#Eri'sDayOut
Overhaul and his men were taken into custody by the Metropolis police before being sent back to Japan to face life imprisonment. The pictures of Overhaul and his men showed that they had been beaten badly. Their faces were so black and blue that the authorities had trouble finding their identities because of their messed up faces. According to the Japanese authorities, the former yakuza members would spend the rest of their lives in Tartarus for crimes against hero society and human experimentation.
This information and more was being shown on the news while Izuku and Mirio were speaking to Sir Nighteye.
"So, it would seem that the leaked information we intercepted caused quite the waves within the criminal underworld. I'm impressed that you were able to mount such a fast and successful rescue and apprehension, Mirio." Sir Nighteye commended through the phone. "I am very proud of your accomplishments."
"Thank you, Sir Nighteye. But Izuku and the Titans were the ones that aided me and came up with the plan." Mirio said. "I wouldn't have been able to stop Overhaul let alone rescue Eri without them. They are the ones that you should thank, not just me."
Sir Nighteye stood silent for a little bit.
Izuku didn't know why but he could picture All Might's former sidekick narrowing his eyes at the sight of Izuku. The newest heir of One For All feared that the seasoned hero would not approve of him, in several things. Not only was he chosen by All Might when Nighteye had planned for Mirio to take up the mantle, but he was also dating his goddaughter and had sex with her. A part of Izuku wanted to find a deep hole and hide in there until Sir Nighteye's call was over. He was sure that he could probably prove himself to him if they met face to face and he had not met Tatsu, but now he was in a very compromising position that would make the former sidekick hate his guts.
"Izuku? Izuku!" Mirio said, snapping Izuku from his fear induced muttering. "You kinda spaced out there."
"O-Oh sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your call with your boss." Izuku apologized. "Sorry, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"
"Oh, Sir Nighteye wants to talk to you." Mirio said, holding up his phone.
Izuku's face lost all color at Mirio's words. His hand shakedly reached for Mirio's phone before putting it next to his ear.
"H-Hello?" Izuku said, waiting for the fearsome words of Sir Nighteye.
"Is this Izuku Midoriya speaking?" Sir Nighteye asked from the other side of the call.
"Y-Yes, this is him speaking." Izuku said, taking a deep breath to speak to the Pro-Hero. "It is an honor to speak to you, Sir Nighteye."
"You can cut the formalities, kid. I appreciate that you've helped Mirio in finding these villains and bringing them to justice." Sir Nighteye commended.
"It was a pleasure to work with him. He is a great hero and was willing to help me and my team catch these criminals and-" Izuku began to mutter out of desperation.
"You can cut the formalities, kid. You know the reality of my opinions on you. I do not approve of some unknown kid to take up the mantle of the task that is being All Might's heir. The next symbol of peace cannot be some flickering light at the end of a hallway, it must be a blinding symbol for others to follow." Sir. Nighteye said, causing Izuku to picture the blinding light that All Might is always seen with. "However, at this point you've shown to have some potential. So I'll be keeping a close eye on you, to see if you truly are worthy."
Izuku didn't know why but the way Sir Nighteye said that he wasn't worthy made him angry. His eyes narrowed. He had formed a team and become a hero that protected the people to the best of his ability. He had broken his bones, spilled blood, sweat and tears to become the hero that All Might would be proud of, that he would be proud of. But it seemed that no matter how much he worked, there was always one or two people that thought they knew best. However, Izuku steeled himself as he needed to prove himself to Sir Nighteye.
"Thank you, Sir Nighteye. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Izuku asked.
"Yes, would you tell me a joke? It is important to have a sense of humor in this line of work." Sir Nighteye said.
Izuku was confused at this request. He looked to Mirio, mouthing the request to Mirio. His friend replied by telling him that he should do so. Despite his confusion, Izuku started thinking of what could be a good joke. He then remembered a joke his mother told him when she came to visit him.
"U-um, have you heard of Gang Orca's stage name when he plays an instrument?" Izuku asked, loud enough to make sure that it was being heard on the other end. "It's Orca-stra!"
There was silence on the line. There was no burst of laughter. No witty remark. No silent roll of the eyes that could've told the two young heroes if the seasoned hero liked or acknowledged the joke.
"Not bad. Thank you for looking out for Tatsu, Midoryia." Sir Nighteye said before hanging up.
Izuku nearly collapsed from the abrupt ending of the call. He let out a sigh before handing the phone back to Mirio.
"Wow, I guess Sir Nighteye likes you, Midoriya. Usually when he hears a bad joke he snaps and says to try another one." Mirio said, putting his phone away.
"I guess it was hard to tell when you're talking to someone on the phone." Izuku sighed. "At least he sent Tatsu his regards."
"Hey, speaking of Tatsu, where is she and the other girls?" Mirio asked.
"Oh, they sent me a text and said that they were on a super special important mission today." Izuku said.
The super special important mission that the girls had told Izuku was one of great importance.
The female Titans had been checking up on Eri, who had been taken to the hospital for treatment. None of the girls ever left the little girl out of their sight for fear of something happening to her. They were basically the mother hens that would kill any fox that was foolish enough to mess with their chicks. At the moment, they had been helping Eri eat her breakfast.
"Here you go, Eri." Jessica said, holding out a peeled apple slice for the young girl. "Di aaaah."
Eri opened her mouth before taking a bite out of the apple slice. Her mouth turned into a smile as she tasted her treat.
The girls all awed and cooed at the reaction of the little girl.
"She's so adorable." Barbara said with a smile.
"I don't think I've ever been so close to someone so cute. Not counting our darling that is." Zee said.
"She is looking better every day." Karen pointed out.
"According to the nurses and the doctors, Eri was in need of some treatment. But she is now getting better with her health." Tatsu said, looking over the health chart by Eri's bed. "She should be released later today and given back to her family."
"Well, at least she is safe and with far better care than anything those brutes could muster." Barbi growled, not liking the idea of having to say goodbye to her little friend. "But hey at least she will be safe."
"Do not feel bad for Eri leaving sisters. She will be returned to her family and that is all that matters." Diana said, before holding out a large steak and a sharp sword. "In the meantime, she must eat something to help her recover her strength. Have some boar, Eri. It will help you grow big and strong like your big sister, Diana." She added, slicing the steak with her sword.
The rest of the girls were concerned by the way that Diana managed to sneak in a large deadly weapon into a hospital, but they couldn't help but sweatdrop at how much Diana was taking up the role of big sister.
"Hey, Diana, don't get ahead of yourself." Kara said.
"Yeah, maybe Eri will grow up and be an awesome badass like her big sisters, Kara and Galatea." Galatea added as the two Kryptonians flexed their arms, showing off their muscles.
The lesser built girls in the room only rolled their eyes at the sight of the three women showing off like that.
"Don't listen to them, darling. You can grow up big and strong if you want, but remember that a lady should always be refined and beautiful." Zee said, rubbing Eri's head with a careful and loving stroke. "Like your big sister, Zee for instance."
"Or your big sister Barbi if you want a better example." Barbi said, getting on the next side of Eri's bed. "How have you been, sweetie? Has the hospital staff and the doctors been treating you well?"
"Y-yes." Eri replied with the strength and courage of a little mouse.
The way that she replied to Barbi's question made the hearts of the girl's flutter.
"So cute~!" All the girls said with a dreamy tone.
"C-C-can I ask s-s-something?" Eri muttered.
"Of course, lindura. You can ask us anything." Jessica said with a sweet smile on her face.
"What… What is a 'big sister'?" Eri asked.
This question made the girls stop for a second. It made them wonder how long Eri had been kidnapped by the yakuza.
"Um, darling, a big sister is a girl that is older than you. And more often than not, you have the same parents." Zee explained. "Eri, honey, how old are you? Five? Six?"
"I-I don't know." Eri replied, causing the girls to get even more questions.
Diana, Kara, Galatea and Barbara noticed the nurse and the doctors coming by and decided to get some much needed answers.
"Doctor, would you mind if we asked you some questions?" Barbara asked.
"By all means, what can I help you with, ladies?" the doctor asked.
"Eri, the young girl that was brought in a few days ago, how old is she?" Diana asked.
"Well, from the tests we've done, I'd say she's around six yeas of age. She doesn't appear to be malnourished, but she has extensive scarring tissue on her arms and she also appears to be scared of her own shadow." The doctor went over Eri's chart. "May I ask what your relationship with her is?"
"Well, we are part of the group that found her and brought her here to make sure she was alright. We've got visitor's clearance from the front desk and our IDs checked out." Barbara replied, showing off the visitor's pass that was given to them.
"Oh, that's great. Then would you be the ones taking her home?" The doctor asked.
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"We've made some calls and looked for missing children but none match her description. We were hoping that we could stretch out to Japan to see if they knew anything, but we've come up empty." The doctor said.
"You mean, she's an orphan?" Galatea asked.
"It would appear so. If you can contact the adults of your group, she could go with you today." The doctor said. "Now, if you'll excuse me ladies."
The doctor left the girls with even more questions of what to do. They gathered the rest of the female Titans and compared notes. Eri's situation was not one that could be taken lightly. They couldn't just leave Eri alone and to her own devices, she was too young to fend for herself. They started thinking of what they could do. They could look for a foster home where she could live until they found her parents. But the idea of dropping her off to someone else didn't sit right with them.
"We could take her to Barbi's house to live with her and Diana?" Karen suggested.
"My house isn't an orphanage, plus if my parents find out about her she'll be in big trouble." Barbi said.
"Why not Themiskyra? She could be properly trained and raised by some of the most amazing women in the world." Diana suggested. "I mean, they raised me and I turned out as their greatest warrior."
"Yeah, but we don't want her to go far away with scary ladies." Kara replied.
"Plus we don't need her to be socially awkward." Galatea added.
"I am not socially awkward!" Diana scoffed.
"You brought a sword and boar steak into a hospital for a little girl, Diana." Barbi pointed out.
"So what do we do now?" Jessica asked. "We have to tell Izuku and Mirio. Maybe they can find something from their contacts in Japan."
"They must've gotten in contact with my godfather by now. They must have mentioned Eri's situation. I hope." Tatsu said, muttering the last part.
"Are you still embarrassed because you haven't told your godfather that you've changed your relationship status?" Kara asked, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
Tatsu's face turned beat red, knowing exactly what the blond Kryptonian meant. She wanted to proudly admit that she had found a wonderful man that made her feel special, that was careful and wanted to make her happy, and that was all man in bed. But in her defense how was she supposed to tell her godfather that she had not only gotten a boyfriend, but that she had also had sex and that she was in a harem. It just wasn't something that came up in normal conversation.
"Girls, as much as it would be fantastic to talk about our love life, we need to do something." Zee said, getting the attention of the girls back on the subject.
The girls then turned to Eri's room. They saw how she was just looking at the window, trying to get as much sunlight as she could. It was as though she was trying to be in the light and away from the shadows as much as she could. In many ways they could tell that she hadn't been allowed to be outside.
"Are you all thinking what I'm thinking?" Zee asked.
The girls filled out the paperwork for Eri's release from the hospital. She was allowed to go with them under the expressed instructions that she would be returned to the hospital by the end of the day. It was a simple condition but the girls were going to do everything in their power to make Eri's day out perfect.
Eri was dressed up on a white long sleeved shirt with a light red overall skirt that covered her legs. She had black shoes and a bow on her head which kept her hair out of her face after it had been brushed by the girls. She looked up in wonder at the city streets and the buildings that were around her. She had never been anywhere like Metropolis, let alone be allowed outside. She took a tentative step forwards, only for a hand to grab hold of her own. But this was a gentle hand, one that didn't make her recoil in fear.
"Easy there, little sister. You can't just go running into the street without looking." Diana said. "You must stay close, alright?" She said, giving Eri a warm smile.
"O-Oh alright." Eri said.
"Eri, it is our pleasure and great honor to welcome you to Metropolis, the City of Tomorrow!" Barbara said, showing off the city to the little girl.
"Wow." Eri said.
"Yeah, it looks amazing. And trust us, we plan to show you all the good stuff this city has to offer." Kara said, kneeling next to Eri.
"So, get ready to get your socks knocked off." Galatea added, rustling Eri's head, only for her to shake slightly in fear.
Galatea recoiled in shock, wondering if she had done it too hard.
"It's alright, sweetie. We'll take this one step at a time." Zee said, as she brushed Eri's hair back in proper form.
"I know what's it like to be scared all the time. So if you need any help just say so." Karen said, getting Eri's attention.
Eri looked at Karen as she gave her a smile.
"We won't let anything happen to you Eri. You can trust us." Jessica added, reassuring the little girl as best as she could.
Eri looked at the other girls with curiosity. She expected dark glances and unsympathetic looks to her situation, like she had received so many times before. But when she looked upon the faces of Diana, Kara, Galatea, Zee, Jessica, Barbara, Karen, Tatsu and Barbi, she was met with kindness and goodness. They were all smiling at her like she was one of them. Eri couldn't help but feel a warmth coming into her body.
"Alright, let's start this day with the park!" Barbara said, leading the girls and Eri to the park across the street.
As the girls walked to the park, Eri held on to Diana's hand. It made her feel safe as they stepped into the park. Her eyes landed on all the green around her and the sound of laughter. She saw people having those expressions that were so alien to her everywhere she looked. Her whole body felt something invisible hitting her. She looked around for whatever it was but she didn't see anything. The smells and sounds of the park were enchanting to her and they didn't seem to end. The light was getting on her face and the strange sounds that people were making caused her to recoil. Eri's hand grabbed Diana's tightly as she started to feel overwhelmed by her new surroundings.
Diana saw this.
"Are you feeling tired, Eri?" Diana asked. "We can carry you if you want?"
"I… um-" Eri began.
Just then a dog came out from the bushes, barking as it chased after a squirrel.
Eri jumped back in fear, hiding behind Diana as the dog passed by. She began to sob in fear, holding onto Diana for dear life.
"Sh sh sh sh, it is alright, Eri." Diana said, consoling the little girl.
"It's alright, Eri. It was just a dog." Karen said.
"You can open your eyes now." Barbi added.
Eri didn't seem to budge. She was too scared to even look away from her shut eyes.
Kara and Galatea looked at each other. They gestured to Eri and then up to their heads. They nodded in agreement.
"Alright, squirt. No more tears." Galatea said, picking up Eri from the ground much to her shock.
"Galatea, put her down! You're scaring her." Tatsu snapped.
"Relax, Tatsu. The kid will have a better view from up here." Kara said.
"Besides, if any more mean dogs or squirrels come by, they'll have to deal with us." Galatea said as she put Eri on her shoulders. "You need to hang on, okay Eri."
Eri wrapped her hands on Galatea's head, hiding her face on her golden locks in fear.
"Hey, you'll miss everything. It's okay." Kara said, trying to make Eri look up.
Eri slowly looked up from Galatea's head. She opened her eyes, seeing things from a higher spot that she usually did. She could see farther into the park, seeing people smiling and having fun. And no shadow in sight.
"Pretty cool, right?" Galatea said.
"Y-Yes." Eri replied.
"Well, with that settled, let's get going with the tour through the city!" Barbara said.
"I do hope she doesn't learn to be so hyperactive like Barbara." Barbi said with a sigh.
"I don't think we need to worry about that." Jessica replied.
The girls took Eri though the park, showing her to the wonders of the city. She was taken by the light and the happiness around her.
Barbara and the other girls looked around and explained things to her. They made sure to keep her safe and to show her what was going on around her. They explained what dogs were, and even tried to get Eri to pet one. But the little girl recoiled in fear. The Gotham native introduced Eri to music from a park playing their guitar. It was a sound that Eri was not at all used to. It was a melody that made her feel like moving her legs but whenever she tried to move, she almost fell from Galatea's shoulders, which made her hold tightly to the blond woman. They moved on to where a group of friends were playing frisbee amongst themselves. Barbara explained how the game was played and even signaled one of the players to throw the disk their way.
But it only led to the frisbee hitting Eri on her head.
"I'm so sorry, Eri. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get hit, I promise." Barbara said, begging for forgiveness, bowing repeatedly as she was apologizing to someone she respected more than anything.
Eri was sobbing with a small bruise on her forehead. She was being calmed down by Zee, Karen, and Babi.
"We get it, Barbara. We know it was an accident." Barbi said, kissing the top of Eri's head, earning a confused look from the little girl. "That was a magic spell to make the pain go away."
"You call that a spell? Let me show you, Barbi." Zee said. "Tel eht niap no reh daeherof og yawa." She chanted, lightly touching Eri's forehead, dulling the pain from it.
Eri gasped at what just happened.
"There, all better." Zee said with a smile.
"Well, that's all better." Jessica said, putting a bandaid on the small bruise laid on Eri's forehead. "Are you sure you want to continue? We can go some other place if you want?"
Eri nodded her head. She wanted more of the world that they were showing her. She normally would curl up into a ball after being taken back to her room, but a strange new courage made her go forth and see more.
The girls decided to take Eri to their next destination, a small restaurant where they thought Eri would have a lot of fun. The restaurant was a small family restaurant with a bunch of animatronic animal characters singing and dancing. It seemed like a cleaner version of Chuck E. Cheese with a badger as the lead guitarist. The female Titans weren't sure if they should've gone there but they figured that Eri needed a more kid friendly place to calm down and relax.
"Did we really have to come here?" Barbi asked. "What was wrong with a normal restaurant? Or cafe?"
"We agreed that it had to be a place with other kids for Eri to feel welcomed." Jessica replied, before getting a flying straw paper to the head. "Although I'm starting to regret that choice."
"Do not worry, all we need to do is introduce Eri here to something yummy to eat and it'll all be worth it." Barbara commented.
"But does it have to be pizza served by a poor sod wearing a badger costume?" Barbi asked while Tatsu showed Eri what to do with the children's menu.
"A-am I doing this r-right?" Eri asked.
"Yes, Eri, you're drawing it all wonderfully. Now all you need to do is write down your name, an artist should always sign their work." Tatsu said.
"U-um, I-I.." Eri began.
"You do not know how to read and write, do you?" Diana asked.
Eri shook her head.
"Let us help you." Tatsu said, picking a crayon. "Look what I do and try to copy me, okay?"
Eri nodded in understanding.
Tatsu began to write down the Japanese kanji of Eri's name. She looked at Eri who copied down her own movements with her little shaky hands. With some positive reinforcement, Eri's shaky handwriting became a full sentence. Tatsu smiled with pride like a parent that had just seen their child write down their first sentence.
"Well done, Eri. You've done it perfectly." Tatsu said.
"I-I did?" Eri asked.
"It looks good to me." Kara said, looking over Diana's shoulder to see the written piece.
"Can you tell us what it says?" Zee asked.
"Yeah, we should probably get to learning how to read or write in Japanese." Galatea mentioned. "Since we're dating Izuku and all."
The other girls nodded in agreement.
"So, what does it say?" Karen asked.
"It reads: 'Hello, my name is Eri'." Tatsu replied.
"Oh, that's adorable. I'm gonna take a picture of it." Jessica said, pulling out her phone. "Ready? Uno, dos, tres."
Jessica was about to take the picture, a slice of pizza landed directly on the menu, obscuring the written sentence beyond recognition.
The girls all screamed in shock at the sight before them. They looked around for the source of the flying pizza slice.
"Who threw that?" Tatsu demanded.
"Si, ¿quién fue el maldito?" Jessica added, looking for the ones responsible.
Just then another pizza slice landed on top of her head, giving Jessica and the others the direction of where it came from. They turned around and saw who was responsible. It turned out that the pizza throwers were none other than the Football Team of Metropolis High, who were celebrating their latest win against another team. Why were they in a family restaurant? It was one of the only places that hadn't kicked them out for causing a ruckus. Hal Jordan was laughing as the rest of his team were loudly cheering for him.
"Who's the best quarterback?!" Hal asked.
"Hal Jordan!" the team loudly replied.
"Who gets more touchdowns?! More speedy passes? More awesome catches?!" Hal asked, awaiting the answer of his adoring teammates.
"Hal Jordan!" the team replied with the sound of thunder.
"Who drives all the girls wild?!" Hal asked, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"Jordan!" Jessica snapped, causing Hal to slip and fall down.
Hal looked up and saw Jessica along with the other girls glaring at him.
"Oh hey girls. What's up? Come here to congratulate me on scoring the winning pass of the series?" Hal asked, posing as though he was a supermodel for a men's sports magazine. "I don't blame you. I am hard to ignore."
"Actually we were wondering if you could take your celebration down." Zee said.
"Or better yet, someplace else." Barbi added.
"We understand the need to celebrate a victory after a great accomplishment, Hal. But you must realize that there are other people around you." Diana pointed out. "One of your slices landed on Jessica's head and on our table."
"Sorry girls. But you know how a party goes. Say, why are you here in the first place? I don't see your green man around." Hal remarked.
"We're here because we were trying to help our hermanita, baboso. You just ruined our meal." Jessica said with fire in her eyes.
Eri hid behind Kara and Galatea as this was happening. She didn't know why these men were laughing or talking so loudly, but they seemed to be way too open and forthcoming than what she was used to. She hoped to stay hidden and out of sight. She didn't know why but the brown haired man's attitude was making her very uncomfortable. She whimpered as she held onto the legs of both Kara and Galatea. Just then she saw that she was spotted by the tall man.
"Hey, who's this little rugrat?" Hal asked, making Eri jump back in fear.
"This is Eri, she's our friend and she is in our care." Barbara replied.
"Oh, I see. You girls wanted her to meet the coolest guy in school, right?" Hal asked ever the self centered man that he was.
"Actually-" Karen began only for Hal to snatch Eri from her hiding spot.
"Don't worry, I've got it from here." Hal said, holding up Eri like a football. "Alright, Eli-"
"Eri." The girls corrected him with some venom in their tone directed straight at Hal.
"That's what I said. So Eri, you like football?" Hal asked.
"Um, I-" Eri tried to reply but Hal interrupted her.
"Of course you like it. A bunch of cool dudes passing and throwing the ball high in the sky is like a dream, right?" Hal said, further confusing Eri.
"I-I guess." Eri replied.
"Hal, I think she's had enough." Jessica said, trying to stop Hal from frightening Eri even further.
"Nah, she's a big girl. I bet she can take it." Hal said, throwing Eri up into the air like a sack of potatoes. "Right guys?"
"Hal, no!" Kara said.
"Hal, yes!" Hal replied.
The rest of the team started passing Eri around like she was a football, much to the terror of the female Titans. The girls feared that their roughness could hurt little Eri. Looks of horror and worry took over their faces. They didn't know what it was but it was a primal worry that couldn't be reasoned with or tempered by logic. Their eyes focused on Eri, looking for an opening to catch her and get her away from danger.
"Careful!" Barbi said.
"She isn't a football!" Tatsu added.
"Stop it, please!" Karen pleaded.
"Stop this at once!" Diana commanded with a firm tone.
Just then they heard a light cry coming from Eri's mouth. She was trying to curl up into a ball to make them stop.
The female Titans jumped into action, fueled by the strange fire that had been lit under them after being doused in gasoline. Jessica used her ring to create a short circuit for the robotic band to distract the people. Diana, Kara, and Galatea knocked out and punched half of the jocks that were tossing Eri around. Barbi and Barbara jumped over the jocks, catching Eri in the middle of the air with acrobatic skill. Tatsu tossed an empty pizza disc at the remaining jocks, knocking the pizza slices up to their faces. Karen opened the door as the other girls rushed out with Eri in hand.
"What's up with them?" Hal asked, only to be grabbed by the neck by Jessica.
The usually pacific and balanced tempered Jessica was glaring at Hal with eyes that could only be compared to an angry Kryptonian. She was looking deep into Hal's soul, making him bend back in fear.
"Listen to me and listen to me very well, Hal Jordan. If you ever put nuestra princesa en peligro otra vez, te voy a matar, Hal." Jessica said with a voice that would make Kilowog cower in fear.
"Okay, Jess. Usually I don't mind when a lady grabs me so roughly, but you are currently being a total turn off." Hal said. "Okay, that's a huge lie. You've got fire girl."
Jessica growled at him like a lioness about to rip someone a new one before dropping him to the ground. She ran out, leaving some money for the pizza that they had ordered before joining the rest of the Titans.
"Are you alright, Eri? We're sorry this happened." Diana said as she wiped the tears from Eri's face.
"We promise to be more careful." Kara added.
"You were a very brave girl." Tatsu said, hoping that Eri would feel better.
"Yeah, we even got you some pizza." Barbara said, offering the little girl a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Eri looked at it before taking a bite out of it. It was good but she didn't know if it was alright for her to eat all of it. She gestured it at the girls, trying to share what she had. But as she did this the melted cheese stretched out, scaring the little girl. She tried to pull it free and out of her mouth, but that only led to her being tied up in cheese.
"Awe, she's just like Diana when she arrived in the city." Zee cooed out of the adorableness of the little girl.
"That's so cute~!" Barbara and Karen squealed equally out of the cuteness they were watching unfold.
"I don't recall being called cute when that happened to me." Diana pointed out.
"If you were six years old you would've been." Kara commented.
Eri however was not seeing this as cute. She was starting to freak out and wanted this to stop. Those thoughts of fear triggered something within Eri. Her horn began to glow and a yellow energy started to emanate from it.
The female Titans took a step back out of instinct. They didn't know what was going on with their little sister but they knew that they didn't want to be near it.
"What's happening?" Diana asked.
"It must be her quirk activating." Tatsu surmised. "We should keep our distance, we still don't know what she's fully capable of."
The yellow light encased the pizza slice that Eri was holding. The slice hovered up in the air like a kite. The cheese that had been eaten by Eri reappeared along with the sauce and the dough. The pizza slowly started to grow and grow back until it was one full pizza, slices from inside the restaurant came to Eri's pizza slice. The full pizza hovered in the air like a frisbee disk.
"Wow, instant pizza!" Galatea pointed out.
"Awesome quirk, little sis!" Kara added.
"Wait, there's more." Jessica said.
The pizza started to pull itself apart. The dough was going from cooked bread back to raw elastic dough. The sauce was pulled off the dough and started turning into two large tomatoes. The shaved and melted cheese was rewinded into a block of solid cheese. And all the topics turned back into what they were being cooked.
"Wow." Zee said. "She's rewinding the pizza to be what the ingredients were before it was a whole pizza."
"Rewind. That sounds about right." Barbara said.
"Eri, please stop!" Diana called out, snapping Eri from her actions.
Just then Eri's horn stopped glowing, leaving the ingredients in the air. The ingredients then fell from the air, landing on the girls before splashing on the floor.
"S-sorry." Eri said with a tone that only a mouse would speak in.
"It is alright, honey. No problem whatsoever." Zee said, getting some powdered flour off her hair.
"We should probably go somewhere else." Jessica suggested.
"Agreed." Diana added as Galatea picked up Eri and put her back on her shoulders.
The group walked while trying to cheer Eri up, but no matter what they tried it didn't work. The sights of the city were not making any difference on Eri's mood. The girls felt like they failed to make the little girl's day any better than how it started. They continued walking without any clear destination when the lights of the city started turning on. The guilt and self disappointment they were feeling was like an anchor that weighed them down. They were running out of time and ideas to help them make Eri's day out something that she would remember fondly.
"What's that sound?" Eri asked, getting the attention of the female Titans.
The Titans looked around to see what Eri was referring to.
"What sound, little sis?" Galatea asked.
"That sound." Eri replied.
The girls stood silent, listening to what Eri was hearing. They didn't say a word as a faint melody started to reach their ears. It was music.
"Music?" Karen.
"A band must be playing nearby." Barbi suggested.
"I think there's something at the pier tonight." Jessica said.
"They're pretty good, I will say that." Kara pointed out.
"C-can we go see?" Eri asked.
The girls looked at the little girl. She hadn't asked for anything that whole day, and now she was asking for something. The Titans couldn't deny her.
"Follow that music!" Diana ordered like an Amazon warrior leading her sisters into battle.
They ran at high speeds, making it past cars, people and anything else that got in their way. They saw lights going up to the sky, swinging side to side like the arms of a master of ceremonies that was urging people to come and see the show. The Titans soon found themselves on the pier where a crowd of people had gathered for a big event. They looked around and saw the poster for a concert. The poster showed a large anthropomorphic winged unicorn wearing dark shades playing a guitar while flames erupted from its mouth and planets and comets of all shapes and colors spiraled behind it. At the bottom of the poster it was the name of the event which told the girls all they needed to know.
"'Mega-Ultra Palooza Pier Concert: Band Battle'?" Tatsu read out loud.
"Oh right, the battle of the bands. I completely forgot that it was going to happen this weekend." Barbara said, pulling out her phone to show the same poster to the girls. "I thought that it would be an awesome event we could all go to if we were free this weekend. Bands from all over Metropolis and out of the city are signed to perform, and whoever wins will be dubbed THE BAND MASTERS!"
"It certainly has an imaginative poster." Karen pointed out as she looked at the mascot.
"So many people." Eri commented, reminding the girls that she was still present.
"Yes, Eri. A lot of people come here and listen to music and have a good time." Kara explained. "People don't worry about what is happening in their lives and just enjoy themselves."
"It is a very fun activity." Barbi added.
This gave the girls an idea.
"Eri, would you like to go to the concert?" Diana asked.
"Y-Yes." Eri replied.
"Shall we?" Diana asked her friends.
"We will have to call Izuku and Mirio. It would be impolite to leave them out of this." Zee suggested.
"Already on it." Barbara said, making the call.
Izuku and Mirio arrived at the pier after receiving the call from Barbara. The two boys had been wondering where the girls had gone or whether they should be worried about them taking Eri. But once they received the call their worries were laid to rest. As they made their way across the crowd of people, they spotted Eri riding Galatea's shoulders. They saw that the rest of the Titan girls were with them.
"Izuku, Mirio, this way!" Tatsu waved, once the girls spotted them.
"The band is about to play!" Barbara added.
"Girls, where have you been all day?" Izuku asked.
"We asked the doctors and they said you were taking Eri out." Mirio mentioned.
"Yeah, we thought that this would be a great time to let her get out of that stuffy hospital." Kara replied as the band took to the stage.
"Oh, the band is out." Karen said, making the team turn and see what was going on.
The band all wore yellow colored suits with bow ties and white shirts. The lead singer was a young woman with black hair on a bob cut, her earlobes were long and turned into ear jack plugs. She was Jirou Kyoka, the lead singer and guitarist of the band, The Earphone Jacks. A Japanese band that had made a name for themselves in the U.S. despite their small fame in Japan.
"Good night Metropolis!" Jirou called out through the microphone. "We're so happy to be here! Let me introduce the gang here!" She said pointing to her bandmates.
"We've got Tokoyami on the guitar! With some rocking strings!"
Tokoyami was a man wearing what appeared to be a black bird head with a yellow beak. He held a purple guitar as he played a quick note.
"We've got Kaminari, jamming on the base!"
Kaminari was a young man with blonde hair with black lightning bolts on it. He held a yellow base that was decorated with some black bolts and a pair of headphones on his head.
"On the battery we've got Shoji, don't let his looks fool you ladies, he's a teddy bear!"
Shoji was a tall muscular man that stood out of the rest of the group. He had six arms connected by a layer of thick skin between them. He had a face mask that covered the lower part of his face, while his hair looked like a silver claw that grabbed his face. He spun all six of his drumsticks before giving a thumbs up.
"On the keyboard we have, Momo!"
Momo was a young girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail. She had fair skin and a lovely figure that could give some of the female Titans a run for their money.
"And as the lead singer of this ragtag team, you've got me, Jirou! Now, who's ready to rock?!"
The crowd roared in amazement and thrill. The band started playing their song as the lights started dancing like an entourage of dancers making their stand.
*Hero Too*
The Titans joined on the fun, dancing to the music with no worries of what was and excitement to what it could be. Their eyes landed on Eri who was looking at everything like it was the greatest show on earth. Her eyes were wide, glued to the stage as the song played.
"Are you having fun, Eri?" Izuku asked, smiling at her.
"Y-yes!" Eri replied, louder than anything she'd ever said.
"Then, smile! If you're happy, smile!" Izuku said, giving her his biggest smile.
Eri looked at what he was doing, it was the same expression that Mirio had. She then saw it on the faces of her big sisters. She felt like she was being coated in lights that burnt away the shadows that loomed over her. Her eyes filled with tears. But they weren't something that pulled her down. They were burning away the shadows and were introducing her to something new. Eri smiled as the song played on and the first happy day of her life that would be soon followed by many more.
The battle of the bands continued on late into the night, with The Earphone Jacks getting the win at the end. The Titans managed to buy some of their albums and even got Eri an autographed picture and a t-shirt.
The Titans returned to the hospital as Eri needed to spend one more night there before being released the next day. The doctors were not very happy that the young adults had taken Eri much longer than what was agreed. But the smile on the little girl's face was more than capable of leaving the Titans with a light scolding.
"We hope you had fun, Eri." Diana said.
"Yes. I had fun." Eri replied with a smile on her face.
"If you ever wanna hang out with us, all you gotta do is ask." Kara said.
"Even if you don't ask." Zee added.
"We will be here." Barbara said.
"You can count on us for anything." Jessica said, sounding proud of herself.
"So don't worry about anything. Because your big sisters are here to help." Karen said.
"Easy there, Karen. We can't do everything for her." Tatsu said.
"But if anyone or anything is getting ahead of themselves, just say the word, darling." Barbi said, making her eyes glow green briefly.
"Yeah, you just tell your big sisters and we will make them wish they were six feet under." Galatea added, cracking her knuckles.
Izuku and Mirio couldn't help but feel like the girls were getting too close to Eri to the point of smothering her.
"Alright, we should let little Eri have a breath or two. Besides, it is getting late." Mirio said, pulling the female Titans out of the room with all his strength. "This isn't a hotel after all."
The female Titans wanted to stay a little longer, but once the hospital staff showed them out, they went along.
Izuku was left with Eri. He smiled at her and helped tuck her in.
"Good night, Eri. We will see you in the morning." Izuku said.
"C-can…" Eri began. "Can you tell me a story?"
"U-um, sure." Izuku replied, looking for anything that could pass for a children's story book.
Izuku's eyes landed on a book that had been left on the table at the corner of the room. He picked it up and read the old book's title, Watership Down. Izuku had heard of the story once from his father. He wasn't sure if it would be good for Eri to hear, but then he saw the scars that she had. He looked at his own scars, making up his mind.
"Alright, Eri. This is a very special book. It might be scary, and you may not want to read it but I think it will help you." Izuku explained. "Do you still want me to read it to you?"
"Y-yes please." Eri replied.
"Very well. Let's get started then." Izuku said, opening the book.