The early morning sun is so beautiful, a drop of fire in the sky. The stiff, heavy wind blows through the trees with the breath of some great beast stirring around us, my brother holds my hand and I realize… we aren't supposed to be here. This is dad's mountain, we could get hurt.

Touya's eyes meet mine, "What?"

"We could get hurt, Touya!"

He shrugs, "So? Dad's gonna come, you'll see!" he grins and sits on a rock, his legs kicking and I sit next to him, the day so hot and the morning sun rising into the day… we wait, past five, six, seven. Around eight o'clock Touya's frustrated stomps sound off in the distance and I dash after him when the smoke starts.

Eyes stinging, arms searching for him, the ripping screams, the burnt heaviness of his flesh noxiously stuffing my nose. It's Touya, bathed in flames turned into blue hell, ramming into me and my own flames mix with his before I throw him off, he lays there, thrashing and burning, screams tearing into me like blades and my own flames eating away at me.

"Touya! Touya, I- I'll go…" Constant agony, searing, tearing me to shreds and melting me down, running down the slopes, tumbling and rolling, flames roaring and spreading bright blue and into hell. Tendons snap, bones blacken, the snow and ice slowing me down and curled into a little ball, ice sealing me into its icy embrace. Touya's dead.

Sealed into ice and a tiny flame burning in my palms, a warm and almost fuzzy feeling overtakes me, the ice breaks apart, softly melting on my charred flesh with the blue flame still burning there in my palm. I blink and I'm on the floor of Nemuri and I's room. The luxurious sheets pooling around the floor and Nemuri laying on her side, rolling over and opening her eyes. She sits up with her hair sweeping down her back and going in every single direction but down. She yawns, her arms going up and she stretches.

"Huuuaaaah… honey? What're you doing down there?" Jerking up I head towards the bathroom but she walks right after me.

"I had a nightmare. Gonna take a shower." Opening the door and turning on the light, the bathroom light shines out to me, but before I can go in and forget about my nightmare her arms lock around my middle, sliding up my chest and the heaven of her lips lands just at the back of my neck.

"Koyurei, baby, talk to me." she sighs, turning me around, "You rarely fall out of-"

Her eyes steady on the scarring. The rough skin crisscrosses my chest and shoulders, as well as my arms and tapers down my legs. Shirking away from her I turn on the water and get in. Standing under the water and shutting the curtains. Nemuri stands on the other side.

"Sorry," mumbling, grabbing the shampoo, "You can go now." The door opens, and she steps in anyway. She grabs the bottle from me and helps me wet my hair down. Her hands lather my hair and wash it out. Nemuri stands near me.

"That's not going to work." she says, turning me around and kissing me on the forehead, "I love you, but if we're going to work, you have to talk to me."

Looking away, I sigh and nod.

"Yeah, just… if I come back even more messed up…" she cuts me off with another kiss. The nerves swirl and twist, turning and churning like a storm. It's not much of an anchor but I appreciate the sentiment.

"You won't, Koyurei." she squeezes me gently, smiling and washing herself next to me. It's a quiet morning, really. The eye of the storm that's about to pass and toss me right to the rough shores of my father's life.

Getting out of the shower, I march over to our shared closet and get out my hero suit. It's almost like my father's just with added armor and flame vents to cover myself in similar fire. I stand in front of the mirror and light up, blue flames wreath my shoulders and light up my boots. Nemuri passes me something to eat and blows me a kiss.

"Knock 'em silly, baby!" she's far more confident in me than I am in myself. Just the thought of being in the same room as my father has me shaking like a leaf. Driving to the Agency has me sweating since I extinguished myself. Fumbling with the radio, what blasts out is Moving Out by Billy Joel.

Everything goes into a tizzy, I almost drift on the turns into the parking garage underneath the Endeavor Agency. A big office building in the wider city, soaring over the rest of the buildings. It almost reminds me of Mordor. Walking up to the elevator, I hear from behind me, "Koyurei! Hold the door!" a wave of heat washes over me as Moe almost falls into the elevator, yellow green hair flaming and orange eyes pinpricks as she doubles over and breathes hard.

"Morning, Moe."

"Morning, Koyurei!" she pops up and exclaims with a wide smile, "So, you and Midnight's true, huh?"

Heat dapples my cheeks and flames puff out of my mouth for a bit, "Keep it down, will ya?" I hiss and she squees with me screwing my eyes shut to just try salvaging this.

"Listen, we did… we… well, we DID finally get an apartment together!" Sputtering, I'm losing it. God, I'm already losing it and I haven't even gotten to my father's office yet. Kamiji laughs and squeezes me in a hug.

"Aww! Looks like I win~!"

"Win?" I ask, she pulls back and smiles.

"Me and the other sidekickers had a bet on if you and Midnight were gonna move in together. Kido had about a month, Oniman had a week, I had a year." she grins and walks beside me with a pumped up expression on her face.

"What was the stake?" I look at her almost like she just told me she had some weird health condition. Which is something I pretty much want to say she does but at the same time I can never really be sure I mean you can't really be-

"Twenty seven thousand five hundred and twenty two Yen to the winner!" she exclaims, making my heart drop into my stomach, "What? Your dad's been really stingy with the pay lately, might as well gouge!"

"That might lock them into a debt!" I gasp, "What the hell, Moe?!"

"Mama needs the money, Koyu-baby!" she nudges me and grins, laughing happily enough. I shake my head and begin to head towards my father's office. The thought of reporting about the Volcano Thieves pales in comparison to me not showing up in the canteen on floor forty. The nightmare is almost over. Just through this door, spit out the report, walk out, keep walking until there's nothing else to do. Get home and you won't have to deal with the bastard who ruined your life.

Easy, right?

Well, when I get in there, he's already there. Muscular, taller than me and his blue eyes burning into me. The office is huge but everything in it is surprisingly small, the desk and the chairs, I wonder why he needs so much space? Dad's flames turn the back wall and everything around him a flickering orange mess. My blue joins it.

"You're here. Good." he rumbles, his voice like a roaring inferno. Panic frost begins to ice up my chest, my flames misting it before he could notice. Just report about the Volcano Thieves and get the hell out of his way before he decides to double and triple my workload.

"Dad? The-"

"You'll address me as Endeavor, Enavant." he sighs, and here goes the panic again.

"I apologize, sir." I say with a shaking voice. He's just calm, why is he calm?! Keep it together, Koyurei! No, he's going to freak out! Keep it professional! He stares at me expectantly. I clear my throat.

"The Volcano Thieves were successfully apprehended."

"Did you recover the Trigger?" he asks, no questions about if I was injured or anything. No concern, like he fully trusts me not to be a total fuckup. Buuut I guess I *am* the fuckup.

"No, Volcano used it but I defeated him before he could completely overtake the area with his attack." Of course it's not too bad, but not too clean either. Dad stares at me blankly.

"And you called the authorites?"

"Yes, Yes, I did. That's standard procedure." I huff, "Why are you acting like I'm still a rookie? I know what I'm doing!" Not good. I'm frustrated. That's why I'm lashing out at all.

He stiffens, "Watch your tone, Koyurei." he snarls, "You must follow the procedure, your career depends on it."

"Maybe I don't want this career!" I snap back, "How about that? Have you ever asked me if I wanted to be a hero? A sidekick? No!" I throw my hands up, "You just care about the job and you throw me into it!"

His heat pitches up as he crosses the way towards me, but I don't flinch. That's not me anymore. He looms over me and I don't move. I won't give him the damn satisfaction.

I'm hotter than him, stronger than him. I can still get out of this. I bury my shaking and my fear, cover it well and tamp it down the best I can.

"You're the only one who can do this, Koyurei. The only one of your siblings trained and ready for this, Shoto's still-"

"Don't even get me started on Shoto, or my siblings." I huff, "Every time you bring them up, every time I cave and nod and go along with it, but I'm done." turning around, I walk towards the door.

"I handled the Volcano Thieves, that's all you need to know." I almost feel like I won but then he brings me right back in with an answer that catches me so off guard it's like I'm about to die.

"I haven't seen you around the residential area, is there something *else* I need to know?" His tone flips from disciplinarian to taunting, knowing something and I wonder who the fuck told him.

"No."

I hear some papers rustling, Dad's flames extinguishing so he doesn't burn any. God, what's he got now? He clicks his tongue and I turn. He's got a file. God, the files. Always with the paper trail because digital anything gives him a stress hernia.

He slaps it onto the desk, "January fifth. Explain this." he opens it and taps the financial record... *my* financial record. I don't speak at first. It was a present for Nemuri, I know it well because she likes Konichi-Kitty.

"It's a collector's item." I answer smoothly.

"Oh? What about the lingerie? The lipstick? Are you crossdressing, son?" That sends me into near-hysterics.

"No! Why would I do that?" I sputter.

"Then it's a woman, right? Who?" he raises an eyebrow, "I know it's not one I picked."

"It's none of your business," I start, "You still track me?"

"It's my duty as a father to keep track of you. Now, who is it?"

I glare up at his eyes, "I'm not telling you. That's my business and mine alone." we don't break eye contact. I don't even bother to blink. Our impromptu staring contest dies down when he realizes I don't want to cave in.

"Don't track me anymore either." My voice still stays firm, "I don't keep an eye on you, do I?"

"No."

"Then stop tracking me." I state, "And what you did was highly unprofessional." I walk out of the office and keep walking. My heart pounding as I keep marching. My mind swirls with the feeling that I got lucky he didn't try to attack me.

He needs to still keep up appearances after all. Fighting me would just expose everything he's done. I just want to go. I want to leave this life and him behind. There's no room for him anymore. Even with the whole financial tracking shit. I'll just make it to the end of the year, and then resign. No, that's too far away and he'll deny everything. I have to make my exit now while I still can. Then Nemuri and I can have our happy ending and no one can get in the way because he's too busy reeling from the shock of me leaving...

That or already preparing Shoto for MY job.

Shit.

I check my phone and notice a text from my sister, "Hey! I need you to go see Mom today, I'm going to have a faculty meeting late tonight. Natsu's also studying for a test, you know how he is."

I text back, "Sure. Do I need to bring anything?"

Fuyumi answers with, "Yeah, I got Mom some books that she wanted from home, they're gonna be at the house."

I sigh, I hate going back there and I know I have to. It sucks.

Just a few seconds later it dings again, "At your house."

Okay, that's better. I was heading back there anyway to beg the earth to swallow me whole. I get to the parking garage and to my car, unlocking it and getting in. I run my hands through the mirrors, trying to find a bug that isn't there.

Maybe he wiretapped it?

Why the fuck would he wiretap a car, Koyurei? Have you done that before? Stop being so paranoid. Stop being a fucking coward about giving Nemuri what she wants!

I pull out and drive back towards the apartment. It wasn't part of a complex, but it was over a small storefront. We didn't know what to do with it just yet but I forge my way up the steps, making sure Sushi isn't at the door by peeking through the peephole.

Nope. Not there. Getting out my key, I unlock it to find the books already bagged and ready for me to take to my mom. I take them up and find Sushi standing at the entrance to the wider apartment.

His tail swishes, "I'll be back soon, buddy."

"Maaao."

"I know. I'll be back in a bit."

The institution my Dad sent my mom to is a quiet one, calm. It has to be for their patients. I walk through the automatic doors in civilian clothes, the assistant at the front desk perking up as she saw me. She's a reedy, bony woman with a literal skeleton quirk, which isn't bad. It makes her skin translucent but of course not a ton of people seem to mind.

"Ah! You're here to see Mrs. Todoroki, right?" she asks. She opens the bag and sees the books, thumbing through all of them to make sure Fuyumi didn't smuggle anything dangerous in.

She takes the bag and disposes of it, and I pick up the books, carrying them close to my body almost protectively. They're precious cargo and if anything happens to them I'd never forgive myself.

All of them are her favorites.

"Mm. Yes, I'm her son Koyurei." I answer, following behind her to her room. It's small, a window overlooking the view to a nice lake outside. Mom sits with her long white hair cascading down her back.

As I set down the books, she doesn't react, still staring out at the window and...

All I want to do is cry. To run into her arms and hug her. She's okay. Tired looking but okay. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. She turns to look at me, gray eyes still hazy from the medication and her mouth opens. I brace for the screams of horror or the look of devastation but it wasn't there.

"... Touya?" her voice is soft, shaking but then she realizes who I am, "Oh, Koyurei. Forgive me." she smiles just a little and I sit down by her bedside. She's slender and she's got bags under her eyes. Deep.

She isn't sleeping well, is she? Her hand reaches out for mine and she grabs it, the cool fingers lacing with my warmth, "Hey, Mom." I say with a stretch of a smile on my face. She squeezes and I can't stop my tears.

"Koyurei…" she sighs, "You look so tired."

"I am, Mom. I am." my voice breaks, "God, I missed you…" she reaches up and tilts my head around, looking at all the age. She still smiles and never lets go of my hand. After my tears calm she still doesn't let go.

"How are you?" she asks. I chuckle and begin with Nemuri and I getting the apartment, getting settled, conveniently leaving out Dad and anything having to do with him.

"So, you and Midnight aren't just a rumor they talk about in the papers then?" she nods towards a stack of them, "I save every single one of your articles."

"Oh really?" I pick up the pile and leaf through them with the rescues and arrests, tabloids too with the pictures of me death glaring whoever is taking them, "Wow… you really like keeping up with me,"

"Why wouldn't I?" she squeezes my wrist with a wry smile, "Of course when I could get them and if they cut out any mention of him first." she also looks at my clothes and then asks me the million dollar question.

"Have you been keeping up with your siblings?" Mom watches as I look away, thinking about the last time we were all in the same room. Years ago.

"No. it's… Ever since you left and I've been working I haven't really been on speaking terms with them unless they need me." I close my eyes, "He pretty much saw to that."

Mom nods, "Koyurei, don't let him take away your future. You always did survive. But now it's time to live,"

"I know. I know," I look at her with another somewhat strained smile. I wonder if I could tell her about Nemuri. If I could trust her, I mean... Fuyumi seems to, but she always tends to float around Dad too.

Mom and I sit for a moment in silence, just trying to think of what else to say. The last time I saw her was when she was hauled out of the house, crying and thrashing. My mother who loved us all unconditionally was ripped away and she's here.

"You're not sleeping well, Mom."

"I know. It's hard when the flashbacks come in." she looks out the window, "I dream about you and your brother, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes, you two are still so small. It's like it was just us, me and my two sons against the world." she smiles fondly, "But that was so long ago." her eyes turn back to mine and she sighs.

"You're breaking, aren't you?"

She always hits the nail right on the head, "I have a girlfriend." I admit. She grins.

"Oh? My baby boy has a girlfriend?" she gets excited, "What's her name?" her entire demeanor just brightens. She loves hearing more about my life but there's a reason why I don't tell her all that much.

Because I'm worried that she won't like Nemuri at all. But maybe I should throw caution to the wind, it's not like he visits her. So I take a deep breath.

"Her name's Nemuri Kayama. She's older than me by about three years, has a cat. Likes Koichi-Kitty, and is a hero too." I start, beginning to gush about her, "She lets me talk about my little GoRangers, you know? And she's got the cutest smile ever."

Mom listens with near eager attention, "She has a motorcycle and likes Queen and David Bowie, has this really cute laugh, and is really strong. Stronger than me!"

"Honestly she's amazing and I couldn't ask for a better partner." I end it with a huge breath in. Mom sighs and shakes her head.

"Now I know she's going to be my daughter in law..." she smiles in pure comedic exasperation, "You rambled about her for a solid five minutes."

"I just... I love her so much, Mom. I feel like any minute something's going to mess it up." I look down at my hands, imagining her holding them like she did that night three years ago, "I... I'm scared I might hurt her."

Mom considers for a moment, thinking about it, and then tells me...

"Why are you talking to me when you could be clearing this up with her?" she tilts her head, "It's not that I don't enjoy seeing you, honey. But this is between you and her."

I nod, "Thanks, Mom." I lean forward and hug her tightly, "Good luck, okay?"

She chuckles softly, her touch lingering on my cheek, "Good luck to you too, Koyurei."

When I get home, there's not a lot to do. I clean the catbox, make sure he's fed, and give him more water. Sushi looks up at me, blinks slowly, and goes off to eat. I chuff and take off my jacket.

She's not home yet. I can't help but turn to the kitchen. The art of cooking is my escape. My one true escape. The ultimate in showing that I care and that I will until I die. The ultimate in love, the ultimate in everything. Food brings people together and gives them what they need. I get out the finery, the china, and the candles. Using a few embers to light them, the blue flames calm down to an orange hue on the wicks. It's an important discussion. A needed one.

I pull out a bottle of wine. Of course we don't really drink all that much. So she'll realize quite quickly this is important. I rush into our bedroom, going into the closet and pulling out the old, weathered lockbox. Three years. Three years of trying to figure it all out. The one time I can break free and fully be me. I unlock it and pull it out... the ring. Of course Nemuri wasn't there to pick it out, but I made sure she'd love it regardless.

Instead of a diamond, it was an Aquamarine with the sides around it speckled with amethyst. I put it in my pocket.

My plan. My future. All of it rides with her. I return to cooking. The door beeping open and in comes Nemuri. Tired, plunking down as Sushi trots up to her with a chirping meow. He rubs and brushes against her but she doesn't really say anything at all. She drifts softly into the kitchen, wandering up behind me.

"Something smells good, baby..." she murmurs into my ear, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face into my hair, "Mmmm... I missed you..." she looks at the table with it already set.

Then at the candles, then at the food.

"Wait... is this all for me?" she asks, "Oh sweetheart, you shouldn't have..." all the sudden she turns me around, shifts me away from the stove, dips me, and in moments I'm kissing her.

She and I pull apart and she's giggling happily, her hero glasses lopsided on her face and her laugh sending warm fuzzies through my chest. She happily almost skips to the table and sits down.

"So, how was your day?" I ask, she spies the wine and looks back at me with a sly smile.

"Horrible. Had to do a bunch of lingerie modelling." her eyes turn back to the wine, "Why's the wine out? Did something special happen?" I burst into a smile and take the serving out with me, in my excitement I almost burn my hands.

"Hatchaaaaa!" I yelp, grabbing the pot warmers and catching the food again, "Whew!" I grin and set it down.

I ladle it out for her, and for me. And then we sit down across from each other like every other night. But then I remember my words.

"Oh, I ended up telling off my father. Also..." my hand goes into my pocket, wrapping around the ring box, "I... have something to ask you." Nemuri grins at the news.

"Well! It's about time!" she exclaims, "Is it just me or are you gaining a backbone?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." I answer, "Here." I hand her the box and she looks down at it with a sheer look of shock on her face.

"Koyurei, are you- Do you-" she stutters, opening it up and looking at the ring, "Oh my god, it's... they're my birthstone and favorite stone..." she's got a smile on her face as she slides it on and admires it.

I get up and cross over to her, taking her hand.

"Nemuri Kayama... I love you." I say, "I've been scared for a long time that I'd end up like my dad but... today put things into perspective." I look into her tearing-up eyes.

"You're tough, you're gorgeous, and you make me want to be a better man." I state, tears stinging my own eyes, "So... will you..." I don't see it coming but I'm on the floor with Nemuri sobbing and hugging me as tight as she can.

"Yes! Yes, I will!" she sobs, "Oh my god, Koyurei..." she kisses me fiercely and grins.

"I hope you know what you're getting into. Because I called my family, this weekend we're gonna go see them!" she hugs me again, "I get to brag about my precious boy and show off my ring and-"

She stops, cheeks crimson, "Oh, uh... sorry."

I smile and kiss her on the lips, "It's kind of out of nowhere but I'll roll with it."

And just like that, everything never looked brighter.