Noriko could barely keep her eyes open. Every muscle ached, every wound and bruise seemed to throb with pain. She hated to feel so weak, but she could not stop the tears that formed in her eyes. Her tail drooped, ears drawn back, as she was carried down a desolate hallway.
"You were built to take a lot of damage, weren't you? That woman from Grey Corporation told me that your body adapted to heal quickly and you're more durable than a normal person. On the surface, you really don't look like much, but you make a good practice dummy."
Sonic felt her limp body starting to slide off of his shoulder and adjusted her. He had taken Noriko to a secluded part of a forest and gave her the order to try to escape. With no other choice, she had made the best attempt she could. She was still healing from the gashes on her back and side so her movements were slow. In addition, her energy was low from the small amount of food he had given her.
While she had not lasted long in an actual fight, her body provided a decent dummy for practicing different attacks. Sonic was satisfied and looked forward to when her injuries would be healed. If she could not be used as bait to lure Saitama to him, she could still be used in other ways.
The catgirl closed her eyes now, fatigue setting in. Her breathing was labored, her limbs trembling each time she tried to move. The wound on her back had started to ooze and the shirt he had put on her before they left was sticking damply to her skin. "Hn…Grey Corporation…makes quality products," she muttered with venom leaking into her voice.
The door was opened and closed behind them, clicking locked. The ninja dropped her onto the floor, not bothering to secure her wrists. He knew that she was too weak to try to escape and even if she did manage to stand up, he would easily catch her before she could reach the door. Sonic walked to the kitchen area to get food and water, pausing at the fridge to cast a glance her way.
Noriko was biting her lip, trying to keep back sounds of pain as she dragged herself over to the wall. With trembling arms, she pushed herself to sit up and propped herself against the wall with a sharp cry of agony. The fabric of her shirt was pressed against her wound and her vision went black for an instant.
Sonic heard the catgirl's shout, followed by a low hiss and the quiet thump of her tail striking the floor in agitation. He finished getting supplies and sat on the floor in front of her, leaving some room between them. "Turn around and take off your shirt."
"Hnn. You…think I have the energy for that? I need to eat..."
"You'll get to eat when I'm finished." He saw her glaring up at him through the violet hair hanging in front of her face. With a smirk, he lifted something in his hand and saw her eyes widen. "Be good and you can have this."
Her stomach growled at the sight of the food. A pack of sweet and spicy dried squid. She could faintly smell it through the packaging and it made her mouth water. As much as she hated to comply with his demands, Noriko knew that her wounds did need to be treated. She just had to worry about having enough strength and staying conscious.
The catgirl turned away from him, facing the wall, and peeled off the shirt. It was damp with blood and she hissed as pain surged through her body. The air made her cuts sting. The older wound from the monster was actually starting to burn a little, making the fresh cuts from Sonic's blade seem like scrapes in comparison. "Careful, okay?"
"You're my captive. You don't get to tell me to be careful." He set aside the food and picked up a wet cloth to start wiping away her blood.
Noriko let her forehead rest against the wall as he worked on cleaning the wounds on her back and sides. She knew that she had cuts on her chest, stomach, and limbs as well. She dreaded having him treat those. I can't continue like this. I was made for fighting, but I can't take this day after day. If he tries to do this again tomorrow, I could really die.
His eyes narrowed on her as he set the cloth aside, taking a roll of fresh bandage into his hand. "So do you feel pain differently?"
"Kh-! Hn! Careful!" She winced at the pressure of his hand pressing the bandage flat against her wounds. "Hnn. How would I know? I don't know how I felt pain before Grey Corporation…and I don't know how other people perceive pain."
"On a scale from one to ten. How would you rate today?" Sonic paused, grinning to himself. "And don't lie to me. I know that animals instinctively hide their pain to protect themselves from predators. Tell me the truth."
"I'm not an animal!" the girl snarled. Noriko pressed a trembling arm against her chest when he had finished winding the bandage around her. Sinking a fang into her lower lip, the catgirl tried to muffle a whimper of pain. "Kenta's piercing spear would be a six. The duct tape was a nine. Today is a five. I've felt worse."
The ninja finished taking care of the wounds on her back and sides before ordering her to turn around. He looked over the wounds on her chest and stomach, but they were shallow. The contusions looked worse than the cuts so he just wiped away the blood and shoved a cold pack into her hand to put on the worst of the bruises. "So what's your relationship with Saitama's disciple?"
The fur on her tail bristled and she began to glare at him again. "It…doesn't concern you."
"If you're not Saitama's disciple, then you hang around him for a different reason. You're there for the cyborg. So what's your relationship?" Seeing that she was not going to willingly give him an answer without a threat, Sonic nodded toward the fridge. "I'm not above starving a captive to get them to answer my questions."
"Hn. Genos and I…are dating. Satisfied?"
Shift P.O.V
Why am I stuck babysitting this kid? I just want to relax until the next monster sighting. Saitama was trying to focus on the television, hoping that a strong monster would appear for him to fight. It was hard to concentrate when there was a little girl continuously moving around the apartment, anxiously awaiting the return of Genos and Noriko.
"Hey, just sit down. You're going to wear yourself out if you keep that up." The bald hero saw the wet sheen of her dark eyes when she looked over and sighed. "Sit." To his slight amusement, she actually plopped down in front of the apartment door with her head tilted. "Genos will find her. You're worried over nothing."
"Neechan got hurt! She got scratched by the bird guy and she was losing a lot of blood! What if she's dead?! What if he doesn't find her in time?" There was panic in the child's voice and the tears started to trickle down her cheeks. She bowed her head and tried to wipe the tears away, her floppy canine ears getting in her way. "Neechan is probably dead! The grey lady probably sent the big guy after her and-!"
"You're really pessimistic for a kid. You've got to have some more faith in Genos," Saitama interrupted. "And Nya-chan is pretty tough. I don't think she'd die that easily."
Emiko peered at him through the coppery hair that was falling forward over her eyes. "What's that word? Pess…something. What is that?"
"Uh…negative? Like you can't see it ending well. You've got to be more positive. You think Nya-chan is strong, right?" Instantly, Saitama saw her eyes light up and the little girl leaned forward, nodding.
"Neechan was the strongest! She even beat the big guy and kept me safe!"
"So she can beat him in a fight?"
"Neechan beat him, but then the big guy got fixed up." Emiko's face contorted in despair and she started to sniffle. "And then she had to get stronger. Then they'd make him even stronger so she had to get stronger than him again."
It sounds like they were really trying to make a living weapon or something. That kind of life is all this kid knows, right? He frowned and scratched his stomach through his t-shirt. "Hey, Emi. You want to watch TV?"
She growled quietly. "No! Emiko needs to wait for Noriko-neechan to get back!" The child's upper lip curled back, baring her sharp canine teeth.
"You know, you can wait over here. You'll still be able to see the door and you can probably hear someone coming." Saitama watched her stand, stomp her way across the small room, and plop down about a foot away from him at the table. Okay? She's really like a dog, huh? Hanging around the door like a dog waiting for their owner to get home from work.
He saw her slowly start to relax a little, her focus shifting from the door to the television screen. "Hey, are you hungry?"
"The great and powerful Emiko doesn't need to eat! Not until Noriko-neechan is back!" she replied, frowning.
"Okay. I'm getting some food. Be right back." He went to the kitchen and looked over at her again. The child was slouching, still bothered by the catgirl's absence, but also watching the news. There was no telling when Genos would return. A day had already passed since he went to look for Noriko. He had called at one point to say that he had to move his search, but that was all.
He grabbed some snacks and put them on the table, watching the strange girl's tail start to wag a little when her nose twitched. She's hungry, he realized with a slight smile. "You want some?"
"Emiko won't eat until Noriko-neechan comes back."
"A little snack won't hurt. Come on. You think she'd want you to be hungry?" Saitama saw her quickly look away, but held out her hand. He opened a bag of cookies and dropped a few into her palm. "There you go. Wait. Can you have chocolate? You're part dog."
"Emiko is a proud bloodhound! Emiko isn't some kind of-!"
"Oh. Hang on. There aren't any chocolate chips. Never mind." He watched her begin wolfing down the cookies, her dark eyes narrowed on him. They better come back soon. I'm not good with kids. Or dogs. His phone started to ring and Emiko jumped, a strange yelp escaping her. "Calm down; it's just Genos." He went to the kitchen to take the call, keeping an eye on Emiko through the little window.
"Master Saitama, I have pinpointed Noriko's location. She was spotted entering an old apartment building and was in the company of Speed o' Sound Sonic. I am going to retrieve her now."
"Oh. Okay. Just let me know if you need any help." Satisfied that they would return soon, he went back to his seat at the table.