Perched on a tree branch, Sonic was passing time as he waited. He had sworn that he would stay with Ayano all day, but certain things had forced him to leave the base. For one, he decided that it would be in her best interest if he got some medicine to try to help with her fever. As good as the tea was, he wanted to be sure that she recovered quickly.
His second reason was the cyclist hero currently patrolling this area. The ninja had learned his patterns and habits from when he was watching Ayano. Mumen Rider seemed to prefer shopping areas and playgrounds since there was almost always someone in need of help there.
Under normal circumstances, a class C hero just going about their business would be of no concern to Sonic. Odds are that Sonic would barely even notice him. However, Mumen Rider had made a mistake. By pairing up with Ayano and now sending her message after message, he had drawn attention to himself in the worst way possible.
There you are again. Gray eyes narrowed as he watched Mumen Rider around the corner for the third time since Sonic had arrived. Even from this distance, Sonic could tell the hero was distracted. You're thinking about her, aren't you? Why don't I show you why you shouldn't try to take someone else's girl?
As the hero slowly made his way down the road, greeting civilians who called to him or waved, Sonic let himself imagine what he could do to him. What he wanted to do was slice him up into little pieces and scatter them around. However, he knew what would happen if he did that.
Someone would find a piece of the hero and then Ayano would find out what happened. She would be upset with him and she might even try to leave him again. He wanted to avoid that, if possible.
His only options now were nonlethal actions. Surely if he severed a finger or inflicted some wounds, it could be explained as an accident. He was distracted and lost control of where his shuriken went or his blade got a little too close due to a muscle spasm.
Mumen Rider paused at a corner and drew his phone out. He typed a quick message that soon popped up on Ayano's phone, in Sonic's hand. Worried words. Asking if she was alright and if she needed help. Asking for her to call him.
A wide, evil grin spread across Sonic's face as he typed a response. He asked the hero to meet him at a park, but wrote as Ayano. When the hero enthusiastically agreed, expressing relief that she was alright, it only fueled Sonic's suspicion.
He thinks she left me, he realized as he watched the man pedal away. Mumen Rider's posture was different now and he seemed to be in an overall better mood. What does he think is going to happen? Does he really think she'd leave me again? Does he think she'll just climb onto his bike and ride away with him?
Leaping down from the tree branch, he ignored the gazes of alarmed onlookers and began nonchalantly walking away. His casual clothes let him blend in pretty well so any stares he got lasted only a short while. He moved down the sidewalk to the corner and saw Mumen Rider take a sharp turn to the left, speeding off toward the meeting place Sonic had specified.
The ninja decided to rush ahead of him, knowing it would take the hero a while to get there. He found a new tree to hide in and made himself comfortable on a branch high above the ground with plenty of leaves for coverage. As he waited, he began to think about Ayano.
Feverish. Shivering. Dead asleep when he left the base. He hoped she stayed asleep until he returned. If she woke up alone, she would probably worry. Not to mention that she was sickly. Delirious. It would be for the best if she just stayed asleep.
When Mumen Rider arrived, he was speeding and came to a screeching halt. He looked around frantically and was soon pulling his phone out to try messaging her again. It was not needed. Sonic leapt down from his new perch and greeted the hero with a wicked grin.
Before Sonic could even get a word out, Mumen Rider was making demands. "Where's Sword Girl?! What did you do with her?" Panic made his voice crack as he parked his bike and approached the ninja. "Where is she?"
He was a little taken aback by the desperation in the hero's voice. He had expected him to be upset, but this was closer to the panic of someone trapped in a burning building. Terror. Despair. "You think I killed her?" Sonic taunted.
"Where is she?!"
"She's where she belongs. I took her back to my base." Sonic's grin spread. "She's resting. We had a busy night. So you don't need to worry about her. Ayano belongs to me so-"
"She's in danger!"
He blinked at the outburst and crossed his arms. "You really think that I would hurt her? She's my-"
"I'm not talking about you! You need to listen to me! That cyborg villain that Sword Girl defeated wasn't working alone! He was part of a network! The Hero Association sent out a bulletin this morning to all heroes in the area to watch for suspicious activity and they mentioned the cyborg! I'm worried that whoever he was working with is going to target Sword Girl next!"
Shift P.O.V
The world was blurry as Ayano sat up. Her eyelids wanted to fall closed again, but there was a nagging sort of feeling in her brain. A feeling like she needed to be awake. She rubbed at her eyes and reached around for her glasses. As soon as they were on, the girl looked around the room for Sonic.
He was nowhere to be seen and the base was silent. Ayano pushed herself to stand, but wobbled a little. Leaning against the wall, she shivered and bit back a whimper. Where is he? He…didn't leave…right? Sonic wouldn't leave me like this, would he? Where though? Is he working or…?
There was a crash from beyond the apartment door. Loud enough to be heard from within the apartment, but far enough to tell her that it was not on this floor. Her groggy, feverish mind struggled to recall whether this building was vacant or not.
It's the ghost town, she finally remembered. No one should be here. Ayano's heart raced, knowing that Sonic would never make so much noise when he entered the building. She shivered and looked down, remembering that she was still not wearing anything. Moving a bit sluggishly, she got over to where Sonic kept his clothes and managed to dress herself.
Grabbing a couple of blades from the floor, she positioned herself in the kitchen and listened for movement beyond the apartment door. Her thoughts were still fuzzy, her throat still hurting a little. Who would be here? Genos…? No. He doesn't know what building we set up as our base. I never told him. So Saitama doesn't know, either. Mumen Rider doesn't patrol the ghost town so…
There was another crash. Wood splintering, metal clanging against the floor just down the hall. Whatever or whoever it was, they had moved to her level.
Her pulse was pounding as she tightened her grip on the handles of her blades. Ayano tried to swallow, but her throat felt hot and scratchy. She briefly worried that this was Sonic's admirer. The class S hero that had challenged her before. However, that man's footsteps had been heavy. Audible. Ayano could not hear this intruder's footsteps.
Silence fell upon the building for a long moment before there was a dull thud, followed by a dragging sound. "I know you're in here…somewhere. There's no use hiding. I can smell your fear."
Ayano had never heard this voice before in her life. It was female. Kind of quiet, but smooth. She tensed as she listened for further sounds of movement. The dragging sound continued, but it was getting louder. Whoever it was, they were moving away from the stairs and they had something with them.
A bang alerted her to the fact that they were now forcing open the apartment doors leading to hers. Ayano trembled from the fever and nervousness. When she had accompanied Sonic on a few jobs, the atmosphere was tense and dangerous, but she had always had him there. She had known he would help her if she was in a dire situation. He was not with her now.
She had no idea where her clothes from the previous night were so she was also without her cellphone. Even if she did want to call for help, she had no means to do so. Ayano would have to face this threat alone, in her feverish condition.
By the time the intruder came to her door, they seemed to know she was near. A light, taunting knock sent a chill down her spine. When the knock went unanswered, there was a dull thunk and then a dragging sound. Like a knife carving into wood. Another thunk, more dragging. The third time, the tip of a blade came through the door, letting her know this person was armed.
"Hnhnhn. You're hiding like a mouse. I heard you were strong, but I'm kind of disappointed." A sigh escaped the assailant as they pulled their blade free of the door. "Kenta-niichan must have been off his game to let a coward like you kill him. Or maybe he was distracted. But he was never into plain girls like you."
Kenta? Who…? Ayano blinked slowly as she moved into a defensive pose, ready to protect herself if the person burst into the apartment.
"Hnn. You're quiet. I thought you'd have questions. Most people would."
She had questions, but her thoughts were fuzzy. Her body felt heavy. She wanted to go back to bed, but this threat was not going to leave. Worse, she knew they had come to kill her. It was the only reason for them to come with a blade.
There was a quiet tapping at the wooden door now. "Hn. You're a class B hero, aren't you? Like being in third place. I'm surprised killing Kenta-niichan didn't boost you up higher. I always thought he was pretty strong. He was a cyborg, after all. Those are usually worth some more points."
A sigh could be heard when Ayano still remained silent. "I'm a class A. I was kind of hoping…your boyfriend would be here, too. I could've made this look better. I could've made it look like I tried to save you, but I was too late. Taking out a criminal like him would definitely boost my rank. Imagine what it would be like…to be a class S hero. How much more I could do. How much more information I could get my claws into."
Ayano shrank back a little. She crouched, hoping to stay out of sight if this girl looked in through the hole she had created. A class A hero? And she's planning to kill me? She said something about a cyborg. That one I killed? But…he was kidnapping girls. Why is a class A hero talking about a kidnapper like he was her friend? Calling him "Kenta-niichan"…like he was her brother…? Was he?
A swift kick forced the door open and a figure stepped inside without hesitation. A girl around her age, armed with a pair of swords similar to Sonic's. A frown formed on her face when she looked to Ayano, a pair of bright green eyes meeting Ayano's honey-golden ones. "Hn. There you are…"
The hero's eyes widened behind her glasses when she saw the pointed feline ears atop the other girl's head and the feline tail moving around behind her. "What…are you…?" Her throat ached as she spoke and she took another step back.
"A product of forced genetic mutation. Part cat, part girl, all hero. I'm Samurai Catgirl and…I'm here to avenge Kenta-niichan."
This is a hero? Her heart raced and she pushed up her glasses carefully, wary of any sudden movements from her opponent. Is this…how I look? I became a hero to kill Amai Mask. She's a hero and she wants to kill me. Is this how I really look? Am I…do I…look this evil to other people?
Her fevered brain was fixating on this thought. The idea of this person, this catgirl, calling herself a hero while planning to kill another hero. Ayano's fevered brain made her brave and she took a step forward, her grip adjusting on her swords. "You're…not a hero. You can't be a hero."
"Hn? What did you say? I'm a hero. I'm…a class A hero. I worked hard to earn this ranking so-"
"If you…call someone like that kidnapper your friend…you're not a real hero." She glared at the catgirl through the chocolate-colored hair falling over her eyes. Ayano lifted a blade, pointing the tip at her enemy's face. "Heroes save people. Heroes aren't friends with people that steal children!"
The catgirl stared at the blade and then shifted her gaze. Ayano's face was tinted pink from her fever. The bespectacled hero was shaking and sweating. She was having a little trouble keeping her eyes focused. It was clear that she was feeling weak and the catgirl began to half-smile.
"I guess I caught you at a bad time. You're sick, aren't you?"
"…you're not a real hero…"
"Hnn. You look like you're having trouble standing."
"…Saitama would…beat you with one punch…he'd say you're a fake hero…but we're the same…we're not real heroes, but…at least I don't hang out with kidnappers and creeps…" Ayano shifted positions and drew back a blade. "I won't…let someone like you kill me!"
Her opponent's feline tail began to sway back and forth. She smirked and tilted her head. "Hn? A fake like me? I'll make you regret calling me a fake hero."