NeonHorizon: So here we are. Chapter 100. Approximately 402 pages of Word document content. Again, I never thought it would go this far. Or that it would go even farther. On 3/10/2017 I plan to release the first chapter of the sequel. Of course, this will come with an intro at the beginning to explain the backstory in case you've forgotten anything or if newcomers want to go straight to the sequel (for whatever reason). So on 3/10/2017, you will want to look for Resilience. Not to worry; I'll title it so you know it's the sequel. Resilience: Sequel to Persistence. So catchy, right? I guess if you want to try your hand at typing up an intro for me, I could use it and give you credit. If no one submits an intro by 3/09/2017, I'll make my own. Thank you for reading, thank you for your reviews, and I look forward to seeing you soon in Resilience: Sequel to Persistence!

Sitting in front of the balcony opening, Noriko released a sigh. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and she had her back to everyone else. The wounds across her chest had not been treated yet and the blood was sticking her shirt to her skin. I just…can't. I don't deserve to have my wounds treated. I was a coward and I failed everyone.

"Hey, Nya-chan. Genos got the med kit from the bathroom. Want me to take care of those cuts? They look pretty bad," Saitama spoke up, standing beside her.

"Hn. No. I'm fine." Trembling a little, she looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen entrance. She saw Koneko there, looking unsure of herself as she helped Genos cook. "How's she doing? She doesn't know, right?"

"No and I'm not about to tell her what happened to the old lady. Are you okay? Mumen Rider said you were pretty close when it happened." He sat next to her, setting the medical kit in front of her in case she wanted to bandage her own wounds.

She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head. "I should've known that Kyona was there. I didn't see her, but I should've known he would bring backup. I just…didn't think that Koto-san could lose. She was tough. Like, really tough. She helped me so much by taking care of Koneko and when she tried to help me out of prison. And I just stood there…like an idiot. Like a coward. I just stood there and stared while he…"

"Hey, don't think like that. Like you said, you couldn't have known that he had that girl with him. I'm sure the old lady wouldn't want you to feel like this, either." He saw tears running down her cheeks and wrapped an arm around her to pull her against his side. "It's going to be okay. I know this is going to sound bad, but since Kenta killed an innocent person, the Hero Association will have to notice he's evil. Or at least look into his background."

Her wounds were aching as the fight played through her head again and again. The memory of his tail sliding over her thigh made her sick to her stomach. Again. I just stood there, frozen in fear. Like a coward. Leaning against her friend's side, she released a quiet sob. "I can't do this. I can't do this anymore, Saitama."

"Huh? Yeah, you can. You still need to get your revenge on Kenta, right?"

"I can't. Every time I try, he has something that just gets me in trouble with the Hero Association. If I keep this up, I'll die. And I know this sounds stupid. Before I went back to fight him and get revenge for Koto-san…I told myself that it would be okay if I died. As long as I killed him, it would be okay for me to die because I would have helped people. If he kills me without me stopping him, I'll have failed worse than ever before. And I can't live with that."

He frowned and turned toward her, grabbing both of her shoulders to make her look at him. His eyes were narrowed, mouth twisted into a frown. "So you're just going to give up? That isn't like you, Nya-chan."

"I can't do this anymore! I can't keep failing!"

"So you think that just giving up means you won't fail? Giving up on your dream just makes your failure worse because you're not even trying anymore! I don't like seeing you this way, Nya-chan!" By this point, the others were now staring at the two.

Genos approached first, a puzzled frown on his face. "Noriko, what have you decided?"

She looked to each of the others, tears increasing. "I can't be a hero anymore. I'm just…I'm done. I can't keep doing this. I'm sorry." The girl stood and let the blanket drop. Without another word to either of her roommates, she moved to her bag and swords. Slinging them onto her back, she turned to meet Koneko's gaze. "I won't make you come with me, but you're welcome to if you want," she stated, feeling wetness trail down her cheeks.

Koneko's pale green eyes narrowed and she shook her head, despite the tears forming in her own eyes now. "I'm a hero now! I'm a hero to protect people! I won't quit over a dumb jerk like Catman Scavenger!"

Her chest felt tight at the words and forcing herself to maintain her composure, she turned toward Saitama and Genos. "Can you keep her safe?"

"Where are you going anyway?" Saitama asked, not completely taking her decision seriously. His hands were in the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt as he met her gaze.

"Hn. It doesn't matter. Just take care of her. Oh. Here." She unclasped the white bell choker from around her neck and set it in his hand. "Okay. I'm going then." Noriko saw Genos take a step forward and took that as her cue to leave. Before he could cross the apartment, she was out the door and sprinting down the stairs. She did not stop until she had reached the drain pipe that she had once removed a cat from. Despite the memory of how cold and damp it was inside, she quickly made her way into the pipe and crawled to the large space at the end.

The catgirl shivered in the cold, wet enclosure and stared warily at the opening. Even if he shines his light down this pipe, it's too long for it to reach me. The street outside was silent, but she knew that he had followed her. In her pocket, she could feel her phone frantically buzzing with calls and text messages. She wrapped her arms around herself, resting her chin on her knees. Just leave me alone. I'm where I belong right now. I let that old woman die. She was trying to protect us and I let her die. I don't deserve warmth. I don't deserve anything.

Time passed very slowly as she watched the end of the pipe, expecting his face to appear at the opening at any moment. In the time she spent in the pipe, she assured herself of a few things. The first was that Koneko would be safe with Saitama and Genos. There was no chance of Kenta getting near her if she was being protected by the two heroes. She also knew that her friends would be much safer with her gone. Kenta seemed intent on destroying her life and Kyona was intent on capturing her. Without her around, they would most likely turn their attention away from her friends. Sleep started to settle into her body and very soon she felt herself dozing off in the cold dampness of her shelter.

What woke her was the sound of someone scrambling at the end of the pipe. Her green eyes snapped open and she stared at the figure trying to crawl inside. She tilted her head and moved toward them, curious as to why the convenience store clerk was trying to get to her. "..hello…?" she quiet called.

He froze and in the dim light it was evident that he was startled. "Uh…is that Samurai Catgirl?" he asked, his voice echoing a bit in the pipe.

"Er…yeah. What are you doing?"

"What are you doing? I heard something meowing in here and thought a kitten was trapped or something. Are you okay?"

She shook her head. Am I okay? I don't think I'll ever be okay again. The girl crawled closer to him. "I was sleep-talking, I guess. Is there anyone else around you? Any heroes?"

"What, like your boyfriend or that bald guy you sometimes come in with? No, they're not here. Are you a fugitive again?" He was surprised when her pale face suddenly came into view, a few inches from his own. "Oh! Uh…have you been crying?"

"I'm fine." Noriko pulled herself out of the pipe and shook the cold water from her tail and ears. "Hn. What time is it?" she asked as she looked at the dark sky above.

"It's kind of late. Why were you in there? And are you bleeding?"

She drew her phone from her pocket and saw that she had missed over twenty calls and forty text messages. Damn it. I can't go back now. She absently scrolled to a certain phone number, tilting her head curiously. "…I quit being a hero for good today…" she muttered. "I let someone down and…I can't keep doing that. So if there's no one to let down, I can't let anyone down, right?"

His brow furrowed. "I guess, but doesn't that seem kind of cowardly?"

"I never said I wasn't a coward." Her tail twitched a little in the cold air and the fur began to puff up. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks when he looked at it. "Can I stay in the store for a while to warm up?"

"Huh? Sure. I was actually going to ask if you wanted a job since you quit being a hero." He walked alongside her, frowning at the wounds on her chest and the tear trails on her face. It was obvious that something horrible had happened, but he was not about to press her for details.

When they reached the store, she idled near the manga and let the warm air from the vents blow directly on her. I can't go back to the pipe. I can't go back to the apartment. I can't stay here for too long because Genos knows that I come here when I don't have anywhere else to go. Again, she looked at that familiar number in her phone.

"You ever thought about just trying to live normal? I mean, a girl your age would usually be starting college or something, right?" the clerk asked. "If you did, you wouldn't be in danger all the time. You could have a pretty normal life from here on out, even with your ears and tail. You could get an apartment, date a normal guy, have a normal job. A lot of people do that. I mean-" The young man went silent, staring past Noriko at something.

The catgirl felt an arm cross her chest from behind, tugging her back against a warm body. "What are you really trying to say? That she should date you and be boring?" the man behind her taunted. Sonic looked down at the phone in her hands and smirked. "Were you about to call me? You missed me that much? It's only been a few days." He nipped at her feline ear, making her blush red. "Why were you walking alone at night with a loser like him?"

"She quite being a hero and wants to work here," the clerk said, frowning.

"Seriously? You want to work in a place like this? What did that mechanical nuisance say when you told him that?" Sonic felt her start to shake and immediately understood. "You broke up with him again, didn't you? Let me guess; you left without making any plans and you need a place to stay."

"Hn. Don't make it sound like I did this without thinking. I've…had a really bad day. I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But, yeah, I need somewhere to stay." Noriko half-closed her eyes, delighting in the warmth radiating from him.

"You still owe me. Why should I help you?" he teased. "I know how you can pay me for helping you in City M. You're mine now. If you're going to stay with me, that means being mine. You still want this?"

"Y-yeah. I do." She felt her phone buzzing in her hand again and looked down at the screen. Her phone was quickly taken by Sonic, who answered the call.

"Take a hint. She doesn't want you anymore. Where are we? Wouldn't you like to know?" He began to grin evilly and pulled the girl tighter against his chest. "Even if you do come here, I doubt she'll want to talk to you."

The clerk behind the counter was looking both irritated and a little worried now. There were no other customers in the store, but if it was damaged then he was still sure to catch hell from his boss. "Look, if you're going to fight Genos, take it outside! I can't have you destroying store property!"

Sonic cast a wicked glare in his direction before resuming his phone conversation. "You want to hear it from her yourself? Fine."

Noriko was nervous to go outside and it was only made worse when she spotted Genos standing a short distance down the street from the convenience store. Her heart raced when she saw his expression, seeing a fury that immediately sparked fear within her. Fighting her fear, she forced her green eyes to meet his gold and black ones. "Genos. I'm sorry. But I just can't do it anymore. You don't understand. You almost always succeed and even if you don't, things somehow turn out okay. I just can't handle failing anymore. Not when it means people dying. I want either you or Saitama to kill Kenta. Please."

His hands curled into fists, the spaces between his metal plates glowing orange in the dark, cold evening. "I will not do that. Master Saitama said that it is something that you must do yourself. It is important for you to do it yourself." Without hesitation, he lifted his hand and offered it to her. "Come back. We will help you. We will make sure that you do not feel the way that you felt today again. I cannot return without you, Noriko."

She bit her lip, his words making her chest feel tight. I still love him. I do. I love him and I love Saitama, but I can't do this. I can't. They won't let me be. They won't let me live a normal life and…I think that's what I really want right now. Normality. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself. "Genos, I can't go with you. I can't live there anymore. I'm sorry."

The blonde's hand began to lower, his frown deepening. "Where will you live? I will not stop seeing you just because you have moved. I will come to see you every day."

"I can't…hn. I can't see you anymore. Not that way. Genos…this is the end of that. This is the end of me being a hero, the end of me living with you and Saitama. This is the end of us. I can't date you anymore. I'm…dating Sonic now." As she said this, she felt the ninja draw close against her back and wrap his arms around her. Sorrow pierced her heart like a spike, but she knew it was for the best.

"Why him?" Genos' expression darkened, his voice full of rage. "Why him, Noriko? If it was Master Saitama, I could understand. I would be able to accept your decision if it was Master Saitama. But why would you choose someone like him?"

"He never stopped me from doing what I had to! He never went behind my back and tried to control an important part of my life! You wanted me to stop being a hero so I'd never get hurt, right?! Well I quit, finally! Too bad you can't enjoy the benefits of it!" She was trembling with anger now, barely soothed by the warm touch of the man behind her.

"I see. So that is how you really feel. If you had just told me that you felt this way, I am sure that we could compromise. We still can. Come back with me, Noriko. We will talk this through and make it work. Master Saitama will be pleased that you have returned. He was worried about you."

Sonic grinned at him over the girl's shoulder. "You really don't get it? She doesn't want you anymore; she wants me. Noriko belongs to me now. Isn't that right, my cute little kitten?" His lips brushed the side of her neck, feeling the cyborg's glare burning on him. "She dumped you. Again. So just get over it and leave us alone. I win. I can't wait to get her home and-"

Noriko saw the anger grow in the blonde's expression and her heart raced with panic. "Genos, please! Just go back to the apartment. I'm sorry. This is what I need. So please just let me live my life. I just want to live a normal life and Sonic will let me have that."

Genos shifted his glare from Sonic to Noriko when she began to speak and now he scowled at her. "Do you think that this decision is yours alone? Did you think that making this decision would not hurt me? Or did you even consider that?" The spaces between the metal plates started to glow more intensely and it was obvious that his anger was spiking higher. "I do not accept this decision. I will not let you leave me for Speed o' Sound Sonic." A hand raised, his palm directed at the two. "Incinerate!"