Kōki ended up taking her to sit by the fountain in the park. It's early morning, and a holiday, so no one's around. Kōki went by a convenience store and got them both something, a milk tea for herself and a carton of milk for Eri. Eri took the carton silently, and observed it with curious eyes.

"What is this?"

"Milk." Kōki answered, plucking the carton from her hands to help her poke in the straw, as she clearly doesn't know how to. "Here, drink it."

Eri was hesitant, but after taking a tiny taste, her eyes brightened, and she started taking larger sips.

"Why are you running away?" Kōki asked softly as she watched the girl drink quietly. Eri flinched, and she put the drink down in her lap.

"They hurt me." Eri said just as softly, eyes downcast, "I'm scared, and I don't want to hurt anymore, so I ran away."

Now Kōki just want to gather her into a bundle and hide her away from the entire world. Dammit.

"Children shouldn't be hurt." Kōki whispered.

"But I'm cursed." She whispered.

"What?"

"There's something bad in me." Eri mumbled, "it makes people disappear."

"Your quirk?"

Eri shook her head.

"I'm cursed." She whispers. "I'm bad, I hurt people. He's... he's just trying to help me."

"It doesn't matter." Kōki said under her breath, the familiarity of the situation hitting her hard. Her head spins as Eri shrunk in herself, looking very, very small and weeping without tears. "Nobody should get hurt."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Eri whispers.

"So you..." Kōki felt her heart twist slightly, "So you let people hurt you instead?"

Eri flinches, then nodded.

Kōki's heart breaks.

In some twisted way, this reminded her of what Akemi had to do. She took every hit, she endured beatings, because she didn't want her father to hurt her. She doesn't know what's going on with Eri, but this small resemblance is already breaking her heart.

"You... you remind me of someone, Eri." before she could stop herself, Kōki blurted.

Eri looked up.

"You remind me of my sister." Kōki elaborated, and winced as her voice broke.

"S-sister?"

Kōki nodded. There's no taking back now, is there?

"I have a big sister." Kōki said softly, "My nee-chan is like you. She... she gets hurt a lot, so..." She gulps, "so I wouldn't get hurt."

Eri's eyes widens.

"But... but I don't want her to get hurt for me." Kōki's voice cracks and she feels so pathetic. Here she is, a teenager, trying to comfort a child but instead barely keeping herself from crying. "I feel really bad when she gets hurt for me, you know, because... because no one should get hurt, Eri, no one."

Eri's scarlet eyes doesn't swell with tears, but they glimmer and she can hear her tiny little sob all the way up here. Her heart twists, and instinctually, her hand snakes up to grab the front of her shirt. Instead, they close around something small, jagged, and cold.

Kōki looks down.

Akemi's old necklace glitters softly in the morning light, and an idea flashes by her mind.

Should she?

Should she do this? Akemi did entrust her the necklace...

It's what she'd want.

Kōki's hands reaches back to lift her hair, her fingers tangled and struggled with the clip for a while first— her hands were never as nimble or delicate as Akemi, who is an artist, but after a while she successfully got the clip off, and she gently slipped the necklace away from her neck.

"Here." She said gently, and clipped the chain around Eri's neck, letting the red sea glass rest on her collarbone, "Look, it matches your eyes."

Eri sniffled, and gently gripped the necklace now around her neck.

"Is it really okay?" She asked, timid.

"Sure." Kōki said as she tugged the chain beneath her little dress, "You deserve to have nice things."

She threaded her fingers through the little girl's hair and smiled. Eri gave her a curious look, and Kōki gently patted the crown of her head.

"Who... who's your nee-chan?" She asked.

"Akemi." Kōki answered. "Her name is Akemi."

Eri nodded.

Kōki pulled her into a hug, because it's what Akemi would've done.

Akemi's always protected her. Kōki had always been the one being protected. But this time... this time Kōki is going to protect someone.

No matter how small, she is going to protect someone.

A presence loom over them.

Kōki's hold loosens, and she gulped. Someone is here. And the air they carry is heavy and murderous. Eri stiffens in her arms, and Kōki, gently letting Eri go but still holding her by the shoulders, looked back.

A mob of black hair framing a pale face, covered by a crooked medieval plague doctor's mask. A face that is strangely, unsettlingly familiar. Has she met him before? But nevertheless, the man stared down at them, piercing golden eyes so very cold.

"Eri."

Current Poll Results~ (from both the poll and the reviews)

Akemi's paring:

Todoroki Shouto: 25

Midoriya Izuku: 7

Ueno Hibiki: 7

Bakugou Katsuki: 5

Iida Tenya: 3

Iida Tensei: 1

Kaminari Denki: 1

Seiba Hiroi: 0

Others (Please state in review!)

Hibiki's pairing:

Shinsou Hitoshi: 8

Kimura Akemi: 7

Iida Tenya: 4

Midoriya Izuku: 0

Seiba Hiroi: 0

Todoroki Shouto: 0

Others (Please state in review!)

I had loads of homework and my phone got confiscated... sorry.

Onto the comment(s)!

To darkpaladin89: Nah it's probably the opposite... but I'll keep the 'why' to myself for a couple more chapters. (*Whispers*Spoilers...)

I have a discord server where I share art for my fic and just chat, link here:

https/discord.gg/2S7Cy4R