Of Cat and Bird

Six - Out For a Walk

It had been months away from school and I was on the verge of graduating. I couldn't fall behind and let myself fail the final exam. I needed to graduate.

As I opened my book to study, a slip of paper fell out. I bent over and picked it up. I was confused at the page. All it had was a phone number on it, and the words "text me."

Ugh. He was at it again. I didn't know how I'd missed this for so long. Had it really been that long since I opened this book? I tossed the paper in the garbage and ignored it. Akito wasn't going to get my number.

I grabbed my pencil and then my eyes widened. My hand quickly snatched up my phone and I scrolled through my phone, easily finding Akito's name.

"Huh..." I muttered.

It wasn't the same number as was on the paper. Whatever. He still wasn't getting my phone number. Once I left school, nobody there was going to be anybody I remained in contact with. And I had no interest in having a boyfriend. Not after...

My eyes went to the sketchbook on the shelf and I picked it up. I flipped to the usual page. At this point my sketchbook was used to being opened to that spot and knew were I wanted it to open.

I stared at the blue-eyed man and smiled. He was the only one who would ever have my heart. I hadn't even considered dating someone else after him.

He'd have graduated by now, and he would be in college. What would he have wanted to study? Would he still be practicing and trying to perfect his quirk?

And then I growled. It all ended way too soon. He should never have perished that way. It was so unfair...

"I'm so sorry..."

I closed the book and gently put it back on the shelf. I couldn't think about him right now. I had to focus on school. If he was here he would be helping me study. He would be urging me to do well. It was all he ever wanted for me.

I set my phone aside and looked back at my book. Setting everything aside in my mind, I focused on what I was reading. I condensed my notes into smaller sections and I made sure to highlight the important parts.

Hours later I had gone through my entire notebook and had it all shortened into the parts I needed to remember. I leaned back, sighing as I set my pencil down.

That part was finished. I decided I would pick up my sketchbook to relax my mind a little after a long afternoon of studying.

I lifted my sketchbook and remembered what I had last been working on. As I opened the page, a winged hero was appearing slowly. Who knew wings were so much work to draw? It was the feathers. Feathers were a challenge.

"But so beautiful..." I whispered.

I had drawn some feathers floating around him for dramatic effect. It seemed like the kind of thing Hawks would do.

I lifted my pencil and continued to draw more of his face. The smile. In every picture I had seen of him, it was either sarcastic or exaggerated.

But then there were those times he was smiling at me in the hospital. It seemed like genuine happiness. I decided to go with the usual crowd pleasing smile. The sideways grin.

I penciled it in lightly and then stopped. The more I looked at Hawks the more I thought about the day he saved me. I didn't want to keep thinking about him.

I closed the sketchbook and decided that I would go outside to the park for a walk. It was what I needed after such a long time cooped up inside. I grabbed a couple of pencils, and my eraser and put them in my carrying case.

As I got up from the desk, I hugged my sketchbook to my chest and went out of my room. The exercise would feel great after being stuck as immobile as I was.

I made my way out of the apartment and chose to take the stairs to get to the main floor. I almost regretted the decision, but then was happy I made it when I got to the bottom. Living in a tall building wasn't easy sometimes, especially when you lived at the top.

Once outside, I took a breath of the fresh air and smiled. The day was bright, and the sun was shining. The breeze that blew through the air slightly shifted my hair.

As I walked, I continued to smile. I made my way down the street, heading to the park. After a while, I could hear a bunch of girls squealing.

My eyes searched until I found the source of the squealing. It was a group of girls about my age. What was going on with them?

They were looking up at the sky. And then I realized. I had seen it happen a lot. But until now, it never meant anything to me. I looked up as well, and watched as Hawks was about to fly by at an incredible speed.

"Hi Hawks!" A girl screamed.

I watched as he waved and continued on past us. Huh. It was the first time I really paid attention to him in the sky. He flew quickly, but... gracefully...? No, it was majestic. The way a bird would, with their wings spread as they soared through the sky.

I decided I would ignore him and continue on my way to the park. As I approached the park, my ears twitched. I hated when they did that. Glancing around, I saw nothing, but my ears were picking up on something.

And then I saw it. A child laughing as he was about to run across the road. A car was coming at a higher speed than the limit. And the child couldn't have even been two years old.

I tossed my sketchbook aside and ran. As fast as I could, and thanks to my quirk, I made it to him in time, grabbing him and hugging him close. He wasn't my child, but he was someone's. And he was precious to that someone.

A scream had me turning, and a woman rushed toward me. Her arms were out, ready to recieve the child. I passed him to her, and she hugged him tight, holding his head to her chest as she rocked side to side.

"Thank you. I can't thank you enough for saving my baby. I have another child who was acting up. I looked away for a moment and he ran off. I was terrified." She said.

"I'm happy I was able to help." I said.

I looked back at the other side of the road but my sketchbook was gone. And then I gasped. No... that sketchbook had an important drawing in it...

There was nothing I could do. If it was gone, it was gone. I'd have to get over it. I turned to continue on into the park. I gasped again as I saw a sketchbook sitting on a bench.

My feet carried me quickly to the bench and I picked up the book. It was mine. I flipped to the page I was grateful wasn't gone and sighed.

But... how did it end up here? Whatever. It was safe and that was all I needed to worry about. I walked over to the grass and sat down, opening the sketchbook to my latest work.

Once opened, my eyes widened to what I saw. I picked up the red feather that sat there, and smiled. I had my answer. I held the feather up and twirled it in my finger.

"So it was you. Thank you. Hawks." I whispered.