Public sickbed

 The entire house was cast in darkness, playing into Sylvie’s favor. Right after the disappearance of Himeno, she took to the halls and slid herself into one of the bedrooms. There were three doors in the hall, two of which were already open.
NN started with the one closest to him, one of the open doors. He flipped on the light switch and scanned his surroundings.

There was a neatly made bed on the left side, and on the right sat a desk topped with numerous art supplies and canvases. There was a glass closet right beside him. He hugged the wall beside it, slowly sliding it open and peering inside. Nothing. He stood over the bed, stabbing his sword through the mattress. Again, nothing. He stepped out of the room and returned to the hallway, closing the door behind him. The door next door was closed, with the sound of low humming emanating from the other side.

He swung it open slowly, eyes peering through the crack of the door, only to realize it was a bathroom. He caught his own reflection in the medicine cabinet's mirror. There was nowhere a person could hide her, except for behind the shower curtains.

He swung them open and slashed, but nothing was there.

Tile from the shower wall fell and shattered. Then suddenly, NN could smell it. An overpowering sensation and smell, so intense that an invisible hand grabbed him by the head and forced his neck. He twisted around on pure instinct, catching only a glimpse of a shadowy figure rushing down the hall and toward the front door.

He followed behind that figure, watching as a girl in an all white night gown fled.

Sylvie only made it to the outskirts of the dirt lot before she was intercepted by NN, his sword glimmering in the moonlit sky as it swept through the air. He stopped before cutting her, both of them stunned with surprise. She took the opportunity to push past him and continue onward.

“Where did it go?” He mumbled to himself.

Then it came again, that intense smell and sensation, his neck being twisted by that same invisible force.

He quickly stood and rushed after her once more. She slid to a halt, running down an alleyway, only to be faced with a dead-end.

“Not a very smart move,” NN remarked.

“I didn’t want to run the risk of any other humans seeing me like this.” She spoke calmly, slowly turning to face him. She held her arms out at her sides, the skin on her body being overlapped with gray scales, claws sprouting from the tips of her finger-nails. Her teeth grew in size, turning to jagged blades; her hair grew alongside them, turning as gray as her skin.
“I don’t wanna have to hurt you, but if you put Himeno in danger, I’ll have no choice.” Her voice was shaky, as were her arms and legs.

“What is your relation to her?” He asked, pointing his sword at her.

“She’s my-” She stopped suddenly, as if trying to find the words, “She’s my best friend! And I won’t let you hurt her.” She spoke with much more determination.

“We won’t have to hurt her if you turn yourself in.”

“I can’t do that either.”

“Why not? It’s such a simple solution.”

“Because that would hurt her too.” She paused, eyes narrowing, “I’ve never killed a human before, and I would like for that fact to continue being true. If you continue standing in my way, I’ll have no choice but to do so.”

“I guess you’ll just have to kill me then.”
NN charged forward, sword held between both his hands. He swung outward, wind whistling behind his blade. She backed away from his attack, closing the gap the moment his hands were down at his side and slashing. Thick, blue ropes surrounded her, her claws growing in size and scraping some of the skin from NN’s cheek as he, too, attempted to evade. He wiped the blood from his cheek, relishing in the stinging sensation and stepping forward once more, this time holding his blade with a single hand.

He slashed again and again, backing her into the wall at the end of the alley. She continued to stumble back, weaving around his attacks as best she could.

Time slowed for a moment as she dodged yet another attack, strands of her snow-white hair cut from her head and flying into the sky.

Time resumed its normal flow, and her back thud against the brick wall behind her. Another glint flashed through the moonlight, his blade swooshing down through the air and rapidly approaching her neck.

Then, he stopped.

What is this? NN thought, The sensation, it keeps disappearing.

Sylvie raised a hand into the air and slashed NN across the chest, blood spilling from the open gashes, and his eyes widening with shock.

Blood stained Sylvie’s hand, and in a moment of clarity, she stared down at her stained claws, lips, and eyes quivering in unison. She watched with a heavy heart as he stumbled back, hand held to his chest, eyes bulging from his skull.
He could feel his legs lose their strength, his body tumbling back and slamming onto the concrete, his blurry eyes stuck on the moon above.

I’m not understanding. My nose has never acted this way before. The scent on that monster is strong, yet it disappears whenever I’m going to dish out a fatal blow. A gray blob rushed to his side, whimpering and crying. “I’m sorry.” She repeated.

Is the monster crying? The pain of his wound began to settle, a burning sensation overwhelming him.

I don’t understand what you want from me, but I think I sorta get it. Something about that monster is important, her existence. So I won’t kill her.

Red ropes fled from his body, the wound on his chest sealing itself up in a near instant. NN sat up. Sylvie stepped back in surprise.

“Y-you’re alive?”

“Why are you crying?” He spoke calmly. “I’ve changed my mind about killing you, for some reason, doing so would get rid of the scent.” He stood, patting down his clothes and cracking his neck.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“I’ll have to explain it later. Will you manage with your current… Predicament.” He looked her up and down.

“Oh- uh. I still have some of her blood left over inside me, I guess I could change back…” Her voice trailed, eyes narrowing. “Are you trying to trick me into de-transforming?”
“I almost killed you twice now, if I wanted you dead, you would be.” His words were cold, but Sylvie knew they held truth.

“I’ll go save your friend. Wipe your tears, de-transform, and head back to that house.”

|

“Yuya!” Junepai struggled against Himeno's assault, blood flinging from his nostrils, both his ears ringing. Yuya approached from the side, kicking at Himeno's side with all his strength. She caught his leg and tossed him aside like a rag doll, his body rolling back several feet. Junepai reapproached, only to get an elbow to the nose. He recoiled back, wiping away the waterfall leaking from his nostrils and putting his fists before him.

In terms of raw hand-to-hand combat, those two are leagues ahead of me, but as long as I keep wearing her down, Yuya should be able to beat her. He rushed back in, sending out a wild hook. Himeno stepped to the side and planted her fist into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. He swore his vision flashed like static on a TV, a pained yelp escaping his lips as a sharp pain stabbed into his upper back. She elbowed him, his body collapsing to the ground.

I’m giving it my all, but something's changed; Yuya’s acting differently, fighting with much less conviction. Is the zero zone already taking a toll? I thought NN said it would only happen after it faded away.

Yuya approached again, sending out a flurry of strikes. She swatted each of them away, catching one of his attacks and pulling him closer. She leaned her body so that he was hovering right over her, driving her elbow into his nose with all her might. He stumbled back, but her grip on his hand remained strong. She reeled him in a second time, launching a powerful kick to his side.

Yuya fell to his knee, his hand still being held by Himeno's. She raised an arm into the air, hand clenched tightly into a fist. She brought it down with all her might, but stopped just shy of him. He was already out cold, body limp, yet his eyes remained open.

She allowed him to slink from her grip, watching him tumble onto the floor.

The dome surrounding them began to fade in and out, the light shining brightly before suddenly disappearing.

Himeno held both of her hands out, feeling an intense, burning strength course through her body.

Junepai stood, the sound of struggling breaths escaping his lips.

It’s the only way. He thought to himself, I haven’t manifested you in so long. He held his hand in front of him, the wind suddenly growing intense around his body, a bright blue light shimmering around his open palms.

“Lend me your strength, super-” Everything became cold and dark, reminiscent of that time in the dungeon.

“That power has long been lost; surely you were made aware of that fact.” A familiar and disturbing voice echoed, and approaching through the void was the other, hands held tightly behind its back.

“But even when you had it, you never knew its true name, did you? Super hero…” He continued speaking, but his voice was far too distorted to understand beyond that point.

“Could you understand that?” It asked.

“N-no.”

“Then you cannot have that power.”

Junepai clenched a tight fist in front of him, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Super hero? That was the name you were going to call, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“That isn’t its full name.” The other suddenly held its hand out, “You can’t manifest it, but you can use my power instead, the power of the shadow.”

Junepai's heart dropped at the suggestion, his mind flashing back to earlier that night.

“I’ll make do without it.”

“You don’t truly believe that.”
“I’ll figure it out. Now get out of my head!”

Everything returned to normal, time resuming its normal course.

“Hero!” Junepai's voice echoed through the night, and the magical energy surrounding his body picked up in intensity, forming into a cloud in his hand before solidifying. Within his grasp was a long sword with a golden hilt, brimming with energy.

It feels different from back then. He thought. He settled his gaze on Himeno and pointed his sword forward. “Now, rage!” A burst of blue surrounded his body and quickly sparked into a powerful fire. He let out a roar and zipped toward her, the flames bending around his body. Just as he prepared for an attack, his blade shattered into hundreds of shards, each of them turning to blue dust and rising into the sky. The flames surrounding him dissipated, and he was left there, confused.

“What?” His body jerked back, vision flashing white.

“Even you…” His voice trailed as he lay on the floor, a pained chuckle escaping his lips, “ Even you rejected me.”

“Hey!” A familiar voice chimed.

Not too far away, NN stood, a hand on his hip.

“There’s been a change of plans. I’ve decided not to kill the target.”

Junepai slowly sat up, wiping his nose yet again.

“W-what?” He asked, confused.

“Wow, you look terrible.” He remarked, walking between Himeno and Junepai.

“Don’t worry, your monster friend is alive and waiting for you back at your home.” He flashed her a glance before returning his attention to Junepai.

“Grab the weakling and follow me, there’s much to discuss.”