• Benevolence •

Chapter 48

Spikes suddenly appear all on the ground but I manage to get Eri on my shoulders just in time. One of them nicks my leg but I ignore the pain.

"Y-you okay up there, kiddo?"

I hear a quiet hum and take it as a yes.

Glancing back to the fight, I'm startled to see Chisaki destroy himself and his ally... only to fuse himself back together with him.

I pop a little ways farther from the fight and slip Eri from my shoulders. Holding her close to my chest, she buries her face against my shoulder.

"Sorry 'bout that... I'll try to give some more warning..."

I feel a slight bit of panic when I can't spot Eraserhead but I force myself to remain calm. Eri's safety is the top priority but- leaving with her is a last resort.

Watching the others, I see that Nighteye has joined the fight. I glance to Eri, smiling gently.

"How about we go grab the other two? I believe you already met them..."

She gives a small nod and I brush a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Alright, hang tight, kiddo..."

I pop over to Midoriya and Mirio, my smile strained. "H-hey guys... please grab onto me for a moment? ...we should get outta the way..."

Once the two boy grab me, I manage to get us somewhere in the area undetected. I go to place the small girl down but she keeps a firm grip on my shirt. Instead of pulling her off, I crouch with her in my arms.

"U-um... I can teleport us back to the hallway... I'd try to get us farther but..."

Midoriya nods. "That's perfect, [L/n]. Any distance between us and him are good."

The two boys grab onto me again and I hold Eri closer to my chest. As I recall the hallway, I hear the small girl speak up quietly just before we pop away.

"...please... no more.... I'm sorry...."

Popping into the hallway, I lean against a wall for a moment and place Eri on the ground. I offer her a tired smile. "...you're doing amazing, kiddo. You haven't done anything wrong..."

The searing pain in my leg is making itself known and I'm starting to wonder if it's deeper than I had originally thought. I push the thought aside when Midoriya turns to me.

"I- I have to help. I'm going back. Can you get them to safety?"

I hesitate before nodding. I try to smile.

"...be careful, okay?"

He offers a much brighter grin.

"Thank you, Meraki. Keep her safe."

"...of course."

He takes off, smashing through the wall and I sigh quietly. "...I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we need to keep moving..."

I help Mirio up, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and offer my hand to Eri. She takes it and we continue down the hallway.

At some point, Eri stops in her tracks. I pause, glancing down to her worriedly.

"...everything okay, kiddo?"

"...this...isn't what I wanted..."

Before I can respond, she turns and takes off back the way we came. I swear quietly, moving to prop Mirio against the wall and cringe when he winces.

"...sorry. I need to go after her... can you keep pressure on your wounds? I'll try to be back as quickly as I can."

"I'll... be fine. Save Eri."

With a final nod, I focus on her image in my mind. It takes a few seconds but suddenly- I'm standing in between Eri and Chisaki. When the masked villain meets my eyes, fear claws up my throat but I shove it down. I hold my arms out protectively.

"...kiddo...Eri...please stand back."

The villain's eyes crinkle up, suggesting sickening smile. "Oh- it's you. I guess I was right. You are such a hero."

Recognizing the words, my blood runs cold and I feel myself grow pale. The man at the store... he looked familiar...

Suddenly, Team Ryuukyuu appears- breaking the spell. It pulls Chisaki's attention and I spin around to face Eri. The lack of tears in her eyes somehow break my heart. She's so used to it...

Before I can grab her, the ground erupts beneath our feet and we're shot into the air. I struggle to reach to her but she goes higher and I feel myself hurtling down.

I faintly hear my head smack the ground with a sickening crack.

Everything goes black.

I'm surrounded by silence.

Then- it all comes back.

For a moment, I forget where I am. The voices around me sound distant and I vaguely know that's not a good sign. I shove myself off the ground, stumbling over my feet. My sense of direction is skewed and I struggle to focus my vision.

Gotta find Eri...

Spotting Midoriya carrying her, a part of me relaxes. I go to jump into the battle as well but my right leg gives out once I put my full weight on it. Running a hand over my pants, it comes back glimmering. As I remember the wound, the pain comes rearing back.

I wince before popping to a more secluded area to hide for a moment. Pulling up my pant leg, I'm greeted with blood. I can't tell where the injury even begins but the blood keeps coming. Frustrated, I just grab a roll of gauze from my utility belt, wrapping the gash tightly.

Pushing myself back off the ground, I remember Eraserhead. I teleport around the area and find that he's still missing in action.

Worried, I focus on his image in my mind for a moment. I appear in a room. Eraserhead is laying prone on the floor, someone standing above him with a knife. I quickly take in the situation and- before anyone reacts - all my recent training kicks in.

Tackling the figure standing above my teacher, I shove the blade away and twist their arms into a hold, smashing their face into the floor as we land. I faintly feel myself breathing heavily, head swimming.

In the same moment, the door slams open to reveal several police officers and Suneater.

"Police! Resistance is futile!"

I look over to them, feeling dazed. "...hey g-guys."

"Meraki-"

The last thing I remember before the world turned on it's axis was glancing over to see a look of concern on Aizawa's face and trying to smile reassuringly.

---
I would willingly lay down
my life for Eri. She deserves
the world and more.

Double post cause I'm bored!!

Thank you for reading!!!