Chapter 10- the public eye.

Garou never told Melee this. But the kid that he keeps running into was really starting to grow on him. Not only that, but the kid, Tareo has seen him at his worst and yet still calls him a hero. In recent weeks, Garou would go to the schoolyard where Tareo played. He would keep watch over him to ensure no one was giving him a hard time. He would smirk to the memories of the kid, calling him old guy and even uncle, all because he had white hair. But now, the name Big Brother has really grown on him. He found him just recently in the schoolyard once more. Of course of all times he comes, Garou forgot to bring his book back to him. "Next time I will defiantly remember" he said to himself.

A part of Garou wanted to go down and see him, yet he knew with his appearance, it would draw trouble. He didn't want the kid to get in harms way again, not to mention Garou had gone through another dramatic change in appearance. It was in Tareo's best interest if he stayed away from him. For now, he would watch from afar. He was about to rest his eyes when he heard the voice. "So where's your monster now?"

His eyes opened. Garou kept to the tallest tree in the schoolyard, but could see everything. The same four boys who never left him alone were picking on the kid once more. He was about to go down and scare the piss out of them again when he saw something. Tareo took a stance. Not just any stance though. His feet shifted, his hands waved in the same method used as fist of flowing water! When he stood his ground, the other four were surprised. "Ooo copying your monster brother?" laughed the leader.

"No, but I am learning from his teacher. Master Bang!"

The four were confused. "You are taking lessons from Silverfang?"

"Yep, and I am going to get as strong as my big brother! Now, if you still want this fight, I am ready. If you don't then walk away, I won't strike you down."

For a chubby kid, he had guts. Garou watched with anticipation. He knows the kids won't back down, it's four against one. But still, he will keep a close eye and will step in if need be. The ringleader of the four stepped forward. "Okay, let's see how much you learned!" the kid charged right at him. In a calm and sweeping motion. Tareo knocked the kid off his feet! Using the kid's own momentum and his balance against him, the ringleader dropped and hit the ground hard!

"Yes!" cheered Garou. "Way to go brat!"

The other three decided to try and jump him. Tareo held his own for the most part, until the leader sucker punched him! He hit the ground, but he wasn't crying. The three boys stood up him and held him in place. "You need to learn, monsters don't win! Your so called 'big brother' is the enemy of the people, if you are with him, you are against all of us!"

The moment brought back dark thoughts to Garou. Tareo was treated the same way Garou was as a boy.

It was time to step in.

He jumped from the tree, as the kid went for the punch, Garou dropped from the sky, and caught the fist before it could make contact. The kid froze. His whole arm was engulfed in Garou's hand. "Not all monsters are monsters kid, people are them too… and I'm looking right at one."

Garou let the kid go, the three released Tareo and slowly backed away. "I would be more worried about my little brother here than me. There will come a day where I won't save you snot nose punks from him. It's best you leave him alone now, or… he will end up… Just… like… ME!"

The four uttered apologies and vowed they would never brother Tareo again. They ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. Garou, without even turning around, wrapped his tail around Tareo, tossed him up into the air and caught him on his shoulders.

"Whoa!" said Tareo. "You have a tail now? Wow… look at your wings!" The kid was in aw of him, it made Garou smile for a moment.

"I saw your moves, very impressive. How long have you been training?"

"I just started two weeks ago. All I am doing is waxing the floor though. I remembered Mr. Bang's stance after he was practicing himself. I don't know the full technique yet."

Garou sounded impressed. "That's impressive. But waxing the floors? That's hard, I did that too. It builds your arm strength and balance."

"Really? I thought it was a chore?"

"It is, but it isn't. How do you think I got so strong?"

He felt the kid rest his chin on his head. "Why do kids always pick on me?" he asked. "I didn't do anything to them. I said I liked you as my hero, but they said you didn't count. Monsters can't be heroes. But I disagreed."

He was touched. "Well, I think a hero depends on what they stand for. If a hero stands to defend others over themselves, it's a noble act. But they also need to see that people including heroes can be monsters too."

"You're really smart Big Brother."

"You're pretty strong squirt."

"You're not going to call me brat anymore?"

"Do you prefer brat?"

"Sort of. My dad calls me squirt, and I don't really like it."

"Brat it is."

Garou decided to walk the kid home, despite the stares he got and the occasional hero stopping and staring as he carried a child on his shoulders in a public street. "Does it not bother you?" Tareo asked. "I don't think it's fair that people look at you like that. I know you changed again. But you still aren't as scary as the last time."

"Meh, you get use to it." Garou explained. "Besides, there isn't much these people can really do to me. I am really strong, but I also need to be careful with my strength,"

"But, if you are so strong, you can do anything. If you can do anything, then why not tell these people that they shouldn't stare at you like this?"

'The kid has heart, I'll give him that' Garou thought. "As strong as I am, the power I have cannot change people's minds about it. If I used that and forced them to see me as something else, I will only be seen as a monster. You can't force people to like you, no more than I can force myself to be human again."

By the time he arrived at Tareo's house, Garou found himself getting the most hateful and angry glare of Tareo's mother. "You! Put down my son!"

Garou raised his arms as his tail coiled around Tareo, with great care he set him on the ground and backed away. "Mom! Quite embarrassing me, that's my big brother!"

"He's a monster!"

"He's not! He's my hero!" Tareo yelled. His mother was taken aback. "Every time I have been picked on, he came and helped me! It was him, no one else!"

His mother then stared at Garou who merely shrugged his shoulders. "I was in the neighborhood."

"He just helped me now too, the same boys that picked on me tried to fight me. I did okay thanks to master Bang, but Big Brother came in and helped me when I couldn't fight back anymore."

"You were in a fight!"

"They started it." Said Garou. "He warned them to back off, if they did, he wouldn't strike them. They chose to attack. I saw the whole thing."

The mother appeared confused. "Why would you help my son?"

Garou looked to Tareo and then to his mother. "Because, I have been there. I know the feeling of being alone because you chose to think differently than the others. If you don't follow the leader, you become the outcast. The popular kids get their way because they have the numbers. It's never easy,"

The mother was stunned by his words; Tareo crossed his arms and said. "You need to apologize to big brother."

She stumbled, yet surprisingly, she did just that and apologized to Garou. "I misjudged you." She said.

"I'm use to it." Garou then smiled as he ruffled Tareo's hair. "Later brat, keep up with the training."

He took to the skies and was on his way back home when something caught his eyes. Muman Rider was in the streets surrounded by a group of punks looking to put the hurt on him.

Garou made a brief stop. Taking a perch on a rooftop he watched as the spunky hero stand his ground, ready to fight despite his odds. "I remember him." Then he remembered how badly he beat up Muman Rider when he was hero hunting. Despite the fact that Muman Rider took a crushing blow from Tank Top Master for him, because he thought Garou was just a confused, punk kid. Then Garou smashed his face into the pavement. "Damn, and I need to apologize… I think I got just the way to do it."

Slinking down the side of the building, Garou waited in the shadows as the punks began to draw Muman into throwing the first punch. The leader was a balding teenager. He was the largest out of all of them, easily double Muman rider's size. "I will tell you want, you get the first hit! Come on hero, let's see what you got!"

Garou smiled as the guy put out his chin, with perfect timing, he shadowed Muman, moving so fast no one saw him and struck! The punk's leader flew down the street and hit the ground hard. But he wasn't done. Shadowing Muman, he struck down the other punks after all, they were about to strike him to avenge their fallen leader! Crowds gathered as it appeared Muman holding his own and taking down the punk group all on his own.

When the last one fell, Garou retreated back to the rooftop and watched on as the crowd cheered their hero. "It's not much, but hopefully it will do." Before Garou left, he swear, Muman Rider saw him on the rooftop before taking to the skies once more.