I remember when I began to decide on some of the changes I was going to make for this story to spice it up from canon. One of the most important decisions I made was my decision to change the dynamics of the Todoroki family.

I've only seen a handful of stories where Endeavor was not an abusive parent and spouse; therefore, Shouto and his siblings had decent childhoods. While Rei was never placed in a mental institution. I did mention that one of the most essential elements and themes of this story is family and legacy.

And while I did have to demote Enji and Shouto from their primary character status from the canon storyline. I did this to avoid repetition and promote other characters. Of course, they are still important and have a massive role in the Untold Universe.

This also applies to the Iida family. I did this to reduce the number of sub-plots I was working with. While having a little fun seeing my readers react to some of the changes I made.


My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)

Chapter XIX-S: Short Story II: A rare smile, or Endeavor's Hope for the Future


In the public eye, Enji Todoroki, better known as the Flame Hero: Endeavor, ranked second on the current Japanese Pro-Hero charts. A position he had worked for years to achieve. Pouring countless hours into patrols, and cases; creating a new legacy of generational heroes to cover his family's original shame. And today, this titan, whom many in the media dubbed as: stiff or overbearing, was spending a rare day off with his family.

After delaying the celebration due to their workload, today would be the day the two united families could finally celebrate the acceptance of their two heroic heirs into the prestigious UA High School. For Enji, it meant a rare moment of being able to his guard down. He shared none of the worries of being a Pro-Hero, or the stress of hosting today's party as he sat at the end of the table. Directly across from where his son-in-law would sit at the head of the table. It was fair, considering that they were guests gathering at the Iida family compound after all.

To his right was his wife Rei, who was chatting the day away with Natsuo, his second eldest son, who was visiting home from college. While Tensei and Fuyumi were busy in the kitchen finishing up today's dinner, Enji couldn't see them. But his well-trained ears could hear playful giggles coming from the kitchen. Meanwhile, outside of just at the right edge of his peripheral vision, he saw that Shouto and Tenya were currently busy with Hikari and Mei Hatsume.

The latter had stopped by to visit, –or invaded, depending on who you asked.

"Oh, lord!" Natsuo had suddenly burst with laughter as he held up his mother's phone in his father's direction. "Dad, is this for real?" He asked as tears rolled down his face.

Enji groaned and crossed his arms; as he saw that Rei had shown him the infamous "smile" collection.

"It is," the man said flatly with some mild embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, dear!" Rei laughed as she continued to watch Natsuo flip through more photos of his father 'smiling.'"But I had to show him here! At least be relieved that they aren't going anywhere on social media."

It was a cute habit she picked up after the couple had started marriage counseling together a few years back. Enji rarely ever smiled, and whenever he did, it was only for brief snap-shot moments. So Rei would try to get her husband to practice smiling, reasoning that aside from positively helping their marriage. It could also serve as a way to boost his image as an approachable Pro-Hero.

Thus making him more appealing and approachable to the general public.

Unfortunately, most of Enji's attempts at smiling often resulted in looking like awkward teeth-baring, rather than a genuine smile. Which, while amusing for Rei, was discouraging for Enji. Who had been doing his very best to be photogenic. Yet, it proved difficult for the veteran Pro to loosen up and remove the wards that guarded his heart.

As he had been trained to do for many years. By the father who beat him; the man who worked him to the bone; the one who ultimately arranged his marriage to the icy beauty next to him. The trauma of his past remained in the form of scars, both visible and invisible.

"I'm dying!" Natsuo proclaimed with dramatic flailing as he continued to laugh.

Although his demeanor instantly changed when he found one particular picture. It was another photo among his father's smile collection. However, unlike all of the previous, awkward teeth-baring smiles, this one featured a rare, warm, genuine smile. Natsuo studied the photo carefully.

Only to vividly remember the day that photo was taken, as it was the last day before Tensei and Fuyumi's wedding…her last day as a Todoroki.

It was a family portrait of the Todoroki clan in traditional Japanese garb. His father, mother, his eldest brother Touya, himself, and Shouto. And finally, Fuyumi was seated in the middle, between their parents. Natsuo sighed, filled with bittersweet nostalgia at the sight of his oldest brother in the photo.

He hesitantly looked up to his father and was about to ask if he had heard any details about Touya's whereabouts. At least that was until he saw the look on his father's face. There it was, the same rare yet warm smile was in full display. But unlike the picture on the phone, it wasn't aimed toward him.

Natsuo followed his father's eyes, and upon seeing what he was looking at, it clicked.

To the older members of the family. The future came to view in the yard just a small distance ahead. There, he could see the three teens and the young grandchild were all peacefully enjoying their time together without a care in the world. The future of the two united families' heroic legacy rested on their shoulders, even if the youngest didn't even know it yet.

The young man knew the pressure to follow in his father's footsteps just as Touya had done. Yet, while his father never forced him, he knew the man had been disappointed when he decided to follow in Fuyumi's footsteps and went down his own path. Now, with Touya's disappearance, the mantle of Endeavor's heroic legacy had been passed to Shouto, just as the Ingenium mantle had been handed to Tensei.

Yet, Shouto and Tenya were still young and in their first year of school. Even with today's earlier shake-up with that false alarm at UA, Natsuo and the rest of the families hoped and prayed that the two would remain safe, that their studies go unmolested. To keep their innocence and maintain the peace that All Might and Endeavor fought to preserve every day.

Natsuo sighed without a moment's hesitation. Started the camera app on his mother's phone. With a silent snap, a new photo had been taken.

Another rare smile indeed.


Author's Commentary

Spoiler warning for anime-only watchers.

Dabi being Touya Todoroki was like the most apparent open secret in forever. Knowing this before the reveal, I had to create the right circumstances for Touya to be Dabi for this story. It proved easier to write than I had expected during early planning. Thanks to other factors that I had correctly guessed were proven true in canon. Thanks to some solid foreshadowing by Horikoshi, I could still have Touya be Dabi, but with my own branded twist.

This chapter is more detailed, but the most significant change is when it takes place. The original was part of Arc I and attached to Chapter XI.

Yet, placing here makes more sense to foreshadow events and hardships that this united family will have to face together in the coming future.