MHA: A Cat's Way

Ch 52 The First

(Catia: 7 years old)

I'm sneaking through an alleyway, following someone who might be able to lead me to All Might.

It's been a full year since that day. That...horrible....horrible day.

I shake my head to get rid of the bad thoughts. I need to meet him. I need... to know. Why...Why did my mom have to die for him to beat the villain? Why did the news people lie and say it was the villain that killed her? Why did I have to stay in Japan instead of going back home to the United States?

So many questions, but not any that the people taking care of me now can answer. Well, they tried to explain why I couldn't go back, but my friends' parents could take me in! I could have people I know around me! Instead, since I don't have any blood relatives, I needed to be adopted by some people who live here.

I don't like it. I especially don't like how they say I have to take their last name. Even if that's what they tell people, I'll never accept my last name being Akihiro. That wasn't my mom's last name, it's not my last name.

But there's something more important right now. The guy I'm following is a hero. An important one! I overheard him telling some lady that he even knows All Might! So, even if he looks like he's in a bad mood after the lady laughed and walked away, I follow him. He's the one who can help me to meet All Might! Then I can ask him...

I crinkle my nose up in disgust as I pass by an overfilled dumpster, my ears lying flat as a loud noise echoes in the shadows of the buildings. I don't like it here, it's scary. But my question needs to be asked, and I never manage to see All Might when I'm out with Pearl and Paul.

The hero moves around a corner and I speed up, thankful that I didn't wear shoes. The pads on the bottom of my feet are soft enough to make sure my steps are silent, though it's uncomfortable having all the pebbles and trash dig into them. But when I reach the corner, I hear voices. One I recognize as the hero I've been following. But the other is new. Also...

My ears twitch as they pick up another sound, one that's quieter. I can't tell what it is, but it sounds scared. Or maybe mad? It's hard to tell over the words the hero and his friend are saying. But when I focus more on their conversation than the third sound, I wish I didn't.

"So you're sure that it won't be traced back to me?" The unknown person asks. They sound like a man.

The hero responds in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm familiar with that one since Paul always seems like he's annoyed when I'm around him. "Yes, I'm sure. As far as anyone else will know, the girl was just caught up in a villain attack after sneaking away from her bodyguards. Just make sure that you hold up your end of the deal or else you might find yourself in the same situation."

The other man laughs, and I can't hold back my curiosity anymore. I just hope that Paul was lying when he said that curiosity kills the cat. I peek around the corner and see the hero talking to a man in a suit who's holding-

I gasp, quickly ducking back in case they heard me. The suit man is holding a girl in a net! Not only that, but she's tied up and has some things covering her hands! I don't know why the weird things are covering them, but I can tell that it's bad for her.

Luckily they don't seem to have heard me and continue talking. "With the brat dead, all of her songs, her voice recordings, and especially the pictures will be worth more than five times their original value! And as the one who decides how many cds and albums are made I have a warehouse full of them! We're going to be so rich that we can retire and live the rest of our lives in luxury!"

I swallow my fear and peek around again, getting a better look at the girl. She looks a bit older than me and has kind of pinkish-orange long hair done into a high ponytail. She's wearing a cute red dress that flares a bit above her knees, and there's something white attached to her hip though I can't really see what it is.