Cicatrize

14

Fuyumi had episodes where she would suddenly burst into tears, at random moments. And Natsuo was getting more and more detached from the house with each passing day.

Shoto, on the other hand, had changed ever since that day.

He no longer smiled or even talked as much. He was already a really quiet child before but your death had only made it worse. He had become completely closed off with all the others.

And perhaps the biggest change... was his rebellion against Enji.

Ever since your death, your brother had begun to hate his left side. He despised it with a passion, for it reminded him of everything he hated. His mother saw his father in his left side and tried to hurt him because of that, but what was the most horrifying part of his left side was the fire.

The same fire that took your life.

There's no way he could ever use the thing that killed you. He would become a hero without this killer quirk; the quirk that his father gave him. He didn't need it.

Needless to say, Enji was enraged.

How dare Shoto be so ungrateful and so childish?! At first, he tried to chalk it off as trauma from your death, but after a few months, his behavior persisted and it only angered the redhead.

Your death should have fueled Shoto to work even harder! Train even harder! So why the hell was be acting like a brat and continuing this disgraceful behavior?!

He tried his best to get Shoto to use his fire again, but it was all in vain. He used from punishments to training Shoto's ice to such a point where he would pass out of hypothermia, in hopes that the boy would use his flames to warm himself.

But it was of no use.

Shoto refused to use that murderous quirk that killed his little sister. He didn't care to know if Touya had meant to start the fire or not, all he knew that his fire was the reason you were no longer by his side.

April rolled by much faster than Shoto would have liked and he finally had to start going to the preschool–the same preschool you were meant to attend with him.

And yet, here he stood. All alone, with no one by his side.

The moment he was dropped off at the entrance by the family maid, he could already tell that he was going to hate every bit of this. There was just so many children, all of his age yet they looked absolutely annoying-nothing like you.

You were calm, quiet and wise. Even though you were the youngest in the whole family, Shoto still considered you much smarter than even his older siblings-hell, even more than Endeavor!

Before she left, the family maid, Hiyori had requested him to get along with the other kids and make some friends. But there's no way any of these kids could ever be equal to you, so Shoto very much preferred staying as far away from these kids as he could.

Besides, he didn't have any time for petty friendships. He was going to be a hero, the strongest hero that will never let anyone suffer like you. He needed to focus on getting his ice stronger.

Life was bland without you.

Most people would be confused by Shoto's thinking. After all, you weren't the most energetic person nor were you playful or any of that sort. So how could life be bland without someone who was blandness itself?

But that wasn't the case for Shoto.

He thought of you as amazing, and smart. You were calming, just like Rei. Yet, unlike your mother, you never took any abuse from Enji. You faced him head on, not caring for how he would hurt you because you always stayed true to your ideals.

You were the kind of person Shoto wanted to be. Strong, confident and smart.

After your death, everyone around Shoto could tell he was slowly changing. He was slowly adopting more of your habits and throwing away his previous personality; shy, meek and expressive.

Now, he was becoming more and more like you; calm, quiet, calculating and more than anything, fearless. Shoto no longer felt fear when he stared right into his father's eyes, glaring back at him whenever the older man sneered.

No, he was done cowering like a coward.

He had seen the consequences that had followed his cowardice. His mother getting abused, and slowly losing her mind. Rei hurting you, and Touya's anger at you. And lastly, your and Touya's death.

Everything was all Endeavor's fault, so Shoto wanted him to suffer, just like the boy was suffering. Shoto was going to be the number one hero, without this damned fire quirk.

He would be a hero for you, and for the rest of his family. Not for Endeavor, never.

————

In a colorful area that seemed like it was straight out of a children's story book, a pair of eyes snapped open in surprise.

God knows how long it had been since the last time those eyes had opened.

Those eyes that were filled with shock, drifted everywhere, from one place to the other as the blankets that were covering a body, slowly got pushed to the side and revealed a seven year old.

How did... I end up in here? No, wait...

​​​"Where even... am I?"