Alley Cat (Ch 6) (Patreon)

Stomach growls. No food in new place. Not know new place name. Bad new place name Hospital, avoid. Never go back. New good place no name, learn? Give name? Stomach growls again. Put hand on stomach, look around. No food. Frown. Leave green new thing, not know name either. Sad. Want know.

Tail droops, ears down. Shake body and head. Stand. Hands close. “Food, find. Learn new thing then!” Head tilt. “New place too.” Nod nod. “Much learn.”

Leave safe place, go through Hall-like place. Many Hall-like places in Hall-like place. Many Halls? Nod. New place, new Halls! Name Hall Hall!

Happy new place have name. Look food in Hall Hall. No luck. No new people, keep looking. Sniff many new things. Nose no like new things in Hall Hall.

Shiver. Cold. Look down. Cloth on body not warm. Cloth from Hospital. No like, similar to Lab cloth. No different cloth thing in Hall Hall. Maybe… leave Hall Hall? But before go Hall Hall, see much new people. Much, much new people. No like much new people, maybe hurt.

No like hurt.

Shiver, stomach growl. Frown. Hungry. Cold. Sigh. Need leave Hall Hall for food and different cloth thing. Clothes? Maybe. No have clothes, only cloth thing. Scared. No like scared. But need.

Go down side Hall of Hall Hall, see not Hall Hall. Deep breath, head out of Hall Hall. Look around. No new people. Look up. No new people, but big new thing with much bright things on big new thing high up. Use dark, try reach new thing and bright things. Maybe food?

Too far, dark not reach. Breath out, sigh. Sigh. Move around new place, look at many new places. Wary. New places have clear things in holes in walls. Dark inside clear things. Like. Clear things in Hospital. No like Hospital. New things Hospitals? Or new places? Not know. Scared. No like scared.

Stop in front of new place, light through clear things in wall of new place. Look, hands on clear thing, put face against. New people inside, no like. But new people sit at new things, many new things on new thing new people sit at. Some new people put new things in mouths, don’t remove. Food? Yes?

Not like food Doctor gives. Doctor food soft, gooey. In small package. Sometime taste good, sometime not. But many new food behind clear thing in new place! Want try! How get?

Look around, see door. Door open, new person come out. New person big. No hair on head. Hair on face around mouth. Black. New things on head curl around side of head, point at me. New person look at me. Mouth turn down, frown, open one side. Flinch, new person approach. “Get out of here you damn urchin! You’re going to scare off new customers!”

Look around. See no new thing. What customers? Head tilt. “What customers?”

New person face turn red, hand closes, arm go back. “You damn brat!” Closed hand goes forward.

Dark comes up, grabs hand. Hand stops. New person looks at dark holding hand. Mouth open. New person look back at me. I frown. Point at new person. “Bad person!” Dark throw new person. New person go far. Rolls when land. Stop rolling. I nod. “Bad person leave alone.”

Go to door, push. No move. Frown. Push more. Still no move. Sigh. Head tilts, look over door, look for door open thing. No see. Frown more. How open door? Not open door before. Always new person or not new person. Blink. Remember. Smile.

Move to clear thing. New people through clear thing staring out. Look at me. Smile, wave. “Hi hi!” Go forward fast. Jump. Clear thing break, clear thing cuts. Blood on body, small hurt, less hurt than Doctor. Less hurt than Liar Eraserhead. Maybe not hurt? Nod. Cuts no hurt. Less hurt than Doctor and Liar Eraserhead. Much less hurt. So no hurt!

Broken clear thing on floor. New people move away. Some new people yell. Flinch. No like yell. But eyes on new food. Smile! Go to new food. Pick up. Look at. New food thick, brown. Leaks on new thing new food on. Sniff. Like smell!

Bite. Chew. Smile! New food good! New food very good! Soft! Like new food! Eat all new food. Part new food hard, chew through. Nod. Look at other new food on other new things. Less new people in new place. Leave through door. Frown. How open?

Leaving new people flinch. Move fast through door. Soon no new people. Door close. Loud noises outside new place with new food and new things. Not close. Shoulders go up and down. Shrug. Not know why. Turn to new new food, also not new food. White goop thing, like Doctor food. But different. Sniff. Smile. Smell good!

Scoop soft white new food and eat. Tail perk up. Good! New food in new place all good! Eat all white goop food, lick off hand. Go to other new thing with new new food. Tilt head. New food actually many new food? Poke.

Strange new food soft on top. Lift top food thing, poke red food thing under soft top food thing. Less soft, not hard. Lift soft red food thing and put on top food thing. Poke brown food thing under red soft food thing. Also less soft than top food thing! Lift new food thing and put on red food thing. Poke bottom food thing. Soft food thing like top food thing! Put bottom food thing on brown food thing. Bottom food thing now top food thing.

Tilt head. Look at new thing strange food thing on. Poke. Hard. Lights outside new place, red and blue. Voices outside new place. Ignore, hold strange new thing. Open mouth, bite new food thing. Head tilt other way.

Hmm. New food thing good, better than Doctor food. Not good like brown food thing. Brown thing in middle of strange food thing better than soft food things! Red food thing much less good. Not bad? Nod. Take red food thing out of other food things. Eat soft food thing and brown food thing. Look around new place for brown food things. Brown food things taste better than other food things!

Shouting outside new place, new people enter. Through door! How open door!? No fair!

New people wear same clothes. Much blue. Cloth thing on head too! New people clothes and cloth thing! No fair! Want clothes! Why cover hair? No like hair? Why no remove hair?

One new person step forward. Hands in front. “Hey there, kid.”

Body tense. Duck behind big new thing. Glare at new person. Kid. Bad people say kid. Doctor. Doctor people. Liar Eraserhead. All say kid. All bad. New person say kid. New person bad.

Dark say child. Dark good. Child good. Good people say child.

New person stops. Look back at other new people wave hand. New people step back. New person look at me. Mouth smile. “So, you’re hungry?” Tilt head. Think. Less hungry after new food. Still hungry. Nod. “Ok, well if you come with us, we can get you a meal. How about that?”

Head tilt other way. Think. Food good. New food better than Doctor food. Brown food better than other new food. “Brown food?” I ask. New person smile go away. New person confused. Look back at other new people.  New people shoulders go up and down. Hands same. New person look at me.

“Uh, sure? We can get you brown food. But you have to behave, got it?” Nod. Good at behave! Doctor no like when not behave. Pause. Doctor want behave. New person want behave. Eyes narrow. Glare at new person. Doctor?

New person not move. Speak. Voice funny. “It’s ok, we aren’t going to hurt you.” I tense. Liar Eraserhead say same. “But you caused a bit of trouble, so we’ll need you to come with us to sort it out. And like I said, we’ll feed you, er, brown food.” I tired. Yawn. 

New person move forward. I stare. Wary. Not trust. But brown food…

New person closer. Speak again. Voice still funny. “I get that you’re probably scared, but that’s ok.” Head tilt again. What scared? Not know. New person say I scared, maybe? Not scared? Not trust new person.

New person keep speak. I stop. Body tense. Teeth bare. Tail puffs. “I recognize that hospital gown. No idea how you got from Miyagi to Shizuoka, but we’ll make sure you get checked out at one of the local hospitals and notify the facility. We may not have Recovery Girl, but our doctors-”

Doctors.

I yell. “No Doctors!” Dark moves. Goes to new person. New person goes back, new people catch. New people shouting. Fast beating in chest. No like shouting. I yell at new shouting people. “QUIET!” Dark in voice. Dark around move. New people flinch. Some new people fall. Not know why. Not important. Run! Jump through hole in wall that not hold clear thing now. Run. Fast.

Dark help run. Dark protect. Dark stop new person in new clothes when new person throw flat round thing. Dark stop flat round thing and throw back. New person dodge. I run. Dark help escape. Dark help find safe place. Safe place dark. Get in green thing. Dark more in green thing. Curl into ball, tail in hands. Whimper.

“Dark… Where? Miss Dark…” Eyes wet. Not know what makes eyes wet. Sniff. Stomach growls. More hungry again. But new place with new food not safe. Bad people there. Bad people dressed same. Know clothes, know avoid. No know name for new bad people, but learn.

Bad people: Doctor. Doctor people. Doctors. Liar Eraserhead. New people with blue clothes. 

Learn name of new bad people. Learn tell bad people before bad people show bad people. Need learn. Want learn. No want bad people close. Want good people.

Good people: Dark.

…

Eyes wet more. Sad. Dark only good person. Why many bad people?

Close eyes. Tired. Sleep.

Want good people.

`~`

“How the hell did the kid cross nearly half the length of the country in a couple of hours?” Eraserhead blinks in surprise, looking at his boss skeptically.

Nezu shrugs as he looks at the Underground hero, just as baffled. If the child had somehow obtained transport upon a train then one of the algorithms he’d set up for public surveillance to monitor for him would have triggered. But not only did they not, but there were practically no triggers in Miyagi either!

“I believe you are correct regarding his quirk, Aizawa.” Nezu states with a frown that’s matched with the tired pro. Who only gets even more tired once Recovery Girl finishes her journey across the room and kisses him, healing his arm at the cost of his stamina.

“Regardless of the boy’s quirk, you aren’t in any position to be going after him tonight.” Recovery Girl chides the man, knowing that even with the warning he’s likely to go after him anyways. But to her surprise he grimaces and nods.

“Probably for the best that I stay off this case. At least for now.” At the look of shock on Recovery Girl’s face he snorts. “What? You just told me to take it easy. Now you have a problem with it?”

The youthful heroine snorts, smacking his legs lightly with her cane before dipping her head. “Don’t get smart with me, sonny. But yes, you are the type to go harrying off at the slightest bit of warning that a minor is in trouble. It’s why you’ll make such a good teacher!”

She gets a snort in reply before a guilty look crosses his face, causing her to raise an eyebrow. “You’re exaggerating. But in this case…” He trails off before sighing. “If he sees me, he’s going to bolt. Erasing whatever his quirk is hurt him. It sounded like someone was murdering the kid and I barely had it activated for a couple seconds!”

Recovery Girl blinks, looking at Nezu for confirmation and getting a nod. “According to both Midnight and the variety of staff on the floor, not to mention the camera’s recordings, Eraserhead may even be understating the child’s reaction.”

She falls silent, wondering why that is. She knows what Eraserhead’s quirk feels like, she asked him to use it on her once to determine if any students he has to use it on will have valid complaints when he starts his tenure at UA. But it was just uncomfortable, certainly nowhere near painful. Especially to the level these two are talking about! Which means…

“Perhaps… his quirk is constantly modifying his body?” She poses the question, but it’s a weak theory. Especially given she hasn’t ever seen the boy. Eraserhead sighs while Nezu answers in his stead.

“That is certainly a possibility to consider. But whatever the case, I am quite certain that the boy has even more unique circumstances than we first believed.”