Once upon a time, there was a hero who, despite being unargueably one of the best of his kind, he never was the most popular.

The hero married and had a child. The hero was happy because this child had a power that surpassed his. Even better, the child looked up to his father and was determined to follow his steps.

However, as the child grew up and pushed himself to the limit, the burns and scars made obvious his body couldn't take it. His mother and two siblings were worried about him, because each day the frustration of the child grew and he became more distant with his family.

The hero was upset too. He began to think the child must stop worrying his family, and just dedicate to play with his younger sister and brother. But no matter how bad he hurt himself , no matter the resent that poisoned his heart, no matter even his hair was changing because of his power overuse, the child was determined to go beyond.

Then, one day, the family had news: a fourth child was coming.

When his last sibling was born, all the attention of the family was brought to him. Despite it was too soon to know about the baby's future power, the doctors said all pointed that it would be an incredible and unprecedented power. The father of the family, who had almost given up on finding a successor among his offspring, became rapidly interested by that possibility.

That didn't go unnoticed to the child.

Doctors were stupid. And so was his family, the child thought. His father himself told him the magnitude of his power was superior. What could that crying nuisance bring to the table?

From that day on, the child had nothing on his mind than becoming stronger. Injuries didn't matter. He was the child his father needed, and he would live up to his ambition.

However, the hero and his family were told a huge fire had devastated the place where their eldest child trained... and that not even some carbonized body had been left behind.

The family, and specially the hero, never fully recovered. And thus he decided he would never ever neglect his duties as father and hero. Whatever it took, he would make sure his youngest child was strong enough to control what his eldest couldn't...

****************
FLASHBACK 1
Six years ago...

Dabi wasn't expecting him, but he wasn't that surprised either. He was just bonding with his little brother and teaching him how do you give your opponent third degree burns... and then Dad came to ruin all the fun.

"Stop this. At once" Endeavor demanded. "He's your brother."

Oh, sure. Every fight is always elder brother's fault.

"Go away! I can do this!"

"No! You go away!" Endeavor addressed the other. "This is not your fight!"

Dabi scoffed. By that time Shoto had perfectionated his balanced attacks of ice and fire and was a lifetime challenge for any average hero or villain. But the brute power of Dabi's Cremation was like hell on earth. Endeavor knew that, and Dabi never held back from hurting others.

Proof of it was the injured and tired state the youngest of the Todorokis did his best to hide.

"I don't work in the agency anymore!" Shoto angrily replied. "I don't take orders from you!"

"Let him stay, old man" Dabi knew the world wouldn't miss one detail of that inminent confrontation. "This concerns him as much as us."

"No, it doesn't" Endeavor stated. "Everything you've done comes back to me and it's time I amend it."

"So... you finally decided to fight me..." Dabi enjoyed playing with Shoto, but going one on one with their father now everyone knew the truth... what else could he ask for that day?

Even since Dabi made public the truth about their family's past, and more specifically, the eldest child's fall from grace, Endeavor always refused to fight his own blood. But he couldn't ignore the fact that the son Rei and him thought dead was alive and hurting innocent people because of his past mistakes.

"Touya..."

How long had it been since the last time someone called him by that name?

"We'll continue our game another day, Shoto" Dabi could deal with him later; facing Endeavor was something he wouldn't miss for anything in the world.

"Touya... we all thought you were dead..."

"You weren't actually mistaken" Dabi somberly muttered. "What's it going to be... Hero Number One?

Everybody knew Endeavor spent his youth trying to earn that position and how unpleased he was when he finally received it. From any other villain, those words would be enough to start a heavily heated fight.

But he had promised to become a better hero for the world and a better father for his family. And no matter what twisted path he had taken: that young man full of body and soul scars was his son and his promise extended to him.

"I know you've suffered a lot, Touya" Endeavor had lived with remorse for so long. "But you have been doing terrible things."

"Ohh, you don't know how much I've awaited for you to say that..." Dabi replied as he threw his black coat away, revealing the same map of burns and scars he once showed in front of millions, this time only for the man in front of him. "Beautiful sight, huh? Do you really want to talk about who has done terrible things?"

"Yes. And we will" as painful as the situation was Endeavor had a duty to fulfil as a hero and a parent. And he had delayed it for too long. "All the things you want to tell me, I've been told before. By your mother, your siblings... and myself. And you have all the right to hate me and tell them all to me again. But first..."

"You're coming with us" Shoto had recovered some of his breath, and not so surprisingly, he still hadn't obeyed his father.

"Shoto!"

"Shut up. Now we are both heroes and I can still fight. And you won't win alone if you hold back against him all the time."

Dabi scoffed. Shoto and him might have grown up separated, but his parents' last child was exactly how he always imagined.

"Take a closer look, Shoto" Dabi said referring to his physical appearance. "If that scar of yours is a constant reminder of something terrible caused by a so called hero... what could you possibly say about my body?"

Shoto's expression didn't change when he answered:

"Let's just say some time ago we started to get even."

"That was a little below the bell..." Endeavor growled. Like Shoto pointed out some time ago, that was a bad scar he now had on his own face.

"Parents... always taking the little one's side on an argument..." Dabi's new smirk wasn't so full of fun. "Let it be the two of you, then. After all, people watching deserve a good show..."

****************

July 18th, 19:45.
The Man's Island, inside the volcano.

"You are still mad after losing back then, aren't you?" Shoto asked.

"Shut up. You were getting a nice beating before he arrived" Dabi replied.

"I actually know the feeling of wanting to beat Endeavor and failing to do so" there was no pun in Shoto's words.

But that didn't stop Dabi from throwing a new blue blast over his brother. His anger was quiet but as burning as his firepower. The ice pillar Shoto created in response melt as soon as the fire went away.

From both sides of the wall of the smoke and steam that formed, hero and villain used Quirks to impulse themselves and crash one against the other. They were now violently grabbing each other's hands and struggle face to face. A trail of blood appeared on their foreheads as a result of their collision, but any cry or show or pain died behind their gritted teeth.

"I would have end Endeavor's career right there" Dabi was furious, but he wouldn't take Shoto lightly. "You know why? Because I was already stronger than him. But you... oh you... you couldn't stay away, right? At the end of the day, you have to be the perfect son..."

"You're welcome" Shoto frowned as he prepared his next move.

"For what?"

"For not letting you add parricide to your list of crimes."

Before Dabi could reply, a long and thin piece of ice grew from Shoto's right shoulder and would have reached Dabi's face hadn't he trapped it with instinctively released hand.

"This I learned from Creati..."

Shoto took his chance to cover his right arm in stone cold ice and hit his opponent right in the gut. The next thing was a series of boxing moves with fists involved in ice and fire to Dabi's body.

"... and this I learned from Deku."

The young villain tried to counter, but a rivalry with a considerably superior fist fighting skills had provided Shoto with some reflexes in that field. The series concluded with a hook to Dabi's jaw, so hard it broke the ice gear and sent him to the ground.

Shoto panted and caught his breath as Dabi reincorporated.

"Creati, huh?" Dabi was hurt, but he wouldn't miss the chance to taunt him. To Dabi, Momo Yaoyorozu and him were your typical couple of pretty celebrities that existed to make average citizens feel unsatisfied with their social lives. "And I thought you were dumb..."

"Watch your word, brother. She's not any kind of girl."

"Definitely not" the name of Creati was a synonym of heroism, leadership, intellect and beauty, even in the villain underworld. "Tell me: when you brought her home... did Dad nod and say something like "bravo, Shoto: she's a great choice to combine your Quirks with". If you know what I mean..."

Some years ago that would have made Shoto Todoroki fly into a rage. but he had been able to move forward, for him, for his family, and his own dream. And not less importantly, for the people he was there to save.

"You better quit on your obsession with him. Dad will soon make official his retirement."

"You don't get it, do you?" now it was Dabi who shot a series of blue flames to Shoto from where he was. "Endeavor's hero career has been agonizing since the day he defeated and sent his villanious son to prison. All I wanted six years ago was to be the one to end it clean, when it was is still relevant. "

Shoto moved fast as he skated along the ice his feet created to dodge all the flames, but Dabi was patient enough to finally hit him. Now it was Shoto who would have to listen to him as he got up in pain.

"I see... then The Man who took that from you..."

Before he could cover himself properly another blue flame hit him. This time Dabi didn't wait for him to be on his feet.

"No" he corrected, as he harshly grabbed Shoto by the costume collar. "The big guy only helped to prove the people what they actually knew: that they desperately need a new Number One..."

Shoto was tossed away to the extreme of the scaffold where they fought. The lava bubbled menancingly some distance below.

"It was you who took that from me" Dabi was surprisingly calmed as he walked towards him. "And there was a time where I hated you for it. But you know what? It is better this way. He is already done through. Any asylum can have him; it is you who I want."

Volcanic levels may be an overused topic in videogames, but the heart of an active volcano looked like the perfect scenario for a final confrontation between Endeavor's children.

"You were just a crawling thing by the time I almost killed myself, but when I heard rumors about the Todoroki entering UA... I knew one day I'd cross paths with you" Dabi let his flames cover both his now naked arms. "And all these years few things have brought me more fun than beating the hell out with you: my youngest sibling; the Todoroki who succeeded where I failed and managed to become a hero.

"Seven years and still the same song..." Shoto chuckled in a mix of frustration and humor, as he activated his own powers. "You're right: I was too little to remember you before you disappeared. But the rest always remembered you: Dad, Fuyumi, Natsuo... and Mom. She misses you more than anyone, you know."

Dabi stopped and silently looked at his brother from behind his hair.

"Why mentioning her now?" he finally asked in a dark tone. "That woman never believed in me when I was a child. She didn't encouraged me to become a hero, like she did with you..."

"She was worried about you. All she saw was her first child constantly hurting himself on his attempt to be like the ass of her husband" all his life Shoto had felt his mother's pain for not being able to protect Touya, even when she knew he was alive. "Dad knows years ago he went as far as he would ever go as a hero..."

Two flaming figures, one blue and the other one red, clashed against the other at high speed. The violence of the impact made the platform where they stood shake.

"Yet he wouldn't retire... not without saving you" he punched Dabi, opening the scar of the left side of his face.

"Here we go again..." Dabi returned the punch, opening Shoto's lip. "Who says I need to be saved?" Shoto blocked his next hit, but he kept talking anyway. "What gives you heroes the right... to say I'm the one wrong here?

Shoto's covered in ice forehead hit Dabi's mouth and a flaming direct to the chest sent him several steps backwards.

"This is not about heroes and villains, Touya" Shoto was starting to have a hard time to catch his breath. "This is about family. No matter what the League has made you done, we all want you to come back home."

"The League has never forced me into nothing. You are smart enough to buy that. We all believe in what we do... "

Despite his original scepticism about Shigaraki and his vision on a world without All Might, he had come to belong in the League and care for his comrades. He took a moment to remember Twice's sacrifice while Shoto carried a hand to his ear and nodded in approval.

"I was just informed. Eri has been released and is being scorted out of here" he announced. "I have no news about the other prisoners, but I trust my team. Come on, Touya... no civilian was hurt this time... and this will be over soon.

"Wrong again" Dabi replied. Damn, Shoto was making him talk. "The prisoners, including the girl, were hardly secondary here. Tomura already has what he wanted from them and the final act is close. All that is left for you to do is taking them back to Japan. So if you consider that is a hero's job, you should go now. You have nobody to save down here."

"I'm sorry, big brother" Shoto knew that talk was not going to last much longer. "But I believe in what I do too. And I care about my friends and family, too."

Dabi retained a sigh.

"You still don't understand. Going home with you would change nothing. Not for me, not for our family... and not for the hero society. What Tomura has begun can't be stopped anymore. That huge structure you saw before coming down here..."

That thing kept Shoto intrigued, but he had to trust his friend and focus.

"We have a plan. Deku is taking care of it."

"I wouldn't be so sure. That is exactly where Tomura awaits him."

Shigaraki had been waiting for that moment for years, and he wasn't planning to fail. Villain or not, Dabi wouldn't put his money on Deku.

"When I said I love fighting you, I meant it. But we're still from the same blood and... I wouldn't like to see you dead. I'll tell you this once, Shoto: go home; reunite with Mom, Fuyumi, Natsuo and your gorgeus waifu, and get yourselves a comfortable life in the society we are about to build."

Shoto shook his head. It was stupid; they both knew none change the other's mind.

"Creati is home doing her job as a hero. And I'm here to do mine."

"It must be hard for a hero couple" Dabi commented. He might get him mad, but for once he'd rather Shoto just leave. "Any of the two could get killed anyday at work..."

When they were about to get back to fight, they heard machinery functioning very close. To be more specific, the big changing platform where The Man's henchmen fought to survive and become part of the mob was slowly going down its way to the pool of magma. And there they were: a big red masked giant and a hero who could only use his explosions to avoid his opponent's attacks.

The hero known as Dynamight had dispatched all the henchmen that were fool enough to get on his way to get his rematch. He had found The Man standing on that metallic platform, ready for it.

Bakugou knew his Quirk was useless against The Man, so this time he had surprised the villain and had chosen to fight him like he did with other kids before he got his Quirk: just fists, legs and guts. And despite it had been many years, he was handling himself against a man way bigger than him. But then, when Bakugou started to have the upper hand, he activated the platform.

"You... old... bastard... cheater..." Bakugou roared through his teeth as he tried to strangle The Man from behind with his arms. It was useless though, since his neck was getting thicker and more muscular due to the high heat.

"First rule of this business, boy" The Man managed to grab his now even smaller opponent and violently throw him against one of the steel walls that appeared thanks to the changing mechanism. "If you are not cheating... YOU ARE NOT TRYING."

Bakugou's face was already a bloody mess from their previous round, but his determination would be unbreakable. Deku barely used his Quirk defeated him on their first encounter at UA. And he would never accept to be less than the nerd.

"You asshole..." he spitted. "You don't know what all this heat could do to your body in the end..."

"I'm a proffessional wrestler" his voice turned graver as his size grew and muscles looked like red hot steel. "My body is at the service of the show. Come on, say hi to the camera: my thousands of clients are watching us" he bulged his arms as he adressed to the cameras whose location he knew pretty well.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE MAIN EVENT!" a voice in off said through a microphone. "ONLY TONIGHT, I GIVE YOU... THE REMATCH BETWEEN BLAZOR, a.k.a, THE MAN, AAAAAND... THE EXPLOSIVE HERO: DYYYYYNAMIGHT!!!!"

The two competitors were on his feet. Bakugou had delivered great hits against his face and body, but now he was so big, they didn't look like a big deal.

"Normally I ask the youngest audience not to try this at home..." The Man said. "... but you, my friend, are very unlikely to make it back home."

Bakugou made his hands crepitate in big anger, but he contained himself. More than ever, he'd need strategy.

"Dynamight!!"

Bakugou opened his mouth when Shoto Todoroki landed by his side, but for once he wasn't in the mood for being too rude.

"What are you doing here, Half-Half? You're supposed to be fighting..."

"Looking for me?" Dabi landed there too, next to the masked villain.

"WOW WHAT A SURPRISE! IT LOOKS LIKE THE REMATCH TURNED INTO TWO AGAINST TWO!"

"Things didn't as planned for you either, right?" Shoto asked.

"Like shit" Bakugou growled.

"Come on, teaming up one more time won't kill us" Shoto kept his stoic tone, but it was good to meet that spiky haired stonehead. "But we need a plan. And this time Deku isn't... nevermind, forget that."

"No. This is true" Bakugou stated. "We're doing this. On Deku's way."

The villains exchanged their own words.

"Take care of the other one. But don't touch my brother: he's mine" Dabi said. That was out of negotiation. Unlike his partner, he wasn't there for the thrill of the game.

SOME EXTRA BEFORE THE END:

Meanwhile, back in Japan, at the hospital...

"Rei..."

"Enji?" a white haired woman asked a big bruised man who was sat thoughtful in front of a room. "I saw the news and I came as fast as I could. Fuyumi and Natsuo will be here soon. How is she? And how are you?"

Endeavor enjoyed the sight of the mother of his children for a moment in silent before answering.

"I brought Gigantomachia down and bring Yaoyorozu here immediately. She'll be fine: just some injuries and big fever due to overwork. Doctors are taking good care of her."

"Thank goodness" Rei was glad. They all cared for her in the family. "But..  are you feeling alright? They say that fight was brutal..."

"Truth to be told, I didn't know if I would make it" Endeavor sighed. "But here I am. Not bad for my last stand."

"Last stand? What do you mean?" Rei was confused.

"It means I'm officially retiring when this is over" Endeavor dropped the bomb as he showed her the small flame he was still able to create with his hand. He felt strangely at peace.

Rei looked at him as if he didn't believe what she heard.

"Endeavor..." a doubtful doctor appeared with a file in his hands. "We've got your results. I think you should probably..."

"Don't worry, doctor" Endeavor calmly cut him. "I know what they say. You can give me the details later."

The doctor blinked in confusion, but he nodded and gently left the hero with his equally surprised wife.

"There is something more important going on here" Endeavor pointed at the door of the room where Momo was being attended. "Tell me: do you still keep those old hero toys of our kids?"

"Huh... what...?" Rei wouldn't have expected that question from Enji Todoroki is a million years.

Endeavor kept pointing at the door and looked back at her as if he had given up on finding the best way of telling her some new.

"It appears we might need them in the future..." he finally said.

Endeavor had been married to that woman for long, but the shock face she had now was new even to him. When she babbled some almost unaudible  words, Endeavor just nodded in affirmation.

Rei Todoroki just sat slowly by her husband's side and kept her eyes on the door before them.

A new member was coming to the family.

End of chapter 43.

Missed me Watties? I have missed you a lot!!😢😢

Was this confrontation between brothers satisfying? What about the extra?

Well, it's late here, so I won't extend. To those who keep reading this long ass fanfic, I give you thanks :).

Next chapter won't take me so long, hopefully.

But I'll give it all for you! Because you deserve it! Love you all! See you!!🧡🧡🧡