Innocence is a kind of insanity. Feel no shame for having it, nor any shame for losing it.

Beta: emplatinum

◟(◕◡◕❀)

(Eri)

Eri's heart pounded harshly inside her chest as she finally mustered up the courage inside of her to sprint away.

Away from the terribly painful, and cruel hands that would grab her, and break her.

She was barefoot, her feet slapping hard against the cool concrete of the alleyway. She had bandages over the bruises and scrapes that had not yet healed, and her hair whipped past her as she ran with all her might.

She could see the end of the alley, the end of the darkness, and her heart leapt up into her throat. The small curdles of hope grew inside of her as she saw two people beginning to walk by and then—

Smoke erupted around her, thick, heavy, and suffocating. Eri stumbled, coughing at the onslaught.

Hands grabbed onto her, lifting her up, and Eri reflexively froze.

But when the smoke cleared Eri realized they were not the hands of someone evil.

Someone kind held her. They were warm, and gentle, and Eri looked up at this new face in disbelief.

It took her several seconds to realize she was up so high, but all Eri could think about was how this person was holding her with such gentleness.

Her grip on Eri was firm, but not so much it hurt her.

This pink haired witch glided through the air as she carried Eri.

'Am I dreaming?' Eri wondered as pink bubbles conjured up around them, protecting them against the wind.

There was the sound of a phone vibrating, and the witch blinked in surprise at that. The red-eyed lady pulled out a phone. "Hello?"

Eri couldn't hear what was said.

"I'm sorry, Izu-chan," the warm lady responded, her tone sincere. "But I have to save someone. Please tell Sir that I'm going back to Nezu's office and I'm sorry for any trouble."

'Save... someone?'

Eri's eyes widened as her breath hitched. Disbelief floored her, and she didn't want to ask her next question. She was terrified of the answer, of the potential no. Even so, she couldn't stop herself from daring.

"You... saved me?" Eri whispered, her voice trembling and her eyes starting to burn.

The witch looked down at Eri with eyes filled with more warmth than Eri had seen in her entire life. She raised a hand, tenderly brushing back a piece of Eri's hair behind Eri's ear. The witch smiled in a way that reminded Eri of what a mother ought to be like, of what a mother looked like on television or in those fairytale stories.

"Always, dear," the witch cooed. "W—I will protect you. I promise."

Tears spilled over Eri's eyes, and the motherly witch pulled Eri closer, kissing the top of her head and starting to rock her. She whispered comforting words, and offered promises too sweet for Eri to believe.

'Please don't let this be a dream.'

◟(◕◡◕❀)

(Kiyomi)

I held Eri close to me as I took her to safety. My heart swelled with concern as I looked at her, and I was overcome by a ferocious protectiveness. I was already plenty protective with all of the small children back home, but those were children I had changed their diapers for and watched grow up.

I definitely hadn't met Eri previously.

But I felt like I knew her as well as all my other little brothers and sisters.

And what I knew was that this sweet little soul had been through hell.

She needed me.

(She needs us.)

There was an ember of—of something inside my chest that only grew hotter, and more uncomfortable as I held her. This surge of heat unsettled me, and as much as I wished I could take a moment to calm down I felt like I didn't have time.

I had to get her to safety above all else.

I Petal-Stepped all the way back to U.A. and straight to Nezu's office. My guardian was certainly surprised to find me knocking at his window, giving a startled shout as soon as he noticed me.

He rushed over to his window to unlock it, and I stepped inside with a sheepish smile.

"K-Kiyo-chan, what on—who is that?" Nezu asked when he saw Eri in my arms. His eyes widened considerably when he examined Eri further. "E-Eri? So soon?"

'Huh?'

"Shishō, do you know her?" I gently readjusted her in my grip.

"Uh—um—she's part of an ongoing investigation Sir Nighteye has been conducting for several months," Nezu quickly explained, his tail swishing in an oddly flustered manner. "Kiyo-chan what's happened? Why do you have her now?"

I shifted my weight to the back of my heels. "I was on patrol with Izu-chan and O—Mirio-senpai. When I saw Eri in the alleway running, I—well I don't entirely know how to explain what came over me. I thought she needed help, and I had this—this gut feeling that I had to save her right now. I threw down a smoke screen, grabbed her, and came straight here."

"I see." Nezu let out a soft breath, his tail falling still. "You did good, Kiyo-chan. Why don't you take her to Recovery Girl and then you can tell me—" Nezu stopped himself when he saw me reflexively hold her closer to me. "Ah... Kiyo-chan, perhaps you would like to stay with Eri-chan?"

"Um..."

Nezu tilted his head. He was silent for a few minutes, his small black eyes narrowed in thought. "It would be good for your wand to bond with her sooner than later. My... source told me she might remain a target for quite some time."

"I won't let anyone get to her," the words growled out without my consent.

"I know," Nezu soothed me, and I tried to shove down this strange surge of anger. "For now, please take her to Recovery Girl and stay with her. I must contact Sir Nighteye about this development."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Taking Eri to Recovery Girl was simple. Letting Recovery Girl take her out of my arms was another matter entirely.

It was... it was so odd.

I hadn't felt such—such alien emotions since I first met Mirio, Shōto, or Izuku.

Although, I had to admit Mirio was a special exception. How I felt about him was like a tidal wave crashing into my chest. Painfully powerful, a little scary, and overwhelmingly hard. A deep seated part of me was joyous to have Mirio as part of my life—

(again)

—and it dominated me. I was almost drowning in these clawing feelings of relief, joy, and—and grief.

Izuku and Shōto caused akin reactions when I met them, but not so... not so crushing. If I had to compare them to Mirio's then I would describe them as echoes.

(Like souls so similar it hurts)

Meeting Izuku was like greeting the sun. He was warmth, bubbles, and joy. He was smiles, and echoes of laughter and childish innocence. Izuku filled my chest up with such tender warmth it felt like I could breathe easier around him, like I could truly relax beside him. I loved Izuku like he was a precious little brother, and I loved him instantly.

(He reminds us of them.)

Shōto was like Izuku. I loved him the moment I saw him—although that type of love has adjusted over the years—and he was someone I felt completely at ease with. He wasn't the sun, but rather the cool refreshing night. There was no childish innocence about him, but a sweetness that couldn't be dismissed. He was gentle breezes of fresh air, soft smiles, and unwavering serene.

(Maybe we do know them, but it hurts too much to remember?)

How I felt for Izuku and Shōto was damn powerful, but it didn't overwhelm me like Mirio. I still had control over myself, and I could still act as me.

And now with Eri?

(Oh, my child.)

She sat somewhere in the middle.

There was a snarling, furious lion pacing inside my chest. It growled at seeing every bump, every bruise, every injury on her. It roared for the blood of those who hurt her. It burned with such fervor inside of me, it physically hurt to breathe.

Yet it was not so staggering that I could not function, that I could not act of my own accord.

It made me wonder—

'Who am I really?'

But asking that question made me queasy, and my head hurt. The whispers of the faceless ones grew harsher, forewarning me against that.

'Why do I feel this? Are these feelings really mine?'

I didn't like to question this. I didn't like to even think about it; to consider the fact that I heard voices, and saw things. I ignored it, and the more I did so the easier it became. There were even days I could forget about my dreams and what I heard inside my head.

Letting my thoughts linger on them—

Thump-thump.

A non-existent hammer slammed against my head, and I clutched at it, biting my bottom lip to keep from crying out. Thankfully, Recovery Girl was focused on tending to the sleeping Eri, and did not notice me.

The ringing in my head abruptly stopped all of my thoughts. The rising nausea made me grit my teeth and curl over in my seat as I waited for it to pass.

(You don't want this. Please, just be Kiyomi, whispered Blessed. Leave the burdens to me.)

'Why do we hold on to them at all?' I—We—I managed to think. 'Why can't we let go?!'

(Can you?)

Another hammer banged the side of my head, but with it came abrupt silence. The anger, the lion inside my chest, quieted. I took in a shaky breath, taking deep breaths until the pain and nausea subsided.

How did one begin to describe the sensation of knowing things that you didn't actually know? The taste of echoes? Of feeling waves wash over your mind to touch you with something familiar, only to pull back away and leave you without anything?

'Stop,' I told myself. 'I'm not going anywhere with it today.'

And besides...

I rubbed at my face, pushing down the snarling lion in my chest. I glanced over at Eri, looking at her peaceful form.

'Right now, it doesn't matter. Right now, I just need to focus on keeping her safe.'

◟(◕◡◕❀)

A few hours later Eri blearily blinked her eyes open. She stared blankly up at the ceiling for a few seconds before she abruptly sat up with a gasp. She looked around the nurse's office, eyes wide in disbelief until she noticed me sitting beside her.

"Witch?" she asked me, her voice shaky.

I offered her a reassuring smile. "I'm Kiyomi, but my friends call me Kiyo. You can call me Nee-chan, if you want."

Eri's shoulders hunched together nervously, her eyelids lowering as she cautiously assessed me. "I'm Eri."

"Nice to meet you, Eri-chan."

She looked down at her bandage-free hands and the bed she had been resting in. "Where are we?"

"U.A.," I answered. "I rescued you."

Her bottom lip quivered, her red eyes—like my own—stared back at me with incredulity. "You rescued me?"

"I rescued you," I repeated, keeping my voice calm and steady as to not startle her. "You are safe now, Eri-chan."

"I'm safe?" she echoed me, a dazed look entering her gaze. She glanced outside the window on her right, staring at the night sky. "I'm safe? Really? I'm... safe?"

I slowly reached out a hand, placing it on top of her head. "You are absolutely safe."

Her body trembled. She bowed her head as tears of relief slipped out of her eyes. "Th—Thank—Thank you."

"Oh," slipped out of me as I moved to sit on her bed and pull her into my lap like I would for any other child back home. She stiffened like a board, eyes widening like a deer in headlights, but she allowed me to reposition her so I could hold her and rock her.

"There, there now," I soothed, gently kissing the top of her head. The anger inside of me quelled at her tears, with only genuine concern taking its place. "It's okay, Eri-chan. You can let it all out. You are, without a doubt, completely and totally safe now. I promise I will never let anyone get to you."

She didn't seem to know what to do right away, but after a few minutes she began to relax. She turned into me, tiny hands grabbing onto my clothes as she let out a silent sob. I brushed back her hair, rubbed her back, and did my best to reassure her.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed. Enough of it that Eri had cried herself back to sleep, and Chiyo had come back to check on us.

"You've always been so good with kids," Chiyo commented with a smile. "Are you wanting to stay the night, Kiyo-chan?"

"If you don't mind," I responded quietly, still rubbing Eri's back. "I feel... worried about her."

"Very well, then. It'd be for the best if someone stayed with her for the night, anyway. I'll let Nezu and Aizawa know."

"Mn. Thank you."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Eri ended up sleeping through the night in my arms. I had to readjust a few times to compensate for my legs falling asleep, but it wasn't too bad.

Plus, when Eri woke up and realized she had fallen asleep on my lap—and slept on it throughout the night—she had such a look of adorable incredulity that it was absolutely worth it.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Come morning my legs felt like lead, Eri was in a much better mood, and Nezu happily brought us breakfast. He cheerfully greeted us as he rolled in a cart that was covered in a wide variety of breakfast foods.

"Good morning girls," Nezu greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Eri mutely shrugged, lowering her gaze. She shifted her weight in my lap, her tiny hand curling around the fabric of my cloak.

"Mm-hmm. Kiyo-chan, how was sleeping in your hero outfit for the first time?" Nezu asked as he took a seat beside the bed.

"Surprisingly okay," I answered with a grin. "I had to take off the staff though, it kept digging in."

"That's wonderful to hear. Are you two hungry?"

"I could eat," I said, glancing down at Eri who was now staring fixedately at the pancakes. "Eri-chan, want to eat with me?"

Her head snapped up at my question, our matching red eyes meeting. She gave a slow nod at that, a small frown tugging on her lips.

If she were one of the children back home I would have pinched her cheeks to make her smile.

'But she's been through a lot. The abrupt transition overwhelmed her yesterday, and now it looks like she's still processing it. I have to remain calm, and take it slow with her.'

Psychology classes were required to graduate from U.A. but they were usually taken in second and third year. Heroes were the first ones trauma victims would see on the scene, and consequently heroes had to know how to not exaggerate the trauma or trigger psychotic episodes.

Nezu had published a few textbooks in regard to how essential it was for heroes to understand and follow through with this knowledge. Especially when dealing with children. A hero with poor manners could end up turning a small trauma into something truly major that could carry over into adulthood.

And judging by Eri's injuries, and reaction to being rescued, I could safely guess that she was put in a life-threatening situation that involved physical abuse.

Something that would undoubtedly take time to heal from.

I reached across to pull over the over-bed table before grabbing the plate of pancakes she had previously been eyeing. She hesitantly poked the food in front of her for a few minutes before taking the first bite.

She chewed slowly, as if checking for any oddities, before the tiniest of smiles curled on her lips and she began to eat her pancakes with gusto.

Since eating anything that required a plate was impossible with a child in my lap, I grabbed a couple of the donuts.

We ate in silence, Eri wholly focused on her pancakes. Only when she was done eating did Nezu break that silence.

"Perhaps now would be a good time for proper introductions?" Nezu suggested, offering Eri a kind smile. "I'm Nezu, the principal of U.A. and Kiyo-chan's guardian."

He held out one of his paws, and Eri stared at it for a long minute before she accepted it. In a soft mutter she said, "Eri."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Eri-chan. I'm sure you have a lot of questions about what's going on now, so please go ahead and ask," Nezu encouraged.

Eri's eyes dragged back up to mine, her expression unreadable, but her tone conveying childish fear as she asked, "Why?"

It took a couple seconds for me to realize what she was asking. I smiled as warmly as I could at her, gently cupping her cheek. "That's just what heroes do—what I do. How could I not when I saw you?"

Her lip trembled again, but no tears came this time. She was too tired to cry again, so instead she lowered her gaze and whispered, "Thank you."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head—she stiffened for a split second before relaxing. "Always, my dear."

Nezu and I patiently waited for Eri to recollect herself. She still clutched tightly onto my cloak, but there was a certain level of confidence in her gaze now. A type of hopeful trust she was placing in us.

She asked us, "What now?"

"Now you will be placed under our protection," Nezu answered, then chuckled. "As I still have the guardianship paperwork on my desk, if all goes well... I will be your new guardian."

Eri blinked at that. "Goes well?"

Nezu's voice was gentle. "Eri-chan, the heroes have been investigating the group that held you hostage. We'll be putting them behind bars soon. As you have no other living relatives you'll need a new guardian... Unless, is there someone you want to stay with?"

She leaned into me, her red eyes staring unblinkingly at Nezu.

"I'm afraid Kiyo-chan is legally too young to have guardianship over you, but she'd become your sister when I become your guardian," Nezu chuckled.

"Okay," she said.

"We are currently setting up housing for you at U.A., but it's not yet ready," Nezu said, glancing over at me. "Kiyo-chan, I'm sure you won't mind watching Eri-chan for today until it is ready?"

"Of course not," I answered, patting Eri's back. "Eri-chan, want to spend the day with me?"

"Okay," she said.

"Then let me introduce you to my friends."

"I'll text you where to meet after dinner," Nezu said. "Everything should be ready by then."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Chiyo the Recovery Girl had gotten some clothes for Eri to change into—some overalls and a shirt—which Eri changed into without a fuss. Once she was ready to go, I picked her up to carry her on my hip.

Since she would likely be staying at U.A., I decided to give her a tour before I headed over to the dormitories, showing her where my class was in case she needed to find me.

She did a good job reciting the routes to me.

Although whenever we were spotted by another student or teacher, she would duck her head into my neck and shyly cover her face.

After about an hour of touring I headed over to my dormitory. As Eri and I were entering it, however, Mina and Ochaco were exiting it.

"Kiyo-chan!" they exclaimed.

"Where were you last night?" Ochaco asked me before she noticed Eri. "Oh my gosh, who's this?"

"She's adorable!" Mina squealed, waving both her hands at Eri. "Hi, hi! I'm Mina!"

"Mina-chan, Ocha-chan, this is Eri-chan," I introduced, thinking quickly about how to explain Eri.

'Nezu said she was part of an ongoing investigation... then I probably can't say too much.'

"Eri-chan is my new little sister," I settled on, trying to convey a look of: I can't say much right now, please don't ask!

It must have worked because both offered me a slight nod.

"Well you're very lucky to have Kiyo-chan as your big sister, she's quite the baking queen!" Mina told Eri with a huge grin.

Ochaco nodded firmly. "Mm-hmm! Are you showing Eri-chan the dorms?"

"Yeah, do you know who's there?"

"I think everyone is still in for now," Mina said. "We can gather them up for you, if you wanna show Eri-chan your room first."

"Oh, would you? Thank you."

By the time I was finished showing Eri my bedroom—and giving her one of my stuffed animals when she kept looking at it—Mina and Ochaco had finished gathering up most of 1A. Unsurprisingly Katsuki didn't give a flying hoot, and didn't come, but that was fine. I didn't want him around Eri until I got a chance to warn him about her trauma so he knew to be kind.

Or else I'd break his collarbone.

The moment Eri realized how many students there were, her big red eyes widened and she abruptly buried her face in my neck.

"Holy crap!" Denki shouted. "She—she has your eyes! And Todoroki's hair!"

"Oh my God!" Mina exclaimed. "You're right!"

"Oh my."

"Congrats guys."

"When's the wedding?"

I resisted the urge to facepalm as my classmates and friends teased a deadpan Shōto and me.

"It'll be a spring wedding, of course," I sarcastically bit out. "You'll get your invites later."

"Will the cake be chocolate?" Ochaco asked, perfectly serious.

"Okay, returning to the matter at hand," I said loudly when the others started to chuckle. "Everyone, this is my new little sister Eri-chan. Eri-chan, would you like to say hi to everyone?"

Eri reluctantly turned her head around enough to murmur a shy, "Hello."

There was a collection of: "Awww."

While Eri was still poking her face out, I went ahead and gave her one-on-one introductions. She politely returned each greeting with an adorable one of her own. However, by the time introductions were over she was back to covering her face and clutching tightly onto my cloak.

'Overwhelmed?' I guessed.

"Eri-chan?" I delicately asked, drawing her attention back on me. "Would you like to make some sugar cookies with me?"

She tentatively nodded her head.

"Okay. Everyone, would you mind giving us some space while we bake?" I offered my classmates a smile.

They agreed, and off we went to the kitchen.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Baking sugar cookies turned into also baking a cake, making lunch, baking more stuff that Mina found online that she thought looked adorable, and finally reading aloud some stories to Eri... and Mina... while the two girls ate an overload of sweets.

When it was time to meet up with Nezu, he sent a text telling me to bring Eri to Aizawa's room in the dormitories.

Aizawa was one of two teachers who stayed in the 1A dormitories with the other being Nemuri. Both of their rooms were on the first floor, and were obviously much bigger than the student dorm rooms—complete with their own kitchens, bathrooms, and spare rooms.

Nezu and Aizawa both met with us outside of Aizawa's apartment, a sugared-out Eri half-asleep in my arms.

"Eri will be staying with Aizawa-san in Class 1A dormitories after school, and with me during the day," Nezu said, as Aizawa opened up the apartment door to allow us in. "Kiyo-chan, I've given Aizawa-san permission to pull you away if he requires any assistance with Eri-chan."

"Understood," I said, stepping into the apartment and readjusting my hold on Eri.

I could see an open bedroom that looked like it was recently filled with toys and child-like furniture.

"Ah, it looks like that's your new room, Eri-chan," I said, gently nudging her.

Eri cautiously looked at it, tossing skeptical glances over at the permanently sleep-deprived Aizawa before she gave a big yawn.

"Let's get her tucked in for now," Nezu suggested. "We don't want to overwhelm her."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Bonus (after Eri has been tucked in and before Kiyomi leaves):

"You're taking her with you when you graduate," Aizawa warned me.

"Okay," I accepted easily.

"I'm not joking."

"Neither am I."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Omake 1 (NOT CANON):

"This our new daughter, Eri-chan," I introduced Eri to Shōto.

"Hello, daughter," Shōto said.

"Hello," Eri echoed.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Omake 2 (NOT CANON:

"Oh... okay, I'll be right there," Kiyomi said with a sigh, lifting Eri off her lap and giving her to Shōto.

Shōto awkwardly accepted her, and Eri stared blankly at him as Kiyomi headed off.

Izuku tried not to laugh at how Shōto struggled to properly hold Eri. "You're going to need a lot more practice. You know she wants like five million, right?"

"Working on it," he muttered.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Confession: I'm not caught up on the manga so I'm basing a lot of what I know on Eri off the wikipedia, my own interactions with kiddos, and what I've researched on the psychology of child trauma. *thumbs up*

I added the little omakes because they made me giggle and I thought they might make at least a few of you smile. :)

And yes, why Eri, Sho, and Izu make Kiyomi react a certain way is kept a little vague for now. No worries, it'll be explained later.

Answer: Monarch of a fantastical kingdom known for their prowess in magic, and dragons.

Question: If you were a farmer that could make a decent profit off anything you grew, what would you grow, or farm? Can include animal products, but no more than 3.

Reviews are love!