Rebirth | BNHA |

Chapter Four: Metanoia

Playlist: I'm Tired (with Zendaya) by Labrinth

Minori sprawled on the floor of the living room she shared with Sora. She tossed her shoes and school bag carelessly against the wall while she hung her uniform, afraid to wrinkle the material. While Minori was alone in the apartment, Sora was with the authorities regarding the USJ incident.

She stretched her arms upward toward the ceiling and cracked her knuckles. The scar on her elbow pulled taut. Peering at the mark of Sora's quirk pulse beneath her arm, she frowned and pinched the skin. The purple hue darkened beneath the pressure. With a sigh, she slapped her arm onto the floor and forced her eyes shut, her thoughts consuming her.

From the moment the government took her in after her mother's horrendous actions, they treated her more like a red flag than a human being. Constantly under heavy supervision, most people saw her as a rabid animal to be put down. She endured torment, violence, and bullying during her time in Thanatos. The other children pushed her to the brink of sanity. If it wasn't the constant beatings, it was the verbal abuse from those she should have been able to trust. She was forced to eat scraps at the end of the day, or she wouldn't eat at all. Teachers and guards ensured she was always alone during free time. No one wanted to get close to her. And she learned very early on: you don't talk about what happens at Thanatos to anyone.

But now she was at U.A., and so much has changed. She's now surrounded by a few people who've given her a chance without even asking. Who've treated her like a human being than an abomination. But what about the rest of the world? If she claimed to want to be a hero, how could she walk the streets with a brand on her arm that screamed not to trust her?

Minori wanted to scream. She wanted to run away from all this and start over again, somewhere where no one knew her past. But how could she do that when everyone already doubted her? How could she make people believe in her when she didn't even believe in herself?

"I'm back." A voice called from the doorway, breaking Minori away from her thoughts. She bolted upright and turned to the voice. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Sora asked as she slid off her shoes and set down her bag.

"No, it's fine. I," Minori shook her head and stood. "I was lost in thought." She mumbled and looked away. Sora pursed her lips and let out a gentle sigh.

"I'm going to make tea," She said and placed a hand on Minori's shoulder, "Do you want to join me?"

Minori nodded and followed Sora into the kitchen. Sora filled a kettle with water and set it to boil before turning to Minori. "How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine." Minori shrugged. "It's only a couple of scrapes and bruises. Nothing I haven't experienced before."

Before Sora arrived in Thanatos, there was no one to ice Minori's sore muscles or bandage her bruised body. She'd have to prop herself up or lie on the cold cement floor until her body recovered. However, when Sora snuck her way into Minori's world, she made the pain of existence a little easier to bear.

Sora frowned. "This shouldn't become a habit, with you getting hurt all the time.""

"I mean, I'm in school to become a hero." Minori looked at the mark on her arm. "I have to get used to this.""

Sora sighed and shook her head. "You know what I mean." The kettle whistled and she moved to pull down two cups from the cabinet.

"What did the police say?" Minori asked as Sora poured the hot water into the cups.

Sora hummed and placed the kettle back down. "They had a lot of questions, though they seemed more concerned with you than anything else. They asked about your involvement with the villains, to which I told them there was no way you had anything to do with that." Minori's heart dropped and she clenched her fist. Of course they would think she had something to do with it. "They want you to come to the station tomorrow to ask you a few more questions."