Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Innocence Lost
The man screams as Izuku finally releases his grip on his face, the blue glow fading. He has what he needs.
"Wha…what did you do to me?" the man asks groggily.
"I got what I needed from you, Egawa Masato." he spits the name out with venom causing the man to flinch, "Yakuza thug. Pretty new, I wanted this to be your chance to impress your boss. Overhaul, was it?"
He wasn't as great a mind-mage as Jace is, but he can still read minds reliably to a degree. Anything greater than a few months started becoming foggy and jumbled, but in this scenario he had enough information.
The girl was being chased by an organisation called the Shie Hassaikai. Old school criminal family, from what he sees in the memories. Now currently involved in the Trigger trade, a drug that enhances the performance of Quirks (something he makes a note of to research later). They were led by a man named Overhaul, with lieutenants being two others named Chronostasis and Mimic. There were also elites just below them called the Eight Bullets. The man has only heard second-hand information about their abilities, and while they may prove inaccurate, Izuku notes them down still just in case.
They were using this girl for some purposes. Whatever it was, the man in front of him didn't know, he had only joined days before the girl had escaped. But he doesn't have to know the details to know that it was something bad, judging by the girl's appearance, who preferred to run for three weeks, starving and exhausted, rather than return.
He doesn't know what sickens him more, the man in front of him willing to throw this girl back to her captors for money, the Shie Hassaikai for whatever they've done to the girl, or the fact that this girl likely wandered through public streets for three weeks and nobody stopped to help her.
"You…you read my mind, you son of a-!" he cried, outraged by the invasion of his privacy before Izuku shot a white spell at him, literally removing his mouth and silencing him.
"You have no right to be outraged, not with what you planned to do." he spits at him. With that dealt with he turns his attention back to the girl who never moved an inch from her spot, glancing around with fear in her eyes as if she was deciding whether to run or not.
He raises his hand placatingly, "It's fine, I'm not here to hurt you-"
"I don't want to go back." she cries, "I don't want to go back!"
Her eyes were hazy, unfocused, she wasn't all there in the head. Sadly, it doesn't surprise Izuku in the slightest. Being on the run for weeks, having no one to trust during that time, all while being no older than a toddler?
"I'm not going to hurt you." Izuku assures as he tries to take a step closer with one hand stretched out. Unfortunately the girl did not see the gesture as comforting.
In her exhausted mind she doesn't see a boy with green haired offering a hand, but a grown man in a bird-like mask and a green bomber jacket reaching out with his hand.
"...No…please…" she begs as she closes her eyes and shields herself. Izuku just stood hesitant, he had no idea how to approach this situation at all. The most experience he had was approaching injured and panicking civilians to heal them, but even then they would quickly recognise him as friend and not foe.
Then sparks began flying, strange energy emitted from her horn and Izuku instinctively backed up.
"I don't want…go back…please…" she starts hyperventilating as the energy begins coating her entire body in a thick aura. Izuku nearly drops his jaw when he recognizes the feeling of siad aura. Temporal magic.
Was it this girl's Quirk? The ability to manipulate time itself? If so, it was a powerful one. But that wasn't his concern right now, it was how pained the girl looks. He didn't bother thinking what would happen if it goes wrong, what was in his mind was helping the girl right now.
He coats himself in a basic anti-magic spell, praying it works well against Quirks as it does with magic, before leaping forward and wrapping his arms around the girl in a hug. While the spell was powerful it was unrefined, just releasing energy with no technique, meaning it took little effort to disperse.
"Everything will be fine now." he assures recalling words from his old idol before his Ignition, "You don't have to be scared anymore. I am here."
The girl, Eri, was surprised and fearful of the gesture, expecting pain to come from it. But it didn't, only a warm sense of an unfamiliar, almost alien feeling. Safety, comfort, warmth. Instantly the image of Chisaki disappears and she sees who is truly there. And then panic sets in as she realises what she's doing.
"No! Get away!" she tries to warn, "You're going to get hurt."
"No I won't, trust me." he assures never letting go of the girl, despite how inside he was terrified at the power she was emanating. If he falters his magic and fails to counter even for a second, he doesn't know what the Quirk would do to him.
He held on as the energy dissipated and Eri watched in surprise. She could not remember the details, but she remembered once when someone touched her while her Quirk was activated, remembering how all that was left was a pile of clothes. Remembering how a woman was screaming at her, calling her a monster.
Then her eyes became heavier as she struggled to keep them open. She was tired but she tried to keep awake. Sleeping the past weeks has meant that people would come and find her, take her back to Chisaki.
"Please…don't let me…go back." she mutters weakly, close to passing out.
"You won't, I promise." Izuku says soothingly as he brushes her hair with his hand, "Rest now. I will keep watch."
She doesn't know why, but those words brought a warm sense of safety to her as her eyes closed. She knew at the moment she was safe.
He sets her down on his lap, using it as a pillow, and holds a glowing white hand above her, searching her for any immediate injuries. None as far as he could see, only exhaustion and hunger, things his magic cannot counter. He would report this to the police, then get an ambulance for the girl.
Pulling out his phone he dials the number of Detective Naomasa. His father had given him the number to add to his list of emergency contacts, and this seems to fit the category of an emergency.
"Hello, Detective?" Izuku greets professionally, "I apologise for calling so late this evening but there's an issue I believe requires your profession. No, no, my parents and I are alright. I was out running an errand when I came across this girl, between the ages of 5 to 6, running from a criminal. Yes, again I'm fine, but the girl isn't. She seems to have passed out from exhaustion and hunger. I need an ambulance to transport her to the nearest hospital. Yes, and someone to detain the criminal, I have him incapacitated. Thank you and goodbye."
He hangs up the call and turns back to see the criminal attempting to crawl away, still tied up by white wires. This man had seen his face, if he somehow gets out of prison or reports back to his superiors then not just the girl, but his family will be endangered. But he can't execute a defeated foe on his knees despite how vile he was. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
"How bothersome." he mutters to himself as he raises his hand again, glowing blue.
***
"I finished talking with Masato." Naomasa tells Izuku who sat on a chair next to a hospital bed where the girl, Eri as the man had called, lay unconscious with an IV unit attached to her wrist feeding her nutrients she has been missing, "He won't admit a thing, but my Quirk says otherwise. We'll be sure to look and see if any security cameras caught him chasing her."
"That's good." Izuku mutters non-committedly, his eyes never leaving the girl.
"That's another thing I want to talk to you about." Naomasa says sternly, "Did you use your Quirk on him? We tried interrogating him and the only true thing he said all night was that he doesn't remember what happened after he chased her into the alley. She doesn't remember fighting with anyone."
"He did receive an injury to the head." Izuku shrugs not even looking at him, "Perhaps that was the cause of his memory loss."
A half-truth, Naomasa detected with his Quirk. He frowns at that,
"There were no signs of physical injuries on him. I'm aware you went missing for ten years and have only been back for a short period of time, and had a stressful time in the UA entrance exam, therefore I'm cutting you some slack." Naomasa sighs annoyed, "You can't use your Quirk in public-"
"Even to save a life?" Izuku snaps suddenly turning to face the detective, "If I had not intervened, the girl might have been taken and never rescued. While I thank you for responding to my call quickly and arranging all this, if you are here to lecture me, save it."
Izuku exhales before resuming in a neutral tone, "I apologise, Detective. I understand the law, but I do not regret my decision."
"I didn't say it was the wrong thing to do. I'm just warning you to be careful next time." Naomasa sighs before pulling out his notepad, "And wanted to ask some questions as well. The man is obviously a Yakuza judging by the tattoos, but I wonder if you heard anything from the perp that indicates any Yakuza group in particular?"
"The Shie Hassaikai." Izuku responds immediately, "Eight Precepts of Death. They were keeping this girl in their main base performing who knows what acts on her. I heard it from the man himself."
Another half-truth but Naomasa writes that down anyways. The thought of criminals doing terrible things to a young girl sickens him. Any crimes involving children disgusts and angers him. What was more concerning was that he recognises the name he was given.
"Shie Hassaikai? I've heard of them before." Naomasa mutters to himself, "Old school gangsters. A branch of the Yakuza that's been getting involved in the Trigger trade recently."
"What actions will be taken against them?" Izuku asks.
"Sadly the information you gave us isn't exactly solid, damning proof. There's a reason why Quirks that read minds or tell when people are lying aren't admissible in court. We try to use this to go after them, their lawyers will tear us to shreds." Naomasa explains, disappointed, "But I know a Pro Hero who's currently assisting on a case against them, I'll be sure to send this info to him. Maybe he'll find use of them."
"And the girl? What will happen to her?" Izuku gestures to her, "Has there been any attempts to find her family?"
"That's another issue we're having." Naomasa says grimly, "We combed for a match through the official record and came up with zero matches. Officially, this girl doesn't exist."
Neither of them likes the implications of that, even with Izuku's lack of knowledge on his plane he could tell that meant something bad.
"So either her records were destroyed or she wasn't registered in the first place?" Izuku asks, concerned, "Those don't spell well for her parents. Either they intentionally allowed this, or those scum didn't give them a choice. And if the latter…they could be killed to silence them. Either way it indicates that the Shie Hassaikai put a lot of effort into keeping this girl hidden. She's no ordinary kidnapped victim, but the question is what does a criminal organisation want with this girl specifically?"
"That's something to ask when we nail them." Naomasa nods, surprised to see a teenager talk about things like that with clear understanding. For a moment he forgot he wasn't talking to a fellow officer, but a child, "As for what we can do? Our best bet is to send her to an orphanage or foster family to take care of them."
"This will guarantee her safety?"
"There will be officers and Pro Heroes constantly monitoring her." Naomasa assures, "Until the Shie Hassaikai is taken care of, she'll be under constant watch."
"Good. That's good." Izuku breathes a sigh of relief before leaning back on the chair, "I would like to stay here if that's fine. I wish to be here when she wakes up."
"You don't have to do that. The doctors will do everything they can to-" Naomasa starts, but is interrupted midway.
"Nevertheless, I swore that I would." Izuku says firmly, "So I would like to stay until she awakes."
He says in a tone indicating he wasn't going to argue. Naomasa pauses at the look in his eyes. They remind him of a certain hero, the conviction behind them.
"Not even in UA yet and already playing the hero, huh?" Naomasa sighs in defeat, "I'll be sure to inform your parents of your decision. I'm sure they're on the way now."
"Right." Izuku mutters, having almost forgotten, "This is going to be difficult to explain."
"I'll take care of it." Naomasa assures before leaving, "Give a holler once she wakes, I have to check in and see how the interrogation is going. See if we've gotten the guy to crack yet."
Izuku nods as the detective leaves before resuming his vigil, sitting next to the girl, tapping his fingers against the arms of the chair as he waits. There was a chance she may not awake soon, and may even sleep through a full day. Considering what she went through, he couldn't blame her. It would be logical for him to leave her in the care of the doctors, but he swore he would keep watch, and so he will.
His stomach growls, interrupting his thoughts. He had almost forgotten that he had not had dinner yet. He supposes he should at least grab a snack from that 'vending machine' device he saw earlier. The products taste of artificial junk but they should at least dull his hunger by a bit. Or perhaps he could conjure up a snack with his magic?
But just as he was about to stand up the girl shifted and Izuku froze before sitting down. Was she awakening this quickly?
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" she whispers as she tosses and turns in her sleep.
Nightmares, he realises. His first instinct was to wake her up from whatever bad dreams that trouble her but he hesitates. She would need as much rest as possible, and who knows if she can continue sleeping after waking up.
Instead he held her hand, which was full of scars. They were hidden by the filthy bandages before she was brought to the hospital. He softly holds it as he softly casts a spell, covering it with a blue glow as he reaches into her mind. He almost retches the moment he did so, he can't see anything specific, some shadowy figure reaching out, immense pain and darkness. But the emotions associated with them…the fear she was feeling…
Just what did they do to this poor girl?
Questions for later, he casts another spell and the images disperse. He wasn't that skilled of a mind mage to craft pleasant dreams, but emptiness was surely better than nightmares and pain, right?
The girl stops shifting in her sleep and soon her breathing returns to normal. Sighing in relief he moves to detach his hand from hers but feels the grip tighten around him, the girl must be clinging on subconsciously.
He relents and shifts his chair so he could sit more comfortably while holding her hand. Might as well get comfortable, he supposes.
***
She could only shudder in fear as Chisaki approached, peeling off his gloves,
"You ran away. Again." he growls as he raises his hands, "You know what happens next."
"I'm sorry…" she whimpers as she cowers desperately hiding herself to avoid the pain she knows will come, "I'm sorry…"
But before he could touch her, everything vanished. The room they were in was gone, Chisaki was gone, like the entire world just vanished. In that moment she felt something warm in her hands, holding on to her. She wasn't sure what it was, she had never felt anything like it before, it was… kind.
Then the feeling seems to withdraw and in a panic she desperately latches onto it. Desperate to keep that feeling of warmth and safety.
"Don't go!" she cries as she holds on.
***
"Don't go…"
Izuku blinks in surprise as she grips harder and begins to stir. The girl clutches his hand in a vice grip like it was a lifeline and then blinks before slowly opening her eyes. Her first reaction is to freeze as she looks around the hospital room, then begins trembling. Seeing her fear, Izuku immediately spoke up,
"Are you alright, child?" Izuku asks in concern as the girl looks at him in shock as if she had just been alerted to his presence.
"It…it wasn't a dream?" she asks no one in particular, fearfully as if she would wake up any moment. Izuku gives a look of pity before affirming,
"Yes child, it wasn't a dream." he says soothingly with a kind smile, "I am glad to see you're awake."
Eri looks stunned by his words, as if terrified to believe him, and then she gasps in remembrance.
"It's you." she whispers softly as the events replayed in her mind.
Izuku nods, "My name is Izuku Midoriya. And your name is Eri, correct?"
He asks to be sure. She slowly nods as Izuku continues,
"You don't have to worry anymore, Eri." he assures, "You're safe here. That man won't be able to get to you."
This does little to assure her fears, "It's…not just him. He..he'll find me. He always does."
"Who? Overhaul?" he asks using the name of the Shai Hissaikai's leader which causes her to flinch in fear. No, that was an understatement, it looked like she was near hyperventilating at the name.
"I always run, but he keeps finding me." she gasps out as she hugs herself, "I…he'll find me, and when he does…"
Izuku curses at himself for his lack of tact. This was exactly why Jace handled the talking, or Chandra, or literally anyone else in Gatewatch! Words failed him at the moment so he did what came naturally, and wrapped both his arms around her to comfort the poor girl.
"He won't do anything to you, Eri." he whispers to the girl softly, "Because I am here. And as long as I am, I swear that I'll protect you."
Eri chokes up from the gesture, the warm and unfamiliar feeling of safety and kindness was near overwhelming,
"...he'll hurt you too." she mutters, "I don't want-"
"He won't." he says as he brushes her hair, "Trust me Eri."
He stayed in that position for a while before suddenly a loud rumbling was heard. Two actually. From Eri and his own stomach.
He chuckles as he separates from the embarrassed Eri, "Well, I suppose we're both hungry then. Why don't I grab us something to eat?"
He moves to leave but then Eri grips his hand again, a terrified look across her face, "Wait! Don't go!"
She cries before looking shocked at her own outburst before wincing, preparing for the worst. To be punished for raising her voice. But Izuku only gently pats her on the head,
"Eri, it's fine. I'm just going to get some food." he says kindly but she still doesn't let go.
"But…what if they come and find me?" she asks barely above a whisper. The fear in her eyes was evident and Izuku bites his lip before sighing,
"...Very well then. I will stay." he sits down. But they still had the hunger issue so he decided to amend that. Waving his hands, he summons two pieces of hardtack using his magic. He was no master of creating food, those were actually far different than summoning creatures or artefacts, so the best he could do was simple, tasteless food that still filled the stomach.
He hands one piece to Eri who took it gratefully but then started biting into it before Izuku could warn her.
"It's hard…" she mutters as she rubs her jaw.
"I'm sorry, I should've warned you." Izuku apologises and casts a minor spell to dull her pain, "Here, let me help with that."
He takes the piece of hardtack from her and softens it with some water he created with magic, before snapping them into smaller pieces for her to consume. He then hands her a smaller portion which she inserts into her mouth carefully this time.
"It's tasteless, I know." Izuku says as she starts chewing, "It's the only food I know how to make, unfortunately."
"No, it's good." she quickly says after she swallows before holding out her hand meekly, "Can I have more?"
Izuku suppresses the urge to hug her another time and hands her another piece of softened hardtack. She seemed to have no issue consuming it after the first bit, all but scarfing down the following portions handed to her. She must be starving, or have lived off on food of worse quality. He vows to introduce her to some of his mom's cooking when they get out, and give her a real delicious meal.
***
"Is he alright? Did someone hurt him? Because if so I swear to god-!" Hisashi growls as he storms into the hospital with Inko as Naomasa tries to stop him.
"Your son is fine, for the fifth time!" Naomasa exclaims annoyed, "Now please calm down, I don't want to see you get arrested again."
"Calm? Oh I am fucking calm, see how calm I am!" Hisashi shouts before a nurse and his wife shushes at him. Still fuming but at least trying to be quiet, he hisses at Naomasa,
"What happened? All I heard was that my son is at the hospital."
"Yes, because you hung up and rushed over before I could explain!" Naomasa sighs annoyed, "He's perfectly fine. He just came across a kid and brought her to the hospital. He's fine."
"Oh." Hisashi mutters sheepishly before Inko speaks up.
"What do you mean, he found a kid?" she asks for clarification.
"He was out when he ran into a girl about 5 to 6 years old, being chased by a Yakuza gang member. He was fortunately able to incapacitate him and save the girl, which he then proceeded to call me and brought her here."
Inko immediately focused on the Yakuza part, "My son is fighting Yakuza?!"
"No, no. Just a thug. It's fortunate that somehow, the thug can't remember who attacked him." Naomasa assures before going stern, "That said, this isn't saying he can act as he pleases. He's been giving a warning on using his Quirk in public."
"But there are no charges?" Hisashi asks to make sure.
"None. Some put up a fight and wanted to find him, but I convinced them to just tone it down to a warning." Naomasa explains before sighing, "Anyways, your son's been staying by the kid's side ever since they got here. I'll bring you to him now."
They walked for a while down the hallway of the hospital before approaching a door to one of the rooms.
"He should be inside." Naomasa says as he softly opens the door to not surprise the occupants. As they enter they look in surprise as they see Izuku creating blue shapes and patterns in some sort of small fireworks display as a girl on the bed watches with awe.
And the look on Izuku's face surprised them as well. For the past weeks he has been back. Izuku's expressions were mostly neutral with tired smiles, but here he was smiling full on and enjoying himself.
Then the moment was interrupted when the girl noticed their presence and her breath hitched in fear. Izuku quickly took notice and spun around before realising who was there,
"Mother, father!" he exclaims in surprise before removing the display, "My apologies, I did not hear you come in."
"It's fine, Izuku. We're just glad to see you're alright." Inko says as she approaches them, "And who's this little sweetheart?"
The girl grasps onto Izuku's arm as Inko approaches, trying to hide herself behind him.
"Eri, it's fine. These are my parents." Izuku assures kindly as the girl looks to Izuku confused, "Mother, father, meet Eri."
"Hello." Hisashi waves awkwardly from behind as Inko takes a step back to give the girl space.
"H-hello." She greets shyly, still clinging onto Izuku's arm like a lifeline.
"It's great to see you're up and about, young lady." Naomasa says, "I was hoping to ask you a few questions."
Eri looks at Izuku unsure who gave her a nod to go on,
"It's fine, he's a good guy." he assures her, "He just wants to help you, like me."
"A-alright." she hesitantly agrees.
"Excellent." Naomasa says before turning to Inko and Hisashi, "Do you all mind leaving, please? I don't think you would want to listen to this stuff."
"It's fine, you go do your job Detective." Hisashis nods before gesturing to Izuku, "Come on, we can go now, son."
"I…think I would prefer it if I stayed, if you don't mind." Izuku says as he gestures to Eri, "I don't want to cause any unnecessary stress."
Naomasa looks between the two before noticing how tightly Eri was clinging onto Izuku's arm before sighing, "If she's fine with it, I suppose so."
"We'll just wait outside then." Inko says as Izuku gives them both a thankful nod as they leave. Once the door shut behind them Naomasa began the questions.
"First, about the Shai Hissaikai. Do you know why they kidnapped you?"
Eri looks confused and unsure at the word, "...kidnapped?"
"It means taking you somewhere you didn't want to go." Izuku helpfully supplies, "The place you ran away from, did they take you there?"
"...I don't know." Eri says avoiding eye contact, "All I can remember is living underground."
"Underground?" Naomasa asks as he puts this down in the notebook, "So the Shai Hissaikai headquarters have an underground facility?"
She shrugs unsure as Naomasa went on to the next question, "How about your parents then? Do you know any way we can contact or identify them?"
She shook her head sadly, "No, he said they didn't want me anymore…that my curse hurt them…"
Eri subconsciously rubs her horn as she says this. Izuku suddenly had a bad feeling on what happened to her parents, if what Overhaul was saying wasn't a complete utter lie. He remembers the sparks she had created, a wild chronomancy spell, and he imagines what would happen if an unprepared, worried parent rushes to comfort their child during that.
"Would 'he' be Overhaul?" Naomasa asks, "Do you know why they kept you? What happened while you were living there?"
The question caused Eri to shudder, "The doctor…Chisaki…he…"
She chokes up, unable to get a response out as Izuku comforts her, "It's fine Eri. You don't have to continue anymore."
"It's evident that they were hurting her, Detective." Izuku answers for her as he nudges at the scars on her arms, "Those are surgical, precise. They weren't abusing her for the hell of it, they did it for a purpose."
So some sort of experiment perhaps? Harvesting something? It made both Izuku and Naomasa want to vomit but the latter jots it down anyways. Anything they can get was another nail they will use to nail down Overhaul and the Shai Hissaikai. It won't erase all the things they did to the girl, but hopefully she would sleep better with her captors behind bars after this.
"I think that would be enough questions, detective. She doesn't appear to want to answer more." Izuku suggests and Naomasa nods,
"It's fine, thank you for your help, Eri." he says to the young girl, "You were very brave for this. You don't have to worry, because I promise these men won't get away with this."
She doesn't respond, content with latching onto Izuku who looks to Naomasa,
"So what happens now?" he asks, "She has nowhere to go."
"Since she has no parents or guardian, she'll have to stay here until we find a place for her in a foster home or orphanage."
"...Is that the best option?" Izuku asks after a moment of thought.
"Pardon."
"I just mean, she'll be spending a lot of time alone in a hospital until then." Izuku points out, "She shouldn't be alone during all this."
"So what do you suggest?" Naomasa asks, wondering what he was going for.
"My house has more than enough room." Izuku points out, "And I swore that I would take care of her. Why not let her stay at my place?"
"You're serious?" Naomasa asks, "It can happen, but it's up to your parents. Then again I can already guess their answer. You're more like them than you probably realised."
He stands up and begins heading out, "I'll break the news to your parents and get the paperwork started. Have a goodnight, Izuku."
"Does…does that mean…?" She doesn't finish her sentence, not daring to hope, but Izuku smiles assuringly in response.
"You'll be living with us Eri." he affirms, "I promised to take care of you, and I will."
Their moment was interrupted when the tearful, joyous, confused and very loud voice of his mother rang out through the hospital,
"MY BABY IS ADOPTING A LITTLE GIRL?!"
***
After stopping the miniature flood his mother was generating with her tears, and apologising to the hospital for the ruckus, the travel home was a quiet one. Through the car ride Eri sat on Izuku's lap as she kept looking out of the window in awe as she saw the bright lights of the city at night.
"Pretty…" she mutters under her breath and Izuku chuckles.
"It is, isn't it?" Izuku says as he pats her head, "Tell you what, when things settle down we can take you around the city."
Without being chased by criminals, he doesn't say. But Eri is too distracted by the sights to notice. Soon they arrived home and Izuku helps Eri step down from the car to her new home,
"Welcome home, Eri." Izuku says as he guides her inside. The little girl looks around her new home with awe and curiosity. It was so different from her room. The room had felt cold, like it wasn't real. But here it felt warm and cosy.
"I'm….really going to live here?" she asks looking up to Izuku unsure.
"Yes, you are." Izuku nods before glancing back to his parents, "Thank you for doing this."
"It's the right thing to do." Hisashi says with a smile, "Besides, it'll be good to have someone here to keep your mom company once you go to UA."
"Right, how about I go get dinner ready now." Inko says as she leaves for the kitchen.
"You're going to love it, Eri." Izuku tells the young girl, "She cooks some of the best meals I've ever tasted."
And he was right, when presented with the bowl of rice and assorted dishes, Eri looks at the food with a drool slightly leaking out of her mouth. After making doubly sure she was allowed to eat, she scarfed down the food with such ferocity that Izuku was reminded of starving dogs.
"You might want to slow down, Eri." Inko warns, "You don't want to choke."
She flinches thinking she was being reprimanded before seeing the concerned look in Inko's eyes.
"The food is going nowhere, you can eat as much as you want." she assures her kindly, "Just be sure to chew before you swallow, or you'll choke."
"Besides, you want to save some room for dessert." Hisashi adds, "We have some fruits for later if you want. Bananas, oranges, apples-"
"Apples?" she suddenly perks up, drooling once more. She recalled the rare times they were served to her, a few slices. Small comfort that helped to take the mind off her situation.
She continued eating at a slower rate to avoid choking, but her excitement for the fruit was visible for all to see. True enough, she happily accepted the apple given to her after dinner was over. Izuku was also pleasantly surprised to see the ghost of a smile form on her mouth.
When time came for sleep, it was decided for her to sleep in Izuku's room with him both because the guest room had been converted to a sort of workshop for Hisashi that would take too long to clear out, and also because it was clear she was uncomfortable staying away from her saviour.
"Well, we can't have her sleep in that." Hisashi points out gesturing to the clothes she had been wearing. They were worn and filthy which wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in, but they don't have any clothes for her.
"Hold on, we still have some of Izuku's old clothes. She's around your size when you were…that age." Inko says before rushing off, "I'll go find them."
She came back soon with an All Might-themed shirt, one Izuku recognises. It belonged to him when he was young, before he had disappeared. It really was weird seeing how small he had been back then.
After giving Eri a quick shower and change of clothes, Inko came out with Eri from the bathroom dressed in fresh clothes.
"Aw, look at her. She's just the cutest isn't she." Hisashi says as snaps photos with his phone. Izuku had to agree it was an adorable sight.
Once both his parents were finished fawning over her cuteness, Izuku guided her to his room with a bedroll under his arm for himself. He can't have Eri sleep on the cold hard flood. He can handle sleeping on hard surfaces, and it would actually be preferable. Being back in a soft bed felt weird, like he could sink and suffocate at any moment.
"Izuku? Who is that?" she asks, pointing to a corner of his room where he had packed up and placed all the merchandise his younger self had collected as he found it eerie to have posters and figurines of All Might stare at him from all angles while he slept.
"Oh, that's All Might." Izuku explains with a shrug, "He's this world's Number 1 Pro Hero. It basically means he goes around and saves people, and is very good at it."
He cringes at the lame way he explained that. But honestly even if he respects the man, he's somewhat of a sceptic for the whole Symbol of Peace he's instilled. Placing all your hopes of safety into the hands of one man seemed risky, even the greatest could fall after all.
He quickly shrugs off the memories before they could flood his mind, as Eri glances up to him.
"A hero… Like you?" she asks innocently.
"That's kind of you to think so, Eri." Izuku chuckles as he pats her head before looking towards the only piece of All Might merchandise on his table, a single aged trading card, "But I'm not a hero. There are so many others that deserve to be called that, but I don't think I'm one of them."
Seeing his sad smile, Eri instantly tried to make him feel better.
"B-but you saved me. So you're my hero!" she argues.
Izuku looks at her with a soft smile as he pats her head, "Well if you say so. But really, that's not important. What's important is that you get some sleep soon."
He switches off the light switch but then Eri yelps and clings to his leg. Of course she would be scared of the dark, what was he thinking?
"Right, sorry about that." Izuku apologises as he snaps his fingers creating a floating orb of light. Not bright enough to light the room fully, but a dim one so that they weren't in complete darkness, "Better."
She nods before Izuku gently picks her up and sets her on his bed before placing a blanket over her, "Sleep well, Eri. I'll see you again tomorrow."
He then unrolled and placed his bedroll next to the bed before laying on it. But it soon became clear that sleep will not visit him anytime soon as memories briefly flash through his mind whenever he closes his eyes, leaving him shuffling within his bedroll.
"Izu…you can't sleep too?" Eri whispers from his bed, surprising him as he had thought she had slept some time ago.
"...No, I suppose not. You as well?"
He saw her shake her head in the dimly lit light spell. He ponders on what to do and wonders if he should use a sleep spell but decides against it as it could damage a mind if used too often. Instead he wanders back to early sleepless nights, back when he was a freshly Ignited Planeswalker travelling with Gideon. The warrior would tell tales to distract his mind and eventually he would sleep at last.
"Do you wish for me to tell you a story?" he suggests and Eri thinks before nodding. Izuku thinks of what to tell her, perhaps something from personal experience would be easier? Images of four familiar figures fill his head, standing defiantly against monstrous beings that defied logic, filled his mind as he decided on a story to tell.
"Once upon a time," he began, "There were three creatures known as Eldrazi, creatures that ravaged and consumed entire worlds. Before long, three powerful mages, Planeswalkers they were called, worked together and imprisoned them on a single world, to trap them and make them dormant. It worked for a few thousand years before they awoke once more."
He went on to detail about how they awoke and created vast brood armies that threatened to overwhelm the entire world of Zendikar, the world the Eldrazi were trapped on. He described with great vigour on how five other Planeswalker gathered. A blue mage whose power over mind was unparalleled, a redheaded pyromancer, an elf druid that was native to Zendikar, and last but not least an invincible noble warrior accompanied by a young child. And with the help of merfolk, were able to repel the hordes at Seagate, before the Planeswalker swore an oath to stand with each other against the Eldrazi and all threats to life.
Lost in his own story and excitement, he never noticed that Eri fell asleep at some time. He was a bit saddened but doesn't blame her as he was also feeling tired himself, suppressing a yawn. He must have been talking for an hour or so.
He snaps his fingers again to turn off the dim lights before closing his eyes again. This time, no bad memories or nightmares visited him. Only dreams of brighter days and better times.