"Bull shit!" Present Mic screeched at a decibel almost loud enough to make my ears bleed.

"Good lord, Mic!" Snipe complained. Likewise Nemuri made a noise of protest. Toshinori and Aizawa both groaned.

I remained unflinching and smirked with one eyebrow raised in question as I stared down the blonde man. "You sure you want to make that accusation?" I purred, trying not to laugh.

"There's no fucking way!" he asserted passionately - and still loudly - but mercifully not quite as loud as before.

I grinned openly now and reached across the table to flip the cards over revealing four queens. "Read 'em and weep," I cackled. Midnight had to pin the other hero's arms to keep him from flipping the table as everyone else roared with laughter.

When the voice hero had first brought up to everyone the idea of doing a game night in the teacher dorms, I'd immediately been on board. A few of the other teachers (namely Aizawa) had been a little harder to convince, though. Then once there was a good sized group of us assembled, the real challenge proved to be figuring out what to play.

Nemuri pushed hard for Cards Against Humanity. Toshinori voted for Monopoly. Cementoss suggested Buta no Shippo. Snipe wanted poker. Aizawa said he didn't care so long as he didn't have to learn any new rules. So we'd started off with a simple game of BS - a simple game that quickly became heated as it became apparent just how competitive a group of pro heroes (plus one retired and one aspiring) could be.

Unsurprisingly I was kicking ass, and I was just a couple cards away from winning. Deception had literally been my thing for a good part of my life - my poker face was killer when I wanted it to be, and I'd been just as happy with Snipe's idea as I had been with the game we ended up playing now. But to be fair, the others were nothing to scoff at either. Aizawa looked just as dead inside as ever, but I had a feeling he was lying through his teeth on just about every turn. Still, no one seemed ready to try and call his bluff, so he was only a couple cards behind me. Toshinori was good at keeping a straight face as well, but I'd learned his tells by now. The poor man disliked lying, despite how often he'd had to as a hero, and just because I loved him didn't mean I wouldn't call him out every time I saw the slight tensing in his shoulders or the tiniest twitch at the corner of his eye.

Snipe tapped a finger to his chin as if considering his move as his turn was next, and the concentration in his yellow eyes didn't fool me any. If he was openly acting like he had to think about the few cards he held, then it was probably a front... or was it? I was betting on a double bluff.

His cards had barely hit the table before I laughed. "Bull shit," I called him out.

"Dammit, Hara," the scruffy man complained, and didn't even bother to flip his card over before taking the deck. "Why did we choose to play a lying game with a spy?" he asked gruffly.

Aizawa snorted. "Don't be a sore loser."

"Says the guy who's just as close to winning," he replied as he re-organized his hand.

"I told you we should have played Cards Against Humanity," Midnight said in a sing-song voice.

"I'm not sure I really want to get to know all of you that well," Aizawa replied unenthusiastically, making the rated-R hero cackle.

"I'm already an open book, Shota," she grinned.

"I know. That makes it worse," he shuddered and she laughed harder.

I also giggled and nudged Toshinori with my elbow. "I don't think you'd be able to make it through that game without bleeding out, Boy Scout," I teased.

As if to prove my point, a slight flush rose to his thin cheeks. "Now, that's a little unfair!" he protested regardless.

"Is it?" I giggled. "Have you actually ever played that game?"

Toshi looked indignant. "I did once in college - well, I watched Dave play with some of our classmates. Sorta. I might have been paying more attention to the police radio we kept in our dorm."

"We should plaaaay!" Nemuri whined, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Can we at least finish this game first?" Cementoss complained lightly. "We can always pick a different game afterwards."

"Well, I'll try to hurry up and beat you all then," I drawled with a dramatic sigh and an evil grin. Despite my jest though, a few minutes later Aizawa actually managed to pull off a win at the last second, and now Mic wasn't the only one yelling indignantly.

However, much to the R-rated hero's disappointment, we did not end up playing her game of choice that night. As we were cleaning up the deck of cards, Aizawa's phone rang. I didn't pay any particular notice when he stepped away to answer, but the slight furrow of his brow did catch my attention when he came back.

"Everything okay?" I stepped away from the group and asked my colleague.

He shrugged. "That was the charge nurse for the hospital ward Eri's staying in. They've asked me to come by as a precaution," he explained briefly.

"Is her quirk activating again?" I frowned.

"Not currently, but they're concerned it might. They keep a close monitor on her brain waves and quirk activity since the two are related, and apparently she's having a lot of nightmares tonight," he sighed, looking even more tired as he told me the situation. The others had started listening too, it seemed, and I heard several sympathetic murmurs from the other teachers.

"Poor girl," I muttered. My heart ached for the child - she'd been through so much at such a young age, and I'd seen young lives destroyed by villainous influences before. From what I'd heard from both Midoriya and from Aizawa, the poor thing already had more trauma set on her shoulders than most adults did, and as such she'd developed a very grim outlook on every other aspect of her life.

Six is awful young to already be so cynical, I thought sadly with a hint of anger creeping into the edges of my thoughts. Overhaul had done this to her - gaslighted her and traumatized her. As if I didn't already have enough reason to hate him.

I hadn't officially met the girl we'd sacrificed so much to save, and had merely seen her from a distance that day, but I felt a pull to protect her still. Maybe it stemmed from witnessing Midoriya's protectiveness over her, or maybe from a place of empathy after learning all that she'd gone through under Overhaul's "guardianship." Whatever it was that pulled at the back of my mind whenever I thought about the small girl was what made me speak up now. "Can I come with you, Aizawa?"

He gave me a leveled stare for a moment before finally shrugging again as he turned away. "Be my guest."

The train ride to the hospital wasn't very long, however it took less than a second for Eraser Head to pull out his infamous yellow sleeping bag, curl up in the seat, and promptly begin snoring. Chucking as I shook my head, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the news as the train rattled on. I browsed the depressing landscape of crime and fear that always peppered the media these days. Every time I opened the news pages anymore, I felt my gut twist uncomfortably. There was so much pain - so much chaos. It reminded me of the days when I'd been a villain too, only now that I was on the other side, it was even more disheartening. Everyday villains were getting more brash, and the crimes more heinous.

Toshinori carried so much guilt for the state of the country now - that I was very aware of. No matter how many times I tried to convince him otherwise, I knew it weighed on him tremendously. The media still went on and on about how the absence of the Pillar of Justice was felt all around Japan, and how the new number one hero simply couldn't fill the void left behind. I would have felt kind of bad for Endeavor, if I didn't think he was a major dick.

After scrolling only a handful of stories, I closed out of the browser and opened my messages instead, sending a quick text to Toshi to pass the time.

'Been on the train for five minutes and Aizawa's already out cold. You really need to ask him what his secret is.'

Only a few moments later and my phone pinged with his reply. 'And yet he almost looks as tired as I do. Not sure his advice on sleep habits would be the most reliable.' Another moment passed and a second message came through. 'Come to think of it, he's borrowing MY sleep aid. He should be thanking me, really.'

I exhaled through my nose in amusement. 'Someone's sassy tonight,' I teased. 'I'll have to change your ID in my phone to Pillar of Sass... But don't worry, your sleep aid will be home later. Hopefully I can help a little girl sleep a little more soundly too.'

His answer was preceded by the eye-roll emoticon. 'Symbol of Sass has a better ring to it,' he wrote back, and I tried not to snicker aloud where Aizawa could hear me (I had no doubt the man kept some slight bit of awareness when he took his cat naps, otherwise the pro wouldn't sleep in public as often as he did). 'But yes, I do hope there's something that could be done for young Eri. What are you thinking?'

That was a good question. Honestly I wasn't completely certain myself, and I told him as much in my next message. There was no plan in my head, really, but there had to be something I could do to help. The poor child deserved a little kindness in her life.

When we arrived at the hospital a little while later, I made Aizawa wait as I ran into the small convenience store across the street. A few minutes later when I exited, bag in one hand and to-go tea in the other, he resided a brow in question but didn't comment. "Come on, let's go," he said in a sleepy and slightly gruff voice.

We checked in at the front desk and were led to the isolated room Eri was staying in. When the door was opened for us my heart broke just a little bit more.

She was so small - even for a six year old, she was tiny - and she was curled up in a ball in the middle of the hospital bed, which dwarfed her even further. White hair cascaded over her shoulders like a curtain, shielding her face which was buried in the fabric of her nightgown where she had her head bowed into her knees. From where we stood in the doorway, it was barely perceptible that she was trembling.

Beside me, Aizawa sighed a little sadly. "Hey, Eri," he called softly into the room.

She jerked her head up at the sound of his voice, large ruby eyes rounded in surprise like a baby deer in the headlights. "Mr. Aizawa?" she questioned in a voice just as small as she was, before her gaze slid to me and her brows furrowed with a hint of confusion. "Hello," she said in a hushed, unsure tone.

"Hi there, Eri," I said in greeting, smiling gently at her as I stepped into the room. The lights were dimmed due to the late hour, but it was obvious still in the ambient glow from the hallway that sleep was the furthest thing from the girl's consciousness. "You probably don't remember me, but my name is Hara Mei."

She blinked at me owlishly for a moment, no emotion beyond confusion registering on her features. "Were you one of the heroes that day?" she asked finally.

"Yes, I was there when they rescued you," I nodded. "How are you feeling?"

The small child looked away then, staring blankly at the wall across the room. "I'm okay," she answered meekly and untruthfully.

"The nurse said you're having a little trouble sleeping tonight," Aizawa said, taking a couple steps into the room as well.

Fear flashed across her blank gaze, and she curled into herself again. "Yeah. The scary dreams are keeping me awake," she shivered.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I approached her bed then, and sat at the foot of the mattress. "Then we'll have to chase those scary dreams away then, hm?" Reaching into the shopping bag, I pulled out my goodies - three tea cups, each adorned with way more flowers and cutesy animals than I would have ordinarily picked out for myself - and I set them out on the little hospital table. "Have you ever had a tea party, Eri?" I asked, and even though the wide look in her crimson irises as she looked back at me gave me my answer, I waited for the small head shake anyway. "Well then, you're in luck - your first tea party is going to be a very special tea party!"

"Party?" she repeated, watching me as I took the lid off of the to-go mug and poured a little into each cup.

"Mhm. But normal tea parties are during the day - ours is special because midnight tea parties are way cooler. Watch!" After placing the drinks aside again, I reached out and pressed my palms to the wall. I was going to have to be very careful here - even the tiniest bit too much of my quirk and I could accidentally fry some of the sensitive hospital equipment. So, tongue stuck between my teeth in concentration, I gently sent a small pulse of purple light skittering across the flat surface. Like a wave it flowed around the room, landing on every other surface it came into contact with and lingering on any vaguely pointed objects. After a few seconds the room was awash in a dancing purple glow, as if scattered about were some sort of purple flame candle. I'd been sure to reign in the heat of the violet flame so that instead of burning what it came into contact with, it merely admitted light. If any one was to try and touch it, it would only feel like a warm breath and a slight tingle on their fingertips.

Eri watched the light show with her mouth agape, not smiling, but not showing fear either at least. "Wooow," she gasped, elongating the vowel in wonder. "Pretty."

"We're going to drink some tea that will help make us sleepy, but it will also make our dreams nicer with our tummies all warm and happy," I hummed, encouraged by the look on her face. I wouldn't call the look happiness still - the poor child seemed like she'd never learned how to express that emotion, or perhaps she'd just forgotten - but it wasn't fear or sadness either, and I was glad for that at least. "How about it, Eri? Will you have a tea party with me?"

After a second, she nodded, and my smile widened. "Okay! Which tea cup would you like? I'll let you pick your favorite," I offered, gesturing to the flowery cups on her bedside.

Crawling on her hands and knees to the edge of the bed, Eri peered at the girlishly decorated cups. They were cheap and gaudy since that was all the small store had, but I was hoping that wouldn't bother the white-haired girl any. After a moment of careful consideration, she pointed to the one with roses and teddy bears. "Um, I like that one."

"Good choice!" Behind me, Aizawa had remained quiet this whole time, and I looked over my shoulder to smile at him. "Mr. Aizawa, which cup would you like?" I prompted, hoping the pro would go along with it for the little girl's sake. Honestly though, I still expected him to refuse.

Much to my surprise then, he merely huffed in half amusement, half resignation before pulling over a chair and sitting down at Eri's bedside. He reached across and picked up the one with daisies and tabby cats, leaving me the one with sunflowers and bunnies. "Thank you, Miss Hara," he said politely, and I had to stop myself from giggling; I was delighted he was playing along.

"Now what?" Eri asked, gripping the tea cup in both hands and looking at me expectantly.

I hummed in exaggerated thought, tapping a finger to the side of my cheek. "How about a toast?"

"Toast?" she repeated again in confusion, obviously picturing the snack item instead, and I had to choke back laughter.

"It's like a wish - a cheers," I explained, and even though she still didn't seem to get it, she nodded.

"Okay."

"Here," I showed her, holding out my cup to gently clink it against the side of hers and then lifting my pinky straight out. "You have to lift your pinky too - that makes it a real tea party," I giggled.

"Do you toast at tea parties? I think that runs the risk of breaking the china," Aizawa commented dryly and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You do at a midnight tea party," I fudged, "And these aren't real china."

He shook his head, dark hair flopping in eyes that crinkled at the corner just slightly. "If you say so. What shall we toast to?"

"Let's toast to good dreams and new friends. What do you think, Eri?" I asked, looking down at the girl. She'd scooted in the bed to sit cross-legged next to me, still cradling her tea. Adorably, she had both pinkies stuck straight out, and while the tea cups were a relatively small size, her little hands still made it look too big for her. She nodded, looking up at me with round eyes.

"To good dreams and new friends," Aizawa muttered before raising his glass, deliberately lifting his pinky (again I had to mask my amusement), and taking a sip. "What kind of tea is this?" he asked me, raising a brow at the unfamiliar brew. I was lucky to have found it at all, since English teas weren't as common here.

"Camomile," I answered, enjoying the sweet, calming drink myself. "With milk and honey. It's supposed to be good for sleep." It had been a favorite of my late father on nights he couldn't find rest, although his often had contained something a little stronger and a little less kid-friendly as well.

Eri made a small noise of appreciation as she took the first hesitant sip of her tea. "Yummy," she hummed, a hint of rosiness tinting her cheeks as she almost smiled. Almost, but not quite.

Looking down at her, I wondered what to say next. I wasn't particularly used to small children, and while I'd hoped the 'midnight tea party' might be something that could bring her at least a small amount of comfort, honestly I had no clue what to do beyond that. But she seemed content enough as she sipped her tea again, looking around the room at the glittering purple glow so that the violet twinkle reflected in her ruby irises.

I sipped my tea again, feeling a tad awkward in the silence, and after a moment of consideration, spoke again. "What's your favorite bedtime story?" I asked her.

With the return of her confusion was also the return of a little bit more of my sadness for her. "I don't think I have one."

"Well, we'll have to fix that," Aizawa said simply. Leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees, he held the tea cup in one hand and looked at the young girl thoughtfully. "Have you heard the story of the cats Gon and Koma?" Eri shook her head, and so, just as matter-of-fact as if he was giving a lecture, Aizawa began his story. He told her of the two cats who fell in love and decided to run away together, and of their misadventures before getting separated. He told her the tale of Gon being taken in by the princess and how he saved his new mistress from a sneaky serpent. By the time he was approaching the end where Gon and Koma were reunited, Eri's eye lashes were fluttering on her cheeks and her head was leaned against my arm. Gently I lifted the empty tea cup from her grasp and set it on her bedside, not bothering to hide the smile that tugged at the corner of my lips.

"To be honest, I had no clue if any of this would actually work," I told Aizawa, keeping my voice low so as to not disturb the slumbering child.

He shrugged, setting his cup aside as well before gently picking her up. The pro tucked her under the covers with a tenderness that seemed so surprising coming from him, and not for the first time I found myself wondering if his apparent distaste for children was actually an act. I'd already started to suspect he held way more fondness for his students than he let on anyway.

"She's asleep, but it remains to be seen whether she'll stay asleep," he replied.

Before stepping out into the hall, I reached out to touch the wall again, extinguishing the glow of my quirk, and we left the girl to slumber. Once outside the room, I turned to Aizawa with a frown. "Why couldn't the caregivers here at the hospital help her like this? It wasn't exactly difficult," I observed. "I mean, I know we're trying to be careful with the possibility of her quirk activating, but could the nurses not comfort her?"

Eraser Head shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's a hospital, Hara. There are more critical patients to attend to than a child with nightmares."

"That's ridiculous,' I said, gritting my teeth.

"Is it? The staff are already overworked - rocking a six-year-old to sleep is hardly as important as preventing someone on another floor from going into cardiac arrest." His indifference made me angry, even if he was technically right. He must have seen the spark in my eyes, because he smirked and rolled his own. "You're so quick to let your emotions get ahold of you. Relax, Hara, you did a good thing tonight, even if it shouldn't have fallen on you in the first place."

Well, that was nice to hear, but it didn't really make me any less sad for her current accommodations. Hospitals were sterile and cold even at the best of times, and it probably wasn't helping her mental state any to be staying here. "When will she be discharged, you think?" I asked, glancing back at the door.

"Before too long, probably. And she's already being allowed a couple of small outings. She'll be visiting Yūei for the school festival," he told me, and I perked up at that.

"That's great!"

The pro nodded. "Yes, if all goes well then I think the plan is for her to be discharged after that."

"And go where?" I couldn't help but wonder. The last thing she needed was to get shuffled around through the foster system.

Aizawa half frowned, obviously having already come to that conclusion and not been pleased with it. "We'll see," he said simply. But then he sighed and ran a hand through his tousled mop of hair. "But that's a hurdle for some other time. Go on home, Hara. I'm going to stay here for a little while to make sure she stays asleep and her quirk doesn't activate with any more nightmares, but there's no need for you to stick around for that."

"You sure?" I asked, "'Cause I really don't mind staying," I started, but he was already shaking his head before I'd finished the sentence.

"I've got it from here. Thank you for coming, though... I don't think I would have thought of the tea party thing," he admitted a tad gruffly, hands once more shoved in his pockets.

At that I had to laugh a little. "Your story was good too. I actually remember that one from when I was a kid - I think my mom told it to me once." That last statement dated the memory for sure, considering how young I'd been when she left, but Aizawa had no way of knowing that.

The tired-eyed hero snorted. "Go home," he repeated, ignoring my previous remark, albeit a slight smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I'm already going to have to deal with Nemuri not getting to play her game and Hizashi bemoaning his loss at cards - I don't need to deal with All Might sulking because I kept his girlfriend out too late," he said dryly.

I would have laughed and argued just for the fun of it, but part of me had to admit he might have a point. So, I took my leave and made my way home, thinking hard about the young, orphaned girl.

The train noise was a tranquil ambience to aid my musing, and I chewed the inside of my lip absent-mindedly while I reflected. Eri had been weighing at the back of my mind ever since the incident with Overhaul, and even more so after Midoriya had told me about his and Togata's visit at the hospital. I'd tried to repeatedly tell myself that it wasn't my job - or my business - what happened to the girl now. I'd done my part of the rescue mission, and as a hero that was where my job should end - the system should take care of her going forward.

Except, I still couldn't convince myself to see it that way. Lord help me, this didn't bode well for my future missions at all, if I formed an attachment to every-single person I ever saved. But part of me also tried to argue that wasn't what was happening here. I tasted blood as I worried my lip unconsciously, and grimaced at the flash of familiarity. Damn, I was far too used to that coppery flavor.

I couldn't help but wonder (or worry, rather), that this was some sort of weird coping mechanism after my miscarriage. The logical side of me argued the insanity of that because, if I hadn't even known I was pregnant before, why would I need a coping method?

But I did feel strange every time I thought about it, even though I tried to reason that I shouldn't. My thoughts placed blame on everything from hormones, to my past traumas, but in the end all I ended up doing was giving myself a throbbing temple and simultaneous stomach ache. I shouldn't have to mourn someone who I'd never known - who had never even existed... Yet I did. In quiet times when my mind wandered, I'd caught myself pondering names, or wondering what they might have looked like. What might their quirk have been?

Fruitless, unhelpful thoughts, since now I'd never know.

And then here was this motherless child, who was scared, and scarred, and had no one. Midoriya told me the girl didn't even know how to smile for fucks sake! And if that wasn't enough to break anyone's heart, then I didn't know what was.

So, maybe I was projecting a little here... Maybe my subconscious saw Eri as some way of atoning for my failed attempt at motherhood. Regardless, in this moment on the train I finally made up my mind. Eri needed some kindness in her life, and regardless of why my brain told me to help, it could only benefit her in the end. So why not?

Sometimes, it was the more ordinary acts that were heroic - like asking a crying woman if she was okay, or telling a bedtime story to a frightened child. If I wanted to be a hero, I couldn't let myself forget the most basic and innate kinds of human decency. It was then that I decided I wanted to help show Eri there was some good in this world. She deserved it, after all.

When I got home, Toshi seemed to notice my contemplative mood, and after asking how everything went he wisely left me alone to my thoughts. Because now that I thought about it, Eri wasn't the only one I'd gotten more attached to than I should. It seemed hokey to think the phrase 'hero complex' given my current aspiration, but I did tend to attach myself to people I identified with - people who I thought I could save. Really, I knew it all probably came back to my desire to make recompense for my past still. No matter how many times Toshinori told me I had nothing to make up for, and that I'd already stoned for my sins, I still had a hard time acknowledging that as truth.

So, as we got ready for sleep that night and I snuggled into thin yet comforting arms, I let a small thoughtful noise escape my throat. "Is there such a thing as caring too much?" I asked the former number one hero.

Toshinori ducked his head to look down at me with a concentrated look. "I'd say no, but also it kind of depends on the situation," he answered.

I snuggled my head under his chin so that he couldn't see my face without shrugging me off of him. "All the people you ever saved... I know you obviously care for all the citizens, but after you saved someone, you probably never really knew what happened to them after that, right? Did it ever bother you sometimes? Or is there some sort of boundary - either learned or innate - that keeps you from letting it all weigh on you at the end of the day?" I asked while my fingers played idly with the fabric of his t-shirt.

All Might remained quiet for a few seconds, before answering in a tone that walked the line between reminiscent and remorseful. "It's learned," he told me finally, "At least for me, it was, and it was a lesson I had to obtain the hard way."

My fingers traced over the soft and steady thrum under his ribs. "Well, you do have such a big heart," I commented as if it was evidence to why he'd needed the lesson in the first place.

At that he shrugged. "I'd like to think any sane human would feel the same, although admittedly I've never asked another hero that question. I think personality dictates how quickly you learn it, though." Lightly his own thin finger began tracing small patterns over my arm, much like I was doing on his chest. "From time to time, I had to relearn the lesson - or rather I'd be forced to teach it to myself again. There were plenty of times when I'd lay in bed and feel crushed by the weight of what I'd done, what I couldn't do, and what I'd never know... but that doesn't accomplish anything - nothing other than a sleepless night, that is."

"That sounds about right," I sighed, and Toshinori shifted slightly to hold me a little closer.

"What's on your mind, love?" he murmured into my hair.

Now it was my turn to hesitate, and I mulled over the words in my head before I began. "When I was a vigilante, I didn't form any sort of attachments to those I saved. Mostly, that was because I couldn't afford to let anyone know me, but also I never was involved in anything major either - I left the big stuff to the pros. But now I worry more."

"What do you worry about?" Toshinori prompted gently, so I continued.

"I worry about the people I save. Admittedly, there's only been a few - the students here at Yūei, and the child Overhaul abused - but look how invested I've become. If I do this with everyone I ever save going forward, I'll drive myself insane for sure," I told him. My hand had moved on from tangling in his t-shirt to now twisting one of his bangs around my ring finger. Toshinori surprised me when I felt his chest rumble with quiet laughter, and I raised my head finally to glare at him. "Why is that funny?"

It was dark in our room, but I could still faintly see the luminescent glow of cyan as his shadowed eyes glittered in amusement. "I don't think you have anything to worry about," he tried to assuage me.

"And why's that?" I asked, still miffed.

"Because these are extenuating circumstances," he explained, "Every mission won't be so intertwined as your first couple have been - many will be just like it was when you were a vigilante. Sure, there will still be ones that stick out and gnaw at you, but the majority will eventually become just another day on the job."

"The situation with the kids, I get," I argued. "I was around them all the time for several months. But why Eri?"

Toshinori hummed thoughtfully. "Probably because she's been involved with several others around you - Midoriya and Aizawa specifically, but some of the other students as well. It makes sense to me that you would wonder about her a little more. The mission itself was also a more... traumatic one. So, it's no wonder the person you helped save would prey on your mind more as well." He paused, seeming to mull it over some more before adding, "But you'll learn how to manage those thoughts, and probably much quicker than I did. You're a lot more logical when it comes to these sort of things than I was at your age."

"Logical? More cold- hearted, maybe," I snorted with an eye roll.

"No," he disagreed quickly and earnestly. "Logical is the right word. You have a kind heart - a hero's heart - but you lead with your head, not your emotions. That's not easy in even the best situations."

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like that," I admitted softly. "My emotions - especially my anger and my guilt - make it hard to keep the ultimate goal in mind." Poor Toshi's hair was going to be a real mess, the way my fingers were still unconsciously twining it.

I could feel him nod his head. "Understandable," he empathized, "but I'd still argue that you will overcome it well - you already do well."

He always has too much faith in me, I sighed internally, hesitant to believe him. "It's only like that because of where I started," I muttered a tad bitterly.

There was a momentary silence as Toshi simply just held me. "I know," he said quietly. A gentle kiss pressed to the top of my head before he continued, "Your start was darker than mine, to be sure. But look at where you are now and how much you've overcome. You will do just fine, Mei. You'll use your heart and your anger and your past in ways that will make it an advantage - that's the thing with prior experiences. You learn from them.

"I remember when you first came to me with your crazy plan to save a bunch of kids that you'd never met. You had so much heart then, but the anger was there too underneath the guilt you carried from your past. Those feelings lead you to save so many lives. Anger isn't always a bad thing, just like caring 'too much' is necessarily a handicap either... Honestly, they kind of help each other along. You just have to be careful not to let either become the majority - they should be balanced," he told me.

"Easier said than done." I was glad he couldn't see my face. Surely, he'd be just as disappointed at the sight of the disbelief in my expression as I was in myself. I wanted to believe his words, but... Easier said than done, I repeated again silently.

Apparently though, he knew me too well and didn't need to see me to know. "You should really give yourself more credit, because I think you already do a fantastic job."

I sighed. "I hope so," I whispered, so quiet that I wasn't sure he'd even heard me. It was hard to force the words out.

Sleep was hard to come by that night, and as I lay there silently beside a man who was also suspiciously absent of the deeper breaths of slumber, I wondered if miles away there was at least a little girl who was achieving a better rest than I was. I also wondered if somewhere else in the building there was another sleep deprived hero awake thinking of her too. Maybe Toshinori was right about caring - it wasn't a bad thing.

But it could be a dangerous thing if I wasn't careful. My past had taught me that caring was painful.

However, I trusted Toshinori - I'd been scared to care for him in the beginning too, after all. If he believed I was a capable of finding that balance and walking the line like a natural, then maybe I could. Experience was everything, after all. So many of my past experiences had been horrible... much like little Eri, I also needed to relearn that there were good ones too.

Even now that I was a teacher, I really still felt like a student. There was so much I had yet to learn. I just hoped I'd be able to the handle each lesson, and that the universe would be kind as I learned each one.

A/N:

Aizawa's story about Gon and Koma is based off of a Japanese folktale called 'The Cats Elopement,' which is actually a rather cute little story. I'm not super well versed in Japanese stories, but it seemed fitting Shouta would obviously know the ones involving cats.

Happy New Year,

- Erin