My Hero Academia: Of Blood and Flames

Chapter 2: Thermal

Endeavor moved quickly once he realized the opportunity before him. He bought up any pictures taken of Himiko before and after her transformation. He spun this as protecting the identity of a minor and her Quirk, but really, he just wanted more room to act. Himiko's transformation faded quickly, with Fiametta lending her jacket to cover up the now naked girl. Her clothes had shredded in the transformation. He took note of those drawbacks to the Transformation Quirk. Then he had Fiametta take her back to his agency while he talked to the police. As she left, Himiko scooped up the dead sparrow and carried it tenderly away.

It was a bit of a holdover from before the pro-hero system, but it wasn't culturally unknown or inappropriate for heroes to take people in who may be in danger for various reasons. It wasn't technically a legal power granted to them, but very rarely did the police argue with a hero about it. Some heroes did run licensed shelters, but Endeavor wasn't one of them. He had no issues in reporting both the villain attack and the domestic issue at the Toga household. Himiko's presence at his agency overnight was logged, and he was thanked for his service. The police weren't equipped to watch a child, so they were happy to let him do so.

Endeavor's agency might not be set up as a shelter, but it was set to house his entire team in case of overnight shifts or even city-wide emergencies. There were several nap and overnight rooms, along with fully equipped bathrooms. He himself had spent many nights here instead of at home. Especially after Touya's passing. It was either here or the guest room to avoid Rei's uncontrollable sobbing, what was the difference really?

He returned to his agency to find most of his team gathered in the main office hall, chattering excitedly among themselves instead of working. They made room for him to stride through without stopping. He sought out Fiametta and quickly found her. Then he stopped as he realized there were two Fiametta facing each other.

"Sir," said Fiametta, waving him over. "Did you get everything sorted out?"

"I did," he replied. He looked over the two Fiamettas. They looked exactly the same, although it was clear even without her speaking which was which. Their expressions and the way they held themselves were completely different. A professional sidekick looking to be a hero versus a child. "I see you've been testing her Quirk."

"Ms. Fiametta is warm and tastes like cinnamon!" said Himiko, twirling around as Fiametta. Her wings almost hit another sidekick in the face.

Fiametta laughed and held up her finger, which was bandaged. "It seems that Himiko needs blood to transform, and she's not shy about licking or drinking it. I pricked my finger to test it. The amount corresponds to the time."

As if on cue Fiametta's form slogged off Himiko, leaving a goopy mess on the office floor. Several interns hurried over with towels and started to clean it up. Fiametta draped her jacket over the girl who wore it like a large dress.

Endeavor nodded at that. "Good work. Her Quirk clearly doesn't agree with clothes."

"It's skintight, grows under her clothes. Turning into you shredded her outfit though."

He looked around. "Has she tried to turn into anyone else?"

Several sidekicks held up bandaged fingers. Fiametta shook her head as Himiko hid behind her. "Yeah, but she seems to only like me."

"And you," said Himiko, pointing at Endeavor. "You taste like…" she paused, thinking for a moment. "A warm cup. Like the smell of my father's coffee. Bitter, but not in a way that makes me feel sick like it does, I guess?"

"That's an interesting way to describe that," said Endeavor, studying the girl. It was common for Quirks to twist the perceptions of how someone viewed the world. It often gave them a unique lens to the world, especially if it was powerful. As a child he'd often think in terms of temperature, the sensation of heat his way to explain how he felt or what something seemed like to him. Warm but bitter…that sounded about right to how he felt these days. "Are you able to use Quirks?"

Himiko frowned. Fiametta stepped in. "We didn't get to test that. But maybe we should do that later, sir?"

Endeavor wanted to get right to Quirk testing, but he realized Fiametta was probably right. There was no reason to take things too quickly. Himiko wasn't related to him, so he would need to convince her to work with him. He wasn't good at being likeable, but once upon a time Touya had liked and respected him enough to share his dream, maybe he could do the same now? Plus, as he stood still the pain in his ribs finally registered. He should probably get that checked out.

"Fiametta," he said, getting his sidekick's attention. "I'm going to go get a quick check up. That villain got a few good hits on me. Watch Himiko until I get back."

"I want to go with you," cried the girl.

Endeavor sighed. "You need to wait here. A doctor's visit is no place for a child. It's just full of blood and sweat."

"That sounds way more fun than this room!"

Most of his sidekicks looked horrified, but Fiametta was clearly fighting back laughter. "Why don't you take her, sir? If she gets scared by anything or bored, she can come right back here."

He shot a glare at Fiametta. Traitor. Then he gritted his teeth and bore it as Himiko let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement. "Fine. While we're there, you lot find her some clothes. She can't just wear a coat. If you need to, go to my home, and borrow some of Fuyumi's old clothes." He pointed to Himiko. "Follow me. I'll show you around as well. And leave the bird here."

"Yay!" said Himiko, gently placing the dead sparrow on a desk and following him.

He ignored the snickering and gossiping of his entire staff as he exited the main office. He led Himiko to an elevator and entered the number to go up two floors. "Floor one is the reception hall. Floor two is the food court. Three is holding rooms and meeting rooms. Four is a gym. Five is the main office we just left, six has nap rooms and bathrooms for staff. Seven is the infirmary and examination rooms."

At that point the elevator stopped with a beep and the pair exited. Himiko hurried to keep up with his large strides, running backwards in front of him so that they could be face to face. "What's on floor 8?"

"My office and personal space."

"You get an entire floor to yourself?"

"Yes."

"Where is your family?"

He paused walking for a moment, the girl stopping at the exact same time. She looked up at him innocently with that wide, toothy smile. He took a deep breath, the bruise on his side twinging slightly. "They live at the house. This is just my work."

"So, I won't get to meet them?"

"Not tonight," replied Endeavor. "But maybe in the future." If her and her Quirk worked out how he hoped.

"What's your family like?"

"I'll tell you later." He was starting to feel the pain and wanted to get some ice on the wound and pain killers into his system. He continued walking and she started walking backwards again in perfect time.

"What's your name?" asked Himiko. "I'm Toga Himiko. I'm six years old!"

He realized he'd never formally introduced himself to the girl. He was used to his infamy doing the job. "I'm the Flame Hero Endeavor."

Himiko shook her head. "No. I know that. What's your name?"

He paused for a moment before responding. "Todoroki Enji, but I would prefer you to call me Endeavor. Understood?"

Another bright predatory smile. "Of course!" Endeavor saw the girl about to run into the wall and prepared to order her to stop, but before he could she spun around to open the door in one smooth motion. "Right this way."

"Thanks," he said. He wondered if it was a factor of her Quirk mutation, but Himiko seemed to have above average senses and intuition for her age. Due to a secondary mutation from his Quirk, he could handle high temperatures, while Rei could handle lower temperatures to go with her ice Quirk. Touya though…he didn't like to think about Touya's limits. Or how they were his fault. He remembered the slap and considered that it might also be a survival mechanism. Or both.

Endeavor stepped into the doctor's office and saw his staff doctor, the Medical Hero Cauterize, sitting on a waiting couch and playing solitaire at a coffee table. Himiko skipped over and immediately violated the man's personal space, sitting next to him and leaning to see the cards. "What are you playing?"

"Solitaire," replied the old doctor, calmly setting down a card and studying the board before moving another card with a gloved hand. Then he finally addressed his guest, although without turning away from the cards. "I'm assuming this isn't an emergency?"

"It's not," replied Endeavor. "Just some scrapes from a villain battle."

Cauterize moved another card. "I assume for you and not the little miss here?" Himiko grabbed a card and moved it. Cauterize didn't bother correcting the move.

"Correct. She is unharmed."

"Nuh uh," said Himiko, jumping off the couch. "I hurt my leg, that's why you needed to carry me, remember?" She then fell to the ground, holding her leg and trying to look convincing. "See, it hurts so much! I think you need to poke it with needles or something."

"Color me surprised," said Cauterize. He moved another card, his expression and tone never changing. "I didn't think you were the type to bring in or be liked by children. No offense."

"I'm not," replied Endeavor.

Himiko jumped to her feet, fuming. "I think you're pretty nice and cool," she said. "And you taste good."

"Ah, that helps it make sense," said Cauterize. He moved a final card then stood, stretching as he did. "Ok, let's get you into the examination room. Is the little cutie waiting here?"

"Yes."

"I want to watch!"

Cauterize laughed. "Whose vote wins here?"

"Mine!" said Endeavor and Himiko at the same time.

Endeavor sighed. "You don't want to see this." He could feel the bruise coloring a large chunk of his side.

"But I need to be examined as well." The girl hopped up and down on her 'injured' foot to demonstrate her point.

"We can get exams in separate rooms."

She glanced nervously at Cauterize. "But I don't know him."

This sudden shyness was baffling to Endeavor. The girl had just been invading the man's personal space and touching his cards and now she was being cautious about strangers? "You don't know me either," he replied.

"But you saved me," replied Himiko. "Twice. That means you're safe."

Endeavor didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't usually get acknowledgments when he saved people, partially because he made sure to get out of a situation before someone could get enough awareness to do so. He liked it like that. Before he could give a response though, Cauterize cut in, walking past the pair to an examination room. "Both of you just get in here. As amusing as this is, I have a job to do and on this floor I'm in charge. Understood?"

"Yes sir," replied Himiko, skipping along.

Endeavor let out a sigh and followed. That attitude was exactly why he'd hired the old man all those years ago, so it would be childish of him to complain about it now. As he entered the examination room, he found Himiko already sitting on the examination table, her feet kicking through the air. Cauterize gestured to the table. "You sit as well."

"Fine," said Endeavor. Himiko scooted over, crumpling up the paper lined over the table and made just enough room for him by moving to the edge of the table. He sat down with the girl next to him. With one final glance at her bright toothy smile and with a gesture from Cauterize, he removed his shirt.

As he did, he heard a gasp from the girl and Cauterize started to mumble. "You fight like All Might but without his Quirk. It's a wonder you're not held together with duct tape at this point."

"This wasn't on purpose but an error on my part," replied Endeavor. "I misjudged how much punishment the drugged-up villain could take. That allowed him a few good hits."

"I can see," replied the doctor. "I bet you don't even know how bruised your forehead is, do you?"

"It looks like a blueberry," supplied Himiko cheerfully.

"That bad?" asked Endeavor. No wonder he had a headache.

Cauterize nodded. "That is pretty apt. And your side isn't much better. We'll need to check for a concussion and any broken ribs. This will take a while and might hurt, so bear with it."

"Nothing new then," said Endeavor, settling in for the examination. He might seem Laisse Faire about his job, but the doctor was very thorough when he worked. He started with checking for a concussion, all fine. Then broken ribs. Nothing, just massive bruising on the outside. Then he checked Endeavor over from fist to toe for the types of injuries fighters often sustained without realizing it. Anything twisted, sprained, or broken. All good.

That just left the bruises to be attended to. "Are you ready for this?" asked Cauterize, lifting a hand. "This could be left to heal by itself if you want, nothing serious.

"If a crisis happens, I need to be able to respond," replied Endeavor. "This is nothing." They did this song and dance every time he needed to be healed. He didn't understand why the old man was always so hesitant. He knew he could take it.

Cauterize threw a quick glance at Himiko. "There is a kid in here…"

"That was your idea, old man."

"This might get ugly," said Cauterize to Himiko. "You might want to leave."

"I don't get it," replied Himiko. "But it sounds interesting!"

The old man sighed. "I should have figured he'd pick up a kid just as crazy as he is. Fine." He took off his glove and brought it to Endeavor's side. "Let's start here. Brace yourself.

Endeavor did as he was told, gripping the edges of the examination table. As soon as the hand touched his side, the burning started. He gritted his teeth and didn't yell, even as a searing sensation filled him, and a hissing filled the air along with the smell of burning flesh. While the famous Recovery Girl drained stamina to heal wounds, Cauterize lived up to his name. He super charged cells, healing them but causing extreme heat and pain in the process. As his tolerance for high temperatures was higher than most, Endeavor could generally ignore most treatment, although still with lots of discomfort. For those without a similar Quirk, they generally screamed and passed out. That meant Cauterize's Quirk was usually limited in its scope unless he was dealing with certain Quirk users or people in severe danger. He'd been in high demand during war times, but Endeavor had found him working out of a back-alley clinic and brought him onto his team. Talent was talent after all, and he'd never pass up someone this useful to his cause of surpassing All Might.

Speaking of, he glanced over and saw Himiko looking at his side in awe. Her nose was crinkled up at the smell and her ears covered at the noise, but her eyes never left the burning bruise. As the bruising faded, her eyes and smile went wide.

Within a minute the bruise was completely healed, and all the pain was fading away. The doctor removed his hand, examined the wound, and nodded. "The process worked as intended. How do you feel?"

"Better," said Endeavor. "Now, heal my forehead."

A heavy sigh. "Sure." Without further complaint the doctor put his hand on Endeavor's face and the pain started up anew. This time it was only about twenty seconds before he removed it. "And done."

"You're healed," said Himiko excitedly. She stuck out her leg, holding it up to the Doctor. "Heal me next!"

Cauterize ignored her, turning instead to Endeavor. "I've been meaning to ask, but why is this girl only wearing a jacket?"

"She has a transformation Quirk that activated on accident," replied Endeavor. "I have my team searching for clothes for her currently."

"Interesting." He started to examine the uninjured ankle, giving it fake consideration. "There are many types of transformation Quirks. Partial transformations affect just specific limbs. Some can turn into animals, others into objects. Some can mix and match various features of their bodies to create new looks. What's the young miss's variation?"

"She drinks blood and transforms into a complete copy of a person for a limited time," replied Endeavor. "She transformed into me after drinking my blood."

"A complete transformation with a limitation. Interesting." He looked up at the girl. "My conclusion is that this will heal on its own."

"I want to be healed too!"

Cauterize looked at Endeavor, uncertainty on his face for once. "What do you think?"

"The process hurts," he said to Himiko. "A lot. Most scream or pass out."

"You didn't. I bet I can be just as tough as you."

"If you say so," said Endeavor. He didn't hate her determination, as stupid as it was. He felt a twinge as it reminded him of Touya. "Just a quick tap."

"Yay!"

Cauterize sighed. "Ok, but don't complain to me when you start asking for your ankle to be amputated." Instead of putting his whole hand on the false wound, he just put a single finger on Himiko's ankle. His Quirk had a unique feature. If there wasn't a wound, the healing heat would radiate out from the touched point. It would spread burning pain through the body but take away any of the minor aches, pains and fatigue people gathered. He didn't usually perform such treatment because the pain wasn't worth the benefits.

Himiko's first reaction was to grip the edges of the table like he did. Then her body tensed, her jaw clenching shut. Then her eyes. A tear ran down her cheek. It was at that point that Cauterize removed his finger. "All healed." It had been fifteen seconds. Most started screaming by five.

"You didn't need to go through that," said Endeavor.

"You did," replied Himiko, sniffling. "You looked so cute. Do I look cute after doing it?"

Endeavor was lost for a response. He had no clue what the girl was talking about.

"That's one heck of a definition for 'cute'," said Cauterize. "Pain is natural, and while I might inflict it, I don't understand why anyone would seek it."

"Pain tells us that we're still alive," replied Endeavor, something clicking in his mind. "Living to the best of our abilities. Striving and struggling. Have you ever seen someone working hard and thought, 'they're so impressive'?"

"I guess I have," admitted the doctor. He laughed. "I guess going by that definition you're both pretty cute."

Himiko wiped her tears away with Fiametta's jacket sleeve. Once more Endeavor was reminded of Touya striving past great difficulty to improve himself. The son he'd always been so proud of… "You're smiling!" said Himiko. "Does that mean you do think I'm cute?"

Touya's bright smile overlapped with the girl's smile for a moment. He slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess you are."

"Yippee!" and then the girl was off and running around and out of the examination room, a wide smile on her face.

"You're surprisingly good with children," said Cauterize.

Endeavor picked up his shirt and dressed while exiting the room after the girl. "I did raise a son."

"Don't you have four children?"

"I don't pretend to take credit for them," replied Endeavor, not wanting to think about how little time he'd spent with Fuyumi and Natsuo. Shoto was…complicated…

In the waiting room Himiko was doing cartwheels. It seemed despite the long day she still had more than enough energy to spare. Cauterize laughed at the sight. "It's been so long since I've seen this. I use my Quirk on people at death's door so much, and no one healthy wants to endure that much pain, so I hardly ever get to see someone energized by it. There's something nice about it. Not that I want to make a habit of it either. I don't take pleasure in making children cry." They watched her for a moment before Cauterize spoke again. "You said she could transform. Most transformation Quirks don't allow Quirk use of the transformed person. They're more like image mirrors than copies. Can hers?"

"I don't know," replied Endeavor. "We haven't gotten to checking yet."

"And you plan to?"

"Of course."

"This isn't just a charity act, is it?"

"It can be both what she needs and useful to me."

Cauterize sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess it can be."

Himiko did one last cartwheel and ended up in front of the pair, her arms were out and there was a bright, expectant smile on her face. "Tadaa!"

"You're very agile," said Endeavor. "Impressive for one your age."

Somehow, the smile got brighter. Then, there was a growl and the smile fell, replaced by embarrassment. "Can we get something to eat?"

"Sure," said Endeavor. Of course, the girl hadn't eaten all day. She'd been keeping a hero's schedule with him. Sometimes he was lucky to eat dinner before midnight. He started to leave the doctor's office, Himiko following behind. "Thank you for the healing, Doctor. As effective as always. Let's see if my sidekicks found you some clothes, then we can get you something to eat."

The pair walked into the elevator and Himiko hit every button. Endeavor let out a sigh and strapped in for a long ride. As they were waiting to get where they needed to go, the door going up to start and then needing to work back down, Himiko glanced over to him. "When am I going back to my parents?"

"Once the police say it's safe," replied Endeavor. "They clearly need time to cool their heads."

"What if it's never safe?"

"Then we'll find somewhere safe for you."

A pause. The door opened to the wrong floor, then closed again. "Do I get a choice?"

"Do you have a place you want to be?"

There was no answer as the elevator opened to the main office. Endeavor walked out, the girl following behind him. Fiametta and two other sidekicks were milling about and approached once they noticed him.

"We have some clothes," said Fiametta with a salute. A sidekick held up a suitcase. "We went to your house and Fuyumi helped us pick out some clothes. Your daughter is such a sweet girl."

"You have a daughter?" asked Himiko. "How old is she? Is she my age?"

"She's a few years older," replied Endeavor. He took the suitcase and opened it on a desk. He didn't recognize any of the clothes.

"Who's cuter? Her or me?"

"You can't ask a father that," chided Fiametta. "No matter what she looks like, a father will always think and say that his daughter is the cutest."

"That's not true," replied Himiko, the smile disappearing off her face. "There's no rule that says that."

The gathered sidekicks were thrown off by the sudden mood swing. Endeavor just grabbed the girl and lifted her onto the desk with a cry of surprise. He put her next to the suitcase. "Choose what you think is cute."

The girl did so, smiling at each new piece of clothing. Apparently, Fuyumi had chosen well. He would need to thank her next time he saw her. After a few minutes Himiko had constructed an outfit and Fiametta took her to a restroom to get changed. Endeavor took reports about local criminal activity as he waited. It took fifteen minutes, but the pair were soon on their way back, with Himiko skipping through the office in a blue blouse and red skirt. In addition, her hair was held back with a white headband, and they'd even found her white socks and shoes that fit. Himiko stopped in front of him and did a twirl. "Cute?"

His sidekicks all said it was, but he just nodded. "Good, I'm glad they fit. Now, let us get some food."

"One moment!" said Himiko, looking around.

"What is it?"

"The baby sparrow," replied Himiko. "I want to take her with me."

"You left it on that desk," said Endeavor, pointing a few desks down.

Himiko ran to the desk and looked up and down it, her movements getting more frantic. "She's not here."

He sighed, walked over, and checked the desk himself. Nothing. He looked at his sidekicks. "Check for the bird." They jumped to it quickly, searching the nearby desks. He knew the sparrow couldn't have left by itself and no one would pick up and take a dead bird with them. So, that left one possibility. He checked the trashcan next to the desk. Empty. Most likely freshly swapped out. Of course, it was the janitor's fault. They were always throwing away things they shouldn't without asking. If it was meant to be trash, it would be in the trash can. Those fools.

"Didn't find anything, boss," said Fiametta, returning. Himiko let out a distressed moan. She started looking around frantically, stamping her feet as she did. Fiametta was distressed by the response, but Endeavor just ignored them both and proceeded to the elevator. "Where are you going?"

"To check something. Wait here." Endeavor entered the elevator. It was only as the door closed behind him that he noticed that Himiko had followed. "Wait in the office."

Himiko shook her head. "No. You're looking for the birdie, so I want to find her too."

"This could get ugly," he said.

"I'm coming!"

"Fine. Just don't blame me if you don't like what you see." They eventually got to the ground floor and Endeavor stomped through the reception room, ignoring the clerks and clients around him. He went towards the back of the building and exited through an emergency exit that only opened from the inside. The exit opened into a relatively well-kept alley; several dumpsters lined up along it. "Hold the door." Himiko did just that. He didn't want to bother having to unlock it or going around.

"Is the birdie here?" asked Himiko, distressed. She was looking around the alley and did not like what she saw.

"Probably," replied Endeavor. He propped open the lid to the first dumpster and found it full. Then he opened the second, also full. Then the third, which was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief at that. He started by checking the second for any loose items that were hopefully on top. Nothing. That meant the job was about to get ugly.

Endeavor grabbed one of the top bags and ripped it open. The grim reality of things is that dumpster diving wasn't an uncommon aspect of hero work. Going through dumps or bins to search for items was something most heroes did at least once while in training. Endeavor didn't like it, his Quirk didn't help with the job, but he'd long ago resigned himself to doing such work. The first bag had nothing, so he carefully set it aside and tore into a second bag. A minute of searching also came up with nothing.

He was sorely tempted to just burn everything in the dumpster and call it a day. But that wasn't the request he'd been given. Find the sparrow. He might prefer to fight villains, but it was his job to do whatever was asked of him. Within reason. To do otherwise would be unprofessional. So, while reminding himself of that fact he opened a third bag. His perseverance was rewarded, and he saw the prize he sought. His mood soured as he did though.

"Did you find her yet?" asked Himiko, sounding about to cry.

Endeavor paused and took a deep breath before replying. "I did."

"Yippee!" said Himiko jumping and running over. The emergency door slammed shut behind her. She had a moment of bashfulness at forgetting her one job. "Oops…" But it was quickly forgotten as she started hopping up and down next to Endeavor. "Can I see the cute birdie? Can I? Can I? Can I?"

"I need you to calm down," said Endeavor, putting the same authority into his voice he used when talking to Villains. The girl stopped hopping, looking slightly confused. He brought his gently closed fist down to the girl's eye level, not opening it yet. "Do not grab at the bird or touch it."

"Is something wrong with her?"

Endeavor sighed. He hated this part of the job. This was one of the reasons he'd hired Fiametta. She was good at talking to children. He knew he wasn't going to like the response she gave. Children crying irritated him so much… "The bird got a little dirty while mixed in with the trash."

He opened his hand to reveal the dead sparrow. She was soaked from someone dropping their drink in the trash, a few feathers were missing or bent, and she had a wad of gum stuck to the top of her head. Himiko gave a predictable response. She started to cry. Endeavor fought back the urge to yell at her to stop. He instead assessed the issue. Himiko thought the dead bird was cute, and now she clearly wasn't. She never would be again. Once someone was dead, things couldn't be repaired. An issue like this wasn't in his skill set. He liked his Quirk, fire was a simple, but effective tool. But fire couldn't bring back the dead. It would only remove things from the world…

Endeavor was hit with inspiration. He held out his other hand. "Stop crying and come with me. I have something to show you."

Himiko took a minute to get herself under control, wiping her face on the dress. She took Endeavor's hand, and he brought her into a one-handed embrace, holding her close to his chest. "Where are we going?"

"Up," he replied, powering up his Quirk. "Hold on tight. This will just take a minute. The girl did as she was told. He released flames from his feet and shot straight into the air. Himiko let out a cry of fright that drew some attention to them, but soon enough they were at the top of his agency and the city below faded away to look like children's toys. "We're here."

Endeavor let Himiko down and she stumbled a bit before finding her footing again. She glanced around, a smile slowly creeping back onto her face. "We flew. Just like a bird!" She ran to the edge of the building and looked down. "We're so high up."

"We are," said Endeavor. "But that's not the only reason we're up here." Himiko looked at him, confused. He held out his hand and showed her the sparrow. "I'm going to clean the bird and allow her to fly again."

Wide eyes looked at him. "You can do that?"

"I can," he replied. He held his hand above his head and started to power-up his Quirk. "Fire has may destructive uses, but it can also allow the dead to be delivered to the heavens." A fire burst into the palm of his hand, covering the sparrow. The bird glowed red in the fire for a moment as he kept turning up the heat far past what he'd used in years. He wasn't generally allowed or inclined to make his fire hot enough to burn a body, but he'd done it once before as a favor. The smell was awful. But now he did it in the hope that a little girl would cheer up. What had his life come to?

"She's on fire!"

"She is. But soon she'll be something different." Endeavor turned up the heat as high as he could. The sparrow started to crumble and break apart. The heat from his flames created an updraft and soon enough smoke and ash were floating into the air to be carried by the wind. There wasn't a lot of mass to a baby sparrow, so it only took a few seconds for most of it to fly into the sky. Himiko's gaze followed the sight, her eyes and smile wide.

"She's flying again…"

"She is." Endeavor lowered his hand and saw some ash still left on the palm. He was about to wipe it away, before Himiko cried out.

"Wait!" The girl ran up to him and examined the ash. "Fire can be cute too, can't it?"

"I guess."

"Can I send her into the sky?"

"Go ahead," he said, transferring the ash to her hands.

Himiko ran to the edge of the building. "Goodbye little birdie." She then blew into her hands and the remaining ash flew off into the sunset. The pair stood there in silence for several minutes as the sun fell behind the horizon. Once it was gone, Himiko turned to Endeavor with a bright smile on her face. "Thank you, that was so cute." A rumble. "Can we eat now?"

He looked at their soot-stained hands. "Once we wash up. Follow me."

She did so as they left the roof.

Author's Note: Young Himiko is so much fun to write. I wonder if it's obvious from the fact that I'm torturing him with the memory of Touya how much I like Endeavor as well? Events aren't going to be easy for the pair going forward, but look forward to seeing them learn and grow together.