Hanako sneezed and shut the door to the library. The place seemed covered
completely from bottom to top in a film of grey dust. She hugged the book to
her chest and bolted across the room, her feet thudding into the fading red
carpet. As she ran, the tall book shelves seemed to grow into shadow.
Hanako halted at the very back of the room, sliding down the wall, coming to
rest in a sitting position. She closed her eyes and listened to her
heartbeat as it began to slow.
She open her eyes when her breath became less heavy. She ran her fingertips
over the leather-bound book. It was rather heavy and the musty scent it gave
off made it seem ancient. She turned it around in her hands. The reverse
side was completely blank. Hanako slipped her fingers inside the front
cover. It became apparent that in all the time she had the book, she hadn't
even looked inside it. Her mind flooded with the image of the flame-haired
boy. He looked so enraged that it scared her. The look of disgust was
unmistakable. She gasped as the realisation struck her. He was the same boy
that examined her when she was trapped in detention. The glass-green eyes
had the same sense of concealment, as if he had some dangerous secret
weighing him down, one that he wouldn't share, even if he wanted to. The
hair also became imprinted on her mind. It was an unusual flame-red and had
a beautiful shimmer to it. It reminded Hanako of the sheen on Felicia's
mane. Hanako twitched in thought. Felicia seemed to know the boy quite well.
She knew his name, Akira, and comfortably attacked to discipline him. He, in
turn, seemed to have seen it all before, as, with a mere flick of his body,
he escaped the secure grasp the catwoman had on him.
Hanako closed the book without looking at the writing on the pages.
"Akira..." she whispered "Who are you?"
She wanted to know badly. He seemed so immense and strong, despite his
boyish appearance. That made him seem even more extraordinary and Hanako
knew, in one way or another, that he had more than one secret up his sleeve
and, no doubt, a few nasty surprises too.
Her concentration was broken by the library doors slamming open. They
crashed against the wall, the shock wave knocking a few stray books loose
from their confinement in the shelves, judging by the sounds. Hanako laid
flat against the wall in the shadows at the back of the library, while, at
the very front, she could hear angered growls and pacing feet.
"I know you're here, girl." Akira snarled, creeping around the desks,
heading for the book shelves, "I can smell you..."
Hanako's throat became dry and she edged to the left, squeezing in a tight
space between the wall and a book case. She peeped out slowly and saw Akira
heading in her general direction. His nostrils where quivering, picking up
on her scent as he growled to himself.
Oh no! This guy's all animal!
Hanako's mind flooded back to the creature she saw that night in her dorm
room. The beautiful, powerful monster. Could he be the one? There were too
many similarities. Both Akira and the beast had red as their colour hair,
Akira's being brighter as she viewed it in plain daylight. But what set
Hanako's nerves alight was the way both creatures stared at her when they
came into contact with her. Both seemed...interested...in her, despite the
supposed hatred they tried to show through their bodily gestures. Akira
stared at her, wide-eyed, when she was in school, but instantly became
hostile, baring his teeth in a wicked smile. The beast also stared at her,
as if trying to fathom her, as if trying to tell her something. But, just
like Akira, as the connection was felt between the two people, the hostility
arose, resulting in the beast snarling and running off into the night.
Later! Hanako thought. I need to get away from him before he kills me!
Akira disappeared around the bookcase Hanako was using as cover. Breathing
deeply, straining as she crept, Hanako slunk on the balls of her feet across
the room. Heading into another tight gap between two bookcases.
Changing direction and closing his eyes, Akira listened to the silence,
trying to catch a clue to were the girl was hiding. He knew for sure that
she was here. He had found the pink ribbon she was wearing just a few steps
away from the door. It was infused with her scent, flowery and altogether
human.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty... I promise that if you come out now... I won't
make your death longer and more painful than it has to be..." He paced
silently towards the bookshelves, closer towards the area where her scent
increased.
Hanako listened to the advancing the voice.
"No response, eh?" the boy spat. "I can tell I'm going to enjoy snuffing you
out." Hanako whimpered and eased herself out of her hiding space, missing
Akira's probing hand by a millimetre. She edged back, her heart beating in
her chest like a drum.
"Mmm..." he murmured, indecisively . "I think I would like to... slit your
throat. Or should I simply beat you to death?"
Hanako smothered a sob with the black book. He turned and bolted for the
door. She swept past the window, but it was too late. Akira had already
spotted the shadow she cast.
"There!! I see you, you coward!"
He emerged out behind the books and hurled himself toward Hanako, howling
loudly. She screamed and raised her hands to cover her face as he charged
into her, pushing her down.
"No!!" she yelled, heaving herself onto her knees, dodging out of his reach.
"Oh baby!" Akira snarled "I am REALLY gonna enjoy this!"
He pushed himself forwards grabbing her thighs and pulling her back to him.
The black book flew across the room, landing open, face down. He grabbed her
hair and heaved her back onto the floor, pouncing on top of her. Akira
hovered over her, one knee either side of her body, pinning her throat to
the floor. Hanako struggled but his grip just became firmer. Her eyes
streamed with tears and he watched her, the strange anger burning from his
face.
"What...W-what did I do?" Hanako choked. "I d-didn't do..."
Akira snarled, choking her sentence off.
"You don't even know what you're talking about, you moron!"
Hanako bucked, attempting to escape, but Akira's body weight kept her
trapped as he slammed her head into the floor. She became drowsy and the
room began to swim.
Akira brought his face next to Hanako's, his breath burning her cheek. He
snarled in her ear.
"Felicia was wrong about you. You're a waste of time and space. You make me
sick..."
Hanako opened her eyes, anger beginning to swirl in her stomach, the tugging
in her soul arising. "I mean look at you... you can't even defend yourself."
The energy in Hanako's limbs increased.  "It's okay..." Akira whispered
patronisingly.  "You just stay there...crying in fear." He began to laugh.
"And now, my Dear." he said, licking her cheek, smiling innocently. "It's
time for you to die!"
He unsheathed a curving knife from his belt and held it above Hanako's
throat. Hanako gritted her teeth and snatched Akira's wrist in mid-air,
focusing just on the feeling in her soul. He released his grip on her neck
in shock.
"Wanna bet?" Hanako growled. She twisted his wrist violently and the blade
dropped, sticking into the floor, missing her face by a fraction.
"You make ME sick! You psycho!" she bucked again. This time Akira was hurled
off her body. He landed on his stomach, but was on his feet in an instant.
Hanako followed his lead and jumped to her feet, the energy flowing.
Akira stared at her. Hanako picked up the knife and slipped it, blade down,
into the waist band of her skirt.
"I'll keep this, if you don't mind, Akira." She laughed, slightly unnerved
by the new confidence she felt and the new desire she had to fight.
"You know my name..." Akira said, narrowing his eyes.
"And you don't know mine." Hanako countered.
A heated burning scorched Hanako's fingertips. She looked down, to see what
it was, but Akira was too quick. He kicked her down. Hanako rolled into a
take-down and pounced on him, pinning his throat.
"Do you feel, Deja Vu, Puppy?" she giggled. The burning had started in her
teeth. She ran her tongue over them and gasped as he felt the flesh cut.
Fangs?
"So...y-you know I'm...the w-werewolf."
Hanako smiled weakly.
"I had an...idea."
"Good... so...I can b-butcher you...without secrets...You ...pathetic
...waste."
Hanako screamed and swiped at his face, pounding it.
"YOU THINK I WILL TAKE THAT FROM YOU? YOU MAKE ME SICK! YOU SCUM!
You...mangy..."
Hanako froze in fear. Blood trickled from the gashes in Akira's face. She
looked down at her hands. Long, solid claws, deep purple and coated in blood
extended from her finger tips.
"It's started! No!" Akira bawled and crashed his fist into Hanako's face.
She was hurled across the floor, nose dripping in blood. Liquids slicked the
floor as the two people collided. Punches flew towards Hanako. They
connected with her jaw. She slipped back, but caught herself. Akira chopped
into her collar bone, feeling something snap. She howled, yet she charged
towards Akira, claws extended. She screamed and sliced his skin. He stumbled
backwards, shirt ripped. Hanako kicked him in the gut and he doubled over,
blood and saliva bursting out of his mouth.
He looked at the book, heaving in pain. Hanako crouched on the floor,
shaking and writhing in the same pain, watching him.
"You're lucky this time. But I'll warn you. I'm coming for you. And I want
that book!"
He dashed past her out of the door. Hanako screamed in agony. Every nerve
was on fire. The room was spinning as the blood pulsed along her veins. She
crawled for the book and collapsed, flames running around her being as the
darkness enveloped her.

 

*

 

"Ahh! That's cold!" Hanako shot up in bed but immediately collapsed again,
gripping herself and gritting her teeth against the pain.
"Take it easy, Hanako." The voice soothed. Hanako turned around to see
Felicia, dressed in her nun's habit, squeezing a damp towel into a large
ceramic bowl.
Hanako eased herself up against the head board of the bed and looked around the room. She didn't recognise it.
"Where...?" she asked, her dry throat closing over. Felicia filled a glass
with cold water handed it to Hanako, who closed her eyes and drank the whole
lot without pausing for breath.
"My apartment. Not far from the school."
Hanako opened her eyes once she drained the water completely. She screamed,
the glass dropping to the floor, shattering across the wood.
"My-My-My...hands!"
They were coated in a delicate honey-white fur, matching the pattern of
growth on Felicia's. Her fingers had become much longer, as had her nails,
which were more like claws now.
"Please, Hanako. Don't panic!" Felicia said, grabbing her hand.
"How can I not panic! Oh my... Oh..."
Hanako shook her head. "Oh please!! This can't be happening..." She shook
her head more rapidly. A lock of hot pink hair fell down over her eyes. She
screamed again and fell out of bed, her scream of shock turning into a
scream of pain.
"Ohmigod!! Please tell me I'm dreaming!"
She scrambled to her feet, almost becoming caught in the giant T-shirt she
was wearing. She stumbled over to a floor-length mirror. Felicia braced
herself for yet another scream from Hanako, but it never came. She looked at
the younger woman sympathetically. Hanako had seemed to of entered a nervous
breakdown as, she stood frozen with her mouth hanging open.
Hanako placed her cat-like hand on the mirror. Her hair had grown in length
and thickness, yet it was the colour that was shocking. Her whole head of
hair had turned a shocking shade of pink, becoming almost as insane as the
colour of Felicia's. Hanako ran her hands up over the sides of her head and
pinched the two cat ears that poked out of her hair. She winced in pain at
the pinches and eyed Felicia in the mirror.
"I...Felt that..."
Felicia removed her wimple and dropped it to the floor, keeping her eye
contact with Hanako. Hanako continued staring at her cat ears, tears
beginning to form.
"This isn't real....It's a trick."
She raised a hand to wipe at her eyes. At sight of her claws, the tears
flowed freely. She tore off her T-shirt roughly and stared at her body.
Instead of being naked, patterns of fur swirled over her body, visible
between the many bandages. Bruises, cuts, blood. they all stained her skin.
Felicia walked forwards and hugged her, stroking her head.
"It's okay."
Hanako sobbed.
"How is this okay?"
"Well...you're not nude..."
Hanako laughed weakly and stared at herself in the mirror side-ways. Her
long tail flicked around her feet.
"Oh...." She moaned. "This isn't good...."
Felicia stroked Hanako's hair.
"You don't seem too...scared."
Hanako sat on the floor, hugging herself.
"But I'm...just like you...you seem okay."
The blue haired woman laughed.
"I'll take that as a compliment, shall I?"
Hanako wiped at her face.
"What I mean is...I'm not alone. There's you...and I've heard you mention
'others'..."
Felicia blinked, concentrating. Hanako continued.
"I always wanted to be something special...something different...something
nobody walked over or ignored. I knew something like this would happen. I
just knew...I can't explain it..."
"Please try..." Felicia whispered. "While I tend to your injuries."
She began to unravel the wrappings on Hanako, wiping the sore areas with
water and serum. Hanako began to talk, following the sister's movements in
the mirror.
"Ever since I was a little girl...I knew...something was out there." She
winced as Felicia touched her collarbone. Hanako continued.
"Or if not...something in me... another side to me..."
Felicia paused, her blue hair shining. Her triangular ears twitched as she
looked at her.
"Go on..."
"Sometimes, mostly at night, though, I feel something...calling me. Like
something tugging in my chest, like it want's to get out..."
She laughed, discretely wiping away a tear. "Sound's so stupid, doesn't it?
Like I'm a psycho..."
Felicia shook her head gently.
"No...It sounds like you're in tune with yourself."
"W-what do you mean?"
Felicia smiled.
"You'll find out soon enough."
"But..."
"No, Hanako. This is something about yourself you must discover on your
own."
Hanako hung her head, sniffing.
"But...You'll be with me, right?"
Felicia hugged her.
"Yes...but not always." Hanako opened her mouth, small, sharp fangs
glistening in the light. Felicia placed her paw-like hand on the younger
catwoman's face.
"That, I'm afraid, is someone else's job..."
Hanako looked at her newly-cleaned shoulder. A mottled red and purple
bruising showed up, tinged with yellow-green.
"My...Shoulder really hurts..."
"Your collarbone is fractured and, apart from the many bruises and cuts,
that's the worst of it."
Hanako frowned.
"It doesn't hurt that much..."
Felicia nodded, proudly.
"Mixture of....oh yeah...drugs and catwoman."
"What?"
"It's what you are, Hanako. Half cat, half human...all warrior."
"I'm a...warrior?"
Felicia sighed and stood up. She walked over to her closet and pulled out
Hanako's newly cleaned uniform.
"There's a lot to explain, my dear. Get changed and I'll explain the most
important things now, briefly."
"Briefly?"
"There is too much to say and not enough time to say it in. Here..." she
passed the uniform to Hanako. "We need to get back, before anyone suspects."
"What?!" Hanako gasped "You can't expect me to go back to school like this!The uniform's not like a habit! I can't hide everything!"
Felicia giggled, raising a hand to calm her friend.
"That's another thing. You're not 100% catwoman. A half-blood, if you will."
Hanako pulled on her skirt, struggling with it over her long tail.  "So, if
truth be told, you will only...transform into catwoman when you will it, and
de-transform into human when you don't, get it?"
Hanako stamped angrily, pink hair flailing.
"Felicia!! The last thing I want is to be in catwoman form now! So why
aren't I in human form?"
Felicia held Hanako around her bruised shoulders.
"It's because you're so flustered. Your powers will kick in when you think
you're in danger. Just relax, okay?"
"Yeah yeah...relax. Hey wait!" Hanako grabbed Felicia in return. "What if
I'm in trouble but I don't want to transform. I mean like the Principal is
yelling at me or something? What do I do?"
Felicia smoothed Hanako's shirt down.
"Honey, don't worry! Control comes with experience. And just wait until you
can turn into a full cat! You'll make a cute little kitty!"
"Oh no....You mean there's more?
"Honey, this doesn't even scratch the surface."
Hanako giggled, strangely happy.
"Why are you laughing, Hanako?"
Before Felicia's eyes, Hanako's pink hair melted into a blonde shade of
brown and her fur had been shed into nothingness. Her claws where none
existent and her fangs had retracted to normal size. Her school clothes sat
comfortably on her frame. She smiled proudly, yet still winced in pain,
grasping at her shoulder.
"Because I just realised. Everything I want to ask can be answered. Will you
help me?"
They both walked out of the apartment and out into the sunshine, heading
back towards the school compound.
"Of course, Hanako. We're in this together. All of us." Felicia adjusted her
outfit and walked ahead.
"Who is...all of us?"
The nun looked over her shoulder and barged ahead.
"ohhhh... I think you know who I mean."