Chapter 6

Quirks. What are they? Where did they come from? How did humans evolve to the point of having superpowers? She didn't know. She would like to unravel that mystery sometime though. Apparently, people think rats were the cause. To think that rats are the ones to thank for the new society. She couldn't really wrap her head around it.

Quirks. There are multiple types and such. But there are three main categories. Or is it four? Emitter. Transformation. Mutation. Is accumulation belonging to the three? Again she didn't know and didn't think about it too much. She couldn't think about it even if she wanted to. There were other things she needed to concern herself with. More important things she had to deal with even if she didn't want to. Her actions had consequences even though she was not aware of the actions that brought the consequences.

She was staring down at her hands as the adults conversed. She wasn't paying any attention to them. She couldn't bring herself to. She knew that if she were to focus on them she would be feeling worse than she already was. She was sure if she played attention to the words being exchanged she would be in pain again. She didn't want to hear the accusations. The angered words of other parents. They were angry because of what she had done to their sons. She didn't mean to. She didn't even know what happened. One minute she was sure to get another burn the next she wakes up confused. The three boys were unconscious. Parents were called. A semi meeting was held with the headmaster of the school.

When the boys woke up fingers were pointed. All at her. She was the bad guy. She had hurt them. She had started it all. No one ever tells the whole story. They never tell the parts where they are the villain. They didn't tell their parents about the bullying. They didn't tell them that they started it. That they backed her into a corner. That they frightened her.

Whatever happened to them was their fault. She wasn't sorry. She didn't know what she did but it had an effect on the boys. She didn't care. They seemed afraid. Whenever they looked at her fear flashed in those eyes. She didn't care. She didn't care that she might have hurt them. She didn't care at all. In fact, she would be more than content to learn that she had harmed them in some way. At least they would feel a sliver of what they put her through.

She didn't care about them. She never will. She hated them. She hated them all.

She was glaring down at her hands now. She made the mistake of focusing on the conversation. One of the boys accused her of trying to seriously hurt them. He said she had a villainous quirk.

Look at him. Pointing fingers because he got a little scared. Whenever she looked at him he flinched. Was he really trying to make himself feel better by getting her in trouble?

Villainous quirk. She never ran that thought through her mind. She had considered being quirkless. She had considered being given a weak quirk. She had considered being somehow gifted with a powerful quirk. She hadn't considered the possibility of a quirk that was doubted villainous.

What made a quirk villainous?

Nothing really. She didn't believe in such a thing. The person with the darkest of quirks could become a hero. The person with the brightest of quirks can become a villain. It mattered not what type of quirk one had.

One would note that the villains tend to have quirks society don't agree with. She couldn't remember seeing a villain with the power of the sun. Why? It's simple enough. Society is to blame. They see someone with a quirk that harnesses the dark. They fear it. They despise it. They dub it villainous. Because it's dark. It's dangerous. Because people don't like it. They fear it. They are uncomfortable because of it. So what do they do? They shun the person with said quirk. Belittling them. Isolating them. Treating them as lowlifes.

If one is constantly being associated with something. If one is constantly being called a certain name. If one is always being told that is what they are.

Why are people surprised when they actually become a villain?

Why are humans like that? They create the very people that can and want to kill them. It is their own cruelty and ignorance that dooms them all. It's all their fault. They refuse to look deeper. To look past all that. All they do is judge and label.

She hated it.

She hated the very creature she was. She hated the way they are. So uncaring. So cruel. So selfish.

"She tried to kill us! " a boy accused. She didn't look at him.

She tried to kill them? She didn't remember doing such a thing. She blacked out. She couldn't deny that statement because she didn't know what she did. For all, she knows she really did try to kill them. It wouldn't be the first time she wished they were dead. A dark thought but not one she felt guilty about. The world would be a better place if all the bullies just worked and died.

The undeserving should perish. There was no need for them in the world.

"Your daughter hurt our sons" a parent said angrily. Her glare directed at a calm Nozomi. Kuriko knew better. The woman was angry. The statement angered her.

"I don't see any injuries. They're perfectly fine" she said. Her voice cool. She directed her attention at Kuriko. "My daughter on the other hand almost received another second-degree burn from your son. What do you have to say about that? "

At the mention of the burn, Kuriko shifted. It wasn't as bad as the one on her wrists, but it still hurt. It would heal quickly enough. The one highlight of her day.

"This child should not be allowed to attend this school. Her quirk is dangerous. She traumatized our kids. How could she do such a thing? She doesn't even seem sorry. "

Sorry? Sorry? What did she have to be sorry for? The boys were traumatized? Ha. She could laugh. They didn't know trauma. They would not last a minute in her life.

"How can you say such a thing when you don't even know what her quirk is. You don't know what she did. What tHey did. She doesn't know what she did. You can't just go around pointing fingers like that"

"My son told me what she did, are you trying to say my son is a liar? "

"I said no such thing" Nozomi sighed and rubbed her temples. "Look. I'm sure this is just a big misunderstanding "

"My son is telling the truth"

"I never said he wasn't "

Kuriko was gripping her fist, clutching her hoodie. She wanted to leave. Just disappear. Vanish. If only they knew.

She caught the eye of one of the hoys and he scooted closer to his mother. He was staring at her with hate and fear. Familiar emotions.

"She's a monster. There was so much darkness. It was coming from her. She was nothing but darkness and then she sent it to us. We couldn't move and it was so cold and then there was nothing but darkness. And... And.. " the boy trailed off his voice trembling. "I was so scared. I wanted to die"

She looked at him. He wanted to die. She wanted to die. She wondered. Could she have quite possibly made them feel what she had? Is that why they looked at her like that? She made them feel what she did and they still failed to understand her. They seemed to dislike her even more.

They should suffer.

She was looking at her hands again. She didn't listen to anything anymore.

Someone insulted Nozomi. The mother said some very bad words about her. Some about Kuriko too. She didn't even know what took place she has no right to point fingers. Now she was insulting her mother? How dare she? Who does she think she is? She will never be half the mother Nozomi is. Nozomi is the most caring mother anyone can ask for. That woman knew nothing. She should not insult her.

Kuriko found herself pulling on Nozomi's shirt. She wanted to leave. This meeting was pointless. She'll get kicked out of the school anyway. It's best they cut this short and accept the inevitable.

Nozomi sighed.

"I think we all know where this is going" she said as she stood she picked up Kuriko, who hid her face with her hood. "She won't be attending this school anymore"

"She shouldn't be attending any school. She's a danger to everyone"

"Well maybe if your son didn't constantly bully her none of this would have happened. Kuriko was probably scared. Her fear must've triggered whatever happened. You keep digging into her and ignoring the fact that your son gave her second-degree burns on her wrist yesterday and today he almost inflicted another on her. "

Nozomi didn't stick around to hear the woman's reply.

~~~~~~~

Kuriko was seated in her car seat with a book in hand. Nozomi had given her one in hopes she'll be distracted. The girl obviously wasn't reading it. She was staring out the window with emotionless eyes. She didn't know what she did. Nozomi didn't know what she did, but it affected the boys negatively. Nozomi was getting better at reading Kuriko. She could tell that she was not sorry. She may not know what she did but she was not sorry about it.

Nozomi sighed. She didn't know how to feel about that.

She glanced at her through the rearview. Darkness. She was darkness. What had the boys meant by that? Was she literally taken over by darkness? Was she emitting darkness? She didn't know. It didn't sound good.

What could her quirk possibly be?

"Kuriko"

The child looked away from the window. Blue eyes meeting red ones. She displayed no emotions in those eyes.

"I'm taking you to see my sisters. They can help, ok? "

Kuriko nodded. She had already decided that she would not resist meeting friends and family of Nozomi. If those people meant something to her then she would have to meet them. It would make Nozomi happy. Nemuri was really nice and she was just a friend. Her sisters shouldn't be all bad.

Kuriko didn't understand why people couldn't just be as kind as Nozomi and Nemuri. Why can't everyone be like that? The world would be a better place.

But instead, the world is cold and dark. The lucky few don't get to see this world. The real world. They are shielded from it. Being fed illusions. The unlucky know exactly what it's like out there. One cannot be weak. Weakness is your downfall.

She directed her gaze back out the window. Those boys that bullied her. They always bragged about being a hero in the future. They want to be heroes. People praise and encourage them. They can make it as heroes because their quirks are strong.

Is that what the world has come to?

Them as heroes. The very same boys that bullied her for being different. For being weak. They wished to become protectors of the innocent.

She realized that there are most likely a lot of heroes out there that don't care about the people. What they care about is the money and fame. People could die on their watch as long as they get paid. As long as people know them. As long as they have power.

Power. Those with power ruled over those without.

If she wanted people to acknowledge her. To listen to her. She would need power, wouldn't she?

The world is pathetic.

~~~~~~~~

Nozomi is a member of the Sano family. A well-respected family that own a big business. A business that specializes in multiple fields. It is a family operated business with a member of the family in each department. Nozomi is in research and development. In other words, she's head of the division that deals with support tech and such.

Kuriko learned that Nozomi was part of three sisters. Three sisters that were born on the same day. Triplets. Kuriko was not informed of this. She figured it out once she found herself inside one of said sister's house. She was seated on the floor. She didn't tend to sit on chairs for reasons unknown. She had her book and was not entirely focused on the conversation the three held.

They looked very alike. They were identical. The only way to tell them apart is their way of dressing and their hair. Nozomi's silver hair was past her waist and left loose. She always wore her hair like that. One of her sisters had shoulder-length hair in a bob cut.

The other had mid-back length hair that was pulled into a ponytail.

They all had red eyes. They all stood at the same height. They all had fair skin. They all had an hourglass figure. They all had the same smile.

Identical, safe for the hair and clothing.

Someone touched her and she flinched. The hand immediately pulled away. She met worried red eyes. They were not the eyes of Nozomi. One of her sisters. The one with short hair.

"I'm sorry for frightening you" she apologized with a soft voice. She positioned herself next to Kuriko, yet at a safe distance as to not make the child uncomfortable. "I'm Noriko "

Kuriko only nodded in response. She relaxed a little. She had kind eyes. Like Nozomi.

"I have a healing quirk and wish to heal your wounds" she explained gently as she carefully took a small hand in her own. Kuriko didn't resist. She felt comfortable around the woman even though they had just met. She didn't tend to get comfortable around others. Not so easily. But the woman had the same eyes as Nozomi. The eyes she came to know and the ones she was used to. Soft, gentle and caring.

Her bandages were removed. When Noriko saw her wound she frowned in worry and slight anger. She didn't let much anger show. Nozomi had informed her that Kuriko tends to get anxious when someone is angry. She carefully placed a hand on the wound. Kuriko winced and she tried to reassure her. There was a faint glow coming from her hand as her quirk did its job. Slowly the burn started to fade, taking the pain with it. When she finished it was completely gone. There was no scar. No change in pigments. No pain. It was gone completely.

Her other wrist soon followed. Kuriko was left staring at her completely healed up wrist. They didn't hurt when she twisted them or added pressure. There was no scar. She was sure she would have another. One more painful reminder, but there was nothing.

Noriko proceeded to heal the mild burn on her collar bone and neck, leaving Kuriko completely healed for the day.

"There, perfectly healed" Noriko adjusted the child's hoodie once finished. "I'm sorry you could not come see me for past injuries. I was not present in Japan at those times"

So that's why. Kuriko was wondering why Nozomi did not bring her to her sister in the first place. She hated the hospital. She would much rather Noriko fix her up.

"How are you feeling kid? "

It was the other sister. The one with the ponytail. She was dressed in a business suit for some reason. She looked a bit intimidating, but she had the same eyes as her sisters.

Kuriko nodded to her. She had unconsciously signed as well and apparently, the woman understood.

"That's good" she smiled brightly and fished something out her jacket pocket. She pulled out a chocolate bar and crouched in front of Kuriko. "Here, I love these things. Hopefully, they cheer you up"

Kuriko accepted the candy bar.

"A gift from your aunt Natsumi"

Nozomi was smiling as she watched Kuriko interact with her sisters. She still had her usual apprehension but she was more relaxed around them than she was others. She was happy to introduce them.