Acatalepsy: the impossibility of comprehending the universe, the belief that human knowledge can never have true certainty.
The end of the day went as per normal, Mana sleeping through classes followed by scoldings for said acts. But during the last scene of the day she found herself doing the very thing she scolding Bakugo for- eavesdropping. Of course Mana knew the reprecussions of getting caught all to well, but when you hear someone telling another to take a swan five off 5e roof it does raise a few heads.
"Mana strolled our of school watching the green haired boy fish the waters for his notebook with a mix of emotions clouding his eyes. Mana let out a sigh pinching her nose.
"Hey Midoriya-kun!" Mana called walking up to the boy who looked in shock from the source that called his name.
"Na- Nakashima- san!" He stuttered supprised that the class' quietest and most aloof girl had was approaching him.
"Whatcha got there?" Mana peered over the cover of the note book "Hero Analysis for the Future?" Mana cocked her head. Midoriya spluttered waving his arms. Mana patted his shoulder in comfort. "Let me guess that's Bakugo's work right?" She pointed at the scorch marks on the book.
Midoriya hung his head slightly, "ye-yeah"
"You know they're right, you can't get into U.A just by studying" Mana snatched Midoriya's book flickering through the pages has Midoriya stood wide eyed. "Try putting some muscles on the those bones, take some martial art classes?" She suggested.
The curly boy spluttered, "Ye-yes!"
"Quirkless doesn't mean useless, just means you have to work harder than everyone else." Mana gave the notebook back to a gaping Midoriya, "I look forward to seeing you a Pro Hero, Midoriya-kun" Mana waved over her shoulder at the boy before trailing toward the station.
'Perhaps you can live your dreams on in Midoriya-kun because I don't think I can do that for you, Kaori.'
'Shut your eyes and block your ears' is what mother recited like a stuck record. But the thing is, there's only so much you can cover your eyes and muffle sounds with your hands. Light will seep through the cracks between your finger and sound will leak onto the cavity of the your ear. Perhaps mother knew that, but didn't want Mana repeating the things that conspired outside of the closet.
"Mana-chan look there" Kaori pointed to the giant blond figure chasing after a suspicious looking man "mommy calls them heros aren't they great" Kaori clasped her hands together in glee swinging her legs back and forth as they dangled over the rooftop.
"What's a hero?" Mana cocked her head furrowing her brows.
Kaori gasped "didn't your mommy tell you? They nice people who save people that are in trouble and hurt the bad people when they do bad things."
Mana frowned "My mommy is always to tired to answer questions like that."
Kaori pouted "My mommy told me that your mommy is always tired because she steals all of my mommy's clients, maybe if your mommy shares with my mommy she'll be less tired."
"Kaori-chan you know it doesn't work like that…" Mana trailed off grabbing Kaori's hand as her black haired friends smile pulled down a little.
"I know Mana-chan, but it would be easier if they could share, right." Kaori's eyes dulled a little.
Mana tightened her grip on Kaori's hand. "Why don't you tell me more about the heros Kaori-chan"
Kaori tightened her grip on Mana's hand in return "All might is super cool, he the number 1 hero-"
Mana chewed the the pink eraser stuck on the back of her pencil muttering lines of the quadratic formula under her breath. Tonight, Riyuku's was quieter than Mana's apartment, save for the ticking of the wall clock and the owner's wife mopping the floors. People often asked Mana how she managed to get 3rd place in class when she sleeps through 90% of the lessons, she had her long hours at Riyuku's to blame. Around 3am was it's quietest, it wasn't called the witching hour for nothing. By then the buzz of alcohol and drugs had worn off in the towns folks leaving them a slouched in alleyways and dumpsters. It was at this time that the employee of Riyuku's had free reign until 6am when the coffee drinkers would come stumbling into Riyuku's for their daily dose of caffeine. It was during those three hours that Mana would cram the day's schooling into her half asleep brain.
"Good Evening, or should I say morning doll face?"
Mana looked up spying a familiar scar face, "What do I owe the pleasure, Touya?" Scarcasm dripping from each symbol. Touya let out a shallow laugh.
"I go by Dabi, do you want me to burn it into ya doll?" Touya flashed a flaming finger
"Yeah and my name is Mana yet the only name seem to know me by is Doll, so I happen to only know you by Touya." Mana rolled her eyes scribbling an answer in her work book stuffing it into her bag before cradling her chin with her hand on over the counter.
"Need to book a session with the hair salon" Dabi winked tossing his black hair which had red peaking out of it's roots. Mana rolled her eyes at his antics.
"Your a big boy, do it yourself." Mana crossed her arms.
"And miss bonding time with my favourite girl? Never!" Dabi chucked a box of dye at the girl who stubbly caught it with a pout.
"I expect compensation in return" Mana marched towards the crummy bathroom with Dabi in tow who wore a smug expression.
"What is it? cash? Pharmaceuticals? A good time?" Dabi said with a wink but was met by an empty box thrown in his face as the attacker pointed towards the toilet that would be the 'salon chair'. Dabi put is hands up in surrender taking a seat in front of the girl applied the cheap box dye to his roots.
"I need you to go in as my guardian for school, my teacher is wants to discuss my future plans"
Dabi wheezed clutching his sides with laughter "Apologies doll but I'm way to young to be acting like your daddy, why don't you get the old man who runs this joint to play house with you?"
Mana sighed "he already does to much for me plus you owe me"
"Well I'm not exactly the most inconspicuous person out there"
"There's a thing called a mask scar face, you know the shit people where when they're coughing up their lungs?" Mana smacked his dye ridden head lightly.
"We'll see doll." Dabi hummed.
"Wash that out in an hour." Mana muttered washing her hands flicking the left over water at Dabi's face who twitched in return. "If your gonna hang around, might as well get your shopping done early. Riyuku's been painfully slow today."
Dabi followed the girl out of the bathroom stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Actually I gotta run doll face, got a date next door."
Mana turned around raising an eye brow "the flophouse? Never took you for the junkie type, though I can't say I'm not surprised since your full of them."
Dabi flicked the girls head causing her to growl at him, "I need to stay down-low for a couple months, ran into some trouble in Tokyo."
Mana hummed rolling on her heels thoughtfully, "You know you could have always asked me for a place to crash? If your bringing trouble hiding in a house full of druggies isn't gonna turn out well for you."
"Ah, I forgot you're an accessory of crime." Dabi chuckled.
"I don't know what your talking about" Mana said with a wink.
Dabi ruffled their girl's head before trailing out of the convenience store raising a hand in parting. Mana slumped against the counter with a sigh.
'Why are all the men in my life such a handful.'
A girl with hair darker than the night sky and eyes deeper than sapphires once told Mana there was such things as heroes as of reciting from a dictionary she said, hero's are Righteous beings with a thirst to save the weak and punish the evil. Mana couldn't deny nor accept that ideal because the reality is that the world isn't so black and white. Not all heroes are virtuous and not all villains are wicked. Despite what she said girl with black hair- didn't see the world in black white or gray either. It made Mana wonder if the girl could see any colour because all she saw was kindness and the state of the fires burning in their hearts.
'We do what we have to do to survive, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with wanting be alive. Some of us may loose ourselves in our quest for security while others prosper, but isn't that what makes us human?' Is what the dark haired girl- Kaori - would say. Perhaps she is her reason why Mana didn't go to the cops for a handsome sum in exchange for insight into the run down parts of town.
"Nakashima-chan!"
Mana whipped around startled by the sudden call of her name. "Midoriya- kun?"
Midoriya caught up to Mana bowing at a 90 degree angle. "I just wanted to thank you for yesterday and believing in me!" The green haired boy shook with nerves.
Mana waved him off, "don't stress about it". Mana started on her sluggish walk to the to their classroom for homeroom. Midoriya hastily grasped her shoulder as she when to reach for the door handle. Mana turned around questionably towards the flustered green haired boy who was waving is hands embarrassing.
"Nakashima-chan, w-would you like to eat l-lunch with me!" Midoriya stuttered.
Mana let out a chuckle at his flustered nature- cute dare she say. "Sorry Midoriya-kun, lunch time is nap time." She entered a class room scampering towards her desk before letting her head fall onto it and closing her eyes.
"Oi Princess!" Mana didn't even flinch at the name call, she squeezed her eyes together praying to the gods that what she heard was imagined. A slam on her desk caused her to suddenly jolt up facing the boy who had a permanent scowl on his face.
"Fight me"
Silence fell upon the classroom as they stared at the angry boy and aloof girl.
Mana cocked her head in confusion. "Why would I do that?"
Bakugo grabbed the tired girl's collar bringing her close to his face, "don't get smart with me, rooftop lunch time. Don't make me wait." He hissed throwing Mana back into her chair as she wore a bewildered expression.
A/N: hi it's been a while... I saw unpublished this is my folders and I really liked it so i decided to share it...