Chapter 7

A flood of emotions made themselves known to her so abruptly. It was overwhelming. She released the tiny hand she had gasped and stumbled back. She stumbled and fell into a soft sofa. Pain. Sorrow. Anger. Hate. Fear. So many negative emotions were rampaging within her that it was hard to hold onto herself. She felt others around her. Voices were heard but she could not focus on any of them.

And then there was a feeling of total and complete calm as someone gently took hold of her face. Hands resting softly on her cheeks. Whispering words of reassurance. It was her sister. She must've used her quirk to calm her down. She took a deep breath and sighed. She smiled in thanks and her eyes landed on Kuriko. Those blue eyes of hers were filled with the very emotions she was feeling. The most prominent being hate. Anger. Sadness.

Kuriko couldn't look at Nozomi. She was glaring down at her hands. What had she done? It was her fault. She knew it. When Nozomi touched her she felt something. She couldn't understand it, but Nozomi was not ok. It was because of her. She made her feel what she was feeling. She overwhelmed her. She didn't mean to. She didn't want Nozomi to feel what she felt. She didn't want those she cared about to feel this way. She hid her hands in her pockets and stared at the ground. Was this her quirk? Could she make others feel what she felt? Is that what she did to the boys? She didn't care about them. They deserved it. Nozomi did not.

"Kuriko"

It was Natsumi this time. She stepped away from her when she tried to touch her. She didn't want her to go through the same thing. The woman furrowed her brows in worry as she crouched down in front of the frightened Kuriko.

"It's alright, give me your hand"

Kuriko shook her hand no and fisted them in her pockets. She didn't know if it would happen again and would rather not find out. Natsumi eyed her.Her look gentle as she carefully pulled her hands out of her pockets. She read the fear and regret in those blue eyes. She understood that the child was hurt. She was blaming herself for overwhelmed Nozomi. She needed to see if that's what really happened. Can she really share emotions through touch? She took the child's hand in her own. She gasped when her emotions washed over her. It was intense. She closed her eyes tightly and let go of her. It was hard to cope with. The emotions were just at war in her head. Screaming at her. Making her feel so much.

Hands were on her cheeks and calm washed over her. She took in a sharp breath and opened her eyes again. She met tearful blue ones. She shares emotion through simple touch.

"Kuriko, don't cry. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself " she tried to convince her but she was not believing those words.

She hid her hands in her pockets again. She wouldn't touch them. She would not put them through her negative emotions. Not again. She didn't want them to feel that. To go through that. Not them. They were kind to her. They didn't deserve that. She wouldn't inflict that on them.

Noriko made sure her sister was alright before running up the stairs to her room. She knew what Kuriko needed. Contact was what caused the emotions to make themselves present. She understood somewhat what she was going through. She needed gloves. When she was younger she could not control part of her quirk. She can calm anyone with a touch. Making someone experience something against their will was frowned upon. She learned control, but before that she wore gloves. She should still have them. She rummaged through her dresser in search of them. Once found she made her way down the stairs again.

"Kuriko put these on" she said softly as she offered the child the white gloves. The child stared at them, most likely questioning their ability to help. Sloltwu she pulled one hand out her pocket and retrieved the offered gloves. She pulled them both over her hands. It was an odd feeling. She never wore gloves. "Give me your hands"

She hesitated but she let Noriko take her hand in her own. Nothing happened. She was alright 

"See, nothing. It's alright"

Kuriko stared down at her gloved hands. She let out a soundless sigh. She wasn't relieved, however. She couldn't be. She still did something she did not want to do.

She felt arms around her and did not resist the hug she was pulled into. It was Nozomi. She smelled of Vanilla. She was warm and comforting. Kuriko was gripping onto her shirt and had her face buried in her sizable chest. She was fighting back tears. She wanted to apologize for what she had done. She didn't mean to, but she felt so guilty.

"I think she's asleep " Natsumi pointed out once she noted Kuriko's calmed breathing.

Nozomi hummed as she adjusted Kuriko's position in her arms. She was asleep. She had a pained expression on her face. Nozomi sighed and brushed her hair out of her face.

"She's an interesting kid" Natsumi said as she watched her sister place the child on the sofa. "Those emotions of hers don't mix well and if she continues to harbour them it will not end well"

"I know" Nozomi sighed and collapsed into the very same sofa. "I know. She's starting to disregard life. She's questioning it all. She doesn't care anymore"

"She cares about you " Noriko pointed out. "She cares about us because you care about us. She wants you to be happy, doesn't she? "

Nozomi smiled a bit at that. "Yes, it's sweet. But that's about it. She doesn't care about anyone else. Just me and those I care about. It's not a very good mindset"

"And her quirk" Noriko looked to her sibling in question.

Natsumi had a look. "Unknown "

"What do you mean unknown? "

"I got no information on it. I can't gather any information on the kid herself. Nothing. Nada. Blank sheet" Natsumi made gestures with her hands. "I can't get a read on her. Not even the simple things like her name. "

"But that's your quirk. You can gather info on anyone you look at, how is it not working? "

Natsumi shrugged. "I can't gather anything on her no matter how long I look at her"

"That's odd"

"You think? "Natsumi joined her sister on the sofa. To think that she couldn't gather info on the child. It's been a long time since she's last been clueless about a person. Gathering info is something she's used to. It helps her out majorly with her job. It's why she's the head of Legal rights. To think there was someone she knew nothing about.

"She seems to be an empath of sorts. She projects her emotions onto others. Maybe she senses emotions as well" Noriko theorized." That could be her quirk"

"There's more to it than that" Nozomi said. "The incident I told you about. The boys said there was darkness coming off her. They called her a villain"

"Little bastards. Need me to file a lawsuit" Natsumi asked with a dark grin. "I'll take them for everything they have"

"I'm starting to thinking lawyers are sadistic creatures," Noriko said with a blank look. Her sister had her moments.

"I suppose I'll just have to be patient with Kuriko"

"Pull her out of school"

"Already did. "

"I meant entirely. Homeschool her"

"I already thought of that, but I don't know if leaving her at home with tutors is any better. I've learned not to trust anyone when it comes to Kuriko. I always think they'll make sure nothing happens to her, but of course, something always happens. "

"Tricky situation "

~~~~~~~

Two years later.

Kuriko adjusted the black glove that adorned her hand. She was seated under a tree, watching the others play on the playground. She had a book under her. She sighed and looked away from the happy elementary kids. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and slid her hair behind her ear. The book she was reading was an interesting one. She had stumbled upon some new info some days ago. Info that made her curious. Info that brought her to a certain book. She was looking for something. She's always looking for something.

Some days ago she was reading a book on quirk evolution and a name was mentioned. She immediately looked it up on her computer, trying to find what the person was about. She found multiple sets of info, but they were biased and short. No full explanation. No backstory. She spent a few minutes on her computer until she found the information she was in search of.

Chikara Yotsubashi, also known as Destro, was an infamous villain and the grand commander and founder of the Meta Liberation Army.

Chikara was born to an unnamed mother. As he grew up, he was treated with disdain by his peers because of his Quirk, which left his mother distraught at being rejected. At some point, his mother was murdered because of her support of her son's uniqueness and her death became a stepping stone for his future. With the proliferation of Quirks, the government began to regulate their use. Chikara was against this control system, believing that free use of Quirks is a basic human right. To fight for that ideal, he founded the Meta Liberation Army and adopted the name Destro, promising to be the man who would "destroy the Status Quo". He and his organization spent years opposing the country that advanced in establishing superhuman laws. At the end of his campaign, he was defeated, the Meta Liberation Army disbanded, and the majority of the members captured. During the years in which he was in prison, he wrote a biographical book exposing his ideals. After completing his writing, Chikara committed suicide.

She downloaded the information just in case.

Chikara was somewhat like her. Treated badly because of his difference. His mother was killed because she supported him? The cruelty of human beings.

His strive to drown regulations against quirk holders is questionable. She saw what he was trying to do and it was appealing. But with no regulations there would be chaos.

During the time he was in prison, Destro took the opportunity to write "Meta Liberation War". In this work, Destro exposes his idea of fighting against the government's control over Quirks, believing that the free use of these is a basic human right. After completing his writing, Destro committed suicide.

She had that very book before her. "Meta Liberation War". It took her some time to get hold of this book. Nozomi was hesitant, but she managed to convince her. She wanted a look into Chikara's head.  She wanted to know more about his ideals. His goals. She wanted to know of his plans.

The book was perfect for such a thing. It was the one thing she was focused on since the day she got it. She was introduced to many new things. She had more to think about. More ideas.

She adjusted her glasses again.

Chikara had an interesting way of seeing the world. He was against the rules of quirk regulation. He found that quirk users should be free. Not a bad ideal, but Kuriko could picture the chaos that would most likely arise. Then again, it could also be better. There were pros and cons to his plan. Every day she added to each side, waiting patiently to see which would outweigh the other.

Something bumped against her foot and she looked up from her book. It was the ball her fellow six-year-olds were playing with. They were all watching the ball at her foot. They made no move to retrieve it. They knew better than to get close to her. They remember vividly what had happened to the third-grader that bullied her. It didn't end well. They knew to stay away from her. They didn't want anything to do with her.

She eyed the ball at her foot. Her eyes revealed no emotions. She wasn't treated as she was two years ago. She still gets the bad words, but no one dares touch her. Not after what she had accidentally done to the older boy. He ended up in the hospital. She got in trouble. She had to apologize but she didn't mean it. That apology was nothing. She wasn't sorry. For once she was not the one in the hospital.

She pushed the ball back with her foot, watching it roll back towards the others. She didn't watch to see if they took it or not. She went back to her book. She had better things to do. More important things. All they did was play and idle. Unaware of what they'll walk into when the time comes. It would be a rude awakening.

Power is everything in this world. Something she came to realize and the thing she will remember. Without power you are nothing.

She will have power.

The rolls will be reversed.

~~~~~~~~~

Nemuri had her hands on the wheel as she eyed the building she had parked in front of. It was impressive for an elementary. It's a private school, so it was understandable. She leaned on her armrest as she awaited the little Kuriko. She was tasked with picking her up because she was free while Nozomi had something to take care of at work. Which also mean that she would be watching her for a short period. She didn't mind. Kuriko seemed to trust her now. She could understand her better. The six-year-old liked ice cream more than she would let on. After taking her out for ice cream multiple times Nemuri learned that she took a liking to vanilla. She actually liked the treat with toasted marsh mellows.

She spotted a head of curly black hair heading her way. Kuriko was dressed as she usually did. Long-sleeved deep blue hoodie and black long pants. She was gripping onto the straps of her backpack as she trudged her way towards the car. She had her head down as per usual. She always had the air of depression around her. It never really went away.

The door to the passenger seat was pulled open and Kuriko climbed in. She was quick to shut the door and strap on her seatbelt. She let her backpack drop to the floor and pulled open her book.

"Good day to you as well" Nemuri sighed and started the car.

Kuriko looked up at her. She was staring until Nemuri looked at her. It was hard to ignore her stare. Her icy stare was so cold one could actually feel a chill the longer those eyes remained on them. She made a couple of signs and Nemuri smiled. She refulled ed already messy hair in response.

Kuriko did nothing and returned to her book.

"Want to head out for some ice cream? "

Kuriko nodded without taking her eyes off her book. She adjusted her glasses again.

Nemuri only smiled. She found those glasses adorable. They were round and seemed a bit big for her small face. They were lacking frames. The bridge and hinges were the black of her hair. Her blue eyes were more noticeable because of them.

"Vanilla with toasted mellows? "

Kuriko again nodded, this time around she was messing with the black glove on her right hand. She had to keep them on to prevent her from affecting anyone's emotions.

Nemuri spared one last glance at her before focusing on the road. Kuriko was a delicate child and it was hard to tell what was going on in that head.

Welp, ice cream always brightened her up even if it's just a little bit