Aizawa's adrenaline levels hit a new high record for sure. His pulsing heart was in his throat and every hair on his body stood up in warning.
But how?
How did the villains find them?! Everything was being kept secret and this hospital had a bunch of eyes on the heros' side, observing and protecting!!
The part of a second it took the distressed hero to reach the open door and burst inside was taking forever.
Please don't say he's too late again!! Please say he didn't fail them once more!
But to Shouta's surprise, there were no villains to be seen.
It was just the room, the thin curtains that moved with the faint breeze, the disturbing beeping of the machines and the ventilator, the small table beside the bed, the constant faint trickling sound of water in the pipes inside the walls, and most importantly, the same dull and unaware eyes. They were all there, just as he left them.
But instead of relaxing, the hero bit his lip in sadness and grief. He held his head with his hand, covering one eye in the process.
"Sensei! I couldn't fi-" Mirio's voice was heard from the outside of the room, but his unfinished sentence lost its purpose after entering.
"Eri-chan!" Mirio couldn't help the mix of the opposing feelings of relief and bitterness from blossoming inside his chest simultaneously.
Eri was just standing beside the bed, her back to them, and her gaze not leaving the still form on the bed at all.
Her shaky little hands came up to enfold the unmoving ones on the sheets. The absence of all ten fingers made her flinch violently, retreating her hands instinctively. Apparently, the boy hadn't been missing an eye and three fingers the last time they met.
But despite this being a very traumatizing and upsetting thing to see, Eri wasn't any less determined to encase those pitiful hands and offer what little comfort it could afford.
She looked up briefly, then down at the hands, then up again, trying to see if her nii-chan was aware of what she was doing.
The last few times nii-chan had visited her were strange. But never once did he ignore her like that. Even those times he didn't talk to her or look at her, she could always feel his attention on her. Always.
So why was he not acknowledging her presence at all now? Was he really mad at her like she thought?! Was that why she didn't get to see him this whole time?! Because he didn't want her to?!
"Nii-chan" her voice came out weaker and more pitiful than she intended to. "I'm sorry. Are you angry?" Her red ruby eyes started watering, she squeezed his hand tighter and started blinking to get rid of the tears.
"I'm sorry, please!" her cracked voice betrayed her once again. How many times does she have to prove again and again that she is so weak and unreliable?!
"No, Eri-chan, that's not-" she could hear someone behind her, but all her focus was now on one person, so she didn't even try to set up her usual barriers that helped her avoid angering the bad guys all those times.
"Nii-chan!" Her eyes couldn't hold the heavy tears of sorrow and betrayal any longer, so they ran freely on her cherry cheeks. She could feel someone's gentle hand on her shoulder, but she didn't want anyone but nii-chan right now!
She clutched the plain white sheets to make sure no one tried to separate her from her brother, even though she knew that it was the good heros, she didn't care! She only wanted one person in this entire world!
So she was going to be as close to him as possible!
She started climbing the bed, her tiny short legs not reaching all the way up, but she climbed as if her life depended on it.
The hand on her shoulder retreated hesitantly, not wanting to take away the girl's freedom anymore than it already has been all those years.
Eri was successfully on her brother's lap now, and he was still not even looking at her. She clutched the front of his hospital shirt despairingly, looking up directly at his unseeing orb.
Wanting any type of acknowlegment, she glued her ear to his chest, finding comfort in the sound of his slow heartbeat. She closed her eyes, not bothering to control her flowing hot tears anymore, and focused on just the heartbeat. She tried feeling her own pulse, trying to slow down her heartbeat so that their paces were in union. She desperately wanted to belong, and the only home she ever knew was him.
Now that she got an answer from him, or something as close to an answer as she could get, she started calming down. Drowsiness started getting to her as the heartbeat's lullaby lulled her slowly to a peaceful sleep.
Yes, he has always been her brother, he is her brother, and is always going to be. Always.
Then, now and forever.....
*****
He opened the door hastily, smashing it close afterwards with a loud crash. He threw his bag on the floor nonchalantly, knowing that no one would care if he didn't pick it up to place it tidily in its place, no one would scream at him, and no one will even know. Same went for his shoes, one flew to the middle of the hallway, while the other hung on the door's handle.... somehow.
He was not in the right mood today, at least that was clear, but when was he ever in a good mood, really?
He looked around, the house being as messy as ever. Well, of course it was, who would clean it anyway?
He collapsed down heavily on the couch, not willing to start with homeworks, but not wanting to watch the shit on the TV either, it's always the same old series, or the same boring news.
He took out his phone, finding a lone text from shitty hair. He didn't even bother reading it, and opened Instagram to scroll down and look mindlessly at useless people doing useless things posting useless shit of this and that.
He started to get inpatient and extremely fed-up with everything. Tapping his leg aggressively he thought it might start to cramp.
Why was he always so angry?! This feeling in his chest! It's so disturbing that the only way to express his pain is being angry. He doesn't know why it is always turning into rage in the end. When he is stressed, devastated or worried, the only reaction anyone would get from him is utter wrath.
It was not for nothing many claimed he had anger issues. Too bad for them they all got punched in the face after saying that.
*Riiiinnnng* *Riiiinnnng*
Oh great. His phone is ringing. And it's the last person he would want to talk to right now!
But he answered nonetheless. Why though? Don't ask or you'll get punched too.
"H-hello. How are you?"
He decided to not answer, hoping the old fart would take the hint and hang up by himself.
But of course, he didn't.
"Ahm, mmm, a- are you home or did you go out with your frien-"
"What do you want?" he didn't even wait until the man could finish his sentence. He was already making big sacrifices by answering the call, don't make it harder on both of us, old man!
He could hear the sigh on the other end, followed by some shuffle of papers and folders.
"Look, Katsuki. I know I haven't been home recently, and I get that you are angry at me. So I- I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time together in the evening and-"
"Shut up!" shit, his temper was acting up again, and he knew the following words would not be what he wants them to be.
But he simply couldn't stop.
"I don't want to spend any f***ing time with you! Now you're trying to be a father?! Get screwed!" He yelled.
"Katsuki! That's no way to speak to your fath-!"
"Oh! You want to play mom now-...?!" Katsuki regretted the moment he mentioned his mother, but it just slipped, and there is no way he can back up now.
"... -you can never, and would never be her!" He hung up the phone right away, not wanting to hear his father's answer.
He knew he hurt him. Alot. He knew his dad did nothing to deserve this treatment from him. Especially now that he was trying to spend time with him. He knew that his dad was just trying to distract himself by working and working nonstop. But he just....
Agh! It's just so annoying!
And now he can't sit at home anymore. He won't be able to look his dad in the eyes after what he said.
So he just got up and left. Where to? He didn't know. He didn't care either. He just...had to get away.
And before he knew it, his legs led him to where he subconsciously wanted to be.
He was outside the mental hospital.
*****
"Eri-chan?" She could feel a gentle touch on her cheek, while someone was trying to wake her up.
She subconsciously didn't want to. Because she knew she would wake up to a world without her nii-chan's love. She liked dreaming about her good times with nii-chan, she would rather stay in that world instead.
"Wake up" but the voice didn't seem to let her stay there.
She really had no choice, huh?
Her teary eyes cracked open slightly, taking their time to get adjusted to the light.
When she was awake enough, she spotted the kind hero and the kind onii-san sitting beside the bed.
She sat up, realizing she was still in her nii-chan's lap, leaning on his chest and wetting his white shirt with tears.
She looked up at his face, knowing she won't get a response, but still foolishly hoping that it was only a dream.
But before she could do anything else, a warm hand turned her head to face them instead.
"Hey, look at me" she recognized Mirio's pleading voice.
She complied slowly, her drowsy, gloomy eyes making the hearts of both heros clench in sorrow.
"Eri-chan. How are you feeling?" Mirio asked softly while crouching down.
He didn't really have to ask, if her tears and eyes were saying anything it would be that she is not okay. But he didn't know what else to say.
Eri didn't answer. She just stared at the ground.
Mirio didn't know what to do. So Aizawa placed his hand on the young hero's shoulder and took hold of the situation instead.
"Kid. We understand how you feel. But dwelling in sorrow is no use" he tried at first.
"We need your help" he then stated so matter-of-factly. Cutting straight to the chase is just the way he is.
Eri looked up, a little puzzled as to what she could do to help.
"We need information. We need to know everything about you two if we are going to help you. Can you do that?"
Eri looked at her brother. Can she help him for the first time? Will she finally, instead of always being protected, being the one to protect?
She looked back at the worried hero. And nodded her head.
Mirio couldn't help the smile on his face, even though it was small and humble, but it was there nonetheless.
"Okay, Eri. Can you start with telling us a little about yourself?" Aizawa asked. Readying himself for a long conversation and sitting stiffly on a plastic chair beside the bed.
"Um, I- I'm Eri. I'm 6 years old, I-I think. And I've been with n-nii-chan..." words stuck in her throat as tears started pooling in her ruby eyes.
"...for 3 years" she wiped the tears quickly with the hem of her sleeve. She cried too much today, it's time she stopped being a crybaby in front of such brave heros.
Mirio sat on the side of the bed, careful not to smash anyone's leg in the process, and reached his hand to pat her hair gently with a warm sympathetic smile.
"It's fine. Take it slow" he said. His tone was so tender and it didn't take long until she started to calm down.
Aizawa didn't want to pressure her, but he knew that they were short on time.
"Good girl. Then, hmm, how about your quirk?" Aizawa thought he was beginning with the easy questions to not overwhelm the poor girl. But her scared expression told him something else.
She flinched slightly at his question and looked up to meet his gaze. She squeezed her nii-chan's shirt and clenched her teeth before answering.
"I- I don't-" Mirio held her clutched hands gently in his, showing her that there's nothing to fear anymore.
She took a breath or two before going on.
"I-I have a bad quirk" she whispered in shame, as if it was her fault to be born with whatever her 'bad' quirk was.
"There's nothing such as a bad quirk, little one, it depends on how you use it" Mirio comforted.
"But it's- it's really bad!" she shut her eyes tightly. Horrible memories of how her quirk was used to mercilessly take lives. Her time with the Shie Hassaikai was short and seemed distant in her memories, but the trauma was still there, lingering in the background, waiting for the right moment to strike again. What would've happened to her if nii-chan didn't save her that early? If he was a year or two too late?
But then she opened her eyes again, looking up at the hero's, as if she remembered something so suddenly it gave her an electric shock.
"But! Nii-chan, he said- he said that I have another one! A good one"
Mirio looked up at Aizawa, who gave him a puzzled look as well. It wasn't unheard of to have two quirks, such as his student Todoroki. But knowing that the girl had lived her whole life with villains made him worry. What if it was something dangerous the villains did to her? Also, as much as he knows from the blood tests the doctors did when she first arrived at the hospital, the girl only had one quirk. Did the lab team make a mistake?
"He said that he could feel it, it's right here" she put her tiny palms to her chest, closing her eyes and smiling shyly. This was sure something she was proud of, unlike her other bad quirk she talked about.
"He said that I had it inside here. A quirk that makes people love me, a quirk that makes me good and capable of loving and caring. It's called a heart, he said"
Mirio and Aizawa looked at each other. Is that... really a quirk? No, they know what this is, and it's something much more valuable than any quirk one could have, it's a quirk many people were lacking these days, and a quirk that has been already activated and used on them.
Yes, the quirk made them love this little girl, with their whole existence.
And that, was a quirk that Aizawa can never, and will never, erase.