"Master, are you aware that Speed o' Sound Sonic is in taking refuge in the ghost town of City Z? Do you want me to force him to leave?"
It was late at night when Genos brought this up. Saitama had all but forgotten about Emiko's weird tracking excursion that afternoon. Looking up from his manga, he tilted his head slightly. "He's a pain, but he's not really doing anything wrong."
The cyborg seemed taken aback by this response. "He intends to challenge you to a fight again. You are aware of this."
"Yeah, but right now he's just hanging out. If he starts anything, you can kick him out. I mean, maybe if we ignore him, he'll take a hint and just go away. He's like a little kid that's trying to get someone's attention. He'll just go away eventually."
Genos nodded, but it was clear that he was still hesitant to let it go. "If he causes problems for you or for Noriko, I will dispose of him."
Saitama had lowered his gaze to his book again, but it shot back to the blond when he said this. "Hang on. Are you talking about killing him?"
Shift P.O.V
There was a loud snuffling sound outside, accompanied by the smell of wet dog. Through his feverish fatigue, he dismissed it as being a stray and allowed himself to relax once more into the warm embrace of his blanket. The patter of rain made it hard to hear, but he was sure that it would wander off when it realized that there was no food in the building.
"Hey! Hey, I can smell you! You're bleeding and you're sick! Let me help you!"
His eyes shot open at the high-pitched voice and he found himself staring at the figure of a little girl standing across the room. There was a faint swishing sound behind her and she was wearing a floral-printed raincoat with the hood up, partially hiding her appearance.
"I don't need any help. Leave."
"I can smell the blood and sickness! You need help! I'm here to help you!" she persisted, stepping into the room.
It was now that he saw the rapidly wagging canine tail that protruded from the bottom of her raincoat. Sonic scowled to himself and sat up, but kept the blanket wrapped tightly around him. "I don't need help."
She bared sharp canine teeth and stomped a boot against the floor. "I'm training to become a hero and heroes don't let people die! Come with me or else!"
To his surprise, a snort escaped him and he quickly put a hand over his face. This kid sounds like that catgirl. Unfortunately, Sonic knew that it would be in his best interest to go with the child. He had run out of food two days prior and his wounds were infected. The fever was not going down. With his injuries as bad as they were, his movements were slowed. Running was out of the question.
Struggling to stand, he paused to lean against the wall and let the cool surface soothe his burning cheek for a moment. "Fine. Lead the way."
She grinned and held out a hand to him. "Neechan's going to be so proud of me! Emiko is a good girl, you know! I'm saving you!"
"You're not saving me. I made the choice to go with you," he argued.
"Shut up and let me save you, Oniisan!"
Sonic was exhausted from the fever and infection so when she led him to Saitama's apartment building, he lacked the strength to protest. He let the child usher him into the apartment next door to the bald hero and promptly collapsed onto the futon when he saw it. The blankets and pillow smelled strongly of a feminine soap and shampoo, but he ignored it.
Emiko saw him curl up beneath the blankets and beamed, feeling quite pleased with herself. "See?! Better than a leaky old building! Stay here, Oniisan. Noriko-neechan says you're supposed to take a bath if you're out in the cold rain so I'm going to get a bath ready. You sleep."
Panting from exertion, he burrowed further beneath the blankets and silently cursed himself for getting into this situation. Sick. Injured. Relying on a girl for help. When the catgirl returned from wherever she was, she would surely mock him for being so weak. He hated how the tables had turned on him so quickly.
Shift P.O.V
"Neechan, we need food! Get some food! Good food, okay?! Ah! Get udon!"
Noriko had been out fighting a monster with Mumen Rider when she got this call from Emiko and it made her ears twitch curiously. "Hn? Udon?"
"Udon is good for rainy days! That's what bald oniichan said!"
Saitama? Noriko snickered and looked to where her fellow hero was now signing some autographs for children. "Udon…sounds pretty good. Alright. I'll get some udon on my way back. I'll be home soon so-"
"Three bowls, okay? We need three bowls of udon!"
She tilted her head and gave Mumen Rider a wave as she turned to leave the scene. "Three? Hn? You're that hungry? Look, I'm just getting two orders, okay? You might think that you're hungry enough for three, but-"
"THREE BOWLS! And make sure there's meat! And make one have mushrooms! Right?! Yeah, mushrooms!"
The line clicked and she frowned. Noriko had a bad feeling in her gut, but she decided to try to push it away. Humoring Emiko, she ordered three servings of udon. One with extra mushrooms. What did she do today that she thinks she needs this much food? Wait. Noriko was walking home and paused on the cracked sidewalk, running a hand through her damp hair. I forgot to tell her to stay in the apartment while I was gone!
The catgirl took the stairs two at a time, her boots pounding on the steps as she rushed to her apartment. She knew that Genos and Saitama were out. They had set off earlier that day to run some errands a few cities over and pay a visit to King. If Emiko had gone out and injured herself while tracking a monster, she would never forgive herself.
The door was swiftly unlocked and opened, revealing Emiko sitting on the floor in front of the small television. Noriko blinked, half-relieved and half-angry. "Hn. What…what did you do while I was gone?" she stammered.
Emiko tilted her head, her floppy ears dipping to the side. "Neechan, what's wrong?" Her eyes fell upon the takeout container and widened. "Udon! Yay! Neechan, let's get it ready!"
"What?" The catgirl's gaze slid from the child as Emiko came to grab the container and she spotted the futon. The blankets were messed up. "Emiko?"
"Did you get three? Yay! And extra mushrooms?"
"Emiko, why did I need to get three bowls?"
The little girl looked up from rummaging in the container and appeared a bit sheepish. "Oniisan needs food, too."
What is she talking about? Tell me that she didn't let a stranger into the apartment! Her tail flicked side to side and she gave the child a curious look. "Emiko. Who else is here?"
"I want to be a hero like you and you said that heroes help people," she started, setting aside the takeout bowls. "He smelled like blood and sick and I wanted to help him so I brought him here."
Noriko's tail twitched as she heard the bathroom door open. Steamy air came out and she felt her eye begin to twitch as a figure stepped out. No, no, no. Is he seriously wearing my clothes? The hero looked him up and down, recognizing the clothes he was wearing. At the same time, she could see that he was very sick.
His cheeks were flushed pink, eyes barely open. The man leaned against the wall for support and he was staggering a little. He was wearing a pair of her pajama pants with the legs rolled up to uncover the wounds on his legs as well as one of her favorite t-shirts. When his eyes met hers, he hardly reacted and slouched on the floor at the table. "Stop staring."
She was unsure if she should laugh or scream at him. "Hn. Comfy?"
He grimaced and tugged at the hem of the lavender t-shirt, trying to cover more of his stomach. "The kid brought me these."
"Oniisan, here's your dinner." Emiko set a bowl in front of him and seated herself next to the man.
I thought he left the ghost town. I was pretty sure he was doing better and left, but here he is. Noriko had not seen him for a few days so she had assumed that all was well. Now it was clear that his condition had taken a turn for the worse. She saw that his leg wounds were obviously infected and his flushed appearance indicated a fever.
When she had finished eating, she cleared her place and told Emiko to run a bath for herself. Now that she was alone with the ninja, she allowed herself a smirk. "Hn. So let me see your wounds. Is it just your legs?"
"I don't need your help. I just needed to warm up."
"You're a bad liar." Noriko waited patiently for him to show her and she set about cleaning and bandaging his legs. By the time she had finished, he was more or less slumped over at the table. His body was shaking and she knew that he must be shivering. I can't expect him to go out again like this.
She glanced at the door and then back to her guest. Settling behind him, she gently let his hair down from its top knot and combed her fingers through it. He tensed, but was too tired to protest. "Hn. Here's what's going to happen. You're staying here until you regain your strength. No picking fights. No exerting yourself. And when you're well enough to go off on your own again, you're going to repay my kindness by not starting trouble with us for at least a month."
"You're taking advantage of me," he mumbled, dozing off.
Her fingertips brushed over the side of his neck and she winced. His skin was hot to the touch. "Futon. Now." She watched him crawl beneath the blankets and sat back, glancing toward the bathroom. "I'll be back soon. Hn. Just try to fall asleep. I'll get antibiotics tomorrow."
Noriko explained the situation to Emiko and when she returned to the main room, she saw that he had passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Even beneath three blankets, the man was shivering violently. She sank a fang into her lower lip and helped Emiko get settled in her own futon.
If his fever doesn't go down, I'll have to take him to a hospital. The catgirl sat beside the futon, watching the muscles of his face twitch slightly in sleep. She reached down, gently putting a hand to his forehead. Wincing, she shifted her gaze away. His teeth were chattering now.
With a low growl, the hero slipped beneath the blankets and curled up behind Sonic with an arm around his waist. His back was burning hot against her chest, even through the shirt he was wearing, but her thoughts were elsewhere. His slightly feminine build made Noriko feel like she was lying next to a girl.
