Not Yet

oreH a eB oT : V

A/N Take note that this chapter (and the fanfiction as a whole) contains descriptions and topics that might be triggering and upsetting for some readers, please remember to proceed with caution and at your own risk!

Aizawa paced down the corridor, not being able to swallow the growing lump in his throat. The poor light made the hero paranoid as he felt someone's eyes on him the whole time. So he was cautiously glancing around, but refined from being too obvious to not startle the fidgeting child in his arms.

****

Saying that Eri was nervous was an understatement. She couldn't stop the pounding in her chest or the throbbing dread in her head.

She didn't know what this place was, despite being here for over a year. She didn't know who these mean people were, or for what purpose nii-chan and the others were held captive. But she knew that she was a burden. A burden to her nii-chan.

Maybe nii-chan thinks that she hasn't realized that, but she really knew. She only knew why she was here, and that was so that nii-chan would listen to the mean men.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as a certain conversation she had heard flooded back to her senses.

"Is he finally listening to you, Tomura?" A deep robotic voice was heard from a big screen. No one realized that the always locked door has been left open by mistake and that a certain little girl was out of her room, eavesdropping.

Well she wasn't exactly eavesdropping on purpose. She was just too afraid to move or speak. She just got lost while trying to find her nii-chan who she didn't see for a few days.

"Certainly, Sensei. Since our deal, he has been very obedient. Can't believe how easy it was to manipulate him with only mentioning the brat. I don't even know why we were struggling before for that long" The other scary man that Eri saw quite regularly chuckled.

"Well that's reassuring. But may I remind you that you need to be careful. We are putting everything on line with this plan, so don't be hasty and take your time, failure is not an option!" The voice from the screen said with a dark tone that made poor little Eri flinch aggressively.

"Yes, Sensei. Everything will turn out just as you wish..."

At that time, Eri was pretty much clueless to what the conversation meant. But now, she knew that 'brat' was referring to her, and that 'he' has to be her nii-chan.

Eri may be young, but she was definitely not stupid. She knew that her presence was forcing nii-chan to do things he didn't want to do, she could see it in his sad crystal eyes every time he came to visit.

With every time, his eyes were getting hazier, more tired, less focused and much more miserable. He would look at her less, smile at her less and talk to her less. Until one time he just came without saying a word or even sparing her a glance and only left in a minute.

That was the last time she ever saw him, and that was already a few weeks ago.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes again, as she tried to think if it was something wrong she did to make him hate her. Maybe nii-chan was simply tired of her? Did he not love her anymore? Because she was too clingy and a crybaby? Because she would ramble and talk too much every time he came to visit? Because she begged him to let her go with him instead of leaving her alone in that locked room? Because she would ask him again and again about his new scars and bruises? Because she couldn't make him smile anymore even when she tried very hard to make funny faces for him? Becau-