Alright it's time for the latest chapter of Project Velocity. This chapter is up a day late as my family drove down to do a crash trip to see some cousins. Driving back Sunday, a crash occurred on our route home and I didn't have access to the internet until we got home which was around 9 at night. At which point I just decided to wait until today to finish the edits on post the chapter.
This chapter will be the end of Izuku and Eri's visit to the hospital, and then we have a small interlude then it's time of the entrance exam. I'm very excited for this arc as I set up a lot for future arc. Some obvious and some that won't come into play until you're forgotten about them.
As always I do not Own MY HERO ACADEMIA or any of their characters.
With that out of the way, let's start off with a Bang.
The next morning Izuku woke up early to give himself enough time to shower, before Eri woke up. So after wiping the sleep from his eyes, Izuku grabbed a pair of clean clothes from his backpack and then walked to the bathroom. After waiting for the shower to warm up, Izuku pulled off his clothes, medical wraps included, and stepped in. His body greedily welcomed the water warm as it washed over his sore body, immediately making him wish he could stay there all day.
Yet he had some responsibilities that he still had to take care of, so grabbing the bottle of shampoo and bar of soap Izuku set about cleaning his body. The blood from his shoulder came off easy enough, along with the smell but there wasn't anything he could do about the bruises around his rib. Once he was finished cleaning himself, Izuku stepped out of the shower to dry off. Then Izuku slipped into a pair of clean clothes, enjoying the soft feeling on his skin.
Izuku began to make his way out of the bathroom, but then something caught his eye. He noticed the length of his hair, it was starting to reach halfway down his back. Izuku sighed at this stupid side effect of his quirk, it was always making his hair grow faster than normal. He knew he should get a haircut, that much was obvious but right now there were other things that took priority.
Finding a loose rubber band in his pocket, Izuku did his hair into a quick ponytail, then looked back in the mirror. He didn't hate it, maybe he could pull it off; he would just need to grow his hair out a bit more. Done with that situation, Izuku walked over to the tub and closed the drain. He turned the water on again, it was still warm from his shower and waited for it to fill up until it held a few inches.
Then turning off the water, Izuku walked back into the room and found Eri patiently waiting for him. She was sitting up and had the blanket around her, and when she heard Izuk's footsteps, she looked up at him. Fear was only present in her eyes for a moment before a dim light replaced it, a good sign she was becoming more comfortable being around Izuku.
"Good morning Eri, did you sleep alright?" Izuku asked. Eri responded with a small nod, "Would you like to take a bath?" If his mother thought he smelled then Eri couldn't smell any better. But Izuku wasn't going to force Eri to do anything she didn't want to do. Luckily Eri nodded.
Izuku took Eri's hand and helped her hop off the bed, the blanket slipping off and staying behind. He walked her over to the bathroom where the bath was waiting for them, small pillars of steam rising from the surface. Izuku helped Eri out of her hospital gown and undid the bandages around her arm. Izuku did his best not to show any disdain as more and more scars were revealed. He still couldn't get over what she had suffered through, he may never do so.
Once Eri was fully undressed, Izuku helped her into the warm water. Though Eri showed no emotion, Izuku could see her body relax in the warm water. It was greedily accepting the warmth from the water, as he had done so with his shower. As her hair was the messiest, Izuku decided to start there. Grabbing a comb from the counter, Izuku used the remaining shampoo and conditioner to wash and scrub the dirt and grime out and untie the knots from Eri's hair. As more and more dirt was washed out, Eri's pure white hair color was shown more and more.
After much work, Eri's hair looked healthy or starting to. The lack of proper washing and nutrients had made it stiff and hay-like, but at least it now had a chance to heal. Then Izuku looked down at the water and now it had a sharp brown color to it. Reaching down Izuku opened the drain, then turned on the faucet. Eri flinched at the loud sound of the rushing water but calmed down as Izuku showed that it wasn't going to hurt her, running his hand under the water to do so. She seemed interested in watching how the water went in different directions after splashing against her hand.
Once all the brown color was gone from the water, Izuku closed the drain and turned off the faucet. The next step of cleaning Eri was washing the dirt off her skin. Izuku grabbed the soap bar and lathered Eri's body in it, bubbles forming over her and the water. As they appeared Eri poked them and watched them pop. As Izuku cleaned Eri the water slowly turned brown once again.
Once the task of cleaning Eri was finished, Izuku pulled the drain and then grabbed a towel from the railing. Which he used to dry Eri off, and once Eri was fully dry Izuku discarded the wet towel in the sink. He then grabbed another towel, this time using it to wrap Eri in. Izuku then carried Eri out of the bathroom and back to the bed. As Eri sat on the bed, Izuku grabbed the remote and called the nurse's desk.
"Hello this is room 115, can we get a new kid size hospital gown." Izuku said, then looked at all the scars on Eri's arms and legs, "And some gauze wraps."
"Yes sir, we'll bring those items right away." the nurse said. Izuku thanked the nurse and then released the button. After only a minute of waiting, a knock came on the door and Izuku hurried over. He accepted the gown and wrappings from the nurse, then walked back to Eri.
The nurse asked if Izuku needed assistance but he said could handle it on his own. After closing the door, Izuku turned back to Eri and walked back. He set the gown and gauze on the bed, then he looked Eri in the eyes. "Eri, would you prefer it if I wrapped your arms and legs again or let them as they are now?"
Izuku didn't know if Eri would know what the scars meant. She was young and Izuku knew that a young mind could block or erase traumatic memories, yet Eri seemed fully aware of what happened to her. Even if she didn't fully understand why, but with a hollow look Eri looked down at her arms and legs. After a few moments, her shoulders dropped and she held out her arms. Izuku nodded then began to tightly wrap Eri's arms in the fresh gauze. Once both of her arms were wrapped again, Izuku helped Eri into the hospital gown.
To finish it all off, Izuku knelt and had Eri hang her legs off the side of the bed. This allowed him to more easily wrap her legs in the gauze. Eri's clothing situation was handled, and Izuku asked her to wait patiently on the bed. Once she agreed to it with the condition that she would still be near him, Izuku was able to slip back into the backroom as he did not think seeing his wounds would help Eri recover.
Keeping the door open, Izuku knew Eri would be listening to him so he kept quiet as he removed his shirt. Looking at his wound in the mirror, Izuku felt his body yell in pain whenever he tried to move his left arm. Through the mirror, he saw that it had become irritated but luckily it had not reopened. Izuku undid the last roll of medical gauze and began to rewrap his wound, his training through Project Velocity allowing him to do so.
Once Izuku's wound was properly wrapped, he slowly put his shirt back on and then headed back to the main room. Where he found Eri patiently sitting on the bed and looking through the small gaps in the blinds. Izuku walked over and leaned against the bed, catching Eri's attention, though she did not look at him. "Eri, would you feel up to going for a small walk around the hospital?"
"I'm not supposed to leave my room without Karia. The man doesn't like it when I try to leave." Eri said, not moving from the bed.
Izuku bit his tongue as he took a deep breath. Eri had lived by a set number of rules and routines, and the slightest deviation ended in punishment and it was Izuku's job to break Eri out of that shadow. And it would help to start with the little things, "Eri it will be okay. We won't leave the building, we'll just go explore it for a bit. You'll be able to see the sky and trees again, you said you thought they looked beautiful."
Eri looked at Izuku, who did his best attempt at a comforting smile. After a few seconds, Eri gave a small nod and slid off the bed. Izuku quickly gathered up Eri's old gown and wraps and stuffed them in a biohazard bag, which almost felt fitting. Izuku and Eri walked to the door and Izuku opened it.
Eri looked in the hallways of the hospital and immediately felt overwhelmed, by the long and narrow hallways, the many doors that led to different rooms. It reminded her of the underground bunker where she had been captive. She looked up at Izuku and saw a man wearing a suit right next to him. She gave a small yell and hid behind Izuku's leg. Izuku crouched down and gently hugged Eri, "It's okay, that's just Mr. Hisao. He is here to protect you and me. He might look scary, but he would never hit a hair on your head."
Eri looked up and saw Mr Hisao pull off his glass and gave a smile. "He has kind eyes," Eri said, causing Izuku to nod and Mr. Hisao to smile more.
"My wife says that's why she married me." Mr. Hisao said with a small hearty chuckle.
"Eri, would you like me to carry you around," Izuku said, pulling a bit out of the hug to look Eri in the eyes.
"Sir, your injur…." Mr Hisao stopped as Izuku shoved his foot into Mr Hisao's shin. Despite all of his injuries and exhaustion, Mr. Hisao was surprised by the force Izuku was able to generate.
Eri shook her head, allowing Izuku to stand up. However she tightly gripped Izuku's hand, Izuku just smiled as he and Eri held hands. He turned to Mr. Hisao and asked, in a low whisper. "Any sign?"
Mr. Hisao shook his head and then answered, "Recent activity was spotted two cities over, but they seem to be slowing down. Guess they don't want to get too far out of their home turf, nor draw too much attention to themselves. So I'll let you two go on your own."
Izuku nodded as that would be for the best as he was the only person Eri was comfortable around and having someone follow them around would just scare her. Izuku then turned back to Eri, "Would you like to go explore?" Eri didn't give any answer but stayed by Izuku's side as he began to walk down the hallway. It was slow as Eri stopped at every strange noise, looking around, waiting for someone to jump out and attack them. Their first stop was the nurse's office, where Izuku dropped off Eri's old clothes. The nurse on duty looked up at the bag and as confusion appeared on his face, Izuku said, "Do me a favor and burn the bag."
Before the nurse could question his request, Izuku then walked away.
The next stop on Izuku and Eri's little trip was the sky bridge, as Izuku knew Eri would want to see the outside world even if it was through a window. Unfortunately, it was on the third floor, but luckily when Izuku called the elevator it was empty and directly took them to the third floor. Stepping off the elevator, Izuku saw a sign that read "Sky Bridge" with an arrow pointing around the corner. Following the direction they soon arrived at a small hallway that had a glass ceiling and exterior wall.
With no rooms above or surrounding it, the glass walls provided a good view of the city city line and the park that was directly across from the street. Izuku led Eri over to the glass wall and then sat down with Eri in his lap. She looked around at the world outside the one she was used to.
"Do you see the sky?" Izuku asked. Eri looked up and saw the light grey cloud littering the sky. White little snowflakes were starting to fall to the ground.
"I remember it being blue." Eri said.
"It's winter time, that means the sky becomes cold and snow begins to fall," Izuku said, then realized something. Mareo had mentioned during one of the visits, that Izuku didn't have to worry about school because Christmas break was starting. Izuku laughed a little, he guessed saving Eri was a Christmas miracle, for both of them. And that means today was Christmas Eve, so he quietly said to himself, "Merry Christmas Eve."
Eri barely heard him and asked, "What's Christmas?"
Izuku was able to keep his smile by telling him that Eri would be confused by Christmas even if she had lived a normal life. He looked at Eri and answered "It's a holiday to celebrate and spend time with all members of your family. Would you like to spend Christmas with me and my mother?" Izuku asked as Eri stood up and looked out the window. She watched as the small snowflakes magically appeared in the sky and fell to the ground. It was the first time she had seen snow and she took everything in.
The small sunlight coming through the clouds, glistening off the small flakes, making they look like little stars. The dark shadows of the grey cloud that still held more light than the dark hallway of Shie Hassaikia's bunker. Eri continued to look out the window for a while, the whole time Izuku didn't say anything. He allowed Eri to take everything in, as he smiled as he watched her.
They stayed on the sky bridge, looking up at the sky until Eri's stomach began to growl, which she looked a little embarrassed about. Izuku gave a small chuckle as he looked over and spotted a clock further down when the hallway turned back to normal. Using his enchanting eye vision, Izuku zoomed up on the clock and saw that it was nearly noon. Meaning it was time for lunch.
Izuku got onto his knee and then stood up, stretching his back slowly so as not to irritate his wounds. Eri noticed and looked away from the window and up at Izuku. "It's time for lunch."
Izuku held out his hand and Eri slipped her fingers to interlock with Izuku's. They walked back to the elevator and headed up to the second floor, which held the cafeteria. After walking out of the elevator and down the short hallway, Izuku held open the door to the cafeteria. Stepping in Izuku looked around and saw that the room was mostly empty save for a few nurse and doctors. And the hospital staff were spread out far enough that as Izuku looked down at Eri she didn't look overwhelmed. Yet as Eri looked over the size of the room, she had never seen a room this size and it was a little imposing. She held on tighter onto Izuku's hand, causing him to look down.
"It's okay." Izuku said in his best reassuring voice that he could manage without knowing what was causing Eri to become scared.
They continued into the cafeteria where Izuku grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water for himself while grabbing a muffin and an apple for Eri. They walked over to a table, where Izuku had to use several plastic knives to cut the apple into slices and then the muffin into quarters. Once that was done, Izuku handed the food to Eri, who went straight for the apple and was a little hesitant about the muffin until Izuku wolfed down a quarter and smiled.
Once they were done eating lunch, Izuku and Eri set about exploring a bit more of the hospital. They came across nurses and doctors who all smiled at Eri and then nodded to Izuku before continuing with their duties. After the fourth nurse, Izuku had begun to speculate that word about them had spread through the hospital. Speculation that was confirmed when a nurse outright thanked Izuku for his service and called him by name.
Slightly weirded out by that, Izuku decided it was time to return to the room. Where Eri promptly fell back asleep, as she had been tired and Izuku had to carry her through the last stretch. With nothing else to do, Izuku turned on the TV in the room, quickly turning the volume down to mute and then turned on the subtitles. He watched the news until he fell asleep in the chair.
The next morning Izuku woke up to a full bed of snow on the ground outside, as it had snowed heavily throughout the previous day and night. It looked like it was going to be a white Christmas after all. As he drew back from the window, a knock came from the door. Confused about who would be coming to see him early, as noticeable by the sun barely being in the sky, Izuku walked to the door. He looked out in the hallway and saw Inko and a doctor standing outside.
"Hello mom, doctor. Merry Christmas." Izuku said, flashing a smile.
"Merry Christmas Izuku." Inko said, hugging her son. Despite how he had acted and portrayed himself to be, Inko could tell that her son was not getting the sleep he needed. Having to take care of Eri while recovering from his injuries, it was not going well physically for him, "Doctor is here to do a final check up." Inko finished by putting a fresh shirt on the bed for Izuku to wear.
"Final check up?" Izuku asked. He had only been in the hospital for a few days and his bullet wound and broken ribs were going to take weeks to properly heal without any healing quirks.
"Doctor Asas made note of your injuries and they seemed to be healing well. Nurses reported you and the girl were up and walking yesterday. Your injuries might not be fully healed, but they are to the point where you should be good to go home. And it's Christmas, no one should have to celebrate Christmas in the hospital." The doctor said Izuku figured Doctor Asas was the doctor he had met when he first arrived at the hospital, "If you would take a seat, I can make sure everything is well on its way to healing."
With the promise that he could go home, Izuku happily sat down in his chair. After pulling his shirt off, the doctor pulled back the wrapped enough to check over Izuku's shoulder and chest. The skin around Izuku's ribs was tight and stiff, but the bruising started to go down. The same could not be said about Izuku's shoulder, the skin had turned red and black to a deep purple. It was healing, but still a long way from recovering.
"I suggest you don't lift anything heavier than 5 kilograms (11 pounds) or you could reopen your wounds and take the chance of losing too much blood." The doctor said as he did so final review of the bullet wounds.
As the doctor did so, Eri woke up and looked at Izuku, lucky the doctor was standing in such a way that Eri was not able to fully see the wound. Izuku turned his head and looked at Eri, "Good morning Eri, it seems like we'll be able to go home today." Izuku then saw Eri curl up around her blanket. Izuku cursed himself, to Eri home meant the Shie Hassaikai hideout, "My home, you don't have to worry about going back to that place ever again."
Eri seemed to relax a bit while the doctor placed the medical wrap around Izuku's shoulder and Inko walked over to Eri and asked, "Eri, would you like to try a cute little outfit I picked for you?"
Eri looked at Izuku, who gave a gesture for her to decide for herself. Eri looked at Inko and gave a small nod, "Okay."
Inko smiled brightly as she led Eri to the bathroom. However, before Eri walked in, she turned and looked at Izuku. Mareo had mentioned that Eri would feel safe around Izuku, but the same might not happen for Inko. Izuku gave a small smile and said, "I'll be right here if you need me."
"Ok." Eri said in a timid voice after a few seconds, then followed Inko into the bathroom.
Once the door was closed, the doctor sighed and said, "The medical staff were informed what you did for that little girl. Saving her from the Yakuza. Doctor Asas didn't give anything specific, but she must have had a horrible life if she didn't want to leave you."
"Best if most don't know about her past. I wish she could forget about it, it might help her live a normal life." Izuku said as the doctor finished wrapping Izuku's shoulder. Izuku rotated his shoulder and felt only a small flare of pain.
"In the medical field, doctors and nurses run into a lot of people with traumatic repressed memories. And while it might seem good to wish to forget those kinds of things. It's best to face them and grow, it can turn people into the best version of themselves. That's not to say you should force it, at her age it would do more harm than good. So be there for her when she needs you the most." The Doctor said, as he walked over to the counter and threw away his gloves.
"Trust me, I already plan to," Izuku said, as he stood up and grabbed his shirt from the bed. He slowly raised his arm and slid the shirt over his head, he then slid his arms through and out through the side and pulled the shirt down the rest of the way. He then walked over to the bathroom and gave a small knock, "Everything going okay in there?"
"We'll be out in a few seconds." Inko replied. Satisfied with that Izuku walked back to his chair, as the doctor excused himself to continue making his rounds. Izuku only had to wait a few more seconds for the bathroom door to open. He walked as Eri walked out holding Inko's hand.
Which was a sight alone that made Izuku's heart warm up, Eri was trusting Inko enough to hold her hand. Yet what nearly killed Izuku was what he noticed after he got past the hand-holding. Eri was wearing a bright red skirt dress that went down to her knee. Underneath her overall straps was a long-sleeved white shirt, something Izuku didn't fail to notice as the dress and sleeve perfectly hid Eri's scars. Izuku smiled and knelt in front of Eri.
"You're so cute." Izuku said.
"Thanks," Eri said with little to no emotion in her voice. She was able to convey fear and panic, but it seemed she didn't understand how to convey positive emotions. A thought Izuku tried not to let show on his face.
"Are you ready to leave?" Inko asked as Eri let go of her hand and grabbed her son. Eri looked up at Inko and gave a small nod. After quickly gathering all of Izuku's belongings and stuffing them into his backpack, the trio walked out of the recovery room, the agents watching them from afar. They walked to the parking garage, where Izuku had to sit in the back and have Eri sit on his lap
Inko made a mental note to herself that the next time she went shopping she needed to get a car seat for Eri. As Inko drove the car out of the parking lot, Izuku looked back and asked, "What about my bike?"
"Oh Katsuki brought it home after he and Mitsuki visited." Inko said, turning onto the main road to head home. The sound of snow being crunched under the tire scared Eri but then she found it relaxing. The noise helped calm her down as the world slowly moved past her.
"But I still have the keys." Izuku said, reaching into his backpack then into his utility belt and pulling out his key that had an All Might keychain on it.
"You don't think Katsuki doesn't know how to hotwire a car?" Inko said with a straight face as she looked at her son through the rearview mirror.
Izuku was about to say that Bakugo would never know how to do that, but in all honesty that sounded like a random skill his best friend would have. Izuku started to think it was the truth, but then Inko began to laugh, "He stopped by the house and asked for the spare key."
Izuku chuckled at his mother's joke but didn't reveal his thoughts about it. He was seriously debating whether Bakugo had the skill to hotwire a vehicle. It wasn't a simple question Izuku could ask him without some questions being thrown back at him. As they continued away from the hospital Eri was quiet. She looked out the window the entire time, watching small snowflakes fall to the ground. Then she looked at Izuku and began twirling her hair. Izuku noticed and laughed, "Yeah your hair is white like the snow, shows how pure you are?"
"Pure?" Eri asked.
"How much of a good person you are," Izuku said as Eri leaned to look out the window again. Eri was a pure and innocent soul and Izuku would… fight anyone that dared to suggest otherwise.
"But I'm not a good person. People died because of me." Eri said, a shadow coming over her eyes. She blamed herself for them because of what the man had told her and when a person hears a lie enough times, they start to believe it.
Izuku sighed as he looked at his mother from the rearview mirror, she had a knowing look and gave a small nod. Izuku got the message.
"Eri, those people that were…" Izuku couldn't bring himself to say killed, "Those people, they weren't your fault. That man." Izuku didn't know if saying Chisaki's name would set Eri, so he decided to refer to him as Eri did, "his decision led to that. It was his choice and you had no part in that, because you're a good person."
Izuku wrapped Eri in his arms and gave her a tight hug. Eri looked out the window for a bit more then turned and looked at Izuku, "What about your hair, what does your hair mean?"
Izuku would have laughed at the absurdity of the question, but he managed to stop himself. He quickly thought of an answer and said, "My hair shows I protect people. I can use it to save those around me."
"How so?" Eri asked.
"I'll show you," Izuku said, as he released Eri from her hug and raised his left hand up behind his ear. He made a show of twirling and weaving his hair until it solidified into the shape of a bullet. After Izuku put the bullet in Eri's hand she intently looked over it, looking at the patterns made out of the green and purple of Izuku's hair. Later, Izuku would find it weird that Eri didn't ask what the bullet was or how it was used.
The rest of the drive back to the Midoriya house was quiet. Once at the house, Eri took in all the Christmas lights that Izuku and Inko had put up at the beginning of the month. As it was still light outside, it was hard to see the lights, so Izuku made plans to bring Eri out once it got dark enough. After opening the garage door, Inko pulled the car into the garage and turned it off.
Izuku carried Eri as he got out of the car and walked into the house. It seemed that with all of her free time, Inko had finished decorating the house. Gralin was all over the walls and counters, as the Christmas village had been finished being set up on the mantle. A small fire within the fireplace warmed the house up. Izuku decided not to give a lecture on how it was dangerous to leave a fire unattended even if it was within the fireplace, as he was sure he would receive a lecture about something he did incorrectly from Inko.
Eri squirmed a bit, so Izuku put her down. She walked over to the Christmas tree that was in the corner and looked up at, looking at the different sparkling light along with variety of ordainments. Izuku followed her and noticed that the number of presents had nearly doubled since he left the house three days ago. Izuku looked over at Inko as she walked into the house and pointed at the tree.
"Oh gifts from your father arrived yesterday and some of the Mareo's employees sent a few gifts when they learned you were in the hospital." Inko said, putting her purse on the kitchen counter, "What are you and Eri in the mood for breakfast."
"I'll take some rice and Eri like apples." Izuku said, walking towards the kitchen. He felt Eri's eyes on him, so he grabbed a chair from the table and sat in a spot where he could easily talk with Inko, but Eri could see him, "Dad sent that many gifts from America?"
"Some of them are for the Bakugo's." Inko pointed out as she grabbed an apple and began to cut it up, "By the way, they are going to be arriving after lunch to spend the afternoon and evening with us."
"Okay." Izuku said, then heard Eri walking up to him. She was carrying a pillow from the couch, which made Izuku smile as she was hugging it tightly.
"Are your friends coming?" Eri asked as she had heard the Bakugos being mentioned.
Izuku nodded and said, "Yes, Kacchan and his parents are coming over later. Are you excited to see them again?"
"Not the one who growled," Eri said, causing Inko to begin laughing. She began to question which one Eri could have referred to but decided it didn't matter as both options were extremely funny. As Inko continued to work on breakfast, Eri sat with Izuku and watched Inko.
Once breakfast was ready, Izuku helped Eri onto a chair and together the three of them enjoyed breakfast. Once the meal was finished, Izuku and Eri returned to the living room where Eri took a nap using Izuku's chest as a pillow. While Eri slept on Izuku, he powered on his PlayStation and played different games. As this went on, Inko went around making sure the house was clean enough for their guests.
Once everything was to her standard, she walked into the living room and sat across from Izuku. She smiled as she looked at Eri, "She does seem to nap a lot."
"You should have seen how she looked in the hideout. I'm surprised she looks as healthy as she does now." Izuku said, as he paused his game and looked down at Eri. The dark circle under her eyes had disappeared, and her eyes and cheek were no longer sunken. He began to comb Eri's hair, which was still coarse and dry in his hand but he didn't mind. He knew it was going to be a while until Eri could be considered healthy.
"The body is a natural healer, but the mind can take the most time. Spending time around you will help her mind recover and overcome the trauma she experienced. The longer she feels safe, the better she'll be able to recover. She may not be able to smile right now, but one day she'll light the world with it." Inko said.
The rest of the morning was quiet and once the Bakugos' arrived the house got a bit more lively. Throughout the different games played everyone did their best to keep their voice at a normal level to help keep Eri calm. A few times Izuku had to hold Eri in a tight hug to keep her calm, but he didn't mind at all.
After dinner, it was time to open presents. Izuku received mostly t-shirts, but from his father was a limited edition All Might statue that was only released in America, with a note asking for forgiveness as he couldn't be home for Christmas. Bakugo got a good laugh as Izuku intently inspected the gift, memorizing every detail of it. Slowly the evening went by but eventually, the sun began to go down. Once it was dark enough Izuku excused himself and Eri. After slipping into his shoes and a heavy jacket, Izuku wrapped Eri in a blanket and carried her outside.
"Where are we going?" Eri asked as Izuku opened the front door.
"I wanted to show you something. Can you close your eyes for me, it's a surprise." Izuku said. Eri closed her eyes and squeezed them shut. Izuku carefully walked down the snow-covered driveway and out into the street. Then he slowly turned around and looked at the lights over the house
"Ok you can open them." Izuku whispered into Eri's ear. Eri opened her eyes and saw the bright Christmas light that decorated all the surrounding houses. Izuku saw a small smile appear on Eri's face, but it didn't last very long, "Eri this is the world you get to live in now. You don't have to worry about being hurt ever again, I'll always be there to protect you."
Eri turned around and hugged Izuku and in a small voice said, "Thank you." Izuku thought he had imagined Eri's words, but then her hug got tighter. The two of them stayed outside for a bit enjoying the Christmas light, but they had to head in once Izuku noticed Eri's cheeks began to turn red from the cold.
Izuku carried Eri in, she yawned and fell asleep in his arms. Izuku walked into the living room and nodded at everyone as they looked up at him. He walked up the stairs and to his room. After skillfully opening the door, Izuku walked over to his bed and laid Eri down on it. There was enough room for Izuku to lay next to Eri, but he opted to walk over to his closest and pulled out a blanket.
He walked over to his desk chair and got comfortable in it by laying it back. He could hear his mom talking with Bakugos, but soon his mind drifted off to sleep. Finally home from a stressful mission, but now he had UA's entrance exam to prepare for.
Alright in the last chapter I mentioned how I had messed up with the timing everything. When I first mentioned that this part of the story was only two month before the entrance exam, I was thinking that the entrance exam was late March or sometime early April. But wanting to have a more definitive placement I look it up and found out it was February 26th. Thanks goodness for the Wiki. So instead of simply making the event happen in January, I quickly wrote in the cold atmosphere of late December and had things happen at the beginning of Christmas vacation.
With that out of the way, we see how Eri had been able to grow a bit now that's out of Overhaul plague filled life. Over the next two months she'll grow closer to Izuku and begin to trust Inko. All the while Izuku regained his old strength in his shoulder and arm and prepare himself for UA's Entrance exam.
Next week: The beginning of the entrance exam and the making of a friend.
Next Time: Let's Start With A Bang.