Bakugo ended up winning the tournament, though was angry at how he'd won and refused to accept it and was comically restrained on the first-place podium. Shoto had finished in second place. After his fight with Midoriya, he seemed to be in a better mindset. Jace had managed to beat his first opponent but his second opponent was Bakugo and he found himself outclassed. On their way home, Craven forced Nikita to see a doctor, they gave her a healing salve and told her to keep the burn under wraps to keep it from getting an infection.

               The day after the Sports Festival Nikita finally finished unpacking all of the boxes and had her small apartment in order. She had all the windows open. It was warm out and she wanted to air out the apartment. Sun poured in from the small window in the living room creating a large sunny patch on the floor. Happily, Nikita plopped on the floor in the sunny patch and closed her eyes basking in the sun's warm glow.

               There was a knock at the door. Nikita groaned, she wasn't moving, she'd found the perfect sunny spot, it was warm and cozy. "It's open!" She yelled hoping whoever it was would either let themselves in or go away.

               "Niko?" The door swung open and Shoto stepped inside. His mismatched gaze fell on her basking in the sunlight with her eyes closed and he couldn't help but smile to himself. As his gaze drifted down to the bandages on her wrist, his smile fell.

               Nikita rolled onto her stomach and turned to him with a big grin, "Sho-chan! What are you doing here so early?"

               "It's after noon." He chuckled.

               Nikita looked to the clock on the wall and shrugged. "If It's before 4PM it's early." She giggled.

               "I was going to see my mom..." He averted his gaze as if he were nervous.

               "You wanted me to go with you?"

               "You know how much she likes cats, I thought as a last resort maybe you could cheer her up..." His cheeks flushed scarlet. "In case seeing me upsets her."

               "You're her son, she loves you. I think just seeing your face and knowing that you forgive her will cheer her up exponentially." Nikita smiled as she rolled to her feet, "But I'll tag along if you want. I can be your emotional support kitty." She giggled.

               "It's something you've always excelled at." Shoto noted with a small smile.

               Nikita scrambled to close the windows in her apartment before grabbing her black kitty cat purse. She slipped on a pair of plain black sandals that matched her plain black shorts and simple red flowing tank top with a cute little animated black cat chasing paper airplanes.  "Ready!" She beamed.

               Shoto smiled and offered her his hand. She could feel his anxiousness. He was worried about how the visit was going to go. Overthinking things as usual, he was worried she wouldn't want to see him or that he'd somehow make her feel worse. It had been years since he'd seen his mother. Nikita slipped her hand in his and watched as all the tension in his body seemed to melt away.

               They left her apartment, hand in hand. Thousands of giddy butterflies went crazy inside of her stomach, fluttering about nervously. Shoto didn't often like her public displays of affection but always tolerated them. It was rare for him to initiate something like this and she couldn't help but feel a little giddy. If she had girl friends she'd be so excited to gush to them about it later in lengthy detail.

               "Recovery Girl wouldn't have been able to help with it, because it was too burned, right?" He asked her after a moment.

               Nikita reluctantly nodded.

               "That's why you wouldn't let me take you."

               "I didn't want you to beat yourself up over it. It was an accident..." She hesitated, "I have something to say and you're not going to like it."

               Shoto looked to her curiously.

               "It wouldn't have happened at all, if you'd have listened to me from the start and not tried so hard not to use that part of your quirk for so long...it's your quirk Sho-chan, not his, not your mother's, it's yours, both sides, not just one. You control how you use it, not your father. If you would have realized that sooner and trained more with it, it probably wouldn't have gotten away from you..." She bit her lip and averted her gaze afraid to look his way.

               "I know." Shoto squeezed her hand lightly, "You're right. Midoriya helped me realize you've been right since we were children...Thank you Niko."

               They made it to the hospital and headed for the assisted living unit. Shoto's mother was residing in a suite in the psychiatric assisted living floor of the hospital. They checked in and Nikita paused as they reached the door to her room. She plopped onto an uncomfortable bench just outside of the room.

               Shoto paused and turned to the cat girl curiously, "What are you doing?"

               "You two should have some time alone. I'm only here for emotional and moral support remember. So, meow if you need me." She beamed.

               "I'm not meowing." Shoto held back a laugh and tried to keep a straight face.

               "Then I hope you don't need me because I'll never know." Nikita giggled.

               "Not meowing." Shoto said with a smile.

               "Then don't need me." Nikita stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

               Shoto shook his head and hesitated outside the door. His hand hovering in a half-closed fist, preparing to knock. He was too nervous. Nikita stretched to her feet before approaching the door. She knocked twice before scampering back to her bench.

               "Come in." She heard Mrs. Todoroki's lyrical voice call from inside.

               Shoto stepped inside and Nikita flopped backward onto her bench to wait trying not to listen in on their reunion. After a few minutes she felt a small finger poke her in the forehead and turned curiously to find a little girl who appeared to be no more than five. She was wearing a hospital gown and appeared to have escaped the children's ward the next department over.

               "You have kitty ears like my Shadow." The little girl said in awe.

               Nikita rolled onto her belly so she could get a better look at the girl and offered her a warm smile, "You have a kitty at home?"

               "Mhm. His name is Shadow. He's all black and he's got one little white clover shaped patch on his forehead. He's my best friend."

               "I bet he thinks you're his best friend too and I'd venture to guess he'd want you to get better as soon as you can so you two can play again." Nikita looked to the hospital wrist band on the child's wrist. She'd been admitted a few days ago. She sat up and pat the bench beside her.

               The little girl smiled and hopped onto the bench beside her. "I'm Anne."

               "Nikita." She tickled the tip of the girl's nose with her tail causing her to giggle. "Are you supposed to be somewhere else right now?"

               Anne's bright cornflower blue eyes dropped down to the floor, "I'm supposed to have surgery soon. My heart's not working right." Tears welled in her eyes, "I need Shadow. When I'm scared he always puts his paw on my hand."

               "He sounds like a great cat." Nikita smiled, "And it sounds like he loves you very much. Why don't we get you back to where you need to go before your loved ones start to worry and I'll see what I can do about getting Shadow to come see you before your surgery."

               "But they don't let kitties in the hospital." Anne sniffled.

               "We'll see." Nikita beamed and offered the girl her hand as she slipped off the bench.

               They didn't make it far before Nikita heard the panicked cries of a mother yelling for Anne. She scooped up the young girl and jogged in the direction of the voices causing Anne to giggle. It felt like a ride they were moving so fast.

               "Anne!" A young woman with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes ran toward them, "Thank goodness you're alright, thank you for finding her!" She breathed a sigh of relief as she took the child from Nikita's arms. "Honey, you scared Mommy. You know your supposed to go to surgery soon."

               "I don't want to without seeing Shadow!" Anne cried.

               "Honey they don't allow cats in the hospital-."

               "Ah, leave that to me." Nikita piped up, "What room number are you in, I'll be as quick as I can."

               "That one." Anne pointed to the room at the end of the hall.

               Nikita nodded and ducked around the corner in the direction of the exit before slipping into a supply closet. She sighed as she stripped out of her clothes and tucked them out of the way with her purse before shifting into a small black house cat careful to make sure she had a white clover patch on her forehead. Once she was sure the coast was clear she bolted down the hallway to the room at the end of the hall.

               Anne was lying in her hospital bed with tears in her eyes as two nurses tried to roll her bed to surgery prep. "No! Nikita said she'd bring Shadow!"

               Nikita bolted through the door with a meow and leapt onto Anne's bed.

               "Shadow!" Anne squealed happily and hugged her.

               Once she was free, Nikita sat next to her and placed her paw on Anne's hand and fixed her with what she hoped was a reassuring look, praying she and Shadow had the same eye color. Anne relaxed.

               "You think I'll be okay?" Anne asked nervously.

               Nikita tapped her on the hand with her paw and offered her a reassuring meow.

               "Thanks Shadow. You're the best." Anne cried tears of joy.

               Nikita leapt off the bed so the nurses could wheel Anne to surgery. Her mother stayed behind with tears in her eyes. She looked down to the small black cat.

               "It's you, isn't it?" The mother sniffled with a smile, "Nikita?"

               Nikita nodded.

               "I can't thank you enough for what you did." She smiled through her tears. "That really meant the world to her. She's missed him so much while she was here. It broke my heart. Thank you."

               Nikita managed a somewhat graceful bow before scampering out of the room back to the supply closet. She hurriedly transformed back and put her clothes back on before stepping out into the hall and nearly smacked into Shoto and Mrs. Todoroki.

               "Nikita!" Mrs. Todoroki beamed, "You're all grown up." She hugged the cat like girl before ruffling her dark unruly hair.

               "You made me meow and you were playing in a supply closet?" Shoto grumbled, trying to sound stern but was having a hard time as the cat girl looked down and realized her shirt was on backwards, then struggled to spin it around the correct way causing his mother to laugh.

               Nikita smiled sheepishly, "Did Sho-chan really meow, Auntie Rei?" She asked curiously as she looped her arm with the beautiful white-haired woman's.

               Mrs. Todoroki smiled, "He did." Her dark steel eyes were a little puffy, she'd been crying recently but she looked happy. They were probably tears of joy that Shoto was back in her life.

               Nikita giggled at this. "Awh, I missed it."

               "What were you doing in there, Nikita?" Mrs. Todoroki asked her curiously as the trio made their way to the small rehabilitation garden for patients and guests to walk.

               "There was a kitty emergency."

               "What does that mean?" Shoto asked her as he shook his head in silent laughter.

               "Meow for me and I might tell you." Nikita teased him.

               "Absolutely not." The tips of his ears flushed scarlet.

               Mrs. Todoroki smiled. "I'm so glad the dynamic duo is back together." She looked to her son with a sad smile, "Shoto was so heartbroken after you'd left."

               The trio toured the gardens, talking and laughing. They had a late lunch at one of the cafes inside the hospital. Nikita felt a sense of peace and belonging as she watched the estranged pair rekindle their bond. His mother had always been the light of his home life. He'd never been close with his older siblings and his father was a nightmare.

               As they were about to head back to Mrs. Todoroki's floor to say their goodbyes, Nikita paused as she spotted a small black cat plush sitting in the gift shop window. "I need to stop in here for a minute." Nikita noted before disappearing into the gift shop.

               Shoto and Mrs. Todoroki followed after her curiously. "What are you getting that for?" Shoto pondered as he saw her approach the counter with the small black cat plush in hand.

               "Classified Kitty Emergency." She winked at him, "If you meow for me I might tell you."

               "You're impossible." Shoto smiled as his mother laughed at the pair of them.

               After purchasing the kitty plush she followed them to the floor with the psychiatric assisted living department and the children's department. Once they reached the floor Nikita asked them to excuse her and took off in the direction of Anne's room. Curious at what the cat girl was up to Shoto and his mother followed along behind her.

               Nikita paused at Anne's door and smiled as she spotted her lying awake in her bed. She must have woken from surgery recently as she still looked a little disoriented. She knocked lightly on the outside of the door.

               Anne's mother looked up and smiled, "Nikita, come on in, Anne was just asking about you."

               Nikita stepped into the room and Anne's bright cornflower blue eyes lit up, "Nikita! Thank you for getting Shadow here in time."

               "Sure thing." Nikita grinned before extending the plush cat to the child. "Next time you have to go somewhere you can't take Shadow, I think you should bring this little guy with you and give him all of Shadow's hugs."

               Anne beamed and accepted the cat plush. She squeezed it against her. "Thank you, Nikita."

               "You're welcome." Nikita's heart swelled as she saw relief once again in the mother's eyes. It must be hard on her. They'd been here for days. Even something as small as this made the biggest difference, she could see it on both of their faces. They were both going to be okay. "Get some rest." She waved farewell to Anne.

               "Thank you." Her mother called after her with tears in her eyes.

               Nikita nearly jumped as she spotted Shoto and Mrs. Todoroki standing just outside of the door. She offered them both a sheepish grin as they all headed back to Mrs. Todoroki's room. "Kitty Emergency."

               "Meow." Shoto's face flushed scarlet causing his mother to laugh softly and Nikita to fall to the ground in a fit of laughter. She didn't think he'd actually do it! "Niko!" He groaned, "Tell me, already."

               Deciding he'd suffered enough she gave in, "That little girl was scared about her heart operation, she missed her kitty. So, I transformed to look like her kitty and visited her in her room to cheer her up so she'd go through with her surgery."

               Mrs. Todoroki smiled and wrapped the cat girl in a warm hug, "You've always been such a kindhearted child. Thank you for being in Shoto's life." They reached her room and she turned to them both with tears in her eyes. "You'll visit again, both of you?"

               Shoto smiled, "We will."

Video- "NVM" By Faith Marie