A name that fits Pt. 1

Mothers have superpowers.

How did they gain these powers? Ren doesn't know, Madara doesn't know, Sasuke doesn't know, probably no one knows, but that remains a fact.

Mothers have superpowers. Fumikage's mother, in particular, can predict the future.

From the first moment she saw Ren, she felt — predicted — that he would not be a good influence on her son.

Ren was complete chaos. He had faults in abundance, from his odd views of the world to his unusual apathy for his age.

And we won't be talking about the habit of kidnapping children and breaking into houses again, thanks for understanding.

But even with all these problems, Ms. Tokoyami can't seem to tell his son to walk away from him, not when the boy has never had close friends because of his looks.

Then she watches them disappear, trying to quiet the despair of not knowing the person they are visiting.

Maybe it was the way the boy was raised, she sometimes thinks, maybe the orphanage education isn't enough for many children.

Maybe some trauma had shaped him to be this way.

But even under that possibility, she refuses to adopt the boy — a single child gives her enough headaches. And she doesn't change her mind, not even when Fumikage cries and refuses to have dinner that night.

Ren has his own opinions on this too, of course.

Ren remembers his mother, and how beautiful and smart she was. He remembers, a little more dimly, how she knelt by his older brother's bed, how she smiled and prayed and asked for healing and health.

He also remembers how devastated she was when her eldest son died.

His mother was amazing, but... with Ren she was... different.

His mother saw him in the most sincere way possible: A monster. A mistake. A damn demon hiding inside the skin of a sick child, mocking her and the whole family.

Ren remembers how angry and tired and sad she looked. How she pushed him to his room day after day whenever she felt overwhelmed until in recent years the two had barely seen each other.

She called him a witch and begged the priest to burn him. He had to die for taking her children, her real children.

Mom left a single flower on her grave, walking away with an unreadable expression.

And Ren, in his death cycle, feels guilt.

He thought of her often. Then only sometimes. Soon, she'd been pushed to the back of his mind.

He doesn't want to forget her, not even a fraction of her, but the suffocating feeling that haunts him every night makes him focus on the present and forget. And there's nothing around him that can help him hold on to memories, not even the old whip marks that were on his skin.

If only he had been a little better...

If only he had been a little more obedient...

Then she would smile at him too... wouldn't she?

... Wouldn't she?

• • •

"You said his quirk is teleportation, right?" She holds his face, sizing him up as if he were a doll.

"Yes, he awakened his quirk a few months ago", the orphanage owner makes no move to stop her, "I'm sure he would love to be a part of your family, miss."

Only Ren wouldn't love it. He hates the idea, actually. He doesn't want to call someone else a mother.

Then, under Madara's command, he kicks her in the shin, then teleports away.

• • •

"You have to get out of this place as soon as possible," Madara comments on a cloudy day, "it's getting too risky for you to stay here."

"I'm surprised these kinds of people didn't show up earlier," Sasuke says with disdain, remembering the last 'visit'.

Ren listens to them silently. It's not like he isn't trying hard not to be taken, he screams and kicks and makes drama, only to get spanked every time he returns to the orphanage. Just... it's not enough.

So Madara starts training him.

Posture is the first thing he is taught. Distributing his weight correctly takes a lot from his clumsy self, but Madara proves to be a competent teacher with admirable patience.

And of course, this makes Sasuke, the first apprentice, outraged.

"Why are you making it easy for him?"

"He's a beginner in his first steps, stop being a crybaby."

"I'm not being a crybaby, I'm just wondering where you got that patience to teach..." he looks at Ren, who is making a scene while trying to walk through the fence, "him".

"I taught my brother when he was little, he was almost as bad as Ren."

"..."

• • •

A week passes.

Fumikage crosses the square as fast as he can, nearly running over a poor cat on the way.

"You don't know what I did to get here..." he's out of breath, trying to straighten out his messy feathers.

"I have a notion, yes," Ren stands up from his seat, studying Fumikage's fingers. "Where's the ring?"

Didn't Mrs. Tokayami say that he would only come out of punishment after he got married?

"... What?"

"Ren, please!" Sasuke whimpers, at the height of his disgust. "You can be smarter than that..."

Ren's eyes sparkle.

"Oh, she used it as an enigma, a metaphor!" He mumbles thoughtfully. "The whole wedding thing was just to... to show that the punishment would last a long time!"

"Yes...that's it..." Sasuke took a deep breath, regaining some of his sanity. "Try to think of metaphors more from now on... I mean... only when you have a hidden metaphor, it's not always that, er... you get it!"

"Okay, I'll do it!"

"I... I only have twenty minutes... I ran away during recess... I don't think anyone saw me." Fumikage explains, looking very unhappy with the task of not asking who the hell Ren is talking to.

What is a metaphor, by the way?

"Really? How did you escape?"

"I found out there's a loose board on the fence near the tree, if I try hard I can get through."

"Magnificent!"

"Don't encourage him!"

"It was creative indeed," Sasuke mutters.

Madara hit his head.

• • •

When they arrive, Shouto is spying on someone through the window.

He jumps when Fumikage goes to his side, almost letting out a scream.

"IT'S THE ENDEAVOR!?!"

"Don't scream, he can hear you..."

"I'm sorry...but...but...why is he here?"

"He's my father..."

"YOUR FATHER IS THE ENDEAVOR!?!"

"Don't scram!"

"Why were you spying on your brother and your father?" Ren asks, looking at the scene below.

The big red-haired man, Endeavor, he supposes, is screaming. The boy, sitting on the lawn, ignores him.

"I wasn't spying, I was just looking! Touya-nii hasn't spoken to us since yesterday, and I was worried..."

"Spying and looking without being seen isn't the same thing?"

Sasuke stops himself from saying what he's thinking. Good heavens... Ren doesn't know how to behave like an ordinary human being, does he?

"No, it's not! It's very different!" Shouto defends himself, with all the seriousness a three-year-old could muster.

"What do you mean? Endeavor had a fight with him?!" Fumikage asks, ignoring Ren's strange ways.

"Hmm..." He hesitates.

"He's injured. From the bruises, it was heavy blows and fire. It must have been a bigger enemy than he was." It was Madara's precise remark. "If we consider that he has something related to his father..."

Sasuke concluded, looking with contempt at the man who was walking away from the boy, heading towards the house.

Family, the most important thing for the Uchiha clan.

Why can't anyone understand this?

"It's nothing," Shouto mutters, "don't worry about it..."

"Are you sur—"

"Why did your dad hit him?" Ren asks, a worrying naturalness in his voice.

Shouto sighs horrified.

"What?! How do you—"

"WHAT?!" Fumikage pays more attention to the boy outside.

"It was training." Shouto tries to explain, desperate. "Touya is always training with daddy, he wants to become a hero..."

"Oh, so he did." Comments Ren with some interest.

"Training!? This isn't training!! This is tortu— WAAAH!!"

Fumikage falls backward, almost doing a somersault.

"W-w-what's wrong?!" Shouto hurries to help him up.

"Oh," Ren smiles, waving, "looks like your brother saw us, Shouto."

"... What?"

⊶─────≺⋆≻─────⊷

His feelings are... complicated.

Whether understanding them or suppressing them, it's more complicated than any training he's ever done.

So he lays down on the grass and looks. A few clouds are in the sky, and there seems to be nothing else.

Nothing... he can't feel anything.

He feels like he's choking on oxygen. He tries to reach for something, anything to hook his thoughts, to feel, and...

There's someone at Shouto's window.

In a moment, everything about him seems to stop existing. But a pain shoots through his chest, and he knows it's real.

There's someone in Shouto's window.

That sea of emptiness in his being fills up in a single second.

Then Touya feels.

Fear slams against your skull like a hammer. He doesn't know when he got to his feet, but his body shakes and his vision darkens as his heart beats harder and harder.

Touya has always been terrible at understanding his feelings, but he feels it all and it's terrifying—

Oh, God, there's a motherfucking stranger in his brother's room and the whole world seems to be in slow motion.

For the next second, his vision is a blur as he runs. His shoes slide against the kitchen floor, and he leans against the wall to regain his balance.

"You little brat, what do you think you're doing with those dirty shoes?!" Touya just ignores him.

Jumping all the steps he can, he throws himself against the door, causing it to slam against the wall and make even more noise.

Shouto looks at him, startled.

Touya doesn't wait, grabs his wrist, and pulls him like a rag doll, getting between his brother and the intruders.

He feels weak, his body trembling and his thoughts jumbled. He should call for help, he should call for his father, but all Touya can say is: "Who are you!?!?"

And he hates how scared his voice sounded at that.

"Hello, Todoroki", one of them greets, a strange smile on his features, "my name is Ren, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

And he approaches, one hand outstretched.

Touya practically growls, feeling Shouto tug at the hem of his shirt.

"T-T-Touya-nii! Calm down!" Shouto calls urgently. "Don't do that! They're my friends!"

Touya breaks eye contact with the stranger, staring at Shouto as if he's just said the stupidest thing on Earth.

"Y-yes, we're friends..." And just now Touya notices another person in the room, another child, one with a crow's head, shivering against the side of the bed.

How did he take so long to notice it? Was he hiding? It wouldn't be possible for Touya not to notice something so significant, right? If Dad found out—

"Stop... stop, don't do that!" Don't do what? He tries to look at his brother. There's smoke in his way. "You're going to get dad's attention, stop!"

And then he notices: The fire rising and burning his own hand.

"What's going on up there?!" That terrifying voice calls.

Shouto panics.

"Hide, quick, anywhere!"

"This is going to be very interesting," the child, the one with brown hair, whispers happily, so the two hide under the bed.

When Enji enters the room, very angry and impatient, Shouto hides behind Touya.

Oh, holy shit, there are two intruders in his little brother's room, and he needs to keep his cool. Fuck all of this.

• • •

Touya watches the two children with a neutral expression.

Your left wrist still hurts. He'd hurt him during training, and Dad grabbed him right there, held him tight, and told him to stop being weak because he could feel the fear in his eyes.

And in the world of heroes, the coward's place is six feet under the Earth.

Shouto whimpers, and Enji leaves. But Touya still feels angry.

The one called Mario trembles under your gaze, the same way Mom trembles under Dad's gaze. And no one talks this time, but Touya knows that his eyes are similar to his father's. They are identical.

Mom told him so many times.

So he stops staring at him.

Instead, he looks at Shouto. No one seems to be afraid of him, even when Shouto also has an eye similar to his.

But Mom will never say that to him, not to Shouto, the "precious baby" of the house. Instead, she covers that blue eye whenever she gets the chance, and smiles sweetly at him. But... it's not fair, is it?

Why aren't her hands covered in ice when it's Shouto who's looking at her?

Ren moves in his seat, staring at him curiously.

"That blue fire from earlier, it was... that was..." he tries to find the right word, "it was splendid!"

Touya nods slowly, trying to understand what about the boy makes him so uncomfortable.

His smile...there's something odd about his smile.

Ren continues, unperturbed:

"I don't usually ask about quirks, but...that was your quirk acting, right? Is it a different kind of fire?"

Something is... wrong.

"... Yes, it was my quirk. It's called Cremation, the flames are hotter than ordinary fire."

"Impressive! Can I see it again, please?"

Something is wrong.

He looks around, and his instincts tremble inside him.

There's someone else here.

Shouto pokes his arm, then waves back to the two "guests".

Ren tries again: "Hmm... pleeease?"

He feels his stomach freeze.

"Here," he raises his left arm, "as I said, the color is different because fire is more powerful."

As he explains, flames rise from his hand. The three watches delighted.

"That's really hot..." Fumikage feels a foolish fear of having his feathers burned.

"Isn't it? His fire is even stronger than our father's!"

"Stronger than Endeavor?! Now that's cool!!"

"Hm... Dad isn't that nice, but Touya-nii is! He's really nice!"

"I think these flames are adorable," Ren comments.

And Touya stops.

Adorable...

He thinks of the strange way Dad looked at him when his quirk was first activated.

He thinks of Mom, shivering as she stumbled toward the bedroom with Shouto in her arms because that fire was so hot and terrifying and it couldn't be near Shouto.

He thinks about how the fire burns more and more through his body every time he enters the training room.

Adorable.

And Ren seems to be so pleased with his words.

"You know this can hurt... and a lot, don't you?"

"I know, I've burned myself many times. But the way you control it... it feels like they're dancing! It's so beautiful..."

Beautiful...why can't Mom think it's beautiful too?

Touya feels the flames getting hotter. He erases it as fast as he can.

"But you also have a nice quirk, Ren." Shouto comments. "I've heard it's rare too."

"Well... it's not exactly a quirk, but it's very useful... oh, by the way, I could take you to the doctor, Touya. You should try not to get hurt that much during training, use your flames to protect yourself. Touya? You turned pale all of a sudden, are you feeling okay?"

Shouto despairs at his brother's gaze. "I-I didn't say anything! He figured it out on his own, I don't know how!"

And Ren, of course, doesn't seem intimidated.

"Er... he is... smart?" Fumikage tries.

PS: Fumikage also fails.

"Actually, it was Madara who noticed the bruises," he corrects. "He also said they were the result of heavy blows and fire, and Sasuke concluded that they were caused by his father, but if you must know, I had suspected that too."

...

"...Uh...who?" Fumikage looks more confused than anything else.

"Sasuke and Madara, two friends of mine. Grumpy most of the time, very grumpy, by the way, but very smart and nice."

Something is wrong.

"You say there's someone else here?" Touya gets up, looking around. "Where?!"

"Here", Ren points, but there is nothing, "but only I can see you, it's a pity because you could get along—" and then he shudders, covering his ears.

Touya's mind goes blank.

"What's this?" Fumikage looks between the empty space and Ren. "They're talking to you right now!?"

"Y-yes...", he massaged his ears, "they don't look very happy... uh, Madara, please speak a little lower..."

"Well... maybe they didn't want to be revealed?" Shouto offers.

"Well, maybe this is it..." Then he shudders again.

"... But what the fuck is going on?"

⊶─────≺⋆≻─────⊷

They feel like they shouldn't be nervous that anyone else knows they exist, but still, they feel very nervous.

Maybe it's the symptoms of madness, who knows?

Anyway...

Madara is more used to people thinking he doesn't exist than he would like. It was years away from humanity, connected to the Gedo Statue. And having only Zetsu and Obito for company wasn't exactly therapeutic— it was even more stressful most of the time.

But Sasuke... he wasn't used to that feeling, even though sometimes he wanted to be.

And Ren... he's used to being around people that only he can see. It has been inconvenient for much of his life, but it is a unique and magical experience, he supposes.

Together, the three are... acceptable.

Well... a little self-destructive too, considering how Madara is screaming in Ren's sensitive ears.

But the important thing is that most of the time the situation is acceptable.

"They know about us now, anyway." Madara finally grumbled, and Sasuke paced, wisely staying out of his line of sight. "There's no turning back... you're a goner, Ren."

But despite all the regrets, Ren extracts something "good" from the situation and becomes the spokesperson for the Uchiha.

"He said I corrupted you, Fumikage!"

"... Why would he say that?"

"I have no idea!"

He's a terrible spokesperson, but everyone starts from somewhere.

• • •

Do you remember how Fumikage's mother was feeling that Ren wasn't a good example for her son? Well, we have more proof that she is right now.

Fumikage arrived half an hour late at daycare, and Ren nearly dropped the trash can for his lack of teleportation accuracy...

Okay, let's be more realistic: Fumikage is two hours late, and Ren knocked over that garbage can.

At least Ren managed to stay on his feet, Madara thinks, and yes, he's considering this a breakthrough.

• • •

Advising Fumikage to ask his mother's permission before doing something was one of the first sensible things Ren did in these three years, and Sasuke points it out in a not-so-kind way.

Of course, Fumikage was nervous, stuttering as he tried to talk to her, but hey, it's still something.

"You're right, but... being sensible is hard, don't you think?"

"For you? Yes." Madara says mercilessly, watching the child in the distance almost kneel before the mother. "But it's a start."

Fumikage clings to his mother's leg.

"You're right, I'm a very dumb kid. Even so, I feel very good that I managed to be sensible."

"...You look very calm while swearing at yourself like a donkey," Madara watches him, his expression unreadable, "why?"

"Because that's what I am. Accepting your flaws is boring, sure, but it's necessary."

"And how are you so sure this is true?"

"Because mommy and daddy told me."

They don't bring it up for the rest of the day.

• • •

"This is the sequel." Shouto comes back with another comic book.

"I still don't understand the end of this one..." Fumikage lament.

"I think the protagonist's girlfriend died."

"... Oh."

Ren was right, the protagonist's girlfriend died from the battle wounds. Fumikage and Shouto are making a scene in the face of this truth.

"Not even my last battle was that tiring..." Madara looks exhausted, running a hand over his face.

"Your last battle?" Sasuke moves a little closer, interested. "It was the battle against Hashirama, right?"

Madara clicks his tongue. "I thought at least my last battle was in the history books."

"It is, but the books just boil it down to 'a battle big enough to create a valley', and how the First Hokage was a hero for slaying the village's mad traitor. Maybe you have something to add."

"I have a lot to add if you want to know," he grumbles scornfully, "I wasn't crazy, I just knew the truth. But after my fall, everyone seemed happy to ignore my warnings."

"So, what would that truth be?"

"You're not ready to hear it, kid, not yet. What did you asked? The fight? Yes, yes, I know, don't look at me like I'm a forgotten old man, I was just confirming. It was a good fight, Hashirama was one of the only opponents worthy of fighting me."

"Was Hashirama as strong as they said?" He makes sure to ignore the smugness in his tone.

"Hashirama? He's always been very strong, ever since he was a little boy with bowl hair. We didn't create the Valley of the End for nothing. Besides, he—"

"Oooh... Valley of the End for a final fight, how poetic."

Madara stops, slowly turning to Ren.

Madara feels that feeling of feeling nothing. "What in the world—"

"Madara is talking about a battle against a man named Hashirama," Ren tells the other two, ignoring the Uchiha's indignant looks. "It was a great battle! So great that it created a valley, called 'Valley of the End'"

"How amazing!" Fumikage gasps with emotion.

"They were warriors?" Shouto asks, nudging Ren's arm.

"They were ninjas!"

"Wooow!"

The three decide to gossip about it with great joy.

"I forgot there's no privacy around here." Madara grumbles. "In my day kids were more polite...why are you looking at me like that Sasuke? I already told you I'm not an old man, I just appreciate a decent upbringing! And Ren, stop talking about that too! How dare these kids to laugh at me?!"

The three begin to debate the importance of getting a comic book about ninjas.

Sometimes Madara hates children.

• • •

Touya looks tired when he enters the room, even more tired when he sees the "guests". He feels like saying something mean, but bites his tongue, stopping himself from doing so as he closes the door.

"What are you doing?"

"We are choosing the name of the trio." Shouto takes the paper, bringing it closer to his brother.. "See, some ideas."

"Trio name?" There are nine names written in blue pen, All Might Fan-Club... Uchiha Fan-Club... The Three Musketeers... Birdheads.

The last was crossed out with fervor.

"Because we're a trio, and trios need names!" Shouto responds like it's the obvious thing in the world.

Touya doesn't know what to say about this.

Touya decides to say nothing.

"I never realized how bad I am at naming things..." Fumikage sighs. "Don't the ghos... Uchihas have any ideas, Ren?"

"Trio of the busybodies." Madara suggests.

"Ren-Fumi-Sho?" Sasuke tries.

"Trio of the busybodies and Ren-Fumi-Shou!"

"Is he still angry about it?"

"Hm... well, the second one is kind of cool." Shouto mutters.

"Why busybodies?"

"Ah! Here, sit down! I'll tell you everything that happened." Ren pats the spot next to him.

"..."

May Izuna forgive him, but there are times when Madara hates children with all his might.

• • •

A month passes.

Autumn arrives, bringing with it the orange-colored dress that covers the entire city.

Ren doesn't have the privilege of drinking the hot chocolate that's on sale at that expensive coffee shop in town, but he remains one of the happiest people in Mutusafu.

"Oh, isn't autumn wonderful?" He asks smiling, enjoying the path that begins to cover with dry leaves.

"I prefer summer." It was Madara's bland reply.

"Really? How funny, I don't like the heat very much."

"And I don't like the cold very much."

"Hm, I think we all have different tastes." Ren says at last, laughing briefly. "What about you, Sasuke? Do you like the heat like Madara?"

"All seasons seem ok to me."

"I guess you're right, every season has its good and bad things! I really like them all myself, a little less summer, but even this one has its charm."

Ren died during the summer.

He doesn't hate it, though. It's just... autumn held a special place in his heart.

It was a disappointment not to be able to see his city covered in orange and yellow one last time, of course, but... ever since that happened, three years before his death… even autumn didn't seem to be such a wonderful thing.

And as if that wasn't enough, two months before he died, the glorious cherry tree that stood at the heart of the city was uprooted.

Everything looked so colorless...

But it's okay, because now he's in another city, with other people and with other visions.

He just... needs to not think too much about what happened.

Just this.

But Madara... Madara doesn't love autumn.

The change of color in the leaves was a reminder of the coming of winter, and that... hurt.

The cold hurts, whether from snow or ice or from a baby's corpse.

Madara remembers it like it was yesterday, his little sister struggling to breathe, wrapped in a blanket that still wasn't enough.

Why? Why is the world so unfair? She wasn't even a full year old...

His hands felt like they were about to freeze as he dug the grave.

No, Madara doesn't love autumn, but he's learned not to hold grudges against it.

• • •

"WHAT? TOMORROW?!" Shouto despairs, and Touya barely hits Tokoyami on the head. "Your birthday is tomorrow?! Ren, why didn't you tell us sooner!?"

"It wasn't something important enough for me to interrupt the conversation." Fumikage looks like he's about to protest, but Ren continues: "Besides, I'm fine with spending this birthday without soda."

"Soda?" Madara raises an eyebrow.

"Yes! I can have a glass of soda on my birthday, it was almost a tradition at home."

"Oh, we don't have soda..." Shouto explains with a sad expression. "Daddy doesn't let us have anything out of the hero diet at home..."

Sasuke crouched down next to Ren. "I thought your birthday was in August."

"No, it's September! Ten of September!"

"August was the month the brat turned into a baby." Madara remembers, making Sasuke let out a loooong breath.

Looks like those three years were a lie.

"I think Natsuo has a can of soda hidden under his bed," Touya says smiling, remembering how Natsuo had stolen his snack last month. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we 'borrowed' it."

"Why is it hidden? Isn't it part of the hero diet?"

"I find soda hard to be part of any kind of diet."

"Shouto? Shouto!? Is anyone there??" A female voice calls.

"Hey! Shouto! Open the door!" Someone else speaks, this time it seems to be a boy.

And before Ren can even suggest greeting them like the nice guest they were, Touya runs to keep the door closed.

"It's me!" He tries to sound as natural as possible.

"Oh," the knob turns. "Why are you locking it?"

"It's just, hm...Shouto is...trying on some of my clothes."

Children are terrible at lying.

Touya stares at them, the meaning clear: 'Go away'.

"Dad is home..." The girl, Fuyumi, whispers. Touya's shoulders tense. "But... I think it's okay... it's just for today... but mommy is nervous... she fought him earlier, and he yelled at her again... hm... do you think he'll—"

Then they are in the square again.

"Oh Ren! You didn't let us hear the rest of the conversation!" Sasuke complains, not noticing the nod of agreement that came from Madara.

What could he do? Shinobis are born gossipers.

• • •

"I'm planning big things for tomorrow," Ren says happily, climbing up to his bunk place, "it will be the first time I go for a walk on my birthday!"

"Talking to yourself again?" He turns to see Kiki near the door.

"No, I'm talking to my friends."

"Then keep your voice down to those imaginary friends of yours." When Kiki gets nothing but a cheery nod, he turns off the bedroom light and leaves, sullenly.

"You should stop saying that to anyone," Madara scolds once more, "you'll end up being sent to a sanatorium like that."

"Maybe you're right, not everyone understands, it's a shame..."

"What if you said we're part of your quirk?" Sasuke suggests. "There's a lot out there, isn't there? They might believe you."

"It's an interesting idea," but before the younger one can feel proud, Madara continues: "But it would be bad if people thought he had two quirks."

"Ugh, right, he'd get a lot of attention like that..."

"Don't worry, as long as I can have friends like you, I'm fine with people thinking I'm crazy."

"..."

That night, Ren marvels at the way the two respond to his "good night."

• • •

"And now, we introduce our special guest: All Might!!!"

The audience applauds fervently.

"Thank you! Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here."

"We're the ones who thank you for your time! And now, if you don't mind, we'd like to ask you a few questions—"

"No! You can't do that!" A voice coming from the bedroom protests.

"Oh well, as you may already know, I had to train a lot to get where I am today and—"

"I can do it and I will, and you don't have to meddle in it!" Another voice responds.

"Yes, hard work always leads to success! Listen to this, young people! Ah... the next question is from a viewer who is watching our show live, she wants to know if—"

"No! I'm tired of this! Tired!! I won't let you continue!!!"

One of the children holds the younger one's shoulders.

"But of course! Even though it's a very dangerous job, it's very satisfying to see the smile on the face of the one you save—"

"Who do you think you are? What do you know about a true hero's life?!"

They try to focus on the TV, but it's so hard...

"Your words are very wise, All Might! We're glad we got the chance to—"

"I know enough to know that what you do is crazy! I won't let you touch him!!"

They turn up the volume on the TV. It is not enough.

"But now, the main question of the night: What made you want to become a hero?"

"He's my son too! And I'm going to train him for a real hero's life!!!"

The audience falls into an expectant silence.

"Oh, there were many reasons, but the main one, without a doubt, was my desire to protect people..."

"This isn't training! It's torture!"

The older child's watery eyes reflect the light from the TV.

"I wanted the helpless and the downtrodden to feel safe, I wanted them to think, 'No matter what happens, there will be someone to protect me'."

"Oh, shut up!"

"So I overcame my own fears to be that person; and at the end of the day, that's what makes you a hero, right?"

"Enough! I'll take him away with me!"

He holds his breath.

"Overcoming your deepest fears to protect those in need..."

"You're not taking him anywhere!"

It's getting louder.

"And save lives with a big smile—"

"Let me go!!"

"That's what makes you a great hero!!!"

"I said shut the fuck up!!"

A scream. A scare. The sound of breaking glass.

"Mom?!" Shouto calls, getting up and running towards the room.

"Hey, don't go!" Natsuo calls out, and they try to stop him.

The door opens with a push.

Rei is on the floor, one hand covering her cheek as the other bleeds from the cut of the lamp's shards.

And Enji... Enji stares at them.

"... Get out." And his voice is terrifying as always.

"Come on..." Fuyumi calls softly, holding her little brother's wrist. "Let's go..."

But he remains, refusing to go. 'Overcoming your deepest fears to protect those in need.'

"D-don't hurt mommy!" It's all he can say with what little courage he can muster.

But Enji... he doesn't even blink at it.

"Shouto, stop it. Go, get out of here!" Rei scolds.

Everything was so scary. So horrifying...

'And save lives with a big smile.'

"Come on..." Natsuo starts pulling him.

But Enji doesn't give any more time for Shouto's internal struggle. He walks towards them, ready to close the door, but Rei freaks out, seeing that monster approaching her baby.

She gathers the ice in her hand, the one that was on her cheek, and grabs Enji's leg.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

"I already said shut up!"

He kicks her hand, and Rei falls, only to reach for him again.

'That's what makes you a great hero!'

The fire grows under an explosion of rage. The fire grows under an explosion of rage. Fuyumi has the tip of her hair singed and Natsuo feels her hand on fire.

Touya pulls the siblings back. And Enji... he sees the flames in wonder.

Rei flinches, horrified. She drags herself away, cutting herself on the shards of glass as she curls up against the bed. Her hands cover her face, blood mixing with tears, and she cries loudly as she shakes.

She doesn't want to look at it. She can feel the heat from where she is, but she doesn't want to... she doesn't want to...

She doesn't want to look at this monster.

Enji smiles.

Terror grows inside Shouto. The fire keeps rising, and he doesn't know how to stop.

It's a fear he can't overcome... not when Mom cries, when Fuyumi trembles, when Natsuo breathes shakily, when Touya continues to look at him...

He wants to help them all, he wants to, but he can't.

'That's what makes you a great hero!'

"We'll start training tomorrow."

But Shouto is not a hero, he's just a scared little boy who can't move until his deepest fear walks out of the room.