A/N: Well, the people have spoken!

Aiming for a double update today, hopefully this and Moving Up In the World.

As ever, the Embers rule remains. If folks don't like this story, POOF! Away it goes. Gone forever. With two jobs and rent to pay, my free time is...at an all time low. I can't afford to write stories that no one enjoys. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!

Updating some miscellaneous things for the holidays, but I have to be choosy with my free time...

Now for your questions, comments, and concerns from the reviewers and the rest:

Q: So...um...any chance you could help the Todoroki family? That's some dark stuff...

A: ...well, now I know about them. All of it. Every bit of it.

*inhales deeply*

Consider me...motivated.

Q: Toga when!

A: I can't quite do Toga in this chapter, as she's younger than Tenko by a good bit. She'll have her day

Q: Oi! What's the pairing!

A: The pairing -if we have one- will be rather small, tasteful, and relatively realistic. I'll not say with who...yet.

As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes! Not a wit or a one.

And finally, a warning. Spoilers. Goes without saying, I suppose.

"Training?"

"Yup. We'd need a quit place, though."

"You're right, but I can't really think of a good one, dad..."

"Hmm...how does a mountain sound? That peak looks good~!"

~Father and Son.

Just a Choice

Toya could feel himself burning.

With each passing sweep of his flames his skin scorched itself; swelling, sizzling and smoking like meat on a grill. It itched and stung, like some creeping disease, gradually leaving him numb. He knew it wasn't sickness. No. It was his Quirk. His fire. His flame, burning him the more he used it. Scorching his body as surely as it did the ground of Sekoto Peak. The angrier he became, the more it worsened. What kind of crappy quirk was this? He couldn't even use it properly without hurting himself.

Still, he didn't stop training. He couldn't. He refused.

'I have to be the best. No matter what dad says! I'll show him! I'll show them all!'

It was all he knew. All he had. All he could. He had to prove himself to dad. He'd be the best hero ever. Better than Endeavor, better than All Might. Than anyone and everyone.

He would keep training. No matter what.

Wild flames fanned out, annihilating a great tree. Not good enough. He grit his teeth and grabbed the flames with his willpower, obliterating a circle of boulders behind it. Still not good enough! A furious roar escaped him and his flames blazed in response. The skin of his arms crackled and he bit back a hiss of pain. Push through! Endure! Blaze!

Someone clapped behind him. "Pretty nice quirk you've got there. Really powerful, too!"

Toya pivoted without thinking. Bereft of his control, his flames blazed on, scorching the ground at his feet.

...?!"

A young boy wrapped up in dark slacks and a dully navy hoodie stood behind him, clapping jovially, lips parted in a toothy smile. His eyes were a lively shade of red, face pale, hair gone a bluish-ash gray. And yet for all that, he didn't show so much as a hint of fear. Maybe it was his age; he looked a little older than him. A bit more confident. Pleased with himself too, as if he'd just found a diamond in the rough. Like was trying to smile even if he didn't really feel it.

...who the hell are you?" he scowled and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Don't interrupt my training."

"Training, huh?" The boy beamed back at him, the very picture at innocence. "That's why I'm here. What're you doing in my spot?"

Toya felt the beginnings of a frown mar his face. "...your spot? The hell? I was here first!"

"You really weren't." the boy replied with eerie calm. "So? You gonna move or what?"

"Hmm?" a new voice called behind him. "Did you make a friend, Tenko?"

A new figure leaped down from one of the trees, startling Toya terribly. He had time enough to glimpse a worn green cloak contrasted by a pair of black-on-orange trousers; then they were gone, obscured by the heavy garment he wore. Bright blue eyes blinked back at him, set within a round face framed by whiskered cheeks and tawny blond hair. The latter was covered in dirt and leaves; yet another sign that he'd been here for some time.

...who in blazes were these two?

This man...how do describe him? His presence was warm. Sunny, even. For all the dark circles under his eyes, he still granted him a smile.

His footsteps had no sound. Strange. He walked as anyone would, yet despite that, he didn't make the slightest noise. Was her a Hero then? Maybe a Villain? No, a Villain wouldn't bother to look after a kid. Something like that just wasn't done. Without thinking, Toya slapped a label on him, just as he did everything else these days.

This man smiled at the strangest things; thus he would be called the Smiling Man until he ascertained his name.

"Don't mind us." the young man held up a hand. "We're not here to mess with you. There's plenty of space up here for everyone, right?"

Tenko kicked the ground, displacing some gravel. "But he's in my spot."

A blond brow rose. "What did I tell you about sharing?"

"Ugh, daaaaad...

"C'mon, don't be like that." he reached down to tousle the boy's hair. "I'll take you out for ice cream later. So play nice, eh?"

Father and son, then? They didn't look a thing like one another. An ugly seed of anger sprouted in Toya's chest. Unfair. They couldn't possibly be related. There was just no way. And yet. He swallowed once, trying to stifle a retort, and failed utterly. A trembling finger rose to point at them."

"Are you...training him?"

"Yup!" the blond's head bobbed. "Been doing it for the last few weeks, now."

A muscle jumped in Toya's jaw. "Is that so...?"

"Go on, Tenko." the man nudged him. "Show him"

"Tenko?"

The boy peeled off one of his gloves and laid a hand upon a burnt boulder, surface still blackened by flame. It didn't so much shatter as it did decay; crumbling in on itself like so much dust. Despite himself, Toya winced. His own Cremation was powerful and all, but that...how did this kid even live? How did he touch anything at all, without it all falling apart?

"Thatta boy!"

Tenko preened, cheeks flushing at his praise.

Toya saw it all. Every bit of it. Not fair. Not fair. Unfair!

Dad wouldn't train him. Too dangerous he said. He knew what he really meant. Unworthy. He never said it, but it was implied. He was already trying to have more kids with mom. Trying to replace him. The boy before him had a quirk even more devastating than his. And still! His dad trained him!

His emotions swung into a wretched downward spiral. For a moment, he actually hated the boy before him.

"Hmm?" the blond man frowned suddenly. Almost as if he'd sensed it. "You alright, there?"

Toya grit his teeth until his jaw began to ache. "M'fine...don't worry about me."

A hand settled on his dark hair. "See, I don't think you are alright."

Blue eyes filled his vision. So close! When did he move?!

He tried to retreat, but another hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding him fast. Who was this guy!?

"If you're having trouble with your Quirk, I can give ya a few pointers, same as I did Tenko. In the end, its all about control." the smiling man held up a finger. "See?" As he spoke, it flickered with golden flame, yet spread no further than his index. "You have to feel the power in you. Let it flow through you, grab it, and then control it. S'not hard. Go on. You try."

"It doesn't work that way!" Frustration bubbled up in him. "I already tried!"

That smile was all too kind. It hurt. "Do or do not, there is no try."

"Shut up!"

Here at last, his emotions slipped their leash.

Azure flame flared up, blazing impossibly hot. Panic flared with it. No! Control it! He'd burn himself! He'd burning everything! But he couldn't control it any longer. The inferno was free, and it surged forth...

Shwip.

...only to find itself absorbed.

With a faint sucking sound reminiscent of a flowing breeze, the inferno vanished into the blond's open palm. It didn't harm him; no, it was almost like he'd...absorbed it somehow. Like that strange golden cloak of his had eaten it.

"W-What the hell?!"

"No one taught you how to control your powers, huh?" The blond man pursed his lips in mild displeasure. "C'mon, that's the most basic of basic. Here." he offered him his hand. "Lemme see your palms."

Toya flinched, remembering his burns. "I don't think that's a good idea.

Naruto absolutely scowled. "Hands, young man!"

It was such a parental thing to say; Toya couldn't help himself. He couldn't argue with him.

"Y-Yessir!"

When presented with his burned palms, the man frowned. Calloused hands ran over his injuries; traced the charred surface of his skin.

"Hmm. Well, nothing I can't fix. Hold still."

Golden light ran across his palms, bringing with it a faint sense of itchiness. Toya found himself flinching, but there was no pain. None at all. As he looked on his wounds mended themselves, the faint scent of cooked skin overpowered by an altogether more pleasant scent. Like the crackling scent of breathtaking smoke.

"There we go!" Just like that, the blond released him. "All better~!"

"I...you...how?!" Toya grabbed at his sleeve when he tried to rise. "How did you do that?! WHat's your reasoning for this?!"

Tenko huffed. "Dad doesn't need a reason to help someone. He's a shinobi. Its what he does."

Toya warbled once, a thin reedy sound escaping his teeth.

Damn him. It was too much. He was just too nice...!

Just like that, the walls in his heart crumbled.

A/N: Another disaster averted...but at what cost?

Be merciful, I'm learning as I go here, and I've gotten a LOT of requests for plot points in this tale.

Well? Whaddya think? Should this be a story? I await your feedback.

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly?

Here, have some juicy previews.

Well, future ones at least.

(Preview)

"Screw being a hero. You can be a shinobi!"

"Walk away? Ignore this? Just who the hell do you think I am?"

Dad was angry.

Tenko knew it in his face, his smile, that slight twitch of his right eye. His fist thumped against the door and accidentally punched through the thin material. No, maybe that wasn't the right word. He

A young woman peeked through the gap he'd left the door. "Y-Yes?"

"Is Endeavor in?" Naruto's smile was flinty. "I'd like to have a word with him."

Rei Todoroki flinched. "Not at the moment, no...

"Great!" He nudged past her. "I'll wait. Come along, Tenko. You too, Toya...

Endeavor pushed the sliding door aside.

Blazing blue eyes met his.

"Hello! Let's talk."

"Burn all you like, but you'll never burn me out."

"You're cracked.

"Nope! I'm Naruto."

R&R~!