Shoto Todoroki did not like his father.

To people outside his family, this would be shocking. To people within his family, this would be obvious.

Having your mother brought to the brink of insanity and being abused by someone, would naturally make you heavily dislike that person to say the least.

However, he found no joy, no pleasure, no satisfaction seeing him in the state he was in now.

Laid up in a hospital bed, in a coma.

"How long is he going to be like this?" Fuyumi asked the doctor. After Ghost Rider's attack, Fuyumi had immediately called the ambulance and had been frantically worrying about both her father and her brother. She'd been on edge ever since.

"We don't know." The doctor admitted. "There's no physical reason why he's like this, from what we can tell he's under the effect of some kind of mental quirk. Without knowledge about whatever quirk Ghost Rider used on him, we can't predict when he might wake up. Although...I hate to break it to you, but very few people survive an attack from Ghost Rider...I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Fuyumi tried to stay strong after hearing that. But she couldn't stop a few tears from leaking out.

Shoto didn't cry. He just stared at his father's unconscious body.

It was a strange sight for him. He can't remember seeing his father sleep. He's sure he has, he just can't remember it.

He was sure he was suffering through the worst nightmare of his life. He could see it on his face. His father's face was always contorted in anger, Shoto had gotten used to seeing it that way for his entire life.

But right now, he was afraid. And that made Shoto extremely uncomfortable.

Something else that added to Shoto's discomfort.

The fact that Ghost Rider attacked his father at all.

Ghost Rider only ever attacked criminals. Typically murderers. And while Shoto knew his father was definitely no saint, he didn't think that abuse was on Ghost Rider's radar.

And also there was the fact that he shouldn't have known about the abuse, to begin with.

The worst of Endeavor's abuse had happened long before Midoriya ever got his quirk. And when Midoriya attacked them he wasn't even doing anything bad.

And the most unnerving thing of all, it seemed like Midoriya was...aware of himself.

From what he'd heard...and seen. Midoriya wasn't himself when he was on a rampage. He didn't stop, he didn't strategize and rarely talked. And he never let his victims go easily.

But he didn't seem like that when he attacked Endeavor. He seemed upset but not in his usual berserker state. He didn't charge at Endeavor; he didn't try to shoot him. He just wrapped him up in his chains and did...whatever he did to him, before leaving. With Endeavor still alive. Seemingly alive anyway.

None of this made any sense. Then again, very little about Ghost Rider made sense.

I guess this is how Midoriya Izuka feels. Shoto thought. Wait...Midoriya Izuka...

As a thought popped into Shoto's head, the door to the hospital room opened and detective Naomasa walked in along with some other policemen.

"Hello there, I am detective Naomasa." Naomasa introduced himself. "I apologize for the intrusion, but we'd like to ask you some questions about the attack when you're ready of course."

Sometime later

The room Naomasa had taken him to was extremely plain. It was a small room with nothing but a table and a two folding chair. Like a makeshift interrogation room.

"Alright. So Todoroki, why don't we start with you recounting what happened." Naomasa said getting out a notepad and pencil.

"I was training myself in our training room when I heard a window break," Todoroki recalled. "At first I just thought that Endeavor was in a bad mood."

"Endeavor breaks windows when he's in a bad mood?" Naomasa asked.

"He's rich. He can replace anything he destroys." Shoto replied. "As I was saying, more stuff started breaking and I started hearing fighting outside, that's when I knew something was wrong. When I got outside, Endeavor was already ensnared when I got there, and Midoriya was just...staring at him."

"Staring?" Naomasa asked with interest. "Did Endeavor scream or look like he was in pain?"

"He didn't scream but he was definitely in pain," Shoto said. "Is there something I should know about Ghost Rider's stare?"

"Well, during one of Ghost Rider's previous attacks he was reported to have done something similar. He looked the victim in the eye, and without him doing anything else to them, the victim started screaming like they were being tortured. The victim then died, with their eyes being burned from the inside." Naomasa revealed to him. "We call it, the Penance Stare. We don't know exactly how it works. But we do know that it can be lethal, and incredibly painful."

Shoto took this information in as he realized what could have happened if he hadn't stepped in. But still, something seemed off. "I seemingly interrupted it and tried to free Endeavor. I wasn't able to of course. Those flames were...abnormal. When I touched them it's like they were barely there, but when I tried to freeze the chains they melted the ice in an instant. Ghost Rider broke out of the ice, and then he left."

"He just left?" Naomasa raised an eyebrow. "How long did the fight go on?"

"In total. It couldn't have been longer than a few minutes." Shoto explained. "He wasn't on one of his normal rampages. He seemed aware of himself."

"Your saying Midoriya attacked Endeavor of his own free will?" Naomasa asked him.

"Attack, yes. But I don't think he was trying to kill him." Todoroki said. "He left Endeavor alive, and after using that stare, he didn't try to attack again. And the chain's didn't seem to be hurting Endeavor too much. I don't think he was ever trying to kill him. I think he wanted to use that stare on him specifically."

Naomasa thought about this for a moment. If Midoriya was indeed in control of himself it would make sense that he wasn't trying to kill Endeavor. Midoriya after all wasn't the type of person to murder someone of his own free will. And if he wasn't in control of himself it would make no sense for him to both leave Endeavor alive and use the Penance stare when he probably had an easier way to kill Endeavor.

"We can't know for sure until we know how exactly that stare works, but you might be correct," Naomasa said. "Did anything else of importance happen?"

Shoto couldn't tell him about Izuku talking. Because then it would reveal what Endeavor had been doing. And that was family business. His business.

"No." Shoto lied.

Little did he know about Naomasa's lie-detecting quirk.

Naomasa kept quiet about it for now. "Alright. Now, one last question. Ghost Rider typically only attacks criminals. And while you said that Midoriya's behavior was off, I want to make sure. Has Endeavor committed any illegal or immoral acts that you know of?"

"...No." Shoto didn't like saying this. He felt like he was letting Endeavor get away with what he'd done. But as stated earlier. It was his business, he'd take care of it. Besides, taking legal action against Endeavor likely wouldn't end well due to Endeavor's popularity, money, and influence.

"Alright." Naomasa sighed. "Now I feel I should tell you that my quirk acts as a lie detector."

Crap. Shoto grit his teeth. It was a trap!

"Right now Endeavor is an outlier in the list of Ghost Rider's victims, being the only one who isn't a known criminal or has committed some sort of illegal or immoral act," Naomasa said. "However if we can confirm that Endeavor has committed some sort of crime or other immoral act, then that will make the list of Midoriya's victims consistent and save us a lot of headaches and concerns. So when I ask you this it is an important matter. If you know something that could be the reason Midoriya attacked Endeavor, and you don't tell us, then that would be an obstruction of justice."

"Damn it," Shoto muttered. "It's...personal business."

"Domestic abuse," Naomasa said bluntly.

Shoto's eyes widened as if asking how the detective could possibly know.

"Kid, I've been a detective for years. I knew your relationship with your father was strained the minute you referred to your father as Endeavor." Naomasa said.

"Tsk." Shoto glared at the detective.

Naomasa sighed. "Look, if you don't tell me, then I can't officially say that he's a perpetrator of domestic abuse. However I can say that he's suspected of domestic abuse, and that would fix the outlier problem. But, if you'd like to admit it, then we could help you and your family."

"I don't need your help," Shoto replied curtly.

Naomasa shook your head. "Well if that's the case then we're done here. We'll be speaking to your siblings as well. If they say anything, you'll be sure to know."

Dismissed, Shoto quickly got up from his seat and left.

The next day.

Izuka ate her lunch as she always did. Alone.

At this point it hardly phased her. When she first noticed the void by her side where Izuku had once been, sure she had felt a sense of crushing loneliness and despair. But she was fine now.

Yup. Absolutely fine.

She was slurping up her ramen when she felt a shadow looming over her.

"What do you want?" Izuka asked curtly, not even bothering to look up.

"Do you know anything about your brother's quirk?" Izuka's eyes widened when she heard the voice speaking to her.

She looked up and saw Shoto Todoroki looking down at her.

This surprised her for a moment, considering that the boy mostly kept to himself. Then she remembered what she saw on the news yesterday. And now it suddenly made sense.

"I really shouldn't be surprised." Izuka sighed.

"I would appreciate it if you answered my question," Shoto said.

Izuka rolled her eyes. "And I would appreciate it if you left me to my ramen. It's getting cold, you know. If you wouldn't mind heating it up then I guess I could tell you what I know."

Shoto glared at her.

"Ohhhh riiiight. You don't use your left side do you." Izuka said smugly. "Well, then I guess you'll have to fuck off then."

"I just asked a simple question," Shoto asked.

"And I'm sure you love it when people ask you questions because you're related to someone famous." Izuka went back to eating.

Shoto opened his mouth to say something, before shutting it again. She wasn't wrong. He did hate it when people swarmed him with questions about his father, and while Izuka didn't have the same kind of relationship he did with his father, theirs was probably no less tense and stressful.

The boy sighed. "He attacked my father. I just want some answers."

"That's not my fault. And it's not his either." Izuka slurped the remainder of the ramen.

"He was in control of himself during the attack," Shoto said.

Izuka froze for a second, before leveling a glare at him.

"I was there. He wasn't just rampaging. He attacked for a reason." Shoto said.

"Izuku would never-"

"I don't think he was trying to kill him." Shoto clarified. "I think he wanted to use his powers to do something. And I need to know what it was."

Izuka actually thought about this for a moment, before giving a tired sigh. "Look, I don't know how Izuku's quirk works. Last time I talked to him I'm pretty sure he didn't either. But...if you're so sure about this then I'll ask him next time I see him."

"You're still in contact with him?" Shoto raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm still in contact with him!" Izuka sounded slightly offended. "He may be in a..rough spot, to say the least. But he is my brother! We've spent all our lives together! No matter what, he'll come back to me eventually."

Shoto got a chill up his spine. Why does that sound so familiar?

Flashback, just after Rei Todoroki was taken to the mental hospital.

Shoto cried into his sister's chest. As she tried desperately to comfort him. (And herself.)

"It's ok. It's ok. Mom didn't mean to do that, she's just...not well! She's still the same mom we all love! After she's better she'll come home and we'll all be happy together." Fuyumi said, her tone dripping with desperation and delusion.

Back to the present.

While Izuku didn't sound as deluded and desperate as his sister had, he could recognize the similarities.

Honestly the more he thought about the poor girl's situation the more he pitied her.

At this rate, she's going to end up like my sister. Shoto thought. And if there was anyone he truly pitied in this world besides his mother, it was his sister.

I should probably do something about this. Shoto thought.

….

….

….

"So...are you just going to stand there like a jackass orrrr?" Izuka asked him.

And here was where the issue lied. Shoto had many skills he had developed over the years. Social skills were definitely not one of those skills.

"How was...the weather," Shoto replied.

Izuka blinked.

There was another period of awkward silence.

"What...are you doing?" Izuka asked him.

"Honestly...I have no idea." Shoto said.

This was preceded by even more awkward silence. Before Shoto eventually sat down, leaving the two of them in awkward silence for the rest of lunch.

Meanwhile, with Izuku.

Ok, Izuku was getting really nervous now.

Zarathos hadn't done anything, for a long time now.

While the optimistic side of Izuku was hoping that the demon had simply given up, the side of Izuku that knew better, however, was scared at what the demon might be planning.

"What the heck are you doing Zarathos?" Izuku muttered to himself.

"Izuku?" Eri came up to him. "Who's Zarathos?"

"He's a…" Izuku thought about how to best respond to this. "A very bad thing. Eri comes here please."

Eri nodded and crawled onto his lap.

"Zarathos is a bad thing called a demon," Izuku explained. "Demons are bad. They try to trick you by offering you things you want and then doing something really, really bad to you or the people you care about. Then they try to drag you to hell."

"What's hell?" Eri asked.

"It's where all the evil people go when they die. To suffer for what they did while they were alive." Izuku explained.

"So Overhaul went there?" Eri asked fearfully.

Izuku nodded. It was technically the truth. His stomach was a kind of mini hell that served the same purpose as hell. "That's right. So that's why I want you to promise me that you'll never make a deal with a demon."

"I promise!" Eri replied.

"Good." Izuku smiled at her.

"That's not going to stop her. Humans tend to ignore logic when they are desperate. You know this well."

Izuku decided to ignore him.

"Innocent blood has been split Izuku."

Izuku froze. For two reasons. One, why would Zarathos tell him this, rather than just force him to go on a rampage. And two, he was going to have to transform again, and that meant he was probably going to have to kill again.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything. I'll just give you the location, and let you take it from there."

Izuku's eyes widened.

He had to go, and fast.

Two heroes were dying.