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Chapter Text

Fiore X792

A deep rumble vibrated through the dark clouds. Suddenly a shadow tore through the darkness- The Black Dragon Acnologia. His wings cleaved through the storm, clearing the clouds with his descent. The skies above Fiore burned red as Acnologia descended like an apocalypse. His deafening roar shook the very Earthland.

Below him, seven figures stood amidst the ruins, battered and bleeding as a result of the war with Alvarez.  Yet they remained standing strong. The seven dragon slayers united for the last stand. 

“Wendy!” Laxus called out as he charged forward. 

“I’m on it!” Wendy cried, her pink hair and eyes glowing brightly. She placed her arms together  as she cast her spell, her voice trembling with desperation. 

“Heal!” Followed quickly by “Enchant: Dues Eques” A surge of wind washed over the team, closing their wounds and increasing their physical capabilities. 

“Stay on him!” Laxus shouted, suddenly energized lightning sparking wildly across his shoulders. “If we lose focus for even a second, we’re dead!” 

“Lightning Dragon’s Roaring Thunder!” He punched towards Acnologia’s face

“Like I didn’t know that!” Gajeel barked, taking advantage of the brief moment to attack. He inhaled sharply. “Iron Shadow Dragon’s Roar!”

The attack smashed into Acnologia’s wing joint, shattering scales. A snarl shook the sky.

From above, Sting and Rogue dove in together,  releasing a large amount of white light and shadows from their fists. The forces combined together, creating a massive attack.  “Holy Shadow Dragon’s Flash Fang!”

 Their strike carved into Acnologia’s side, sending shards of dragon scale scattering like meteors.

“Not enough!” Sting seethed through his teeth. “He’s so strong!”

A deep voice growled behind them.
“Outta the way.”

Natsu Dragneel stepped forward, flames bursting from every inch of his body. His scarf was burned and tattered, his eyes no longer human. One glowed crimson, the other black, his face was twisted with savagery. 

“Natsu…” Wendy gasped. “Your body!”

“I don’t care!” he snapped, voice distorted by the demonic growl beneath it. “We have to stop him here.”

“Fire Dragon King’s Demolition fist!” Natsu launched forward, landing a heavy blow at Acnologia’s chest, forcing him backwards.

Acnologia roared in anger and charged forward towards Natsu.

 “How dare you!” He roared, pushing everyone around him away and charged towards Natsu. He swung his claw down, sending it crashing towards Natsu.

Natsu launched himself towards Acnologia’s claw as it came crashing down towards him. 

Flames roared outward, forming wings on his back in an equal clash with Acnologia’s claw. His voice boomed through the inferno:

“Fire Dragon King’s Purgatory!” Natsu's entire body ignited, setting everything around him ablaze, consuming Acnologia within it. 

Laxus flew up behind him, lightning surging. “Everyone now!”
He inhaled.. “Lightning Dragon’s Roar!”

“Sky Dragon’s Roar!”

“Poison Dragon’s Roar!”

“White Dragon’s Roar!”

“Shadow Dragon’s Roar!” 

“Iron Shadow Dragon’s Roar!” 

The six attacks merged together, forming a unison raid formed of the six dragon slayer roars. 

Acnologia screamed a sound that tore the clouds apart. His body cracked, his scales melting under Natsu’s Flames while taking the combined force of their ultimate attack.

For a moment… it looked like they might actually win.

However,

The magic circle beneath Natsu’s feet shattered. Flames turned red. His body began to turn black. Wendy reached out in horror, tears streaking down her face. “Natsu! Stop! You’ll die!”

He looked back at them with that same reckless grin.

He clenched his fists, the last of his power roaring outward. 

Natsu condensed his entire being into a final attack. He burned away his life for one final attack. His entire right arm turned into red flames as he charged towards Acnologia’s chest. 

“Fire Dragon King’s Iron Fist!” Natsu smiled as his skin cracked, the fissures glowing like lava.

A massive force began tearing through Acnologia's chest, ripping through his heart until a gaping hole emerged.

“No… NO!!!” Acnologia roared for a final maneuver. He encased Natsu and himself and exploded outward. The light blinded, forcing everyone to look away. 

When the dust settled, Acnologia remained standing in his human form. His entire body was pitch black and it looked as though a single breeze would turn him into ashes. However, so was Natsu, who was on the ground, with a smile on his face. 

 Wendy rushed over and fell to her knees trying to heal Natsu. Her tears fell freely sizzling on Natsu’s body. The others stood in silence, every heartbeat echoing with grief and disbelief.

Unknowing to them, a fading ember drifted upward, scattering into the sky.

—

The once lively walls of Fairy Tail were scorched, cracked, and broken—standing as a reminder of the war.. Gray Fullbuster pushed the broken doors open, limping in towards the guild hall.. His breath was laborious, he clutched his left arm as he entered. He stared ahead and saw a young man sitting at the end of the hall. 

The black mage Zeref.

Black robes. Still eyes. Waiting. 

“Gray, Natsu’s best friend” He said calmly. Gray just stared at him. 

“Your parents were killed by Deliora, the demon I created. Defeating this monster took your master’s life. You must despise me right?” 

“I am surprised you know quite a lot about the people you are not interested in.” Gray retorted.

“As they say, know thy enemy.” Zeref replied. 

“Lucy Heartfilia, the descendant of my friend Anna. A cheerful, positive person who's had a great impact on Natsu’s upbringing. Happy, Natsu’s partner. They all share a very strong bond and trust each other. Erza… Wendy… Gajeel.. I know every major opponent of mine.”

“What are you really aiming for?” Gray asked.

“I want Mavis’s magic and you want to protect her. Isn't that enough of a reason for us to fight?” Zeref smiled

“You already have a vast army and the power of immortality. What do you need her for?” 

“To defeat Acnologia.” Zeref replied solemnly. “If that were my goal, would you lend me a hand.” 

Gray just smirked. “Sorry, but it looks like Natsu’s already beat you to it. He’s already headed towards him.” 

“And you think Natsu can beat him alone.” Zeref scoffed.

“Who said anything about him going alone? Our friends will be with him, and that will give him all the strength he needs.” Gray smiled. “I don’t know what your goals are, and I don’t care. I trust Natsu and all my Fairy Tail family. They will stop your army and Acnologia. The only thing I can do now is make sure to stop you here for good.” 

“Hmm, it doesn’t matter what trick you have up your sleeve. I am immortal, no one can kill. And even if you do manage to do it. Natsu will…

“Yeah, I know.” Gray interrupted. 

“So you know Natsu is E.N.D.” 

“Natsu… is Natsu. I wanted to blame someone for the deaths of my parents and Ur… And that “someone” was END. But now I know that it's Natsu… I care more about those who are still alive. I don't care what they are. They are my friends. That’s why I have to defeat you here and now.” Gray’s magic flared, ice spread around, freezing the surroundings. The mist began spreading towards Zeref. 

“Don’t you understand? If I die, Natsu…” Zeref remained calm. 

“There is a way to defeat you without killing you.” Gray outstretched his arms, crossing them. 

“Iced Shell.” 

“This Magic… In exchange for someone’s life.” Zeref stood up, staring incredulously at Gray.

“I know that this life doesn’t belong only to me. I can’t die too easily. For everyone’s sake. Gray took a breath, channeling a second force into his spell.

Zeref was stunned. “This magic power… Lost Attribute?!” 

“That’s right… no one has to remember me. I’ll erase my existence from my friends' memories. I’ll turn my life, and memories into magic. LOST ICED SHELL!!!!” 

“Where could you have possibly learned the Lost Aspect?” Zeref asked, stunned. 

“Infiltrating one of your cults had its uses. Applying the lost aspect multiplies your magic several hundred times over.” 

“But the cost is the user's whole existence!” Zeref exclaimed.

“Yeah. I know. This way, no one will remember me and no one will be sad over this!”

There have been enough tears. Gray said softly. The ice spread outward, lowering the temperature to staggering degrees. It slowly encased over Zeref. 

“My Body!!” Zeref struggled, trying to free himself. 

“It ends now, Zeref!!” Gray shouted.

“You’re playing with your life, your very existence. But this magic only imprisons your opponent. IT WON’T KILL ME!” 

“If I kill you, Natsu will die, So I am going to lock you up for all eternity!” Gray closed his eyes, his body slowly turning into ice.

“Nothing is eternal! The ice will melt someday! I will be reborn!”

“But until that time, there will be some peace right? That's a win for Fairy Tail.” Gray's body turned entirely into ice, his entire existence used to seal Zeref. ‘Juvia, Natsu, Lucy, Erza…. Everyone…’ Gray's body was now entirely made of ice, slowly cracking. He had a smile on his face. 

Just then, Lucy, Happy, and Mavis came rushing into the room. 

“What… happened!” Mavis looked around. The entire hall was frozen with Zeref at the center. His body was fully encased in ice. In front of his body was an ice statue. 

“This is Iced Shell. Did that young man use it? He seems familiar, but who?” She clutched her head, trying to remember. 

Tears were flowing down Happy’s face as looked at the ice statue. “Why am I crying…” He said as he wiped his eyes. 

“I don't know…Was he the one who fought Zeref?” Lucy was similarly saddened as she looked at the smiling Ice Statue. 

Unknowing to them, a small blue snowflake ascended into the sky. 

Chapter Text

Rain drizzled against the window panes of Musutafu General Hospital, a soft rhythm like a lullaby for the storm brewing inside. Thunder cracked once, distant and low, as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath. Inside a pristine, sterile room lit up in a white glow, Rei Todoroki lay on a hospital bed, her fingers curled tightly around the thin blanket draped across her lap. Her breath came shallow, uneven, and though she tried to steady herself, her chest ached with nervousness. The steady beep, beep of the monitor was meant to calm her, but instead, it just made her feel even more scared. 

Three children.

The thought alone made her throat tighten. Triplets. Such a rare, rare occurrence. She had read about the risks, premature birth, and health conditions. It didn’t matter that she was the wife of the No. 2 Hero, or that she was in one of the best hospitals in Japan. At this moment, she wasn’t a hero’s wife. She was just a woman about to become a mother three times over, terrified that something might go wrong.

Her hands drifted instinctively to her swollen belly, cradling its weight. “What if… what if they don’t…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.

The doctor, noticing the tremor in her voice, stepped closer. His eyes softened behind his glasses as he adjusted the clipboard in his hands. He had seen it all before. “Mrs. Todoroki,” he said gently, his voice calm and professional, “I won’t lie, having triplets is quite rare, and yes, they carry risks. But you are not alone in this. We have the best medical team in Musutafu standing by, specialized equipment, and state of the art monitoring systems. You and your children are in the safest hands possible.”

Rei swallowed hard, blinking back the sting of tears. “Even so… I’ve heard the odds-”

The doctor cut her off with a reassuring smile. “Please trust us. We have prepared and monitored everything. Every contraction you’ve had, every heartbeat we’ve monitored, it’s all normal. Your body is stronger than you think. And as for your children…” He glanced at the monitors, where three distinct pulses beat steadily on the screen. “…they’re fighters. All three of them.”

Rei let out a shaky laugh. “Yes… of course.”

“Good,” The doctor said. “So don’t carry this fear alone. Let us do our jobs, and you focus on one thing: bringing them into the world. We’ll handle the rest.”

Rei felt slightly better after the doctor's reassurance and  let herself sink back into the pillows with a faint smile. Her fear didn’t vanish, but it did lessen. She closed her eyes briefly, whispering to the lives inside her belly.

“Please… come to me safely.”

—

Rei was drenched in sweat and tears. Her white hair clung to her face, her expression twisted with pain and exhaustion.

Two newborns already rested peacefully in nearby bassinets, swaddled in soft, sterile cloth. One had snow-white hair and skin like porcelain. The second bore half-crimson, half-white hair, a perfect split. Their tiny chests rose and fell gently. 

It was already an extraordinary night, triplets were a rare phenomenon in any case, even more so without the aid of fertility treatments. The odds were astronomical, almost one in ten thousand, and for all three to survive birth without complications was considered a miracle in the medical world. Nurses and doctors whispered amongst themselves in awe; it wasn’t every day that nature defied the rules so boldly. But what made this case truly unique wasn’t just the number of children, it was who they were being born to. 

“Push, Mrs. Todoroki! You’re almost there!” the doctor urged, urgency cracking through the calm tension. 

Rei cried out, her voice sharp, hoarse. an echo of desperation and strength. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the bed rails. Another push, another scream, and then, silence. 

A cry did not follow. What was meant to be a happy occasion suddenly turned grim. 

The doctor froze. The baby in his gloved hands was unnaturally still. The color had drained from the infant’s body, turning it an unsettling Grayish-blue. Limp. Cold. Too quiet. 

“Congratulations—” the doctor began, but his words fell flat as he stared at the newborn, visibly unsettled.

“What’s wrong?” a deep, thunderous voice boomed from the corner of the room.

Towering over everyone like a war god, Enji Todoroki, better known to the world as Endeavor, the No. 2 Pro Hero, stood still as stone. His fiery beard and sharp turquoise eyes burned with authority. But at that moment, there was something else in his eyes. Dread.

The room should have been filled with crying. With life. But it wasn’t.

Rei’s chest heaved as the last scream left her throat, her body slumping back against the sweat-soaked sheets. Her vision swam. The bright overhead lights blurred into halos, and the world slowed, like everything was sinking underwater.

Then came a sound no mother wanted to hear after labor.

Nothing.

No cries. No breath. Just silence.

“Why… why isn’t he crying…?” Rei rasped weakly, her head tilting toward the doctor at the foot of the bed.

The doctor didn’t answer.

The nurses weren’t moving.

The final child lay motionless in the doctor’s gloved hands, his small body pale and eerily limp. His little chest didn’t rise, and his skin held a blue tinge, as though life had been stripped from him before it even began. The umbilical cord was already cut, but he remained quiet… too quiet.

“D-Doctor…?” Rei’s voice cracked.

The doctor’s hands trembled as he examined the infant, trying desperately to detect a heartbeat. But nothing came. The monitor near the delivery table remained static.

“Rei.” Endeavor whispered in a quiet but firm voice.

Her tear-filled eyes met his. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at the child, his expression unreadable. The burning fire of his beard had dimmed to a faint ember.

The doctor looked up with a pale face. “Your son…He’s… I’m so sorry. He’s not-”

“Don’t.” Endeavor stepped forward, snatching the baby from the doctor’s hands before the sentence could finish. His hands, usually weapons of fire and fury, now held the infant like he was made of ash. So fragile, one wrong move might scatter him to the wind.

Rei turned away, burying her face in her hands. She had felt her child. Kicking. Alive. And now… this.

Endeavor’s eyes scanned the baby’s face, searching for something that could tell him this wasn’t the end. That this wasn’t another failure, another scar carved into a family already falling apart at the seams.

The baby’s hair was a mess of soft red, tinged faintly with darker red at the roots.

‘He looks like me…’

He held the child close, pressing his forehead gently to the baby’s as if to pass something onto him.

The weight of the haunting silence settled over everyone. One nurse turned away, wiping tears from her eyes. Another stood frozen in the corner, wishing they could do more.

Then, something strange happened.

The flames around Endeavor’s beard flickered again. They began to spiral downward, drawn toward the child in his arms. It was a subtle pull at first like a light breeze. Then more embers flickered toward the baby’s lips. As the fire entered him, the baby’s chest twitched. A tiny cough escaped his lips. Then another.

And then, he screamed. A piercing wail filled the room.

Endeavor’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the infant, now radiating a light warmth. His pale skin flushed with life, cheeks turning a vibrant pink. His body twitched with newfound strength, and eyes blinked open, revealing brilliant Gray irises.

Rei gasped, tears flowing freely as she reached for the baby again. She took him into her embrace, sobbing and laughing in disbelief. 

“He’s alive… oh my God, he’s alive!” 

—

Natsu couldn't move. He felt like he was paralyzed. Surrounded by darkness and sensation that was rare to him.

Cold.

He hated it. He didn’t know where he was. It felt like just earlier, he was fighting for his life. He had won, but everything went black after. What happened to his friends, were they safe?. 

Natsu tried to move, to sit up, to speak. Yet his body wouldn’t react the way he wanted it to. His limbs wouldn’t work, his mouth wouldn’t open, and worst of all he couldn’t feel any heat. No flow of magic. No power. Nothing but an awful cold pressure.

‘Where… where the hell am I?’

He felt colder and colder, like all the heat was slowly escaping. 

‘Damn it, no no no not again!!’

Suddenly, he felt like he was being moved. Someone was carrying him. 

Everything was still dark but the air started feeling a bit different. Faint heat brushed past his cheek like a whisper.

Then it hit him.

‘Fire. There's fire nearby!’

He didn’t just recognize the fire, he craved it. Not with hunger, but with something deeper. Desperate. If he didn't take this chance to consume it, he would definitely die. 

Instinct kicked in. And he took it.

He didn’t know how. He didn’t care. His body responded before thought could form, and he engorged himself in the flame. Heat flooded his tiny chest. His heart jumped. That cold sensation was gone.

Thump.

Then again.

Thump-thump.

He could breathe.

He sucked in a lungful of air, and with it came a scream full of life.

“WAAHHHHH!”

His eyes opened. Light slammed into him. Everything felt too bright, but he didn’t care.

He was alive.

He was Natsu Dragneel.

He didn’t know where the hell he was, or how this happened, but one thing was for damn sure:

He was all fired up!

—

Endeavor backed away slightly, still staring, stunned. One second, his son was dead and now the color returned to his face and he started crying. 

“What just happened!!” He asked, still reeling from shock. 

The doctor approached with trembling steps. “This… this is remarkable. I think… I think your son just awakened his Quirk at birth.”

“At birth?” Endeavor asked, his voice low, wary. “What kind of Quirk feeds off my flames?”

“We’ll need to run some tests, but from what I saw, he doesn’t control fire…” The doctor’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He consumes it. It sustains him.” 

He passed the child over to Rei, who stared wide eyed, but stopped trembling. 

Rei looked up from the infant, cradling him like a precious flame. “He was born starving… and the only thing that could feed him was fire?”

“This is a rare mutation,” the doctor said. “Possibly a one-of-a-kind hybrid. It might not even be from your family lines. Sometimes quirks evolve from something else.”

Endeavor narrowed his eyes. ‘No one in my family ever consumed fire. Controlled it, sure. But this… This is different. “Is this a mutation?”  

The doctor glanced at the other two newborns, still peacefully sleeping. “Three children.” He looked towards the child with the pristine white hair.

 There were no traces of red hair on his head. Endeavor glanced at him, thinking nothing of the child as he immediately knew he did not possess a fire quirk like himself. However, that changed the moment the child opened his eyes, revealing the same turquoise eyes as him. Endeavor felt a glimmer of hope in this child, thinking he might possess the potential to rival or surpass himself but averted his gaze back to Shoto, the one he was absolutely certain of.

“This one likely inherited your wife’s quirk.” Endeavor simply nodded. If he likely has the Ice quirk, then… ‘It's better not to think about that now.’

He looked at Shoto next. 

The doctor cointnued. “This one is unique, he may have aspects of both your quirk. Of course, we won’t completely know until their quirks awaken.”

 However, Endeavor finally felt hope. He knew this child was the one. The one that would be able to complete his dream. 

And the last one who lives off flame itself. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Endeavor looked at him. Do I just continue feeding him fire? 

“What are you going to name them?” the doctor asked softly.

Endeavor approached the bassinets, eyes scanning his sons. First, he pointed to the infant with wild red hair, now squirming in Rei’s arms, occasionally letting out sparks from his fingertips. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Yakuto,” he said. “The youngest.”

He turned to the boy with snow-white hair, serene and quiet, even in slumber. “Haise.”

Then finally, his gaze settled on the child with crimson and white hair. The perfect blend of mother and father. His eyes gleamed. “And Shoto. The eldest.”

As he stood there, watching the three of them, Endeavor felt something stirring deep within his chest as he looked at Shoto. 

Outside, the rain finally stopped.

—

The front door creaked open as Endeavor stepped inside first, carefully cradling Shoto in his arms. Behind him, Rei followed in a wheelchair, swaddling the other two newborns against her chest. Gray nestled calmly on one side, Natsu lightly squirming on the other, a faint warmth rising from his blanket.

The air in the Todoroki home shifted immediately. Fuyumi let out a delighted gasp and rushed over, practically bouncing as she peeked at the tiny faces. “They’re here! Look at them!” 

Natsuo grinned as he leaned over Rei’s shoulder.

Rei gave a soft chuckle, tired but warm, and nodded as the children leaned in close. “Come meet your little brothers,” she said gently, shifting the blankets so their faces could peek through.

“This one,” she nodded toward the baby Endeavor held, “is Shoto. He’s the oldest of the three.”

Endeavor lowered the child just enough for the siblings to see, his usual stern face was unreadable but he held the infant with surprising care.

Rei tilted her head, letting the white-haired baby nestled on her right rest more visibly. “This is Haise. He’s like a little snowflake.”

“And this one,” she said, a tiny laugh in her throat as Natsu squirmed and cried against her collarbone, “This little firebug is Yakuto. He gave us a bit of a scare, but he’s fine. 

Fuyumi’s eyes sparkled as she hovered beside Rei, hands twitching with excitement. “Can I hold one?” she asked, voice hushed like she was afraid to startle the little bundle of warmth in her mother’s arms. Rei smiled, tired but soft, and carefully shifted Haise toward her daughter. Fuyumi’s breath hitched as the tiny baby settled into her arms, so light it felt like holding a snowflake. “He’s so perfect,” she whispered.

Natsuo leaned in from behind, trying not to sound too eager. “What about this little guy?” he nodded toward Natsu, whose little fists were flexing in his sleep, steam curling faintly from between his lips. She gently passed Natsu into Natsuo’s waiting arms. The boy blinked in surprise as the baby’s warmth radiated up through the blanket.

“Whoa. He’s like a little heater,” Natsuo grinned. “He’s gonna be wild, I can already tell.”

From across the room, Toya scoffed, but even he leaned closer, unable to tear his eyes away. 

—

Several Months Later...

The Todoroki household had adjusted to the chaos of having triplets. The once quiet halls now echoed with the soft patter of crawling and the occasional wails. Even Toya, though still distant, had softened just a little around the edges.

Shoto was calm, reserved, and always staring with wide, curious eyes. Haise, beautiful and quiet as ever, had a dreamy way about him, often found giggling at nothing or trying to mimic snowflakes from the windowsill. But Natsu… Natsu was already a handful.

He growled when he didn’t get fed fast enough. Tried to wrestle with the other two in baby babble. And his body ran hot, literally.

But nothing could’ve prepared the family for the first time they caught him eating fire.

It started during dinner. Endeavor, exhausted and barely in his civilian clothes, had ignited a small flame at his fingertips to light the stove. Rei had turned her back for just a second to wipe Haise’s mouth and that’s when it happened.

It happened in a flash.

Rei turned around to see Natsu seated in his highchair, cheeks puffed out with a proud look on his face. He had leaned halfway out of his seat just to suck the flame straight off Endeavor’s hand.

“Wha—?!”

“HE ATE IT!” Natsuo shouted, nearly dropping his fork.

Fuyumi screamed. “DID HE JUST-”

Endeavor froze, mouth parted. “He absorbed my fire again?”

Rei rushed over, heart pounding, expecting burns or a cry. But Natsu just giggled, a tiny flame flickering at the corner of his mouth before he burped and then hiccupped a puff of steam.

Fuyumi blinked, wide-eyed. “Yakuto… eats fire.”

“He likes it,” Natsuo added in disbelief. “Look at him! He looks like he just had dessert.”

Sure enough, Natsu kicked his legs happily, clapping his chubby hands like it was the best thing in the world.

From that day on, the fireproof pacifier became a staple. And it became a running joke between Fuyumi and Natsuo to “keep matches away from the baby.”

Unfortunately, Rei realized something even more concerning. Natsu needed fire often.

It started on a quiet morning when Rei was preparing breakfast. She’d left Natsu in his crib, cooing softly, while she took care of the other two. When she returned, though, her heart dropped.

Natsu’s face was pale. His little body was limp and his normally warm skin was cool to the touch. His breathing was shallow, like he was struggling to stay awake. He had gone without his usual burst of flame for just a few hours—and it showed.

“Yakuto?” Rei gasped, hurrying to pick him up, her hands trembling. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Endeavor, hearing the panic in her voice, rushed over. His eyes narrowed in concern as he reached for Natsu. “What happened?”

Rei’s voice shook as she spoke. He’s pale and limp. I didn’t think it was this serious.”

Endeavor turned to the firestone on the counter, igniting a small flame at the tip of his finger. He held it out to Natsu, who, weakly but instinctively, reached toward it with open hands. As soon as he made contact with the flame, his body seemed to come alive. His skin regained its color. His breathing steadied. And, with a satisfied little sound, he even began to giggle.

Rei watched in awe. “He... he really needs it.”

Endeavor sighed, his face softening as he carefully cradled Natsu in his arms. “Yeah. We can’t let him go too long without it. He’s not like other kids. 

Rei held Haise and Shoto close to her, feeling the overwhelming weight of this new reality. “He can’t go without it, can he?”

“No,” Endeavor replied, his voice firm. “Not without consequences. This is something we’ll need to keep track of. I don’t want to risk something like this again. I’ll arrange something.”

The realization hit hard, and it was clear that Natsu's care would require constant attention.

In the days that followed, Rei kept a small lighter with her at all times, safely tucked into her pocket or the folds of her apron, just in case. Whenever Natsu showed signs of becoming pale or sluggish, she would immediately ignite a tiny flame, allowing him to absorb it before he went limp.

Rei wasn’t the only one who noticed the unusual need. The household staff was informed, and a quiet warning was given to all who worked in the Todoroki household. They were told not to be alarmed if they saw the youngest Todoroki child consuming fire. It wasn’t unusual for Natsu, it was just... necessary.

One afternoon, after a long, taxing day, Rei had left Natsu in his crib to rest while she prepared dinner. When she returned, she was stunned to find Toya standing near the crib, staring down at the baby.

Rei paused at the door, her eyes narrowing. “Toya?”

Toya’s eyes flicked to hers, guilt flashing briefly before he sighed. “I- he needed it.”

Rei’s heart skipped. “What do you mean? Did you… use your quirk?”

Toya looked down at Natsu, his face unreadable. “I didn’t know what else to do. He was… pale. His skin was so cold. He looked like he was—”

“He needs it,” Rei interrupted softly, her voice a mix of relief and concern. “But you need to be careful. Don't use your quirk too much”

Toya stared down intently, clenching his fist in anger.  

Rei hugged Toya gently. “It's great that you wanted to help your brother, but you need to be careful.”

And after a few months, that’s what they did. They got used to it. Natsu’s consumption of fire became a regular part of life. Fuyumi and Natsuo would often joke about it, teasing Natsu that he was “part flame,” but it quickly died when they saw that Natsu’s small body would go limp and cold without his regular feeding. They became much more attentive after that.

The family eventually settled into this rhythm of their odd reality. It wasn’t normal, but it was theirs.

Chapter Text

Being a baby sucked. 

Natsu knew that much right away. 

He was cold half the time, couldn't move properly, and worst of all, he was tiny. He'd been tiny before (Courtesy of Gildarts and his early life), sure. But he never remembered being this small. He was at the mercy of the giant woman with soft eyes and warm hands… Rei. His new mother. 

At first, everything had been a blur. He remembered the fire. He’d eaten it. It tasted good. But it also felt different. It felt like sustenance. That was weird. Even for him. 

But then there was light. Crying. Cold. Then arms. He kept dozing off at every chance.

The first few days or weeks were just that. Blurry and loud and cold and limiting. He hated it. Couldn’t talk. Couldn’t walk. Could barely flail his arms. 

And strangest of all… the hunger. 

His “mother” would panic every time he started going pale, and after the first couple incidents, Natsu started recognizing the signs himself. The lightheadedness. The fading colors. The twitch in his limbs.

He needed fire. It initially annoyed him at first. However, he was slowly getting used to it. All he had to do was eat fire and he would be okay. No big deal. 

His “mother” had figured it out. She’d started keeping a lighter on hand, hidden in her apron, sometimes her pockets. Every few hours, she’d carefully flick the flame and let him nibble at it like a snack. Sometimes, one of the other servants would awkwardly hold a candle or lighter for him when Rei wasn’t nearby. Even that moody, sharp-eyed older kid, Toya once snuck a flame from his quirk when he thought no one was watching. Natsu remembered the look on Toya’s face as he watched him slurp it up like noodles. It was shock, awe… and a little fear. 

Eventually, everyone just got used to it. Fire? That was part of the baby’s food. Deal with it.

But Natsu wasn’t just annoyed at the fire, he was annoyed at his size. He didn’t want to be so small. He thrashed around, trying to move, however, it was just seen as throwing a fit. Rei thought he just wanted attention which wasn't the case. 

Natsu knew he used to be taller and stronger. And now here he was, throwing tantrums in diapers and drooling on Rei’s shoulder while trying to shout “FWIWAH DWAGWON” with a gummy mouth.

His name didn’t help either. His siblings also picked him up from time to time. Mostly his supposed elder sister Fuyumi and his Elder brother Natsuo who kept getting called “Natsu” for short. 

That's my name damn it! 

“Yakuto~,” Fuyumi cooed gently, rocking him while Natsuo stood behind her. 

He scowled as he looked at Natsuo. “That’s not my name! It’s Natsu!” he tried to say, except it came out more like “Naaah-tuuhh!”

“Look, he's trying to say my name.” Natsuo beamed. Fuyumi pouted and stared at Natsu. 

“Comeon Yakuto, say my name, “Fu-yu-mi”. 

“Naaah-tuuu” Natsu tried to say. ‘Stop calling me that! I am Natsu damn it! ’

Everyone kept calling him “Yakuto.”

Finally 5-6 months in. Natsu was able to properly crawl. No more needing to have others carrying him around. 

‘Finally! Freedom!’ Natsu smiled as he crawled around. 

One moment he was in Rei’s lap, chewing on a warm bottle of milk, the next he was gone, off exploring under the table, trying to open doors, tugging on curtains, trying to pull open drawers. The moment his chubby little legs figured out how to work in coordination, he was a menace and Rei was tired of it all.

She tried baby-proofing everything. But Natsu was too clever. He hid in cabinets. Climbed furniture. Tried to open the oven once just to see if the flames tasted different (there were no flames or heat. It was just a metal box). She had to keep her eyes on him constantly, because the second she blinked, he was crawling up a bookshelf.

-

Natsu was excited. Even he understood that this world was a little more advanced. He wanted to walk outside. He wanted to see different people. But the doors were always locked. There were always people watching him to make sure he didn’t crawl away. His family always kept a close watch as well. His “elder siblings” frequently played with him. Although he didn’t mind them most of the time, some days Fuyumi would spend time taking care of him. 

Then there was him.

That other baby. His older brother by only a few minutes.

The one with snow-white skin and shimmering turquoise eyes and the face of a perfect little angel.

Natsu glared at him from across the playpen.

He didn’t know why he didn’t like him. Something about the way he blinked. Or the way his face looked too calm. 

There was a vague tug in his chest every time he saw him. Something familiar. Something that irked him.

He stared at him a lot. Watched his expressions. Compared their crawling speeds.

Haise.

That’s what everyone called him.

Whatever. The guy was smug for a baby. Natsu just knew it.

Eventually, Rei sat all three of them down in a soft pile of blankets. She kissed their foreheads, one by one. “My beautiful boys,” she whispered, her voice full of love and exhaustion.

Natsu squirmed. He had business to attend to. Crawling. Fire eating. Plotting against the smug baby in the corner. Oh and maybe figure out where the hell he was. 

This new world was weird. Everyone had powers, but it wasn’t magic. He didn’t feel any. No ethernano. Just strange abilities. He watched the older siblings and servants show off quirks. They looked like magic but weren’t. He didn't understand it yet.

And even if he was stuck in a baby body with a fire eating habit and a weird new name.

He was going to figure this place out.

And maybe punch Haise later.

Just for fun.

—----------

From the moment he was born, Gray was quiet. There was a blinding light washing over his closed eyelids. His small body was lifted, swaddled, then gently placed into a warm and soft bed beside someone.

He couldn’t make sense of it yet, not the muffled voices or the distant shuffle of movement. He felt warmth to his left, another tiny form, breathing faintly.

He blinked, slowly, his turquoise eyes flickering open for the first time. The room above him was a blur of white, shifting shadows and shapes. He didn’t cry, just remained silent.

Not silent out of fear or weakness. He was just just calm. Alert. He was trying to process what was happening. He was fighting Zeref one moment and the next he woke up here. 

‘Ugh, where am I?’ He thought to himself as he tried to move. However, no matter how much he struggled it wasn’t possible. Eyes barely open, he craned his neck to the left to see the other person next to him. It was a baby with half white hair and half red hair. 

‘SHIT’ It suddenly dawned on him. He was a baby. ‘Is this magic??? Did someone put me in an illusion?’ He closed his eyes and tried to find any trace of magic. To his surprise, there was no magic he could sense in this world. He couldn’t even sense any magic inside him. ‘What in the world is going on???’ His heart raced. Panic bloomed in his tiny chest. Was this Zeref’s doing? Had he been trapped in some twisted spell and forced to relive life as an infant? No, this place wasn't where he was born. It looked different. The thought clawed at his mind. He let out a small, frustrated whine, his heart pounding beneath his skin. If this was reincarnation… then where the hell was he? He kept going in and out of sleep as he tried to analyze what was happening. 

His thoughts were interrupted when a loud wailing suddenly appeared next to him. 

Gray flinched at the noise, his tiny brow twitching. Great, he thought with a ghost of his old sarcasm, another loud one. But even that was more thought than he could keep up. Everything was so slow, so small. His breathing evened, the exhaustion of rebirth pulling him under, and he slipped into sleep before he could piece together more. ‘Damn it, maybe this is all just a dream.’

The next time he woke, everything was different. Softer. Quieter. He was no longer surrounded by the cold sterility of the hospital. Instead, gentle arms held him. A calm heartbeat thudded beneath him. He cracked his eyes open again, just enough to glimpse a face above him. She looked like a kid, maybe 8 to 10 years of age. She had a round face, her hair was mostly white with a few red streaks and turquoise eyes. 

She was murmuring softly, rocking him with practiced ease. The motion soothed him more than he wanted to admit. He didn’t know this girl, but his newborn instincts recognized the safety. Still, somewhere beneath the calm, his thoughts stirred restlessly. 

Where are we? Who else was here? Was he able to save his friends? As his heavy lids fluttered closed again, a small part of him hoped this wasn’t some illusion. And that the loud baby would just stop crying.

They were fraternal triplets. Shoto was the quiet one and was always pressed between him and the red-haired screamer. The loud one, Yakuto, had a ridiculous amount of energy for someone who barely knew how to sit up straight. 

Gray couldn’t explain it, but the moment he laid eyes on him, something in him sparked. That baby was familiar and irritating all at once.

And then there was the fire..

The first time he saw Yakuto eat fire he almost choked on his own breath. His wide, barely-opened eyes stared, stunned, as the red-haired baby sucked in the flame.

 Natsu? No there's no way. That idiot wouldn’t have gotten himself killed, right?.  He'd almost thought it was magic, but there was no signature. No ethernano. Just… raw, wild flame.

"A quirk?" he wondered internally, barely grasping the term. He’d picked it up from the occasional murmurs around the room. That’s what they called it here. Powers that didn’t come from magic. It made him anxious. He didn’t know what sort of powers were at play here. .

Month 6

He couldn’t crawl yet, but he was trying. Watching Yakuto scoot around only made him more determined. For some reason it really annoyed him. He got competitive. But his body didn’t always listen. His limbs flailed. The whole ordeal was frustrating.

The older kids, Fuyumi and Natsuo, would occasionally cradle him, their hands careful but awkward. Natsuo would make faces at him, trying to get a smile. Fuyumi was more gentle, humming lullabies while brushing his soft hair back, calling him “the beautiful one.” He liked her the most. 

Rei, their mother, kept a constant eye on all three of them. But Gray noticed her gaze always lingered on Yakuto just a little longer, always checking on him. The lighter she kept on her wasn’t missed, either. Gray put it together quickly, he had to eat the fire to stay alive. 

In those quiet moments when the others were sleeping or babbling, Gray would just stare. At the ceiling, at the hands that weren’t yet strong, at the strange new world he couldn’t quite grasp. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing yet.

Still, a part of him stayed observant. He was going to figure this out, and until then… he’d bide his time.

Even if Yakuto’s crying made him want to punch him in the face.

Just once. 

Just for fun. 

—

9 months in

Gray spent most of his early infant years quiet, observing the surroundings and taking everything in. He slowly began to learn the language they were speaking here. It had similarities to the language they spoke in his old life so it wasn't very difficult. As he tried to put his thoughts together though, he was disrupted every time by his other sibling, Yakuto. He got along with everyone great, especially with Fuyumi who was basically like a second mother. Everyone except the youngest. 

There was something familiar about his sibling. This familiarity made Gray unreasonably agitated and he did not understand why. The way he held himself, his personality, quirks, and energy. The more Gray looked at him, the more irritated he got. 

One day Gray was playing with building blocks in the middle of the living room. Despite his small size now, his creative mind was larger than ever. He began assembling the blocks into a castle. Rei walked by and noticed what he was doing.

“Haise you made this? This is really good!” Rei was impressed at the level of craftsmanship Gray had as a baby. It was truly artistic talent.  

Gray looked up at his mom and smiled. Rei leaned over further and asked him to say “Mama.” 

Gray really didn’t care for speaking much as he had no reason to. But he looked into his mother’s proud eyes and felt a surge of happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time. This time, he decided why not, let’s make that my first word. 

Out of the corner of his eye, a figure crawled at high speed towards them. There was a loud crash as Gray’s castle of blocks collapsed around the room. Rei was silent in shock as Natsu had just somersaulted into the blocks and was laying flat on his back in a daze. 

At that moment, Gray’s first words would forever be remembered by both Rei and Natsu. Gray stood up and shouted, almost on instinct. 

“YOU STUPID FLAME BRAIN!” Gray yelled out, surprising himself and Rei. 

–

Natsu looked up, stunned at what he just heard. ‘What did this guy just call me??’

Chapter Text

The night was still, save for the occasional creak of the house settling and the soft hum of the heater kicking in. The moonlight filtered through the curtains of the Todoroki nursery room, casting gentle beams across three cribs.

Natsu, or rather Yakuto Todoroki as everyone knew him, lay on his back in his crib. His stormy grey eyes stared up at the ceiling, unblinking, pensive. He should’ve been asleep. Everyone else was. But his brain was whirring.

"Flame brain," he mouthed silently, lips twitching. He gripped his sheets tightly. 

That word had been gnawing at him ever since Haise said it. It was a throwaway insult, slurred through baby babble, but the tone, the inflection, the insult itself… It was him. The Gray Fullbuster he remembered from his past life. He only knew one person that ever had the balls to call him that. 

It couldn’t be a coincidence, but he had no other proof. 

‘What to do… what to do…’ he pondered. 

Natsu sat up in his crib, chewing his lip. For the hundredth time that day, he told himself it could have been some kind of fluke, but the memory was crystal clear. He knocked over the blocks and out came the insult. 

Natsu had frozen. It wasn’t the baby insult itself. It was the feeling that had followed. Like something in his soul had clicked. Like the air had gone static.

And it was driving him nuts.

He glanced over at the other crib. Haise was curled up like some overdramatic ice princess even in baby form, white hair flopped over his face, drooling on his pillow like he didn't have a care in the world.

That smug, frosty bastard. ‘It's definitely him’ 

Natsu glanced toward the door. No sounds from the hall. Rei had gone to bed an hour ago, after double checking all three cribs were safely locked and secured. But she was foolish if she thought it would stop him. 

He stood, tested the rails, then pulled himself up using a combination of sheer willpower and possibly minor reincarnated muscle memory. He huffed once at the top, balancing on the railing like a tiny ninja, he wobbled a bit and then flipped himself over the edge.

He fell with a plop that was thankfully cushioned by his absurdly poofy onesie, suddenly thankful to his sister who gifted it to him. 

“Ugh… stupid baby legs,” he muttered, dragging himself to his feet. He waddled like an angry penguin across the room, nearly tripping on a plush All Might pillow someone had dropped earlier. 

Finally, he walked past Shoto’s crib and reached Haise's crib. He glared up at it, and it looked higher than normal. Still, he managed to grab hold of the rail and haul himself up just enough to peek over.

“Pssst,” he hissed. 

Haise didn’t move.

“Pssssssst. Ice dumbass. Wake up!”

Nothing.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, and reached over to grab the bars. Then he shook them. Not hard enough to knock the crib over, but enough to jostle the sleeping occupant. But he wasn’t strong enough or the crib was too high quality because nothing happened. It was probably the latter. 

‘God damn it, whatever! Here goes nothing.’ 

“Gray!” he whisper-yelled.

Haise bolted upright, smacked his head on the back panel, and flailed like a startled cat.

“Wha—mrrph—Nats—?!”

“Don’t you ‘Nats’ me!” Natsu hissed. “You called me flame brain earlier!”

Gray blinked groggily. “So?”

“So?!” Natsu slapped a tiny hand on the rail. “Only one person ever called me that! And he was a stripping, ice slinging, annoying jerk!”

Gray froze. It was barely perceptible, but in that pause, in that blink, Natsu saw something.

Recognition.

Natsu whispered, eyes going wide. “It is you.”

There was a beat of silence. Gray looked down at his blanket, then back up, eyes still half closed.

“…You didn’t have to wake me up like that.”

“You called me flame brain,” Natsu shot back.

“Yeah beca- wait how do you remember me???!!” Haise whispered loudly. 

The two stared at each other, both standing on their respective sides of the crib, both processing the impossibility of the moment. Of memory. Of names long buried under layers of baby fat and reincarnated lives.

“Wait, I am climbing in…” Natsu said as he slowly and eventually plopped into the crib. He fell head first, thankfully cushioned by the small mattress. 

“Idiot. I could’ve just climbed out…” Gray grumbled. 

“…Your hair’s still dumb,” Gray said eventually.

“So is your face,” Natsu replied, eyes narrowing.

Then slowly, almost inevitably, both boys cracked a smile. Small. Tired. But real.

“Flame brain,” Gray whispered again, this time with a hint of something warmer.

“Pervert.” Natsu whispered back.

Gray sat up, staring at Natsu. 

“But seriously, how do you remember me?”

Natsu looked at him like he was looking at an idiot, which Gray found insulting. 

“What the hell kind of question is that?! No shit I’m going to remember you!”

Gray sighed.

“I-” Gray didn’t get a chance to finish before Natsu pounced at him. 

“Wait! How dare you die!” Natsu grew angered. He grabbed at Gray’s light blue onesie. 

“Me?” What about you idiot. How did you die?” Gray retaliated, grabbing Natsu’s collar and shoving him back. Thankfully the crib was big enough. 

“I don’t remember. All I remember is defeating Acnologia and then it went black and then I was here.”

“You did what?? You- you managed to defeat him?!” Gray’s voice trembled, from anger and relief. Relief that the guild was safe from Acnologia. Anger that Natsu went and got himself killed for it. 

Natsu shook him back. “What about you, how did you die?” 

Gray sighed. There was no reason to lie anymore. “I-I was fighting Zeref. I used Iced shell with the lost attribute to seal him forever. It was far stronger than normal, but the price was that it would also erase everyone’s memory of me.” 

“You did what?!” Natsu’s whisper grew into a shout. “Dammit if I didn’t die fighting Acnologia I would have stopped you like I always have!”

A look of realization formed on Gray’s face. “You died fighting Acnologia…it makes sense now. You were already dead before I did Iced Shell…so the condition never applied to you.”

“Everyone in the guild…even though we died, we’re supposed to live on in their hearts! But you won’t because of that stupid crap you pulled!” Natsu gripped Gray’s shirt as hard as he could, his hands trembling. He shoved against the back of the Crib, making a loud thud. 

Shoto stirred to the noise and wiggled around. Natsu looked over and became quieter. He didn’t want to wake him. 

“It was the only thing I could do. It was either that or let him kill our family.” Gray said after a few moments. 

Natsu tried punching him, but just stopped and sighed. What was the point? He did the same thing. Given the chance, he would do it again with no hesitation. How could he blame Gray for what he would’ve done. 

“This isn’t over.” he grumbled before climbing out of the crib. He tried hanging off and dropping from the crib this time, but still landed on his back. He rolled over and stood up and waddled back to his crib. 

–Age 2 years—

Two years seemed to pass by in a blur for Gray. 

It still felt strange to say it, even in his head.

He’d been born again. No magic. No guilds. Just steel towers, glowing screens, tiny rectangular boxes people pressed against their ears to talk to someone miles away without using magic. It was terrifying and fascinating. The house he lived in was quite huge. The family was influential and he found out their “father” was the 2nd ranked hero. 

There were still a few things he needed to learn. 

Language had been the first thing. But he was lucky. The one they spoke here, Japanese, he now knew, shared some linguistic roots with the language spoken in his old life. Learning to speak again had been slightly challenging, but it wasn’t difficult. Even Natsu managed to learn it.  Within the first year, he could say a few phrases easily. By now, at two years old, he was able to speak it fluently. 

What struck him most about this new world wasn’t just the tech, the sprawling cities, or even the talking vegetables he’d seen on TV once, it was how common abilities were. Here, everyone had quirks. Not everyone was strong, not everyone flashy, but it was normal. Power wasn’t rare  the same way magic had been in Fiore. It was commonplace. Even their servants had quirks. 

But even in this new world, with all its marvels and noise, something still felt… empty.

He hadn’t felt a single pulse of magic since waking up here. Not a sliver. 

He’d tried. Meditated. Focused. Stared really hard at a puddle once.

Nothing.

The only other thing that brought him some normality was Natsu. 

Or Yakuto, as everyone else called him.

Gray didn’t know what cruel twist of fate had reincarnated them together, let alone as literal toddlers, but he wasn’t complaining. Having a familiar face, loud, obnoxious, and dramatic though it was, helped keep him grounded. Even if Natsu’s idea of intellectual contribution so far was, “I put my finger in one of those strange slanted holes in the wall and got zapped. I think it’s cursed.”

Currently, the two sat together cross-legged on the nursery floor, surrounded by crumbs and cookie debris. It was supposed to be snack time. Shoto, their ever quiet triplet, had eaten his half a cookie and gone off to reorganize his colored blocks, probably. 

Natsu, meanwhile, had shoved his mouth full and was now trying to talk around it.

Gray sighed, brushing crumbs from his shirt. “Okay, so here’s what I’ve figured out.”

Natsu blinked and pointed at his mouth like I can’t talk right now.

“I know, just listen,” Gray muttered. “This world, there’s no magic. It runs on technology and ‘quirks,’ which are like physical mutations. People have powers, but it’s not the same. It’s… genetic. And most people get theirs by age four.”

Natsu chewed, swallowed exaggeratedly, then licked a stray bit of chocolate from his lip. “Huh. Neat.”

Gray started. “That’s your response?” 

“I dunno, man. I’ve just been hangin’ out. I tried to use the toaster, but it just zapped me again.”

“You absolute moron! Stop putting your finger in the outlets…” Gray rubbed his forehead. He picked up those strange phrases from our cousins no doubt. 

“I’ve been trying to gather information for months. What’ve you even figured out?!” Gray said, attempting to bring them back to topic. 

Natsu shrugged. “Food is good. Fire kinda tastes bland though. Did you see the fancy car? It’s like the one in Edolas. Also the TV thing is awesome. They have this great show about ninjas. The main character is this guy who wears orange.” 

“…I give up.” Gray sighed.

They sat in silence for a moment. Gray leaned back against the wall, mind drifting back to the fragments of his old life. He didn’t know what to do here. 

He stared at the last cookie between them. He hadn’t even realized he’d reached for it until it was in his mouth.

“By the way, did you–” Gray started. But before he was able to finish 

WHAM.

“OW—WHAT THE HELL?!” Gray yelped, falling sideways as Natsu socked him right in the cheek.

“You ate the last one!” Natsu shouted.

“You just hit me over a cookie?!” 

“That was my cookie, Snow Cone!”

“There are more! Go ask Rei!”

“But that last one was mine!” Natsu yelled.

“Why does it matter, stop acting like a child damn it!” Gray countered. 

“I am a child!” Natsu yelled before he pounced on Gray. 

They devolved into a full blown war, the kind only two stubborn, reincarnated toddlers with way too much history and zero impulse control could manage. Natsu launched the first attack, an open handed smack to Gray’s arm that made a sound far more dramatic than the sting it left. Gray retaliated with a shove that knocked Natsu back into the couch, which only fueled the fire.

“Hey!” Natsu squeaked, red-faced with betrayal.

Then came the barrage. Tiny fists flew in every direction, smacking into chubby arms, tummies, and occasionally air. Neither had the physical capabilities to actually deal significant damage, but they made up for it in spirit. Every swing came with a grunt or a hiss, little battle cries echoing through the living room like wild gremlin snarls.

A block soared through the air, Natsu’s, and hit Gray’s shoulder with a thud. Gray picked up another and chucked it back, missing by a mile but clearly making his point. Plastic cluttered the floor like debris from a battlefield. The couch trembled under their weight as they climbed, wrestled, and rolled.

A couch pillow met its untimely demise in the fray, ripped from its spot and flung like a shield. Natsu grabbed it with both hands and swung it at Gray.

“I will end you!” Natsu screeched, his tiny voice cracking.

“Bring it, flame for brains!” Gray snapped back, grabbing the pillow mid swing and pulling. They tumbled off the couch together onto the floor.

Natsu, now thoroughly fed up, let out a wordless yell and bit Gray.

Right on the arm.

“OW!!” Gray shrieked. “You bit me, you asshole!”

“You ate the last cookie!” Natsu shouted, mouth still full of Gray’s arm.

Gray kicked him in the shin. Natsu slapped him in the face. Hair was pulled. At some point, someone stepped on a Lego and cursed in a language that definitely didn’t belong to a toddler.

They rolled apart, panting, disheveled, and full of righteous fury. Their hair stuck up in every direction. Their shirts were rumpled, one sock was missing between them, and there was a suspicious dent in the wall made by a plastic toy car.

Rei appeared in the doorway, seemingly out of nowhere. The sight caused her soul to nearly leave her body.

“Boys!” Rei’s voice cut through the chaos like a divine intervention. The air got cold. 

Both froze mid-swing. Despite being adults mentally, something about Rei reminded them of a certain red haired knight. Must be a mom thing. 

“What do you think you’re doing?!” She loomed over them with a furious expression. 

“He ate the last cookie.” Natsu pointed at Gray, immediately selling him out. 

“You had like 90% of them.” Gray snapped back. 

“You said you didn’t want it and started grabbing some anyway.” 

“I said no such thing!” Gray yelled. The two prepared to go at it again. 

“Enough!” she barked, snapping her fingers. “Both of you, stop fighting or no more cookies or any snacks for that matter!

Natsu’s jaw dropped. He tried to retort, but one look from Rei immediately shot down any words he was about to say. 

“…Truce?” Gray whispered, eye twitching.

“…Truce,” Natsu muttered back, dropping a stuffed rabbit he’d been about to use as a bludgeon. 

Rei smiled lightly and placed the refilled tray of cookies down with the practiced exhaustion of a mother who had long since accepted that 1/3 of her children were feral. She placed her palms on their heads and shook their heads. 

“Why can’t you two be more like Shoto?” she muttered as she left, ignoring the identical smirks forming behind her.

“Remember, no fighting!” She said as he left the room. 

The moment the door closed again, the boys dug in like starved wolves. Between bites, Natsu looked over, eyes gleaming.

“What were we talking about again?” Gray asked. 

“I don't remember.” Natsu replied without looking up, still focused on the snacks in hand. 

“Well, whatever. We have time to worry about it later.” Gray sighed. 

“Do you ever get that weird feeling about Endeavor?” Natsu suddenly said. 

Gray paused. The question came out of nowhere. He glanced toward the hall where their father was likely pacing and muttering about training schedules. 

Gray had been observing Enji Todoroki as well, piecing things together in the quiet way he’d always done. Despite being a father of six, it was painfully obvious who held the spotlight. Shoto. Everything revolved around him. Future training schedules, diet plans, future private tutors, Shoto would have it all. Enji hovered like a shadow. He was always there watching and always preparing something for him. It wasn’t subtle, not even a little. The rest of them, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Toya, even Natsu and himself, seemed to orbit somewhere outside that intense pull. Rei was different. She was the constant. She fed them, played with them, soothed scraped knees and tantrums with the same soft voice and patience, whether it was Shoto or Natsu screaming about who stole a crayon. Even Fuyumi, still technically a kid herself, stepped in more than their father did, making bottles and changing diapers without complaint. Gray wasn’t bothered by it.  He’d learned long ago not to crave attention from figures who didn’t care to give it. After all, family didn’t always come from blood relations. Natsu, as far as he could tell, didn’t seem to mind either; he was too busy causing chaos and demanding snacks.

But Toya? Toya noticed. And Toya hated it. Gray could see it in the way Toya’s eyes followed their father, not with awe, but with something else, resentment, jealousy, pain. Lately, Toya was distracted. Quieter. Like something was eating at him from the inside, and Gray, for all his reborn experience, wasn’t sure how to stop it, or if he even could.

“…Yeah,” he said finally. “He's a strange one. He cares about Shoto a little too much. Does Shoto even understand what's happening?”

“Thats not what I meant. I mean his strength. He's powerful.” Natsu replied.

“I agree. Even without any magic to feel, just his presence is quite overwhelming.”  

Natsu nodded, cheeks still full. “I’m gonna fight him someday.”

Gray blinked. “Why.”

“Because he’s strong,” Natsu said simply. “And I wanna see how strong I’ve gotta get to punch him in the face.”

“Why do you want to punch him in the face?” Gray asked, even though he probably knew the answer. 

“He looks annoying.” 

Gray sighed, expecting nothing less. 

“You know there are more important things to do right now, right?….like… figuring this world out. Also we don’t even have a quirk yet. Did you even think this through” Gray rubbed his forehead. 

“When have I ever?” Natsu stared at him like he was stupid.  

Gray was stunned for a moment. 

They both just stared at each other, looked down and continued eating. 

Chapter Text

Year 3.5

“WHOOOOO” Natsu ran around the house as one of the maids kept chasing him. He was thrilled. He was finally able to run properly. Finally! Although he was still slow and weak. Being this mobile again was exciting.

“Please, young master Yakuto! You have to change out of your pajamas!” The maid said as she tried to chase him down.

“Call me Natsu damn it!” Natsu yelled as ran forward.

Rei and the maids were expecting Natsu to be different, but it was far worse than expected. Each year, he became more and more unstoppable. It’s like he had infinite energy. Except for the moments where he stopped to eat or sleep. He was never still. He was more like an animal. He would constantly try to run off. He refused to have others dress him. He kept trying to climb over the main gate like he was trying to escape.

“Comeon, I wanna see the outside damn it!” Natsu yelled as he tried to climb the gate. Although Natsu had been out, it was mostly when he was carried or strapped down in the stroller. He was never able to explore alone. He decided that today would be it. He did try a week ago, but definitely today! However, before he was able to get very far, a butler came out of nowhere and grabbed him and placed him down. The butler already knew Natsu was up to and kept a close eye on him.

“Young master, please stop trying to escape. Lady Rei already said she would take you outside sometime. Just wait for that to happen.”

Natsu sighed. “Fine, fine. I’ll stay back.” He resigned and walked back into the house.

The butler sighed in relief. This kid was too energetic.

On the other side of the house -

“Young master Haise…you have to stop taking your clothes off…” Another maid chased after the other child with clothes in her arms.

“I want to be called Gray. Stop calling me Haise!!” Gray evaded getting grabbed by the maid and ran under her legs into another room where he met up with Natsu. Gray was another issue altogether for the maids. He was a lot more level headed than Natsu, but he had a strange habit of taking his clothes off and leaving them around the house. His coolheaded demeanor also vanished whenever Natsu was in the same room as him and the two of them together were their own forces of nature.

“Three years of being called “Yakuto! And I still haven’t gotten fully used to it.” Natsu grumbled.

“Yeah and for two of those years we couldn’t even speak the new language properly. What the hell?!” Gray added.

“So you remember anything after everything Zeref did yet?” Natsu asked as the two ran into their secret hideout.

“Nah…just remember being engulfed by a bright light. It’s all still a blur to me.” Gray responded.

“Yeah…I miss Happy…” Natsu’s expression changed and the fire in his eyes vanished.

“Yeah…all of Fairy Tail…gone… I want to think they’re safe though…or maybe they reincarnated like us and are living as babies again.”

“And of all people I’m stuck with the streaker.” Natsu said with a cheeky grin, throwing Gray’s pants at him.

Gray snickered back in a mocking tone. “Shut up…Yakuto.”

“Dammit, not you too! Haiseeeeee!” Natsu and Gray began to butt heads again only to be interrupted by the shouts of the maids looking for them.

“Crap. We gotta find a new hiding place.” Gray said, trying to run while putting his clothes back on.

“Fine, we’ll settle this later!” Natsu and Gray both ran out of the room, running in opposite directions in the hallway as the maid had to choose which one she would chase down today.
“Young masters…..” Her voice faltered as she slumped over, exhausted. “I don’t get paid enough for this…”
—-------------
Natsu and Gray eventually heard their mother Rei calling for them as they scampered around the house.

“Guess the maids gave up and decided to call mom huh?” Gray commented.

“She’s scary when she gets mad! We gotta run!” Natsu responded.

“Run? No you idiot, we need to go to her before she reaches that point!” It’ll be worse if we stall it out.”

“Have you seen that look in her eyes?! She’s almost as scary as Erza!”

Rei suddenly appeared behind them both, scooping them up into her arms. She saw Gray was completely butt naked and Natsu was still in his pajamas.

“Were you two causing trouble for the maids again?” She asked sternly, but there was no actual anger.

“No..” Natsu tried to lie, but his face twisted as it was extremely obvious he was lying.

“You mean trying to escape and streaking around the house” Rei’s stern expression faded and she laughed.

“Just let me go outside! It’s so boring being caged up in this house all day!.” Natsu complained, trying to free himself from Rei. But it was no use.

“I have no excuse. I think my clothes just fell off.” Gray said matter of factly, also struggling to escape.

Rei raised an eyebrow. “Fell off huh? I also hear you’ve been telling the maids to call you Natsu and Gray.”

They both nodded. “Yeah!”

Rei just sighed. She looked at Natsu. “We can’t call you Natsu, that's your elder brother's name and it'll just be confusing. Natsu tried to protest but a stern look from Rei just silenced him immediately. She turned to Gray. “And we don’t want to call you Gray. Haise is so beautiful. Why would you want your name to just be a color?”

“It's not a- what?” Gray was dumbfounded.

Just then, a toddler with half white and half red hair waddled in. He was wearing neat and tidy clothes. He innocently looked up at Rei and raised his arms towards her, wanting to be carried.

Rei sighed and picked Shoto up as well. She grunted slightly. “You kids have so much energy.
She saw Natsu’s disappointed face as he struggled and sighed “How about I take you three to the park for today.

Natsu suddenly stopped struggling, and had an excited look on his face. ‘The park, that's where I can train.’

Gray stared blankly as he sighed and let himself be carried. ‘When will this be over…’

Rei finally took the kids towards the car. However, when Natsu saw the vehicle, he suddenly panicked and backed up.. “No way, I am not getting in a vehicle!! Let me walk.”

Although Gray had already seen cars multiple times now, It still surprised him. It reminded him of how advanced this world was.

Rei quickly picked up Natsu and carried him to the car. “Yakuto, why are you so afraid of cars?” She calmly patted his head and placed him in a carseat in the back. Natsu thrashed around, however, Rei had done this enough times to quickly tie him in. She seated herself in the passenger seat.

Gray watched as Natsu thrashed about. This wasn’t the first time he saw Natsu freaking out in the car. Normally, Gray remained silent except this time, where Natsu’s flailing hit him in the face, leaving a visible red mark on his cheek.

Gray punched Natsu on top of his head, causing Natsu to reel from the pain. He leaned over and whispered.
.“Hey flame for brains, you’re not a dragon slayer anymore. You don’t have motion sickness. It’s all in your head.”

Natsu froze and scratched his head right. The first time he went into the car, he thought was having motion sickness. However, after a few times he realized it was actually in his head. However, there were times when he forgot that he no longer had it.

“Right, I forgot.” Natsu replied and sat straight back.

Gray rubbed the part of his face where Natsu smacked earlier.
“It’s too early to be this stupid.”

“What did you say snowflake!” Natsu turned and glared at Gray. The two of them locked eyes briefly before Natsu suddenly grabbed Gray by his shirt and punched him.

“You want some of this!!” Gray retaliated back with a punch.

Shoto reached over and tried to stop them.

Rei quickly turned around and sighed. She glared at her two fighting children. Both Gray and Natsu felt a chill in the air and looked towards their mom, some frost forming on her face with a cold look in her eyes.

“You two stop and behave right now!” She said sternly. The car felt colder than usual and Natsu and Gray froze as an image of Erza glaring at them that exact same way flashed in their head. The two of them immediately ceased their bickering and hugged each other.

“A-Aye sir”

“No fight!” Shoto chimed in from the side.

The duo quickly put their heads down and said nothing as the car drove off towards the park.

“Scary…” they both mumbled at the same time.

“The park!” Shoto looked outside the window of the car.
The car parked and the family left the car. Rei sat on a bench to the side talking with other mothers as Natsu, Gray, and Shoto entered the playground.

“I’m gonna be king of the jungle gym!” Natsu shouted excitedly as he ran to the playground. Shoto and Gray followed after him but Shoto paused briefly, looking at the shovels and buckets in the sandbox.

“Oh? You want to make some stuff in the sand?” Gray noticed. A smirk formed on his face. “Time for my “Sand-Make.”

An hour passed as the three kids played on the playground. Gray had just finished making a huge sand castle with intricate details. and stood proudly above it. Shoto watched him with awe.

“That's so cool.”

“Looks like I still got-” Another child suddenly ran through the sand castle. “No my castle!”

Shoto looked visibly sad and Gray turned to see the kid who did it. The kid looked like a six or seven year old. He had a mutant quirk that gave him the head of a lizard. Only the head.

“Watch where you’re going you idiot!” Gray shouted at the child. The child stopped and turned around to face Gray with a menacing stare.

Natsu suddenly ran in and stopped next to Gray.
“That’s the guy who threw me off the ropes and buried me in the sand! It’s time for a rematch!”

“Come at me you losers!” The child taunted.

“Come and get it you dumb lizard.” Natsu shouted. He charged at the kid and wound his fist back. “Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!”

The kid held Natsu by his head as Natsu swung at the air in front of him, unable to make up for
the lack of reach.

“Damn this tiny body!” Natsu shouted angrily.

The lizard headed kid dropped Natsu suddenly as a plastic bucket hit him in the head. He reeled in pain and looked up to see Gray running at him.

“Natsu, this kid is twice our size, we gotta fight differently.” Gray shouted.

A grin formed on Natsu’s face. “Alright then…I’m all fired up!”

“That was a cheap shot!” The lizard headed kid said. Gray jumped up into the air and threw sand at the kid.

“My eyes!” The lizard kid screamed. Gray immediately lunged at his legs and held onto one to restrain him. Natsu appeared behind the lizard kid and jumped onto his back.

“No- stop” Shoto began to tear up.

“Fire Dragon’s Fang!” Natsu bit down on the kid’s head and the kid shouted in pain. Natsu began grabbing his cheeks and stretching his mouth open.

“THATS ENOUGH!” A deep booming voice echoed through the park. A tall man, also with a lizard head appeared and pulled Natsu and Gray off of the kid.

“You brats think you can just attack my child?!” The Lizard man was furious.

“Some lousy parent you are. Your kid stepped all over my castle and buried Natsu!” Gray retorted.

“What is going on over here?” Rei exclaimed as she ran to her kids.

“Lizard head boy was bullying us.” Shoto exclaimed with some tears in his eyes.

“They what?” Rei looked at Natsu and Gray and then at the lizard headed kid. She bowed her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry for my children. I’ll be taking them home now.”

The lizard man shook his head. He didn’t want to get more involved in this.

“Come on son, let’s go.” Just faintly, Natsu and Gray could hear the man say something to himself. “It’s always gotta be us heteromorphs…”

The car was quiet as they drove home. Natsu had some bruises on his face. “What were you thinking!!” Rei said.

“I-” Natsu started.

“Nope. You could’ve gotten hurt.” Rei said as she reached over to caress Natsu's cheek where the bruise was forming.

“But he started it.” Gray shouted but immediately closed his mouth when Rei looked over.

“It doesn’t matter. If you get bullied, you come to me next time, okay!? You boys could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”

Gray wanted to retort but just lowered his head. “Okay…”

Natsu was just quiet as he looked out of the window. Rei looked through the mirror and sighed.
—
The sun was setting by the time they arrived home.

The front door slid open before Rei even reached for the handle.

Fuyumi peeked out, smiling, until she saw Natsu’s face.

“Oh my gosh, What happened!?” she said as she reached down and inspected Natsu’s face.

Before anyone could answer, she disappeared back inside and returned seconds later with a small medical kit. She knelt in front of him the moment he stepped out of his shoes, gently lifting his chin.
“It’s not bad,” Rei assured as she followed them in. “Just a bruise and a couple scratches.”

Still, Fuyumi dabbed antiseptic on the scrapes.

Natsu didn’t flinch, even as Fuyumi dabbed it on his face which surprised her. But she didn’t think much about it. She continued cleaning Natsu when heavy footsteps echoed from deeper in the house.
Endeavor appeared, sharp-eyed and intimidating.

His gaze immediately locked onto Natsu’s face, bruising and a red mark against pale skin.
“What happened?” he asked, his eyes just softening slightly.

Rei answered before any of the boys could.
“The boys got into a small scuffle at the park.”

Endeavor’s eyes narrowed. "Was Shoto injured?”" There was panic in his voice.

Rei frowned and shook her head. “No, he’s fine.”
He exhaled, not in relief, but irritation.

“And you allowed them to get into a situation where Shoto could have been put at risk?”

Rei stiffened, lips tightening. “I was watching them. I only looked away for a moment.”

Endeavor pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, then placed a hand on Shoto’s shoulder.
“Be careful next time.” He said to Natsu and Gray. “Come along Shoto” He turned.

Shoto hesitated. He glanced at his mother, at her downcast look, wanting to say something.

But Endeavor steered him away before he could.

Rei let out a quiet breath after they left, one hand gently sweeping Natsu’s hair back from his forehead.

“Go wash up, okay? Dinner will be ready soon.” Her voice was quiet.

Natsu and Gray both nodded and went to their room to clean up.

Chapter Text

Age: 4

The Todoroki household had changed. 

Shoto’s quirk emerged first, the room was half burnt and half frozen. The quirk was just as Enji Todoroki imagined it. A perfect fusion of fire and ice. On one side of his body, powerful flames licked the air with nearly the same intensity as his own. On the other hand, frost bloomed with his mother’s quirk. The ice regulated his body so it would never heat up or freeze.  It was exactly what he had bred him for, and he couldn’t have been more excited. 

‘Finally,’ he thought with an obsessive and maniacal grin. He would beat All Might. 

Training began almost immediately. Rigorous, relentless, private. Shoto was increasingly separated from the others each day, spending long hours in isolated lessons under their father’s critical eye.

The result? Shoto was physically close, yet unreachable. He was barely able to spend any time with the others. 

Enji didn’t even try to hide his favoritism. Natsu and Gray weren’t given a second glance.

Then, a few months later, Natsu awakened the second part of his quirk.

It was accidental, undramatic even. He’d been sitting cross-legged at the table, stuffing his face with food, when a burp slipped out, and a puff of flame sparked into the air. Small, harmless, barely enough to light a candle. 

Endeavor barely looked up from the folder he was reading.

“A fire quirk,” he muttered, tone flat. “Expected, but unimpressive.”

“Wow, Yakuto! You can breathe fire. Fuyumi exclaimed. 

“Congrats,” Shoto said. 

Toya just barely looked at him before retreating into his food.

“Awesome, you awakened your quirk.”  Natsuo beamed. 

“What!!, How did you awaken it before me? Damn it!!! I am older.” Gray stared wide-eyed. 

“Eat it, ice queen.” Natsu proudly stood on the chair. Finally, he awakened his quirk. He could breathe fire, the same as before. It was perfect. 

Gray just scoffed and pretended not to hear anything. 

Endeavor just ignored the ruckus. If it were before, he would’ve considered training Natsu. He had the perfect body to use fire since he was completely immune. But based on what he saw his output wasn't nearly as impressive compared to Shoto’s. However, that was okay; he would just live normally with the others. 

He made no move to test it further. No mention of training. As far as Endeavor was concerned, Natsu’s quirk wasn’t even worth acknowledging, especially not when the boy’s metabolism demanded he constantly eat flames just to stay upright.

But Natsu didn’t care. He was excited. 

“YES! FIRE! Suck it, Ice Boy,” he continued, grinning at Gray and blowing a tiny ember from his mouth like it was a victory trumpet.

Gray, who had yet to awaken his own quirk, only gave a tight-lipped shrug. “Yeah. Great.”

In truth, he didn’t care about the teasing; it was like that between him and Natsu since they were kids… are kids now? The reincarnation was still strange. What worried him more was everything else: the strange new distance between them and Shoto, the way Toya was growing more irritable, snapping more easily. He caught the kid staring out the window, lost in his own head. Muttering sometimes. Distracted. Tense. He would also leave randomly into the woods. Sometimes he would come back with some minor burn wounds. 

And Rei, Rei was changing too. 

She was still kind. Still soft-spoken. Still did her best to care for them all evenly. But there was something brittle in her now. Her smiles were thinner, her presence fading from rooms even when she was standing in them. She was jumpy. Quiet. The tension in her shoulders never left.

Even Natsu was beginning to notice. 

“Why’s Mom always so weird now?” he asked one night, flopping down beside Gray on the floor with a puff of smoke curling from his nose.

Gray didn’t have an answer. He just watched the hallway, where distant echoes of training rang from behind closed doors, and felt the knot in his chest twist a little tighter.

The house was big. But somehow, it was starting to feel smaller. Cramped. Like it was closing in.

And none of them, not even Natsu, could pretend they didn’t feel it anymore.

—

The entire Todoroki family sat at the table for dinner except for Shoto and their father. Gray reached for his cup of water but paused as his fingertips felt cold. ‘Hmm.. whats this?’

“Something wrong, Gray?” Fuyumi asked. 

“My fingertips…” Gray reached for his cup, and the water inside immediately froze. 

“Whoa…you got your quirk!” Natsuo exclaimed."It's an ice quirk like ours!” 

“As expected. An Ice quirk like mom’s.” Toya muttered.

Rei got up from her side of the table and went to Gray’s side. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel alright. I felt really cold at first, but now I don’t feel cold at all.” Gray put his frozen cup down and looked at his fingertips. He could feel the ice forming at the tips, but he didn’t feel bothered by the cold sensation at all. He looked up at Natsu, who was gulping down a cup of chocolate milk. “It's a lot cooler than coughing fire!” 

Natsu choked on his drink, and he slammed the half-full cup down, with the milk inside starting to steam.

“Breathing! Breathing fire, ice cube boy!” Natsu exclaimed.

“No yelling at the table!” Rei looked at Natsu and Gray, and the two of them flinched as they looked back at their mother. She gave the frozen cup to Natsu, and Natsu immediately thawed it in his hands before giving it back to Gray. 

The family continued to eat their dinner, talking about Gray’s quirk awakening. Gray asked a few questions about how it worked, to which Rei was able to answer most of them.

“Now that our food is finished…” Natsu started.

“And my quirk finally awakened…” Gray continued.

“It’s time we settle which one of us is the strongest!” Natsu and Gray both pointed at each other.

“Oh, they’re really gonna fight?” Toya’s eyes lit up, having been bored by the ice quirk conversation during dinner.

“Please not at the dinner table, boys…take it outside. Just don’t go overboard.” Rei said. Fuyumi tugged at her mom’s sweater with a worried look on her face.

“Is it really okay for them to do that?”

“I need them to burn some energy, and I’d rather they burn and freeze the weeds in the garden rather than the walls and floors. Besides…they just awakened their quirks. They won’t be that powerful yet.”

Toya, Natsuo, and Fuyumi moved outside to the yard as Natsu and Gray stood across from each other. There was tension in the air as the two of them stared each other down.

“Why is this so tense? Why do they have to fight?!” Fuyumi exclaimed.

“You wouldn’t understand, sis.” Toya scoffed. “Hey, Natsuo, who do you think is gonna win?” 

“Hmm…Yakuto, maybe?” Natsuo answered. 

“Maybe in terms of element…But I think Haise is a bit smarter.” Toya said.

“I’m all fired up!” Natsu clashed his knuckles together and set his fists ablaze. Gray proceeded to take his shirt off and got into his signature Ice make stance, with ice forming in his palms.

“Why does he keep taking off his shirt?” Fuyumi questioned.

“Are you kidding? He was running naked around the house yesterday. This is tame.” Toya said. 

Natsu took a deep breath in, heat building up in his mouth and lungs while frost began to build up around Gray’s hands. 

“Fire Dragon Roar!

Ice Make: Lancer!”

“They already have names for their attacks?!” Natsuo exclaimed. Toya and Fuyumi were visibly surprised until the attacks actually occurred.

The smallest of flames came out of Natsu’s mouth, only traveling about a meter before dispersing. Small cubes of ice appeared in front of Gray and landed on the floor.

“Now that I think about it…I don’t know what I expected from four-year-olds who just got their quirks…” Toya sighed. However, he was slightly envious of Natsu. He had the perfect body for a fire quirk. He was completely immune. ‘If only I had the same body.’ He clenched his fist. 

The disappointment on the siblings’ faces immediately vanished as Natsu and Gray started yelling and ran towards each other.

Natsu and Gray collided into each other, landing a punch squarely on each other’s faces. The two of them rebounded from the punches and staggered back. They waddled back up. 

“That was a crazy punch!” Natsuo shouted.

“Huh…not bad…” Toya commented.

Natsu charged again at Gray, only to suddenly trip on his own feet as Gray tripped and fell on top of Natsu. The two of them remained on the ground pummelling each other with punches. 

Toya couldn’t help but laugh.

“I guess this is a bit entertaining!”

“G-guys, I think you should stop fighting!” Fuyumi interjected.

Toya shook his head. 

“Typical Woman.” 

Natsu and Gray continued to fight each other for another few minutes without their quirks, just fists. Toya grew disinterested and left, leaving only Natsuo and Fuyumi until Fuyumi eventually ran between the two.

“That’s enough! Stop it!” Fuyumi cried out. She rushed out towards them. 

“Huh?” Natsu and Gray snapped out of their trance as they turned to look at Fuyumi with slightly swollen and bruised faces. 

Rei walked out to the yard and ran to them. 

“And here I thought I could leave you kids alone for a few minutes. Fuyumi, can you go get the first aid kit for me?” 

“Of course!” Fuyumi ran back into the house.

“You know…I said to practice your quirks… not punch each other… ” Rei patted her two boys on the head. Fuyumi returned with the first aid kit, and Rei began treating them. Natsu just remained stoic as some rubbing alcohol touched one of his cuts.

“That's enough now.” Natsu squirmed.

“Stay still. I’m almost done.” Rei said. “Haise, keep icing your face with your quirk until I finish with Natsu.”

Gray nodded. 

—

Natsu and Gray were left in their room by Rei after being treated. The two of them sat together, having gotten their excess energy out and stared at the T.V. screen. On screen were some debuting American Heroes.

“So I definitely won that one, right?” Natsu said.

“Dude, shut up, Captain Celebrity is on,” Gray replied.

“Hah! So I did win!” Natsu continued.

“No, you didn’t.” 

Both Gray and Natsu stood up and glared at each other, but Gray soon dropped the glare and went back to the television.

“Dammit, let's just behave for now. Mom already has enough on her plate.”

“But I’m so bored!” Natsu complained. 

“She only grounded us for the night. Just get it over with, and we can have fun tomorrow. It’s better than what our father has been doing with Shoto. It’s like he’s keeping him locked up.” 

“Hmm…why does he do that?” Natsu asked. “I’ve barely seen Shoto since he awakened his quirk.”

“I overheard Toya talking about it. Said Dad has an obsession with surpassing All Might and thinks Shoto will be his way to do it. That man has a few screws loose.”

“This All Might sounds strong, I wanna fight him right now!” Natsu said as his eyes lit up.

Gray smirked,  “Look at yourself, you’re only slightly taller than happy, how are you going to beat All Might? There was a hero ranking chart earlier. He’s the number one hero.”

“Just wait until I grow back up! But for now, let's ask if we can play with Shoto tomorrow.” Natsu suggested. 

“Worth a shot.” Gray shrugged. He felt a little bad for their triplet. Ever since he awakened his quirk, he was constantly being trained by their father. He wasn’t even able to come to the park anymore with him and Natsu. Even their mother started to get more and more nervous. 

“Now give me the remote. I wanna watch that show with the pirates!” Natsu shouted.

“Dude, it’s my turn. We’re gonna watch-” 

A loud thud from somewhere in the house broke apart their bickering and they stared silently at the door. From behind it, they could make out muffled yelling and crying, followed by even louder yelling by their father.

Natsu and Gray stared at each other briefly and nodded at each other, knowing exactly what to do without saying a word to each other. Gray opened the door as silently as possible, and the yelling became louder and more apparent.

“How could you let Toya run away!” Enji's voice echoed through the halls. 

“He what?” Gray was stunned. He looked at Natsu. 

Gray and Natsu began walking faster towards the living room, trying to remain silent as they heard more yelling and crying. They peeked around the corner to see Fuyumi and Natsuo cowering at the other side of the living room as Shoto stood in front of Rei.

“Stop hitting mom!” Shoto flailed his arms out in front of him in an attempt to keep Enji back. 

Natsu clenched his fists hard as veins started to form just above his eyebrows. His body began to heat up. Flames of rage started to form around his hands as he took a step forward. At this point, he wanted nothing more than to beat Enji up into a bloody pulp. 

Two cold arms grab his torso tightly from behind, holding him back just as he stepped forward. Natsu froze, fists clenched and eyes still locked on Enji, the two of them thankfully still unnoticed."

“Don’t stop me!” Natsu raged

Natsu looked back at Gray and saw the same wrathful expression on his face as he had. 

“Trust me, I want to beat him up as much as you do. But we can’t fight him…not yet…” Gray said. But it was obvious he was trying to hold back his own rage. He knew the rules. Their father  would easily defeat them; worst case, he might even send them away to live with relatives so they don't “interfere.” Then it would be even worse. 

A door slamming averted Natsu’s gaze back to the living room.

“Please… just hold back for now,” Gray said, almost begging. “We are too weak.” 

Natsu clenched his fist and looked down at his small, childlike hand. “Not yet huh…not in this body…”

“We’re gonna have to get a lot stronger first. But on the day we do get him back, I’m with you. We’ll take him down.” Gray said solemnly. “For now, let's just sit still.”