If you didn't see last chapter, I posted a commissioned art of Akio<3

Votes and comments are appreciated <3

Violet POV:

I felt a sense of nerves when I left Endeavor in the kitchen, meeting everyone in the living room upon Shouto's arrival.

Because this is the reason I came, after all. To find out what Shouto knows. It could determine my future-and, even more so,Touya's future, depending on what he tells me...

Shouto was already crowded by his two siblings and his mother when I walked into the main room. Already, I could tell it wouldn't be so easy to get him alone and interrogate him.

I stood in the corner of the room as he hugged his mother and talked with her, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

As Fuyumi said, she only had two hours of free time a week, and she's getting better.

I only wonder how Touya's reappearance would even affect her. I can't imagine that would go well...

Giving his mother one more hug, Shouto's eyes wandered to my presence in the corner of the room, causing my heart to jump with stress.

Ohhh, here we go!

I shifted back and forth on my feet stiffly and gave him a little wave, watching him slowly release his mother and look at me.

Sensing his attention, everyone else directed their gazes to me, making me fumble enough to choke on my spit and hack slightly.

Typical Violet Sasaki stuff. Nothing new.

"Oh. Violet's here." Shouto commented casually. "I wasn't sure she'd be coming."

His voice is too naturally monotone for me to be able to read his mood...

Deciding to play things with as much innocence as I could muster, I smiled and walked over to him, opening my arms wide for a hug.

"Of course I came. How could I not when you sent me such a nice message?" I said, wrapping my arms around his stiff body.

In typical Shouto fashion, he didn't reciprocate the hug with his arms, but rather awkwardly hovered his head closer to mine until I was done.

"Did you bake anything?" He asked a little quieter, looking towards my hands to see they were empty.

Shouto's always been the only one who loves my cooking!

With a chuckle of apology, I held up my empty hands, hearing Fuyumi and Natsuo sigh quietly in relief.

"I didn't. But, if you want, I'd be happy to get in the kitchen and bake some cookies-" I attempted before I was cut off.

"No!" Natsuo panicked, instantly before Fuyumi jumped in.

"A-And have you lift a finger, Violet? No way! Seriously! No way..." She said nervously, brushing past her mother and towards the kitchen table.

Natsuo followed her, and the two checked the table setting and chatted with Rei, leaving Shouto and I to our own devices.

It's probably the worst time to bring up his little secret. But, I don't think I'll get another chance.

Seeing a plate of cupcakes on the table that Fuyumi made, Shouto barely took a step towards them before I got the courage to stop him.

"Um. Shouto...." I said quickly, watching the half-and-half boy look up at me.

"Yes."

So blunt. So stone faced and unreadable. I truly have no idea what he's thinking.

How do I say this? Did he already forget whatever truth he claimed to know? If he did, I don't want to open up a can of worms. I...

Ugh...

I fiddled with my thumbs, feeling my heart beating a mile a minute as I fought for the right thing to say.

"I...well, I'd like to talk to you about-"

"Shouto." A new voice interrupted the moment, causing me to mentally groan and roll my eyes.

Endeavor was the culprit, having seamlessly recovered from our argument in the kitchen as he came over to the two of us.

He glared at me slightly before turning his attention to his son, picking the worst time to try and bond.

"Shouto, how did publicity training go?" He asked, causing the boy's face to sour.

"What's it to you, old man?" Shouto mumbled, abandoning the conversation as quickly as it started.

Endeavor gasped as Shouto walked in between the two of us, making a beeline for the food Fuyumi was bringing to the kitchen table.

I pressed my lips together in annoyance at my repeat situation from a few moments ago.

Alone. With Endeavor. Again.

Seriously, I've seen more of him in this house today than I ever did in my decade of living here. Did he make the layout smaller or something!?

"Wha-I-did you tell him to say that!?" Mr. Todoroki said to me, voice subtly cracking at the end.

I looked at him like he was an idiot, gesturing to myself as proof.

"Yeah. Right. Have you met me?" I scoffed, brushing past Endeavor and leaving him alone once again.

He gasped once more at being shut down two times in a row, standing in the corner by himself while everyone else gathered at the table.

Natsuo swiped the television remote while Fuyumi brought out the remaining dishes of food, bouncing on his feet in excitement as he flipped through channels.

"Natsuo, television while we're eating? Seriously?" Fuyumi groaned, pulling out the chair at the head of the table and gesturing for Rei to sit.

He let out a small 'ahhh' of guilt and rubbed the back of his neck, giving his sister a grin of apology.

"Sorry. You know I never watch it. But, Mr. Eternal's supposed to be making his big speech right now, and I don't want to miss it." He said, causing my eyes to widen.

Oh shit.

"A-Already?!" I gawked, yanking my phone out of my pocket to check the time.

The speech is at 4pm today. It's currently...

3:57pm.

Yikes!!

"Oh yeah, Violet. I forgot to tell you. Natsuo's become a total Mr. Eternal fanboy ever since the night of the ball." Fuyumi laughed, pouring hot tea into the porcelain cups. "He reached out to Natsuo through social media a few days later and they've been messaging ever since."

Influencer Midas??

I'm going to throw up!

"He-you-what now??" I almost screeched like a banshee, feeling my mind racing a mile a minute.

Natsuo and Midas have been in contact with each other ever since the night of the ball, and I'm only just finding out about it now.

Gosh. That jeweled man is way more sneaky than I gave him credit for. Of course, he conveniently never shared his newfound 'friendship' with Natsuo with me. Even when we were on good terms.

That can only mean he never trusted me as much as I thought he did. Snake!

And, it only begs the question. Why?

It's clear that Midas isn't talking to Natsuo with good intentions. This is all part of his plan-the plan only he knows. The plan that furthers his own goals. Midas is evil. He's selfish, and he has no problem ruining everyone else's life to achieve what he wants.

Natsuo is going to be right in the middle of the wake of destruction. And I have so many questions.

What has Midas said to him? What has Natsuo said to Midas? Did he give Natsuo his jewels? Have they met up? Has he sent any gifts to the home?-they're probably all laced with his jewels if he has...

All of these things and more could affect Midas' success-and, ultimately, the Todorokis lives-

"He even sent these flowers over to the house today." Fuyumi fawned, gesturing to the bright purple roses sitting on the corner of the coffee table.

See!? He's sending them flowers now? That's so evil!

My eyes followed her gaze, subtly walking over to the flowers.

"These-these flowers?" I gestured to the vase, coming right up next to it.

"Yeah." Natsuo smiled, looking over his shoulder as he switched channels. "Apparently, they came straight from his garden and-"

CRASH!

The entire room looked over at me in shock as the flowers and glass vase mysteriously ended up shattered on the floor.

Well, that ended up being four times louder than I thought...

I gave a delayed gasp and slapped a hand over my mouth, pointing to the ruined flowers on the floor in mock surprise.

"Ah-wow. Just wow. That's-yeah. My bad!" I said mechanically, showing everyone my hands. "Butter fingers and all!"

Someone give me the Oscar!

Awkward silence filled the room as everyone stared at the flowers, with Natsuo's shoulders slumping.

"Oh..." He said deflatedly, sounding legitimately bummed. "It's...it's okay. It happens, I guess."

Aw. Now he's making me feel bad. But, I'm just doing it for his own good.

I pressed my lips together in apology and knelt on the ground, starting to pick up broken glass and petals, and dump them in the waste bin.

Without a word, Natsuo joined me, lingering over the petals before hesitantly dropping them in the trash.

"I-I can buy you new flowers." I smiled hopefully, trying to brighten his spirits. "Ones that are a hundred times nicer than these drabby things."

He sighed tiredly and shook his head, keeping his gaze to the floor as he focused on picking up the mess.

"You really don't have to, Violet." He disregarded dryly, causing me to push harder than I intended.

"No, I mean it! I can buy you a dozen roses. Or lilies. Or-"

"I wanted these flowers!!" Natsuo snapped unexpectedly, causing me to jump.

Unless it's about his father, Natsuo really isn't the type to get angry too often.

Another tense silence fell over the family before Fuyumi was the one to break it.

"Natsuo..." She scolded quietly, gesturing for him to apologize.

He blinked away the surprise anger, looking more dazed than upset now.

"I-I'm sorry. I...I don't know why I reacted like that. It's...it's really not a big deal. They're just flowers." He muttered, sounding legitimately confused.

But, I couldn't say it surprised me. Not when I caught the look on his face.

It was a look I was all too familiar with. The look of amplified, uncontrolled rage. The look of Midas' jewels.

These weren't 'just' flowers and Midas isn't this entrepreneur he's pretending to be.

And, even though I've only just reunited with the Todorokis, it might be time to have the tough talk about Midas and who 'Mr. Eternal' really is.

For their safety, they deserve to know.

I fiddled with the wilted flower petals in my hand, forcing myself to brave the tension and speak up.

"Well, anyways. I........I-I know a little something about your friend, Mr. Eternal-"

"Go sit at the table, you two." Endeavor cut me off, ushering the two of us away as he knelt next to the flowers now. "I'll finish this."

How many times am I going to be interrupted by this man today!?

Clenching my jaw, I rose to my feet in annoyance, resisting the urge to knee Endeavor's face on the way up.

I'm running out of time here...

In quieter fashion than when I first arrived here, everyone took their seats, starting to pass the plates of food around.

The clanking of dishes and soft mumbles filled the table as the delicious smell of Fuyumi's food slowly began to dissipate the tension. Tension I'd be forced to bring back almost instantly.

Endeavor sat down and everyone began eating, causing me to fiddle with my chopsticks before setting them down.

Here it goes...

"E-Everyone, there's....there's something I need to tell you about." I sighed, feeling my hands getting clammy.

But, I forgot how hard it is to get a word in around here. Anyone housed by Endeavor lacks manners and/or boundaries. That includes Touya-and, I guess, me as well!

"There's something I want to speak about with Violet." Shouto cut in abruptly. "In private."

So, he didn't forget, I see...

"Oh?" Fuyumi asked with half interest, taking a bite of pork.

"And we will, Shouto." I brushed him off, trying to get the conversation back on track. "But, first-"

"Is this about why you ran away?" Natsuo asked this time, causing me to groan at the constant interruptions.

"No-well, kind of-"

"It's probably about the new delinquent she's selling herself to." Endeavor mumbled not-so-under-his-breath, causing my jaw to drop.

"Excuse me-"

"The what?" Fuyumi gawked, looking at me from across the table with wide eyes.

"Violet's selling herself? What exactly is she selling and can I have some?" Shouto asked with firm interest.

Just typical Todoroki family dinners I didn't miss!

"My relationship is none of your concern." I glared at Endeavor, starting to lose track of the conversation. "And, as I told you in the kitchen, neither is my life."

"Wait-you guys talked about this in the kitchen? Is that why it's so tense in here?" Fuyumi squeaked again.

"Can someone pass the rice?" Shouto interrupted the growing tension, before Endeavor looked at me in agitation.

"How dare you speak that way in front of my wife?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I bit back, hearing Fuyumi groan anxiously.

"The rice." Shouto said again.

"Oh my..." Rei sighed, gripping the table to ground herself.

Fuyumi looked to everyone with growing panic, specifically her mother, waving her hands around at everyone.

"O-Okay. Let's all just take a step-" She said before Natsuo jumped in.

"Well, no! Now I wanna hear about Violet's new guy!"

"Trust me. You don't-" I alluded with a face palm.

"I really want someone to pass the rice." Shouto repeated over the yelling, before Endeavor finally slammed his fist on the table.

"For fuck's sake-will someone just pass him the god damn rice!?" He yelled.

The table went silent after that, with the slight rattle of the porcelain dishes on the table being the only thing to fill the space.

The worst part of all was the soft sound of labored breaths that slowly began to fill the room, causing all of us to turn to where they were coming from.

Rei had broken out into a cold sweat during all of this, gently gripping her chest as she tried to fight through her anxiety and get her breathing back on track.

Clearly, this was too much for her. I'm sure it would be too much for a lot of people.

Endeavor's face morphed into guilt and regret now, removing his clenched fist from the table and looking to the ground.

"Rei. I...I'm sorry." He murmured softly, attempting to reach out to her before quickly retracting his hand when he knew he shouldn't.

"Mom? Mom. Are you okay?" Fuyumi whispered, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder.

I could already see the sheen of tears in her eyes, looking over at Natsuo and seeing how quickly his face had fallen.

I don't know what to do. I hate seeing them so upset, and I know what I want to tell them will only upset them more.

Maybe I should just give everyone a few minutes without me to calm down.

"I'm sure my presence here isn't any help." I said, dropping my napkin on the table and rising from my seat. "I think it's best that I just-"

Crackle.

The static of the television forced my words to trail off. I'd honestly forgotten it was still turned on, thanks to all the chaos. And, for a few peaceful seconds, I'd forgotten what exactly it had been turned on for.

Until I got a look at his face.

With eyes shining like jewels and a smile emptier than his soul, Midas' face appeared on the screen right as the clock in the kitchen struck 4pm.

With an interruption like that, he must have corrupted every television station. Every radio station. Every single broadcasting network in Japan.

"Oh! Mr. Eternal's on." Natsuo rushed out, waving his hand around. "Everyone, quiet."

But, it seems no one needed to be told twice. An eery silence had fallen over the table-and the entire world as Midas looked straight into the camera and into my soul.

His eyes were bright with motivation and vacant of empathy, looking completely lost to his own insanity now.

The buzzing in my phone was more of an unwanted distraction at this point, but after three frantic vibrations of text messages in a row, I sighed stressfully and quickly took it out of my pocket, feeling my heart jump from the words on the screen.

Text Message From: The Boss
Violet!
4:00pm.

Just got word from Hawks. He figured out The Boss' announcement, but I fear it's too late now.
4:00pm.

This is bad, Violet. This is so bad. Call me asap.
4:00pm.

There's no more time though. We've run out now. All we can do is wait.

Today, Midas won. And we are completely at his mercy.

Holding my phone in hand, I looked up at the television with unease, hearing Midas clear his throat.

"Hello, my dear friends. I'm so glad we have the chance to speak to each other again."

His voice gave me chills. It was unlike anything I've heard from him so far. Authoritative and so certain. Holding just a hint of sweetness underneath that eery calmness.

He was outside and the wind barely ruffled his styled hair-almost like the wind itself was too afraid to get near him.

His suit and tie were crisp. This time, he sported a long black trench coat on top, folding his gloved hands behind his back.

Honestly, he looks like he's a world leader. An important one.

With a small nod, he kept his steeled eyes towards the camera, cracking a slightly warmer smile.

"I promise not to take up too much of your time. But, knowledge is power, so I do hope you'll listen until the very end. I know everyone in the audience will." He alluded, gesturing for the camera to pan outwards.

I paled the moment it did, greeted with hundreds-no, no, no-thousands of people in the crowd. It looked like something you'd see at one of those sold out summer music festivals, just a bunch of faceless heads all smushed together like a pack of sardines.

But, that wasn't the part that terrified me.

Everyone in the audience had a necklace on. A jeweled necklace, similar to the ones Midas provided for me.

"What I'm about to tell you will change your life." He explained a little louder, looking to each and every member of his audience like they were his army. "It will change your perception of this sickly society and show you all the lies that have been spoon fed to you for years by the very people you trusted so much."

His tongue wet his bottom lip until his teeth bit down on it, slowly starting to pace the grand stage he stood on.

"For too long, I've been forced to sit by idly as power and corruption ran this country, and ultimately, this world. It wasn't because I wanted to, but because I lacked the resources to truly do anything about it." His words came out deceivingly empathetic, contrasting the selfish glint in his eyes.

He stopped his pacing and looked down at his gloved hand, directing his attention towards the grey clouded sky when another breeze fluttered through his hair.

"But, I've stayed quiet for too long." He sighed, giving his head a shake before looking back at the crowd. "And I figured instead of keeping you in the dark like everyone else has done, I'll tell you everything I know, and hopefully gain your loyalty. Your support to help me build change."

Standing in the middle of the stage, his trench coat fluttered behind him. His grin became a little more sinister and his voice lower as he said, "With that in mind, I suppose it's finally time to properly introduce myself."

Properly introduce himself?

Placing a hand in the middle of his chest, Midas' shining eyes looked straight through the camera lens and into the hearts of millions, admitting the one thing I truly never thought he would.

"My name is Midas. And for the last two years, the hero public safety commission has been trying to murder me." He said clearly, giving a deep, majestic bow to the camera.

My eyes widened and I quickly rose from my chair, hearing Endeavor instantly do the same.

Midas rose from his bow and smiled a bit, trying his absolute best to conceal the devious tones of it.

But, even so, there was no mistaking the overflowing gloating directed towards me. Endeavor. And all the hundreds of people that tried to catch him. That created this mission in secret from the public in an attempt not to cause panic.

Midas revealed it himself. At the moment, his true intentions for doing so are unknown. But, one thing that's for certain, is he did what the hero commission didn't-which was be truthful with the public about his existence.

It's almost like his way of giving a big 'fuck you' to the heroes after staying out of their scent for so long. Saying "here I am, and you can't do a thing about it."

"They want to destroy me, you see. Not because I wanted to harm you. But, because I wanted to help you." Midas said, outstretching both of his arms. " I am someone whose quirk has the power to eradicate evil from this world. The hero commission knew that, so they tried to kill me. Do you know why?"

His eyes glimmered vigorously with a tenacity unmatched by anyone. And that's what makes him the most dangerous.

"Because it would take away their power, you see. Not in a physical sense, but an arrogant one. A money-making one, and all of their fame producing machines." He balled his fist.

His voice slowly began to rise with emotion. Frustration. Passion. All things that make people listen. That make people see the authenticity in someone's heart.

And, it's not Midas' authenticity that I doubt. He genuinely means what he's saying right now. He really thinks he's trying to do the right thing.

That makes it even more terrifying.

"Do you understand? The heroes had the opportunity to perform the ultimate save on humanity, and they turned it down." He emphasized. "Because they don't really care about your interest. They care about your admiration, only saving you if they deem your life enough for their success."

He turned to the audience, grinding down on his teeth and practically spitting his next words. "Those heroes you love so much are nothing more than a pile of selfish monsters. Killers behind closed doors. Villains who weaseled their way to the right side of your heart..."

Inhaling deeply, he calmed himself down, letting his lips curl wider as it seemed he was finally getting to the root of his purpose. "And, who better to lead these monsters, than the most powerful one of all?"

My blood curdled as I tried to keep up, feeling my growing speculations and panic scrambling together in my head too late.

Midas looked at Endeavor through the comfort of his own home, pointing at him through the lens. "It all starts with him. A name you've heard of many times. Mr. Enji Todoroki-or, as you all know him, the Number One Hero, Endeavor."

Oh shit.

My muscles froze and I slowly peered at the man in question who was a literal three feet away from me.

His face had gone blank, mind racing with a million thoughts, and sweat starting to prick at his brow.

He's nervous. There's not many people in this world who could make the number one hero afraid. But, Midas seems to have that talent mastered.

Shouto was curious and Natsuo began looking more concerned now, with Fuyumi glancing at her mother in unease.

"What you see as valiance, his children saw as violence. What you see as strength, his wife saw as force." Midas' voice came out lowly. "You've heard of his youngest, Shouto, a hero in training at UA. The infamous scar on Shouto's face wasn't from a training accident, you see. His psychotic, abusive mother poured a pot of boiling water on his face at six years old with no remorse."

The deep gasp of Rei sounded in the house, causing everyone to look at her and see her face paling with traumatic memories of the past.

"Endeavor forced himself on his wife many times, making her nothing more than a breeding machine for his own selfish dreams." Midas revealed without mercy, bubbling the tension higher with every breath. "He continued making kids, tossing them away one at a time when they didn't live up to his impossible expectations. Neglecting and leaving them for dead."

Each word shook the Todoroki home to the core, making Fuyumi whimper and Rei hunch over in her seat.

It's almost as if Midas knew it, smiling a little wider after each cry in this kitchen.

"But, what you really didn't know about Endeavor, is that he had an eldest son." He blurted out, unable to stop spilling secrets once he started.

He's clearly been waiting a long time for this.

"A son, Touya, who went so insane from the stress of trying to please his father, he burned alive when he was only a boy." Midas stated firmly, reaching into the pocket of his coat.

I really don't like where this is going.

"Endeavor kept that a secret from you, too-going so far as to pay the police stations to dump the case from their records-these records specifically I've strewn all over the city for your access." He said, pulling a pile of documents from his coat.

He let them catch in the wind, releasing his grip on them until they rained down into the hands of the audience. The audience who had already become more distrusting and uneasy.

Midas looked at the crowd in silence as he let them take it in, burning his eyes back to the camera lens.

"His own son." He repeated lowly, shaking his head in disappointment. "Can you believe that?"

The city of Musutafu had fallen silent, all bowing at Midas' feet to hear another word. Another word that would ruin Endeavor's reputation forever.

And his next sentence would be more than enough to do that. And it would ruin more than just a silly reputation.

"Except....Touya Todoroki is alive and well, folks." Midas stated, causing my lungs to seize.

Oh no....

No. No. No.

Now I know where this is going.

And I'm powerless to stop the train wreck.

"What..." Natsuo breathed in panic, sitting up from his chair so quickly, it fell backwards.

Rei was shaking as she gripped the table, looking up at the television with wild eyes. Endeavor had gone completely vacant, almost like his soul had left his body and he was just a shell of a human. Fuyumi's hand went over her mouth, and Shouto's stoic face had cracked.

And my head began to spin at Midas' words, feeling the world around me closing in and reality slipping from my grasp at what I knew was coming.

There was so much I wanted to say now. Before Midas could say it, I suddenly wished to speak every single truth I knew so the blow wouldn't be so bad-or, maybe it would be worse from me. I really don't know.

But, all I did know was that my lips refused to move. All the thoughts in my head crowded on the tip of my tongue, so overfilled in my mouth it clogged my voice and didn't allow a single word out.

"He's very famous, only you know him much differently. He's a villain now, using the flames of his father to kill you. All of you." Midas said, before dropping the biggest bomb of all.

"The cremation villain, Dabi, is the eldest son of Endeavor!"

The sound of a porcelain teacup shattering to the ground echoed in the Todoroki kitchen. It was Rei's cup that fell before she wearily staggered to her feet.

Endeavor was too stunned to help her. Denial was the only thing saving him from falling to his knees.

Him and Midas locked eyes through the screen of the television, with Midas' face slowly curling into a wicked, shivering grin as he dug the knife in further.

"He faked his death when he burned on Sekoto Hill, and he's been alive this entire time, living in secret with his old friend, Violet Sasaki." He said, causing my blood to freeze.

I felt Fuyumi's eyes on me, but I couldn't take my gaze off the screen, feeling my worst nightmare coming true all over again.

More betrayal. More lies. When does it end...

"Don't believe me? Maybe this will change your mind." Midas said, holding up his glowing palm before the television cut to something else.

It cut to Touya.

He sat in a chair, alone in a room. He was shirtless and his hair was white. He was hunched over, resting his forearms on his knees.

What? I don't remember this ever happening.

And when I saw the vibrant glow in his eyes, I realized it never happened at all.

That's not really Touya. That's one of Midas' hallucinations. The same type of hallucination he created when he tried to trick me into killing Touya.

The bad quality of the audio crackled, only adding to the authenticity. Midas had perfected Touya's mannerisms so flawlessly, running a hand through his white hair before pressing his stitched hands together.

I swallowed harshly as 'Touya's' half lidded eyes bore up at the screen, voice raspy and so real as he said...

"I, Touya Todoroki, am the eldest son of Endeavor."

The house went completely silent as 'Touya's' words rang throughout the kitchen. No one breathed. Or cried. Or spoke. No one even moved.

The hallucination of Touya glowed brightly, thanks to Midas' jewels, sitting up straight to display the intricate, copy-cat burns all over his body. All in the same places Touya truly had them.

"I've killed over thirty innocent people by now." He admitted emptily, outstretching his stitched hands out wide. "I'd like to let people know why I ended up committing such a heinous act."

It was now that Endeavor finally broke, slowly collapsing to his knees on the floor of the kitchen, keeping his wide, horrified eyes glued to the screen in silence as 'Touya' continued talking.

"Endeavor has a long history of being power hungry, and in his despair of being unable to pass All Might, he forcibly took on a wife in order to create a child who possessed a more powerful quirk than he did."

'Touya' looked down at the ground blankly, filled with subtle sorrow and pain in a way that felt so real, it was hard to believe Midas channeled that from just watching him.

It seems like he was channeling his own pain. His own feelings, and just expressing them through Touya.

"I was created for my father's own selfish dreams. However, I was deemed a failure and quickly tossed aside. Abandoned. Forgotten..."

He breathed a laugh through his nose and held up a paper towards the camera, waving it around lazily for everyone to see.

"Who would believe it, right? A silly blood test that came back with a 99.99% match? Documents procured by a villain?" He shook his head, giving the camera a good look at the paper before tossing it aside. "His family is the only proof you need. After tossing me and his other children aside, Endeavor forced his wife to have another child. One you may have heard of by now, thanks to his hero training and convenient quirk. His son, Shouto."

Upon glancing over at Shouto, I noticed he didn't look as surprised as the others. Still horrified and pale, but more like he was just confirming things for himself.

Which only affirms...

This is probably what he was planning to tell me today. In one way or another, Touya's identity would have been revealed.

"And, even then, it still wasn't enough." Touya continued. "Endeavor would get physical with him, too-I've seen it. He's lying to you. To all of you. He's narrow minded and his only motivation is his own self image. He doesn't have any respect for others. Any consideration or care. Not even his own children."

His voice was low as he spoke, intending to shake the foundation of society as we know it, "Do you really believe a person such as that should be allowed to presume the role of your number one hero?"

His stitched hands gripped both arms of the chair tight enough to turn his knuckles white, glowing eyes getting a wave of tenacious fervor as he looked straight into the camera.

"I cannot forgive them!" He yelled. "They're packaged and sold to you under the name of justice when they don't have an ounce of empathy. They dare call themselves 'heroes' when they are only deceiving you and trying to protect themselves!"

"You're all just being used as tools to protect and enable these ugly people. It's time to wake up." Touya stated lowly, before the screen cut to black.

Midas' chuckle sounded through the television as his face appeared on the screen once more, swiping his glowing jewel midair.

"I always knew the truth, despite them thinking I didn't." He mused, getting another dig at Touya's secret identity. "I just never had any reason to exploit it. Until now."

Midas stood at the center of the stage in front of millions, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

The necklace around his neck fluttered and slowly began to power up with a glow.

"You see, they only have power because you give it to them. But, they have nothing over me. I don't abide by the rules of murderers and rapists. Do you?" He asked lowly, opening his eyes and narrowing them with silent threat.

The sky began to thunder with the promise of a new storm as Midas turned to his audience, burning his gaze into them like the most powerful dictator.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it from Endeavor's son himself. It's time to wake up!" He exclaimed louder, letting the passion carry his voice. "You're allowing yourselves to be controlled by devils! So long as 'heroes' exist, the world will never have a peaceful day ever again!"

He outstretched his arms from his sides, letting the wind blow through him and the sky roar.

He threw his head to the stormy sky as the wind violently fluttered through his hair and his trench coat, finally achieving his power up potential to the true villain he always desired to be-or, in his case, the true hero he believed himself to be.

"You must understand that violence is a cycle they feed off of! Without it, they'd have no authority. So, with that in mind, who do you believe is really trying to eradicate evil? Who really has your best interest-the interest of your children-at heart?" He spat, gripping the camera with both hands.

The crowd began to stir, and the Todoroki home was no better, with whimpers, and sniffles, and choking suffocating breaths starting to fill the air.

"It is time for change! It's time to rid the world of its evil-truly rid the world of its evil, and it starts with the concept of heroes and villains alike, because neither are different from the other. I've proved it to you today."

He held his right hand to his heart, holding up his left hand with a vow. "Follow me, and I'll never make you feel lesser. I will protect you. I will never exploit you, or make you feel unworthy. Everyone is worthy of being saved to me. Everyone deserves a chance to live the life they deserve. To walk without the fear of looking over their shoulder."

His breath became labored from the excitement, pupils blown as he caressed the necklace around his neck. "Those who've been following me already know this. My jewels are priceless, and I have given away thousands-thousands to all of you for free."

Yes, he did. And now, I know why.

Forming his hands into fists, Midas' eyes began to glow brightly now, opening his palms towards the sky.

Searing his bright gaze at the crowd, he slammed his palms together, creating a bright, ethereal jolt from the stage.

Like a domino effect, the necklaces in the audience began to light up, along with their eyes, mimicking a million bats waking up in a dark cave.

His followers became his pawns. His soldiers. His useless toys. Within seconds.

"You have every right to feel angry." Midas commanded, causing the crowd to stir from his order. "You have every right to feel violence and hatred. To feel betrayed and used by them."

He grinned wickedly now, coat fluttering violently from the wind that had picked up.

"And you have every right....to go wild." His voice was low and strained from his quirk. "To overthrow this sorry excuse of a 'government' and create a new one with your own hands."

The crowd began to yell loudly now, eating up his words like they were the laws of this world.

"The power is in your hands, and I am here to guide you!" He exclaimed, holding up his glowing fist to the camera. "Join me, brothers and sisters! Join me in creating a world they always told us was impossible!"

His body was screaming out from the usage of his quirk. I could see it in the shake of his muscles and the small drip of blood that began to seep out his nose, and the corners of his eyes.

He's pushing himself to his absolute limit. I know it for sure, he's never done a power up this big in his entire life.

It only means he's past the point of logic and reality, willing to destroy himself so long as he completes his goal.

He held in a grunt of pain as he powered up the last of his jewel necklaces, inhaling sharply for air before looking to the camera with bloody eyes.

"I'll never stray from you!" He yelled like a man crazed, no longer recognizable as the kind, calculating mind he used to feign to me. "I'll never abandon you! We will rise above this hell and create something magnificent! You and I!"

The roar of thousands blasted through the speakers of the television, so incredibly powerful, it almost blew out the sound.

Something new has begun from this speech today. Something the world has never seen before, and an endangerment to our society.

Midas has started a revolution. Exactly what the hero commission was trying to stop with this mission to capture him.

He did it. He won the most important piece, and he's beaten the heroes at their own game.

He's become untouchable.

Slowly, I looked towards Endeavor, seeing the number one hero had been brought to his knees by Midas and his words alone.

The war had only just begun, but never in his life had Endeavor looked so defeated.

'Hail Midas!' 'Hail Midas!' 'Hail Midas!' The crowd chanted, voices composed of mindless fury, and anger, and passion for something they didn't truly understand.

Midas laughed loudly now, releasing the unhinged malice he'd been holding in. He outstretched his hands and drank in the praise-the praise he's always dreamed of for so long.

His dreams were finally coming true.

The crowd was under his thumb, cheering and blowing him kisses, crying for him and bowing at his feet.

It was disgusting. But, most of all, it was terrifying. To see how quickly-how easily he can take a person's mind and warp their free will until they become nothing more than a vessel for his own use.

These were normal people. Normal people with their own opinions, and lives, and families...

And, now they were salivating for him, uncaring about anything else but the glow of that beautiful jewel around his neck.

A few people escaped the barriers of the stage, charging at Midas before grabbing onto him desperately.

He was unbothered, allowing them to touch him, and kiss his skin, and call for him, not paying them a speck of attention as he looked to the camera chillingly.

"To the 'heroes' out there. To Ms. Violet Sasaki, and Touya Todoroki..." He pointed at the television, unfazed by the hugs and kisses to his hands and face.

"I would watch your back. Because we're coming for you." Midas stated lowly, empty eyes boring into the camera.

In the next instant, the television went dead, turning to static.

The sound crinkled softly in the kitchen and no one turned it off, all staring at it like a bunch of mindless fools.

I felt scared. So incredibly scared of what would happen next. And, in this moment, it had nothing to do with Midas.

The Todorokis hadn't said a single word ever since Touya's identity was revealed. They physically couldn't, each one of them looking as if the life had been drained from their body.

Panic and guilt bubbled inside me. I never thought I'd be in this position in a million years. I only just found out Touya's identity for myself a few days ago. I'd barely just thought about how to exist with him again.

Thinking up how his family would handle this-how I would handle a situation like this? My mind hadn't even had the capacity to figure that out yet.

Everything happened so fast.

My lip began to quiver, fighting for words-thoughts-anything.

"I-I can explain..." I said raspily, instantly trailing off.

Because I couldn't explain. I couldn't explain a damn thing because it was an anomaly. While I love Touya, and I'm so happy he's alive, situations like this don't just...happen. In their minds-and my own until extremely recently, the chance of it ever happening wasn't even one percent, because Touya was supposed to be dead.

I looked at the ground blankly, fiddling with my thumbs as no one said a word.

Until Endeavor broke the silence literal minutes later.

"Is it true?" He barely breathed out, continuing to look at the black television screen.

He hadn't looked away-or even blinked, since Touya came on the screen.

The sheer vulnerability in his voice unnerved me. I've never heard him like that before. Utterly emotional. Broken.

It took the words, causing me to back up a few feet before he spoke again.

"Violet. Is. It. True?" He repeated, finally blinking his eyes for the first time in minutes.

His hands were shaking on the ground, breath labored and choked.

His lips quivered as he formed the words, voice cracking at the end and trailing off. "Is my son...is......is..."

My face said what my words couldn't, furrowing my brows in massive guilt and closing my eyes.

"So, it is true." Shouto uttered in surprise, falling back into his seat.

Rei shook her head weakly, stumbling backwards until her foot caught on the rug.

I jumped when she crashed to the floor, falling on her hip and clawing the wood with her hand.

Even Fuyumi was too shocked to do anything, causing me to run over and attempt to help Rei up.

But, she knocked my hand away when it came close enough, starting to spiral.

"N-No." She mumbled to herself, remaining hunched on the floor as thoughts consumed her. "O-Oh, no. No. No. No..."

Natsuo leaned back into the wall as his legs went shaky, blinking his glistening eyes rapidly as he spoke out loud.

"It's....it's...not possible." He breathed out heavily, trying to stop himself from hyperventilating. "Touya died. We....we have his vigil just in that room over there-his old room. A-And-the funeral, and...."

He looked at me and waited for an explanation, gripping at the sweatshirt clinging to his body with growing anxiety.

"Is it true, Violet?" He croaked when my silence became overbearing, causing me to grimace.

"Well, I-"

I didn't get another word as Natsuo was in front of me within the next second, having gripped my collar and yanked me forward with more force than he'd ever done.

"Answer me!???" He screamed loudly, shaking me with violent desperation. "Is my brother alive!!!?"

"Yes, okay!??" I blurted out finally. "Yes! It's true! Touya is alive!"

His sunken eyes mirrored his mother's in that moment, so incredibly lost and panicked.

"Oh god..." He shook, releasing my shirt from his grip

With tears clouding his vision and his breathing out of control, he stumbled backwards into the kitchen table.

The sound of more kitchen dishes shattered to the floor from his force, but no one cared. No one noticed. No one could help him when he slowly sunk down into the glass, unable to stand.

The guilt became too much for me as I looked around the broken room, knowing there was nothing-absolutely nothing I could say to make this better.

"I-I only learned about it this week!" I exclaimed in panicked defense. "I....I was just as much in the dark as all of you, okay!"

My own throat choked with a lump at the deteriorating looks on their faces, sighing heavily.

Memories of Touya and I's conversation came back to my mind. Memories of this. Of telling his family, because it wasn't fair to keep them in the dark like this.

I never wanted them to find out like this.

"He.....he.....I told him to tell you guys-" I tried before Fuyumi gasped tearfully.

"Y-You told him? That means you've talked to him. Touya. Y-You've talked to him. His face. His eyes. His voice-I-oh god, I-I can't even remember his voice anymore, you've talked to him!!! Is he okay!?" She sobbed a mile a minute, burying her face in her hands.

Natsuo scrambled up from the floor, hands bloody and cut from the mess of glass he collapsed in.

He brushed past me in hysteria, barreling towards the door without a coat or any shoes.

"I need to see him. Tell me where he is!!" He yelled, throwing open the front door.

Crap.

I ran over and quickly closed it before he could leave. He's in no condition to be going anywhere like this. Especially not with what Midas has just done. The Todorokis are not the most loved people right now.

"Natsuo, he's not the same Touya you know." I warned, trying to grab his arm. "I don't know what he'd do to you if you just-"

"It's your fault!!!" He snapped loudly now, instantly shoving me away. "You knew this whole time, didn't you?!!! You knew and you wanted him for yourself, so you lied!!!"

My back hit the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of me, causing Fuyumi to go hysterical.

"Natsuo, please!!" She screamed, sobbing loudly now from the chaos.

"Natsuo, that's not true at all, I promise!!" I yelled, holding up my hands in surrender. "I only found out days ago-days ago! And I wanted him to-"

"Well, guess what!! He's my brother and that's more important than whatever you think you are to him!! He's my family, not yours!!! You can't keep him from me like that, and you're gonna tell me where he is!!!" He cried out, storming back over to me.

He slapped his hand on the wall next to my head, teeth grit and tears shining brighter in his eyes.

"Tell me where he is!!!" Natsuo screamed inches away from my face, causing me to cringe and turn my head away.

His breathing was labored, slowly turning to whimpers when anger instantly melted into grief.

"Just tell me where my brother is, Violet!!" He broke down, collapsing at my feet. "Please! I want to see my brother!!! Oh god!!!"

I squeezed my eyes shut as Natsuo clung to my feet and sobbed on the floor, feeling tears of my own sneak past my lids.

Goodness. This hurts more because I know exactly how they feel. Of course, my relationship with Touya is different, so the emotions won't be completely the same. But, the betrayal. The panic. The guilt and realization.

All of it hurts so much. Especially knowing how he ended up.

It took me days to process Touya's return. Days of pain, and confusion, and grief. Days of much needed distance from him to come to terms with it and absorb it.

I don't know where things will go from here. I don't know what Touya will say about this. Or how Midas' speech has now just affected our lives-and this country, for that matter.

In a five minute speech, everything has changed. Not just for me. But, for everyone.

And, even though this day is in shambles and it feels like the end of the world has started, for once, I don't want to run away from the chaos. I want to run towards it. Towards Midas. Towards Touya. And to that ordinary life that wasn't ever ordinary at all.

For once, I will put the pieces back together instead of falling apart.

"Listen, I'm going to fix this, okay? All of it. I'm going to fix this." I said to Natsuo, looking around the kitchen with pity.

Like I said, nothing I can say will help and I know that. The only thing I can give them in this moment is space.

I will fix this.

All of this ends now.

Carefully, I uncoiled my feet from Natsuo's grip and walked towards the door, hearing Fuyumi whimper in panic.

"Wait, you can't go!!" She cried out. "Violet! Violet!!!"

I gripped onto the door and looked at her sadly.

"I'll come back. I'm not running away. Once I fix this, I'll come back." I said, tearing my eyes away from her before walking out the door.

The sound of her wails were chilling, coming out so strong, not even the closed door of the home could mask them.

The beginning of the end is near. And only those who are ready for it will survive.

*****

Votes and comments are appreciated <3

A/N: letting all the writers here know that I've become a beta reader for my readers' stories!

If you write, and you'd like me to read your work and provide comments/feedback on how it sounds, it's the newest tier on my p*treon called 'platinum outtie.'

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