The Todoroki family was gathered around the fireplace. Natsu reclined back in his seat, eating the flames from several sticks that were on fire. The door opened and someone walked in.
At first, it was easy to miss. Gray walked through the door like always, annoyingly. Nothing about him screamed wrong at first. But Natsu caught on. He'd fought beside him too many times. The pervert was injured.
And then Gray did what Gray always did. He unconsciously stripped down. That's when it showed.
Cuts on his torso and a stab wound on his chest. He wasn't bleeding as they were all frozen shut but the ice had a tint of red. But it was a sign of a fight, one hundred percent.
Natsu immediately rushed forward
"What happened!"
"I-"Gray was interrupted by Fuyumi who also rushed over screaming, followed by Shoto and Natsuo
"Oh my God! What happened!"
Gray didn't even blink.
"I tripped and fell off the cliff and into the forest." Gray replied calmly.
Shoto was stunned. "How did that happen?"
"You- How?" Natsuo managed to say out loud. He was still recovering from the shock.
"It was dark and I wasn't watching where I was going."
They didn't waste any more time after that. It was too urgent and they could get information after. Fuyumi was already moving, grabbing Gray's arm before he could even say anything. Natsuo trailed close behind, still trying to process the whole "fell off a cliff" explanation, while Natsu and Shoto just followed up.
The resort's emergency clinic wasn't far from their lodge. The facility was top class.
Gray didn't say anything. He looked like he was about to pass out.
-
The clinic had been empty all day, and the doctor found himself staring at the clock, silently willing the final minutes of his shift to pass. Just a few more minutes and he'd be done. The fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead when the door suddenly slid open, and he let out a tired sigh, already knowing. "Of course…" Ho got up, he reached for his clipboard out of habit and started his usual greeting, but his expression faltered a bit as he looked at the "Patient". It was obviously the white haired child, whose chest was pierced. He also had wounds around his abdomen as well. Yet strangely, all of the wounds were sealed shut with ice. He was only surprised for a moment before he reacted.
"Up on the bed. Now. Nurse!"
His tone was direct. He was already pulling on gloves as he stepped closer.
–
Gray complied without arguing, moving onto the exam bed. The doctor immediately reached for him, placing two fingers against the side of Gray's neck to check his pulse. His eyes widened. Gray's neck felt cold. Like he was touching a corpse. Then it made sense. 'An ice quirk, of course.' He counted silently, eyes focused, then shifted to Gray's wrist to confirm. Fast, but steady.
"Talk to me," he said. "Any trouble breathing?"
"Just a bit."
"Lightheaded? Dizzy?"
"A bit."
The doctor gave a short nod and moved on. He placed a hand on Gray's upper chest, watching the rise and fall carefully. He leaned in, listening to his breathing from one side, then the other, checking for any imbalance or strain.
Then he focused on the stab wound.
"…Don't move."
He picked up sterile gauze and placed it firmly over the wound, applying steady pressure.. His other hand moved along Gray's ribs, pressing in specific areas, checking for fractures or instability.
Gray didn't react much. The doctor noticed.
First he analyzed the ice that was sealing Gray's wounds. It was very slowly melting from the ambient temperature. But it would get in the way of the stitches later on. For now it was adequate at stopping the bleeding. He stepped back briefly, taking in Gray's breathing, posture, and responsiveness. He was a bit out of breath. He noticed as Gray exhaled from his mouth, there was slight frost. His quirk was on overdrive trying to keep him alive.
Then he moved to the side and grabbed an oxygen mask, placing it over Gray's face and adjusting the strap.
"Breathe normally. I am Dr. Tanaka, I'll make sure you're as good as new."
Gray nodded, closing his eyes and finally relaxing.
–
Some time passed.
The doctor was calm as he washed his hands. He took a look at the patient before walking out. These kinds of injuries were extremely rare. He didn't really have time to get the patient details before rushing him in. He checked on the patient one more time. He was already stable. The doctor was surprised a bit at his durability. Most adult's, let alone children, would've passed out or been freaking out. However, this "child" somehow remained calm through it all.
"How unusual." He muttered before walking out.
He turned and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. The others. Most likely the boy's family was waiting.
"Doctor! How is he? Is everything okay?" The young woman with white hair immediately approached him.
His posture straightened slightly as he approached, slipping back into a more formal tone.
"He's stable. His wounds are now properly closed. He has no fractures either. Just a few bruises and mainly the lacerations. The boy's body is extremely durable."
The young lady sighed in relief.
The doctor continued, "The injuries were a bit serious, but we have the best equipment available. We'll be able to manage his recovery here for now and monitor his condition closely. "
There was a small pause before he added, "I'll need some basic information for the records. What happened and his personal information."
Fuyumi nodded quickly. "He says he fell off the slope and into the forest and got cut up.
"Okay." 'From a fall, those wounds??' He wrote it down anyway. It was a resort, it could've happened, despite the odds.
"His name is Haise Todoroki. He is my brother."
The doctor's pen stopped for a second.
His expression didn't change much,but he felt his eye twitch.
"…Todoroki," he repeated. 'Why him…?'
He suddenly thought of Enji Todoroki, Endeavor, the number 2 hero. His family who was at their resort and whose likely son was injured at their resort and almost died.
'Shit..'
He cleared his throat quietly, recovering just as quickly, and resumed writing like nothing had happened.
"…Understood," he said, tone even again. "Thank you. We will monitor him closely and make sure he's as good as new."
'Damn right, I am going to make sure he is good as new, or we are all going to get it.' He wished the family and assured them he would look after Haise.
He walked back into his office. "This wasn't a villain was it…" he muttered before closing it.
–
The room was quiet. Thankfully, it was another slow day at the clinic. Besides some patients with minor bruises and cuts, there was nothing serious. He went to visit Haise. It had been a few days since the incident. Haise was recovering nicely.
He adjusted the bandaging across his chest, testing the stitches without really moving much. He leaned over the bedside monitors, scanning vitals again. Breathing steady. Pulse strong. Blood pressure is normal. No complications. Some of the stab wounds were already closed. Dr. Tanaka was surprised at the boy's recovery speed. Whatever quirk he had gave him an incredibly durable body it seemed like.
He was not too shocked at this. He'd seen quirks do some strange things for recovery. However, he was still surprised at his demeanor. He just sat there without even flinching when the doctor patched him up. He looked over a couple times and even tried stretching, causing some of the stitches to come loose. Dr. Tanaka immediately patched it back and warned him not to do anything, otherwise it would come loose again.
–
A few days later.
He stepped closer. "You're moving more," The doctor said, keeping his tone neutral.
"I'm fine," Gray replied, not even looking up. It had been a few days since the incident, He was initially bandaged up like a mummy. After a few days, a lot of his injuries had recovered. The doctor's quirk and medical skills were exceptional. It still hurt to move around too much, but it was something.
The doctor gave a flat, careful glance at the bandaging. "You're stable. That's not the same as fine. I highly recommend you rest for at least a week before doing anything excessive."
"A week?" Gray groaned out. He was bored out of his mind, staying at this place. He just wanted to go back to his lodging.
"Longer if you're stubborn." The doctor said, "However, the good news is, you don't have to stay here anymore.
Gray finally looked up.
"Really?" He asked excitedly.
"Yes, you can go rest in your room with your family. You can go with them when they get here. But be careful and don't move around too much. Some of the deeper cuts on your chest and side may reopen. I used my quirk to stitch them up, but its not perfect." The doctor replied with a smile.
Gray glanced down at the bandaging again. "Fine, fine. When I can leave?"
"Soon." He walked out the door. He peeked back into the room. "Looks like your family is here. You can get ready to leave."
Gray exhaled sharply. "Finally!"
-
The discharge process didn't take long.
Dr. Tanaka returned with a clipboard in hand, flipping through a few final forms before handing them over. "These are standard release documents. He's stable enough to leave, but he isn't fully recovered," he said.
Gray barely listened, already swinging his legs off the bed.
Fuyumi stepped in quickly, taking the papers and reading through them carefully. "We understand. We'll make sure he rests."
"You'd better," the doctor replied. "No strenuous activity. No unnecessary movement. If those wounds reopen, you bring him back immediately." He warned them.
Natsuo nodded along, far more serious than usual. "Got it."
Shoto didn't say anything, but his eyes lingered on the bandaging across Gray's chest.
Natsu stood off to the side, uncharacteristically quiet. Clearly, Fuyumi told him to be quiet. He only ever listened to her and Rei.
"…Let's go already," Gray muttered.
Dr. Tanaka let out a quiet breath. "Fine, you can go." He rubbed his temples. He looked over his charts one more time. 'He should have recovered enough. Hopefully Endeavor won't bite my head off.'
The group made it back to the Lodge. Fuyumi insisted Natsuo carry Gray. He didn't mind and Gray wasn't given a chance to protest.
The lodge felt quieter when they got back.
Gray dropped onto the couch almost immediately, exhaling as he leaned back on the chair.
"…Finally."
"You're not doing anything," Fuyumi said right away.
Gray didn't even open his eyes. "Nope. Just gonna sit here and chill for a bit. Maybe later I'll train-"
"That includes training," she added.
"What?!" Gray nearly stood up. He was eager to try out his quirk more than ever now.
"No!" Fuyumi replied.
"Fine…" he mumbled out.
That was that.
–
The rest of the trip slowed down after that.
Gray stayed inside for the most part. All he was "allowed" to do was move around the lodge. Natsu teased him each time before heading out. Fuyumi and Shoto offered to stay with him in the lodge for the rest of the vacation but Gray convinced her to go have a good time. There was no reason for them to stay cooped inside too.
It was irritating. It was boring. There was barely a difference between here and the hospital. Gray laid back in his bed and thought back to the fight. It was obvious he went through some kind of awakening, but he didn't have time to really digest what he achieved. He hadn't even tried to use his quirk since that day. He stared at the glass of water on the table near him. He focused and frost slowly creeped over the glass and eventually froze the water. He was stunned. So it was the case. The ice didn't have to come directly from him anymore, he could generate it from a distance. He tested it on a glass a bit further, but didn't have the same luck. 'Looks like I can only do it a few feet. Strange, it felt farther when I fought the assassin.' Was it the adrenaline rush? Gray didn't dwell on it too much. If he could do it once, he could do it again. He tried something else. He focused on the glass he froze earlier. He lifted it off the ground and moved it towards him. It was a bit wobbly, but it seemed to work.
Gray smiled. It was a start.
–
The rest of the vacation passed slower for Gray. He was stuck in the hotel with his overly smothering sister and brothers.
Except for the time they went out, they kept an eye on him constantly. Fuyumi even forced Gray to sleep in her room so he wouldn't sneak out. Natsuo backed her up. Even Shoto kept an eye on him when he thought no one was looking. However, Gray kept his promise. He stayed inside and did his own silent quirk practice.
Finally, the vacation was over.
The ride back home was nice and fast. Gray felt he accomplished a lot during this vacation.
By the time they reached the house, the door had barely opened before Rei was already there.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the bandages.
"…Haise."
Her voice was soft, but the worry behind it was obvious. She stepped forward quickly, hands hovering for a moment before gently resting on his shoulders.
"What happened? Fuyumi told me, but…after what happened with Yakuto, I cant-"
"I'm fine," Gray said calmly. He held her face. close. Her eyes were a bit sunken in. "Doctors handled it. I am almost as good as new."
Rei didn't look convinced, but she hugged him lightly.
Behind her, their father stood still, but he also looked worried.
Rei exhaled quietly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "You'll be resting," she said firmly. "No arguments."
"Fine." Gray acquiesced.
–
The house settled back into its usual rhythm quickly.
Gray felt like he was still at the resort. He was relaxing when Natsu burst into the room. "Yo, Ice Pervert, how are you doing!"
"I was doing fine till you barged in…" Gray replied.
"Now that you're feeling better. Who did you fight??" Natsu looked at him excitedly.
'This damn battle maniac. I knew he figured it out.'
"Ugh, no idea. Some ninja." Gray smirked. He knew what he was doing.
"WHAT!!?!" Natsu yelled.
'I knew it.'
"Yep, he went invisible and used ninja techniques. I still kicked his butt though." Gray smugly replied.
"Then it wasn't a real ninja." Natsu defended. The conversation went on and Gray described what happened until he changed the subject. "By the way. That feeling you described. I think it happened to me as well."
"Oh." Natsu looked excited. "Any changes?"
Gray nodded and pointed at Natsu's shoulder. A small snowman slowly formed over it.
"Impressive." Natsu replied. The snowman even started moving around.
"Just wait till I recover, I'll be kicking your butt." Gray said.
The snowman on Natsu's shoulder instantly evaporated, shocking Gray a bit.
"Bring it on."