Sign of Broken Things

Chapter Two

The last sparks of day flickered out as the rain finally let up and the sky began to clear. Iridescent lights lit up the long empty ER waiting room, filled with dozens of vacant chairs, in white. Large windows gave sight to the street and surrounding buildings, headlights ran down the road.

Slumped over in one of the chairs, Toya fumbled with the hems of his sleeves — burnt away and coated in blood. All he could seem to do was stare straight ahead, absent to everything but his jumbled thoughts. His hands hurt greatly but the pain was discernible from his racing heart thumping in his throat.

Hair stuck to his forehead, his clothes were still damp all the way to his shoes. Dried tear streaks stained his cheeks and neck. His head was lowered and his hands seemed tense. The blood on his clothes, hands, and face made him look manic.

As far as Toya knew, he was still in the alleyway, in the rain, and lying in his brother's blood. He was completely unaware of his father nearby.

"Thank you."

A man bowed to the young woman who sat at the reception desk.

He had thin turquoise eyes framed by crows feet at their corners and fiery red hair he had cut short and spiked. The man was broad and tall, his stance wide and intimidating. He folded his arms and narrowed a glance over to ten year old Toya. annoyed, his lips were pressed together into a line above his chin. He wore a dress shirt and a pair of dress pants. A blood stain covered his chest and the cuffs of his shirt.

The man, in his early thirties, was Todoroki Enji and Pro Hero Endeavor.

Enji turned toward Toya and picked up his jacket from the armrest of another chair to drape it over his son.

"Toya." He laid the jacket on the boy's shoulders and caught his attention. "You need to tell me what happened. Right now."

Biting the inside of his mouth, Toya looked away.

Where was he when Tokei needed him most?

The hero squatted down to eye level with his son, his expression grew grim. "Toya, your brother is in surgery with a head injury, several broken bones, and God knows what else! I don't know if you hurt him or if he got run over. If I don't know what happened out there then we can't do anything but pray he makes it out alive!"

Enji scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes, Toya didn't respond.

Without Toya's statement there was no telling what happened to his second born son. Not unless Tokei woke up. He didn't have much faith that he would.

"Tok–"

"Oh my goodness!" She came scampering through the front entrance, panicked. She didn't even take the time to stow her umbrella. "Are you alright?"

"Mom?" The boy brought his gaze back up to see her push Enji away. "Mom?"

"Oh, Toya . . ." The woman lifted a stray lock of her long white hair out of her eyes — wet with tears, sad, and gray. She patted her hands about her child, checking him for injuries. "Are you okay, hurt? Why are you covered in blood? What happened?"

"He won't talk, Rei."

Rei brushed Toya's face with a gentle hand. "Toya . . . please. What happened?"

The young boy trembled with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. He breathed jaggedly, shaking his head as he began to sob.

"Mom–" he licked his lips. "They– they hurt Tokei. His . . . head, it was . . ." Toya's voice stammered out to a quiet and incoherent mumble.

"Who?" The father held Toya by the arms and forced the boy to look at him. "Who hurt Tokei!"

"Enji–"