The Heart of a Hero [BNHA]

Chapter Seventeen: Betrayal

Upon her return home, Nikita spent the entire weekend cooped up at home in the dark to lick her wounds. It was what she always did when she was injured, go somewhere lonely and dark, it was in her nature. Shoto had tried to stop by a few times but after her release from the hospital and regulated around the clock care, she took matters into her own hands to hide herself away from the world. Her new unorthodox family tried to check in on her to no avail, she'd resorted to hiding in the attic and no one could find her.

Monday morning, her injuries were healed though her ribs were still a little tender, bones always took longer to heal. It wouldn't be very wise or safe to do any full body transformations for a few days. Nikita heard her front door open, she listened intently and heard the familiar heartbeat pattern of her brotherly neighbor, Craven.

"Nikita? You going to school today? We're all pretty worried about you-." He cut off as Nikita dropped from the ceiling dressed and ready for school.

She landed swiftly in the living room before stretching her arms up over her head as she let out a soft yawn. Her ribs protested the action but she managed to keep a straight face. Craven's obsidian gaze fell on the cat like girl, his lips pulling into a frown. He could see the pain reflected in her golden eyes.

"Sorry for worrying you, Craven." Nikita apologized politely as she stiffly skipped to the door readying to step into her shoes.

Craven reached out as she was about to pass him by and caught her by the shoulder. "Sorry, squirt, you're not going anywhere."

"Huh? What? Why?"

"You're still in pain."

"I'm fi-OW!" Nikita let out a roar of pain as Craven lightly prodded her in the side barely applying any pressure to her tender ribs.

"You're staying home." He folded his arms in front of his chest and fixed her with a stern look. "I'll call the school."

Nikita wrapped her arms around herself with a soft whimper of pain, "I'm fine." She attempted to straighten herself but her body protested too much and she stood half slumped over.

"What if you accidentally get elbowed in the side in the hallway or during lunch?" Craven retorted.

Nikita opened her mouth to protest further but cut off with a squeak as he swept her off her feet. Her side protested the movement. Wincing and trying to fight through the pain, Nikita allowed herself to be carried to her room. Craven gently set her on the bed before pulling out his cell phone.

"Stay put and rest." He grabbed the oversized UA t-shirt she often wore to bed that was draped over the end of her bed and tossed it to her before stepping out of her room and shutting the door behind him to call the school.

"Sho-chan will be worried if I don't go to school." She mumbled aloud to herself before grabbing a spare pair of shoes from her closet and scurrying out the window.

Her ears and tail shifted to the jaguar pattern slower than usual and she was able to land swiftly on the ground below. Her ribs protested as she dropped into a crouch. Shrugging off the pain her ears and tail shifted to a cheetah pattern and she took off toward school as fast as she could not wanting to risk Craven's wrath when he inevitably discovered she'd run off.

It took her longer than usual to get to school, even in cheetah form she wasn't running at optimum speed and managed to make it to class just as the bell rang. Nikita slid into her seat receiving looks of awe from Tenya, Izuku and Shoto who'd all seen the cat girl wrapped head to toe in bandages only a few days prior. She offered them a bright smile and waved at the trio who were all still sporting bandaged arms of their own.