Eri wasn't sure how long it had been since she had seen another human being while she sat in the darkened oversized closet that was her room. She had tried to escape again and the adult who had been taking care of her was very upset when he found her. After being dragged back to her room, he had screamed at her about how everything was over and that it was her fault before he punched her out of bed.
Some other adults had come in after a few agonizing minutes of the enraged man beating on her cowering form. They had dragged Eri's tormentor out of the room while he broke down crying for anyone to kill him. Anything besides having to go before the boss. The door had slammed shut followed by sound of the heavy deadbolt locking. It was only that final, loud sound that told the poor girl that the pain was finally over. Well, the beating and mental scarring anyway. After that she had cried until she had finally fallen asleep, the lingering ache of the punches and kicks finally fading with the slumber.
After that, nothing. No one had come to check on her, give her food or water. She was so thirsty…so hungry, so painfully alone. And yet, she knew she had been bad so it was her fault she was here suffering like this. Her fault the bad man had hit her. Her fault she was here, with no one to talk to, to comfort her.
Finally, the sound of the deadbolt let the one-horned girl know someone was finally here to see her. Whether that was a new handler or her "father' to take her to another one of his terrible sessions, she had no idea. Eri's fears were partially realized when the first thing she saw cross the threshold from the blinding light beyond was Kai's unmistakable beak-like mask.
As much to hide from her tormentor as from the sudden light entering her room, Eri dove under the covers and buried her head under her pillow. Kai's cold, calculating voice came muffled thanks to the pillow "You can expect this kind of behavior regularly. However, how you handle it is up to you. Just remember you cannot damage her, she is much too valuable for that."
Then a new voice could be heard, notably higher in pitch and nasally but carrying respect for the head of the family "You need not worry, Chisaki-sama. I will handle her with the utmost care."
As footsteps grew closer, Eri knew what was coming next and began to whimper as indeed a hand came down and pulled the pillow away, throwing it against the opposite wall. Before she could move completely under the covers, Kai grabbed them as well the threw them off the bed in a mess on the floor. The two men got their first look at the girl since the assault with her face swollen and bruised along with marks on her legs and hands. If there hadn't been bandages already covering her arms, bruises would have been prominent on them as well to go along with whatever else was hiding under her clothes.
"Come here, child." Kai said as he reached out with those horrible hands of his. Eri had nowhere else to run so aside from flinching at the sight of the hand, all she could do was silently begin weeping in anticipation of the new pain about to come. Instead, Eri could feel her wounds healing when Kai grabbed her arm. After a moment, the silver-haired girl opened her eyes when Kai let go, a questioning look on her face.
The yakuza leader didn't acknowledge her at all, however, instead speaking to the new man "There, back to how she was yesterday. I expect her to stay that way."
Now Eri got her first good look at the man who was apparently her newest in a long line of caretakers. His purple suit matched his bowl-cut purple hair and Eri realized that he was looking at her while Kai spoke, a warm smile on his face. His eyes, though she could barely see through his smile. Still, there was clearly something different about this man. He had a thinner frame than the thugs who had come before and seemed much more welcoming. The purple-haired man replied to Kai "Of course. From today on, Eri will no longer be someone for you to worry about!"
Kai nodded and spoke again when he turned to leave "She hasn't had anything to eat or drink since yesterday. You may want to take care of that first. We will speak later."
With that, Kai left, shutting the door behind him, leaving the two alone for the first time. Eri remained sitting on her bed, curled up and watching the man wearily, waiting for an order to be barked or yelling or grumbling about taking care of a kid. All things she had heard before once her "father" had left. Instead, the man leaned down and held out an open palm before he said "Hello little Eri, my name is Xellos! And from today on, I'll be taking care of you! I brought a present for you."
If this Xellos was putting on a show, it was a good one. Eri felt her guard going down, her worried expression replaced by that of curiosity "A…a present? For me?"
Just as Eri finished speaking, there was a puff of smoke and a flower appeared in Xellos' hand. It was yellow, with many small yellow petals radiating out from the center and the girl was instantly enamored with the flora that had been presented to her. Indeed, Eri's eyes grew wide in amazement, as though she'd never even seen a flower before "It's so beautiful, Xellos-san! What's it called?"
Patting the young girl on the head now that she had rushed up to see the flower close, Xellos lightly chided "You can just call me Xellos, little Eri, if you could. Also, it's a Chrysanthemum. I'm told they mean celebration or happiness."
"Your told?" Eri asked, titling her head in a most adorable fashion.
"Oh yes, well, I'm not exactly from around these parts so I'm still learning" Xellos explained after he handed the girl the flower. Eri was in complete awe as she held it with great care before Xellos added with a sense of satisfaction "It would seem you like my little gift? Good, then what do you say we go get something to eat cute little one?"
"You mean I can go with you to get food?" Eri asked, a forlorn hope in her voice.
"Of course, silly! From now on, we'll do all sorts of things, I promise! Why, one day, you'll never have to come back to this place again if you want!"
That last part brought Eri up short as she was just starting to walk with the purple-haired caretaker. The thought that she might one day be free had kept her going for a long time now, but this was the first time someone else, an adult no less, had said it. Just when Xellos looked back to see what was holding his new charge up, Eri smiled wide and ran back up to him, taking his hand.
From there the two became fast friends. Xellos would continue to bring small gifts as well as read her stories, using funny voices that always put a smile on her face. Whenever Kai came for her to do his 'treatments', Xellos would go with her to be by her side and reassure her. When each session was over, he would carry her back and tell her that he would get her out someday soon, she just had to endure a little bit longer. Even as the days and weeks stretched on, Eri's belief that she would get away grew that much stronger every time Xellos said it.
Now…now she wasn't so sure. Standing over the prone form of her grandfather, laying in a hospital bed, IVs and various monitors attached to him, Eri seriously doubted she could do anything to save him. With that doubt came the fear that maybe she wouldn't escape either. Her father could be just on the other side of that door, killing the underlings that had come with them to the old boss' room.
Sensing her hesitation, Xellos put his hand out to Eri's side and in a puff of smoke, another Chrysanthemum appeared before he said gently "Remember when I first gave this to you Eri-chan? You remember what it meant?"
The nervous girl nodded.
"Good girl, I'm glad. Don't you think it would be a wonderful thing to share with your grandfather?"
Eri looked down at the flower and for a long moment, she stared at the cluster of tiny flowers that made up the center of the plant before looking over at the unconscious face of her last remaining blood relative.
Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, Eri resolutely answered "I do!"
"Good" Xellos said while he used his other hand to gently place Eri's right hand on her grandfather's shoulder "Now, I want you to think about that flower. Think about how happy he would be to see it and I want you to think about how your grandfather was when he wasn't sick like this."
"I…I think I can do that Xellos" Eri replied, trying her best to sound brave and hide her obvious worry.
Closing her eyes, the one-horned girl did as her caretaker said and thought back to her grandfather dotting on her, playing with her, giving her sweets when she begged him. She imagined being able to show him this beautiful little flower and the big smile on his face when he received it from her. He'd laugh while he took it and say how sweet it was that she gave it to him. As her chest filled with the warmth of such thoughts, she could feel a tingle in her horn and when she opened her eyes again, Eri saw a flash of light eliminate from her hand that caused her to look away.
She'd done it. Eri had used her quirk. She was at once filled with pride that she had more or less done it on command but terrified to look back to see if she had gone too far. Then the sweet little girl heard the voice of her friend say "Eri-chan, you can open your eyes, sweetie. I think it worked." said Xellos.
Gasping, Eri's eyes shot open before she whipped her head back. Sure enough, her grandfather, Kenichi's, eyes were blinking open and all at once a profound and overwhelming sense of joy overtook the little girl before she threw herself on top of her grandfather, tears of unfettered joy flowing from her eyes.
Still just waking up and suddenly with the weight of a little girl on him, Kenichi let out a grunt before he slowly reached over and placed his hand on Eri's head and groggily said "E, Eri? Is that you? You…you're so big. How long have I been here?" Then, noticing the man in the purple suit standing beside him, added "I take it you're not a nurse. What the hell is going on here? Who are you?"
Bowing, Xellos answered, an air of reverence in his voice "Good evening, sir. My name is Xellos and I've become a member of your esteemed family in your absence. I have been taking care of your granddaughter of late. You'll forgive me if I cut to the chase. Your son has taken your family on a crusade to remove quirks from the world. That crusade has brought heroes into your home at this very moment. I've seen to it that most of the group is heading for safety and we've come to get you as well."
Sitting up slowly, letting Eri slide down to his lap, the old man put his other hand on his head before he said "My foolish son…he actually did it. Now he's destroyed everything."
"If I may, sir." Xellos interrupted "You are about to lose your home but if we act quickly, you and your family will be safe in Deika City. I've made connections there so that, for a time, you can lay low there."
"I have no idea what's going on but it sounds like I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Kenichi said while he picked up Eri and handed her to Xellos before he slide out of bed, his feet wobbly beneath him as he went to stand.
"An excellent choice, sir. Here, allow me to help you." Xellos replied before he lent the old man a shoulder to help the larger man walk, Eri all but skipping ahead of them with a bright smile on her face.
Looking down at his granddaughter, the revived head of the Shie Hassaikai couldn't help but think he had that little girl to thank for the fact that he was awake again. Then he noticed the bandages on her arms "Eri, sweetie, what happened to your arms?"
The one-horned little girl's smile faded considerably when she looked back at her grandfather and only managed to squeak out a 'ummm' before Xellos cut in, "Your son's doing. We'll talk about the details later."
His features hardening when his fears were all but confirmed, Kenichi nodded while they made their way out of the room he'd been hidden away in for who knows how long. Several men who had been standing guard turned to see their old leader walking again. Joy overtook them before they crowded the trio.
The group was about to turn and begin making their way down the maze of corridors to escape when a calm, muffled voice came from around the corner "As I suspected, it was an act. This was your grand plan, Xellos? To revive a foolish old man and run a bunch of cannon fodder around tunnels like rats in a maze?" Kai said when he rounded the corner, gloved hands coming out of his pockets.
"Kai, I told you if you persisted in this madness then you would be expelled from this family. This Xellos has done us a great service and you…you are no son of mine, not after what you've done to Eri!" the old man growled, anger building which each word.
"Xellos is nothing more than a petty thief, out to stop me from taking over this country, father! You recovering doesn't change that. We can always rebuild, as long as we have Eri. And I will have her, even if I have to go through you a second time."
The guards, all too familiar with Kai's quirk, took a step back but to their credit, did not back down, brandishing iron knuckles, chains and other simple weapons while one of them shouted "We'll hold them off, you go!"
Xellos nodded and the three turned to go when seemingly out of nowhere, a blonde flash darted in and swept up Eri. Before anyone knew it Himiko stood at the far end of the hall, a knife to Eri's throat and Jin right behind her before she said "So this little thing is the secret to those bullets of yours? Thanks, I think we'll be taking her!"
For a moment, there was silence, the three sides regarding each other. Then, all hell broke loose.
(X)
"Which way now!" Mirio called back toward Michiru while the group of young heroes reached another crossroads in the labyrinth-like hallways underneath the Shie Hassaikai headquarters.
"Left!" Michiru answered from behind, flanked by her fellow lighters Zelgadis and Emeralda, the morphing beastman still in her wolf form.
As the group made the turn, Emeralda shifted her arm into a blade and quickly slashed an arrow into the wall, grating the ears of the entire group. No one, however, complained since they all knew she was leaving a trail for their fellow heroes they left fighting up above to follow behind them.
Instead, Izuku brought up another subject that was bothering him "Was it really the best idea to leave those yakuza behind like that?"
"It was a gamble, to be sure." Mirio explained, still very much focused on the task at hand, his normal jovial attitude gone entirely.
"We just have to trust that our side will come out on top and collect them for us." Michiru agreed.
"It's clear they already knew we were coming, which means we must act as quickly as possible. The only other option would have been to kill them." Emeralda said calmly, disturbing most of the others in the group.
"None of that will matter if we don't get her." Zelgadis reminded the group before asking the tanuki turned wolf girl "How much further, Animalia?"
Michiru had kept a firm focus on Eri's scent but from time to time would widen her perception to see if anymore nasty surprises were lying in wait. This time when she did it however, something else was revealed "Guys, we're getting closer. Just one more level down, but…"
"Spit it out!" Zelgadis irritably growled.
A brief flash of anger, quickly replaced by worry played across Michiru's lupine face before she continued "There's a fight down there, I think. Xellos is there, that Overhaul guy is there, and a bunch of people I don't know, with more on the way. We may have to fight our way to Eri!"
"We may have to scout the situation once we get there." Mirio said, which drew an angry glare from the chimera behind him.
"I'm not wasting any more time than I have to, blondie." Zelgadis said, annoyance and impatience in his voice.
"Magus, if we go in without knowing the situation or without a plan, we could waste a lot more than time. Anyone's quirk useful for scouting?"
Zelgadis wanted to retort but realized it was useless with Mr. Perfect and decided to keep his mouth shut. Izuku, aware of the awkwardness that had settled in between the two older heroes, spoke up "I…if I went fast enough, maybe I could get close enough to see what's going on and be back without being seen?"
"Not my first choice but let's keep that option open" was the blonde upperclassmen's response.
"Turn left here! Also, my chameleon form can become invisible so I can handle that too." Michiru volunteered before the screeching of Emeralda's blade invaded her sensitive ears.
"That'll work, thanks Animalia, your quirk is amazing!" replied Mirio, his normal, cheerful self briefly making an appearance.
That praise caught Michiru off guard. Despite everything going on and the serious situation they found themselves charging into, the displaced girl couldn't help but think back to when she first became a beastman. Back when she thought being this way was a curse, some sort of illness to be cured. Before long, once it became clear what she could do, Michiru had come to see herself as a tanuki girl much more than a human. Now she was even being praised for her abilities, something she had to more or less kept hidden back home. It would have been funny if lives weren't hanging in the balance at this very moment.
Michiru's thoughts were interrupted by a massive crashing sound that rocked the very halls they were charging through. Everyone came to a stop while Michiru tried to get a sense of what had just happened. "Guys…I don't know what's going on but everyone fighting below is now…even lower, in a much larger room another level down. I think someone blew a hole in the floor."
"As long as the stairs are still intact, then our plan hasn't changed in principle. Let's go!" Mirio commanded and the small band of young heroes and lighters continued their descent into chaos.
(X)
Up above, things had improved somewhat for the heroes. Terra had been able to keep Rikiya at bay long enough for Ryukyu to regain her bearings and stand up against the massive yakuza once more. Knowing the role the half-esper still had to play in the plan, the dragon hero commanded Terra to disengage and head toward the house with Formidable taking her place against the tower of a man facing them.
Said building had briefly caught on fire but almost as quickly been put out. It was just as well because the remaining Bullets were being pushed back, with Chronostasis ordering them into a fighting retreat back into the compound. Rikiya was left behind the hold off as many heroes as possible. Thanks to Hekiji's barrier quirk, Chronostasis, Toya, Yu, Soramitsu, Kendo and Deidoro made their way into the building, some worse off than others.
There they came across Mimic, Shin and Gai, beaten, unconscious and in Mimic's case, burned. Gathering them up, the Bullets kept behind their barrier as they filed down the now revealed door down to the tunnels below.
With Shouta's eraser quirk being kept at bay by Deidoro's, it was left to Celty, a supernatural being unaffected by the seemingly drunken man to try and stop the remaining Bullets escape. However, the constant barrage of shadow blades that she battered Hekiji's barrier with just wasn't enough to break it and the headless lighter was left to watch while their targets escaped underground.
Mirai wasted little time gathering the remaining heroes to follow their targets down into the yakuza's home turf. Now, Sir Nighteye was joined by Eraserhead, Fatgum, Red Riot, Suneater, Rock Lock, Esper and Shadow Rider charging forward, with no idea where the Bullets had gone, where the search team had gotten off to or if they were ok. Worst of all, they absolutely had no idea where Eri was.
Mirai could hide his concerns easily enough thanks to his stern barring but while he led the group forward blindly, he was consumed with worry. Relying on a rookie student's quirk had been a mistake, he should have used his own at some point to at least get the layout of the underground tunnels himself. Instead, the former sidekick to All Might had wanted to conserve his quirk until he absolutely had to. Now, Mirio and All Might's chosen, if flawed, successor were out there with three people he knew very little about left to face an extremely dangerous pair of men. Mirai knew operations could go array but to have things fall apart like this so quickly, he was ashamed to have let it get this bad.
If Mirai could see Celty's face, that is, if she had one, he'd know that the dullahan was just as worried as he was. As much as she wanted to go home to her beloved, as much of a threat Overhaul and Xellos posed, it was the fear of what could happen to those kids that was eating at Celty the most. She knew that this trio was important to Jun, even if he didn't show it. The dullahan had been around this world long enough that she could read the silver-haired former hero quite well. The thought of having to tell him that one or more of them had been lost, and under her watch no less, ate at her soul. They had to find them, and soon.
Luckily, Shouta had noticed the arrows etched into the wall before long. The heroes just had to hope that the retreating yakuza hadn't noticed them as well.
(X)
Once the search team got to the next level of the underground compound, they no longer needed Michiru's sense of smell to guide them. Indeed, the sounds of fighting alone was enough to lead the group toward the massive hole in the floor that was now an arena for multiple factions vying for control of a single little girl.
"You got this, Animalia?" Mirio asked more out of courtesy than actual concern for the tanuki girl's readiness.
"Be back in a minute." Michiru responded, sparks signaling the beginning of her form changing once again. Now with scaled, green skin, a plate on her head and a long tail, the polymorphic beastman a moment later became invisible to her teammates. Izuku again marveled at just how versatile Michiru's quirk really was while he heard footsteps charge around the corner and toward the hole.
Once Michiru got close, she slowed down and got to her knees to poke her head over the edge. Though she was invisible, there was no telling what quirks would be at play so the chameleon girl wisely kept to as little exposure as possible. Michiru wasn't sure what she was going to see when she peered over the edge of the chasm but she definitely wasn't expecting what lay before her.
Overhaul, or at least that's what Michiru guessed based on the mask, otherwise looked little like the photos they had been shown in the briefing. Pieces of metal and concrete appeared to be fused to his limbs and body like armor and he appeared to be bulker than the photos suggested as well. More than that, he appeared to attacking a horde of men in black body suits with a ferocity that did not become the cool and calculating man that he had been described as in the reports.
In the opposite corner was Xellos, standing protectively in front of what appeared to be an old man who was on the ground unconscious and bleeding. In front of them were a handful of men who looked to be in pretty bad shape as they, too fended off more of the black suited people.
The horde of attackers looked familiar to Michiru and when she got a look at the other corner, she knew why right away. There, holding Eri at knife point was the crazed blonde that had been at Kaimno. The same girl who had taken Emeralda's eye, which meant the other guy with her had also been there, keeping Zelgadis busy while Xellos 'died'.
That had been all Michiru needed to see and just a few moments later, she was back reporting the scene to the team.
"The league is here?!" Izuku all but yelled, immediately remembering the directive his homeroom teacher had given all of the 1-A students about what to do if just this thing happened. The freckled boy knew that Mr. Aizawa would be furious at him if he engaged knowing the league was here but how could he turn away now? There was already a fight and holding back now could mean Eri being left in the hands of any of those horrible people down there.
Izuku's struggles were plain on his face and Mirio addressed them first "Deku, no one will think less of you if you stay behind but I think I speak for all of us when I say we got your back if you want to stick with us."
Looking around and seeing the steadfast looks of determination on everyone else's faces was all Izuku needed to see before he furrowed his brow and nodded "I'm in, I will save Eri!"
"Alright then, so what's the gameplan?" Mirio asked, now that that issue was settled.
Zelgadis was first to speak "We don't have Terra to draw Xellos' attention, but we're lucky he doesn't have the girl at the moment."
"You mean to strike quickly before he can react?" Emeralda suggested.
"What are we distracting him with then?" Izuku asked.
"I can produce a hazy mist that'll block everyone's view but he'll know something is up as soon as I use it." Zelgadis answered.
"And it'll mean we can't see anything either." Mirio pointed out.
"My nose will lead the way, don't worry about that." Michiru added confidently.
"Just in case, Animalia, did you see any other exits down there?" Mirio asked as the plan settled into place.
"Yeah, there was a door on the back wall, behind Overhaul." Michiru answered.
"Peachy." Zelgadis snarked, earning glares from Michiru and Izuku.
After settling on everyone's roles, the group made their way to the edge of the hole before Mirio spoke "Alright, everyone, get a good look at where everyone is cause we're going in!"
"Dark Mist" Zelgadis said, casting his spell. Within moments, a thick black fog descended on the large room. Calls of confusion, especially from Jin's clones, filled the air before the search team leapt down into the fray.
Izuku and Emeralda were tasked with clearing the clones closest to Himiko and Eri and it didn't take long for either of them to land and find their first targets roughly right where they had seen them. Izuku had no trouble smashing several clones into goo while Emeralda slashed hers in half almost instantly upon hitting the ground.
Kai wasted no time in realizing something was up and redoubled his attempt to make it through that damn cloner's horde. He finally felt like he was making progress through the endless bodies in the mist until his bladed arm smashed into a barrier. Through the mist he could just make out someone he hadn't seen before, with blue skin and what looked like rocks on his face. "Who the hell are you to get in the way of what is mine!" Kai roared.
Zelgadis, however, said nothing, well aware that Xellos was within earshot and instead just smirked back while he maintained his barrier with both hands outstretched.
Himiko was no fool either, immediately aware that either the heroes had arrived or someone from the Shie Hassaikai she didn't know had joined the fight. Trouble was, she didn't have many options. Though she held the quivering girl at knifepoint, actually going through with killing Eri would mean losing her shield as well. With Overhaul between her and the exit, this mist only made things worse. All she could do was prepare to counter whatever was about to come her way.
What Himiko wasn't ready for was for some buff blonde to rise out of the ground to her side and pluck her knife right out of her hands while getting a good shot with his fist to her side all at once. With that gaudy caped outfit, it had to be damned heroes! Regardless, the vampiric shapeshifter was doubled over from Mirio's punch and could only watch helplessly while her blonde attacker caught Eri and handed her off to…that racoon girl from Kamino and the exam! If she was here, then maybe her Izuku was too?
No sooner had Mirio secured Eri, he was whispering to her everything would be alright while she stared up at her savior with a look of shocked bewilderment. As much as he didn't want to let the little girl go, however, Mirio couldn't fly, so he handed Eri off to Michiru, now in her winged tanuki form, and prepared to make sure the rest of the team fell back.
However, like any good plan, this one did not survive to its final stages. Just as Michiru was about to push off and fly up and out of the hole in the ceiling, Xellos appeared from mist, his normal jovial demeanor gone as he caught Michiru across the side of her face with his fist. The Tanuki girl was caught completely off guard and lost her grip on Eri, who fell at an angle away from her.
Izuku saw Eri tumbling away and desperate to achieve what he had failed to do before on the street, turned toward the girl intent on reaching her while he called desperately "ERI! Hold on!"
The inheritor of One for All was cut short when a beam shot right in front of him and impacted a couple of feet away, leaving a crater in the ground. Eyes wide, Izuku turned to see a glow in the mist approaching. Within moments he could see it was Xellos, his hand out and finger outstretched and glowing. The mazuku got closer, a smirk on his face when he playfully said "Oh? Did I miss? You really do have great reflexes for a human, don't you?"
In the moments after the shot, Izuku had been trying to keep track of where Eri had gotten to but hearing Xellos' words, especially the last ones, brought his constantly moving mind to a standstill and he froze. Left a sitting duck, Xellos wasted no more time taking aim to fire another magical blast at the young hero.
Mirio, however, had other plans, having appeared from behind Xellos to take a swing at the purple-suited lighter only to get the shock of his life as he phased right through the mazuku. "What? I hadn't activated my quirk?!" the blonde hero spoke in surprise before he crashed forward and into Emeralda, who had continued to fend off Twice clones with Izuku distracted.
"Oh, your reaction is priceless!" Xellos cheerfully explained only for a pair of lion's fangs to drive themselves in his shoulder along with two pairs of claws that slashed at his side and chest.
Instead of blood and viscera, however, nothing seemed to happen save for the tearing of his suit. On seeing this, Xellos frowned before he glanced at the head of his attacker, still attached to him "Really, Michiru, I had managed to keep this suit in perfect shape till now and its completely ruined. You should be ashamed." Then, with what appeared to be no effort, the purple-haired yakuza grabbed Michiru by the scruff of her neck and pulled her off of him and just tossed her aside like she was trash.
"Now, Eri-chan, where did you get off to, hmm?" Xellos called out in a sing-song voice, as though the fighting around him were of no consequence at all.
"She's here." A deep, cynical and all too familiar voice replied.
The mist began to clear and indeed Eri was now being held by Zelgadis, wrapped in one arm and his dulled blade to her throat. The chimera's other hand was held out to maintain his barrier against Kai, who had, up till now continued to pound away at the magically induced wind shield.
Things hadn't exactly gone to plan but Eri was in the heroes hands, which was at least something as Izuku called "Magus, go! We'll hold them off!"
"Yeah!" Michiru added, "don't worry about us, we'll buy you the time you need!"
Mirio and Emeralda shared the sentiment, with the four beginning to form a semicircle between them, Xellos as well as both Himiko and the Twice clones. However, what they heard next shocked them all.
"No…"
Despite the risk to herself, Michiru turned, missing the smirk forming on Xellos' face. In their time together, Michiru had seen a wide range of grumpy and sour looks on Zelgadis' face, often to her bemusement. Most of the time she knew he didn't really mean it, it was just how he was. Lately though, the light had gone from his eyes when he bore the scowl seemingly locked on his rocky face. All of that paled to the desperate anger on his face now. Michiru's blood ran cold when she looked at her chimera friend and saw the look of fear in the eyes of the panicked girl held tight to Zelgadis' chest.
Michiru didn't get the chance to protest, her horrified expression was enough for Zelgadis to know what she would have said if he hadn't of spoken again "I said NO!" Eri began to cry now, the stress and panic finally getting to her as it became clear to her that she wasn't going to be safe no matter where she went.
"Eri is MINE!" Kai roared in response both to her crying and Zelgadis' defiance.
Zelgadis ignored the yakuza leader and instead he again addressed his friends, a look of betrayal on their faces "This is it…this little girl can do what I've longed for so long now and she will do it right now. I WILL NOT GIVE HER UP BEFORE I'M HUMAN AGAIN!"
(X)
I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing how I wish this could have been longer, life keeps getting in the way, blah, blah, whine, whine. I won't bore you with details, just know that for this, the two-year anniversary of this story, I couldn't be happier to have you here along for the ride.
I did, of course, intend this to be a full normal chapter length to celebrate the occasion, just as I did last year. Still, I hope you're happy all the same. I will still post the next chapter the first Friday of next month, as always, but it, too will be on the shorter side. These two chapters will indeed be more than if I just split a normal chapter in half but neither of them are going to be as long as I wanted them to be.
I really wish Kohei Horikoshi had given Eri's grandfather a name. A surname, a family name, anything at all. I tend to take way too much time and over think when it comes to naming pretty much anything. Its enough for me to invent names for all the OC's I've had in this story, I don't need help from the source material. Ok, minor complaint over.
As is usually the case, no reviews for this month so take that as a blessing or a shame as you will.
Seriously everyone, especially the 50-60 of you who read the latest chapter each month, it means so much to me that you have continued on through this journey. I'm not a writer and this will likely be my only work of fiction but it is deeply personal for me (it's a big reason I will continue to write this regardless of its reception) and to know there are others out there that have actually enjoyed it and stuck around all this time, I'm humbled and a bit embarrassed.
Though I understand if you move onto other stories, I do hope and wish for your continued interest in the year to come. Thank you, take care and I'll see you in just a few weeks!