The first thing she was aware of was how comfy she was. It was nice and warm, with the muffled sound of birdsong in the background. She debated opening her eyes, but sweet temptation won out and she snuggled into Izuku's side and fell back asleep. When she next awoke, however, it was due to Izuku shaking her. She blearily opened her eyes and yawned.
"Ochako wake up, we're running late," Izuku said.
Ochako looked at the clock, and the sight caused her adrenaline to start pumping. They would have to move fast to ensure they weren't late. They quickly got out of bed, dressed, and ate a hasty breakfast.
"You have everything you need right? Not forgetting anything?" Ochako called from the bathroom as she tried to get her bedhead under control.
Izuku opened and quickly scanned over everything in his bags.
"I think I do," he called back.
"What about her present?"
Izuku froze, then walked over to his side of the bed and grabbed the small bag that had fallen onto the floor, outside of his vision.
"Thank you," he called.
Ochako sighed and smiled, then scowled as her hair refused to cooperate. She tried for a few minutes more before finally getting it into a place where she was satisfied. She came out of the bathroom and saw Izuku had already grabbed his bags, so she followed him out.
Izuku was waiting in the doorway, bags in his hands and ready to go. Ochako took one of the bags from him and after checking once more that he had everything, they set out. They moved briskly across the grounds, but just as they got a third of the way to the parking lot, Ochako's phone rang.
"Where are you?" Came Tsu's voice.
Ochako internally winced, "We're a third of the way there, we overslept a little." She said apologetically.
"So long as you're out the door, you should be fine ribbit," Tsu said, before hanging up.
"We'd better pick up the pace a little," Ochako said.
Izuku nodded and they broke into a light jog.
When they got to the parking lot, Tsu's car was already running and she looked over at them as they approached. They put Izuku's bags in the trunk then quickly opened the doors and got in. Tsu put her car into drive, and before much longer they were driving down the street and toward the gates.
The gates opened automatically as they approached and they pulled onto the main road, Tsu setting a course for the train station. A few minutes after Ochako and Izuku got settled in their seats, Ochako up front with Izuku in the back, Tsu glanced over at Ochako and then Izuku.
"So... how are you two feeling about all this?" she asked.
"I mean, it's for the best," Ochako said.
"She can't stay in the city, it's not good for her," Izuku added.
"True, but that's not what I asked," Tsu said.
There was silence for a bit and both Ochako and Izuku thought about it.
"I'll miss her, she's a sweet girl. It was nice playing with her and helping her." Ochako said sadly.
"I'll miss her too, but the city isn't where she needs to be. It will be years before she's ready for any social interaction on the level she'll get in a city. That's not to mention that the city is only getting busier and the constant flow of vagrants in and out of the city. The place is a growing hotbed for crime due to the low manpower of police and heroes. The longer she stays, the slower her recovery will be and the more likely she'll be traumatized by something else." Izuku said with a sigh, a troubled expression on his face.
With the mood substantially lower, Tsu dropped the subject and just focused on driving.
Ochako watched the streets and the people go by, a stream of people and objects that seemed to blur together as her mind wandered. She'd grown to enjoy Eri's company, but given both of their circumstances, visiting had been difficult. The last thing Eri needed was for the press to catch wind of her and start digging. Yet, the times when she had been able to interact with the child had been just as heartwarming as heartbreaking. The child was terrified of basically everything she didn't understand but was consistently mesmerized by everything as well. Her body was growing steadily, but both Okimi and Eri's therapist had noted that the girl could undergo an early onset puberty as a result of the extreme trauma she had undergone. Trying to work through her PTSD, teaching her basic skills, and adjusting her to her new life would be made significantly more difficult if hormones were thrown into the mix.
There were too many things in this environment that aggravated her. Too many things could trigger traumatic flashbacks and too many things that could cause her further harm. While the girl's existence was not a secret, the nature of her quirk and her ties to Overhaul were. Only a handful knew the truth, and everyone was keen on keeping it that way. So a subtle information campaign was put into action to slowly and quietly spread the idea that she had been abducted by Zeus for human trafficking; a half-truth, but half-truths often made for the best lies.
Hence Eri was leaving the city, to move to the countryside where her environment could better be controlled, her recovery made easier, and help postpone puberty as much as possible by providing her with a less stressful environment. Fortunately, an older couple who were former members of witness protection and had a plethora of experience in dealing with children suffering from psychological issues had been in retirement but had promptly agreed to take her in while she recovered in the countryside. The only major problem that both the hospital caretakers and her therapist had identified was her becoming very attached to Izuku and Okimi.
Eri had immediately recognized Izuku as the one who rescued her from her confinement, despite Izuku masquerading as The Hunter at the time. As a result, she had grown quite attached to Izuku. She had also grown attached to Okimi, the hospital director. Eri also knew that Okimi had been responsible for keeping her alive through the months as she received several organ transplants. Okimi's quirk had kept many of her organs in functional states even as they suffered gradual failure. Eri had never been told these things, she had just known, and so another mystery was added to the pile concerning her.
It had been a difficult decision to make for the girl, but as she had started to become more and more attached to others, they knew that if they waited any longer, it would only get worse if not impossible to relocate her. Fortunately, she would be close enough for people to visit her in Mie Prefecture. Izuku had volunteered to go with her and help her adjust to her new surroundings with someone she knew and trusted. The idea was readily accepted, and Izuku would be leaving for a week while he helped Eri settle in.
Okimi however had said she would visit when she could in the earlier stages, but would gradually wind down her visits. Both to lower the girl's dependency on her and to help ease the girl into the concept of people naturally leaving her life over time. If she became overly dependent on people, it would make things much more difficult for her later in life. Izuku would be doing much the same, but rather than slowly transition out of Eri's life almost entirely like Okimi, Izuku would stay in steady contact. While her growing dependent wasn't healthy, she did need role models and friends.
Ochako was shaken from her reminiscence and thoughts when she noticed Tsu turn into a small parking lot near the train station. They clambered out of the car and headed to the station. It was a small walk, but as they merged into the large crowds Ochako found herself getting closer to Izuku who promptly took her hand in his. The touch helped calm her down, her nerves easing. She still stuck close to him though, enjoying his proximity.
The walk was otherwise uneventful, just abound of people going about their day. Ochako still found it a bit strange, the sheer normalcy of it all sometimes just felt off to her. She'd spent so long fighting monsters and villains, that seeing the mundanity of regular people going about their day made her feel out of place. She hadn't been involved in any major tussles since the Zeus raid, and she was slowly starting to re-adjust to her post-war situation. She did occasionally find herself tensed though and would have to make a conscious effort to relax her body.
They walked up a small but broad staircase and proceeded through the ticket gate. Up another staircase and they were in the station proper. Ochako looked around but didn't see Okimi or Eri nearby. They started walking by the queues of people waiting for the train until eventually, Tsu pointed to a bench. Ochako looked and saw Eri and Okimi, sitting on the bench waiting for them.
As they got closer, Eri eventually spotted them and perked up noticeably from where she had been trying to make herself look as small as possible. When Izuku walked up beside her she hopped from her seat and hugged Izuku around his middle. The top of her head just short of reaching halfway up his chest. Izuku smiled, and hugged her back, patting the back of her head reassuringly.
"You haven't been waiting long I hope?" he asked.
Eri shook her head.
Izuku patted her a few more times before she finally released him. She took a step back and bunched up the front of her blouse in her hands and she shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously.
Izuku crouched down so he was at eye level with her and smiled.
"Are you looking forward to the trip?" he asked.
Izuku saw Eri glance to her right, where the train should be arriving before too much longer, but he also saw her eyes dart around to all the people milling about.
"I don't want to go..." she said quietly, looking down.
"I know it's scary going to someplace you've never been to before, but I promise that you'll have more fun there than you've ever had here," Izuku said confidently.
Eri didn't raise her head, but her eyes looked up at Izuku.
"... Promise?" she said quietly.
"Promise. You'll get to see the forest, where there are trees bigger than cars, and all sorts of animals you'd never dreamed of." Izuku said.
Ochako could see that Eri didn't fully believe Izuku, but the girl trusted Izuku enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"We might even see a Serow, do you know what that is?" Izuku asked.
Eri shook her head.
"It's an animal with horns just like yours," Izuku said.
"Really?" Eri asked, clearly shocked at the idea. "Do they have quirks too?"
"Not usually, but sometimes animals can have quirks just like we do. Nezu is an animal with a quirk." Izuku said.
Eri cocked her head to one side as she thought about it.
"Fuzzy?" she asked, remembering the handful of times the principal had visited her.
Ochako had to keep herself from laughing at Eri's description of Nezu, even if it wasn't entirely wrong. Izuku however, chuckled and nodded.
Just then a pleasant voice sounded over the station speakers, announcing that the train would be arriving shortly.
Eri suddenly became nervous again and shuffled closer to Izuku. Eyes darting all over the place.
"Hey, I got you something," Izuku said
Eri looked back at Izuku a mixture of curiosity and excitement on her face.
Izuku reached into one of the bags he had brought and unzipped the top. He spent a little bit of rummaging around, before pulling out a small brightly colored fabric bag. He handed the bag to Eri who looked at it curiously. She opened the bag and removed a dark sea-green stuffed rabbit with big floppy ears, an adorable little nose, and fake whiskers.
Her expression changed to one of pure and utter delight, she clutched the rabbit to her chest, grinning from ear to ear. Everyone present couldn't help but smile as well, it was a rare moment that the girl smiled so genuinely about anything. Still smiling, Eri lunged forward and hugged Izuku tightly. But she quickly released Izuku to go back to clutching the rabbit to her chest.
"Eri..." Okimi said, coming up behind the girl and nudging her.
Eri looked up at her blankly, unsure what Okimi wanted from her.
"Izuku gave you a present," Okimi said, gesturing to Izuku.
Eri stared at her for a few seconds longer before realization dawned on her and she turned back to Izuku.
"Thank you!" Eri said and gave Izuku a quick bow, clearly embarrassed for having forgotten her manners.
"You're welcome, you make sure to take care of him all right?" Izuku said.
Eri nodded vigorously and clutched the rabbit even tighter to her chest.
Izuku stood up, picked up his bags and the group made their way to a boarding point. Izuku stepped aside with Okimi and the two began talking in low voices. Which left Ochako and Tsu to interact with Eri while Izuku and Okimi finalized any last-minute details.
"Are you going to name your new rabbit?" Tsu asked Eri.
Eri looked up at her and her smile faded and she furrowed her brow in thought. She held the rabbit out at arm's length and looked at it.
Tsu and Ochako smiled seeing the girls' intense thoughts.
Then her expression cleared all at once, an idea having popped into her head.
"Teruma!" she said satisfied.
Ochako thought about the name for a bit, but no clear reason why Eri might have chosen that name, in particular, came to her mind. Eri was satisfied with it though, and that's what mattered.
"It's a brilliant name," Ochako said, causing Eri to smile and bury her face in the rabbit's soft body.
Tsu and Ochako just stared at Eri's obvious delight, enjoying seeing the girl so happy. Then a thought struck Ochako.
"You know Eri, I used to live in the same prefecture you're moving to," she said, crouching down to Eri's height.
At the mention of her imminent situation, Eri looked up at her, her happiness deflating but some measure of curiosity taking its place.
"Really?" she asked.
"Mhm, my parents used to take me on walks through the woods near where we lived and I saw a lot of different animals. When I come to visit with Izuku at some point, I can take you both to see some nice places in the prefecture," she said.
"Promise?" Eri asked.
"Promise," Ochako replied firmly.
Eri went back to admiring her rabbit, but Ochako could see some of the tension leave Eri. Izuku and Okimi walked back over to them, but before either of them could say anything the train pulled into the station.
Okimi crouched down next to Eri and pulled the girl into a hug.
"Remember your manners and make sure you don't go wandering off exploring the woods. It's very easy to get lost, and... make sure you stay safe, I won't be there to help if you get hurt." Okimi said into the girl's ear.
"I will... Uhm... can you not come with me?" Eri asked, hugging Okimi tightly and shaking slightly.
"I'm sorry Eri, but I have to stay here and help people. I'll come to visit though, don't worry." Okimi said reassuringly, rubbing the girl's back.
Okimi was forced to end the hug, despite Eri's efforts.
"I'll be back in a week," Izuku said to Ochako.
"See you soon," Ochako said, giving Izuku a quick kiss.
Izuku reached down and took one of Eri's hands in his, carrying both his and Eri's bags on his other arm and back. As the train doors opened and people started filing out, Izuku guided Eri into the train.
They were near the back of the train and were able to find some open seats. Eri hopped into the seat, while Izuku put their bags down and sat down beside her. Izuku looked out the window and could see Okimi, Ochako, and Tsu. He gave them a wave and then the train was moving.
The train ride was long, but blessedly, nothing unexpected happened. From Mufustafu station to Nagoya, Eri was little more than a shaking terrified ball that clung to his side. They drew more than their fair share of looks because of it, but fortunately, no one said or did anything.
Nagoya to Kintetsu was better, Eri had started to get used to the train and wasn't as abjectly terrified. She still clung to him, but she no longer shook and was able to occasionally distract herself with the stuffed rabbit.
Kintetsu to Matsusaka had significantly fewer people than before, and Eri felt comfortable enough to not cling to him as much. She managed to look out the window and play with the rabbit, before dozing next to him.
When the time came to go from Matsusaka to Takihara Station, Eri had exhausted herself. Her physical stamina was poor already, which combined with the mentally draining experience, left her sleeping in her seat, the rabbit clutched tightly in her hands.
Izuku stared at Eri and carefully examined her physical appearance for the first time in a while. She was still extremely pale, not as pale as she had been when he and Ochako had rescued her, but it was still concerning. Her hair had been well maintained and looked healthy, with the white, slightly wavy hair coming down to her shoulders. Her horn had also started to grow, from just a slight nub when she had been rescued, to protruding a few inches from her forehead. It was obvious it had to do with her quirk, but they weren't sure how. Neither could Eri talk about her quirk.
As her recovery progressed, it became clear that Eri was suffering from either severe dissociative amnesia, mental blocks, or flat-out memory loss. It was difficult to tell and it could be years before she remembered anything, if she ever remembered to begin with. It was perfectly possible that she may never remember specifics.
Her quirk especially was a topic that generated strong reactions from her. On the extremely rare occurrences she had used it on accident, she experienced flashbacks, disassociating entirely. A majority of her trauma stemmed from her quirk, and given her involvement with the League, the implications were clear. So her using her quirk was out of the question, and just like her memory loss, it could be years before she could use her quirk without issue.
Izuku sighed, and looked out the window, trying to gauge where they might be. As the terrain steadily rolled by, the evidence of major human habitation steadily lessened. Huge urban environments gradually gave way to fields, small towns, and treelines.
As an hour rolled over, Izuku figured they'd be arriving soon and woke Eri.
Eri mumbled something too quietly for Izuku to hear and slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she sat up. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. She looked around the empty train car blankly for a few seconds before she remembered where she was. She shuffled closer to Izuku and looked up at him.
"Are we there yet?" she asked, looking out the window.
Upon looking out the window, however, she froze. Her eyes went wide and she got on her knees so she could get a better look outside. The view was nothing but trees, and Izuku saw her mouth drop open in shock. Whatever Eri had been thinking had been completely derailed.
"We're almost there, just another few minutes I think," Izuku said.
Izuku waited but Eri said nothing, just continued to be transfixed at the sight beyond the windows.
"When we arrive and get settled maybe we can go for a walk. I'm sure we can find even more amazing things." Izuku said, turning around and putting his face next to hers.
Eri looked at him, eyes shining with wonder.
"Really?" she asked.
"Really," Izuku said smiling.
Eri stared at him for a few seconds before turning back to the forest, but as she did the train left the forest and emerged into a small sprawl of buildings surrounding the the station that was their destination.
Izuku started to get their things together as the train slowed, while Eri grabbed her rabbit and a small bag. The train slowed more and more until at last, it stopped. They made their way to the doors and as they opened, stepped onto the station platform and into a new chapter of Eri's life.
Izuku hoped it would be a positive one.