Noikari had managed to fall asleep, Eri sleeping peacefully next to him. The little girl would frequently visit Noikari's room to hang out. Eri woke up to the sound of Noikari groaning and breathing heavily in his sleep. Noikari tossed and turned, his nightmares tormenting his mind. Eri wanted to help, but she didn't know how. Noikari's unconscious struggles continued for several minutes until it finally reached its climax.
Out of nowhere, Noikari began screaming as if someone was ripping out his heart. Noikari's shrieks were filled with agony as his mind and brain tormented him. He couldn't take it. The darkness of his cell, the electric shocks, the cruel punishments when he would fail a test, it was all coming back to haunt him.
Getting up on the bed, Eri grabbed Noikari's face despite his unconscious struggles. "Noikari! Noikari, wake up! Please wake up!" Her red eyes quivered with tears as she desperately tried shaking her friend out of his stupor. Eventually, Noikari's eyes shot open, his screams stopping and being replaced with heavy, labored breathing. Clutching his chest, Noikari's face darted around the room in a panic, before his mind slowly became aware of his surroundings once more. Panting, Noikari looked at Eri, her teary eyes filled with sadness and relief.
Sitting with his legs crossed, Noikari buried his head in his hands, weeping softly at the horrible nightmares he had suffered through in sleep. Not knowing what else to do, Eri crawled quietly behind him and hugged him, her arms softly wrapping around his neck while she tried comforting him.
"It's okay, you're okay. I get scared too sometimes." Eri reassured him. Despite being even younger than Noikari, Eri was all too familiar with the darkness, remembering how her adopted father had tried to use her quirk to help him usher in a new era of darkness without heroes. "I know things seem scary sometimes, but the scary stuff never lasts, I promise. You'll feel better soon".
Slowly, as Eri's words sunk in and her reassuring actions calmed his nerves, Noikari relaxed against her. He took deep breaths, calming himself down, before pushing Eri gently off of him and standing up. He smiled gratefully towards Eri, patting her head gently and ruffling her hair a little.
"Thank you." He said softly, making sure she could hear him over the loud thumping of his heart. Eri giggled, wiping away the stray tears from her cheeks, before nodding in response.
As Noikari approached the doorway, he turned back one last time to look at Eri. "Stay here for a while. I'm. . I'm going to get a drink."
As Noikari opened the door, he felt Eri grip onto his hand. Turning, he saw her worried eyes. "Let me come with you, please." Noikari tried to deny her, but the little girl was adamant on accompanying him. Letting out a sigh, Noikari smiled softly before caving in. "Alright, you can come."
The two exited the dorm room, Noikari lightly gripping Eri's hand. They walked down the hallway until they stumbled upon a vending machine which was located beside the stairwell, right outside the entrance to the cafeteria. Taking out a dollar and inserting it into the machine, Noikari typed in a few numbers to get a bottle of water. "You want anything?" Noikari asked Eri. The little girl nodded no. The two continued making their way down the stairs to the lobby. Sitting down, Noikari took another sip of water as he continued to scan the area with his yellow eyes, Eri staying close to help him relax. Seeing a small bright light a distance down the hall, the two noticed Present Mic stepping out of an elevator, followed by Aizawa and Thirteen. Almost immediately, the three pro-heroes spotted the two. Instantly, Aizawa was concerned.
"What are you doing down here, Noikari? It's the middle of the night. And why is Eri with you?" Aizawa questioned, walking swiftly over towards Noikari and Eri.
As Noikari prepared to answer, he was cut off by Eri. "He had a bad dream, so he came to get a drink. He was going to come alone but I wanted to make sure he was okay." The tiny girl answered, looking up at Aizawa with wide eyes. As she finished speaking, she held tightly onto Noikari's sleeve with both her hands.
Aizawa blinked rapidly, surprised at the information. He looked at Noikari carefully, before sighing and turning around.
"Alright, that's all I needed to hear. Thank you, Eri. However, I would like you two to return to the dorms. Being up this late isn't healthy."
Noikari bowed slightly and responded, "Yes, sir!" Eri grabbed his hand as the two turned around, beginning to walk back to the dorms.
Despite his initial scolding, Aizawa couldn't help but be happy at the fact that those two were getting along so well. The boy was truly extraordinary. With all he had been through, Aizawa had been afraid that Noikari wouldn't allow himself to make friends after all he had suffered through. It seemed that was not the case. Almost everybody Noikari had met since coming to U.A. had become close to the child. Even Bakugo, known for his aggressive personality, was on good terms with him. Noikari had earned Bakugo's respect far faster than anyone had before. The teacher for once was uncertain of the answer.
Nevertheless, Aizawa was glad that despite Noikari's dark past, he was able to find the light.
After spending so much time in the shadows, the brightness of Noikari was always a welcome sight.