Unease & Impermanence, Part 1

Chihiro Mitsurugi sat before a well used table, on an equally well used floor cushion, staring out through a starkly clean and new window to see the early morning sky. In spite of the familiar furnishings, she couldn't help but focus on the unease she felt from more unfamiliar things. This wasn't her first night spent in the new Shiketsu dorms, but the unease she felt was stronger. Clearly a sign of a distracted mind. She glanced down towards her hands, thinking back to that fight. The unease grew stronger. The movements she performed then, could she still do them now? She shook her head gently. She could not. In the end she turned her gaze back to the window.

"Are you... like... alright over there?"

Chihiro's roommate, Faith Kang voiced her concern from atop her over-engineered desk chair. A natural response, really, as Chihiro had repeated the same silent actions for the last hour.

Failing to get a response, Faith continued: "That freak didn't hit you on the head too hard or something, right?"

After a brief pause, Chihiro turned her head: "Oh. No, I'm fine. Still a little sore... It's just... that fight was... weird."

Faith nodded curtly: "Well, yeah. You got into a fight with Sandatsu. If that's normal I'd be worried... but I guess that's not what you mean?"

It didn't take much to guess Chihiro's issue was with herself more than anything else. They were friends... ish. The girl was painfully awkward, but sincere and wore her heart on her sleeve. Didn't take too much time hanging out to get a read on her.

With a few clicks on her phone, the display of her primary desktop monitor changed: "I've seen the video a couple times. Original got taken down for whatever reason, but it keeps getting re-posted anyway. Atsushi's... whatever. I'm not really surprised whatever she does at this point. You really laid into him though. Someone else's quirk help you out maybe?"

Chihiro nodded slightly. Someone else's quirk had indeed given her greater strength. "Yes. Their quirk is... a little like Kaylee's... That wasn't unexpected however. I knew about her quirk before hand."

That the unknown extra person was someone Chihiro knew was certainly interesting info, but Faith wasn't about to point that out. Her boyfriend's the king of doing stupid shit, so she wasn't in any position to pry: "So you're saying that extra strength isn't "weird" then... Maybe something's off about your own quirk? It's not quite the same, but remember how after the license exams, Myoga's quirk started going haywire? Maybe you've got something like that."

Faith was too caught up in rationalizing things that she forgot who she was talking to. By the time she realized her mistake it was too late. Chihiro didn't say anything, but 'panic' was practically written on her face in big bold letters. Her normally relaxed body was stiff as a board. Casually suggesting to the person who was traumatized by her own quirk that her quirk might be going haywire... well it wasn't her finest moment.

With practiced ease, Faith opened one of her many SNS apps and scrolled down to the ever reliable class rep... Well former class-rep. ("Time to call in the cavalry... This whole dorm thing is going GREAT.")

...

After being assured by her best friend, Chihiro regained her calm. Indeed, Chihiro's control over her quirk was as good as ever. Perhaps even a little better. The incident ended with an impromptu visit to the local mad scientist (Hiro) for an unofficial checkup. As with many people, Chihiro's quirk gave her some non-standard organs. Every new quirk was like studying an entirely new kind of lifeform... but as near as he could tell, she seemed fine. Nothing seemed different compared to what was on the school's records. At most she was just tired and stressed... Something he could certainly relate to.

...

As 2-D's homeroom concluded, it was time for some exercise. Specifically it was time for the combat course with the recently hired Ryusei-sensei. Some students, those that liked the old combat instructor in particular, were fond of a certain rumor- that the principal had gone out of her way to 'make room' for this new hire on account of the unusually high amount of sword users in the hero course.

Chihiro herself doubted the line of thought. From what she'd seen of the man, he didn't seem like someone that would accept that kind of treatment to begin with, not to mention that the school had its own dedicated kendo club. Compared to that, she liked Hoge's theory better- that the previous instructor leaving was unrelated and that Rosethorn-sensei took advantage of the opening to get more help in keeping Cain-kun out of the hospital...

Whatever the case, it was certainly a boon to the various students with an interest in swordsmanship. That went double for Chihiro, who had lacked a more experienced swordsman to learn from. While the school had a kendo club, she had little desire to split her focus with another style. Ryusei however was specialized in a style much closer to her own.

All the more reason why her decision was unusual...

She'd chosen to practice hand-to-hand instead of her swordsmanship.

She didn't really understand it herself either. She held her beloved katana by it's sheath, grasped the handle, and felt... off. The unease led to hesitation, and ultimately she put the issue off, wanting to wait until she had more time to understand the feeling.

Thankfully, it wasn't a waste of time. While it wasn't to the same extent as Hifumi, she did practice some amount of kicking as part of her sword training. The Pro Hero she interned under even focused on expanding that in the hopes she could still defend herself in the absence of as sword.

Ryusei himself seemed to approve the decision. Hifumi kindly offered to be her sparring partner since it was an area he was confident in. Hoge furrowed her brow... But for the most part no one thought too much of it and moved on. Unusual things happen from time to time.... Don't they?

...

As the day dragged on, Chihiro buried that sense of unease in the back of her mind. She acknowledged it. She intended to continue to confront it. She simply had to save it for later. Classes came and went, bleeding into a new part of the sophomore curriculum: student patrols. Younger students who've obtained a provisional license were to form pairs of with seniors to patrol the relatively safe parts of Kyoto. It doubled as a way to reinforce their training, as well as to give the seniors leadership training. The younger students acted as a sort of temporary side kick. For her first student patrol, she was paired with a girl named Amahagene Takako, a.k.a. the Singing Sword Hero: Fukukiri.

Chihiro patiently waited for the senior girl to arrive, but didn't have to wait long. Takako's hero outfit caught Chihiro's eye- not because of all the exposed skin, but because she didn't see a sword anywhere in spite of the hero name. Regardless, that confusion didn't stop her. Chihiro took the initiative, bowed slightly and introduced herself: "Good afternoon senpai. I'm Mitsurugi Chihiro. Please call me Yako for the patrol."

Like an icy queen, Takako appraised Chihiro without the slightest change in posture. "Good. You'll be calling me Fukukiri. I'll be in charge, so do exactly what I tell you to."

Chihiro however didn't take any issue with the older girl's arrogance. She simply slipped her fox mask over her face and nodded along: "Understood, Fukukiri-senpai."

Without any further hesitation, Takako walked out of the school's gates: "Follow after me."

Neither girl noticed the doting gaze coming from the school rooftop: "Arara... She was in such a bad mood this morning, but she's already doing better..."

The gaze belonged to Takako's grandmother, Amahagene Himeko. Between the sparring incident not long ago and recent media buzz, Takako's mood had been abysmal. She was practically radiating dissatisfaction- 'why am I stuck dealing with petty matters at school when my underclassmen are out there already building up accomplishments!' She'd done such a good job restraining herself the first two years, but the antics of last year's freshman class really lit a fire under Takako. For that reason exactly, she'd been looking forward to the student patrols. It was both a chance to prove herself while also a chance to show her superiority over her uppity kouhai.

...

However, reality was rather cruel. Student Patrols were, in the end, meant for students. They were always sent to areas with the best public order. The worst they found was a purse snatcher, and even that got monopolized by Chihiro due to her speed. The petty crook had barely taken a few steps before the incident was over. Her underclassman hadn't even bothered with her sword, simply holding her hand over his face for a bit until he was too tired to fight back...

Takako had lost track of how many times they'd exchanged "Follow after me" with "Understood, Fukukiri-senpai". At some point she'd quietly gotten the pair 'lost' while looking for a 'shortcut'.

In other words, Takako was frustrated and directed the patrol down into the narrow backstreets in search of a fight... Yet still nothing. Even the backstreets in the area were squeaky clean and bereft of crime. In spite of it all, Chihiro mustered no complaints along the way, simply following along quietly. No clumsy attempts at idle chatter. No backtalk, but also no hollow praise. She simply focused on the task at hand and devoted herself to it. Takako couldn't help but think of her own classmates like Nene and Mochi. 'If only they were this disciplined.'

By the time the two had exited the alleyway and come out on the other side, they had completely exited their assigned patrol area and stepped into a quiet residential district. Takako could only release a small sigh of resignation. This was another area often patrolled by students. No doubt that another of her classmates was around here somewhere.

She turned back towards the alley they came from: "Follow after me."

Yet this time, Chihiro paused, earning a questioning glare from Takako. Chihiro pointed towards a small private clinic: "Behind there is an unusual number of people, most of them breathing heavily... Could someone be hurt?"

This time Takako paused. Ultimately she decided to go along with Chihiro's implied suggestion: "Follow after me."

This time she led the patrol behind the clinic. Before even getting around to the back, a look through the windows of the clinic revealed the situation. A young doctor was tied up and left on the floor while a group of masked men were robbing the place! They were carrying out entire file cabinets and computer towers through the back exit.

Without any hesitation, Takako burst through the window after barking out an order: "Yako, deal with the small fry in the back!"

However the 'Understood, Fukukiri-senpai' she expected never came. No, more than that... no sound came at all! Not the shattering of glass, the words of the bound doctor, nor even the sound of her own footsteps. The man that appeared to be the enemy leader barked orders at four other men, but no sound reached her ears. Obviously the work of a quirk, but what kind? Even as she raced forward to stand between the thieves and the doctor, her mind didn't stop. If the leader was barking orders, then sound should still be traveling- was it just her that was made deaf?

Takako boldly rushed forward and claimed the first move, pushing a sword out from her hand with the motions of an iai-technique! The thieves were caught unprepared by her speed, and the two closest to her had a shallow gash engraved across their backs... Yet the thieves were hardly bothered. Whatever fear they felt initially had been removed by the feeble attack, leaving arrogant looks on their faces a moment later when the flat side of Takako's sword slammed into the back of their heads, knocking them out. The rest of her enemies used that time to put down the heavy objects and face her.

She mentally clicked her tongue. Turns out it wasn't her senses being blocked. The enemy quirk was suppressing the vibrations itself, and it seemed to be interfering with her quirk as well. So then how was their leader barking orders? If his voice was an exception, surely she'd also hear it... Glancing at the two grunts she'd already defeated, she noticed a pair of rather bulky earbuds in each thief's ears. Perhaps they were specially made support gear? Something sensitive enough to draw in the sound of their voices through their ears. If so... it must be amplifying the sound by quite a bit.

As the thieves spread out to surround her and readied their quirks, she reached down and pulled up one of the defeated men by his neck. She placed her palm flat against his ear... and all at once, the remaining thieves dropped to their knees in pain as they grasped their ears and tore out their earbuds. Dizziness overtook them as they writhed on the ground. Takako had extended the tip of a sword into the man's earbud and put all her strength into making that tiny bit of metal reverberate! She threw the man in her hands to the ground and quickly knocked out her three remaining foes.

With their leader unconscious, her ears were once again graced with sound. Not far behind her was the sounds of the bound doctor's movements. Ahead of her was the back exit, behind which she heard muffled sounds of despairing thieves: "Where did she go!?" "No, I was perfectly hidden!" etc.

It seemed the people out there were as pathetic as the ones inside. She couldn't help but be let out a cold sigh: "...bunch of trash..."

The doctor on the other hand sounded nervous, perhaps intimidated by her display: "Uh... Terribly sorry, miss, but could you... untie me... please?"

Without a word she sliced open the ropes binding the doctor and turned on her heels to exit the clinic. It seemed that Chihiro had already cleaned up her side of things. Half-a-dozen thugs were laid out neatly by the side of the building as Chihiro dragged a seventh from the alleyway further back.

Takako calmly assessed the situation and judged her own performance clearly superior. After all, she took down the leader and saved a hostage! She barked out: "Is this all of them?"

With a calm nod, Chihiro confirmed: "Yes."

Meanwhile the thieves lined up by the clinic simply groaned to themselves quietly: "...N-no. The temp..." "...igh Priest will..." "...Failure isn't..."

The only thing left for her was to wrap up the incident: "Yako, go drag the ones inside out here and lay them with the others. I'll contact the police."

"Understood, Fukukiri-senpai."

At the same time, the young doctor had already arrived at the back exit, admiring the handy work of the two heroes: "Impressive. Not a single cut or bruise on these fellows, they're only tired. This young miss must be a truly gentle soul."

Takako shot him a glare. In a way, he'd implied that she (who'd left her victims with both cuts and bruises) was not a gentle soul: "Rather than stand here and comment on our work, you should be getting out of the way."

The doctor seemed briefly confused before nodding to himself: "Your work...? Ah, yes. Terribly sorry. I was already putting the incident behind me. Life's too long to focus on unhappy memories. Better to focus on the good ones."

He turned to face Chihiro in particular, with a deep and unsettling smile: "I am... well no one important. Just a therapist. Young miss, if you'd ever like to forget your worst memories, I'd be happy to assist you."

However, she showed a rare case of displeasure, as if his words had struck a cord with her in the most offensive way possible: "Absolutely not. To run away from my past is to insult everyone in it. To abandon them all for my own convenience is something I will never consider."

She forced her way past him and into the clinic to fetch the other thieves. The self-proclaimed Therapist was left with an awkward yet confused expression as his eyes lingered on Chihiro, but in the end he turned his gaze back to Takako: "Well then miss, I'll be taking my leave."

She froze for a moment before responding: "Unrelated civilians shouldn't be at a crime scene to begin with... You look like a doctor. Do you work here?"

"...No, not at all. Simply passing through." He couldn't stand around for too long, so with a little help from his quirk he quite literally removed himself from the incident.

...

With the incident resolved, Takako was in better mood. Under her leadership, a crime was resolved flawlessly. It even turned out that the neighborhood she'd wandered into was Mochi Uranus's territory for his own student patrol. He should have been the one on the scene, yet he was nowhere to be found. It's as if he couldn't handle a normal patrol area whereas she was ready to handle two! The patrol as a whole was a wonderful success. Her regal expression almost cracked to reveal a genuine smile.

There was perhaps only one regret left, but it was easily settled: "Yako... Or rather Mitsurugi. We're not on patrol anymore. I didn't get to see you fight at all. Come with me for a bit."

Chihiro tilted her head in confusion, but it didn't stop her from following along on reflex: "...Would you like to spar, Amahagene-senpai?"

"Correct. I'll give you some pointers."

"...OK."

To some extent, Chihiro was happy with how uneventful the patrol was, and with how weak the thieves were. She didn't have to push herself. She didn't have to draw her sword... but she could tell that her senpai wouldn't give her that kind of breathing room. The unease she'd felt was creeping back into the front of her mind... she hoped nothing would come of it...