Dual Fates

Chapter 2: Turning in.

In the afternoon, the girls were heading down to the cafe that Haru asked to go eat at. Many citizens wandered the streets and vehicles would drive by on occasion, with the exception of a few giggles from women who passed them by in a hushed conversation. "So, did you beat them yet?" Har-Har's question reached the girl's ears, who walked alongside her on the sidewalk and kept those green hues forward.

"Yeah, it took forever though. I finally stole his rank and they've been sending me challenge invites. I've trained none-stop to try and get stronger, so I can hit 3rd rank out of the top 5! It took me nearly six tries until I finally managed to defeat him," Uviel's enthusiasm beamed and her upper-black lip curled up at recalling the sweet victory she had.

"Oh cool! Hey, I've been wondering... On Stargazers Online, have you ever gotten any nicknames? I mean, from what you told me over the phone lately, you've been flying through the ranks and training hard. What's so important about the highest rank, anyway?" the brunette's curiosity piqued, and not once had she averted her attention to her friend, she felt that there was no reason to.

Uviel sheepishly laughed and scratched the back of her head, at her question. She found it a bit embarrassing that her best friend remembered their conversation a few days ago. "Sort of... I've noticed people calling me the prodigy and rank-bane a lot, but I just tend to ignore it since it doesn't matter to me much. When you reach the top-5 ranks you're allowed to enter contests that let you earn cash if you win, it's a bit of a hassle since there are so many people out there constantly stealing ranks and entering. When you hit the highest rank, which is S-Rank after you've surpassed rank-1, you get your name put up on their website and many people would offer you jobs for game development or testing," the girl explained as faint, pink tints dusted her cheeks.

"Ooooh, so that's why you've been playing so much lately! You're just trying to get noticed so people will ask you to join game development teams! That's so cool!" Har-Har's face lit up with excitement when she heard that and pumped a fist slightly into the air. "I remember you telling me one time that developing a game was one of your biggest dreams, you're just one step closer to reaching it!" Once again, she cheered and laughed. Her support and enthusiasm always seemed to make Uviel grin, the girl felt so lucky to have a friend like her.

"Haha, yeah... Thanks," appreciation could be seen on her face and those pink tints never left her cheeks, it was still pretty embarrassing to receive such support despite the many years they've grown up together.

Turning a corner, she saw the cafe she assumed Haru was looking for and stared up at the sign that dangled above the door. With a slight nudge of her elbow to her best friend's ribs, she gained her attention and made the blind girl curiously blink. "What's up?" the brunette asked and felt her friend tug lightly onto her bicep.

"This cafe's name...sounds like it was named after my grandmother's underwear brand..." Uviel spoke up and kept her attention on the cafe's name, with a large sweatdrop descending from her head. "Golden Buns..." she read out and made the whole atmosphere around the two, become awkwardly quiet until...

"Hahahahahaha! Golden Buns! Hahahahahaha! I totally get it!" Haru burst out with laughter and leaned over, holding her stomach. A stray tear fell from her eye and when she rose back up after her little fit, she nodded quickly. "Okay! Let's head in, I'm starving for some eggs," through her senses, she could tell that there was a door in front of her since the vibrations from the inside of the cafe made it noticeable and gently pushed it open.

In they went, the red-head looked around and saw many booths lined up near the windows and in the center of the cafe. There was only a small handful of people sitting in their booths, so she simply made her way to a booth near a large window and patted next to her so Haru could sit.

The vibrations from everyone's chats and footsteps, the scents in the air, all the sounds coming from the small crowd of people around her allowed Haru to see colored figures and shapes. Therefore, she could see where Uviel sat and chose to sit across from her instead. "Hey, wanna head over to U.A and turn in your application?" the brunette questioned with a bright smile and leaned over the table with folded arms.

"I guess..." the girl simply replied and propped her head up by placing her chin inside her palm. Her blue eyes stared out the window and the sun beamed through the pane, making her pale skin cast a soft glow to her; if anything, she seemed bored. "I can't wait to try and enter a money-winning contest," her lowered voice met Haru's ears and all she heard was a hum from her best friend.

"Hm... Wait, weren't your parents super-rich or something? I mean...before...uh..." Har-Har moved her eyes to the side awkwardly at the mention of her parents and frowned. "Never mind..." that was all she finished with until the girl across from her sent her a fake smile her way.

"Yeah, they were and that money was passed down to me. Sooo, what...? You think it's stupid that I enter a contest to win money...when I already have loads in the bank...?" irritation could be heard in Uviel's voice when she asked and her eyes narrowed, making that fake smile drop.

"No- No, I'm not referring to that, I was just asking...if paying your way into U.A would've been better than applying on an application," Haru acted nervous when she tried to reassure the redhead. Hands up in defense and frantic beads of sweat flying off of her forehead, she didn't want to upset her at the mention of her parents.

"Yeah, that's true... Well, if I don't get accepted, then I will. Besides, later today I have an appointment with the Cyber doctor. My cybernetics need to be upgraded, it's been a year now since I last went and had my parts replaced with slightly older ones," those blue hues viewed the odd lines that were over some of the joints in her fingers, hands, forearms, and biceps. More lines were hidden underneath that large hoodie of hers, two lines curved around her neck, one line fell under each eye down to her jaw and connected with those curved ones. Over her collar bones and her shoulders, one curved line just below her bust over her rib cage on either side and over her hip lines.

Though no one could see her legs either, there were curved lines across the middle of her thighs, tibias, and ankles. "Ah, ok... Well, after we head to U.A and turn it in, why don't we rush over to your appointment? The earlier we get there the better, right?" she asked and grinned until a waitress sauntered over to their table with menus in her hands.

"Alright, here are your menus! What can I get for you, girls?" An adult with black hair had questioned the young ladies in the booth, and clicked the end of her pen to prepare writing on her notepad.

"I'll take the Grande Fizz," Uviel instantly spoke up after taking a menu from the waitress and looked through it. "What about you, Har-Har? There's Grande Fizz, Omega Cherry Pop, Lemon Splash, Grape Bomb, and Orange Bubbler," she asked and peeked up over her menu, waiting for her friend's response.

"Hm...Grape Bomb sounds good and so does Lemon Splash! I'll Try Grape Bomb first.~" Haru sang happily and giggled as her eyes remained staring into space in front of her.

The waitress nodded and wrote them down, then gave them the best smile she could offer and stuffed the pad into her pocket. "Sure! I'll be back in a few minutes to see what you girls decided on for your orders!" As happy as she could act, the waitress wandered off and left the girls there.

"Haha, Grande Fizz?" Haru giggled at the name and made her friend grumble, which only caused her to laugh a little harder.

"Yes, Grand Fizz, Huge Fizz, what about it?" Uviel pouted and averted her eyes to the side, slightly blushing at the embarrassment.

"Nothing, that just sounds like something you'd drink. Especially since I remember you ordering Grande Fizz one time when we were eating at a fancy restaurant," After saying that, she heard Uviel scoff and assumed that her eyes rolled at her words.

~~~Le Time skip~~~

A loud burp echoed through the air once the girls left the cafe and Haru had a fist over her mouth. Uviel was sipping through a straw, drinking her Grande Fizz happily until her eyes turned flat at the gaseous sound leaving her friend's lips. "Dude...really...?" Those blue hues of hers viewed her friend from her peripherals and kept her mouth on the straw, allowing a sweatdrop to fall.

"Hey, it's better out than it is in. I'd get stomach cramps if I don't let it out.~" A mischievous grin formed on Har-Har's face when she spoke and giggled. Upon hearing an empty slurp from her straw, her brow rose in question, and smirked. "Empty? Could always go in and grab some more," she suggested and closed her eyes with a few chuckles leaving her lips.

"Nah, I'm good. K, I think I'm ready. Let's go," Simply replying to Har-Har, she wandered down the sidewalk and heard her best friend's feet rush up behind her. The application was in her hoodie's pocket and so was her hands now since she had chucked the empty cup into a trash bin nearby.

It took them a while to find the place but they finally did and when they arrived, her eyes widened at the sight. It was so huge! With it being the most prestigious school around, the number one of all hero schools, it really lived up to its reputation even in size! They both stood in front of the gate and Uviel's mouth went agape, the paper in her hand crinkled a little from her tightening grip. "Well, let's not waste any time.~" Haru's voice chimed in and tugged lightly on her friend's arm.

Through the doors then into the school that was surrounded by grass and trees, both girls aimlessly moved their heads around. "It smells funny in here... So clean smelling but with a small scent of sweat and...fear? Hm..." Haru mumbled to herself as she saw countless shapes and figures around her, indicating things that surrounded her. People roamed the front of the halls and the bell rang loud in their ears, causing Uviel to cover them.

"Sheesh, why so loud?!" Groaning irritably, the redhead's one eye twitched at the sound and grumbled. Her hood was pulled down further and pressed tighter against her ears until it finally stopped. "So annoying... Why can't schools not have such obnoxious bells...?" with a quick eye-roll and hands being stuffed into her pockets once more, she was about to take another step when someone called out to her.

"Hello! What brings two young ladies to U.A?~" A small, white creature questioned in its high-pitched voice and waved a paw.

Both girls looked down upon hearing the pitched voice and Uviel grew slightly shocked, never in her life had she seen such a small creature like him before. A faint tint of pink dusted her cheeks at how adorable he was. "You're...you're a..." she began and Haru's eyes never left the space she stared in before, she just listened in.

"Yes! Am I a mouse, a bear? Or maybe a rat?! Hahaha! Why...I am the Principal!" As cheery and energetic as could be, he gave the girls a bright smile and his tail swayed slightly.

Both of the girls just blinked and an awkward silence hovered in the air during a moment's pause. "Riiight... Anyway, I'm here to turn in my U.A application," Uviel spoke up and pulled out the paper, showing him.

"Ah, wonderful! Of course, yes! Right this way! I am Principal Nezu, if you were curious!~" he chirped and folded his arms behind his back, hearing the girls follow behind him by the sounds of their patting feet. "Someone went ahead and paid a student to enter earlier, I've been curious as to who this Haru Yukimura person was," His beady, black eyes looked in his peripherals as he smirked over his shoulder at the girls.

With a raise of her hand, the brunette waved and blinked. "That's me, actually. My father wanted me to join," Haru had a toothy grin and closed her eyes when she giggled.

"Excellent! It's a pleasure to meet you, Yukimura! In here, please.~" he offered and stood to the side with the door to his office, open. He had led them through some halls and past several students who grew curious about them.

Once they entered, Uviel and Haru sat in some chairs across from Nezu's who sat in his own. After some time of chatting and Nezu read over the application, he grew shocked. He recognized her last name from anywhere, it was sort of a big thing in his book considering how loud he gasped. "Wooooaah! Saito?! The daughter of Shizuka and Michi Saito?! Their reputation in science and machinery was astounding! A lot of the technology they invented was used right here in U.A!" he beamed and stars twinkled in his beady eyes.

From the application up to Uviel, he folded his hands together over the surface of his desk and grinned excitedly. He saw how wide her eyes were and knew from there, that she wasn't expecting her parents to have any fans. "I would absolutely love it if you joined us! Especially since your bodily parts were replaced with high-end cybernetics to increase your lifespan! There is a place here for you that I'm positive you'll enjoy!" he stood up and threw his arms into the air, with stars twinkling in his eyes.

"S- Sure... Um, I never knew my parents were...famous..." Uviel began to nervously sweat and sink deep into her chair, trying to hide the embarrassment and pink tints on her cheeks.

"Haha! Don't mind my friend here, she doesn't get out much so getting this much attention like this will obviously make her feel-" before Haru could continue with her speech and giggling fit, her best friend kicked her foot from sheer shyness.

"Don't worry, it's fine. We'll be waiting for you tomorrow and your classes will be assigned to you depending on the written tests you take. All of your abilities, intelligence, mentality and more, will determine which department and classes you'll be put in. Here are your tests and...since you're blind..." After explaining that, Uviel blinked and shook off her embarrassment. Nezu reached into his desk, pulled out a folder and a special device specifically made for Haru. The folder was given to the redhead and the device was handed to the brunette, they both held them in their hands curiously. "That device will record your vocal answers when it beeps after each question," he finished and saw Har-Har grin happily.

"Cool, okay!" With that, sometime later the girls finished up and headed to Uviel's appointment. They were just on time and Haru had to sit outside to wait for her to get done, she was leaning against the wall outside of the building.

Lifting up her wrist, she tapped on her watch and stared at the space before her. "Max, what time is it?" questioning her watch, the voice that came from it sounded like it came from a GPS.

"It is 5:07 PM..." Max monotonously replied back and her brow rose at that.

"That's weird, she should be coming out by now..." After the brunette spoke, someone in a large cloak walked by and their eyes lingered on her blind ones. So, assuming she couldn't see, they stood there staring at her curiously and thought she didn't know they were there. "Dude, do you mind...? Staring is rude..." her frown and narrowed eyes said it all, she wasn't happy that some person decided to stop and stare.

Their eyes widened from beneath the hood of their cloak and continued down the sidewalk, feeling rather freaked out that she knew they were there considering how quiet they were. With a sigh escaping her lips, her head leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes. Though, they shot back open when she heard the automatic doors slide; beaming with joy, she turned around and greeted her friend. "That took a while, UV-Ray!~" chirping happily, a few faint chuckles were heard from her friend.

"Haha, sorry. They said that, since my birthday is in a few months, I'll need another appointment soon. I got to this one a little late, but look! My limbs look a tiny bit older now!" Uviel chirped and lifted her arm, showing her that it was a tiny bit bigger than usual but still looked like a teenager's thin arm.

"Oh, nice! We better head home though, my dad's gonna kill me if I'm out past curfew..." Har-Har rolled her green eyes at that and put her hands on her hips.

Yeah, sure," After that, both of the girls finally headed home and someone in the shadows was watching them with a frown plastered. Their eyes lingered on the brunette as they sauntered down the sidewalk, having a nice conversation about burgers soon after.