Of Cat and Bird

One - Destruction

"Seriously?"

I watched incredulously as my sister stared down at her phone. Though we were outside, the sound from the video that played reached my ears. Of course she was watching another hero interview, completely ignoring her sandwich.

"Yes! Oh, Nakiko, you could never understand." She said.

"How are you the older sibling here?" I asked.

"Because I was born first."

"You're supposed to be here enjoying lunch with me. Not watching videos on your phone, fangirling over a hero." I said.

"But look! This guy is amazing." She said.

I glanced at the screen as she turned the phone to me. I saw a guy sitting in a chair and smiling cheerfully at his interviewer.

"So what?" I asked.

"So what!? So what!?" She asked.

"Yeah...?"

"He's only the first hero to have his own agency at eighteen. Not to mention he is in fact the youngest pro hero ever."

"So he's eighteen. He just graduated highschool and got to work as a hero. A lot of people do it, Nagi." I said.

"You're not."

"Because I don't want to be a hero. What's my quirk going to do? It's cat. Nothing special there." I said.

"Those cute little ears say you're special." She said.

She reached out and tapped the ears I had on the top of my head. I hated when she did that. I disliked my ears. I wanted to look normal, but of course my ears stood out. I leaned forward and covered my ears with my hands.

"And not to mention your stealth. You have all the traits that come along with being a cat. Haven't you seen how fast cats can move? That would be useful."

"I don't want to be a hero. I just want to graduate high school and focus on my art. Besides, you aren't trying to be a hero either." I said.

"No, because I have other plans. My quirk isn't useful in any way to be either supportive or to take the lead in a fight."

Nagisa's quirk did set her apart from others, but she was right. It wasn't useful in a fight. She could still work her quirk into support though if she really wanted. She had a photographic memory, and it might help someone behind the scenes. But that wasn't her quirk. She had eyesight that caught every detail. She didn't miss a thing.

"You're pretty enough to catch attention as a hero." She said.

"Nagisa, I said I don't want to be a hero."

Besides, Nagisa was the prettier one. She had white hair and blue eyes. Her pupils were those of a cat's much like mine. Except I was black-haired with green eyes. I also inherited the cat ears from Mom.

Nagisa sighed and set the phone down. She stared at me like I had lost my mind. I didn't see anything wrong with not wanting to be a hero. Not everybody had to.

"Fine. Don't be a cool sister and join the ranks of the heroes." She said.

"Fine by me. You know I hate attention and standing out."

"No fun. Whatever. Let's have lunch!"

She sipped on her water and picked up her sandwich. I picked up my own too and took a bite. There was a commotion down the street from our restaurant and I turned to look.

"Ugh, another one? How annoying, people never learn do they?"

"I guess they don't. This is the third problem this district has had this week." I said.

I took another bite of my sandwich and Nagisa shrugged, biting into her own.

And then an explosion could be heard. I turned my head and I saw smoke rise from a building. My eyes widened as I saw people scurrying along the road and Nagisa grabbed my arm.

"Naki, run!"

I turned in time to watch the building collapse and debris fly everywhere. Nagisa tugged on my arm, urging me to run with her. I complied and we ran together, away from the wreckage.

"What happened?" I asked.

I was stunned and could hardly believe what I was seeing. I had seen this kind of stuff on TV but never in person. This was new to me.

Beside us, another building exploded and began to collapse. I watched concrete fall and land all around us. I gaped as I watched a block of concrete fall toward us from the sky.

Nagisa looked up and her eyes widened. She quickly turned to me and pushed me out of the way. I glared at her and grabbed her hand.

"No! You're not being a hero today! You're coming home with me!" I shouted.

I pulled on her as hard as I could and she lost her balance. It was the perfect chance to pull her again and get us both out of the way.

The concrete landed an arm's length away from both of us and the impact shook the ground causing us to stumble. Another concrete slab hit the ground, shattering and sending more debris flying.

I turned as a small chunk hit my left leg. I felt the crack and went down hard. The pain was excruciating, and I knew I was going nowhere. I glanced up at Nagisa's horrified face and she had her hand covering her mouth.

"Naki! Come on! We have to get out of here!" She screamed.

She grabbed my arm again and tugged on me trying to get me to stand. It was no use, my leg wouldn't be able to hold the pressure put on it by my body.

"Nagi, go, get out of here." I said.

"Not without you! Mom and Dad would be furious with me for leaving you behind." She cried.

"And I'll be furious with you for staying in danger. They'll understand. I'll make it home later." I said.

"Naki..."

"Just go! I'll be fine." I said.

She shook her head and continued to try to pull me. She positioned herself to lift me and carry me on her back. She was stubborn and wouldn't give up. It was something that annoyed me to no end sometimes.

"I'll carry you. It will be slower, but we will be together at least." She said.

And then another building started to fall sideways. She turned to look up and he eyes widened. Another chunk of concrete fell and Nagisa screamed as she backed away.

A long metal beam landed between us and the concrete continued to fall, forcing Nagisa to run.

I watched the sky as the concrete was coming straight toward me. Another small chunk was hurled my way and hit my arm then shoulder. Cool. More fractures. The same side I had a broken leg on. I turned to lay on my back and watch as death quickly approached me.

"Let it be over quickly." I said.

I closed my eyes and waited to see what would happen next. I knew it would be death.

"Not on my watch." A male voice said.

The pain of my broken bones were so bad that I was drifting in and out of consciousness. Suddenly I was lifted up and didn't know where I was. Was this death?

My eyes opened and I saw somebody carrying me. He was watching me closely with golden narrowed eyes. Inspecting my injuries.

"My... hero..."

Was that my voice? Was I hallucinating? I didn't think I said anything. Maybe it was just my thought and I didn't say it out loud. The next thing I knew was that suddenly everything was black. I guess I had lost consciousness.