...
They took him to the nearest hospital, Musutafu General. They were not happy to hear about treating a half-feral child. The discrimination against those with mutation quirks had not lessened any. Luckily Tsukauchi was there to threaten anyone who thought it would be a good idea.
They were swiftly ushered into a private room. No doubt the nurses were looking for any excuse not to be seen with them. It made him sick to think about. Tensei believed that no matter their quirk everyone deserved to be looked at equally.
Realistically he knew the world didn't feel the same. That didn't mean he had to like it though. No matter what he would try to fight the injustice of their system. It took him a moment to realize that, that line of thought was dangerously close to vigilantism. That was the reason many captured vigilantes had given for why they did what they did. Not that he was hard on the vigilantes. More often than not he let them go. Unless they did significant bodily harm or property damage.
Not many people realized that underground heroes worked alongside vigilantes. There just was information that they couldn't get. Information that could be easily gotten by someone on the less than legal side of things. That had saved more hero lives than could be counted. Even as a limelight hero, Tensei worked with them. Made sure they had the necessary supplies to treat injuries and had food to eat.
Tensei wondered how many heroes would be shocked to know that most vigilantes were homeless. That they had nowhere to go and only did what they could to make things safer for everyone. Some wouldn't care. Others might take up helping them. It was a big might though.
Tensei looked up as the door opened and a doctor entered. The child was still half in his lap his breathing labored. At least he wasn't conscious. If he was Tensei worried that he would attack everyone.
Quietly the doctor asked, "Can you tell me what happened?"
Tsukauchi answered calmly and professionally not showing his earlier anger, "We believe that the child has been on the streets for at least a year. Possibly when his quirk came in but we don't know for sure. He doesn't appear to know Japanese or if he does he cannot speak it. His quirk gives him claws, ears, fangs, and a tail of a cheetah. He can also full-body transform into a cheetah cub."
The doctor made notes of everything that was said then asked, "Has he responded to anything? Food? Stimuli? Anything important?"
Tensei answered, "He caught sight of my shirt and came up to me. I was called in because I tend to do better with kids than most heroes. We don't know if that was just exhaustion because of his injuries or something more."
The doctor came to stand next to him and gently began to run his hands over the boy. His hands glowed faintly as his quirk activated. A quick glance was exchanged between Tsukauchi and Tensei. A wince resounded through the doctor as he ran his hand over the child's broken leg. Then continued on.
Several places on his side there were different colors. This made the doctor write notes on paper.
Then he said, "He will be okay. There are a few broken ribs and his leg is broken in two places. I'll get our bone specialist."
...
When he came to he found unfamiliar scents all around him. Panic gripped him as unfamiliarity meant pain. Memories returned sluggishly. Someone had tried to steal him from the streets. He had fought biting and clawing at them to get away. His leg had been broken in a fight with a stupid human. Then came the second ones trying to take him. They were gentler but still wanted to take him from his home. The only home he could remember having.
The last thing he remembered before unconsciousness was blue. Blue had always been a calming color for him. A distant memory of someone giving him a blue blanket before leaving him.
Scenting the air he could tell he was in a hospital. Too much disinfectant. Too many humans who smelled of blood and sickness. Close to him however he could smell a human. A man who smelled of engine oil. What an odd scent.
The next thing he noticed was that his leg no longer hurt. It was as if it had never been broken in the first place. The leg was stiff but movable. Breathing deeply he found that his ribs twinged but no pain.
Opening his eyes he found that he was in a white-walled room. He was laying on a hospital room with a warm blanket over his body. There were two doors. One led to the bathroom and the other led out into the hallways.
Carefully he stood testing his previously injuries leg. Stiff but weight-bearing which was better than before. Staying down on all fours was his usual way of walking around. It was easier than walking on two legs like a human. He made his way to the door that led outside. With some maneuvering, he was able to push open the door and poked his head around the side.
The white halls were empty but he could hear movements in it. Just humans that were hurt or ill. Probably not the ones who hurt him. At least he hoped not.
Using the empty halls he made his way carefully through them. Ears twitched every time he thought he heard something. It didn't take long to find stairs to leave the hospital. The door was a little more complicated. No matter how he threw his weight at it while pulling the handle it would not budge.
Behind him, he could hear voices and footsteps making his way towards him. They were familiar. The group that had tried to catch him while he was hurt. One was a plain man in a brown trenchcoat. The other was a man in a dark blue shirt which allowed him to realize who exactly he has collapsed on. It had to be the blue-haired man.
He bared his teeth towards the two men who approached warily. The two men were speaking in soft tones towards him. They were just as wary of him as he was toward them.
The one in blue bent down a few feet away. Not close enough for him to lash out but close enough that they could hear the growls. Cold green eyes would not leave them.
The one in blue whispered, "Hey there it's okay. Remember me? You fell asleep in my arms earlier. I didn't hurt you then and I won't now. My name is Tensei. What's yours?"
His hackles rose and white fangs bared. Low hissing and growls could be heard. His ears were flat against his head and his tail flicked showing his agitation.
Tensei gave a glance to the other man before he shrugged, "It's okay. You don't need to be afraid."
There was a swipe of his hands and he could feel the need to switch to his true form. It would be easier to get away from these men. Underneath his weaker skin, he felt the shift begin. Bones cracked loudly as they broke and shifted. Fur sprouted from his body in black fur tipped with green. Hands became claws. Teeth became fangs.
Tensei froze his blue eyes watching every twitch of the cheetah's muscles. He wasn't full-sized, far from it still considered a cub by weight.
The other man shook his head and said, "Tensei you need to slowly step back. Well, try another angle."
The blue-haired man slowly did as he was told. Hisses followed them as they moved away.