Eri knew from the moment she woke up that morning that something was awfully, terribly wrong.

She always woke up early, either because of bad dreams or because of the light from the window. She wasn't used to sleeping with light; the room from before had only ever had light when it was time to be awake. Soma-san and Touya-nii had tried to make it better by putting a thick curtain over the window, but sometimes the light woke her up anyway.

This morning was different. She didn't wake up because of the light outside-it was actually still rather dark-or because she had a dream about before. She woke up because Stanley was meowing at the door, walking back and forth in front of it instead of lying curled up with her on the bed.

Soma-san had told Eri that Stanley was a special cat, that he could feel when someone was scared, and that he tried to help the people that needed it most. So if Stanley was by the door instead of with her, it meant that someone nearby was much more afraid than she usually was.

The little girl climbed carefully out of the bed, not wanting to make it creak and wake up Daigo-nii, then creeped to the door on silent feet, the way she'd learned to do a long long time ago. The moment she turned the knob and cracked the door open, Stanley ran out, and Eri peeked down the hall after him. She couldn't quite see all the way into the living room, but she did see Stanley pause by the couch before leaping up onto the seat.

"Oh!" Soma-san's voice began in surprise. "I'm very sorry, Stanley. I didn't hear you."

Eri frowned.

That didn't seem right. Touya-nii usually slept on the couch, and he didn't like to wake up early. Why was Soma-san sitting there instead? Besides, Soma-san always heard everything. He was special that way, like how Stanley was special. Something had to be wrong, something that was scaring Soma-san.

For a long moment, Eri paused at the door, wondering what to do. Soma-san wasn't like Overhaul; she'd learned that very quickly. He wouldn't punish her for leaving her room, but she still wondered if she should, if she was wanted there, or if it would be better to leave him be.

"Eri? Is that you?"

The little girl startled at the voice, automatically beginning to pull the door closed. Even though she knew that Soma-san would never hurt her, deep down, she couldn't help the fear pounding in her chest.

"Eri-chan, it's alright. I'm not angry," Soma-san called again, his voice a little softer than before. "You can come here if you want. You don't have to, but I won't be angry if you do."

After a long, quiet moment, Eri carefully pulled the door open and walked down the hall, peeking around the corner to where Soma-san was smiling sadly at her, his milk-gold eyes not quite looking at hers, but instead looking at her forehead. His fingers were gently rubbing Stanley's head as the cat purred on his lap, his paws pressing into his leg. He seemed okay, but since Stanley was still sitting on his lap even though Eri was getting more and more nervous, he must not be.

Soma-san patted the spot on the couch next to him and Eri carefully climbed up, curling her fingers in the fabric of her pink nightdress with gray kitty heads until he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and drew her close to him, letting her lean against his chest. Once she knew it was okay with him, Eri sank into him, enjoying the warmth of his body and the rough-gentle touch of his hand. She liked that his skin was a little scratchy on hers; it was so different from before, when the only hands that touched her were too smooth, too cold.

Eri preferred rough hands because rough hands were honest hands, and honest hands belonged to honest people.

"Did you have another nightmare, Eri-chan?" Soma-san asked softly, his voice echoing in his chest next to her ear.

"Mm-mm," the little girl hummed, closing her eyes sleepily as Soma-san's fingers combed through her hair, careful to be gentle on any of her frequent snags.

"Oh. Then, is there something you wanted to ask, dear?"

Eri paused. She did want to ask him something, actually. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, where Touya-nii was, if anything was wrong. She knew he wouldn't be angry with her for asking; Soma-san, Touya-nii, and Daigo-nii often told her that it was okay to ask questions and that they would always try to tell her the truth, and so far, they always always had. But still, she was afraid to ask.

Afraid… to know the answers.

So she shook her head no, nuzzling her face against Soma-san's chest kind of like how Stanley would press his against her cheek, hoping that it might, in some small way, help take away a little of the fear that was bothering him.

.oOo.

Eri ran.

Her breath was shallow and hitched. Her feet pounding against a stone floor. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

She couldn't tell for certain where she was; sometimes, it seemed the plain, white walls of the bunker. Sometimes, the dark, dirty walls by the streets.

He was coming. She knew he was coming.

She knew she couldn't get away.

I need help! she thought frantically, desperately. Someone! Anyone! Please!

"Eri!"

She knew that voice, but she wasn't certain why. Was it angry? Scared? Hateful? She couldn't tell.

She had to keep running.

"Eri!"

Close, much too close.

"Stay away," she sobbed out loud.

A hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Stay away from me!" Eri screamed, lashing out.

She felt it happen. Felt the burn and the pulse in her forehead and the surge of power coursing through her.

"E-Eri!"

This time the voice was much more desperate, fearful even. She turned around, and saw bright blue eyes full of fear, saw the light of her curse chipping him away.

"P-Papa!" she screamed, reaching out to help him, the man she could barely remember, desperate to stop her curse, but everything she tried just made him disappear faster.

"You see?" another voice laughed, a familiar voice. "Every action you take results in people dying, Eri."

"No! No, I don't want this! Stop, please make it stop!"

"I can end it," his voice whispered. "I can stop your curse. I'm the only one that can control it."

"Stop! Please stop!" Eri sobbed, curled up in a ball on the floor, knowing what was coming, knowing that it would hurt, knowing that there was no other way.

"You can control it, Eri-chan."

Another voice. Calm. Gentle. Soothing.

"I know you can do it. Let me help you."

"N-No," Eri cried, curling even further inward. "No, I can't let you get hurt, too!"

"Eri-chan, you're not going to hurt me. We'll make it through this, we just have to wait. While we wait though, I want you to close your eyes. Can you do that for me?"

"I-I…"

"Eri-chan. You can't hurt me, I promise. Just close your eyes, okay?"

Swallowing hard, Eri closed them.

"Good. Now take a deep breath. Take a breath in, and let it out. Breathe in, and now out. In. And out. Now, Eri, I know you have a big imagination. Can you imagine a light? A warm light, one that makes you happy. Can you describe… what's…?"

.oOo.

Eri opened her eyes still feeling incredibly sleepy, her entire body warm and heavy, her heart beating too quickly. Still, she didn't feel quite as scared as she sometimes did, and she didn't feel tears on her cheeks. Momentarily confused, Eri lifted her head, pushing her messy hair out of her face, looking around and recognizing the couch and the living room from the light entering the room through the open door of hers and Daigo-nii's bedroom. Beside her, Stanley shifted, his purring interrupted, and he meowed at her, his head tilted to one side as though asking if she was feeling alright.

The little girl felt her body relax a little, turning over so the blanket slid off her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around the cat, pulled him onto her lap, and gently pet his fur. He trilled softly in response and stretched up, bumping his face under her chin.

Eri felt a small something pull at the corner of her mouth, but it was gone a moment later.

Gently setting Stanley aside, Eri stretched and slid off the couch. She didn't remember falling asleep, but that must be what happened. How long had she been here? Curious, Eri pattered to her bedroom and peered inside. Daigo-nii's bed was empty, which meant it was at least late enough for him to be in his classes-she was a little surprised that she hadn't woken up to the sound of him walking through the living room. It certainly was late enough for Soma-san to be working in the restaurant.

So why was it so quiet downstairs?

On silent feet, Eri crept to the staircase and snuck down step by step, listening for any sign of people moving about downstairs. But there was nothing. No noise of pots or pans, or even the tapping of Daigo-nii on the computer. Worried, Eri hurried the rest of the way down to the kitchen, closely followed by Stanley, who walked with his tail raised high in the air. Nobody was there either, but when Eri stepped peeked around the counter into the main eating area, she finally found them.

Daigo-nii was sitting in his chair in the corner leaning on the table with a blanket slowly sliding off his shoulders. Soma-san sat next to him, leaning back in his chair with his head rolled back and his mouth open. Both were sound asleep.

What was going on? First Soma-san was so scared that Stanley needed to help him, then he and Daigo-nii fell asleep downstairs instead of in their beds? Something… Something must be really wrong, and as scared as Eri was to find out what that something might be, she knew that she needed to ask.

"Soma-san?" Eri whispered, lightly tugging on his sleeve. Then, a little louder, "Soma-san?"

"Mm?" the man jolted slightly as he sat upright, blinking slowly and turning towards her. "Eri-chan? How long have you been awake? What time is it…?"

"Soma-san, what's wrong?" Eri asked, gazing up at his face.

The man paused, his hand still in his pocket as he tried to find something, a sadness and fear crossing his face. He sighed quietly, straightening up fully and leaning forward with his hands clasped. "Eri-chan, Izu-nii is missing."

"What?!" Eri exclaimed, fear immediately thrumming in her chest. Stanley meowed at her feet, threading between her legs.

Soma-san nodded, his lips stretched in a thin line. "That's why Touya-nii isn't here right now; he's gone to look for him."

"Has he found him yet? Is he okay?" Eri cried, her hands twisting tightly in her nightdress.

"I don't know," Soma-san shook his head, reaching for his pocket once more. He pulled out his black phone, flipped it open, and pressed a button on the side.

"It is: 6:07 AM," the device announced. "You have: 0 new messages."

Soma-san sighed and tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Touya hasn't found him yet."

"How long? How long will it take to find him?"

"I don't know," Soma-san repeated, rubbing his eyes. He was tired, and scared, like she was. Eri pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down on it as she tried and failed not to cry. Soma-san quickly pulled her onto his lap, and Stanley in turn jumped onto hers.

"It's going to be alright," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "We'll find him. He'll be alright."

Eri knew that Soma-san had promised to always tell her the truth, but she couldn't help feeling like he was lying this time.

It wasn't until many hours later that Soma-san's phone finally rang, well after Daigo-nii finally woke up. (Soma-san told Eri that Daigo-nii had been awake almost all night hoping for news about Izu-nii.) Since they didn't open the restaurant that day, there were no customers to worry about; Soma-san immediately grabbed his phone and flipped it open.

"Shokuko Soma speaking," he said quickly. Eri and Daigo-nii both looked up quickly from their seats at the little table in the corner, where she had been watching him play a computer game in order to not think about Izu-nii, petting Stanley on her lap most of the time. "Touya!" Soma-san cried, all of the fear and worry he'd been trying to hide all day filling his face. "What's the news? Have you found him?"

Eri and Daigo-nii glanced quickly at each other and hurried to Soma-san's side. Eri could faintly hear a voice through the phone, but Soma-san kept the volume so low that she couldn't hear for certain that it was Touya-nii, nor what he was saying.

"You're sure you can trust her?" Soma-san asked quietly. "She is known for working both sides of the law."

"Who are you talking about, Oyaji?" Daigo-nii whispered, and Soma-san held up a finger for him to wait.

"Alright, understood. Have you already contacted Izanami? …Okay then. We'll meet you there. Good luck. And Touya? …Bring him home."

He hung up after that, turning to the both of them with a new energy and seriousness. "Get dressed, quickly, while I pack us dinner."

"Where are we going?" Daigo-nii asked.

"Kyoto," Soma-san replied briskly, already heading back into the kitchen. "Get dressed, quickly now! If we miss the next train, we won't make it there until well after midnight."

Daigo-nii's eyes widened with a knowledge that Eri didn't have, but she did understand that they needed to hurry when he took her hand and led her up the stairs to their room, almost tripping over Stanley on the way. He meowed unhappily, but when they got upstairs he hopped up on her bed and stayed out of the way, watching them closely. Quickly, Daigo-nii helped her change into a simple green skirt and a white top, then sent her back downstairs to help Soma-san while he got dressed, too.

Soma-san was quickly putting together bento boxes with rice, sausages, fruit, and vegetables. It was simple, but Eri already knew it would be delicious. At her request, he gave her a little knife to help cut the strawberries. Her cuts weren't nearly as neat as Soma-san's, but she did her very best.

Daigo-nii hurried downstairs a few minutes later, running to the main room to shove his computer in his school bag. Then he quickly helped Eri put on her simple black shoes and then his own red ones. Once Soma-san finished packing up the dinners, he wrapped them up in a giant napkin, then they all hurried out the back door, Eri scooped on Soma-san's hip-because they needed to hurry, he said-and Daigo-nii carrying the food and his bag, keeping one hand on Soma-san's arm to help him through the crowd.

Eri spent most of the journey to the train station with her face buried in Soma-san's shoulder. She didn't really like crowds, with so much noise and so many people. The last time she walked in a crowd clutching Touya-nii's hand, she'd felt trapped and scared. It was just so different from before, when she'd been completely alone for so long. She thought that maybe one day she'd come to like having so many people around, but for now she couldn't help worrying that he was in the crowd somewhere, that he might try to take her at any moment

Eri was glad that they reached the train station quickly. Soma-san and Daigo-nii were, too, especially when he found out that they'd made it in time to catch the train to Kyoto. Soma-san paid for three tickets, then the three of them carefully walked through the station and onto the train.

The train started moving only a few minutes after they got on and found their seats. Eri couldn't help staring out the window as they left the station. She'd never been on a train before; everything was moving so fast! If she focused on things far away, she could see them, but if she tried looking close they got all blurry and made her eyes hurt. It was enough to distract her for a little while at least, but eventually she started to feel kind of dizzy and had to sit back in her seat.

The ride in the train seemed to go by very very slowly. She spent some of that time drawing with the paper and crayons Daigo-nii had packed in his bag for her, and a little of that time with the books Touya-nii had bought so she could learn to read-Daigo-nii helped her with the big words she didn't know yet. At some point, the three of them ate the dinner Soma-san had packed, and it was as delicious as Eri had thought it would be.

But the further they travelled, the more nervous and scared Eri became.

Was Izu-nii safe yet? Was Touya-nii safe? Where were they going? Why was Soma-san so quiet? Why was Daigo-nii so distracted?

It was dark by the time their train finally reached Kyoto. Eri was very sleepy by then, but she had a lot of practice not sleeping, especially when she was scared-sleeping during those times only meant more nightmares. Soma-san carried her again, and Daigo-nii led the way.

"Oh my God, was that All Might?!"

Soma-san paused in the middle of the street, and Eri couldn't help but lift her head curiously. There were a bunch of screens in the shop next to them, all lit up and showing a dark, dusty place where monsters as scary as anything Eri had seen in her nightmares were attacking people in the middle of a city.

"Your eyes did not lie, everyone! This is a scene straight out of a nightmare; whoever this villain is, they just threw All Might himself across Yokohama City! And now it looks like they might be summoning reinforcements once again, just like when they brought in the Hosu monsters to attack the pro heroes! Or, wait, the person doesn't seem to be moving… Can we zoom in; who is that? Is… Is that Deku?!"

"Izu-nii!" Eri cried, her stomach churning, suddenly wide awake. Soma-san went stiff, one arm tightening around her, the other reaching to grab Daigo-nii's shoulder.

"What's happening?!" he hissed. "Where's Izuku!?"

"That has to be him," Daigo-nii gasped. "Oyaji, All for One has him; he's torturing him!"

"No. No that can't…!"

Eri had seen horrors in her short life. Unspeakable horrors. She had even experienced them for herself, from knives biting into her skin to cold hands ripping her body apart and then putting her back together. But this? Watching one of her older brothers, one of the people who had saved her being hurt like this, with spears stabbing into his shoulders and yanking him around, and her, unable to help? This might hurt worse than anything done to her before.

"Why isn't he running away!?" Eri cried, frightened tears spilling down her cheeks. "Run, Izu-nii, you have to run-!"

Blue flames burst across the TV screen. Eri gasped, her eyes wide as her tears dripped from her chin; she knew where those flames had come from. Or, more importantly, who.

"Touya-nii," she whispered, but of course Soma-san heard her.

"Is Touya there? Is Izuku alright?!" he asked quickly.

"He's there!" Daigo-nii explained, his voice both excited and scared. "I saw his quirk! I… I-I'm not sure what happened, but there was an explosion and All for One dropped Izuku and then All Might came back! I… I think Touya-nii has him now!"

"Thank God," Soma-san gasped, his body seeming to sag. "We need to hurry. Shadow Dancer will be bringing them to the clinic any minute now; come on!"

Eri continued to stare at the screen for as long as she could as Daigo-nii led the way from the growing crowd, hoping for one more glimpse of her older brothers, but seeing nothing. She didn't really know who this 'All Might' person was that everyone else was chattering about and cheering on, but she doubted that he was as impressive as Touya-nii and Izu-nii.

They reached the 'clinic' just a few streets later and Soma-san set her down so they could hurry inside. Eri felt herself go still almost the moment they walked through the door.

Everything was white. White and too clean and that too clean smell was everywhere and-

A soft hand gently took hers.

Eri flinched, looking up at Daigo-nii, who looked right back at her with soft gold eyes full of pain.

He… He took off his gloves. Daigo-nii never took off his gloves; it hurt him to touch other people without them. And yet, he took them off, because he understood. He understood why white walls and the too-clean smell scared her.

Why gloved hands scared her.

Eri clutched his hand tighter and pressed into his side, breathing in his smell instead, ignoring whatever Soma-san was saying to a lady in blue clothes that had come to meet them. When they finished talking, she let go so he could put his glove back on, and the three of them then followed the woman deeper into the clinic.

"It doesn't smell like T-Phoenix and Deku are here with Shadow Dancer yet," Soma-san said quietly.

"No they're not," the woman nodded. "Hagane-sensei and Teikyou-san have gotten the operation room set up for their arrival just in case though, and Yakuzou-sensei arrived only minutes before you did. All we can do now is wait."

"I see," Soma-san frowned. "Thank you, and Hagane-sensei, for doing all this."

The woman glanced away. "You don't have to thank us. The truth is we owe all of you a great debt. This is the least we can do to repay you."

"Still," Soma murmured, bowing slightly to the woman as they entered a room with a lot of computers, where a group of people were gathered around a single desk, "Thank you."

"Oh my God!" a voice gasped, and Eri looked up to see a pretty lady with short black hair and circles under her eyes almost as dark as Izu-nii's clap a hand to her mouth. A yellowish-skinned man with greeny-blue hair next to her opened his mouth to say something too, but Daigo-nii put his hands over Eri's ears so that she couldn't hear it, leaving her blinking in confusion.

"…Ice-san please, there are chil-"

"Shut the hell up and get the hell over here, you need to see this; Phoenix is f-"

"Ice…"

"-ing barbequing the big bad!"

"What!?" Daigo-nii rushed forward, claiming a spot right in front of the computer, although when Eri tried to follow him, Soma-san scooped her up and held her back.

"S-Soma-san?"

"I don't think this is something you should see, Eri-chan," he explained quietly, his milky-gold eyes sad and dark. "Just stay here with me, okay?"

"Well wha'd'ya know, the big ass motherf-"

"Ice!"

"-of Japan just became crispy fried f-"

SMACK!

"Okay, what the hell!? If Katsu doesn't like how I talk, he shoulda left his brood with Scarlet's brat like you did!"

"Something's wrong," Daigo-nii whispered. There was something dark in his face as he said it. Something scared.

"Daigo? What do you mean?" Soma-san called.

Daigo-nii looked back at him, then turned bright red as he suddenly realized that everyone in the room was looking at him. "H-H-He… u-uh-uhm… H-H-His quir-rk," he stuttered badly, his voice very quiet as he stared at the floor. "I-I-It-t b-bur-rns h-him wh-when h-he… l-lo-oses-s c-cont-trol."

"You don't think he was in control," the black-haired woman said, her brown eyes widening. "So what does that mean?"

"It means you may need to be prepared to treat a second patient for burns," Soma-san said, his voice grim, "and likely bad ones. As for why he lost control, I'm afraid we'll have no way of knowing until-"

Eri shivered, curling against Soma-san's warmth as a cold feeling filled the room. Soma-san just had time to say the words "they're here" before there was a series of gasps and terrible, choked gagging before Ice-san swore and the black-haired woman didn't even hit him for it because she was too busy doing the same.

"Izu-nii!" Eri and Daigo-nii cried out at the same time, Eri's heart thrumming with absolute terror as she struggled to get out of Soma-san's arms. "Izu-nii! Izu-nii!"

Red so much red everywhere-!

"Eri-chan! Eri-chan, calm down!" Soma-san called, quickly taking her face and turning it away from Izu-nii's bloody body. She sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face there, fear and sadness and pain all swirling together in her stomach until she felt sick.

"Hagane-sensei!"

"Izu-!"

"Stay back, kid, let us handle it!" Ice-san's voice snapped. "You, get out of the- Ah shit, she's passed out. And Phoenix, what the hell did you do to your arms?!"

"Izanami!"

"Pneumothorax of the left lung, ruptured stomach and associated complications, torn diaphragm, damaged liver, and nearly seventeen percent bloodloss contributing to the beginnings of hypovolemic shock-"

'She's going into hypovolemic shock; guess that means it's time to rebuild her.'

"-although some of that blood was lost much earlier due to losing a full nine percent of his dermis on his back; beginnings of infection in a few places there."

"We need to get him to the operating room, now! This is a race against time, people!"

"Phoenix-san, you should come too; we'll need to get those burns treated; several of them are obviously full-thickness."

"Shut the hell up about me and focus on Mido!"

-red on her skin on her hands in her hair down her leg-

"Izu-nii!"

"Don't worry, we'll do everything we can to help him, I promise. Soma-san, you should all wait out here; there's nothing you can do from here."

"I… I understand.

-a white hand reaching towards her pain pain screaming-

"He's dying… Izu-nii's dying, Oyaji!"

"He-He's going to be okay. They'll take care of him. He'll be okay."

-ripping her apart she was dying she was dead-!

Izu-nii was dead.

Heat pulsed through Eri's entire body. She heard gasps, cries of surprise, but they didn't matter as she ripped herself away from Soma-san and sprinted after Izu-nii.

"Eri-chan! Eri, wait!"

She didn't listen. She couldn't.

'You can control it, Eri-chan. I can help you, if you'll let me.'

She could hear voices, quiet and urgent.

She could hear Touya-nii, scared and angry.

Izu-nii, coughing as he choked on his own blood.

She threw the door open and ran inside.

Everyone turned to look at her.

She could see the surprise in their eyes, but her eyes could only focus on her brother.

"Eri-! Shit- Everyone, get back from her!"

'Eri-chan, you're not going to hurt me. My quirk lets me create a shield that repels energy. It has its limits, but as long as I have it, you won't be able to hurt me, I promise. I'm not going to disappear.'

She wasn't certain when she'd run up to the table, how she'd climbed up beside him; she just knew that she was clinging to Izu-nii's hand and sobbing, heard her own voice as though from far away as she begged for him to come back, begged for him to stay.

She was having a hard time breathing. The heat in her body was growing more intense.

She was losing control, she was going to make him disappear just like Papa; stop, please stop-!

Eri gasped, her eyes snapping open as she felt warm arms wrap around her.

"Eri."

She knew that voice. "Touya-nii…"

"You can do this."

'Take a breath in, and let it out. Breathe in, and now out. In. And out.'

Eri's breath hitched, then she closed her eyes again, counting her breath.

'Imagine a warm light, one that makes you happy. What's in that light, Eri?'

It's a blue light, she thought. Lots of blue lights, rising into the sky. There's grass and tall trees, and I can see the stars. Lots and lots of stars, blue and yellow and white and red. And there's Touya-nii, and Daigo-nii, and Soma-san, and Yumi-chan and Shoko-chan.

And there's Izu-nii. He's awake. He's okay.

And he's smiling.

Eri felt the heat drain away and nearly fell over in tiredness and relief. If Touya-nii hadn't been holding her, she probably would have fallen off of the table.

"Eri-chan?"

She looked up at Toua-nii, at his bright blue eyes and his big pink scar.

He was okay.

He was still here.

She hadn't made him disappear.

"I-Izu-nii?" she whispered.

A small smile touched Touya-nii's mouth and he looked somewhere past her. Eri turned too, looking down at her older brother. His clothes, or what was left of them, were still torn and stained with red, but he didn't have a hole in his stomach anymore, and his chest was rising and falling with each steady breath. Eri's eyes travelled higher, and she almost sobbed again when she saw that his face was relaxed, without that terrible pain from before.

Then, as Eri watched, Izu-nii's face seemed to scrunch up and his bright green eyes slowly cracked open. Eri heard someone gasp behind them, but it didn't matter because Izu-nii was awake. He was okay.

And he was smiling.

And when Eri realized that, she couldn't help smiling, too.