Chapter 02
He was actually on his way to his favorite store, favorite because it's the only store that sells his preferred jelly pouches. It's a little further from UA and his apartment but it is worth the extra effort.
He was halfway there when, in a sea of crowded citizens, he spotted a lone child, all on their own. He stops in his tracks and all of his attention quickly zeroes in on them.
Years of busting the rings in the Underground made him become extra aware when it comes to children. Where they are, who they're with, what they're doing, what they're showing, all of this information quickly enters his brain in a split second. A fraction of a second wasted could mean the end.
The child, a little girl it seems, is lost, he concludes. She's all by herself, looking around all confused and scared. He can see tears are streaming down her face. He notices a few adults are looking at her way.
He moves before anyone can approach.
"Hey kid."
The girl whips around to turn towards him, startled by his sudden appearance. He forgot to make sure his presence was known to her but he didn't want to risk any chance.
He sees the fear in her eyes rise as her hands grip onto her dress. He can tell she is suspicious and scared of him and he can't blame her. Even a good number of Heroes are suspicious of him despite already knowing his identity.
He slowly crouches down to her height while keeping eye contact with her.
She doesn't make any attempt to run away. He takes this as a good sign.
"I didn't mean to scare you kid. My name is Aizawa. I am a Hero," he starts with a gentle tone, specifically for kids.
Her hold on her dress lessens considerably but she is still suspicious of him. He'll take this nice and slow.
At the same time, he's keeping full awareness of his surroundings. A few eyes are on them but none are making a move.
"Hero?" The meek voice coming from the girl pulls his attention back on her. He nods his head.
"Where're your parents?" he asks gently. Unfortunately that only opens the waterwork a little wider because more tears are rolling down her face.
"I-I don't know. I was throwing away trash and when I turned around mommy and daddy were gone," the little lady answers through a thick voice, on the edge of crying. Her grip on her dress tightens again.
Just a lost kid, then.
"Calm down, kid. Let's go to a police station," he says with a calm voice. He intends his words to give her a small sense of comfort but the fear on her face returns.
"Am I getting arrested?" she asks in a quivering voice.
Ah, the precious child's innocence.
"No, you will not be arrested," he reassures with a light head shake. "Your parents might be there, looking for you." The scared look quickly dissipates and she now has a look of realization.
"Oh. Okay." Now she looks sheepish.
"Alright, shall we go?" he asks. When she nods, he slowly rises up to his feet, ignoring his popping joints. Then, he reaches out a hand towards her. "So we don't get lost from each other," he reasons when she gives his hand a hesitant look. She looks back up at him before going back to his palm.
Then, slowly, she puts her hand in his palm.
He feels there is an edge of roughness around her hand. He tries not to show any visible reaction as he begins to lead her to the nearest police station.
A child like her should not have a rough, calloused hand. She doesn't look like she's living a hard life. He's willing to bet it's the opposite and she lives a lavishing life. Unless…
"Your hand feels rough, kid. Are you training?" He starts casually. From the corner of his eyes, he can see the girl looking up at him surprised.
"Yes, I… I want to be a Hero," she answers.
He relaxes.
It's just an aspiring kid.
"How did you know, mister?" the kid asks. He gives her a glance with a raised eyebrow.
"Like I said earlier, I'm a Hero."
"Oh. Yeah."
"Did you not believe me?"
"Well… yeah," she admits sheepishly. He can't help himself but lets out a lighthearted snort.
"It's fine, kid. It happens often."
Too often, unfortunately.
"What kind of a Hero are you, mister?" Her tone is light and no longer thick and her cheeks are now drying up. It seems she's getting better.
"One that few people will know." She looks curious at his answer but keeps quiet.
He can't say Underground because he is pretty sure a kid her age had never heard of Underground Heroes. And, most importantly, it's better if she knows less about it.
They turn around the corner but he knows they're still a little far from the police station. He wants to bring her there quickly, swinging around with his scarf and running across the rooftop. But she looks like she's on edge and anything faster than their current pace might make her hyperventilate.
He can feel the eyes on him, eyeing him with suspicion. Thankfully the little girl is oblivious to it. It'll be troublesome if someone decides to step forward and stop him, even if he shows proof.
Unfortunately, someone does step in.
"Eraserhead!"
Fortunately, it's Pro Hero Miruko.
He watches as she jogs over to him, enthusiastically waves a hand with a giant smile on her face. It's not too dissimilar to what she did back at the Gala not too long ago.
He feels the small hand tighten around his, gaining his attention. Looking down, he sees the awed look on the little girl's face. It seems she knows who Miruko is.
"Hey, kid!" Miruko greets the little girl once she is close enough.
"Hi, Miruko!" the little girl replies back, all the fear and sadness have now completely disappeared. Miruko gives her a wide grin before turning her attention to him.
"What's up with the little lady?" she asks him, gesturing to the kid, who surprisingly has yet to let go of his hand.
"She's lost. We're on our way to the police station."
"Is that so?" She trails off and looks back down at his small companion, before she crouches down to the kid's height. "Thank goodness he found you, huh?" she asks, to which the kid nods her head. "Ain't need to worry, kid. When he's around, you can be sure that everything will be fine."
He tries not to frown at the Rabbit Hero for her words. She must be just saying those words to comfort the kid, but he can see that the little girl is now looking up at him in a different light.
"I'll be taggin' along," Miruko says as she straightens back up. "Don't want any Hero to confuse you for kidnappin'." He makes a face, which causes Miruko to cackle while the little girl looks confused. "By the looks of it, you got it a lot."
"Way too many times."
She cackles again.
"Where we headin'?"
"It's down this road. It shouldn't be too far now." He nods towards the road he is going down.
"Let's get goin' then!" Miruko says enthusiastically. "Come on, kid! Mommy and daddy might be waitin' for you there!"
"I already told her that."
"It wouldn't hurt for extra reassurance!"
"Hm."
Now with Miruko at his side, he can already tell that he has received significantly less attention. Instead, it's Miruko who's garnering the attention, mainly from fans. She politely tells them to go away because she's on a mission at the moment.
He tries not to snort because said mission is basically an escort mission of a lost girl. At least she's taking this seriously.
"Is your name Eraserhead?" he hears his little companion ask.
"It's my Hero name, yes."
"Eraserhead…"
He gives the little girl a confused look but she's not looking up at him, seemingly deep in thought. He gives Miruko a look but she just shrugs her shoulders.
"I'm surprised seein' you out and about," Miruko starts. By her words, she's talking to him. "What brings you here, if you ain't mind me asking?"
"Just buying something," he simply answers. "Is this your regular patrol route?" he asks her back.
"No, not really," she answers while shaking her head. "My usual route is a little further than here, wanted to pass by quickly when I spotted you. But in all honesty, I'm actually pretty glad meetin' you."
He looks over and gives the Rabbit Hero a raised eyebrow, wondering what she means by her words.
She has a smile on her face. It's the same as the ones at the Gala event.
"MY BABY!"
He snaps his head towards the loud voice and sees a man and woman dashing over towards them. He wonders who they are but when he feels the small hand rip away from him, he gets his answer.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
He watches as the kid jumps and throws herself into her parents' awaiting arms. All three cry their hearts out of relief. He stares at the family reunited, feeling relieved that the little girl has a family who cares for her. They met much sooner than expected, just halfway from the police station, in fact.
It may be momentary, may be just an hour, but he knows the fear and horror the parents must have felt.
"You like kids."
"I do not."
"Yet you're willingly gettin' stuck with a bunch of them in a class for the entire day."
"Unfortunately."
"I don't know. You look natural hand in hand with that little girl."
"I am thrilled I no longer have to hold her anymore."
"Uh huh."
He rolls his eyes and releases an exasperated sigh.
It looks like she'll be added onto the list of "Aizawa is good with kids" believers, with Da- Nedzu at the very top.
"Our work here is done," he says, moving on from the topic. Miruko hums in agreement. He turns around, ready to walk away with Miruko following him.
"Mister Eraserhead, wait!"
He stops in his tracks. He turns back around and sees the little girl rushes back to him. She stops right in front of him.
"What is it, kid?" he asks, wondering.
She doesn't verbally answer. Instead, she begins holding out her hands with the palms facing the sky. He frowns, confused at what she is doing. He watches silently as her small brows furrow and a few droplets of sweat form at her temples.
Then, out of nowhere, her tiny palms begin to glow, emitting a colorful, sparkling light. Out of the glow, something slowly rises up. He watches with hidden fascination.
It's a doll. Judging by its shape and the way light is reflecting off from it, he thinks it is a Russian doll.
And it's not just any Russian doll, it's one designed after him.
"Thank you for saving me, Mister Eraserhead!" the little girl says with a happy smile, presenting the doll towards him.
It's not unexpected to receive gifts from the victims after he rescued them, thanking him for saving them. It does happen. Very rarely, but it does happen. More often than not, he rejected the gift.
But the only gifts he didn't reject were the ones from kids.
So, with a gentle hand, he picks the Russian doll off from her small hands.
"Yeah."
It's still awkward receiving gifts.
Her smile widens before she runs back over to her parents. He watches as the parents exchange quiet words with her. Then, the family turns towards him and all bow from the waist.
He only gives them a nod.
"That looks cute." The voice next to him brings him back to his current situation. He glances at Miruko and notices her staring at his hand, at the doll. He looks down at it.
It looks finely detailed, high effort.
It must be her Quirk.
Curiosity leads him to open the doll, fully expecting to see a smaller version of himself inside, seeing as it is.
It's of Miruko's instead.
It's just as detailed as his, pretty, cute even.
"That cheeky brat," he hears Miruko mutter without any heat in her voice. Looking up at her, she has a smile on her face and her cheeks are tinted red.
She looks happy, for some reason.
