MHA: A Cat's Way

Ch 56 Kitties Make Everything Better

I blink down at the girl in surprise at the same time that she blinks up at me and stumbles backwards. I take in the plain beige hospital gown she's wearing, as well as the silver hair that covers her back in a tangled mess. Of course, there's not even any need to mention the single horn on her head, especially how it's surprisingly sharp, when my eyes fall on something far more important.

Her arms and legs are covered in bandages.

Good thing that there's not only a pro hero in our group, but four students learning to become ones as well! Though I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one among us that has much experience dealing with hurt children.

I immediately crouch down, holding back a hiss when it puts pressure on the cut in my side. At least it's shallow, I think to myself. I make sure to hide it from the kid just in case she's the type to feel guilty about such accidents. She clearly doesn't need to be feeling that right now when she's already clearly afraid.

"It's ok, nya," I meow softly at her as I extend my arms in a half hug, making sure that I don't actually touch her since I don't know how she'll react. And true to my caution, when she notices my arms moving, she tenses up, only to relax just a smidge when she realizes that they aren't closing around her.

"Mew don't have to worry. We won't hurt mew." On the periphery of my vision, I catch sight of Nyamuri making motions at the others and whispering instructions. But when she pulls out her phone to presumably call either an ambulance or the police, I move my tail to brush her arm. When I have her attention, I make a small motion with my head to tell her no. Though she looks uncertain, she decides to trust me, causing me to let out a small breath of relief as she puts her phone back in her pocket.

Meanwhile, in my air hug, the girl has calmed down somewhat from the panic that she'd been running in. Now, she's looking up at me with wide eyes. Well, looking at a certain part of me with wide eyes.

As I slowly lower my arms, I twitch my ears and let out a purr as her eyes light up. The corners of her lips twitch upward for a brief moment, but the smile they were meant to be doesn't form. It does seem like the twitching moved to her hands though, seeing as she's fidgeting with them.

"It's ok if mew want to touch them. Mew can even touch my tail! I promise that it's nice and soft, nya." She giggles at my cat talk, and while she's distracted I move my tail in front of me and brush it against her horn, surreptitiously wiping away the bit of my blood that got on it. What I didn't expect was how much she flinches away at the touch.

She scrambles away from me, literally falling over herself to get away. Now on the ground, she scrambles backwards with tears welling up in her eyes. It's a shock since normally petting my ears or tail are enough to calm any kid. But her stuttered words are enough to give me an idea of her reaction.

"D-d-don't t-to-t-touch me! Y-y-yo-you'll disappear!" I hold out a hand to stop the others from rushing to the sobbing girl, who obviously has an intense form of trauma associated with touch. Either related to her quirk, or a traumatic experience. Most likely both, I analyze.

As unfortunate as it is, I've come across a few kids whose quirk's initial activation had devastating effects on either those around them, or their surroundings. Far from uncontrollable, it's more the unexpectedness of the quirks that cause them. Not much can prepare a parent when their kid's quirk makes them suck away all the air around them when they get scared.

It's a good thing I have just the thing for dangerous touch-based quirks!

I summon a defense cat in its covert form, the chonky fluffy thing appearing right between my bent knees. It immediately goes over to the girl's side and sits down next to her hand. She looks at it from puffy eyes, the occasional hiccup slipping out as I tell her about it.