The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Eight

Homura sighed, swinging her school bag over her shoulder, walking in a hunched over position, not wanting to be noticed on her way home.

Her soft, brown hair was now hanging all in her face, causing her to grow very hot. Homura panted just a little, staring at her brown school shoes as she walked along the sidewalks of Japan.

In the distance, she could still hear kids yelling and cheering, glad to be going home after another rough day of schooling. But for Homura, going home only meant practice, and taking care of her ill mother since her father had to work to bring food to the table.

"Right..." Homura sighed, stopping just a little, looking up, even though she knew she was in front of the small convenience store that was on her way home. "I should probably buy something to make dinner with. I should call Mother to see what she's like..."

"Come back! Dafubo!" a woman screeched loudly, followed by the sound of a frightened cat and an angry dog. "Dafubo!"

Homura quickly turned around, only to find that a massive dog twice the size of her was running directly towards her.

Instinct taking over, Homura threw her school bag to the ground and took of rubbing, fear blinding her so she had absolutely no idea where she was even going. She had always had an irrational fear of dogs, and this one made that pointless fear even worse.

The cat was long gone, probably licking its paws in an alleyway in relief. Homura was now the dog's main target.

Screaming, Homura began to run even faster, adrenaline beginning to kick in. She was absolutely terrified, so terrified that she forgot to breathe.

Face red with sweat, Homura turned a corner, making the biggest mistake she had in a long time; she had entered a small alleyway with a quick dead end just a few feet away.

Backing into a wall, Homura closed her eyes, trembling as she tried to hide behind one of the huge trashcans there.

The dog, being the vicious hunter that it was, quickly turned into the alleyway, growling and sniffing as its loose, chain collar hung from his neck, his leash dragging the dusty, dirt ground.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" Homura screamed as loudly as she could, her heart pounding at such an incredible rate, she knew these just had to be her last moments before she passed out and went on to meet her sister.

At that moment, a great coincidence occurred; everything happened in slow motion.

"Doggy! Doggy! Doggy!" Jyushimatsu yelled out rambunctiously, stopping in front of the alleyway, his mouth in an open grin as he clutched his baseball bat. "Come here!"

He didn't see Homura, but the dog still did. Not only did the frightening dog see Homura, he also wanted to kill Homura like the beast he was.

"Dofubo?" Osomatsu called out, stopping in front of the alleyway with Jyushimatsu, followed by the four other freaking lookalike brothers that Homura didn't know. "What's wrong, boy?"

Dofubo, the dog, didn't move, his entire body stiff as he continued to snarl ferociously at Homura, who was cowering behind a trashcan.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she attempted to calm herself down. She knew, in situations like these, any animal would be able to smell how fearful she was, causing her to be an incredibly easy target.

"Help me..." Homura whimpered, but Dofubo's growls blocked out her voice. "Don't let me die here...Jyushimatsu, Osomatsu...please..."