NeonHorizon: Hn. Welcome to those that read Persistence and Resilience. If you read those stories, feel free to view this rewrite as an alternate reality. Things will be different. I wanted to rewrite Persistence because I love Noriko, but I feel like my writing skills have evolved since that story and she deserves my best. I'm going to try not to stray from the path I've chosen for this new story. If you didn't read those stories, you'll be fine. This is a stand alone story; not a continuation of something else. Enjoy.
The catgirl gritted her teeth against the pain in her side as she limped along down the street, glancing over her shoulder every so often to make sure that she was alone. The monster was dead. She had made sure that it was dead before she left it, but she knew that they sometimes had friends. A second fight was simply not possible in her current state.
Murasaki Noriko had been traveling for a while before reaching City Z. She had chosen the city to settle in because of its multiple monster sightings and because of its ghost town portion. For the past year or so, she had been living as far from civilization as she could, but the ghost town sounded appealing. She could find shelter there and maybe even make a temporary home until she was ready to move on.
Her eyes closed as she felt a fresh wave of agony run through her body. Beneath her hood, her pointed feline ears drew back and she tried to distract her mind with something else. I just have to find a good place to settle in for the night. Nothing looks very secure though. A lot of these buildings are missing doors and windows. The pain in her leg escalated and she stumbled, barely biting back a cry.
She leaned against the side of a building, tears burning in her eyes. Blinking away the tears, Noriko knew that she would have to settle for now. She carefully heaved herself onto a windowsill and fell heavily to the floor on the inside. Her body trembled from blood loss and she finally allowed herself to cry as conscious faded away.
When she woke, it was to the sound of a high wind blowing through the streets outside. She found herself leaning against the wall, one hand nearly stuck to her injured side by the dried blood. Carefully peeling it away, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. Okay. First things first. Check injuries.
Noriko tentatively pulled up her shirt to examine her abdomen. There were deep bruises on her ribs and a jagged gash running along her left side. The wound was tender, but she knew it would heal quickly. A look down at her legs showed scraped, bloody knees and a bruise on the side of her right thigh. Her arms were in a similar state and she knew that her left cheekbone had been sliced open.
The catgirl licked her lips, tasting blood. Next. Clean wounds. Third, wrap wounds. She had gone through this sequence many times over in the past six years. It had been drilled into her head during training so it was automatic to run through the steps after each fight. As she pushed herself to stand up, she wobbled a little and had to brace herself against the wall. Damn it. I lost a lot of blood. I need to get some food, too.
Her stomach twisted in knots at the thought of going near civilization. She avoided being around people as much as she could. It saved her the odd stares and comments. Her tail shifted side to side anxiously as she considered her options. I have to get bandages. Alcohol. Food. I can't leave this the way it is; I'll get an infection. I just…don't want to be seen. She put up her hood and left through the window again.
The trip to the convenience store was, thankfully, uneventful. Noriko wore a long, hooded coat to hide her cat ears and tail. The clerk did give her a strange look at first, but when she set a large amount of money on the counter, he seemed content. She tended to her wounds as soon as she was back in her temporary home and knew that she had to train after that.
During her training, Noriko grew accustomed to exercising every day no matter what condition she was in. She tried to push the pain to the back of her mind as she shed her long coat and set off to exercise. I haven't seen anyone around. And it's supposed to be a ghost town, right? She looked around as she jogged and allowed herself a small smile.
The catgirl had moved up to a run and had been going through the streets for a while before she felt it. An intense sensation of being watched. It came shortly before she sensed a presence behind her. Noriko turned quickly, drawing a sword from the sheaths on her back and pointing it at the man's face without a word. She trembled, panting slightly from her run and staring at this strange man as she tried to figure out why he had surprised her.
He was staring back at her with a deadpan expression and tilted his head when he saw the blade. His eyes went from her sword to her face, then to her pointed feline ears. A somewhat unsettling smile appeared on his face as he stepped closer. "Are those real?"
Her ears drew back, tail whipping side to side with a hint of outrage. She remained silent, not taking her eyes off of him. Is he a hero? She spared him a quick look up and down. He's dressed casually, so probably not a hero. What is he doing in this area? Doesn't he know that it's dangerous? But…he does look kind of dopey. Maybe he just wandered in. Noriko took a step back, her lips parting to bare her fangs in warning. That was when she heard a voice behind her.
"Master Saitama, I lost sight of you when we left the super market and-" The male voice cut off and footsteps could be heard approaching Noriko's back.
She unsheathed her second sword and turned, now pointing a blade at both the bald man and the newcomer. Wait…is he…a robot? No. Android? Cyborg? Her heart raced as she found her gaze fixing upon the newcomer. He looked younger than the other man. Closer to her own eighteen years of age. His body seemed to be hard metal, but his face looked much more human. A sudden wind blew through his blonde locks as his gold and black eyes met her green ones. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried, and failed, to break eye contact. Who is he?
Slowly, recognition took form in his features and he stepped closer. "Are you Samurai Catgirl, the class A hero from City G?"
Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a growl forming in her throat. She managed a curt nod, but still refused to speak. Is he a hero? Are they both heroes? Or are they evil? That bald one…looks kind of unsettling. I'm still healing from that monster fight. I don't know if I can fight an android or cyborg or whatever he is! Noriko took a slow, careful step backwards and away from the two, putting her back to a building.
"She doesn't look like a samurai," the older man pointed out. "Are those katana?" Again, she gave a nod. "So are you a ninja or something?" She shook her head. "Why do you have ears and a tail like that? Is it a cosplay thing?"
"Hn! It's not…a cosplay! These are real!" she snarled.
"Okay, so what're you doing in the ghost town? It's dangerous for normal people to-"
"I'm not normal! I'm clearly not normal! And that…blonde…he said that I'm a hero, didn't he?" Noriko could feel her pulse racing and wanted nothing more than to just disappear. Anything to escape this terrifying confrontation.
"You're bleeding," the blonde stated bluntly. "Did you come here to escape a monster?"
Noriko glanced down and saw that she was indeed bleeding through her shirt on the left side. "Ngh. D-damn it…hn…just…just go away…please. Leave me alone." She sheathed a sword and pressed her free hand to her wound.
"Wow. That looks pretty bad," the bald man remarked. "You okay?"
My heart rate. I need to calm down. I can't panic. Panicking makes wounds worse. It's going to make me bleed faster. The catgirl looked at the two men again and realized that they did not seem intent on hurting her. They were both carrying grocery bags. She backed up a few more steps and leaned against the wall of a building for support. Pushing back the pain, she met the blonde's gaze again. "Hn. Are you…heroes?"
"Huh? Yeah. I'm a hero for fun. Saitama," the older one replied. "And that's Genos. What's your real name?"
She knew that there was no point in keeping it a secret. Nothing bad would come of them knowing her name. I haven't really had to introduce myself much. Just at the Hero Association. Taking a shaky breath, she tried again to calm herself. "It's…Murasaki Noriko. Noriko…is written with the characters for "law" and "child". I've…been a hero for almost six months."
"Do you need to go to a hospital? That looks pretty bad."
"I'm fine…hn…just a scratch. I can handle it." She saw the man looking around at her, from the corner of her eye, and frowned. "What? I'm not…some weak little kitten that needs help."
"Are you living in the ghost town?" Genos suddenly asked.
"Hn. Y-yes. It's safe for…freaks like me…to live in a place like this." To her alarm, he started toward her. Noriko tried to figure out if she could run past him, but knew that her injury would slow her down. She was already shaking. When he stopped right in front of her, she flinched. "What do you-?"
"You are ranked the third most mysterious hero and are considered one of the top female heroes. Did you come here to train under Master Saitama?"
Master? She glanced at the older man and then back to Genos, blood rushing to her cheeks. Just…what kind of relationship do they have?! She shook her head and sheathed her sword. Without another word, she moved around him and began to run back to her building, ignoring her pain.
The next morning, Noriko woke beneath a soft, well-worn blanket. Her nose twitched as the aroma of food came to her. While she was perplexed about the sudden presence of the blanket and food, she was too hungry to worry about it. Noriko sat up with the blanket wrapped around her and dragged the container over to her. The rice and fish made her mouth instantly water and she began to enjoy the meal.
Only when she was done did she spare a moment to think about it. It tasted okay. Well…better than okay. That was delicious. And the blanket was really warm. But why? I told them. I'm not a kitten that needs help; I'm an adult. I'm a hero. She stared down at the container and grimaced. Pushing herself to stand, she ran fingers through her long hair. I have to return this now, don't I? Where do I even find them?
Noriko lifted herself out of the window and half-smiled. Despite her irritation with the two heroes, she did appreciate the kind gesture. Her side had finished healing for the most part, leaving just a tender scar. She hoped that she could find their home and just leave the container there without any further interaction. I won't hang around. I'll just leave this and run, she told herself.