Chapter 2

He couldn't get out of the house.

Hunter tried time and time again to get up and out to do his hero duties before his rank slipped. He doubted that he got there because of what happened with the house of evolution being defeated. Yet he wasn't going to refuse the boost. He was mere steps away from behind in the S Class, he couldn't pass it up now!

Yet, each and every time he tried to escape. Hunter is stopped. No matter how careful, how silent or even stealthy he is, he hasn't made it pass the front door! It's been a week since the hero meeting and Hunter learning of his rank, he was still in great pain, but knew he could endure it. He has to get out to be sure he doesn't slip!

He tried everything though; escaping through the windows, bathroom window, back door, front door, sliding across the floor and even hovering with his esper power. Yet just as he reaches for the handle, he gets stopped. And not by his parents either!

Hunter was about to make his latest attempt, once more hovering off the floor and reaching the front door at 4 in the morning. His hand just grasped on to the handle when he heard him. "Going somewhere?"

"Damn it!" he muttered.

Hunter turned and saw Snek lingering in the living room. "I told you once, and I will tell you again. You ain't getting past me that easily!" Snek slithered up to Hunter and stood his ground. "Go back and rest!"

"Snek… I can't. I'm so close!" he pleaded.

"I know you are, but you are in no condition to be out and about like this. Get your ass back to bed, and sleep!"

Hunter refused, all the other times he went reluctantly. This time, he was going to stand his ground. "No," he said. "Look, my dad has been through worst than this. I'm his son. I can handle it!" he protested.

Snek's arms crossed. "Can you now? Prove it." He said defiantly.

Hunter was confused. "Prove it? How?"

"Like this." Snek suddenly wrapped Hunter up into his body. Not a tight coil at all, but enough that he would have to struggle a little to get out of it. Even in a light brace. Hunter felt his body burn in agony.

He tried to hide the discomfort on his face, but couldn't. Every inch of him scorched! Every muscle refused to work as his body froze in pain. "Now, when you break out of this, I'll let you go out of the house. Until then, you're mine!" Snek warned.

Hunter struggled, despite it all he knew he had to get back out there. He has to! He began to move about, summoning his strength to break free of Snek's grasp. He managed to dislodge his right arm, yet it was nearly unbearable! His arm ached and flinched from the struggle.

But he continued. His left arm was next to be released. Hunter swallowed his screams as he continued to resist and fight his way up and out of Snek's grasp. He was halfway there when his eyes rolled back, he limped forward and passed out from the pain of it all.

"Defiantly your father's son." Snek muttered. He uncoiled from Hunter and carried him back to bed.

#

Hunter woke.

He gasped for a moment as he sat himself up, somehow, he made it back to his room. "Damn it!" he cursed. Checking his clock, it wasn't 4am anymore. It was 1 in the afternoon!

He snapped out of his bed, yet winched in pain from it. He limped his way out of his room and saw Snek at the kitchen table. His mother was near by as was his father. "Sneaking out again?" his mother questioned.

"Mom, I got to get this done, see this through!" he protested. "I am so close I can taste it now!"

"Question is, how did you get to rank 5? You said so yourself, you haven't done much since reaching class A. Our incident with the house of evolution wouldn't have boosted your ranks this much unless you did everything Snek did," his father said. "Then again if you did everything Snek did, you would have been in S Class by now."

Hunter was silent. "Dad…"

"You can climb again, when you are healed, you can blow through the others no problem. Is it so wrong to take time to recover?" he asked.

"You didn't." Hunter snapped back. "I have heard the stories about you dad. I heard how you endured hell time and time again when you yourself should have been recovering. Yet, you fought on."

"I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Listen to your father, Hunter. You need to rest. I insist you rest! I am not even fully healed!"

"Mom…" he moaned. "I can do this!"

His parents exchanged an odd look between each other. Snek appeared rather startled. "What, you aren't really considering letting him go out there, are you?"

"Stay out of this please, Snek!" said Hunter. "Mom… dad… I can do this!" he said more slowly. "Please…"

"He hasn't managed to get out of my coil. I made him a deal if he could, I won't stop him. He hasn't yet, and I am not even constricting him."

Garou appeared intrigued. "Interesting proposal. I like that idea… How far has he come?"

"He can get himself half way out. But other than that, it gets to be too much."

"Then do it again! Right here and now! I'll break free of it!" Hunter said.

Snek shrugged his shoulders. "You asked for it." Once more he coiled around Hunter, not too tightly, but enough that he will feel it on his damaged skin. Hunter's body still ached, yet compared to this morning. It wasn't so bad! It burned still, the agony remained, and yet, he found his pain threshold growing. He could endure it! Slowly, he freed his arms. Then he began to pull the rest of his body out. Hunter screamed out in pain as he just managed to pull his hips through. Then, his legs. He tumbled back and hit the floor rather hard, he bit his lip to hold back the scream but he freed himself from Snek's challenge.

"Well I'll be damned." Said Snek.

Hunter slowly picked himself up off the ground, he turned to his parents and said. "I can do this!" he said more defiantly.

His mother turned to his father. He gave a nod. "Ok… but Saitama and or Genos need to be with you just in case." She said.

"I would go with him but I may be too much baggage for him," Said Snek.

"I won't lie, I am tempted on that motion."

"Dad!" Hunter protested.

"You are still not at 100 percent. You maybe my son, but you are not me. Now, what's it going to be? Do I go and ensure Saitama or Genos are with you. Or do you take Snek along?"

"Either way kid, my schedule is clear." Said Snek.

There was little choice in the matter. If Hunter takes his father with him and neither Genos or Saitama are home, he will be forced to go home. Snek sitting there at the kitchen table ready to go. There was no choice. "If you will come with me please Snek." Hunter said begrudgingly.

Snek smiled. "See you two later. Come on kid, let's go."