Frozen Wings

Chapter 13

Storms' POV

The park we had chosen was empty, excluding the two of us. An owl hooted from somewhere nearby. The grass in the fields on either side of the cement walkway was rich green. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, their pink petals gently waving in the faint breeze. Above, the dark navy blue-black sky was littered with twinkling stars. I felt myself relax; something I hadn't been able to do in a long time.

"It's really pretty here..." My companion spoke quietly. My fluffy ears perked up.

"I agree. It is quite nice." I replied. He glanced at me before quickly averting his gaze. I frowned a little, shrugging it off.

Did I scare him?

I questioned, eventually deciding that wasn't it. We continued to walk in awkward silence. I kept picking up on anxiety coming from Takami, but I knew better than to question it. If it was bad enough, it would show, or he would say something. However, I couldn't shake a feeling I had. It reminded me of what happened back at the beach mansion. I flicked my tail absentmindedly in frustration.

I know I've made it hard for him to trust me, considering I've attacked him and not exactly given him many reasons to trust me, but if there's something going on he needs to tell me! It's not good; it'll distract him from his jobs and he won't be able to take care of himself well either. Hmm... what's an acceptable way to pry information out of someone... threatening them? No, that's not it. Torturing them to get them to admit information? No, no, no! That's not it either! Ugh, what is wrong with me? Do I suck at social interaction that badly? Idiot.

"Huh?" Takami looked at me.

"What?" I frowned.

"You just said idiot... are you talking to me or yourself?" He asked.

"Myself. Sorry. Just thinking." I apologized. He chuckled.

"You're fine." He smiled. I sighed, looking ahead. My ear started twitching. It was something I tended to do subconsciously when I was stressed. The only problem was unless I figured out what I was stressed about, it didn't stop.

"Is something bothering you?" My friend interrupted my thoughts.

"A little." I curtly replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"I would if I knew what was bothering me." I muttered, my ear twitching more.

"Oh... well... just let me know if there's something I can do. You do a lot for UA and I think you should have someone looking out for you too." Takami said. I knew he only meant well but it frustrated me. Why? Only god knows.

"I can take care of myself. I don't like the feeling of relying on someone else to take care of me. Probably stems from my upbringing." I said.

"I understand. Sorry." He apologized.

"Don't be. You weren't alive when I was taken so it's not like you could have done anything anyways". I shrugged.

"You're older than me?" My friend seemed a bit surprised.

"Uh... yeah? How old did you think I was?" I raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I thought you were my age, if not a bit younger!" He said.

I laughed. "Well, thank you for the compliment."

"How old are you, then, if you don't mind me asking?" Takami looked at me expectantly.

"I'm 26." I said.

"Well, you better wear a name tag on your shirt with your age because your looks are deceiving." He smirked.

My fur fluffed up out of embarrassment. I hissed, walking faster.

"Did you just hiss?!" My friend stared at me in shock.

"Yes. I did." I rolled my eyes.

"How?!"

"I don't know. I think it's because of my Shapeshifter Quirk, since I've got the other cat features." I shrugged.

"What else can you do?" I stopped walking as he asked.

"Why are you so intrigued?" I asked.

"Why not? I've never seen a Quirk like yours before and it's really cool." Takami replied.

I sighed. "Alright. Fair enough. You already know I can sense emotions much like pets can. I can hiss. I have sharper teeth. I have claws." I held out my hand. Right at the tips of my fingers I had slits in my skin, where my claws were. The claws were there instead of fingernails, like all other humans had. I flexed the muscles, allowing the claws to come out into view.

"Doesn't that hurt?" My friend asked.

"No? Why would it?" I frowned.

"I don't know, it just seems like a lot to have in one place, nerves, claws, bones." He said. I shrugged.

"Anyways, I didn't mean to interrupt." Takami said. I took the hint and continued.

"Obviously I can shapeshift into any living being, prehistoric or extinct being, any hybrid being, and any mythological being. My mythological forms are the most dangerous and powerful. Don't tell anyone though. It's a secret I keep in case of high-powered villains. As far as I know my mythological forms are the ones that those scientists were expecting me to use for the whole 'pro hero killing' thing." I continued.

"Have you ever tried them out?" My friend asked. I shook my head.

"No. I don't want to hurt anyone while testing them out. I'd need a really wide open space with no buildings around so I could test it out without anything or anyone getting into the way. I would like to try them out one day." I said. He nodded understandingly.

"Let's see, what else? I can consume raw meat without getting sick, I can jump pretty high in my human form, I can balance on thin ledges like house cats can, I have a bad urge to chase birds and small mammals like mice..." I admitted.

"Wait!" Takami interrupted again. I looked at him patiently.

"Does that mean that sometimes you want to chase Nezu?" He asked. I didn't respond.

"You do! Oh my gosh!" He laughed.

"It's not funny! It's terrible!" I snapped.

"You made fun of me a while ago, so now I get to make fun of you." My friend had his signature shit-eating grin on his face again. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh! I forgot about something. I can purr." I said.

He fell quiet.

"You can purr?!" He gasped. I nodded.

"When? I wanna see!"

"No!"

"Oh come on! Why not?" Takami whined.

"Because! It's... I don't know! It's a personal thing! Like... it's one of those things you share on a more intimate date, after you've really gotten to know someone and are willing to share confidential information with them." I stumbled over my words.

"Ah. That makes sense. Well, I look forward to that." He smirked.

I don't often fall dumbfounded, but in that moment I did.