~Enya's POV~

I woke in the early morning hours to someone tucking Corrin, my unicorn plush, under my arm and pulling the blankets up around me just as I'd started to feel a chill. My eyes fluttered open and I looked up in a tired daze to find my older brother, Enji, leaning over me. His teal eyes lingered on my bruised cheek and he winced sympathetically.

"I didn't mean to wake you, go back to sleep." He tucked me in carefully and ruffled my hair affectionately.

"Can you stay home with me? I don't want to spend the day shopping with Mom." I begged him.

He offered me a small apologetic smile, "sorry, I can't."

I tried not to show how let down I was. "o-okay."

He saw through me, as always. "I shouldn't be out all night, if you're feeling up to it when I get home, we can practice some archery."

I smiled so wide my bruised face protested and I almost winced from the pain, "really?" I tried to make my voice sound as excited as I felt and not reveal that I was in pain.

Enji's smile fell. "Only if you get plenty of rest today."

"I will." I promised.

"Alright." He pointed to my nightstand, "I brought you another ice pack, make sure you use it."

"Thanks, Nii-sama."

He left without a word. He seemed stressed out with school and his hero work. I wanted to help him but wasn't sure how. He'd always taken care of me and looked out for me, I wanted to return the favor.

I picked up the ice pack and set it on my pillow as he had done for me the night before. I laid my aching cheek on it and closed my eyes hoping to drift back to sleep.

When next I woke, it was to my mother throwing open all the curtains in my room filling the room with blinding light. "Rise and shine! Come on time to get up, you can't lie in bed all day, young lady." She pulled my blankets away from me and wrenched me out of bed.

I woke with a start and hardly had time to right myself as she thrust me in the direction of my attached bathroom.

"Hurry up and shower. I'll help you with your makeup when you're done. The designers will be here soon to get you set up with a nice new spring collection." Mother clapped her hands loudly in an effort to get me to wake up faster.

"I don't really want to shop today." I spoke up quietly.

Her teal eyes narrowed, "your father wanted to treat you, it's rude to refuse his gift."

That's what she always called it, a gift from father. I bowed my head and retreated to my bathroom to take a quick shower. She barely gave me five minutes before she was yelling through the door to hurry up. I finished my shower in record time and wrapped myself in a fluffy white towel. My gaze flicked over to the mirror above the large vanity and sink. The entire left side of my face was black and blue, though thanks to Enji getting me ice, it wasn't swollen.

I exited the bathroom to find two maids waiting with the clothes my mother had picked out for me to wear for the day. A very expensive looking blue dress that matched the color of my eyes and a pair of low, age appropriate, heels. The maids knew better than to pay attention to my bruise and helped me into my clothes before presenting me to my mother.

"Alright, that's enough for now, I can handle the rest, you're dismissed." My mother waved them away. She glanced around my room her gaze pausing near my freshly made bed. She moved to my bed and picked up Corrin. "Honestly, Enya, you're too old for such things." She shook her head in disapproval before tossing Corrin into the trash.

"Corrin! No!" I yelped as tears welled in my eyes, "Nii-sama gave him to me!" I ran toward the trashcan to dig Corrin out but my mother caught me by the wrist and held me back.

"You're too old for toys." She said sternly and pulled me over to my makeup vanity.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I dropped into the comfy chair so she could fix my hair and makeup.

"Enya, it's just a toy, quit your crying. You're acting disgraceful." Mother rolled her eyes at me through the mirror before calling over her shoulder for one of the maids, "one of you get in here!"

"Yes, Mistress." One of the maids hurried into the room and dropped into a polite curtsy.

"Dispose of that." Mother waved her hand at the trash bin.

The maid hurried to do as she was asked but paused as she spotted my plush in the garbage bin, she threw me a sympathetic look before picking up the garbage bin and carrying it out of the room. More tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched helplessly as Corrin was taken away.

My mother rolled her eyes once more as she noticed I was crying again. "I can't do your makeup if you keep crying, now calm yourself."

I struggled for composure. It took much longer than was acceptable and my mother lectured me the entire time she painted my face with makeup to cover up my bruises. Once she got my hair and makeup to her liking I was forced to sit in the main entertaining lounge. Mother took a moment to pose me to sit how she expected before taking her seat to wait for the designers to arrive.

"Mother?"

She tensed, "if this is about that stupid toy, I'll tell your father you were being disobedient today."

I shook my head.

"Don't move." She reprimanded me before letting out an exasperated sigh, "what is it?"

"I think I know what high school I want to go to." I piped up softly.

She looked to me with a frown, "it's not up for discussion but what high school do you think you want to go to?"

"UA, like Nii-sama."

Mother let out a derisive snort, "absolutely not.

"But-."

"I'll not hear any more on this matter. You'll be attending one of the finest high schools in the country where they will teach you everything you need to know about being a lady of high society, how to run a home and be a good wife."

"But I want to be a hero, like Nii-sama."

My mother shot me a glare, "I won't repeat myself, Enya."

I lowered my head.

"Don't move." She growled.

I returned to my original pose and we sat in silence. The designers arrived soon after and spent hours stuffing me in various outfits and parading me around for my mother's approval. After a few hours, I had a new wardrobe and my mother claimed she was tired and went to rest which was code for getting day drunk.

My father returned home and I fled to my bedroom to avoid him. He only stopped home long enough to grab his golfing gear and spent the rest of the afternoon golfing with some of his other CEO 'friends'. I had dinner alone at the ostentatious dining table. We were a family of four but our table could easily seat twenty people comfortably. Since I was alone, I picked a random seat to eat at that I'd never sat in before. The maid who brought me my meal noticed me playing musical chairs and smiled softly to herself before clearing her throat to announce her arrival.

"Young Mistress which place setting would you like me to leave your meal?" She smiled.

I giggled in response, "surprise me."

She laughed and placed my salad plate at one table setting then my entrée at another before placing my dessert in front of me. "I won't tell, if you won't tell." She winked as she handed me a fork.

I giggled again, "Thanks Lizette."

"Don't let your mother hear you, she'd be furious if she knew you talked to us all regularly." Lizette scolded me softly before exiting the grand dining hall.

I finished my dessert then scampered over to the seat with my entrée and finished my meal with a light refreshing salad. By the time I'd finished my backwards dinner, father returned home and I quickly retreated to my room to hide.

There was a knock at my door at around 8pm, I held my breath praying my mother hadn't made good on her threat and told my father I was being disobedient today. The door opened and I nearly jumped out of my skin before realizing it was Enji. Relief washed over me before a flood of emotions took hold as I remembered mother had thrown away Corrin.

"Nii-sama." I ran to him with tears in my eyes.

He caught me in his arms and looked down at me in concern. "Enya, what's wrong?"

"Mom threw Corrin away." I cried.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"My unicorn." I sniffled.

"Ah." He gently rubbed my back, "it was just something I'd gotten at school, it wasn't that special."

"He was special." I cried. "Because you gave him to me."

Enji sighed. "Alright, calm down, I'll see if I can rescue him from the trash." He picked me up with ease and carried me down to the kitchens.

"Master Enji, Mistress Enya." The maids and other kitchen staff greeted us with polite bows.

Enji looked around the massive kitchen for the trash, "has anyone seen the unicorn plush..." he looked at me already forgetting its name.

"Corrin." I spoke up softly.

"Right...Corrin..." Enji looked to the staff.

A few of the maids exchanged worried looks. The one who'd taken him away, was new to the staff so I didn't know her very well yet. She looked to Lizette and bowed her head. "The lady of the house told me to dispose of it...but I felt bad because it really seemed to mean a lot to Mistress Enya...so I gave him a bath and tried to hide him."

"Tried?" Enji frowned.

The maid bowed her head again, "the lady of the house caught me and took him away."

Enji let out another sigh and looked down at me. "Alright, let's go." He carried me out of the kitchen and in the direction of our mother's private study.

We paused outside the door and he set me on my feet knowing mother would scold us both if he carried me. He knocked on the door. There was a long pause before mother's voice rang out, sounding annoyed, "who is it?"

"Your children, can we come in?" Enji replied his voice sounding equally annoyed.

The door opened and our mother, a beautiful starlet of a woman with piercing teal eyes, and long auburn hair that she kept pulled back in a tight fashionable updo, looked to us with a scowl. "What is it?" She glanced around for a clock and her frown deepened, "you should be getting ready for bed." She shot at me.

"She needs the unicorn to sleep, where is it?" Enji asked.

"I told you, you're too old for toys." Mother glared at me before turning her glare to Enji, "and I told you to stop spoiling her."

"Plenty of kids her age have toys." Enji snapped back, "just give her the damn unicorn."

Mother's glare grew terrifying and she stepped back into her study swinging the door open wide. I spotted Corrin sitting atop the mantle of the fireplace looking squeaky clean. She grabbed him by the neck and tossed him into the fireplace. My heart shattered and a cry escaped me. Enji tried to grab for me as I bolted toward the fire but I slipped through his grasp.

"Enya!" Enji ran after me as I reached into the fire to try and save Corrin. The fire was hot and I could feel it beginning to burn my fingers. Despite my quirk, fire could still burn me. He caught me in his arms and pulled me back from the flames. Another cry escaped me as he pulled me from the fire.

"NO!" I wailed as tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched the unicorn start to burn. The fire flared as Corrin was consumed.

"Enya! That was dangerous!" Mother scolded me recovering from her shock, "what were you thinking?!"

I couldn't form coherent speech as I broke down and sobbed against Enji.

"ENOUGH!" A loud voice roared from the doorway, "what in seven hells is going on? I'm trying to get some work done!" Father yelled. He must have been in his study across the hall trying to work and heard all the commotion.

"Your children are out of control." Mother huffed.

"You destroyed her toy!" Enji growled as he struggled to keep me from collapsing to the floor in a heap.

"She's too old for toys." Mother rolled her eyes as I cried harder. "Honestly, Enya, pull yourself together it was just trash."

A pair of strong hands pulled me from Enji and I felt fear grip me as I realized it was father. He looked down at me with his sharp blue eyes. Father was a tall man with a face that would probably look nice if he smiled but always looked scary as he constantly wore a mean look. He had deep red hair that was styled fashionably, not too short or too long. I couldn't stop crying and now my fear of being hit again was making me cry more. He pulled one hand away from my shoulder and I flinched expecting him to hit me but was shocked when he rubbed his temples.

"If it will give me a night's peace, someone get her another damn toy." Father growled and shot a sharp look at mother and Enji. His gaze fell back on me, "quit your crying."

I tried my hardest to stop. All I managed to do was cry silently.

He sighed and shoved me in Enji's direction. "Get her a damn toy, put her to bed and keep her quiet."

Enji scooped me up into his arms and left the room in a hurry knowing better than to ask father questions or linger after being dismissed. Once we returned to my room Enji let out a sigh of relief and set me down on my bed. He picked up my hands to look at them and see if I'd gotten burned in my attempt to save Corrin. His lips pulled into a frown. My fingers hurt; the tips had been burned.

"Don't do something like that again." He said softly before going to get a first aid kit from the bathroom. "You could have been seriously hurt."

I continued crying silently as he rubbed some burn cream on my fingers and applied some bandages. All I could see in my mind's eye was my plush unicorn going up in flame.

Enji let out a sigh once he'd finished tending to my burns and realized I wasn't speaking, "get ready for bed, I'll be back in a bit." He left the room.

My heart hurt and the tears started up again. I didn't want to stay here anymore. My parents were awful, I had no control over my future and Enji was graduating this year and would probably leave home soon. The thought of being alone in the mansion with my parents terrified me. The beautiful bedroom felt like a cage. Making up my mind I ran to my closet, grabbed a backpack, threw some clothes and my piggy bank into it and made a run for my balcony.

It was a chilly night and the clouds in the sky blotted out the moon and stars making it appear darker and colder. I raced across my balcony and swung my legs over the edge to begin climbing down the rose trellis. I made it a quarter of the way down before the thorns of the rose vine became entangled in my clothes, backpack and even my skin. I struggled to break free but found myself completely stuck in the thorns.

As I found myself stuck and prepared to use my quirk to burn my way out, it started to pour down rain, instantly soaking me to the bone and causing the various cuts and scrapes on my body to sting.

About twenty minutes passed, and the rain only seemed to get harder and colder. It was starting to hurt as it pelted me. I heard Enji return to my room.

"Enya?" He called softly his voice drifting closer to the balcony, "why is this open?" I could hear the frown in his voice as he discovered the wide-open doors leading to my balcony. He stepped onto the balcony and peered over the edge. "Enya!" He reached down and easily disentangled me from the thorns before lifting me back up to the balcony. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"R-R-Running a-away." I was shivering too much to string words together properly.

"Seems more like you're trying to get pneumonia." He pulled me back inside and used his quirk to start a roaring fire in the fireplace before setting me down in front of the fire. He disappeared in my bathroom and returned with an armful of towels before kneeling next to me. He took my backpack and tossed it aside before wrapping me in towels. "No running away. There are too many bad people out there." He indicated the world.

"There are too many bad people in here." I said morosely.

Enji sighed, "please don't run away. It would interfere with my work."

I looked to him curiously, "how?"

"I'd have to drop everything to find you and make sure you're safe." He gave me a hug and rocked me in his arms. He activated his quirk as he held me close and fire flared to life on his arms in an attempt to warm me up faster.

Once I was warmed up enough my lips weren't blue and I wasn't shivering quite as bad Enji found me some pajamas and shooed me into the bathroom to change into dry clothes. I hurriedly did as I was bid.

"Now, into bed." He sighed once I'd returned in dry pajamas.

I still felt chilled and didn't protest. I trudged over to my bed and crawled under the covers he'd pulled back. He tucked me in and put an extra blanket over me for good measure before retrieving a bag he'd appeared to have dropped in his haste to find me.

"Sorry, there were no unicorns...I hope this will suffice." He pulled a strange bright red and orange plush out of the bag it looked like a fire with a face.

"What is it?" I asked curiously as he tucked it into bed with me, it was cute, whatever it was.

"No idea, the cashier called it Calcifer." Enji shrugged.

I snuggled the fire plush; it was soft. While it wasn't Corrin, it was still a gift from my big brother and something I treasured. He placed a hand to my forehead before ruffling my hair.

"Nii-sama?" I called to him as he turned to leave

"Hm?"

"Are you going to tell Mother and Father that I tried to run away?" I asked worriedly.

"So long as you don't do it again, no." He threw me a stern look but his gaze softened after a moment, seeing how worried I was. "Get some rest."