Chapter 18

Nemuri moaned in delighted as the vanilla flavored ice cream melted on her tongue. The great pleasures the treat brings. She was currently at Nozomi's house. She could actually live there with how much she could be found in the house. In all honesty a lot of people come to Nozomi's house. It annoyed the woman, but no matter what she did her sisters, parents and Nemuri would always return and wander around as if they owned the place. As it was, Nemuri sat next to a very focused Nozomi. The woman was focused on the holographic displays in front of her. They were all around her. 3D holographics. Is that the best way to describe it? She didn't know. Nemuri only watched as she moved the screens around, switching gears and possible nick nacks. She wasn't an expert on technology so she had no idea what the woman was looking at. All she knew was that she said she was working on Kuriko's costume.

There were some boots drifting on one screen. A hoodie of sorts on the other. Some pants. Some gears. Some this and that. Words were drifting near them. Notes? Suggestions? Possible downsides? She didn't know what they were. Nozomi was constantly putting them together and pulling them apart. She would sometimes mumble to herself.

"You're being a geek, again "

"Very funny" Nozomi didn't even look at her. She was determined to make Kuriko the best suit she could. She found that it was a good thing the Sano company works very close with UA. She was in charge of making the student's suit ideas become a reality.

"So, Kuriko actually sketched up a hero suit? " Nemuri had a hard time believing that. She knew the girl was just going along with it for Nozomi. She knew she did not like being placed in the hero course. She knew she would not take her time to just sit and create a costume when she could be reading.

"No, not really. When asked about it she just gave me a pants and hoodie"

Nemuri laughed. Definitely something Kuriko would do. The girl just doesn't care. She would really dress like that to go out into danger.

"So you're making one for her" Nemuri concluded.

"Yes" Nozomi slid the screen in front of her our of the way and focused on another. "I'll make sure it's perfect for her. It'll be based on what she usually wears which is a blue hoodie and black pants"

"She should start wearing different clothes" Nemuri said simply. "Does she have any dresses and skirts? "

"She does"

"Have you ever seen her in them? "

"Twice"

"when"

"When I dressed her in them" Nozomi shrugged. "She won't wear them on her own, but if I request it she actually will"

"Momma's girl" Nemuri mumbled. Kuriko does do everything Nozomi request of her. It's understandable why. That woman was the first to care for her. She gave her a home. She loved her. She took care of her. She fed her. Kuriko wasnt used to such affection. She found that she brought more pain than worth so she tried her best to make the woman happy. It's an interesting mindset. Really sweet actually. A child that would put aside her dislike for heroes just so her mother would be happy.

"Where is Kuriko? I'm sure she should be out of school by now" Nemuri said as she eyed the door.

"It's Kuriko. If we don't pick her up she takes her time coming back"

"She does. Why though? "

"I don't know. She never tells me

"How're things going at the new school"

"Good. She hasn't been bullied. Hasn't made any friends though"

Nemuri hummed. "She doesn't want friends"

"She doesn't trust or believe in people at all, which is sad. She could make some really good friends if she put certain things aside. Not everyone is bad, she should know that by now"

"She'll make friends at some point" Nemuri reassured. "Maybe at UA. I'll let you know"

"What do you mean? "

"I'll be a teacher at UA this year" Nemuri smirked at Nozomi's shocked face.

"What? Why are you only now telling me? "

Nemuri only laughed at Nozomi's genuine surprise. It's probably one of the first times Nemuri has kept a big secret from her.

"Just because "

"Seriously? ".

"Yes"

"I can't believe you" Nozomi sighed an returned her attention to her work in progress. "Why are you going to be teaching there? "

"Well I was asked sooner in the year but I gave no answer until recently "

"Again , why? "

"Kuriko" is all Nemuri said. She reclined onto the sofa with a soft smile. "Kuriko will be there and knowing her and how she tends to get into trouble I figure I might as well take the job to be there for her , you know? I'm going to be teaching her class. "

"You're doing this for Kuriko? "

"Yeah. And I can't help but feel selfish for it"

"Well I don't think you're selfish"

Nemuri hummed. "I'll look out for the kid. You know, Shota will be her homeroom teacher. "

"Of all people. I heard he expelled an entire class last year"

"Yes, he's allowed to pull it off again this year, but surprise surprise he cannot expel Kuriko"

"She won't like this"

"I'm aware" Nemuri ate the last of her ice cream. "Nezu is determined to keep her in the school. He said sesething about UA being the crucial factor of her life. How things go there at the school will have an impact on her future"

"She doesn't like being forced into the hero course"

"Yeah I noticed" Nemuri said. "I'm out of ice cream"

"I blame you for her unhealthy diet"

"Why in the world would you do that? "

"You introduced her to vanilla ice cream. That's all she eats"

"She seems pretty healthy. Besides I heard she started eating a proper meal before feasting on ice cream"

"Yes, she's started taking our advice"

Before Nemuri could say anything Kuriko appeared in front of them and fell to the floor. The woman stared silently for a moment. They weren't surprised this time.

"Hello Kuriko, how was your day? "

Kuriko signed her answer and proceeded to empty her backpack on the floor.

"Why is it that you never sit on the sofa? " Nemuri questioned. She never once saw Kuriko sit on any of the sofa. She's always on the floor.

A few hand gestures informed her that the girl was very comfortable on the floor. Nemuri didn't know if that was a proper answer to her question or not.

At some point Kuriko found what she was looking for and placed it next to her. She was quick to stuff everything back into her backpack and leave just as fast.

"Look at that, she didn't even get some ice cream"

~~~~~~~~

After initial Quirk manifestation, it is possible for the user to undergo an "Awakening". The right catalyst can cause Quirks to evolve on the spot.This results in ones Quirk gaining a new level of strength and/or new aspects to its nature that were previously not possible.

Kuriko had read that in one of her books and it interested her. It was basically saying that a quirk could level up, was it not? For such a thing to happen one needs the right catalyst. A life or death situation seems like a good catalyst. In such a situation one is forced to evolve if their will to live is strong. Emotional catalyst count as well. There are many forms of catalysts that vary from person to person.

That was not important.

What was important was what she could do about it. Could she awaken someone's quirk? That is the question she was now asking herself. She looked to her book, rereading the line. She only recently learned of this awakening and it's interesting. Pushing quirks to the next level. One would need a catalyst, but what she could just make it happen? She would technically be forcing it to level up. Forcing evolution. Or would she be guiding it?

She flipped through her book. Returning to an already read chapter.

The theory of "Quirk Singularity" is a popular line of thinking that suggests that Quirks will continue to mix together and deepen, growing in both strength and complexity with every new generation. Eventually, Quirks will develop to a point where no one will be able to control them anymore.

This theory suggest that quirks will be the destroyer of humans and the world itself. At least that is what Kuriko understood. So, why did this interest her?

Quirk awakening and quirk singularity could be connected. If a strong quirk is awakened or leveled up it would obviously be stronger. The stronger the quitk the more complex the harder it is to control. But quirk singularity says that over time the quirks will mix together and deepen. Which means quirks get stronger with each generation. But if they're talking about mixing quirks together what would happen if you gave someone already possessing a quirk another quirk on top of that?

Could the two quirks mix? If so they would deepen become stronger and more complex. What would that do to a person? Physically and mentally?

It was interesting and curiosity was her current emotion. She wanted an answer ti that question.

That brings another question. People are born with quirks and wish for stronger ones. It doesn't matter if that quirk is weak or already strong. Some people don't know how to be content with what they have. So they want a stronger quirk. What if there was a way to make a quirk stronger? It would not be awakening. A drug, maybe. And if there was a drug capable of that then a drug capable of the opposite could be possible. A drug that completely takes away someone's quirk.

Depending on which side creates such a drug it could be a blessing or a curse. Of course it the "villains" invent such a thing, the "heroes" will destroy it because it will be used for evil. So what if the heroes invent such a drug? It will continue to exist, will it not? The heroes made it. They would never create something to harm anyone, right?

Revision that. It would not matter who invented the drug. It will be used wrongly by either side of the table. That's just how it is. There are corrupt heroes. Even though people refuse to believe such a thing.

Taking away someone's quirk could do a lot of damage. A quirk is part of an individual. They grow with it. They learn to understand it. They become used to the feeling of its activation. Take that away and you're taking away a part of someone. That doesn't spell anything good for the person. With a part oneself lost they will never be the same. Everything will change. Their mentality. Their mindset. Their personality. Their behaviors. Everything.

Izuku is a good example. He lost a part of him the day he tried to kill himself. He was a boy filled wit hope. He was a boy who always believed. Those two factors were apart of him. They made him Izuku. Now they are gone. His cheerful smile is no more. His colorful view of the world is gone. His dream is broken. One of the things he realky wanted was given to him and yet he felt empty . He doesn't know who he is anymore. He doesnt know what to do with himself. He lost his will to live.

So what does he do?

He clings to the shards of his dream even of they tear cuts into his flesh. He convinced himself that he would follow it solely to let the world see what their so called heroes are actually like.

Kuriko knew better. He told himself that. He believed it. It could be true, but she knew. She knew that he was following his broken dream because he wanted that part of him back. He yearned to regain his hope. He wanted to believe. So he would go to UA in hopes of finding that part of him.

Kuriko didn't know what to think of that. It was stupid. Desperate. Pathetic.

But she couldn't really blame him.

He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what he's feeling. He doesn't know anything anymore.

Losing a part of yourself is hard to recover from.

If you recover at all.

~~~~~~~~

Kuriko was wandering the halls of her school. Practically everyone had left and she would have left as well had she not sensed familair blood lust. She adjusted her glasses as dark tendrils climbed up her body. She had a feeling she would witness something interesting today.

Her interest in the blonde had never faded. She kept a close eye on her and that boy. Kuriko found that he looked a lot like Izuku. It was just an idle discovery she paid little mind. It was still interesting though.

It has only been a day since the fight. The bloodlust she felt from the girl was stronger and was always aimed at that boy.

She seemed fascinated with him. She would have dismissed it as the childish emotions of a teenage girl having a crush, but she didn't believe it to be that. As hard as it was to read her emotions properly she knew it was no crush. She also theorized that the blonde made the mistake as seeing it that way. She wondered if that bloodlust was what made her think such a thing.

She noted that the girl had sharper canines. They could be fangs. Either way they were longer and sharper than they should be. That indicates something. Must be related to her quirk, Kuriko had guessed. If so then she could form an idea of what that quirk is or at least what it involved. Fangs and blood. It made her think of vampires. Creatures that would feast on the blood of humans. With that in mind the bloodlust made sense. If her quirk had to do with blood then she must have a natural inclanation towards the human substance. Her quirk needs blood hence her own need for blood. A quirk can influence their holder. It is why those with blood related quirks or with darkness type quirk are more likely suspected to be villains. It is why such characters are dubbed villains. The needs of their quirks influence them and they can end up harming others.

Such as the need for blood. How else will someone scratch such an ich?

So when she located her person of interest she was not too surprised to find a bleeding boy under her. She was not too surprised to find a bleeding wound the girl had inflicted. She was not surprise to see her drinking his blood.

The look of ectasy was litte surprise. Her tears were questionable.

This girl put on an act to be accepted by others. She submitted to their form of normal. She hid this bloodlust as best she could. She burried it, but certain things always resurface. Her cravings would get stronger and stronger whether she knew it or not. Not allowing her to be herself only made things worse. Everything resurfaced and she could not control herself.

That is how this situation came to be.

She was too focused on her meal to notice a girl in the hallway. Kuriko however, did. She eyed the girl for a moment. She would scream.

Before she could Kuriko had her in her grip. She kept her from screaming and forced her unconscious. She fell limp in her arms and Kuriko placed her on the ground, leaning against the wall. She pressed two fingers to her forehead and erased the memory of

what she had just seen. If news if this were to get out it would spell trouble. Trouble would mean this girl could be expelled or she might run. Which meant Kuriko would lose her person of interest and she would not let that happen. She found her secret, but she was still interested.

She looked up only to meet familiar yellow eyes. They held their gazes for an unknown amount of time until they both cocked their heads in curiosity.

"Kuriko"

Kuriko stood, glancing at the unconscious girl for a moment. She then eyed the blonde. She had blood running down her chin. She made a mess despite her using a straw. Kuriko would hum if she could. She took a step and was instantly in front of the girl. She crouched and touched the boy with her gloved hand. Slowly the wound healed up and the blood was gone. His clothes were neat and not a stain was to be found. She then touched his head and erased his memory of what had taken place. She replaced it with one involving the other girl quite easily .

The entire time she could feel curious eyes on her. She sat on the floor, facing this blonde. They stared at eachother for a full minute before the other smiled brightly, showing her teeth. The smile wasn't the one she showed her classmates. It was totally different. This smiled displayed her true self.

"You don't care about my normal"

Kuriko nodded. She really couldn't care. Who was she to judge this girl's normal? Her normal wasn't what everyone else would accept either.

She was abnormal in the world's eyes. And so was this girl. She couldn't judge. She was just curious now. A lot more curious.

Himiko Toga was interesting. Deranged, maybe or most likely. Broken, completely.

She didn't care.