31 Little Girl and Trauma

When opening the door to her cell I could see her just sitting on her bed. Dressed in that awful gown with her arms and legs covered in bandages. Seeing her like that made my heart churn.

She trembled as I opened the door. She should be about 5 years old. Meaning she has been here for only a year at most. Since she was only abandoned after awakening her quirk.

I approach her slowly, she seems to not want to look up in my direction.

"Hey, are you feeling well?" I took on the kindest tone I could manage.

Not recognizing my voice she quickly looked up, her eyes widening in what I can only describe as shock. And fear, I really dislike seeing that.

"W-Who are you?" Her voice quivered. At this point, she probably already knows all of her captors, my face should be new to her.

With the most reassuring smile that I could manage on my face, I said "I am Allan, I work as a hero. I came here for you."

My smile calmed her, only briefly. She regained the same scared look when she heard the last part.

"P-please don't... T-they will make you d-disappear too." Well, seeing her in person makes me want to go back and slice Overhaul's other arm off. But he's already down, that wouldn't be very hero-like.

"Don't worry about me, everything is being taken care of." I flashed a smile that seemed to calm her down a bit.

"What is your name, little girl?" I bent down and patted her head, she recoiled at first but calmed down after a few seconds.

"M-my name is Eri..." She paused a bit, I kept patting her head for a bit, then I retracted my hand. She seemed a bit sad for a second, but she recovered quickly.

"You are a very polite girl." Saying that I extended a palm towards her. Slowly to not scare her, she still looked hesitant. But she still put her little hand in mine.

I gently pulled her up. Holding her to my chest she quickly wrapped her arms and legs around me. She just made a quiet protest and looked at me curiously.

"It's fine, we should probably leave this place..." She looked excited at the prospect, but she was still scared.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." I hugged her closer to me while saying that.

I started walking back into the corridor. My dynamic entry might have ruined some of the lights in this place. Eri seemed a bit afraid, her hold on me tightening a little.

I did promise I'd protect her. That includes her happiness. Using my free hand I softly poked her cheek. When she looked up she saw my face, the same reassuring smile plastered onto it, then she looked around.

The corridor was being filled with small lights. It looked like we were walking through a sky filled with stars. I could see Eri's eyes widen as they gazed upon the light-show I made for her.

I could see the wonder and happiness in them, I continued walking, traversing the lights, sometimes walking through them, other times making them avoid me.

I brought one closer to Eri as she reached out with her small hand and grasped it. She had one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on her face. The panic and fear from before were lost, all that was left was childlike joy and curiosity.

The smile on her face was the cutest thing I had ever seen, it probably did more damage to me than the entirety of Shie Hassaikai. It felt as if an arrow went through me. I vow to protect this smile.

But I won't leave it at that, she needs to see that her oppressor was not going to harm her or anybody else ever again.

With that thought in mind, I soldiered on, determined to completely erase her fear of this place from her mind. The lights dancing around us were turning this dim place that once kept her into a beautiful painting.

Gaining different colours and playing around us, as if they were conscious and alive.

Looking back, we hadn't covered much distance, I had walked extremely slow, letting Eri experience this at a good pace.

But we already were in front of the room I left the villains in. My free hand was already on the doorknob. Before entering I said.

"Eri, remember. You don't have anything to fear when I am with you." I said that with a lot of energy, hoping that some of my confidence would rub off on her.

She just nodded, she was a bit anxious, but all of my efforts were showing. She still had that smile on her face.

When she saw what was inside the room she panicked, clutching me tightly and burying her face in my chest, I could feel her small horn touching my ribs.

The sight might be brutal for a 5-year-old, but she has already seen people die, she had already seen savagery and brutality that one of such innocence shouldn't have.

"He can't hurt you anymore... I made sure of that." I said slowly.

Trembling she finally managed to see the state of her captors, one was buried in the ceiling while the other was missing an arm and unconscious. She looked around the room scanning it and trying to understand what had happened.

Then she finally looked up, she saw my face, I had a smile filled with kindness and care. Before I realized it, her eyes filled up with tears. She clung tightly to me, I could hear a stifled "Thank you".

I responded by hugging her, now I just needed to call the police to pick up Overhaul's group, but they most likely noticed the explosions happening here. They should've sent some people here already

"Let's leave this place."

Saying that I continued my way through the tunnels, using my perception to navigate my way to an exit.