~Toshinori's POV~

Emi seemed exponentially better after her visit with her brother. It helped put her mind at ease. I'd been starting to worry about her, she really seemed freaked out about something but she wouldn't tell me what it was. Nighteye had approached me after her first day acting as my assistant and told me not to let her out of my sight. He'd said he wanted to check her with his quirk to make sure she wasn't a threat to me but if he had done so, he didn't tell me.

"Do we need to pick anything up on our way home?" I asked her curiously as we walked toward the station, since she wasn't a fan of my other method of travel.

She looked thoughtful for a moment running through a checklist in her mind before shaking her head with a smile, "I think we're okay." Though she didn't look nearly as exhausted as she had this morning when I thought she was on the verge of collapse, she still looked tired. My goal for the day was to do things she would want to do hoping it would help put her at ease.

"Is there anything you'd like to do today?" I pondered.

"I still need to do laundry and I was thinking I'd reorganize the kitchen cupboards as it seems like when things were unpacked they were just thrown in random cabinets without a thought or care." She pointed with a smile.

I shook my head I didn't think she understood what I was asking her, "if you weren't stuck with me and had the day to yourself, what would you be doing?" I tried again.

Her slate grey eyes flicked upward as she turned her head slightly to the side to look at me curiously, "why?"

"I wanted to spend the day doing things you wanted to do." I smiled.

An endearing blush claimed her pale cheeks and she turned her head to the side, hiding behind her soft ashen brown hair. "Anything?" Her voice was whisper soft.

"Anything." I beamed.

She pulled out the phone Naomasa had given her to check the time. "I'd probably be at the church around this time..."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize you were religious." That was something I should have thought to ask sooner.

Emi smiled, "I'm an atheist, actually. I just like helping people but a lot of volunteer programs I tried didn't seem to be doing enough good. There's a youth pastor at the church who heads a lot of their charities and volunteer operations. They do a lot of good for a lot of people and want nothing in return, I like helping them and none of them mind that I don't share their faith. They're just happy for the help."

I felt somewhat speechless after hearing her words. Emi was a pure hearted girl. She was loyal and caring to a fault. It worried me. I'd seen so many bad people in the world who loved people like Emi. She made for an easy target, trusting, naïve and willing to help anyone in need. "Lead the way." I smiled.

"Really?" She asked with a bright smile.

I nodded and followed her. We walked a few blocks, finding our way to one of the poorest parts of the city. It was also notorious for being one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Half the buildings were condemned and mostly abandoned, home to a lot of squatters. Unconsciously I moved closer to Emi as we got closer to buildings that were in states of further disrepair.

We rounded the corner and I spotted a giant rundown cathedral. The main center part of the cathedral was done up in traditional gothic style. The wings to the left and right of the center entrance were more run down and lacking the church like appearance as the center of the building, they must have been newer additions. It was pretty rundown and shabby looking; the stain glass windows were broken there were no doors on the hinges of the main entrance and there was a bright blue tarp over part of the roof.

"EMI!" A child's voice shouted and I saw a small blur zoom down the steps and dart in our direction.

Emi let out a gasp of surprise as she struggled to catch a ginger haired boy with a face full of freckles, "Chet!" She cried and hugged the boy tight, "I'm so glad you're alright."

Once the child was no longer a blur I recognized the boy Emi had been protecting the night of her arrest. It was the child that had pleaded for her to be set free. Before I could say anything to the boy he looked down at the bandages around her thin wrists before turning on me with a glare. "Did he hurt you?!"

"Huh?!" Emi squeaked in awe, "what? No! Of course, not." She ruffled his ginger hair affectionately.

Chet poked at the bandages on her wrist, "then who did?"

Emi shook her head, "somebody else."

"That mean police officer?" The boy grumbled as he caught her hand in his and pulled her along behind him toward the rundown church deeming me not worth his attention since I hadn't been the one to injure her.

"Yes, but you shouldn't call him mean, he was just doing his job trying to keep people like you safe." Emi smiled.

"I'm glad I kicked him in the shin." Chet grumbled causing me to crack a smile.

"Chet!" Emi paled and looked to me warily thinking I'd be upset with the child's dislike for the officer that had manhandled her.

"I'm glad you did too." I agreed with the boy.

"All Might!" Emi scolded me though seemed to be struggling with keeping a stern look on her face. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Chet grinned. "I started school! Oh! Pastor Dave is letting me keep a kitten in my room! I found it in the alley over there." He pointed to the alley next to the church. Something about it stood out ominously. I couldn't quite place what it was or why I felt anxious looking at the alley or why I suddenly felt the need to wrap Emi in my arms. I resisted and followed her and Chet into the church as he continued rambling about all the fun things going on in his life. I missed half of his rambling.

"You'll have to introduce me to Mittens sometime." Emi smiled as Chet pulled her along to the left wing. The inside of the church was almost as shabby as the outside though everything was clean and dusted it was just worn down, old and in disrepair. The left wing opened into a large dining hall. Near the back of the giant hall was an open kitchen there were a few people busy peeling and cutting vegetables.

An American man about my age, in his thirties, wearing all black with a white collar marking him as a member of the clergy appeared to be giving some of the volunteers' instructions. He looked away from his conversation and smiled as he spotted Emi. His gaze flicked to me and his inviting smile stayed in place as he came over to greet us.

"Are you feeling better, Emi?" The pastor asked her with genuine concern.

Emi looked momentarily riddled with guilt before bowing her head, "yes, thank you. Sorry I've been absent for a while-."

He gently pat her on the head, "there's nothing for you to apologize for. Seems you've brought quite the celebrity along with you." He chuckled as he looked to me before extending his hand in greeting, "it's nice to meet you, All Might, I'm youth pastor Dave."

I accepted his hand and Chet dragged Emi away to show her something on a nearby bulletin board. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks for taking care of, Emi." He smiled letting on that he knew much more about the situation than I'd suspected and I had a feeling Emi had no clue.

I looked to him curiously wondering how much he knew of her situation.

"She's a very caring soul and has a good heart. I'm glad to see she's free from the clutches of evil. It's good to see her smile again."

"You knew?" I pondered.

He looked thoughtful, "only after Chet explained everything to me once she'd been arrested, but I'd had my suspicions that something was going on. Emi isn't a religious girl, but a few months ago, I suspect when it all began, I found her curled up in one of the pews sobbing. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong, she seemed scared, I offered to call the police but that only seemed to scare her more. I knew it must be something illegal, I wanted to help her but all I could do was reassure her she always had friends here and someone to listen to her whenever she needed it. I think back on it and wish I would have tried harder or done more, but-."

"It might have gotten her brother killed." I finished for him and he nodded.

"But it seems to have worked out okay in the end, she seems happy again and with you looking out for her, she'll be safe." Pastor Dave smiled. "I'm glad, I've never met a more selfless person in all my life."

I looked around at the other volunteers curious as to what he meant.

He chuckled, "everyone here is doing a wonderful thing, but they're all here to help because they believe it will help them get into heaven. Emi doesn't believe in heaven; she's not doing this to get anything out of it."

I watched as Emi and Chet joined the others in the kitchen. Everyone greeted her with bright smiles and open arms they all seemed to take notice of her absence, they'd all been worried about her. She and Chet washed their hands and set to work helping with the preparation. It was mesmerizing watching her help them all. Chet was grinning from ear to ear as she turned it into a lesson teaching him how to cut everything safely. As Emi helped the others in the kitchen, I helped the youth pastor with the rickety tables, wobbly chairs and pulling out the large containers of hot tea and coffee and setting them up on a self-service drink table.

Once the food was finished and people began trickling in off the streets for a meal, I was given an apron and helped everyone serve food to the hungry. Though many people recognized me and were excited to see me, Emi was the real star. Every single person had noticed her absence. As they came through the line, each person asked her about her health and said they were glad to see her. She seemed moved by their concern but mostly embarrassed by the attention. She responded to each and every person with a warm smile. They all knew her and she appeared to know almost all of them as she asked about families, friends living situations and job interviews checking in on each and every person she knew well.

Once everyone that had gone through the line and been served, Emi and a few other volunteers prepared some plates and went to serve them to some people who hadn't made it through the line due to disabilities. I kept an eye on Emi and grew nervous as I saw her place a plate of food in front of a boy with dry cracked lips, wild crimson eyes and pale hair. Something about him felt off. Emi greeted him with a warm smile as she brought him his plate of food. She placed a comforting hand on his back as she lingered for a moment to ask him about how he was doing.

After a moment the boy smiled at her and I felt my worry start to dissolve. His gaze flicked in my direction and I saw his lips move. Emi turned and looked over at me with a smile before turning back to the boy. She asked him something but he responded with a shake of his head. She nodded her understanding before affectionately patting him on the back in a maternal manner. The boy smiled at her again and watched her for a long moment as she walked away to talk to someone else. His eerie crimson gaze flicked in my direction once more and I felt a sudden chill roll down my spine. Something about the child unsettled me.

We stayed to help with cleanup. Young Chet fell asleep as we were cleaning and Emi offered to take him to his room. I took him from her as she looked fairly exhausted from all she'd done to help others.

"Why don't you show me where his room is, and I'll carry him." I smiled down at her as she was about to protest.

She gave in with a sigh and led the way.

"Who was that boy you were talking to earlier? The young one that you took food to?" I asked her curiously as she led me through the church. Some of the pews were occupied by the homeless, laying down for a night out of the cold. There were boxes of blankets at the back of the room for the homeless to take shelter and keep warm.

Emi looked thoughtful as we stepped through a door behind the pulpit that led to the clergy dormitories. "I only know his first name, Tenko. Why?"

"Do you know him well?"

"Not as well as most. He only comes here on occasion. He's having trouble at home and just comes here to eat when things are bad." She looked upset.

"Why didn't he come through the line?"

"He's skittish, his home life isn't the best and he's nervous around adults, it took me awhile to get him to talk to me."

I nodded though I still felt a little uneasy.

"He recognized you, maybe he's a fan of yours." She smiled. "But I think he's too shy, I asked if he wanted to meet you but he said no. Maybe some other time."

I smiled but said no more. We stepped into a small bedroom and were greeted by a tabby kitten with one eye and little white socks on all four of his paws.

Emi smiled and knelt down to scratch the kitten behind it's ears, "well hello, Mittens. Thanks for keeping Chet company."

The kitten let out a soft mew and began to purr as she scooped it up. I laid the boy on his bed and smiled as Emi set the kitten next to him. It curled up against his neck as Emi draped a blanket over the sleeping child and a yawn escaped her.

"We should return home." I extended my hand to her.

She looked to me curiously before hesitantly placing her hand in mine. A soft adorable squeak escaped her as I pulled her toward me and swept her off her feet. "Ah! No! We can take normal transportation."

I chuckled, "we will, but you look exhausted."

Her cheeks reddened, "o-okay." She gave in and averted her gaze.

It was late by the time we returned home. Emi was fighting off sleep and starting to lose the battle. She stifled a yawn as I carried her to her room. I couldn't help but smile as I watched her struggle to stay awake.

"Toshinori?" Her soft sweet voice made my heart skip a beat.

"Hm?" I smiled as I set her on the bed.

"Thanks, for today..." She blushed as I knelt in front of her to remove her shoes.

"It was fun. Should we do it again next weekend?" I asked.

"I'd like that." She said with a soft smile as she laid back, her eyes fluttering closed.

I moved her gently into a more comfortable position before pulling the blankets around her. "Goodnight, Emi."

Video- "Falling Down" By The Birthday Massacre