"So…how many heroes volunteered?" Tsuyu was riding in a car along with the representative, traveling to meet with her mentor.
"Not very many. It seems like most of the heroes we asked thought that it was a joke email or spam." The man frowned and pulled up the list on his tablet. "Let's see. The ones that did reply are big name heroes. Metal Bat, Tanktop Master, Demon Cyborg, Stinger, and Fubuki." His eyebrows raised after reading the names. "They must have seen the video of your fight."
She leaned her head against the window, feeling the chill of the rainy afternoon through the glass and half-smiling. "Heheh…never heard of them."
"I'm really surprised about some of these. I didn't think Metal Bat or Demon Cyborg would ever be interested in taking students."
"So who won the drawing?" Her eyes slid closed and she took a shaky breath, trying to remain calm. The madness started to spike the second that she was out of the prison and she had to use immense control to keep herself from fleeing. The collar was secured tightly around her neck via some sort of fingerprint reading device in the dark rectangle and now there was a flashing light on the rectangle. She had been told that it would flash red if she got too far from her mentor.
The man scrolled through the information on his tablet and smiled. Turning to her, he knew that his news would cheer her up. "It looks like the winner was Tanktop Master, but they overturned the drawing before announcing the winner. Mumen Rider actually volunteered after hearing your request."
Tsuyu straightened in her seat and turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "R-really? He…really wants to be my mentor?"
"You must have made a good impression on him in City Z."
I tried to kill him. I froze him in place with my ice…and tried to stab him in the face. Why would he want to mentor me? The car pulled to a stop and she looked forward through the windshield to find the cyclist waiting for them on the sidewalk. Her pulse began to race again and she took deep breaths to try to keep her madness from taking over. It's okay. Look…a cute hero wants to mentor me. He wants to help me be a better person.
It was embarrassing to be seen in the sweatpants and t-shirt provided to her by the prison. They seemed to be from a lost and found because the shirt had little rabbit faces printed all over it and the navy blue sweatpants were a little baggy on her. The girl's hair was pulled up into a ponytail, loose strands of pure white hanging at either side of her face. She hated looking so unprofessional.
Anxious knots formed in her stomach as she got out of the car. To hide her trembling hands, she pushed them into the pockets of her sweatpants and hoped that the man would mistake her shaking for being cold. The representative got out as well and did a quick introduction between the two. Tsuyu bowed her head and was unsure of what to say after she was introduced. "I-I'm sorry…about last time," she finally mumbled.
"It's alright." Mumen Rider gave her a small smile and held out a hand for her to shake. "You were just scared, right? The Hero Association told me a little about your condition so-"
"You…heheheh! You don't understand! How could you understand?! I'm the only one, okay? The only one that has to live like this! The only one that lived through all of that! You have no idea…how…s-scared…I am right now." Tears formed in her eyes as she shook his hand, turning her head away to try to hide the sadness in her expression.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"
"It's alright; she just needs to calm down." The representative explained to him about the tracking device in Tsuyu's collar and gave him some instructions on how to help her calm down when her madness spiked. "So that's basically it. If she gets out of control, you can call a hero for back up."
"Um…okay. Thanks."
Tsuyu was a little glad when the car pulled away, but at the same time she was nervous. The man was trying to reassure her with his smile. It was cute. She wanted to believe that everything would be alright. I'm a hero now. I'm going to save people instead of killing them. And when I saved that little boy, it felt really nice. So maybe being a hero won't be so bad. I'm at the mercy of the Hero Association, but at least I'm not in prison. Or dead. The girl bowed to the man, biting the inside of her cheek. When she rose, she met his goggle-hidden eyes and managed a half-smile. "Thank you for this."
"W-well you're trying to turn your life around, right? And I heard that you wanted me to mentor you. I have to admit, it was a little confusing. Why did you want me?" He started walking with her down the sidewalk, the rain still falling steadily around them. When she moved closer to him beneath the umbrella, he flushed pink. "S-so you don't have anything, do you?"
"The representative…gave me some money for clothes and stuff."
"Okay, so we'll have to do some shopping, I guess."
"R-right…heh…this shirt…is pretty embarrassing," she agreed. Tsuyu was about to say more, but tensed when she heard a heavy thud behind her on the sidewalk. She immediately feared that it was a monster, which ignited the madness she had been trying so hard to bury.
Ice raced up along her forearms as she turned to face whatever the heavy object was. She was only vaguely aware of Mumen Rider greeting the newcomer before she raced at them. Her right arm drew back, already sharpening the ice into a bladelike form, and prepared to thrust it through the cyborg's head. He moved back, dodging her attacks as she pursued him. The rain puddles splashed beneath her as she stabbed at him again and again.
He watched her with an intensity in his gold and matte black eyes. Rain dripped from his blonde hair, running down the crevices in his metal shoulders and chest as he avoided her attacks. When his eyes narrowed, it was the only warning she received. A metal arm slammed hard into her midsection as he sped to meet her next jab and she was lifted into the air. He leapt after her and gripped both of the girl's wrists.
Flames seemed to gush out from his palms, racing up along her ice-covered forearms and melting it rapidly. She gritted her teeth, trying to muffle a scream of pain when it met her bare skin. The fire receded and she began to tremble, realizing that he was still holding her wrists. "L-let me go…let me go! Let go of me, please! I just…I just want to be a hero! I don't want-!"
His grip tightened and he stared down into her warm, golden brown eyes. "I am here to collect you for my master. You have the choice to come with me quietly or be dragged by force. Do you understand, Yukimura Tsuyu?"
Trembling in his hold, she nodded once. The madness was now completely overshadowed by fear. His master?! Who is this person and who is his master? What are they going to do to me? Realizing that he was still staring at her, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I…understand."
Mumen Rider began to protest, starting toward them down the sidewalk, but was soon left standing alone with his umbrella. The cyborg sprinted off down the street, carrying the girl in his arms. He remained silent during their travel, not noticing the sudden red light flashing on the female hero's collar.
Tsuyu's heart was racing, her madness threatening to take over again. "P-put me down…" she mumbled.
"I am taking you to my master's home."
"Put me down! Please! Y-you don't know…what's going to happen…if you…"
"I am certain that I can counter whatever attack you may be planning."
She clenched her eyes shut, her hands curling into tight fists. I can't…hold it back much longer. I want to…fight. I…want to kill him! I want to see oil or whatever the fuck is inside him spilled all over the ground! I want to see metal body parts scattered all over! Stop it! No! I don't…even…know him. Her eyes opened as he came to a stop, her hair and clothes now soaked from the rain.
He had stopped at what looked like a normal apartment building, but there was something off about it. The windows were all closed and from what she could see, the apartments were almost all vacant of occupants. "Yukimura Tsuyu. Starting today, I expect you to call me "Master" and do as I instruct."
Blood rushed to her cheeks and her self-control crumbled. Madness surged through her and she twisted violently, forcing her way out of his hold. The sole of her shoe made contact with his chest and she leapt backwards, ice racing up her arms like blades and along the ground beneath her. "Heh….heheheh! You bastard! Piece of scrap metal! Think you can…heh…think you can just snatch me up like that?! Huh? You have no idea how bad I want to tear you apart!"
Though slightly taken aback, his expression remained stern. "I will not allow you to defeat me. I have taken extra measures to insure that you will not escape me, Yukimura Tsuyu. I am your master now and you will listen to me."
She saw a glowing in his chest through the shirt that damply clung to his metal chest. It appeared in the palms of his hands as well and she felt her heart skip a beat. Tilting her head, she grinned and licked her lips. A strong opponent?! Strong like Speed o' Sound Sonic? Strong enough to take me on like a serious fucking opponent? She rushed forward, drawing back a hand and getting ready to stab into his chest.
The cyborg's speed was remarkable and forced the girl to push herself to keep up. He was watching her carefully, dodging her attacks and seeming especially protective of the center of his glowing chest. When she came in dangerously close, he gripped her wrist and twisted her arm sharply behind her back. She grimaced in pain, ice trying to spike up through his hand. Again, she felt that burst of heat from his palm and loosed a cry of agony as he burned into her flesh.
Tsuyu's back was pressed against his chest, his other hand gripping her opposite wrist. She thrashed and released ice all over the ground, forcing spikes to form at a rapid rate and feeling her energy begin to drain. Flames fanned out around him to melt them as rapidly as they appeared and finally she slumped forward. Her wrists were burned, her body felt drained, and she was only held upright by his grip on her arm and wrist. "…let…go…please…"
"Oh, hey. There you are, Genos. I was wondering where you went," a voice greeted them from the right. Standing just inside the building was a vaguely familiar bald man wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Uh…Tsuyu? What're you doing here? Wait. Wasn't she supposed to go with Mumen Rider?"
The blonde cyborg held her tighter against his chest and met the man's curious gaze. "Master, I located Yukimura Tsuyu and have brought her here."
"Genos…did you kidnap her?"