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The walk down the hallway is long. Shoji doors, all shut and latched tightly, pass me by as I head to my goal.
My feet are all but silent, barely a rustle left in my wake on the tatami mats. I’ve taken off my house slippers and only my socked heels make any sound at all.
I pass one door and pause, peering into the crack. Fuyumi never closes her door all the way; she says it’s because she wants to be there if Natsuo has nightmares. He does, sometimes, after Touya died. He doesn’t know the actual details of his death, but the fire that had raged on that wretched mountainside fills in the missing pieces. At least enough to give him fuel for his anger and grief.
Natsuo is almost directly across the hall from Fuyumi’s room. He’s a heavy sleeper and his light snoring makes me smile. It’s cute. He’s so serious all the time—though he wasn’t always—that anything that is even slightly silly cheers me up. The fact that he snores but would desperately deny it if anyone were ever to tell him, his face would light up like a Christmas tree in red.
Further down the hall, closer to my destination than preferable, is a room I haven’t been allowed anywhere near it since his quirk manifested. But I know without a doubt this is my littlest brother’s room. There’s nothing to be heard inside, but I know that Shouto is a light sleeper and I hesitate to do anything that will wake him. For all he hates our father, he wouldn’t condone what I’m about to do.
I’ll just have to be quiet.
Finally, finally, my soft footsteps bring me to the end of the hall and in front of the biggest bedroom in the house. Todoroki Enji is a lighter sleeper that Shouto, natural for being a hero. But I’m certain that he won’t be able to fight back.
I slide the shoji door open slowly and quietly. I hear him stir, though he doesn’t wake. Even muscle is tensed to prevent even the slightest of sounds as I approach his bed. It used to be our parents’ bed, where Rei would sleep on the left side, closest to the door. Instead, Enji takes up the entire bed with his bulk and there’s little room to spare.
Poor Mom.
My hand trembles as I reach for him. I’m nervous, despite my determination and fury. I’ve never really crossed a line like I’m about to, not willing to shake things up. But seeing Rei fall to a backhand after her mental break, seeing her desolate expression as EMS led her off the premises and to a mental institution, was the final straw.
So it coincided with my own trauma. I know how Rei feels in a deep, blistering way. And Enji will never do it again.
I’m going to make sure of it.
Hand steadying, I activate my quirk. Gentle green lights up my hand. I press it to his chest, and at the slightest touch, he startles awake, already moving to grab and incapacitate me.
He twitches, and then freezes as my quirk flows through him and presses against the C3—C5 spinal nerves, causing temporary paralysis. His eyes find me, wide and furious… and afraid.
I’ve never shown him the true power of my quirk. I’ve always hidden it from him, knowing that if he ever found out, I likely be sent away. It’s too powerful and he knows I detest him too much for him to willingly house me.
But that doesn’t matter now.
My bright turquoise eyes meet his. I hold his life in my hands and he knows it. He might even think I’m going to kill him.
He doesn’t know it, but despite my easily lethal quirk, I will only every use it in self-defense and have no desire to end someone’s life. I’m not a killer and never will be.
“Todoroki Enji. You have gone too far.”
My voice is girlish. I know it must be creepy to see me, backlit by the moonlight pouring through the window behind me.
“How does it feel to be absolutely helpless?” I ask rhetorically. His vocal cords are frozen too. “To be at someone’s untender mercy? Does it feel bad? Does it frighten you?”
His eyes settle into defiance. He knows where I’m going with this.
“That’s how Mom felt around you, you know. She was terrified of you but determined to help her children however she could. She faced your violence willingly if it meant protecting them. She’s braver than you’ll ever be.
“You’re the worst kind of villain. The one who masquerades as a hero, as a good person. You fool everyone around you to thinking that you’re good, just not good at public relations. That’s fine though, right? You have an entire team of managers and lawyers who pick up after your messes. And that’s why you’re #2.
“But no, you’re not hero. You’re a wife-beating child abuser. The public doesn’t see it and… might never. I haven’t decided yet.
“And that’s because it stops today. I’m going to college soon. I won’t be here to protect everyone, heal them in the aftermath. Did you ever wonder why Mom never ran out of concealer but still never showed any bruises? Do you know why Touya never had burn scars even after your hellish training? Why Shouto never lost his fingers to frostbite or charred his skin before he learned to regulate it? Because of me. Because of my quirk. I can heal as much as I hurt. You don’t care, but I’m going to be a doctor. I’m going to save lives. Like you, I guess.
I pause and stare at him for a long moment, drinking in his fury, his fear, his disgust. I sip on it like fine wine.
“And while I’m in college, learning to save lives, you’re going to leave Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shouto alone. You’ll support them, with what little empathy you might be able to muster. Fuyumi wants to be a preschool teacher—so you’re going to pay for her schooling. Natsuo doesn’t know what he wants to do, so you’ll let him choose whatever he wants. Shouto… no more violence. No more pushing beyond his limits. And he will get to talk to Fuyumi and Natsuo. His isolation ends today.”
Defiance flares in his eyes. Enji is not the kind of man who takes well to orders. If I didn’t have him paralyzed, I’d be a bruised and bloody pulp on the floor. Fear fills my heart. He frightens me too, no matter how much I hate him.
“I’m not going to ask you to support me in any way. I don’t want anything from you anyways. But you will obey me. Otherwise…”
I manipulate my quirk through his body and I know he feels discomfort with the way he grunts. That’s normal, because a blood clot has blocked one of his arteries. It’s only my discretion whether it kills him or not.
I wonder if he can feel how sweaty my palm is against his shirt. How my fingers tremble and spasm. But there’s no room for doubt as I hold that blood clot still.
He starts gasping for breath. Panic blooms in his eyes.
“What you’re feeling is a heart attack. Did you know that if you heal too much, it can be for you? Cancer is caused by cells replicating over and over. If blood coagulates too much, it can form a blood clot. All I’ve done is ‘healed’ some blood and guided it to your aorta. If I take my hand away, you’ll have a heart attack, and I won’t be calling EMS. You’ll die here, pathetic and ignominiously. Fuyumi might cry, but no one else in the family will mourn you, I can guarantee that.
“So yes, you’re going to obey me. All I have to do is one touch. But it’s not like I’m asking a lot, is it? I’m asking you to stop being abusive. Is that so hard that you’d bring shame to the family by outing me? Your weakness? What are you going to tell the press—that I threatened you to treat your family better?” Something between a scoff and a laugh escapes me. “Good luck.”
I dissolve the blood clot and instantly Enji relaxes back into the bed, still breathing with difficulty but no longer in pain.
“I’m going to step away now. You’re going to stay like that until morning. By the time I’m gone to college, you’ll be able to move again with no permanent damage.
“So I’m going to leave you to think about what I’ve said and what you’re going to do next. If being a decent human being is too hard… if things don’t improve… Well, I already have a rough draft of my tell-all future bestseller: “The Truth of the Todoroki Family.” I’m sure it’ll be a hit. All that juicy gossip and rumors to be confirmed.
“I hope you can endeavor to show the slightest hint of human decency. If you can’t do any of that… Next time I won’t heal that blood clot.
“Good-bye, Todoroki Enji, and good luck.”