PAPER FLOWERS ( k. bakugou )

chapter 30

' acta non verba '

━━━━━

"Hello, Kaede."

Flutter of eyelids. Immaculate bun of white hair, kind smile. An appearance that blends in perfectly with the sterile white walls and tiles.

"Recovery Girl...?" the words roll of her tongue slowly, careful not to say a word out of line.

The place had an uncanny resemblance to the hospital with its Antarctica vibes, an Olympus with no gold just an everlasting pure white at its four corners and three inches thick glass that separated it from the outside world. Almost a hospital, but Kaede was still sane in mind knowing that this place is no hospital.

This place is a prison so it's peculiar to see a solicitous old woman- who had a habit of having sweet candies to children- with a healing quirk of all things to be present.

"It's so glad to see you," the old woman says, sits down on the chair opposite hers. There's a table (width: one and a half ruler) in the middle that separates the two of them, but if she just extend her hand, she'd reach the woman's form.

Kaede blinks, once twice thrice, "You're not lying," she says firmly, confusion marring her face. "You're supposed to hate me, you know."

"And why would I hate you?" Recovery Girl asks, her tone almost casual. Or maybe it was casual, Kaede was just adding her own inputs to be as dramatic as possible.

"I stole your favorite student's body, endangered the whole academy and the hero society," Kaede says, tone neutral, but there was something in her tone that wanted the woman to be angry. To punish her.

( She's been staying here for fourteen days and no one seems to really be hostile towards her. Even the police officers and the grumpy cafeteria lady seem to regard her with some concern that makes her so dumbfounded. No one's been nice to her, no one greets her good morning, certainly not someone like her, but they do. They care. )

"You're just a child," Recovery Girl says, shaking her head four times. "You shouldn't carry those burdens with you. No one should."

Kaede shakes her head too, just two times. "I'm not a child anymore."

"But you agree that those burdens are too much to be carried by a single person alone, a girl that's barely known the world," she says and looks at Kaede with those determined eyes, and it's strange to hear these words not as pitying, but facts. "And do not argue with me on that. Those reports and papers, they only proved that you've known the dark side of the world, the ugly, terrible side and you've barely grasped the beauty in it."

"That doesn't exonerate me," Kaede says, blood red eyes as determined as the woman's in front of her "Being alone, broken and betrayed does not justify anything. Does not justify my crimes or the people who've lost their lives because of me."

"It doesn't," the older woman agrees.

Kaede makes her voice remain as neutral as possible. "So why don't you hate me?"

"Because I care about you, Kaede," Recovery Girl says. "I care about you, because I saw truth in your actions. I saw a lonely child in the approximate of two years that you've been in U.A."

"Is it pity?" she asks and the older version of Kaede would have thrown her head back, laugh at how low the queen has fallen, but the present her just sits there, eyes seeking the truth and only the truth.

"It's caring," Recovery Girl corrects, eyes meet hers. "And a lot of people care for you."

She is stunned, speechless in shock at how such a short woman can have so much strength and conviction swirling in the syllables of her words.