The (former) Heroine and The Villain

by bajy

The unthinkable happens, All For One escapes from jail! But then nothing happens afterward, As if he had vanished in thin air, no one's seen him & his minions in 2yrs. During that time, while still fighting some villains, things have been more peaceful, but some could not shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm, especially Toshinori (AFO x Fem Toshi)

8. Chapter 5: Nightmares

I'M ALIVE!!!

I Don't have a clue as to what the other users quirks names are or let alone what type of quirks they had so I'm just guessing plus this is fanfiction so I making it up as I go along.

Sorry for long delay, here it is guys!

Enjoy!

She enjoyed tea from time to time, it was soothing, healthy, helped to calm her nevres, and it helps her to relax.

Especially after a long but productive day.

Getting the book which had been her favorite story for these past few short years, that she had been wanting to get for so long.That great girls day out she had with Nemuri and Hizashi and learning about the voice heroines engagement to the erasure hero. Meeting A new friend who helped her to get away from Amaro. Being greeted by Izuku and Eri when she got back. Receiving yet another thoughtful gift from the one secret admirer that she had had for as long as she could remember. Getting The rest of her work done in a short amount of time before being invited to join her students to watch a movie together in the common room, which was pretty good.

It was the new Sonic the hedgehog movie that came out in theaters last month, taking place in an age where quirks did not exist and there were anthropomorphic animals, everyone loved every bit of the movie as she did.

Action packed, hilarious, epic, with some touching moments, It was phenomenal, It was no wonder it immediately became one of the most popular movies in the world not long after hitting theaters.

And now the day was done and she was enjoying a cup of tea before hitting the sack.

School starts first thing in the morning so she'll need to get to bed soon so she could get ready.

Not to mention that she was going to join Izuku for an early morning jog before breakfast. Thankfully she had gotten her new thermal tracksuit yesterday, Due to the unusually colder temperature this season with some days being so pleasant that you would not need a coat like today, Even though much earlier that morning it was stupidly cold.

Autumn was in the air after all. Usually it would be pretty cool (literally, no pun intended), This year it was a more chili then normal. Not really an entirely odd thing considering that there were some Falls in the past that were a tad bit chillier then normal, sometimes it would depend on where you lived and other times it was just because of the weather.

Izuku wasn't going to school tomorrow after the jog because he had his internship in the morning along with a few other students in class 1A.

It was not just One For All of that he still needed to train, there are other quirks that he needs a to train as well.

Since Izuku started having those talks with all the other users of One For All in his dreams sometimes and discovering that he was going to wheel more quirks from each one of them, He's been working more diligently to get control over the ones he currently has that manifested up until now.

Thanks to her (extensive, tiring, long but very well worth it) research, Toshinori was able uncover more information about the previous users, including their quirks, or at least as much as she could as there were still 2 users who have yet to reveal themselves in OFA.

Besides stockpiling super strength, he also had Black whip, Float, and The latest new one that he had manifested last week, Memory (You will not believe how much effort and work it took to get everybody to believe that his quirk had multiple factors instead just being a dual quirk after a float came into the picture, They're were still debating on whether or not it would be easier to just tell them what his actual quirk was and the truth about everything behind the history of it or not).

He already had a good handle on the other two quirks.

But he was still working on this latest one, but as far as Izuku can tell thanks to some experimenting, He discovered that this quirk had the ability to not only view his memories to others but also allow him to see into the memories of others through physical contact (It's still unclear whether or not he can actually do it from a distance or not). Though He can only do it a little bit for now as the drawback is that it would give him a bad headache if he uses it too much. For now focusing on using just 5% until He's able to increase the output and how far deep he can dive into someone's memories, For now he can dive into someone's surface thoughts of memories that happened or any past memory That had surface the mind recently. (The last thing he wants to have his brain explode (probably literally) from over using a percentage more higher than the percentage he was able to handle for now. Overusing his quirk on his body was one thing but on his internal organs? Yeah no, He (as he himself also admitted) may be pretty reckless but he was anything but idiotic, Not going to take any chances. Wondering if there's more to this quirk than just viewing and seeing memories).

Thanks to the assistance of Katsuki Bakugo, The only other student that knows about hers and Izuku's secret, He has been doing well, though managing a mental quirk can be a bit tricky, so thanks to The observations of Recovery girl who was present during some of their trainings with this latest quirk and Izuku's Mom due to having a mental quirk of her own since this ones drawback was pretty similar to hers and even asking her how her quirk work to see if there may be something similar within his quirk in regards of control and how it feels, He's been managing it a bit better little by little.

Perhaps his work study with Edgeshot will help him on concentration and his mental control in using it. Find a way to use it in other ways and perhaps more efficiently.

As she finished her tea, setting the cup on the nightstand, She pulled out her book "The light of hope" as she checked the clock, she can read for a while before going to bed, 5 minutes won't hurt anyone, right?

Opening her book she began to read the first chapter:

"In an bigger then average village, where technology was only beginning to thrive, There lived many people who lived peacefully, even when there were robbers and thieves, They could all have a peace of mind knowing that their village was being protected by an organization with multiple factions determined to protect their home lands for evil.

The Guardians of Hope.

But despite their heroism and fame, They too were human like everyone else, as many others would forget this important fact, despite everything they've done and all the great things they've done they were like everyone else at the end of the day.

Especially for one such individual, knowing this all too well.

A woman in her 40's who had only recently retired from it months earlier after fighting off and defeating a great and terrible evil monster who was the bane of everyone's existence, who would've plunge their land in fear.

With the power to turn light into strength as her quirk, this courageous but kind-hearted woman whose hair shined as gold as the sun long and ever flowing like a river down her back, eyes with one side being shaded on the right side of her face by a long tuff of hair were never ending of light that flashed in the skys bathed in the color of the sky's themselves, tanned fairly her skin was whose heart filled with the will to help others seem to know no bounds. Adorn in a simple white sun gown and Iris blue sweather and sandles.

Known and loved by all, scarred or not.

The fair maiden Tonoya.

Mother of 21 orphans, raising them to achieve their dreams. As unbelievable as it seems.

Strolling through the streets greeting her neighbors. Bringing smiles to everyone.

"Good day Ms. Pem." She said as she arrived at the bakery.

One of her friends, quail black short hair and eyes, earth brown skin, apron white on top of a green sleeveless dress.

"Tonoya, How have you been?" She asked her as she smiled with her smiling back.

"I'm fairing pretty well all things considered." She told her.

"I'm relieved to hear... and how... how have you been doing with..?"

"My scars? Oh please don't worry, like I said, I'm fairing well. They haven't caused me harm nor any inconvenient health problems."

"If you say so."

"Pem, I assure you I'm well, just because it's pretty bad does not mean that I should let it hinder my life. I'm still as nimble as I was years ago."

Sighing, knowing she wasn't going to get through as she knew her only too well as she replied, "Very well, but if anything happens let me Know, ok?"

"I will." Tonoya assured her.

After ordering a dozen cinnamon rolls she left the bakery and made her way to the forest. On days such as this she enjoyed going to the forest just outside of her village, watching the beauty of nature for hours in the calmness of it all while eating cinnamon rolls which were her favorite. Sometimes She would have company joining her on an occasion, so she didn't mind at all about sharing her rolls with anyone if they desire one or two.

Being surrounded by such a serenity like that was a hobby of hers.

In that forest It almost made her feel like she was in a completely different world outside the one that she knows, which was refreshing with it's ever calm serene setting with little secrets of it's own.

Coming here to enjoy nature was not just something she did on her free time, but she also came here whenever she had some thoughts on her mind. And the only place she could ever truly let her unending smile drop upon arriving at the meadow in the forest as the thought came again..

...Her scars.

Yes how can anyone forget that?

It was because of it that her career had sadly ended.

Circumstances were not in her favor at all, because of the battle she had with the beast, The very beast which once brought fear upon anyone who got too close and The one she had fought against for a number of years.

The very reason why half of her face was covered by her hair was to hide the scars that laid underneath that veil.

Five long jagged claw marks had marred her face, that attack which had been so powerful that it had actually destroyed her quirk leaving it a former shell of its former self.

Though despite that, she had, with a final mighty blow with what remnant she had left of her power she could muster, unleash an attack so ground shaking that it made the attack inflicted on her look minor as is sent the beast, gravely injured, far until it disappeared in the stratosphere.

Although his body was never recovered, considering that his injuries were far more severe than hers and not to mention the one fact that he was sent flying straight into the stratosphere and no doubly plummeted into the Earth soon after to his demise as it was pretty impossible for somebody who didn't have a type of super regeneration, shock absorption / nullification, rubber or some form of elemental quirk to survive from a fall like that, everybody including herself assumed that the beast had died.

At the cost of she quirk, her career, and at nearly losing her life, she paid a high price for the sake of peace and for ending the monsters rein once and for all. Freeing everyone from its reign or terror forever.

Though all was not well soon after, not entirely.

Yes no one had to fear that monster any longer, but the damage he had done was irreparable.

No matter how hard she hid it, how she tried to push it back, how much she had smiled to hide it and fool herself into believing that everything was fine... inner pain could not be ignored, especially not forever.

While everyone was still picking up a pieces from what was left behind and helping to get things to go back to normal have progressed well so far, no one seemed to have noticed, or perhaps this was well hidden from them, that Tonoya was not as fine as she said she was.

Try as she might she herself could not deny it to herself.

She could hear some of the villagers when they spoke believing she could not hear their whispers which seem to be more frequent as of late, blocked them out she did but could she do it forever knowing the truth?

It was her scars... her new apparent weakness... her ... unspoken fragility...

It was at her retirement even though that could not be helped as it was bound to happen eventually...

The pedestal that everyone had put her on which she forced herself to endure and endure the burden that came with it... seemed to crack at the seems...

Her once flawless beauty tarnished even though she never considered herself of real value as she didn't believe that she was really dating material, neither did she care regarding her physical beautiful there to begin with despite taking care to maintain her health and well-being...

And the one fact that no one but only very few knew too well...

..Everyone believed that she was everlastingly invincible even after retirement, that she was just all smiles, that she didn't need anyone, that she would be fine, that she was impervious to pain of all kinds.

But that was far from the truth for it wasn't true.

Not even close.

Even in retirement there were burdens that she carries from her years of being a guardian, far too many burdens for anyone to really comprehend.

The thought of correcting them was discouraged at the thought of thinking that they would see her as a liability, discriminate her, shun her. .. or abandoned her. Not just because of her desire to not worry anyone, her not admitting that she did indeed feel pain.

She wasn't invincible. She didn't smile all the time for she wasn't emotionless nor a monster. That she never said she didn't need anyone for everybody needs somebody as loneliness was a cruel mistress.

She... She...

... She wasn't fine.

Everyone feels pain, no matter the shape or form, everyone... even her.

She was human after all. She was not a goddess, nor was she immortal, nor was she without emotions, Nor was she invulnerable.

She was practically quirkless, she was unable to remain a guardian, some people talked behind her back because of her new look saying how the mighty had fallen despite all the good she had done for them all, too many burdens and secrets she kept to herself so much, some now having been revealed dramatically back then, that she didn't seem trustworthy to tell anybody about what was on her mind and she felt very tired and strained and as if she could not tell anyone anymore fearing their reaction, scarred so badly It had a very haggard appearance to anyone who saw it, Lonely she did feel despite how many people she had close to her, feeling like she was holding an unbearable weight of the world on her shoulders even if that sounded ridiculous and she was retired, still she still wanted to help those in need but now sadly there wasn't much she can do now that she couldn't be a guardian anymore, feeling like a handful of those who admired her now looked at her with disdain and pity... causing a single tear to come down her right cheek..

Sudden she was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a weak groan coming from close by. Instinctually she looked around, never able to ignore someone in need and always willing to help someone in need of help regardless of the circumstances which helped dissuade some of her sad thoughts.

Since childhood she wanted to help others no matter what, hence why she wanted to become a guardian, although her childhood was rough with not having her quirk until near her teens she persevered and proved she too could pull through.

Following the groaning she eventually came upon the source of it, a man who appeared to be a few years older then her, hair shaggy, dirty and a mess, clothes torn and wounds around his body that looked anything but mild, unable to get up from the grass covered ground he laid on.

Worried, Tonoya rushed over to him, dropping to her knees as she checked his vitals. Although breathing and alive it was clear that his life was in jeopardy if she didn't do something to help him.

Looking around, relief flooded her as she spotted some medicinal herbs close by, good for treating injuries.

Thankful that one of her friends was an herbalist who had insisted and drilled in her mind on how to use them and what certain herbs can do and how to tell them apart, where to find them and which herbs should not be mixed, basically everything there is to know about herbs, because it was going to pay off as she crawled over to the herbs to grabbed them before she turn back to the injured man.

As she tended his wounds, the man in question, barely conscious, mind swimming in pain and tiredness, felt someone touching him, looking at his wounds and handling them with gentle touches.

With the last of his strength he opened his eyes, vision burred, sounds muffled and barely audible, surrounded by greenery he could not recognize due to his hazy eyes.

Grunting in pain as he turn to see who was helping him as he grew closer to falling unconscious again.

The last thing he saw was what he believes to be a beautiful maiden with long yellow hair, fainting once more with the strange sense of Deja Vu.

Toshinori herself somehow felt like she could relate to Tonoya, it seems silly at first but the more that she looked into it the more that she really did feel like it, She understood how it felt, the pain, the burdens that comes from the past and new responsibilities and scars that you bare, feeling like you couldn't really tell anyone how you truly felt even to some of those who were the closest to you, what it's like to be held up on a pedestal because of a title, to hide away how she truly feels, aware that some people talked behind her back whether because of her retirement or her former title or her... appearance on an occasion, and much more even though she did well to ignore their comments that didn't mean that she didn't hear them, Even though she never showed her reaction it didn't mean that she didn't feel the pain inside from hearing it all.

The first time that she had read this story, she felt like the floodgates had opened up as she felt tears fell upon reading more about Tonoya's character, how similar she was to her, how she felt, as if someone understood how she herself felt completely, And undoubtedly others too, making her wonder what sort of turmoil the writer had to go through to write such a well detailed description as this.

Written in a way that not only drew everyone's attention, but really spoke out to all of those who are suffering some sort of hardship here and there, to tell them that their were others who understood those pains in her opinion as She did know a couple of people who have gotten their hands on the story and read it and felt like it spoke out to them too.

Even though it was only chapter one, already the story would really start to get everyone's attention even more so than the prologue did, she believed.

Call it a bit over exaggerant considering she was an avid bookworm whenever she wasn't busy with school, but she stood by what she thought.

Checkering the time, Toshinori saw that it was over the time she had intended to stop.

Reading sure can make the time go by, that she knew all to well as she booked marked her spot until next time to read the next chapter.

Setting the book on the dresser, she shut off the lamp which had already been on and pulled the covers over her body, ready to fall asleep as she yawned loudly, not realizing how tired she really was as sleep embraced her the moment her head laid on her pillow.

Time skip, With Izuku, his dorm room

The sound of his door being knocked on was what woke him up.

He had decided to turn in early so he could be well rested and ready for the day ahead after doing more research on Edgeshot just in case he missed something vital. Checking the time this made him wonder who would be knocking at 2am in the morning?

Izuku had always proven to be a very light sleeper as generally anything would wake him up provided If he wasn't so unbelievably tired that felt like he wanted to sleep for a thousand years especially after a grueling and particularly hard workout session, There are some pros and cons that come with it, It was handy for if something were to occur, but at the same time it could be a bit bothersome for when he really needed to sleep.

Sitting up on his bed, he called for the person to come inside.

When the door opened he saw that it was Eri, with that all too familiar look in her eyes to go with that frown.

'Another nightmare.' He thought to himself as he smiled at her reassuringly as he scooched over on his bed as he padded the empty side.

Knowing this que, she smiled in relief as She came in holding her Deku doll that Yaoyorozu made for her during her first week staying at UA as her new home, and closed the door behind her as she ran over to his bed, getting under the covers with him as he laid back down, upon which Eri latched his shirt laying her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her protectively and comfortingly.

It wasn't a surprise.

Even after all this time, Even though she finally got a life that she deserved after all of the horror that she had to deal with, Even after finally being free from her captors, the memories of her torture still remained, the psychological trauma still scarred her.

It hurt him seeing her in the state, he still regreted really badly for not having saved her sooner upon their first encounter during his work study with Sir Nighteye. Sometimes He even blamed himself for letting her suffer a little more before the initial rescue because of unfavorable circumstances.

He could still feel his blood boiling at the mere fact that the poor girl had been severely tortured in ways far too horrifying to imagine. Being treated like she was nothing but an object and being punished for things that weren't even her fault, calling her a curse, blaming her for everything to make her submit to them and hurt her, experimenting on her countless times not even caring how she felt or what she was going through in her own mind, All of it to the point of making her forget what it was like to be happy, to laugh or even smile, all for the inexcusably awful, cruel and evil sake of creating bullets with drugs capable of destroying quirks permanently.

If he could go back in time and rescue her on their first meeting, he would do it in a heartbeat. Also If he could go back in time and beat the living daylights out every single one of the members of the yakuza for all the horror they put her through, and give Overhaul even worse beating then what he received during their final fight, he would do it, And make them all regret everything they ever did to her.

Normally Izuku was not a violent person, and he wasn't Bakugo (thankfully), but just because he didn't get angry all the time it doesn't mean that he never did get mad. period. Especially when innocent lives, especially of his loved ones, were put on the lines by villains like Overhaul.

But no matter what he thought, Izuku knew that he could not change the past, He was not someone who torment others just because they tormented someone that he cherished, He was never one to hold a grudge though that did not mean that he wouldn't get angry or frustrated sometimes, He knew that letting all this anger boil up inside him was not going to serve any purpose nor help him in any way, you get the picture. Not to mention that lamenting about the past wasn't going to do any good.

What mattered was that Eri was finally free, her captors/tormentors/the villains were now in jail and paying for their crimes, she was alive and well and she was finally living life the any child her age deserved

When she felt like she was ready half a year after her rescue, after getting used to her new lifestyle, And let's not forget the help she got in her therapy sessions, she was finally able to tell him, Kirishima, Uraraka, Asui-eh Tsu, Mirio, Hado, Amajiki and the rest of the UA staff in detail about what those monsters had done to her (while fighting back her own tears and memories that flashback as she talked about it) as best as she could without freezing up, collapsing or curling up into a little ball in fear, Needless to say that It was far too terrible for words to describe how mortifying it was.

Learning about what was going on from that meeting before the heist was bad enough, but actually hearing all the details from her herself? It was too much.

All of the girls, and I do mean all of them(except Recovery girl), even All Might, looked completely heart broken as they immediately scooped her up in their arms pulling her into a big group hug assuringly and protectively as if she were about to be snatched away at that moment as tears were very visible around their eyes, showering her with gentle kisses on her head and words of comfort telling her that everything will be all right and that they will be there for her always.

Powerloader and Ectoplasm looked So horrified that they were pretty sick to their stomachs as they were dangerously close to running to the nearest trash can to empty the contents in their stomachs.

Aizawa, Snipe, Hound dog and Vlad king looked so angry that if looks could kill then Overhaul would be a pile of ashes right about now times 10 if he were in the same room with them after they give him a beating far worse than the one he took during that battle back then.

Lunchrush out right fainted in horror.

Cementoss, Recovery girl, and Nezu all had saddened looks on their faces, No child should ever have to go through such an unimaginable horror as the one they had been told of, It hurt them knowing that there were some villains that would even sink this low to further their means, They knew There were some such as Overhaul who were completely heartless and had no sense of humanity whatsoever, some not even caring if children got involved or not, it horrified them knowing that there were children out there who were suffering such as her but actually hearing about it from this child only made it even more heartbreaking.

Sadly they all knew the truth that heroes couldn't be everywhere at once, It hurts and it stinks worse than a skunk, they all tried their best to protect others so that they wouldn't have to suffer, but they were only human at the end of the day, there's only so much one person can do. It hurts but it's true.

Amajiki (uncharacteristically shockingly enough) openly wept failing to hide his tears as Kirishima followed soon after making no attempts to hide it whatsoever as this was far too horrible for words to describe, It was so heartbreaking and the same time they were highly upset at this horrifying (full) revelation, comforting the other as Kirishima commented that Overhaul was no man but a monster as Amajiki agreed wholeheartedly and everyone else did too, vowing that if that monster ever even dare to show his face again let alone even lay a single finger (Even if it was non-existent given that both his arms were destroyed by Shiguraki and his gang after the Yakuza case was closed for good) on Eri again then they would make sure that every bone in his body was broken beyond comprehension, And everybody else adding their own comment that they would make him suffer worse than any suffering he put the poor kid through.

As for Izuku himself and Mirio, They felt all of the same things that everybody else did, Not to mention feeling even more guilty and regretful for not having saved her sooner when they first met her. Feeling like a dagger had stabbed through their hearts and was hurting even worse as it twisted deeper and deeper into their bodies, knowing the true depth of how horrifying it was was more awful than what they discovered in the board meeting before the raid.

It did truly horrified and angered them, But they knew that that was all in the past now. What was important at this moment was that she was free and she would not have to deal with that horror anymore.

Everyone agreed.

And they all promised her that they would do everything in their power to protect her and ensure that that won't ever happen again, they even told the other class 1A students what was going on (After being given permission by the other staff members) but only just the basic details, It horrified them but they understood, And they understood that they weren't allowed to tell them the full details, at least not yet. They two promised to pitch in to help take care of her and to make her life at the dorms happy and safe. To give her a good life here.

Though It did take time for Eri to not be scared of Tokoyami considering his bird features and considering that the Yakuza wore bird like masks, but the the jet black hero in training understood and told her to take as much time as she needed to get used to him, to know that he was not a member of the Yakuza, that he won't ever hurt her, that he would do his best to not frighten her and be there to protect her. Its only thanks to the concert that class 1A had at the cultural festival back that help Eri to make the first step into accepting that he was not one of the Yakuza, albeit at first she would not look at him directly unless he wasn't looking in her direction but at least she wasn't frightened if he was in the same room with her. And over time things got better as She got comfortable enough to finally start making small conversations with him before it eventually grew to longer conversations especially after finding out that he loved apples just like her and, upon hearing that she's never tried apples in other ways besides candy apples, he took the opportunity to introduce her to as many apple recipes and dishes as he could (from his own mother's recipe book no less, as surprising as it sounds) with Sato's help, much to her joy and excitement. Before anyone knew it months later (half a year later really), she was finally able to let herself be friends with Tokoyami completely. As For his quirk? Dark Shadow who along with him from the beginning were genuinely surprised to see Eri wasn't frightening of him but was actually curious about him and thought he was kind of cute, she even petted the sentient quirk sometimes much to his delight, This also helped her to not be scared of Tokoyami.

Everyone also knew very quickly that she had been having nightmares from all that she went through. (They can't blame her, Like seriously who in the world would not have nightmares after going through such horribly traumatic events such as the ones that this little girl has gone through? And no less at the young age that she was?)

At first She tried to hide it and told everyone that she was doing all right and that she only just didn't get enough sleep at night, making up an excuse each time to explain why, But they knew that none of them were true, They knew the signs all too well.

Small bags and rings around her eyes, eyes somewhat red from both lack of sleep and crying, tiredness, reluctance to talk about what really happened, being jittery and wary, pure exhaustion.

Eventually after a lot of convincing she did eventually cave in and told them the actual truth, to which they told her that it was okay to admit that she was having nightmares and that She was free to tell them whenever they happen because they want to be there to help her, promising her that she was not being a burden because of it nor will she ever be a burden for everybody needs help at times and it was okay to ask for help, which she, both grateful and tearfully touched, agreed as she thanked them.

The staff had also arranged for her to take therapy with hound dog as he was the school guidance counselor and a certified therapist (as shocking as it sounds considering who the pro hero is, a lot of the students were still scratching their heads trying to figure out how somebody like Hound Dog was able to acquire such a position giving his nature due to his quirk, yet despite it he was very very very good at his job and could do it without any issues) whenever she had those nightmares or she had certain things on her mind and help her cope with this, take some burdens off her shoulders and make sense of everything. At first it used to be at least once or twice a week that she would see him, eventually as time went by the nightmares grew fewer and fewer in between, and now she only came to him whenever she had a particular nightmare that was really bothering her or she had something on her mind on a different scale.

Even so, despite all the efforts and all the work that was put in helping her, the nightmare is still occurred, but that was to be expected as these things take time especially when a child was involved.

Though it was obvious that She went to Izuku or Mirio (whenever he came to visit) first outside of her therapy sessions whenever the nightmares occurred more often than not, occasionally she does sleep with the other students and occasionally But somewhat often too she goes to either All Might (because she is Izuku's hero) or Aizawa (because he was there for her during her hospital stay to make sure that her quirk would not go out of control). But, considering that Mirio and Izuku were the ones who were the closest to her considering that they fought the hardest to try and rescue her back then, she came to her heroes more.

Back to now, As he ran a hand through her hair soothingly much like how All Might does for him as he told her:

"Everything is going to be ok Eri, It's like we said before, It's not going to be easy overcoming this entirely, But know that we will all be here to help you whenever you need it. You do not have to face this alone."

He felt her nod as she snuggled closer against his chest.

"And this can happen to anyone." She said as Izuku nodded, "Yes, Even veteran heroes experience traumatic nightmares from some things that they have encountered in their time, But what's important is to not let them affect your life in negative ways and seek help to get things under control."

"Even if you're reluctant, there's no shame in asking for help when it's needed, right?" She stated more than ask.

"That's right," He replied with a smile.

Now it was time for her favorite time in this case, Being sung to sleep. She didn't need to ask at this point as he and everyone else were more than happy to sing her a lullaby to help her sleep:

Here comes trouble

No mistaking

I'd know you anywhere

I could sail to the ends of the ocean and

Find you waiting there

I've been searching and searching

Near and far

Searching and searching

And there you are

Our dreams will soar like stars

I choose you

I choose you

What else can I do?

We're just too good together to part

What we've shared from the start

Feels like one beating heart

I choose you

I choose you

Hello, stranger

Don't I know you?

Nice to see you my friend

Did we just scale the top of a mountain, and

Fly back home again?

I've been looking and looking

High and low

Looking and looking

And...what'd'ya know?

Just like long ago

I choose you

I choose you

What else can I do?

We're just too good together to part

What we've shared from the start

Feels like one beating heart

I choose you

I choose you

I choose you

I choose you

On to journeys anew

With the wonderful friends that I've found

As the planet spins around

We're eternally bound

I choose you

I choose you

With that last verse sung, he looked down once again relieved to see her fast asleep, with a small gentle smile gracing her face as the lullaby has once again remedied this predicament.

A child should be free to be happy, seeing them so sad, hurt and scared was heart-wrenching, A smile looks far better on her than a frown.

In ways she was a little bit like him, though their stories were completely different, the teen knew how she felt quite similarly even though her past was much more tragic than his in his opinion.

It's sad but He was very thankful that, Even though it took him years before his was finally rescued by All Might, he was able to rescue her and her heart while she was still in her childhood stage before the circumstances got much worse.

Soon enough, Izuku soon felt sleep starting to take over as he made no attempts to fight against it, Knowing that he needed to get to sleep too as he whispered goodnight to the child before he fell back into dream land.

Later with Toshinori

"NOOO!" She exclaimed as her body shot up into a sitting position as she panted hard, coughing up blood briefly from fright, body once again drenched in sweat and tears as she looked around her room, shaking.

Upon acknowledging where she was and the fact that there was nobody else in there but her, she let out a sigh of relief as she wiped the blood from her mouth with her shirt sleeve as It got stained with blood once again.

"...I hate nightmares..." She whispered softly as her throat was somewhat sore while running her unstained hand through her hair.

That monster, He was there. Again.

Even though he wasn't there in person he was still terrorizing her even in her nightmares, and it had been more so than ever ever since his escape and disappearance nearly 2 years ago.

He didn't need to be there in person to torment her and her dreams.

Sometimes she wondered If he was somehow causing them himself with a quirk, before brushing that to the side as she knew that there was no such quirk that allowed one to invade somebody's dreams from far, at least as far as she was aware of, still in a world of quirks of various different kinds you never know though She can only hope that quirk like that wouldn't exist.

No... he was there... because of all the horrible things he had done, what he did to her and those she loved around her, All the devastation, horror, ruination, and fear he inflicted on the world for so many years... honestly who in the world would not be mentally scarred from it all?

Since that day that non-existent gut feeling she had still lingered. That He would spring out of hiding any day and wreak havoc yet again, dreading whatever sort of plan he'll have hatched up by then when it comes.

Sometimes she felt like he was watching her everywhere she went, it always made her shutter but attribute that feeling to paranoia and letting that get to her head (Not to mention that she was without evidence to confirm her gut feeling) would only drive her insane.

While most of everyone believed that He was never going to come back (since if he was going to come back then he would have some time after escaping from prison but it's been almost 2 years now and no one has seen any sign of him), weather by his weak health or death from his own condition even though nobody knew the real answers as everyone was just guessing and theorizing at this point, She along with several others knew that he was still out there, they weren't stupid. While they all knew to relax and enjoy life that didn't change the fact that they needed to keep their guards up should anything related to him arise.

Once her breathing finally went back to normal, she pulled her wet covers off of her, taking slow careful time to move without aggravating her scars which were already sore from her jolt, as she got out of bed, took all the covers off of the bed along with the sheets and put them in a pile next to the laundry hamper as there is too much to put in it planning to put new covers on later as made her way to the bathroom, going through with the routine which was: Take off her clothes, take a hot shower to wash away whatever leftover sweat, tears, blood and fear was lingering, towel off, put on a new set of pajamas (always pre-ready as she set them up in the bathroom for when this case arises, putting a new set after words waiting for the next round to come), dispose of old clothes into the laundry hamper before grabbing a new set of sheets from her closet and put them on the bed before going down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and then return to her room and enjoy it as well as take our medicine (because of course she needs to with her condition to help her make it through the day without too much consequences) before going back to sleep.

As she got to the bathroom, She couldn't help but look at her own reflection in the mirror.

Seeing a woman that was supposed to be her yet sometimes it feels like she couldn't even recognize herself anymore, seeing her condition, too thin, worn out, tired, old, a face once showing so much life now seemed pretty drained of it, pronounced bags within the darkened parts of her eyes, a sad frown present on her face, the more notable feature being her eyes... Dull, worn out, no sparkle in them... broken... when in this state...

A woman that looked like she should be in an retirement home or care center right about now even though she wasn't that old yet, almost looked ready to drop dead any day but still refuses to let go of life, A once magnificent and beautiful heroine adored and beloved by everyone now a weak, fragile, ugly woman who would be seen as a frail and defenseless damsel in distress and never get a real date with anybody not that she was looking for any romance...

She still had a job to do, and was still loved by her colleagues and friends and students... Even her fans still loved her despite it all but... Even though she had accepted the life that she lived right now... She couldn't help but feel depressed... feeling pathetic... looked like she needed help for everything but refuses to accept it let alone ask not wanting to burden anyone even though that itself made her look a bit hypocritical...

Pulling up her shirt she revealed the horrendous scar which was received years ago by Him all because she was too stupid and blinded to not let his words get to her... leading to this ... a deep, painful looking scar which came out as a result from the injury she had received and the multiple surgery she had to save her life, several vital organs were missing due to being torn to smithereens especially her stomach which was why she looks so thin and almost skeleton like... her angry red scar which resembled a big ugly spider... Now sensitive to touch on bare skin that wasn't her own, partial bit from pain (If too much pressure was applied) and the other too embarrassing to speak of...

All together a woman too broken to be fixed up. Even though she was still loved by everyone, she could still hear what others out there say about her, there were times where she felt like she was all alone and un... Unneeded...

Looked like the world's most fragile porcelain doll... who sometimes hated to look at her own reflection in the mirror to see her weaken state ...

She sighed as she let her shirt fall.

She hated thinking's those thoughts when they came, no, She hated when they arise in general. Sometimes It couldn't be helped but still.

She had told herself not to let her mind dwell on those thoughts knowing that the others would say the same thing to her, they would only hurt her more. Dwell on them and the past never did anyone any good in this regard.

She knew that, Even though there were some days that she couldn't help but let them surface.

So she let her mind dwell in lighter and much more pleasant thoughts allowing memories of her times with the others come back during her time in the spotlight and after.

Soon singing a short but sweet song that Nana had sang to her several times during the occasional sleepover she had at her place as she closed her eyes as her face was now pointed down.

How does a moment last forever?

Memories of her times with Nana and Gran Torino came. From training and his time at UA to times where they would have fun and goofed around laughing.

How can a story never die?

Then came her memories shared with David and Melissa, then her times with Naomasa respectfully. Adventures together, fighting crime and hanging out.

It is love we must hold onto

Then came her time with Nighteye, working together as partners being as close as siblings to the other than friends alone... The good times they had until they're falling out... to ... to seeing him one last time on his deathbed after being fatally injured during the Yakuza case... How much it had tore her up and felt like someone had snatched her heart away leaving nothing but hurt and emptiness behind... feeling guilty even though he told her that he was the one at fault and not her... how much it hurt... and remembering his last words to her, Izuku and young Togata before he... died, "Work hard and be sure to smile... after all, without joy and laughter to balance the sorrow and pain... This world cannot hope to have a bright future..."

Never easy, but we try

She was too weak to do anything, she couldn't save him, she felt like a pathetic weak loser for not having talked to him and patched things up sooner... She couldn't save anyone anymore with her state as it was ...

Sometimes our happiness is captured

But... she would try to do what she could to help... to prevent it from happening again.. by teaching others to learn from her mistakes. Soon she let her eyes open as she looked back up to face her own reflection once more. Tears long since stopped as her firm gaze was met with the same, staring back at herself.

Somehow, a time and place stand still

Then one last set of memories came not only of her time she spent with her co-workers and her students, but most especially with her first student, her son, Izuku Midoriya. How much she cared for him, loved him Even though she hadn't told him that yet, how he had blown her expectations far out of the water everyday and never stopped impressing her making her proud, working hard in hero training, and spending moments of time with the other peacefully or having fun or just hanging out. He is her pride and joy. How his smile... reminded her of her own as it made her smile as well... reminding her of why she was still alive... happy with the life she had... as she smiled at her reflection.

Love lives on inside our hearts and always will

With that the last of her self loathing thoughts faded as she sighed again, but this time with satisfaction and relief.

This song always helped soothed her thoughts when it came to this, mostly towards when it came to this case. sometimes she would sing it to herself to help her fall asleep, Not that she would tell anyone but she had sang it to Eri once or twice before when she came into her room when she had nightmares.

Although it didn't make all of those thoughts go away it did drive away most of them, as long as it did its job Toshinori didn't care if it wasn't a 100% guarantee for retired hero herself.

With another sigh she striped down and started the shower, hot water soon did its thing as it washed away all that was on her as the water felt soothing and good all around her, especially around her scar as this temperature felt good on it when it felt sore or when it was this case.

As she went through the shampoo and conditioner routine, she could not help but let her mind trailed back to the nightmare she had this time.

Being no stranger to nightmares didn't mean that she was used to it, She also hated when new ones came in just when she was starting to get used to the old ones, nonetheless every nightmare she had was dreadful.

This was the one she had on an occasion compare to others thankfully but that still didn't make it any less terrifyingly.

In it she found herself walking down a completely literal black hallway with the walls resembling that of a cage fit for a small animal like a bird or a ferret or any animal that was kept in one. Through the bars she could see nothing but darkness, the only things she could see was herself and the walls around her.

Only the echo of her foot steps could be heard as she wondered (as usual) how she got there or why she was there. Walking for what felt like an eternity as she still hadn't come across anything outside of this infinite hall even though only minutes went by.

Soon she heard footsteps behind her, along with feeling that same deadly feeling she knew all to well as it made her heart drop as she recognize those thick heavy footsteps that can only come from a pair of dress shoes. Without turning around or stopping she began to run as fast as she could trying to get away.

She panted as she ran, trying to get as far from Him as possible, legs burning and her chest started to hurt as the hallway seemed to stretch out longer. Yet no matter how much much or far she ran she couldn't get away from the sound of those foot prints as, if anything, they weren't getting farther away from her, not even a little, yet they were not fast like they were running but were at a normal pace like they were walking.

If that wasn't disturbing enough, just as she finally, Finally, found and made it out through the exit of the hallway she was met with a sight that made her heart drop again.

The area, the place she was in was, all around her, a cage. A giant birdcage. Literally a birdcage completed with a a bird swing overhead, a bird cage door which seemed to be chained closed as there were chains and three locks on it keeping it shut (so there's no way she can escape), a bird bell hanging overhead with string coming down to the ground, bowls full of bird food and water respectively, and a bird ball.

A cage for an animal and she was the animal.

"Well, isn't this an interesting situation?"

That voice caused her, to her dismay, to flinch as she turned around slowly feeling her heart pounding fast within her as she was struggling to not shiver with fear, Seeing Him there, as per usual speaking (disturbingly) calm and pleasant as if he was talking about the weather as he was in the attire he wore at Kamino Ward as his hands were behind his back as he stood there were the hallway was only to see to her fear that the hallway vanished leaving nothing but the wall of the cage rendering the both of them completely trapped inside.

She couldn't fight back the color draining out of her face as she tried to put up a brave and angry face, key word try as she got into battle position.

"Here we are, just us and no one else, in a cage fit only for birds. Two birds who despises the other. One who was once a might and strong, graceful eagle now weaken and can no longer fly facing a still strong, powerful, admittingly old but still active vulture who is ready to claim his prize. If you ask me it sounds more like a old tale rather then stating the truth there."

More like a lie hiding the fact that she was now the prey and he's the predator.

She was trapped, alone, powerless now that one for all was no longer in her body which was weak and could easily be snapped like a twig in his hands, no way out.

In a literal blink of an eye she flinched and startled back upon seeing her worst enemy suddenly right in front of her, much to her dismay showing that in front of him as that left her shaking which she tried a failed to stop as her heart pounding faster, the growing feeling of dread only grew massive at this.

"Honestly I cannot tell which part in this I enjoy in this the most, the part where the eagle startles back refusing to surrender despite the inevitable ... or just simply watching her quaking in fear all together."

She knew he was taunting her, as much as she wanted to taunt him back, her voice seemed to have abandoned her as she could only glare back in response.

Just then She felt something big and round right behind her as she knew right away that it was the bird ball as she grabbed it from behind and brought it in front of her to try to use as a means of a weapon, even though it made her look ridiculous but it was all she had.

She refused to back down nor admit defeat as she waited for him to make the first move going into battle mode once again.

Now here's where it gets daunting as there were three different endings to this nightmare.

The first one was that he somehow swipe her weapon away from her and started chasing her while she desperately tried to find a way out or a way to fend him off, always ending with him eventually catching her.

The second one was when He would send out his black vine like fingers (with glowing sparkling red veins) out at her which she dodges before charging at him, barely managing to graze him with the toy ball in question before finding herself constricted by his long black fingers in question as they somehow shot out from the ground and ensnare her as they wrapped around her body preventing her from moving causing her to drop her weapon.

Or the third ending (which is what happened for her this time) Where out of nowhere she suddenly feels like she couldn't control her body as her body just froze like a statue unable to do anything, he approaches her as she fights and fails to regain control of her body before he gently removes the ball out of her hand.

Common to them all, strangely but disturbingly he gently cups the left side of her face, softly rubs his thumb across her cheek tracing the area with his cold fingers as they always caused her to shiver feeling like his fingers were practically made out of ice cubes. Always saying the words that still plagued her now, "So now, my dear All Might, how shall we end this game between us?"

Just thinking about it now made her shiver from head to toe.

Although She was always thankful that it was nothing but a nightmare, she couldn't help but think that they felt all too real to be nightmares.

Having been a pro hero for decades, she's had many nightmares from past experiences, whether they be tragic, traumatic or downright heartbreaking, None of them could compare to the nightmare she gets of her worst enemy as no matter what they always felt seemingly real even though she knew otherwise.

Still more often than not she wonders, and fails to find the answers to, how she can make these nightmares stop for good.

Elsewhere

He lays in bed, unable to sleep yet about to rest himself despite not being in dream land, although it might have been for the best considering what goes through his head at times.

Unable to erase the image from his head of when it happened. When it all went dark after a horrific image came at him in rage.

Such rage, anger... Hatred...

Bloodlust only to end him...

among other fights that one besides another was the only one that actually...

Made him shutter... as such a thing was quite rare, so much in fact that it... startled him greatly... only the one... (ok two technically but she wasn't here) could ever do that...

Only one person who knew what was going on as no one else knew, that person was the Only one that he trusted not only with his personal thoughts when he felt like he could consult them with him, Although at times he would persist and point it out when it became blatantly obvious that he could not hide it no matter how much he tried, but also with his life. He would be dead otherwise.

The ... nightmare inducer would always come to mind. As much as his hatred towards the one causing this was great, he could not help but be curious as it always stood.

Curious about what? Well of many things really, so much so that he was almost tempted to do something irrational outside of his plans but he restrained himself.

Still It never hurt to let it linger in his mind even though he didn't act on it physically.

What will be in store for these answers he seeks for the questions in his head?

And would he get the answers that had been bothering him for decades? Ever since that day, it always stuck, And for some reason or another that he couldn't really explain it seem to outweigh his hatred and strengthen his curiosity more so than he would admit.

What is to come once the deed is done? Oh how intrigued and giddy he was to find out like chapters in books, how after the last one ends a new one begins and you never know what's going to happen until you read it yourself excited about what will happen next.

Despite the sense of alert to keep his guard up at times, he did feel drowsy. Thinking for periods time like this usually helped him to fall asleep if he wasn't drinking tea or reading to help with that.

As he allowed himself to let sleep take him under he allowed the memory of yellow and blue to arise still clear even as the vision blurred as he dozed off.

I choose you - Haven Paschall

How does a moment last forever (music box) - Kevin Kline