Chapter 3: Boiling blister red
"Why do you want to learn to fight?"
"So in a way, I'm not helpless…"
"People will always think of you as helpless."
"Then at least, I can lessen her burden."
"Will it be enough?"
"It will never be enough…but I will never go anywhere without trying."
"Ha…I like your answer, kid! Now, welcome to my self-defense class!"
The maniac runs forward with all her might, taking in every shred of freedom…
The night sky was beautiful, filled to the brim with glittering stars. Literature is not her strong suit, so she can only say that she likes the feeling.
Comes to think of it, she is enjoying everything to the maximum.
She felt the rasp sensation of sand against her bare feet, the wind hugging her body as her hair sways in it. She felt like she is her own person.
No…she has always been her own person, and she won't hesitate to punch anyone that thinks otherwise.
If anyone sees her now, they will think she is crazy. A little girl is alone by the beach, cackling madly as she runs around. A maniac, so to say.
Not like she gives a shit about what others think.
Eventually, after enough time exploring the junkyard called a beach, the maniac decided that she should move her attention elsewhere.
Not that she has grown bored of it, but rather she is afraid…
All her life has been spent in that defense class, learning everything she can about how to protect herself, and her teacher even showed her his accumulating tricks to take people down effortlessly.
Point is, she doesn't know how long this moment will last…will she wake up once again in that confined space, practicing her moves all day long?
Sad as it is, this starry night and the sandy ground was the first taste of the outside world for her, and she would be a fool to give it up.
And so this night, desperate to clutch the feeling of freedom in her chest, the maniac begins to roam around just for the thrill of it.
The maniac has never seen these colorful lights before, brimming the streets as the cacophony of noise never stops buzzing. There are a lot of people she doesn't recognize…
She never knew the world was so large…
As she loiter around a clothing store, she saw her reflection in the glass glaring back at her. Messy blond hair, and red eyes with yellow rings around her irises. Amused, she smiled at the glass to see her sharp teeth, perhaps looking a little bit too intimidating.
Annoyingly, she spotted familiar freckles littering her cheek…rubbing it brings her a sense of nostalgia…
Deciding that she has messed around enough, the maniac continues her journey in the city. Not forget to scoff as she walks straight into a streetlight.
Okay, what's the deal between her and iron?
Okay…maybe exploring the alleyway which literally everyone tries to avoid is not a good idea, but she herself wasn't the brightest person alive.
And apparently, not brightest means walking into a dark alleyway, where lowlifes such as criminals, thugs, or even villains reside. Because for all it was worth, she saw a person lying on the ground, bleeding a copious amount of blood as six people with knives surrounded him.
Not the ideal scenario for a date…at all.
Okay, they haven't noticed her yet, maybe she could slip away quietly-
It's probably the most logical solution, too.
"I want to become strong."
"Strong? Hmm, an admirable goal, indeed. But people can become strong too with only their minds. You're a smart kid, I'm sure you will manage nonetheless."
"Perhaps…but my mind can't bring me what I want…it's not enough."
"Is that so? What kind of strength do you have in mind, then?"
"I want to become strong. I don't want the kind of superiority that you have to stomp at people around you to boost your ego…I want to be someone that's strong enough to protect the one I love."
"Even if it cost you your own life?"
"If it's what it takes."
Well, who is she kidding…SCREW IT!
"Hey, assholes, look over here!" She shouted, as her body shifted into a fighting stance…well, it isn't professional, but at least it looks cool
And they looked back with surprised expressions, but soon melt into vicious snarls.
Okay, taking 6 people, armed at one probably isn't a good idea. But again, she doesn't take pride in her ability to reason much.
Fuck logic, anyhow.
"Oh? What do we have here? A little girl trying to be a hero? Why don't you run back to your mother and-"
Well, he didn't get to finish his sentences as his face was met with a lightning-fast round kick to the face. His head snap to the side as he kissed the earth.
How graceful…
"You bitch!" Another exclaimed in anger as he tries to stab her with a knife…predictable. She immediately sidesteps and lands a good punch on his temple, knocking him out cold.
4 left…it's actually quite easy. Besides, the adrenaline coursing in her vein was exhilarating.
This time, all of them decides to attack her at once, but she noticed unusual movement from the two of them. Quirk incoming!
The maniac rolled away, dodging a handful of glue spraying out, almost restricting her movement. Then a flash of light erupts, blinding her vision.
Realizing the immediate danger, she jumped back just in time to hear a whoosh sound in the air. Look like she got lucky. But being disoriented can be fatal in a fight, so she kept her senses up.
Footsteps coming from-
The maniac ducks, her legs sweeping around, hitting a thug from behind her, and making him loses his balance. Not waiting for him to get back up, she kicks hard in his head, making him down for the count.
Her vision is still a bit fuzzy, so she tries her best to remain still, relying on her ability to discern which target needs to be prioritized.
The light guy is doing something suspicious again with his face, covering it. Realizing an opportunity, she doubles back, grabbing a knife on the way and launching it into his shoulder.
Hearing the guy shout in pain was amusing, but she wasted no time as she weave through two of the guy ahead of her, using her momentum to knock the guy down. With a well-placed punch, he stayed down.
However, she miscalculated as she turned back to a handful of glue sprayed at her as she tries to shield it with her hand. It didn't do anything other than restrict her ability to strike back.
The remaining guy sprint forward, knife aims high. She decided to meet the attack head-on, taking him by surprise and knocking the knife out of his hand. Before she could celebrate, however, she saw a metallic shine in his hand and she react a bit too late to escape the metal slicing through her skin, drawing blood.
"OH FUC-" She screamed in pain as she tries to untangle herself from him, but he caught on and instead moves to attack her again-
BOOM!
An abnormal sound in the middle of the night as the man suddenly stop in shock, his fingers charred and mangled, dripping with blood.
He can't even show surprise fast enough as he is met with a swift kick to the face.
What? She needs to win this fight first. Abnormal events can be left for later.
With the last of his comrade down, glue man seems to be nervous as he steps back.
"No, you DON'T!" The maniac snarled as she sprint forward, and the man foolishly used his hand to shield his head.
Only to be met with a devasting kick to the nut.
As he screamed in misery, he was met with another kick to the face as he went limp.
Now the alleyway looks like a massacre has happened…
Grunting in pain, the maniac tries to get rid of the glue on her hand, shuddering in disgust. Now the adrenaline is wearing off, everything is starting to fucking hurt. Reluctantly, she looks at her bleeding arm.
Only to find no wound at all. Well, it still hurts like hell, and there is actually a line of brighter skin where she has been cut. At least she is not bleeding out…
Whatever happened, it works in her favor.
Shrugging off the smell of iron infecting the air, she checked who she tried to save a moment ago.
Lying at the corner of the alley was him, spiky black hair looks quite thin, to be honest. There's a slash on his sides, drawing blood. And his face looks unnerving.
At first, he thought that he has been injured by someone with a corrosive quirk, but it seems that it just scars littering his whole jaw. It looks painful, winkled with a sickening purple, patched together. Whatever happened, she can't imagine it to be pleasant…
She doesn't have time to put up with shit like this. And she doesn't even get paid!
Sighing in defeat, she carefully picked him up, bridal style. He seems to be lighter than she thought he was…and luckily still unconscious. Her priority is to get out of there first since the thug could wake up at any time, and she doesn't want distractions. One of them even has a quirk that turns his hand into sharp metal, so restraining them is useless…
Okay, at this point, she is just creating more work for herself...
It was unnerving walking in the alleyway, but now with a dead weight in your hand.
After making sure the coast is clear, the maniac puts scar-boy down, and his body leans against the wall. Rolling up his shirt, she begins to do first-aid.
Luckily the cut was shallow, but it probably hurts like hell. There is no disinfectant in sight, so she can only make do. With an overall clean rag ripped from the clothes of the thug, she wraps it around his waist, stopping the blood. It's not a perfect medical skill, but it will keep him alive.
And it's surprisingly minor, so he will wake up in due time. Come to think of it, how did he even get knocked out in the first place?
But anyway, the problem was solved then…now what?
Must she babysit him until he wakes up? This night is still young, and she can think of many places left she hasn't gone to yet. But he can't actually leave him here, can she?
Oh, she totally can, but she won't be a dick about it. Make sure he's up and running and then they can go their merry way. Who knows, maybe he's under the effect of a quirk or something? She doesn't need that kind of conscience clouding her mind.
Oh! Come to think of it, there is something weird that happens in that alleyway right? An explosion comes from nowhere and her skin stitches itself together.
Right…this is definitely a quirk! How exciting! Does it mean she can blow people up now? And regenerating, too?!
Okay, this needs some testing to be sure…
"EXPLOSION!" She shouted at the air, focusing her mind on making the air before she blew up.
And…nothing happens…
It makes sense to not be that simple. And exploding air with a thought, that's an absolutely broken ability. And she wasn't even that lucky!
"Eh?" That was…disappointing. Does it mean that it's just a fluke? But…she doesn't see anyone that has a quirk like that around, and certainly, the criminal won't go self-destructing like that-
Talk about self-destructing…could it be? The maniac remembered the moment when that thug slice her arm, and succeeded…since his metal arm was covered in her blood, this must be it, right?
Testing out her theory with newfound vigor, the maniac grabbed a knife she stashed away from the fight, squinting her eyes as it cut through her palm, drawing a bit of blood. It drips into the ground as her skin burn. If this is true, it's sure a morbid quirk.
The maniac takes a step back, reliving in the feeling of smoothness starting to fill her palm. She then focuses on the droplet of blood staining the ground and-
BOOM!
She jumped back in shock, body tensed.
"…holy shit." The maniac exclaimed in shock as a smile slowly plastered across her face
The ground was scorched by a black mark, and it seems to be strong enough to let loose the cement a bit.
And it's only a few droplets. Imagine how much destruction with a whole vial of it.
Oh my…many interesting scenarios already overflowed her head. This can be devastating! Her quirk can literally make her blood explode, and a side factor to make sure she didn't bleed to death. But this means that her current fighting style is-
"Nhg…" A whimper from behind her snaps her out of her though. Oh…scar-boy is awake.
"It's about time-" She exclaimed as she suddenly ducks to avoid an arc of flame engulfing her face "-ah! WHAT THE FUCK?"
Then she found scar-boy holding out his hand as blue flame danced around it. Oh…figure. And she just decided to be a good person, too!
"Okay, that's no way to treat the one saving your ass!" She grunted, glaring at him
"You…helped me?" He asked, his hand still holding up, confused.
"Duh." She rolled her eyes "You was like…surrounded by 6 guys or so, unconscious and bleeding. They are either planning to kill you or…better not to mention it."
"Oh." He said, rubbing the sides of his stomach "Thanks."
"Now, scar-boy, you caused me a lot of trouble, you know?" She squinted her eyes, moving closer to him
"Uh…" He looked away from her scrutinizing gaze
"You own me." She said simply
"What?"
"I won't say it twice, scar-boy." She snorts, as her posture lax
"Uh…don't you think you're…too young to ask me such a favor?" He asked, flabbergasted.
The maniac swears she could choke this son of a bitch right now, right here...but she wants to see her good deed come to fruition so...
"Not that kind of favor." She scoffs, annoyed at the implications "And I'm not the one getting babysitted here."
He mumbled something in frustration, but eventually stop.
"Your quirk is powerful…how did they get you anyway?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. Now looking back at it, she can see the skin on his hand blister, probably a drawback of that powerful quirk.
She can still feel the heat creeping at her head…
"I answered a question…and everything went black." He answer, obviously displeased with the predicament
A quirk that put people to sleep, with an activation requirement is verbal? Dangerous indeed. Anyone can be caught in it by surprise.
Lucky her then. Provocation and intimidation are tactics that sensei taught her, too.
"You are lucky this time, scar-boy-"
"Dabi. Call me Dabi."
"Loud and clear, scar-boy." She laughed, earning a glare directed at her face
"Anyway, what's the favor you asked? I'm an informant…but since you saved my life, I can offer it for free." He has said, but to be blunt, she doesn't really care about information at this point. And besides, he was acting so high and mighty, so she'd better rubs it right back at his face.
"Hm…I don't know any about that. Frankly, I can't think of anything yet. But I will surely come back if I thought of one." She said, rubbing her chin
"Wait…so does that means you save me…without knowing who I am?"
"Um…yeah? You are not a pop star, you know?" Sarcasm must be dripping off her voice right now as he looks like he's about to burn her to ashes at any given time.
"If that's all, see ya later, scar-boy. I'm very busy, you see?" She said, standing up "You should probably see a doctor. I'm not an expert, so you might get an infection. Better be safe than sorry."
Just as she's about to go, he asked one again
"Can…I know what your name is? We will meet each other again, after all."
"…"
Now that's surprising, but she can get behind that. And 'little girl' is getting a bit too annoying for her taste.
After thinking for a moment, she opened her mouth.
"Call me Kakiru." She said as she takes off sprinting, madly cackling as she continue her rampage. Which probably left the whole street concerned for their lives, but who cares?
The fun is not over yet! She has already wasted enough time.
The next morning, Mikumo wakes up in an abandoned building, bare-footed, his entire body aching and blood-stained his dusty jacket.
"Damn it." Was all he manages to utter