Dormient Potential - 7.

 

7.

Aizawa grinned and Mariko knew that the challenge was accepted. She instantly broke into a run, catching the side of the building with a grapple. She swung and caught the wall on the other side of the road and looked over her shoulder, searching for her opponent. He was nowhere to be seen. 

“Looking for me?” she heard and saw him on the edge of the roof of a building right next to her. 

She grappled straight to the ground, avoiding the Binding Cloth that he sent, aiming at her body. With a glimpse of fear of the speed of approaching the ground she bent her body, shooting the hook at the other side of the road. She felt a powerful jolt and grabbed her left arm with her right hand. She twisted her body and then flew across the gap between two buildings, but just as she was about to release another shot, she felt Binding Cloth tightening around her belly, trapping the hands with its tight fabric. Mariko kicked her feet into the air, heading towards the small alley. She tried to free herself, but that didn't do anything. The young woman was totally aware that she didn't stand much chance in a fight against Aizawa, but she knew that his fighting style was very similar to the one she should be using as he also had a supporting Quirk and because of that she realised that once she defeats him, she can think of herself as a capable hero. For her he was the tip of a mountain that she wanted to reach. She loomed in the air, swinging slowly. Once she stopped, thinking of an escape route, she heard a weird sound and tried to raise her head, which turned out to be quite impossible because of the angle she was hanging at.

 “You were supposed to be focused,” Aizawa said, hanging upside down, his posture similar to squatting. He leveled himself to look her straight in the eye.

She clenched her fists under the fabric of his scarf, looking at him with an infuriated glare. He was wearing yellow goggles with a thick frame that was designed in a very unusual way. The goggles didn't have glass lenses, but they were only made of a metal-looking material that left a few slits, through which he could look at his enemies. 

“I am focused,” she replied, bending her left forearm to the side as much as she could.

“Aren't you trapped?” he asked, his tone playful.

“Just a little,” with that she looked one last time at the man before her and straightened two fingers of her left palm, shooting a grapple. 

The spiky arrow tore the cloth apart, freeing her from the binds. She swiftly twisted her body and escaped the trap, heading towards the other side of Ground Beta.

“I have to be faster!” she thought to herself, grappling another building. With powerful swings of her body she regained her momentum and edged away from her temporary enemy. 

Some other music playlist started and she squinted because of the wind blowing straight into her face. 

“Be quicker, more unpredictable,” she ordered to herself, turning sharp right, trying to stick closer to the ground. “If I am high in the air, I can focus more on him, but he doesn't have to be so precise with his strikes. If I stick a little bit above the power line level, he will have more obstacles that will decrease his accuracy with the Binding Cloth.”

She gritted her teeth, twisting her body for a sharp left turn. She flew like a human torpedo across the gap between two small houses and immediately grappled an office building towering above smaller houses. Then, she saw a large luxurious hotel building, nearly as high as the office one and she decided to enter it. Mariko hooked the grapple beneath one of the apartment's balcony. She was swinging straight at the window with high speed. She was sure that if she aims properly, she will break the glass and fall inside. If her calculations were wrong... well, there was no time to go back now. The second she was sure her feet were directed straight at the window, she released the grapple and crossed her forearms on her chest, turning her head to the side. With slightly bended knees, she entered the building, shattering the glass into small pieces. When she felt that she was just about to touch the wooden floor of the corridor, she instinctively turned her body forward, doing a front flip, that broke the fall. 

She dashed forward, transferring what remained of the momentum into the run. 

“Oh my god, that was so smooth. I wonder if he saw it,” she thought to herself, running down the corridor. 

Just as she reached the staircase and the lift, she turned around and cornered, leaning her side on the creamy wall, waiting for the opponent to arrive. There was no point in running away from him. She wanted to challenge him, wanted to show him that the time he devoted to her will pay off. She wished to impress him and how can you impress a man who can erase your Quirk only with a glance? Because of that she was aware that she had to do that with her own strength. Not that she can control her Quirk, anyway.

She quickly hid the earphones into her pocket, listening for the man's footsteps. She felt as if time stopped and the only indication that she was wrong was her pounding heart and the sound of adrenaline rushing through her veins. Then she heard a quiet cracking sound of glass being crushed on the floor, so she clenched her fists getting ready for the fight. She had an idea for the first strike but she wasn't sure if that would work out. Mariko leaned closer to the wall, trying to visualise where the man was standing. A few seconds later, she crouched and shot the grapple to the other wall of the corridor and was immediately pushed towards it. Time slowed down and she saw Aizawa's leg flying straight at her face. She flexed her body towards the ground, barely avoiding the strike. Like in slow motion, she turned towards him, returned the grapple and shot it just above him, at the ceiling. Using the momentum she straightened both her legs, kicking him straight in the chest, making his back hit the wall. Mariko returned the grapple and felt his strong hands tightening around her ankles. Twisting her body towards the ground, she steadied herself with one hand, while the other reached towards his hidden holster, pulling out the knife. He pushed her back, making her land on her feet. Mariko looked up at the teacher. They didn't attack, just looked at each other, chests raising and falling at a quick pace. The young woman stood up and tossed the knife aside.

Aizawa dashed forward and tricked her into thinking he would aim for the stomach. Just as she readied her guard, he ducked and sliced her legs, making her lose her balance. He quickly grabbed her hands putting them behind her back and fell to the floor with her, crossing his legs to immobilize her.

Mariko struggled against him, but to no avail. She tilted her had backwards, trying to hit him but he was a bit taller than her, so she barely brushed his jaw with her hair. The second her head hit his chest, he laid his hand on her throat. 

“I could snap your neck,” he said severely and she froze. 

The young woman stopped breathing. 

“What is going on?” she asked herself, her brain barely responding.

She couldn't move. Not because she was immobilized, but because she felt controlled. 

“Why did you throw the knife away?” he asked, his warm breath stroking the tip of her right ear.

Mariko opened her mouth and realised how dry it was.

“I,” she started and her voice trailed off, the warmth of his palm resting on her throat washing over her body.

“What is wrong with me?” she asked herself and shivered.

“It wasn't the training one, so I didn't want to throw it at you.”

“I would have defended myself.”

“Probably,” she admitted, feeling his index finger sliding down her throat only a few milimiters. He wasn't grasping her, but the touch was showing his absolute dominance. “But accidents happen,” she finished huskily, her voice close to a whisper.

He released her, stood on his feet and helped her up. Mariko didn't look at him. Instead, she went to get his knife and handed it over to him, avoiding his intense stare. She tried to calm her breath but it was extremely hard as her throat was burning from his touch, the sensation forcing dirty thoughts in her mind. The young woman turned around and approached the paneless window, avoiding the shattered glass scattered across the wooden floor. She wanted to feel the cool air, hoping that it would help her come to her senses.

She put her leg on the empty window frame and leaned forward, wanting to jump down. Aizawa quickly grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her backwards. She looked over her shoulder at the man.

“You are bleeding,” he said.

“What? Where?” she asked and he pointed at the back of her shoulder. “Oh, must have been from the glass.”

She reached to the pocket of her trousers, pulling a leno and a bandage from it. Mariko swiftly bandaged herself and inspected her shoulder, checking if the dressing is in the right place and doesn't need adjusting. She dropped her arm to the side and looked away from the man, who was silent the whole time. Mariko felt her cheeks blush when Aizawa said:

“You are not useless.”

She clenched her fists and looked down at her feet. Squinting, she nodded, hope and pride filling her body. Mariko jumped off the building, swinging to the place where the Hitoshi was. She gave her mentor the first sign of being capable and he acknowledged it. 

Half an hour later, all three of them exited Ground Beta as it was reserved for another class. They headed back, Hitoshi swinging his supporting item in the air all the time. 

“I think I start to understand it,” Hitoshi informed. “Your guidance helped a lot, sensei, but I had to get the feel of it with actual practice.”

“It's the most important part. That's why you have to practice a lot,” Aizawa replied.

“I do,” Hitoshi said and swung the weapon again.

Mariko walked slowly behind the two men, looking at the pavement. Her mind replaying her fight with Aizawa over and over again, slowly driving her crazy.

“What is wrong with me?!” she thought to herself, an intense furrow between her eyebrows. “I suspect what I am feeling, but I hope I am wrong.”

“Mariko?” she heard Hitoshi's voice and looked up at him. “Is everything ok?”

“I don't know,” she said. “Where is Mr. Aizawa?”

“He left like a minute or two ago. He said he would have classes soon,” Hitoshi explained. “Didn't you hear that?”

“No.”

Hitoshi looked at her, signs of concern showing on his face.

“Did he tell you something? He likes to use something he calls 'logical ruse', so don't take everything personally,” he murmurred, inspecting her expression.

“Nah, that's not it. I am not sure what's wrong myself, actually,” she admitted.

“Alright. But if you want to talk, I'm here.”

“Thanks, Hitoshi.”

“So, do you wanna go to the gym and work out a bit?”

“Sure. Don't you have lessons?”

“In one hour,” he replied.

“Let's go then.”

Somehow, the two students got on well the second they talked to each other. Mariko didn't actually have a friend and Hitoshi also seemed like someone who is not exactly popular. You might have said that their friendship was destined. They both shared similar experiences as well as they both had the same idol – EraserHead. Although Mariko got along easily with older people, Hitoshi was calmer and more collected, plus he was a good listener – something that she valued in others.

As the days passed, Mariko strengthened the relations with Hitoshi, practicing with him under Aizawa's keen eyes. Every time she practiced her grapple swings, she felt her body getting stronger, allowing her to perform sharper turns and increasing her speed in general. On the other hand, Hitoshi improved his Binding Cloth skills and was trying out the swings at his own pace. 

When the school festival finally began, Mariko was hanging out mostly with Hitoshi, ocassionaly speaking with class 1A and Mirio, who brought a little guest – a girl named Eri. She had long, silver hair, was very shy and from what Mariko noticed, Izuku as well as Ochaco and Tsu seemed to pay a lot of attention to her. It also appeared to her that Mr. Aizawa was watching over the girl, as he was always near Mirio and the girl, never losing them out of his sight.

The school festival was terrific. 1A's class performance was so good that she wished they played a few more songs instead of one. She was so glad that they polished their live show to perfection, as there were students who wanted to spoil the fun by mocking the live band that the 1A class formed, however they were blown away by their music skills. After the show, Mariko approached her classmates and asked about their musical hobbies, only to find out that most of the band members hadn't known how to play an instrument before the school festival. Suprisingly, the only ones who had some music skills and were teaching the others were Bakugo and Jiro.

Mariko helped her classmates clean up after the show, while chatting with Jiro and Tokoyami about their taste in music, finding out that they had quite a lot in common.

Next, they headed for the beauty contest and that was when Mariko excused Hitoshi, heading towards Mirio.

“Hi,” she greeted him, keeping a safe distance not to make the little girl uneasy.

“Oh, hi!” Mirio greeted her back, giving Eri a piggyback so that she was able to see the whole stage and what was going on. “Eri, this is Mariko. Mariko, this is Eri.”

“Hey,” the young woman smiled at the child. It was then when she noticed that she had a small creamy horn on the top-right side of her forehead.

The little girl looked at her, blinking a few times at Mariko, before leaning on Mirio's head as if she was trying to hide from her view.

“I haven't seen you for a while,” Mariko said to Mirio, looking at the girl from time to time. 

“I am taking care of her,” he replied, bouncing on his heels. The little girl's face brightened. “I might explain some more details later.”

“It's ok, Mirio. I don't expect you to explain anything. Just wanted to talk to you and because you brought your little friend to the festival, I was just a bit curious. That's all. Non-students are quite a rare sight in here, apart from annoying reporters.”

“True, that's why you were such a sensation!” he exclaimed, pointing his finger at her with a rapid movement, before returning his hand to Eri's small feet.

“I was a sensation?” she repeated, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Yea, you still are. You don't even wear the uniform but you are inside the school.”

“Ok, you have a point,” Mariko rose her hands in a defensive gesture.

“How is your Quirk?”

“Uhhh...” she exhaled. “No progress, unfortunately. It's not exactly easy to control. I am not even one hundred precent sure what exactly activates it. I have some assumptions, but like I said, not sure,” she scratched the back of her head, looking at the ground, being carefully watched by the little girl. “But,” Mariko rose a finger and closed her eyes. “Mr. Aizawa came up with such an amazing idea, that you will not believe it. I used to practice throwing knives, but I couldn't use them as a supporting item as my previous schools dismissed my request. They basically said that it is more of a villain type of weapon, so he suggested using bo shurikens. And boy, oh boy, those are fantastic.”

“That's great!” he exclaimed, grinning widely.

“Plus, I myself thought of something after the conversation with Mr. Aizawa about supporting items. And that is a grapple. I am more mobile right now.”

“That's amazing to hear. So you are telling me that Mr. Aizawa inspires you,” he avowed.

“I mean...” she flushed a little. “He is a huge inspiration, I will admit that. He has insane abilities and his Quirk isn't offensive, so I don't think there is a better teacher for me.”

Mirio laughed and Mariko looked at him quizzically.

“I remember that you looked so mad when you were fighting him for the first time. And now, here you are, an idol.”

“I wasn't mad at him, to be honest. OK, I will admit, the first impression wasn't the best one, but it was only because he was teasing me to activate the Quirk. And he just knew where to hit so it would hurt,” she paused, thinking about their first encounter. “But in fact, I wasn't mad at him but at myself. He exposed a lot of my weaknesses.”

“You weren't doing that bad,” Mirio shook his head, tickling Eri's chin with his spiky hair. “He wasn't using the weights.”

“The what?” she asked.

“Weights,” he repeated. “Our teachers use it to decrease their mobility and strength. He didn't go easy on you.”

Mariko cupped her chin. She couldn't remember seeing anything on his ankles or wrists, but she wasn't sure if Mirio was telling her the truth or trying to lift her spirits. But that day when she was using the grapple, when they were fighting and he gained control over her...

She shivered at the memory, cursing in her thoughts. She tried to focus on recalling if he had the weights that day, but the vision of his hand grasping her hand recurred in her mind.

“What is that man doing to me? Or more precisely, what is my brain doing with that man?” she thought to herself, looking over her shoulder to fish out Mr. Aizawa from the crowd with her gaze. He was standing a dozen or so meters slightly on their left with the other teacher – Present Mic. Their eyes met and for a second Mariko felt as if her heart forgot how to beat. Her head snapped to the direction of the stage and then she peeked at Eri, who was enjoying the show.

After some time, once the school festival was over, she parted with Hitoshi for the rest of the day and headed towards the dorms. Just as she exited the main building, she saw Izuku, Mirio, Eri and Mr. Aizawa standing in front of the school. They all turned their heads towards her, so she just nodded and pointed at her earphones to let them know that they can speak freely and she has no intention of overhearing. Mariko turned on the music and started pattering the song rhythm on the sides of her trousers.

Mr. Aizawa resumed the conversation and Eri followed Mariko with her gaze. After a few seconds, the young woman took a step back, playing air guitar and then bobbed her head couple of times, matching the guirar riff. Eri chuckled and pulled Mirio's pantleg, not losing Mariko from her sight. Mirio looked down at the girl and then followed her gaze.

“That's Mariko,” he said, ducking close to the child.

“She seems nice,” Eri informed quietly and chuckled once again, when Mariko spinned around in a dance-like move.

Rest of the group looked that way as well. Aizawa put his hands in his pockets, gazing at Mariko and then shifting his eyes back to Eri.

“You remember that breakfast Deku brought us?” Mirio asked. “And the shake you liked? Mariko made it for you.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes, maybe we should ask her to make it again for you?” Mirio proposed and Eri looked at the third year student with a glimpse of hope in her eyes, before it turned to dubiety.

“I don't want to be a problem,” Eri said quietly.

“I am sure she will be happy to hear that you've enjoyed it and she would probably love to make you one herself,” Izuku added. “So, do you want me to handle this?”

After a few seconds, Eri nodded and Izuku rushed forward to catch up with Mariko. The younger woman heard footsteps heading her way and turned around, pulling her earphones out of her ears.

“Do you want something from me or are you just running by?” she asked quickly.

“Eri loved your milk shake and is too shy to ask you for another one. Can you make her one again?”

“Of course. But I ran out of bananas, so I will need to get them from the grocery store. Unless she wants to try some other shake.”

“You can ask her yourself, right?” Izuku offered.

“Yea, it's just,” she trailed off, thinking about Aizawa. She didn't want to make him feel that she was forcing her way everywhere he was, imposing her presence on him. “Nevermind. I can ask her, sure,” she replied.

They both returned to the group, the younger woman tried to avoid eye contact with Shota at the same time attempting not to make it weird.

“I heard that some cute kiddo would like a shake?” Mariko asked, approaching little girl at a safe distance, not to make her uncomfortable. 

She crouched, lowering herself to the child's eye level.

“I have a few variants in mind. It can either be a milkshake or a regular shake. Which one do you prefer?”

“Regular one this time, I think.”

“Alrighty. Now, more options. Would you like a raspberry with blackberry, mango with kiwi or full strawberry?”

“Raspberry with blackberry, please,” she replied.

“Alrighty, not a problem. Anyone else?” Mariko looked up at the rest of the group.

“I want one!” Ochaco answered happily.

“I would like one, too,” Aizawa said and Mariko gazed at him, surprised.

“Will you all be here or do you plan to go somewhere else?” Mariko asked.

“Here, but not for too long. We have to escort Eri to the hospital,” Aizawa replied.

She nodded and rushed towards the dorm as if she was given a special mission. She entered the building at lightning speed, running straight towards her room to get her wallet and her backpack. Mariko left the room, locked the door and stormed out of the building, heading straight towards the shop at a good pace. Upon her return, she saw Izuku heading towards the dorm. She managed to catch up with him and then he explained that he has a treat for Eri. 

Mariko grabbed three bottles and mixed the fruit quickly, adding a few drops of water. She poured the liquid to the bottles and exited the dorm, meeting up with Deku. They both returned to the group surrounding Eri and Mariko handed her one bottle, then the next one to Aizawa and the third one to Ochaco. She stood between her teacher and Ochaco as Shota reached into his pocket.

“Here,” he handed her a few banknotes, wanting to compensate her.

“Nah, I'm good,” she raised her hands as if defending herself.

He unscrewed the bottle and took a sip.

“Eri, it's quite cold. You should wait a tiny bit for it to warm up, alright?” he advised, looking at the girl.

Mariko stared at the man, smile forming on her face.

“That was so cute,” she thought to herself, while he scolded her with an annoyed glance.

“In the meantime, you can try this,” Izuku said and handed over a candied apple that he cooked himself specifically for Eri.

The little girl smiled and accepted the other gift. They all started walking slowly towards the front gate to soon say goodbye to the young guest of UA school festival.

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