a passing mark won't be enough!"

He was testing the old man at this point.

When is he going to fully shoot down this idea? Even I know it's too risky. If I really gave a damn about my life, I wouldn't even consider it.

"You are aiming high."

The tone of his voice took him by surprise. This wasn't like 'That's too much for you', but more like…

Like what?!

"Okay, if that's what you want, I'm not gonna stop you," he conceded, recovering his bastard smile. "It'd be hilarious having a vigilante in disguise at the top."

Whatever that was, it didn't sound like he was against Touya's goals, so he wasn't going to complain. Everything was going according to the plan.

"By the way," Duster resumed, "classes have already started, so it can't be this year."

He shrugged his shoulders. "We still need to sort out the legal stuff and get me a job to pay the school fees and all that."

"Nah, don't worry 'bout that, Giran can arrange it."

"I don't trust him. A word from you and he sold me out," he huffed.

"You trust me, though, don't you?"

Trust you? No! Never! I don't even trust the brat!

He wanted to tell him that and laugh in his face, but he knew he needed to keep up appearances. So, he pressed his lips together, not really wanting to say what he was about to.

"No, but you are the better option," he begrudgingly answered.

The old man took it as a compliment, which made the fire user roll his eyes.

He would have killed him already if he wasn't so useful.

"I'll make the calls, then. You should break the news to Eri and start making up your new identities."

"Wait, why her too? Wouldn't it be safer to leave it as it is?"

If the police decided to match descriptions, he may have a chance to not be recognized since wasn't an adult, but her horn was not something she could fully hide.

As if they wouldn't think of her quirk making you younger too! This plan won't work! What are you doing?

"No, knowing you, it's better to have her written down as your sister."

"What do you mean?!" he gripped, taking full offense from his words.

"I just know you're gonna get in trouble. Or are you gonna tell me you won't?" He scoffed at how Touya looked away, admitting there was no denying it. "If they catch you with an unknown kid, what do you think they'll do?"

"Taking her first and asking questions after. If they even bother to do that," he replied plainly.

"What? I don't want to be taken away!"

Eri bursted into the room and gave them a pleading look.

"No one is taking you away, Eri," her brother sighed. "This is why you shouldn't eavesdrop. You didn't have the context, so you got scared for nothing."

The girl nodded. She didn't know that word, but now there was something more important she wanted to ask.

"What's the context, then?"

Duster walked past her to exit the room, giving her a hair ruffle that helped her relax before saying 'I'll leave it to you, kid' to the teen.

Oniisan grunted in response and then looked at her.

"I'll be going to a school to become a hero. That will make it harder to lay low, so we need to do some paperwork in order to make sure no one takes you."

A hero? Like that mean man? Her heart clenched. I don't want that!

"I don't want Oniisan to be a hero."

The whole room seemed to still as her brother's eyes grew wide. Then, something dark settled in them and the intensity of his glare made her go stiff.

"You've got no say on that."

His voice was low and threatening, like when Daddy was the topic. There was a good distance between them, but she still took a step back.

He's mad! He's really mad!

She didn't know what to do, so she resorted to staying quiet and waiting for the storm to pass as he approached her with that scary look in his eyes.

However, the teen just moved her out the way to stomp out of the room and the house all together while Eri stood there, frozen.

She hoped he would come back.

"Eri-chan, it'll be okay."

Tamao tried to calm her after finding her silently crying in her bed the 3rd night after he had left.

"He just needed some time to cool down. He has to come back if he wants to be a hero."

"But I don't want him to be one," she whispered between sobs.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I don't want him to become mean."

"It's a little late for that," the woman sighed.

"No, he's grumpy and sometimes scary, but he's kind. He's not mean like that hero."

Endeavor.

The accident was months ago, but he still did some public appearances to remind everyone he was still looking for her and her brother. Both of them slept badly whenever that happened.

"Ah, right. Heroes are supposed to be the good guys and most I've met were actually pretty nice, but Dad said Endeavor was never easy to deal with. I'm sure that's one of the heroes Dabi is going after."

Oniisan is going after him?

She didn't like it at all. That mean man wanted to hurt him!

She couldn't let her brother become a hero.

But… she couldn't stop him.

If he got so mad just because she told him she didn't want him to be a hero, then he'd hate her for sure if she did something to avoid it.

And after that he'd leave and do it anyway.

"I don't— I— I—"

Her breathing became erratic as the sobs shook her entire being.

"I know," Tamao sighed, reaching out to caress her. "You are worried he'll get hurt. I am too, but…"

She trailed off and a little sniff escaped her before she could find her words.

"When someone you care about has a risky job like that, all you can do is believe in them. It won't be much different from now."

Eri shook her head.

He didn't want him to get hurt and didn't want him to become mean.

Maybe if she said it like that, he'd understand, but he was gone.

Duster had gone out that morning to search for him and couldn't find him.

They had no idea where he was.

What if he'd been captured? Not by the police or heroes, but the yakuza.

If going back to them was the prize for his freedom, she'd pay it. She just needed to know he'd stay safe and not go after them to get her back.

But he won't give up.

He was working so hard to keep her safe… and she couldn't do the same for him.

Her quirk would never be a blessing. It would always be the curse that brought pain to everyone around her.

Because if she hadn't made him younger, he wouldn't be trying to be a hero. His life would be much better if they hadn't met at all, no matter what he said.

But there was no changing the past.

If she left now, he'd go find her as soon as he knew and it'd cause trouble for everyone.

I wish I could go back in time to never meet him.

"The fire that started on Sekoto Peak last night is still raging."

The simple phrase from the TV reporter had made Duster bolt for the door.

"That's rare for this stage of the year, so it's likely provoked," Tamao explained.

"You think it's Oniisan?"

Eri was holding her breath, because it was good having a signal, but it also meant he may have gotten hurt.

The woman hummed as she considered it. "I don't know. Shizuoka prefecture is a bit far."

So maybe it wasn't him. He wasn't the only one that could provoke a mountain fire after all, even people without fire quirks could.

Yet, if it was, what was he doing so far from home?

"Pro-hero Endeavor was one of the first to arrive at the scene. He was able to assure there's no casualties and…" The reporter paused, covering one of her ears, and then made a bewildered face before talking again. "It seems the firefighters have found an inscription with the name 'Todoroki Touya' burned on one of the trees at the core of the flames."

"That must be the pyromaniac's signature," Tamao deduced. "Guess it wasn't Dabi after all. I should let Dad know."

Eri frowned in confusion at the statement, feeling like telling her to stop when Tamao pulled his phone out.

She knew 'Dabi' wasn't her brother's real name. So, maybe that was it? Or maybe that wasn't the signature of the person that started the fire?

"Why would they put their signature when they do something bad?"

"Some people take pride in their wrongdoings. Mainly attention-seeking villains," her host explained as she sent the message to her father.

It can't be him, then.

Still, they keep watching the news, just in case they did give them a hint about his whereabouts.

The horned news anchor appeared back on the screen, thanking the reporter with a serious look on his face.

"The forest on that mountain was just starting to recover from the violent fire that happened 10 years ago, which took the life of Endeavor's eldest son: Todoroki Touya. The police are already investigating the connection between these facts."

"Oh, nevermind then," the woman said, rushing to write another message to her father.

That mean hero had a son?

Was that why he was mean? Kids reminded him of his loss?

No, if he lost a kid, he should be nicer to kids and want to protect them more, her brother answered in her mind.

Because that was what he did. Daddy hurt him so he was mean to whoever reminded him of him, like Duster.

She did that too, when she believed the mean man would be nice because his quirk reminded her of her brother's.

So that man was just mean.

"Looks like he hasn't read it," Tamao spoke, checking her phone. "And now I think it really might be Dabi getting back at Endeavor for what he did to you."

All you can do is make him pay.

Oniisan had told her that, but if he was going after the people that hurt her…

I don't want that.

It was hopeless, though, she knew it didn't matter what she wanted. Even her brother thought so.

You've got no say on that, he reminded her.

The look in his eyes… It was as if he wasn't seeing her.

Could it be that then again he wasn't mad at her when he left? But why did he decide to go after Endeavor so suddenly? All she said was…

It clicked then: it was Endeavor who made her think heroes were mean.

Oniisan knew that was why she didn't want him to be a hero and that's why he got mad at him, not her.

Yet, there was another reason. The same reason why she didn't want him being a vigilante: he always got hurt.

Her brother trusted her to help him with that, but could she really?

One of her hands reached for her small horn.

She couldn't use her quirk yet and, after seeing the fire user's intentions of having her as his personal healer, she wasn't all that sure she wanted to.

Would he stop if she didn't learn to use it?

As scared as she was, it was her only chance.

He should get back, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to stop looking at the burning mountain.

It was like watching himself die.

That was what he was doing, wasn't it? Killing the child that couldn't be a hero, so he could become one.

However, it wouldn't be permanent.

Once all eyes were on him, 'Todoroki Touya' would rise from his ashes and bring hell to his father and everything he held dear.

That was why he decided to name his quirk 'Phoenix' for his new identity. Anyone else could choose the rest for all he cared.

"Did you hear about the tree?" some passerby asked the other middle schooler she was walking with.

"Yeah, poor Todoroki-kun. He hasn't said a word all day. Like, he doesn't talk much but—"

The first teenager shushed her friend before whispering something that made her change the topic after sneaking a quick look back.

Touya followed her line of sight only to find his youngest brother right next to him. He didn't acknowledge any of them nor the blazing inferno at the other side of the police perimeter, he just walked past with the most inexpressive face he had ever seen on someone.

It made sense. After all, they never really got to meet each other, so Shouto's had no reason to be affected by the reminder of his death.

Still, it angered him.

He was dying to see his face when he found out, because then he'd wish he really was dead.

He smirked to himself, sparing a last glance to his fiery handywork.

It was time to go back.

So, we have a cover now. Finally!

This was going to be a cozy chapter, but then Eri and Touya triggered each other and chaos unfolded. Hopefully, we'll get the fluff next chapter.

Also, do you see Sekoto Peak? Well, 🎵 I know something you don't~ 🎵 I know something you won't know for months~ 🎵 And it'll take even longer if they keep messing with the plot XD

Disclaimer: My Hero Academia and its characters are property of Kōhei Horikoshi and Studio Bones.