Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Awaken,Shiny Constellation Guardian Taurus ! (7)

The human-cat just stands there baffled for a few seconds. Then it leans their head to the right with a confused look on their face. After a few seconds it just shrugs in indifference with a deadpan expression.

"You know what ? Whatever. I am just gonna have fun with you instead"

Nozomi then got to a fighting stance that was referencing a character from a fighting game that she played before. Unfortunately, it didn't need to be a master to notice how amateurish it looked compared with the real deal.

'Ok, this shouldn't be too hard, and even if it is, it's just a dream. I'll wake up in bed just fine. Hopefully without being late for school again'

Suddenly the air around Nozomi tensed. The human-cat then proceeded to lower itself into something akin to a runner's crouch. It's slitted yellow eyes piercing her very soul. Its left claws scratched the concrete. While its right claw keeped dirting the ground with the falling droplets of blood. When both its slitted yellow eyes closed, it vanished from Nozomi's vision.

When she looked around for the human-cat she jumped in surprise. The human-cat was to her left. It was unmoving, like a statue. Until it gave an inhuman, sadistic smile. Before Nozomi could fully react to the human-cat by her side. She noticed that not only its right claws, but now its left ones were now dripping blood.

Then, pain started to slowly surge from her left shoulder. She slowly moved her eyes to the direction of the pain. Hoping that the bloodied claws and the pain coming from her left shoulder that keeps increasing in intensity wasn't related to one another until...she stopped. Staring in shock with her mouth now hanging open at her now wounded shoulder. That now has 3 claw marks that had ripped straight through the fabric of the clothes and through the skin. Blood now slowly went downwards from her shoulder, to her arms and finally falling from the tip of her fingers. Hitting the ground where it slowly starts to create a little pond on the ground drop by drop.

And then, the pain came in full force.

"AAARRRGGGHHH !!!"

Nozomi then got to one knee on the ground while grabbing the wounded shoulder with her right hand while giving a guttural scream of pain. Her eyes were on the verge of tears. Nozomi's heart beating frantically. With every breath she took, it only seemed to increase her panic instead of calming it.

'It hurts ! Why does it hurt so much ?! Isn't this a dream ?! Why does it feel so real ?!'

The human-cat then appears in the same spot that it was before, standing up straight while licking the blood out of her left claw. It then looks at Nozomi with that same inhuman smile that sends shivers into Nozomi's back.

"Well, well, well, where's all that bravado you showed a minute ago ?"

Nozomi stares at the human-cat in horror. With tears finally leaving her eyes, dirting her magical-made clothes even more. She tries to say something, anything, but it feels like the words are stuck in her throat. The human-cat notices it and looks at you with disdain.

"And now you're crying, are you serious ?! One hit and you're already like this ?!"

The human-cat then sighs. Shaking its head while looking down. It then gets an idea on how to handle the situation. The inhuman smile appeared again.

"You know ? My business is only with the girl behind you. If you just...go back to where you came, I won't need to kill you. How about it ?"

After hearing this, Nozomi thought for a moment. She then looks behind her. Where she can see Yoshino being treated by a Seiza who's eyes were closed deep in concentration. For just a moment, she could see her young, child self, that was once protected by a Yoshino of similar age.

"You're saying that if I just get out of the way...you're gonna let me live ?"

The human-cat's inhuman smile grows even more.

"Yes, just get out of my way, and you can live ! Simple as that."

"I see..."

Nozomi's breath deeply for a minute. She slowly gets back up, with some difficulty. Pushing through the pain on her shoulder by gritting her teeth, holding it with her right hand. Now giving the human-cat a look of pure, defiant, determination. With her eyes also having a small glow of white light in them. She glances around her. Without fully taking her eyes off the monster. Searching for something, anything, that she can use against it. 

‘Come on, come on…there must be something i could’

She then sees a regular trash can that’s closer to her than it’s to the cat monster.

‘I could use that lid to either knock at her or push her with it and try immobilizing its movements, but…’ A bead of sweat slowly falls from her face. ‘With how fast this thing is, I wouldn't be able to even walk close to it before it attacks me again. Most likely that being the final blow. But, it’s the best I've got.’

She closes her left hand into a fist in frustration. She’s then interrupted from her thinking by the monster who was starting showing signs of impatience.

"So...have you decided ? I don't have all night you know ?"

The human-cat says with an air of annoyance and slight regret for allowing her the luxury of wasting its time.

"Yes..."

Nozomi says, now filled with the resolve to protect her friend just like she did all those years before. To not lose someone that she cares about again. Even if it’s hopeless.  A bright white light then begins to slowly envelope her index finger.

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"You might as well drop dead, if you think I'm gonna just let a piece of shit like you have your own way with her !"

The human-cat recoils a little by a sudden shift in Nozomi attitude from a few seconds ago. It then twists its face into an angry one. Infuriated by being intimidated for even just a moment by someone that was just scared a few seconds ago.

"You little...very well have it your way then, have it your way."

The human cat proceeds to ready itself for another attack. Its position is more lax than before, not even bothering to use its runner's crouch. Clearly thinking Nozomi's just bluffing. When suddenly, the sound of a metallic object hitting the floor is heard nearby. Taking the human-cat's attention away from its target for a second.

"Huh, what was that ?"

This second of distraction is just what Nozomi needed. She rushes to the trash can’s lid. She proceeds to grab it and run straight at the human-cat with it. Wielding it like a shield. The human-cat barely managed to look back at Nozomi, before the latter hitting square in the face. Hard enough that it messes with their balance just enough for Nozomi to see it as an opportunity.

‘Now !’

She pushes the lid at the human-cat, enough that they both fall to the ground. Nozomi presses the lid at the human-cat. While the monster desperately tries to fight back and get her off by scratching at her arms. But, this time the scratches aren’t as deep or painful as before. Like in its desperation the effectiveness of their attacks diminished.

‘Yes, i can do it, i…’

She was then struck in the left eye by one of its wild attacks. Blood begins to pour out of it. To the point that half of her vision was now red. The pain was unbearable. Her body wanted to scream. It wanted to let go of the lid and try to cover the damaged eye. But instead, she gritted her teeth and keeped pressing the lid on top of the human-cat with both her arms.

‘NO ! I won’t allow it ! Never !’

The bright white light finishes enveloping her index finger. On instinct she moves out one of her arms from the lid. Quickly pointing her index finger at the monster. And before the human-cat could take the opportunity from there being less strength on the lid. Light shoots out of Nozomi's index finger in an instant. Hitting it square on the head, with a sound similar to a gunshot.

'Huh ? What just…happened ?'

Nozomi thought. When she squinted her eyes, Nozomi saw the bullet shaped hole of her attack that had gone straight through its head. With said hole now beginning to leak lots of, what appears to be, some sort of black liquid. With some of it getting to her face. The human-cat noticed the black liquid from her face. Stops and puts one of its hands where it's leaking. Realization dawning on them.

"W-what ? How...did this...happene--yshjsahjanmd !"

Their eyes began to roll behind its head. Speaking now a mess of words before it could finish. With their body giving in. Her arms falling to the floor. The moment that it hits the floor it evaporates into black smoke. Nozomi fell with the lid on the floor now that the monster wasn’t there anymore. 

After the smoke dissipates, Nozomi then looks at what just happened with an awestruck face. She then proceeds to breathe heavily and cry out of relief. With a weak, but still noticeable smile creeping up on her face. Beads of sweat out of effort falling from her face.  She then lays on the floor. Now facing the sky made out of shadows. She then raises both her hands into the air in celebration while breathing heavily. Like she just crossed the finish line of a race.

'I...I actually did it ! I...protect Yoshino, i...'

"Ow, ow, ow !"

Nozomi is then reminded that she still has a wounded shoulder by the sudden movement of her arms. The lack of vision of one of her eyes being damaged also something that she remembered.

'Oh yeah...I forgot about that ! I need to ask Seiza to heal me quickly before I bleed out.'

When slowly lowering then, she then notices that the index finger that she shot the human-cat with is now missing. Lowering her left hand, a look of panic paints her face. Her index finger was not only missing, but, instead of seeing any meat and bones. There was now a bright white light enveloping the beginning of the proximal part of where her finger would be.

'W-what ?! Where's my finger ?'

Then, the light from the lamp post above Nozomi begins to slightly dim and with it the enveloping white light begins to grow. Little by little, from the beginning of the proximal to the end of the dismal part of the finger. Until the white light vanishes. Revealing the previously missing index finger. Leaving a very awestruck Nozomi. She then notices that the light of the lamp post is noticeably dimmer, looking up at the lamp.

'Did...did the light of the lamp post just...helped my finger to grow back ? Cool'

"Hmm, a little rough around the edges, but still, not bad at all ."

She then suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. When facing the direction of the voice coming above her she sees what appears to be someone on top of the roof, on the building to the left side of the alleyway. Looking at Nozomi from above. It was too high and too dark to actually see what it actually looked like. It also didn’t help that she only had half the vision that she had before. But Nozomi could still make out a silhouette of a humanoid figure. The figure then began to move. Beginning to exit Nozomi's field of vision. Nozomi then yelled as loud as she could at the moment to make sure that it heard her.

"Wait !"

The silhouette then stopped, seemingly waiting for her to speak up. Then Nozomi didn’t really have the strength at the moment to get up and move. Many questions are coming to her mind right now. But she decides to ask the most pressing one at the moment to the silhouette.

"Excuse me, but, who are you ?!"

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