Here to Mars

by strawberriesxkiwi

Mitsuki Wakahisa's life has just been sent into a downward spiral with the loss of her job. Now she has to deal with the literal crash landing of our favorite bald man into her apartment. How will she deal with these new turn of events?

21. The Man That Became a Monster

Thank you to: XxShinigami-EmpressxX; keller7586354274483; No-Amy007; Mernom; dxttebayo; The Otome Novelist; Ponyo97; Flareterra; LitleRedFoxy; XxsatanicteddybearxX and AngelicMagic01 for the follows!

Thank you to: XsatanicteddybearxX; LittleRedFoxy; NightWindAlchemist; PandaBearKay; The Otome Novelist; dxttebayo; Xelia Lagan; No-Amy007; Storytelling-Doll and XxShinigami-EmpressxX for the favorites!

Tsukino Aisuru: I probably would have, too! But that's Airi for you. Lol. Yes! She finally confessed her lurve~!

37: Maybe he will. Lol.

Mianko: Aaaah. Thank you so much! I'm not good enough to be anyone's Sensei. Noooo! Don't be reading at work! I don't want you to get in trouble!

Lovinurbuks: I might. -wink wink- I'm quite known for destroying the utter crap out of hearts. You really shouldn't trust me with those organs of yours. Lol. I'm a horrible caregiver.

Lightningblade49: Yessssssssssss. I'm trying to figure that out currently.

One Anonymous Writer: OMG! Thank you so much! I'm blushing like a tomato here! You're so sweet! Don't worry! I have no plans on stopping any time soon! Chuu~!

XxsatanicteddybearxX: Lol! Airi would have beaten up, too, if she were my friend! No, I do not have a deviant art page BUT I do have a Tumblr and I will post it under the comments for you guys to follow if you so wish! I'm a little iffy about deviant art because of the recent thefts. Thank you so much!

Big Fan(Guest): I LOVE YOU, TOO! Thank you so much! Glad I could make you happy with my sexy times writing! Lol.

Jack hopper: Thank you! No, I don't think I'll be making an OC for Genos. I don't want to overrun this story with OC's so unfortunately, the demon toaster will be staying single for now. I might change my mind.

Okay! Sorry for taking so, so long! I've been juggling some issues with health and a short that a friend of mine requested me to write for her character! Sorry if this chapter seems a bit all over the place? My mind is all over the place and I tried to fix it as much as possible. Anyway, for the love that asked if I had a deviant art (XxsatanicteddybearxX, love you~!), I do not but I have a Tumblr: .com. So if you wish to go follow me on that, please know that you are very, very welcome! It's quite bare at the moment considering I just started it...Enjoy the chapter! Chuu~!

Chapter 21: The Man That Became a Monster

I was quiet on the drive home, thinking back to what happened between Saitama and I. 'I confessed to him but he said he didn't understand what love was.' Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair and rubbed my face.

"What's wrong, Mitsuki?" Airi asked, turning the music down and giving me a quick glance. "Are you thinking about the origin of that hickey of yours?" She inquired in a flirty tone, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Shut up. I should have never told you that we had sex." I muttered, frowning and covering my face. She scoffed, ruffling my hair.

"I would have found out anyway. Not like you can hide anything from me, love." Airi jested, laughing. "Tell me, though. Was he big?" She asked, smirking.

My cheeks turned a bright red and I smacked her. "Stop it!" I shrieked at her as my face heated up.

"So he is! How big?! I wanna know! Come on now, I'm driving!" Airi laughed, pushing my hands away.

"Airi-chan!" I hissed at her, covering my face again as we stopped at a red light.

"Just tell me!" She insisted, poking me in the arm. "No, no! Show me! COME ON!" Airi pushed me until I showed her the size of Saitama's cock. "That fucking big?! Holy shit! How did it fucking fit?!" She screeched, hitting the gas a bit too hard and lurching us forward. "Oops, my bad. But seriously, how the fuck did Gigantor fit?!" Airi asked, her eyes wide as she turned back to the road.

I snorted at her calling it Gigantor and shook my head. "I don't know. I was pretty turned on." I admitted, feeling shy at remembering it.

"Jesus. I think that's going to be his nickname from now on." Airi decided, shaking her head.

"No! No, don't you dare call him that! He can't know that I told you!" I shouted at her, whirling around to glare at the grinning brunette. "Airi-chan, I'm serious! He can't know!" I insisted, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Alright, alright. My lips are sealed." Airi made the motion of zipping her lips, locking it and tossing the key. "You're such a slut." She snickered, earning another smack from me.

"Shut up!" I yelled at her. When we got back to her apartment, I dragged myself over to the couch and flopped onto it while groaning. The tinkle of Mochi's bell reached my ears and I glanced up to see the furry white cat sitting right in front of me, staring at me with big eyes. "Hello, Mochi-chan. Did you miss us?" I asked, reaching out to pet her. She nuzzled my hand and began purring as I scratched her behind her ears. "I missed you, too. What was supposed to be a vacation turned into somewhat of a nightmare, Mochi-chan, and now I'm more confused than ever." I complained to the white cat.

"He's just being a weenie. He'll come around when he realizes that he can't be without you." A high-pitched voice responded to my complaint and I deadpanned, getting up on my elbows to see Airi smiling at me from her door. "That and the sex was mind blowing." She added before disappearing into her room.

"Maybe for me." I grumbled, dropping back down onto my stomach.

"Doubt it!" Airi yelled back, grunting as she dropped her suitcase. "Oops! Sorry, neighbors!" She called out and I giggled, continuing to scratch Mochi. "Let's order out tonight." Airi said, jumping on top of me and I grunted from the sudden weight. "Pizza sound good?" She asked, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her chin on my head.

"Pizza sounds fine." I wheezed out, struggling to catch my breath.

"Great! We'll get the usual, maybe add two slices of cheesecake for later." Airi mused, sighing as she relaxed against me. "You're so comfy, Mitsuki." She pointed out, snuggling up to me.

"Nice to know but you're crushing me." I croaked, flailing my legs. "Get off!" Putting all of my strength into my arms, I pushed both of us up and flung her off me.

"Oof!" Airi cried out as she collided with the floor, spread eagle.

"That's what you get." I huffed, laying back down and scowling at her. Airi whined and rolled around on the floor, complaining. "Stop. I don't care." I interrupted her, rolling my eyes.

"So mean. You don't get cheesecake, then." Airi stated, getting up and walking to the kitchen to grab the pizza menu.

"NO! I'm sorry! I want cheesecake!" I wailed, following her and wrapping my arms around her waist. "Airi-chan, please!" I stomped my feet, acting like a child as I threw a temper tantrum.

"Alright, alright! But only because you make such a cute face when you complain. No wonder Saitama can't say no to you." Airi snickered when I pouted and let go of her, crossing my arms. She ordered the pizza and we went back into the living room, plopping down on the couch and spread our limbs across each others. "Ugh, I don't want to go to work tomorrow. We have this meeting and I'm not looking forward to it at all." Airi complained, groaning.

"You could always call in sick." I offered, lifting my head from the arm rest.

Airi snorted and shook her head, "And get reprimanded? No, thank you. Nah, I'll just suck it up and go in. What's the worst that could happen?"

~The Next Day, Airi's P.O.V~

My heels clicked against the hard floor as I made my way towards the elevator and I sighed, checking my hair in my phone's reflection to make sure it was perfect. 'I hope Mitsuki's okay.' I prayed, pressing the down button and straightening my pencil skirt. I had dropped her off at work and she had a solemn look on her face even with me poking fun at her. 'Saitama needs to hurry the fuck up and girlfriend that woman. I know he knows he loves her. What's with that fucking bullshit 'I don't understand what love is' crap? Don't understand love, my ass. He understands it enough to have sex with her and get jealous whenever she gets too close another man.' I huffed, not realizing that there was someone standing next to me.

Turning around, I saw that it was Blue Fire and he had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he waited for the elevator. He glanced over at me, taking in my appearance before turning away. "Have something on your mind?" He asked just as the doors opened and we both stepped inside.

"Just some personal things." I answered, pressing the button for the underground meeting room.

"I see. I hope they don't get in the way of you doing your job proficiently." Blue Fire stressed, shooting me a glare from his peripherals.

"Yes, sir." I responded in a robotic tone. Irritation flared up in my chest at his 'better than thou' attitude but I squashed it down and allowed him to get out of the elevator first when we reached our floor, following after him. That was one of the things I hated most about this job, bowing down to assholes like him. But I needed it and the pay was great so I dealt with it. Pushing open the door, my eyes widened as they fell upon a giant group of people standing in front of me as well as several A class heroes lined up next to a podium.

Scurrying over to one of the higher ups, Shicchi, I climbed up the steps of the podium and stood behind him, placing my phone into my pocket. I took a closer look at the crowd Shicchi was talking to and furrowed my eyebrows; they were all criminals, majority of them with high bounties on their heads. 'What the hell is Shicchi thinking bringing them here?!' I pondered, backing up until I felt my back hit the wall.

"Please rest assured that this has nothing to do with your bounties nor your business in the underworld." Shicchi spoke to the crowd, leaning forward onto the podium. "This is not a trap so we can speak freely here. Also, don't mind the heroes that came here with us. They're our bodyguards." He insisted and the crowd began laughing, making me feel extremely uneasy. "They won't act as long as you don't act." He added and the crowd shifted, whispers and murmurs breaking out about taking over the headquarters right there.

"Shicchi, sir, I don't think this was a good idea." I murmured to the man, swallowing the lump in my throat. He glanced over at me over his shoulder and hissed at me to be quiet, turning back around.

"All of the most wanted criminals are gathered here from escaped convicts to contract killers." Blue Fire commented, scanning the crowd as they jeered.

Another here, one that I could never remember his name, nodded and wondered aloud what the Hero's Association was thinking with a smirk on his face while adjusting his top hat.

"They're looking down on us, those pigs. That's why they came here. The reason why they were called is unknown." A burly hero with long nose hair crossed his muscular arms and snorted.

'Fundoshi, his name was.' I reminded myself. Feeling a bit more relieved knowing that there three A class heroes here with us, I forced myself to relax a bit as Shicchi continued only to get interrupted once again.

"Where's the hero Saitama?" A voice way in the back of the crowd asked. "Does he not live here?" He asked, making everyone in the crowd turn towards him.

'Why does he want to know where Saitama is?' I tilted my head in confusion. Squinting my eyes, I recognized that it was the ninja that started the fight in front of the cafe. 'Shit.' I bit the inside of my lip as I watched him closely.

"If he's not here, then I've got no reason to stay. He's my only target." The ninja turned to leave, stopping when Blue Fire addressed him.

"I will not allow you to leave without us being heard out." He demanded, pointing at him.

Ninja raised an eyebrow and tossed up a bunch of papers into the air, "All of the occurrences of disasters that have been above tiger level are rising at an alarming rate. It was six times higher this month than it's ever been in three years, correct? I suppose this is the omen that prophet, Shibabawa, spoke of. Something about "the earth is in trouble", yes?" He watched as the papers fluttered to the ground with a detached expression.

"What?! T-That guy...I...I didn't even hand those out yet!" Shicchi whirled around to glare at me and I glanced over at the table that held the pamphlets, shaking my head.

"I didn't give him one, sir. I don't know how he got one!" I insisted, holding my hands in front of me. 'I have a really bad feeling about this meeting. I want to leave. I want to leave!' The urge to text Fubuki to come get me rose in my stomach and my hand inched towards my phone in my pocket, slowly taking it out.

"The heroes will be overwhelmed if the frequency of the power of monsters and the intensity of the disasters increase. Shibabawa predicted that the greatest danger has yet to come and is supposed to arrive within six months. It is also said that it is unavoidable." The black haired ninja continued, a smug smile on his face as he stared at us. My eyes flitted between him and Shicchi, not wanting to believe that he wanted to use criminals as heroes. "Since S class heroes apparently have their hands full with other issues, you're requesting help from the underground regardless of whatever faction they seem to belong to. That's pretty much what this meeting about, isn't it? Well, I refuse." His smile grew and I felt like vomiting right then and there.

My legs wobbled and I glared at Shicchi's back. 'What kind of game are you playing, Shicchi?! Involving criminals?! We're gonna get killed!' I squeezed my phone in my hand and squashed down the whimper that threatened to escape my throat. 'No! Be strong! BE STRONG!' Taking a deep breath, I stood up straight and stared straight ahead despite the shaking of my hands.

"The thought of me playing heroes with you lot makes me sick. I'm leaving." Ninja announced and turned around, striding away with a confident air about him to where the crowd parted for him.

"Is this true?!" Blue Fire yelled at us, making me flinch at the harshness of his tone. "This is the Hero's Association's decision?! To seek help from criminals?!" He demanded, veins appearing on his face as he screamed at us and his eyes flitted between Shicchi and I.

Shicchi stayed silent for a few seconds before finally answering, "Yes. If humanity doesn't work together, we will never overcome this wall that stands in front of us! That's why we called them here! What we have right now in all of the classes is clearly not enough!" He then turned back to the crowd and addressed them. "We don't expect you to kill monsters for free so for every kill, you will receive a hefty reward and we will not acknowledge any robberies nor assassinations!" Shicchi insisted, grabbing the podium and rocking it forward.

Fundoshi shook his head, muttering that it was a waste of money and that they were all useless. One of the criminals jumped next to him, brandishing a knife and waving it around as he challenged the large hero.

"Sir, please don't threaten the heroes." I spoke up, stepping forward.

He shifted his direction to me and smiled widely, licking the knife. "Oh? Do you want to be cut up in his place, pretty girl? You know, I prefer girls with bigger tits but I guess you'll have to do." He began to creep near me. I took a step back while glaring at the criminal.

Fundoshi slammed his fist down into the creep, creating a crater in the floor. "They have no morals nor do they follow any beliefs!" He cried out, throwing daggers at the unconscious man. He then glanced over at me and nodded his head once before turning away. Shicchi stuttered as he tried to reason with Fundoshi but the muscled hero refused to hear it, set in his thoughts.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" A voice rang out, capturing our attention. "This supposed prophecy hit the big one! THE BIG ONE!" A young man with spiky white hair smiled widely as he stared at the fallen papers that the ninja had tossed up in the air. He had sharp features and was wearing a tight fitting black shirt with loose white pants.

I cocked my head. 'Now where have I seen that look before?' I thought as I stared at the kid. The image of Bang popped up into my head and a conversation that Mitsuki and I had a while ago also surfaced about an old disciple of Bang's that he banished. 'Oh, god. Is this him?' My stomach clenched at the thought and I started scooting towards the back, not wanting to be anywhere near him.

"This prophet is amazing! She's even predicted a disaster of God level?!" The kid continued, his smile growing larger.

"Another crazy one, it seems." The magician hero sighed, shaking his head. "I guess those who live in the dark side all have a screw loose or something." He commented, Blue Fire grunting in response. I kept my eye on the white haired kid, fear bubbling up in my chest.

'There's something off about this guy. Really, really off.' I concluded, my legs beginning to shake. I didn't want to be there anymore and I was beginning to feel sick with how scared he made me feel.

"You gotta admit, though!" The kid called out, turning his yellow eyes to Shicchi. "The old man was right. All of you could gang up on me but none of you would win." He stated, his face taking on a dark expression. A shiver ran up my spine and I backed up until my back hit the wall, the fear in my chest spreading throughout my body. "My name is Garou! I am the man who worships monsters and has already demolished countless dojo during my training!" He announced and held his arms up, glancing around the crowd. "There's plenty of provisions here! Enough fodder for me to get stronger! So...LET'S DO THIS!" Garou yelled, shaking his arms to loosen up.

"Shicchi, I really think we should leave." I squeaked out, unable to tear my eyes away from Garou. Shicchi ignored me, staring at the white haired kid in annoyance.

"Damn, I can feel the rush!" Garou yelled, laughing maniacally. "Come on! Bring it already!" He demanded, making "come here" motions. He was getting annoyed by the lack of responses and growled. "We're all gathered here in one spot and I want to find out who's the strongest! That's the reason I'm here!" Garou bellowed out, making a fist.

Shicchi rolled his eyes and sighed, "Stop it. I didn't gather everyone for such a silly matter. You can leave now." He waved his hand towards Garou and I could see the white haired kid's eye twitch.

'Oh, no. This is not going to end well at all.' I gulped and pressed myself into the wall, curling in on myself. "Shicchi, I don't think this is a good idea. I think we should leave." I repeated but once again, I was ignored and I felt faint from fear, my breath shaky.

"Silly?" Garou's voice took on an ominous tone as he tilted his head to the side. "Is this how you treat your guests, Officer of Justice-san?" He asked before nodding and stepping forward. "I see. I've made up my mind, then." Garou pointed two fingers at Shicchi and grinned maliciously, "I'm gonna punish the cowards. Time to conduct evil." He cracked his neck and stood up to his full height. "I'm gonna make this a slaughter party." His grin widened as he glared at us.

"F-Fubuki..." I whimpered, closing my eyes and praying.

~Saitama's P.O.V~

I stared up at the ceiling, wallowing in what Genos called self despair. Letting out a sigh, I ran my hands up and down my face. 'What is WRONG with you?! Why did you tell Mitchan that?! I don't know what love is?! You lying sack of shit! You know damn well you love her. So why did you lie?' I mentally chastised myself, digging my fingers into my temples.

'Because I don't want her to get hurt by being with me.' I argued with myself, knowing that it was shitty excuse. Footsteps took me out of my thoughts and I sat up a bit, seeing my disciple walking into the living room while glaring daggers at me. "What? Why are you giving me that look, Genos?" I challenged, my mood souring more than it already was.

"Why did you lie to Mitsuki-san? You know she loves you." Genos spoke in an icy tone and I froze, a frown settling on my face. "And I know very well that you love her as well, Sensei. So I am repeating my question: Why did you lie to her?" He emphasized the words as he sat down, his hands making fists by his side as anger radiated off of him.

I sighed through my nose and sat up completely, rubbing my eyes. "I don't want her to get hurt by being with me." I began.

"What a bold faced lie!" Genos cut me off, raising his voice and taking me aback. "Mitsuki-san will be in danger regardless of who she is with! She works for an S class hero, is friends with another and is in love with a B class! What makes you think that she is safe in any way by not being with you?!" He hissed at me, slamming a dent into the floor. "Mitsuki-san will be targeted by others no matter what! You are just making excuses because you are scared!" Genos stood up and grabbed my shirt, yanking me close to him as he snarled. "I will not allow you to hurt Mitsuki-san just because you are too much of a coward to admit that you want to be with her."

With that, he pushed me away and stomped out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him so hard that the hinges broke. I was left on the floor, breathing hard and my mind reeling at his outburst. 'He's right. He's completely right. You're nothing but a coward.' The voice in the back of my head agreed with Genos and I gripped my head, squeezing my eyes shut and putting my head in between my knees.

"I know." I whispered. "I know." I felt so torn about what to do and threw myself back onto the futon. Closing my eyes, I thought back to what happened between Mitchan and I, her moans and cries flitting through my mind. Gritting my teeth as desire coursed through my body, a shaky sigh escaped past my teeth and my pants tightening. 'You want her like that again. So vulnerable beneath you, only crying out your name and begging for you.' The voice teased, more images of that moment flashing behind my eyelids.

I couldn't get the way she moaned my name out of my head, the way she looked at me as if I was the only person on Earth that mattered to her. 'In a way, you are, dumb ass.' The voice retorted and I huffed, pinching the bridge of my nose. 'Just make her your girlfriend already, idiot. Before she moves on.' It clucked before disappearing and leaving me by myself.

"Fuck." I murmured, covering my eyes with my arm. 'What am I going to do?'

~Mitsuki's P.O.V~

My fist connected with Charanko's shoulder and I knocked him to the floor, straddling him as I held him down.

"Well done, young one." Bang complimented me and I climbed off of the messy haired man, helping him off.

"Yeah, good job. That punch really hurt." Charanko stated, rubbing his shoulder and wincing.

"Sorry." I apologized, grimacing. I had been focusing all of my anger and frustration into training, using it as a way to blow off steam. As I taking large gulps of my water, Charanko stood behind me and glanced at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Still haven't gotten on better terms with Saitama?" He asked and blinked. He inhaled sharply when he saw me grip the water bottle so hard that it was crushed beneath my hand. "Ah, okay. That's weird. I thought I cleared things up with him." Charanko mumbled to himself as he turned away but I heard him and grabbed his gi.

"What was that?!" I hissed at him and he held up his hands defensively. "You cleared what up with Saitama?! Tell me!" I demanded, shaking the poor man roughly.

"Okay, okay! I talked to him about the hickey I left on your neck! I told him that it was a simple mistake and that you denied me in favor for him! That's all I said, I swear! Please stop shaking me, Mitsuki!" Charanko begged as his head whipped back and forth from the force I was using and I let him go, hearing him drop to floor with a thump. "Ow." He groaned.

I ignored him and whirled around, searching for my phone to text Airi about the new development. 'That bald headed son of a bitch! He knew! He had some knowledge of my feelings for him! Yet he still refuses to return them!' Growling as I pulled my phone out my purse, I typed the message out and was about to send it when a phone call from an unknown number interrupted it. I tilted my head, confused, but answered it anyway, "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Mitsuki Wakahisa?" A young man's voice sounded out from the other side. I confirmed it, getting more and more perplexed by the second. "Alright. Wakahisa-san, I'm calling from the local hospital at the request of Ueno Airi. She's requesting that you make your way to the Tokuda Hospital as soon as possible, please." The man stated, clicking away on his computer.

"A-Ah...w-what's going on?" I asked, worry filling up my chest. My mouth dried up as I began to collect my purse and point to the door, Bang nodding understandingly. Slipping on my shoes, I began descending the stairs as quickly as I could without falling. "Is she okay?! Has she been hurt?!" I questioned, hysteria replacing the worry and tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

"She's fine physically but mentally, we're not too sure. She's just constantly asking for you and her girlfriend so please hurry. We'll escort you to her room once you're here, ma'am." The young man explained and hung up. The tears began pouring down my face and once I reached the bottom of the steps, I took off towards the hospital.

'Fuck! What happened?! Shit shit shit!' I wiped at the tears and pushed myself to go faster, stopping once I reached the hospital, gasping for air. The hair at the back of my neck stood up as the feeling of being watched washed over me and I whirled around, glancing around me. "You're being paranoid, Mitsuki." I chastised myself out loud, shaking my head and heading into the hospital. Running up to the receptionist, I quickly told them who I was here for and they led me to Airi's room. "Airi-chan, are you okay?!" I yelled, running into the room only to stop in my tracks when I spotted a woman with short, choppy dark green hair standing next to a shaking Airi trying to comfort her.

Light green eyes turned to me, hardening as soon as we made eye contact. She placed a pale hand on her hip, calling attention to the curve hugging, green dress that she was wearing while her multiple necklaces clinked together as she moved. High heeled boots that went all the way up to her thighs accentuated her long legs and she had an air of confidence around her that suffocated me. All in all, she was a gorgeous woman.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my girlfriend's room?!" The woman demanded, looking me up and down in a disgusted manner. "I thought I told those imbeciles not to let anyone else in! Honestly!" She scoffed, raising her hand. I backed up immediately, remembering Airi telling me that Fubuki was an esper.

"W-Wait! Wait! I-I'm Airi-chan's friend! I w-w-was called here by the n-nurse! H-He s-s-said A-Airi-chan r-r-requested m-me!" I stuttered, holding my hands up defensively and waving them about. Fubuki stopped, eyeing me with doubt. "I swear!" I insisted, sweating. "Please don't fling me out the door." I begged in a quiet voice and Fubuki tilted her head at that.

"Oh? You're aware of my abilities? Hmm." She lowered her hand and once again looked me over, her eyes more thoughtful this time. "Now that I look more closely at you, you seem familiar. Perhaps Airi has mentioned you once or twice." Fubuki commented, tapping her chin with her forefinger. "Fine. If my love has requested you personally, I guess I will allow you to stay." With that, she turned back to Airi and sat down on the bed, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

I walked up to the bed slowly and sat down at the foot of the bed, touching Airi's leg. "Airi-chan? It's me, Mitsuki. I'm here like you asked." Rubbing circles into her blanketed leg, I scooted closer and gave her a weak smile. Light green eyes looked up at me and suddenly, Airi dove for me and knocked me back, surprising both Fubuki and I. "Airi-chan!" I called out and was about to push her off but stopped when she began sobbing. "Hey, it's okay. Fubuki-san and I are here now." I whispered to her soothingly, glancing up at Fubuki.

"I saw him." Airi whispered to me, stilling my movements. "I saw him, Mitsuki. He was terrifying. No one could stop him. Not even the A class heroes. Blue Fire...Blue Fire lost his arm. I watched it all happen. He had a smile on his face the entire time." She dug her nails into my arms, causing me to wince. "He's looking for everyone and anyone that's a hero or connected to one." Airi stated, wrapping her arms around my neck. "He knew who I was, who my girlfriend was. He knows who you are." Airi murmured and the hairs on my neck stood up as my eyes widened. "I saw Garou." She repeated, pulling away from me and letting me see the bruises on her.

There were finger marks on her neck and bruises on her face; including a black eye, chest and arms. I touched them gingerly, watching the tears stream down her face and feeling my own tears bubble up behind my eyes. "He kept demanding information but...I wouldn't give it to him." Airi gave me a faltering smile as she took my hands into hers while Fubuki hugged her.

"You...fucking idiot." I choked out. "I can handle myself so you should've just opened your big mouth." Squeezing her hands, I bent forward and touched them to my forehead. "You're so damn stupid...getting hurt for me." I sobbed out.

"You're my best friend, Mitsuki." Airi responded without hesitation. "There was no way in hell I was going to sell you out to that monster." She murmured, holding just as tightly onto my hands.

I looked up her and sighed, shaking my head as I smiled. "And you're mine...dumb dumb." Airi chuckled at that and sniffled. I stayed at the hospital with her for a few hours, watching the interaction between her and Fubuki. The esper was gentle with her and a bit overbearing, even getting flustered whenever Airi teased her, going so far as to pout while her face turned red. Glancing at the time, I got up from the bed and grabbed my purse.

"Where are you going?" Airi asked, grabbing my arm and pulling me back.

"I gotta feed Mochi-chan." I replied, gently taking her hand off my arm and squeezing it. "Your diva of a cat needs to eat somehow, right?" I giggled and let go of her hand, promising to be back tomorrow before leaving and waving bye to Fubuki. As I walking down the hall, Fubuki stopped me, calling my name. Turning around, I stopped and waited until she caught up to me. "What is it, Fubuki-san? Did I forget something in the room?" I asked.

Fubuki shook her head and walked straight up to me, staring down at me. "Do you happen to know that bald hero...Saitama, was it?" She asked, crossing her arms.

I furrowed my brows at the question. 'Why does she want to know?' I asked myself but internally shrugged, figuring it was a harmless question. "Yes, I do. He's my...," I paused, unsure of what he was to me currently. "Ah...well...it's complicated but, yes, I know him." I answered, brushing my hair behind my ear. "Why do you want to know, Fubuki-san?" I asked her but she just shrugged, smirked and walked back to the room. 'Well, that was weird...' Scrunching up my nose in confusion, I shrugged and headed out, walking towards Airi's apartment.

The sun was beginning to set, fewer people on the streets as it got darker. 'I should hurry up.' I thought to myself and picked up the pace, fishing out the extra key Airi gave me this morning. Just as I was getting closer to the apartment, the feeling of being watched fell over me again and I stopped, every nerve in my being on edge. My breath became bated as I stared out of my peripherals and my muscles stiffened. 'Get into the apartment. NOW!' My brain screamed at me and I forced my legs to push myself up the stairs, fumbling to open the door as fear spread throughout my body.

"Come on!" I screamed at myself, finally getting the door open and rushing inside, slamming the door behind me. Quickly locking it, I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, all of my adrenaline depleting out of my body as I leaned my head against the wood. Covering my face with my hands, I released my pent up breath and my muscles relaxed, a weary feeling washing over me. "Saitama..." I whimpered out, my body beginning to shake. I wanted nothing more than to have the bald man here with me, holding me.

A meow snatched me out of my thoughts and I glanced between my fingers to see Mochi sitting in front of me, her head tilted to the side as her tail swished side to side. "Right. I need to feed you. How about some wet food tonight, pretty girl?" I said, forcing myself to stand up and walk to the kitchen to get her bowl. My hands shook as I tried to get the can open, struggling as the white cat weaved in and out of my legs. "I know, I'm sorry." I whispered my apologies as I continued to struggle, finally getting it open with a frustrated tug. Scooping the wet food into her bowl, I put it onto the floor and dragged myself towards the couch, flopping down onto it.

I fell into a fitful sleep, waking up every other hour flailing and kicking. By the time the morning rolled around, I was sleep deprived and felt horrible and downright sick. 'Maybe I should call in sick.' I thought, staring at Charanko's number with half lidded eyes. 'No. I need to go to work. It'll do me no good to sit here and push myself further into worry.' Forcing myself up, I changed out of my gi and into a light blue, knee-length dress. I put my hair up into a ponytail and applied some make up to make myself seem less zombie like, grabbing my purse as I headed for the door. "Bye, Mochi-chan! I'll be back later after I visit your mom. Maybe she'll be discharged today." I hoped out loud, scratching the cat behind her ear.

Before I could touch the doorknob, the door swung open on its own and I was greeted by Fubuki, her arms crossed under her full breasts. I blinked and was about to say hello when I felt the floor beneath me give way. I shrieked as Fubuki rose me into the air and flipped me over, causing me to grab my dress so that my panties weren't on display.

"Fubuki-san, what are you doing?!" I screeched, feeling all of my blood rush to my head. She didn't answer me and telekinetically put my flats on for me. "T-Thank you but you still haven't answered my question!" I cried out as we started moving down the stairs, the door slamming shut and locking behind us. Fubuki remained silent as we walked through alleyways, avoiding being seen. "Fubuki-san, I'm feeling lightheaded." I complained, gripping my dress.

My right eye twitched at being ignored once again until we stopped and I realized where we were. We stood outside of the gates that cut off the condemned area of Z city from the rest of it, where Saitama lived. I instantly frowned, "You're planning on using me as bait?!" I began to struggle and shriek. "That's why you asked if I knew him?! Are you kidding me?!" I aimed a kick at her but she dodged it and continued to ignore me.

Two burly men walking towards us caught my eye and I stopped fighting, glaring at them as they got closer. "Finally." Fubuki addressed them, glaring at them. "We can now move onto our target since you're both here." She stated, adjusting her white fur coat. "I already have the bait." She jabbed her thumb at me and I hissed at her. Fubuki turned around and had one of her lackeys brake the lock, stepping through the gate. "If he shows any resistance, you two know what to do." She said flippantly, running her fingers through her short hair.

"Yes, Fubuki-sama!" Both lackeys cried out, adoration coloring their eyes.

"We'll teach him not to ever get cocky again!" The bigger one of the two yelled out, making a fist as we walked through the ghost town.

I rolled my eyes. 'They're gonna fucking get it.'

"Your little boyfriend is gonna get his ass handed to him." The smaller one taunted me, poking my cheek. I glared at him and sneered, tempted to bite his finger.

"Don't touch me, ugly." I snarled, baring my teeth. "You don't shit about Saitama." I murmured, turning away from him.

"Nobody is stronger than Fubuki-sama, you hear?!" He hissed at me and I scoffed.

"We'll see." I replied, staring at the apartment as we got closer and closer. We stopped just at the top of the stairs and the small lackey stepped forward and began yelling for Saitama to step out, claiming that they had his woman. 'I'm not his woman.' My heart started speeding up, beating hard against my throat. I hadn't seen him since our vacation and since we...did it. I could already feel my face heating up and it wasn't because I was being held upside down, although that was certainly helping. I was pulled out of my thoughts as the latch of the door jiggled and the door swung open, a familiar bald head and blank face popping out.

Conflicting feelings spread through my body; feelings of love and happiness but at the same time feelings of anger and rejection were mingled in as well. I wanted to run over to him and kiss him but also strangle him and punch him for making me go through this bullshit. Brown eyes met brown eyes and he raised an eyebrow before looking at the man yelling.

"Uh...if this is about newspapers, I already have one." Saitama spoke bluntly and I deadpanned.

'You goddamn idiot. I'm floating upside down and you think this is about newspapers?!' Anger replaced all of the previous feelings and now I was certain that I wanted to punch the bald hero.

"We ain't selling anything, you idiot! We're here to settle something with you as higher ranking heroes!" The lackey yelled, just as annoyed as I was.

Fubuki stepped forward and crossed her arms, giving Saitama a cold smirk. "Nice to meet you, newbie. I'm Fubuki. Do you know what that means?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side.

"You're wasting your time." I mumbled behind her and she whirled around to glare at me.

"Shut up, Mizuki!" She hissed at me.

It was my turn to glare at her. "It's Mitsuki!" I screeched at her, kicking. "And put me down!" I insisted, a nauseous feeling building up in my stomach. Fubuki ignored me and turned back to Saitama, who smiled at her widely.

"Nope, not at all! Who're you?" He asked, happily. I struggled to keep myself from bursting out laughing, using one hand to cover my mouth as the air around us went stiff.

"She is B class, rank 1 Fubuki-sama." The small lackey forced out, anger radiating off of him.

"Okay, great for her." Saitama replied and I sucked in my lips in my desperate attempt to not laugh.

In her shock, Fubuki accidentally dropped me and I landed on my back on the concrete, knocking the wind out of me. "Ow." I croaked out, struggling to get up.

The smaller lackey stepped forward, his eye twitching as he confronted Saitama. "Are you looking down on us, rookie? Cut the bullshit. You've been getting too full of yourself recently and that's a problem. You haven't even greeted Fubuki-sama, which is a custom for up-and-coming B classes." He stated, getting into the bald hero's face. I stood up and was about to stomp over there but my arm was grabbed by the bigger man, yanking me towards him.

"Oh. You want a greeting? Alright." Saitama replied, closing the door behind him. I noticed that he was in his hero get up and cocked my head to the side as his face took on a darker look. "Nice to meet you. I'm Saitama." He stated in a serious tone.

Fubuki accepted it and she immediately went in on him about factions within the hero association. Saitama raised a brow in confusion and she tusked, "I'm not surprised that you don't know much about factions considering your debut was only three months ago. But you won't survive much longer if you continue with the route you're going."

"What do you mean Saitama's not going to survive?" I piped up, drawing her attention briefly.

"What I mean is; it's impossible for a lone wolf such as Saitama to further his rank alone. He needs a faction, much like I have my group." Fubuki explained, returning her attention to Saitama.

"I still don't get it. Wouldn't people just get in your way if you had a faction?" He asked, scratching his cheek.

Fubuki shook her head, "Your rivals will try to stop you more so than others will." She tried to explain to Saitama.

"Like I said; you're wasting your time." I grumbled and winced when the big ape squeezed my arm. "That hurts, you damn jerk." I snapped at him and tried to pull my arm out of his grasp.

"Well, whatever." Saitama shrugged, acting completely nonchalant about it. "I don't get it at all but I'm kinda busy at the moment." He stated, attempting to move forward to take my hand. I reached out for him but was stopped by the big ape hauling me back.

"We're not done talking yet." Fubuki said, smirking. "Why don't you work under me? That way your rank as a B class will be secured." She offered and my face fell at her offer.

"Uh...Oh! Now I see how this goes!" Saitama exclaimed, pointing a finger at the esper with a victorious smile. "So if I refuse to join your group, you'll be in my way from now on, right?" He asked, the smile sliding off his face as he cradled his chin as he regarded Fubuki.

"Are you like a gang leader or something?" I inquired, side eyeing the green haired beauty.

"No, I'm not. I only go to these lengths for heroes I think that are worth it." Fubuki retorted, huffing.

"So like a gang leader." I repeated under my breath, earning another squeeze of my arm. "Ow! Asshole!" Whirling around as much as I could, I smacked the ape man on the chest.

"Are you afraid that I'll take rank 1?" Saitama chimed in, an innocent smile on his face. Fubuki's eyes hardened at that question but Saitama ignored it, continuing on. "You should relax. I don't plan on staying in B class for very long. In fact, I plan on moving to A class. How come you're not doing the same thing, Fubuki? Won't it get boring staying in B class, even with your group?" The bald man asked and I glanced over at Fubuki, noting that her hands were shaking under her arms.

"What is your answer?" Fubuki gritted out, answering Saitama's question with her own. "Will you join or not?" She asked.

Saitama shrugged and threw his hands up in the air. "Of course not. What a ridiculous question to ask. In my opinion, hierarchical structures are ridiculous and complete nonsense amongst heroes." He answered.

"Fine." Fubuki snapped her fingers and with that, I was tossed to the side roughly, colliding with the staircase railing and almost falling to the floor again. "Mountain Ape! Eyelashes!" She called out and they responded by stepping towards Saitama. "Give him a beating so good that he'll never be able to work as a hero ever again!" Fubuki jabbed her forefinger in Saitama's direction angrily.

My eyes widened and I ran straight to the green haired esper. "Are you serious, Fubuki-san?! Stop!" I grabbed onto her arm and tugged but she waved her hand, once again throwing me into the air. "Put me down! This is ridiculous, Fubuki-san!" I shrieked at her, pulling my dress down.

Grunts caught our attention and we glanced over at Saitama punching Fubuki's lackeys straight into the air with relative ease. Fubuki stared at the bald man with wide, shock filled eyes. I watched as the two men soared in an arc, sucking in my lips as one landed in a tree while the other landed in a pile of discarded tires.

Saitama sighed and turned his attention to Fubuki. "You won't survive long like this, Fubuki." He addressed her, pointing a finger at her. Jealousy pricked at me and I was starting to see green that didn't belong to Fubuki.

'No. Only say my name.' The jealousy roared from my chest, coiling around itself like a snake as I twisted my dress in my hands. 'Only my name! Say only my name that gently! Only me!' It kept repeating.

"Now release Mitchan, please." He requested, gesturing towards me.

Fubuki humphed and slowly placed me back on my feet before suddenly slamming me into a wall, knocking all of the wind out of my body. "So...you dare to stand in my way as well, huh?" She spoke in a frigid tone, shrugging off her fur coat and blocking the way to me. I struggled to keep myself upright as rocks began to float off the ground and swirl around Fubuki, sand from nearby being pulled in as well. Her dress fluttered around her violently as she scrunched in on herself while drawing in her powers.

Saitama glanced around with a knowing look, his mouth wide open. "This is psychic power, right?" He asked, blinking.

Fubuki raised an eyebrow at that but answered nonetheless. "Yes. You don't seem surprised at all." She cocked her head to the side when Saitama continued to stare.

"Are you planning on fighting me with a bunch of sand and pebbles? Just stop already." He said in an emotionless tone.

Fubuki's eye twitched and I scooted away, fumbling over my feet. "You mock me, rookie, and you're gonna regret every second of it." Crossing her arms, she brought down the debris as she screamed, "I'm gonna beat you half to death, rookie! HELL STORM!"

I was pushed off the building by the force of the blast, landing and rolling onto the asphalt with a cry. I laid there curled up in a ball as sand fell over me like a blanket before finally forcing myself up, wincing. "S-Saitama!" I called out for the bald hero, coughing and waving away the falling sand. "Saitama!" I got to my feet and ran to the other side of the apartment, spotting Fubuki lowering herself down while creating a tornado around what she thought was Saitama even though the bald man was standing behind her.

"Hysterical women aren't fit to be on top." He stated with a blank face and I felt my right eye twitch at his statement, stomping over to him while pulling my hand back with the intent to smack him only to stop when he got too close to Fubuki for my comfort.

I couldn't hear what he was saying as the snake came back, jealousy rushing through my veins. I tore my eyes away from them, trying to reason with myself. 'Stop it. She's with Airi, remember? She's in love with Airi so knock it off!' It became hard to breath as unwanted images of Saitama with someone else flooded my mind. 'No! No no no no! Stop it! I don't want to see this! I don't want to think about this!' I didn't register the two arguing nor the ground cracking until I was being flung to the side violently, scraping my hands and knees against the asphalt. A turbulent wind rushed past me, blowing my hair free of its ponytail and into my face while blocking my vision.

"Stop!" I screamed, my voice getting drowned out by the wind. Pushing my hair out of my face, I noticed Fubuki taking out a box cutter and rush towards Saitama and hysteria set in. "No, don't! DON'T!" I shrieked, scrambling towards her on my knees before pushing myself up. "FUBUKI, STOP!" I was about to grab the back of her dress when a large blast forced me to collide with her and she dropped the box cutter as we rolled, Fubuki landing on top of me with a groan. "Get off." I croaked at her, pushing the esper off roughly and sitting up.

"Was that enough to get rid of him?" A familiar voice sounded out next to us and I whirled around to see Genos step through the clearing dust. "Huh. Chasing the rat seems to have led me back to Sensei's apartment." He commented, glancing up at the apartment. He turned to the bald hero and apologized profusely for creating the flying dust.

"This ain't what you call dusty, Genos!" Saitama yelled at the blonde cyborg, fretting. "All I saw was Sonic for a split second! What the hell are you two doing?!" He asked, glaring at him.

Fubuki watched the interaction with wide eyes before stuttering out, "A-Ah...Are you an acquaintance with an S class?" She glanced between Saitama and Genos, getting more confused by the second.

"I wouldn't call it an acquaintance." I mumbled, pushing my hair out of my face and wincing when it brushed up against the cut on my palm. Fubuki turned around to me, her wide eyes searching my face. "Genos-kun here is Saitama's disciple." I answered her question, giving her a hard stare.

She was taken aback and blinked. "D-Disciple? But...But he's an S class." Fubuki pointed out, looking more perplexed than before.

"Yes. And?" I asked, raising a brow. She stuttered, unable to answer me.

"I know you." Genos butted in, stepping closer to us. "You're B class, rank 1, Fubuki. So you have finally targeted Sensei for your newbie crushing tirade and ended up roping Mitsuki-san into it as well. But it seemed to backfire and now you are stuck in this miserable predicament." The cyborg began to snicker and I glared at him.

"You know it's only because we got caught in your attack, jerk." I retaliated, crossing my arms. The smirk on Genos' face melted off and he cleared his throat, looking around.

"Is that so? I apologize about that." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Damn right you're sorry about it." I grumbled under my breath. "Help me up, you stupid toaster." I waved my hand at him as Fubuki stared at me with a shocked expression. Just as he reached down to grab my wrist, bombs went off and blew Genos to the side. "Genos!" I screamed, getting pushed back.

"A-A monster?!" Fubuki stammered, shielding herself from the blast.

"Nope, it's not." Saitama answered, sighing. "It's getting really crowded here. You guys should head home or something." He insisted, looking up. I followed his gaze to see the ninja guy that caused a ruckus outside of the Umenohana Cafe squatting on top of a lamp post.

"What a pathetic attempt." Genos' voice captured my attention and I turned to the blonde cyborg as he also glared up at the black haired ninja. "A hundred of these wouldn't be able to hurt me so you are wasting your time." He stated, steam rolling off of him.

Ninja man scoffed, smirking at Genos. "This is coming from the one who couldn't even lay a finger on me!" He taunted, toying with a shuriken before jumping down and landing in front of us gracefully. I stared at him with apprehension and scooted back a bit when his smirk grew as he regarded us. "Watch closely now, Saitama!" He exclaimed suddenly, stopping in his tracks. "After I turn your disciple into a hunk of scrap, you're gonna be next!" His smirk turned into a grin as we stared at him.

"Sensei." Genos spoke up and gestured towards the ninja. "He is a persistent stalker. I will erase him for you so that he will no longer bother you." He declared, turning his back to us.

Ninja cackled, "Like a slowpoke like you could erase me. With those lame moves? Yeah, right." He tugged at the scarf wrapped around his neck and began walking towards Genos, a killer intent surrounding him.

I tugged at Fubuki's sleeve, getting her attention. "We need to move. Now." I murmured to her, standing up and pulling her with me. "Come on." I yanked her away from the oncoming fight, her heels clicking against the blacktop as we ran towards a nearby abandoned building. We watched the fight from there, my eyes barely unable to keep up and watching as a piece of large debris landed where Fubuki and I were moments before. 'Good thing we moved.' I thought to myself, feeling Fubuki's fingers wrap around my arm and squeeze.

The two stopped briefly only for Genos to drop something on the floor and I squinted my eyes, gasping when I realized that it was the top knot of the ninja's hair. "When...did you get so fast, Genos-kun?" I whispered to myself as he sped up once again.

"You're getting careless, Speed of Sound Sonic!" The cyborg yelled out as the standing still ninja but stopped when he disappeared before powering up.

"Shit." I muttered, deadpanning.

"What?" Fubuki asked, digging her nails into my arm. "What is it?" She demanded to know when I didn't answer right away.

'So pushy. No wonder Airi loves her.' I rolled my eyes. "Genos-kun is going to blow the entire area. We have to move again." Grabbing her hand, I started running but the blast didn't come and I stopped, turning around to see Genos face down with his foot being held by Saitama.

"So you saved your disciple, I see. You're too soft, Saitama." Sonic chided the bald hero, glancing at him over his shoulder.

"Having an explosion in front of my apartment would be a pain in the ass." Saitama responded, shrugging. "Besides, you two don't have any reason to be fighting to begin with. By the way, Genos, did you get those parts for cheap or something?" He asked his disciple, who stiffened underneath him. Saitama sighed, "Well, whatever. Sonic's only after me so stay here and watch." He released the cyborg's foot and stepped towards Sonic, his cape fluttering behind him. "You're so damn annoying so I guess I'll take you on seriously this time. Let's go." Saitama said, a dangerous aura surrounding him.

I let go of Fubuki's hand and slowly stepped towards the bald man. "Saitama..." His name came out in a whisper, my body ignoring all of the warning signals to stay away from him. "Saitama." I whispered his name again as I got closer and closer, not stopping until Fubuki wrapped her arms around my waist and held me back.

"You're walking to your death, you idiot! Do you really think I'm about to allow my love's best friend die?!" She hissed in my ear when I struggled.

"Says the woman that used me for bait!" I retorted, sneering at her.

"Super Moves: Serious Series." Saitama's voice caught our attention and we glanced over at him. "Serious Consecutive Side Hops." We both deadpanned as he went so fast that we couldn't keep up and Sonic was spit out, his outfit torn to shreds and sword broken.

'Are you fucking kidding me?!' I thought, staring at the bald man.

"He is finally dead." Genos commented, getting up. Saitama blinked and shook his head, stating that he didn't kill him before commenting that he was gone.

~Later~

We sat inside the apartment, with me attending to both mine and Fubuki's wounds while she explained her relationship with her sister, Tatsumaki.

"She's the reason I couldn't ever ace anything in life. So when I finally became a B class, I thought that if I could control all those in the same class and lower, I could somehow surpass her since she's a lone wolf." Fubuki confided, looking down as I cleaned the blood off of her forehead and placed a band aid on the cut.

"That shitty brat-I mean, Tatsumaki is S class. Why are you not striving for A class, Fubuki-san?" Genos inquired, tilting his head. "You may be lower than your sister but securing a position in A class should be easy with your psychic ability-"

Fubuki cut him off with a shake of her head. "A class is impossible for me. I know I'm able to reach an upper rank but...rank 1 is impossible." She sighed and gripped her coat. "The current top three are Atomic Samurai's disciples. Rank 4 is Bushidrill, rank 3 is Okamaitachi and rank 2 is Iaian. The reason they can't advance because of the person at the very top of A class..." Fubuki trailed off, biting her lip.

"Amai Mask." I finished her sentence and she nodded. Glancing over to the two men, I frowned instantly when I saw that Saitama was reading a manga instead of paying attention. 'This goddamn man.'

"There are a lot of monsters that tend to defy common sense in this world. You're quite the monster yourself, Saitama, but you're nothing compared to Amai Mask nor my sister. There's monster amongst monster, such as King." Fubuki continued and I had to stop myself from scoffing.

'King is no monster. He's nothing but a big baby.' I thought to myself, sucking in my lips.

"And then there's the one at the very top of all heroes, Blast." She revealed, capturing my attention. But before I could ask, she pressed on, pointing a finger at Saitama. "Moving up the ranks on our own is difficult! What's so wrong about forming a faction?!" Fubuki questioned, taking on a haughty attitude.

"Nothing. I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just don't want to work for you." Saitama answered, not looking up from his manga.

Fubuki humphed and eyed him with distaste. "Just because you're little stronger than I am. You shouldn't rely on just that to move you up, you know." She jeered.

"You'll be surprised, Fubuki-san." I murmured, applying antiseptic to my wounds and wincing as it burned.

"Here, Mitsuki-san. Please allow me to do that for you." Genos insisted, taking the cotton ball away from me and gently wrapping his cold fingers around my wrist as he dabbed at my cut. "Ah! I am sorry! Was I too rough?" He asked when I hissed through my teeth.

"N-No! It just hurts, that's all." I assured him, smiling. Genos nodded and proceeded to clean my other hand, wrapping them up before moving onto my knees. I ignored the feeling of eyes on my back as Genos' fingers danced around my cuts softly, covering my skin in goosebumps.

I heard the door to the living room open and glanced over to see King popping his head in. I jumped at his sudden appearance and clung onto Genos, who chuckled. "Hey, Saitama. Did you take my game? I can't find it." He asked, stepping into the room.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Saitama finally glanced up from the book, a guilty smile on his face.

"King-san, you scared me." I chastised the towering blonde man, throwing a sitting pillow at him and smacking him in the lower back.

He glanced at me over his shoulder and gave me a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Mitsuki. Can't help my face." King turned back around and demanded the game back from Saitama, who got up to look for it while Fubuki just stared at them in a daze.

I smiled at her awe but it faded quickly and I stood, heading for the door while Saitama was distracted. As I slipped on my shoes, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

"You are leaving already, Mitsuki-san?" Genos asked and I spun around to face him. He searched my face before reaching up and brushing my hair away from my face.

"I...I can't, Genos-kun. I can't be here. I just..." I trailed off, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. "I need to get back to Airi-chan's apartment and call my work to tell them why I didn't come in. So I need to go." Pulling away, I gripped my purse and ran out the door. I kept running, ignoring the pain in my knees as I fled back to Airi's apartment and up the steps into the house, flinging myself onto the couch once I was inside. There, I let the tears out and sobbed into the couch, curling up while pulling one of the discarded pillows towards me. 'He pretty much ignored me. That's a sign, right? He doesn't feel the same.' I concluded in head, the tears worsening.

Purring came from above me and I felt Mochi curl up on my head as though she was comforting me and I cried for the rest of the night.

~The Next Day~

I stepped into the dojo, rubbing at my puffy eyes as I shuffled over to my desk and tossed my purse onto it. With a sigh, I sunk into the chair and leaned my head onto the desk.

"Long night?" Charanko's voice sounded out beside me and I nodded, not looking up. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, rubbing my back. I shook my head and groaned. "I see. Well, let me know if that changes, okay? I gotta get ready." Charanko said, pulling his hand away.

I immediately sat up and looked at him. "Ready for what?" I asked. "I'm not scheduled for training today." I stated, getting up and following him. "Charanko-san." I pressed him for details as I followed him into the training circle.

"I'm sparring with Shishou today." The messy haired man grinned at me happily and began stretching. I furrowed my brows in confusion. "I know. We never spar with him but he said that he wanted to give me a one time go so I took it. I'm excited." Charanko's grin widened and I bit my lip as Airi's words floated back into my mind about Garou showing up.

"Um...okay. Just be careful, alright? Bang-san is at a different level than I am, Charanko-san." I commented, touching the messy haired man's shoulder. He nodded enthusiastically and I stepped out of the training circle right as Bang entered it. "Good morning, Bang-san. I'm sorry about yesterday. Fubuki-san demanded that I be her companion for the day and refused to take no for an answer." I stated, bowing. Bang waved his hand in my direction, not saying a word to me as he kept his eyes on his disciple which worried me. "Bang-san?" I asked, taking a closer look at my employer. He held a blank expression on his face, his eyes dead as he inched toward Charanko before settling into position.

Without a warning, he attacked, aiming for Charanko's head. The messy haired man barely had time to block, getting hit in the arm instead but left his rib cage open which Bang took advantage of and jabbed him there.

"Bang-san, what are you doing?!" I shrieked as Charanko coughed up blood. The old man didn't pull back but instead continued to hit his disciple hard all over his body, bruising him and causing Charanko to cry out in pain. "Stop! Stop it! You're hurting him!" Panic alarms went off in my brain and I was about to rush into the circle when the messy haired man stopped me with a raised hand.

"Don't...interfere...I...c-can...do t-t-this." Charanko gurgled out. My heart felt like it shattered at the weak and bloody smile he gave but it quickly vanished when Bang went in on him again and he struggled to block each attack. I watched helplessly as Charanko was being beaten to a pulp.

Unable to take it anymore, I ran into the circle and blocked the last attack; a jab to the rib cage that made my entire arm go numb from the impact. "No more!" I screamed at my employer, desperate to protect the collapsed Charanko. Bang regarded the both of us coldly as he clasped his hands behind his back and stepped away. Taking that as a sign that he was backing off, I relaxed and directed my attention to my friend. "Charanko-san? Oh, my god." I whispered, looking over his bruised and bloody body.

He was barely conscious, both eyes swollen as he looked at me. I whirled around and glared at Bang. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! How could you do this to him?!" Bang ignored me, continuing to stare at Charanko with his cold eyes. I placed a protective arm over the messy haired man and went into a defensive crouch.

"So..." Bang spoke in dark tone, "You can't stand anymore? What have you been doing the past half year you've been enrolled here, Charanko? I thought I made it clear that you would need to put your life on the line if you wanted to train here. You haven't learn a single damn thing nor do you have a fragment of talent for martial arts." The old man taunted his disciple and sneered at him, looking away from him as he scoffed in disgust. "You're expelled from here on. Never come back here." Bang stated, about to walk away when I grabbed his shirt.

"Bang-san, what are you-How-?!" I couldn't articulate the right words in my shock and I was yanked away from Charanko, Bang pinning me down on the floor. I began to hyperventilate and kicked out wildly as he leaned in close to my ear.

"If I'm able to do what I did to Charanko, who's been training here for years, imagine what I'll be able to do to you." He said, his voice low and I froze up with fear. He immediately released me and walked away, leaving me to curl up in a ball on my side and start crying uncontrollably.

Whimpers escaped me as I shivered in my fetal position, tears streaming heavily down my face and onto the wooden floor. Finally gathering up the courage to move, I pushed myself up onto my feet and slowly made my way to the desk to grab my purse. I wobbled back over to Charanko and tried to pick him up only to fall over from his weight. Letting out strangled cries, I tried again and again before tripping over my own feet and landing on top of Charanko, who groaned. "I'm so sorry, Charanko-san." I whispered, gingerly pushing his sweat soaked hair out of his face.

'I need to call someone. I can't move him on my own.' I was breathing heavily and I wiped my tears away in a frustrated manner as I dug through my purse for my phone. 'Genos. Maybe Genos can help.' I thought, pulling up his name and dialing it. Sniffling as it rang, I quickly began talking as soon as I heard the cyborg pick up, "Genos-kun! Genos-kun, I need your help, please! I can't...I can't move him! Charanko-san...he's hurt and I can't move him! Please help me!" I felt hysterical as I begged him for help repeatedly.

"Mitsuki-san, breathe. Are you at the dojo?" Genos asked.

"Y-Yes. Please help me." I whimpered, crying.

"I am coming. Do not worry." Genos hung up, leaving me a sniveling mess.

I dropped the phone and gripped Charanko's ripped up gi, leaning my forehead against it. "Genos-kun is coming, Charanko-san. He'll help us so...so don't worry. You'll get patched up soon. I'm so sorry for being so useless, Charanko-san. I could barely stop him." I whispered against him. The entrance door swung open forcefully, almost coming off its hinges and I glanced up through teary eyes to see both Genos and Saitama standing in the doorway. Neither of them bothered to take off their shoes as they made their way over to Charanko and I, bending down to check us over. I immediately clung to the bald hero, digging my nails into his suit and burying my face into the crook of his neck.

He picked me up bridal style and, with Genos in tow, left the dojo. As we descended down the stairs and headed towards the apartment, I kept my eyes on Charanko and occasionally reached out for him when Saitama got too far from Genos. The cyborg always caught up and would let me brush my fingers against the passed out man's hair to reassure myself that he was alright when he stirred from my touch. Saitama's hold on me tightened, his fingers digging into my skin and I flinched at the pressure.

The minute we reached the apartment and were inside, Genos took Charanko into the bathroom along with a change of clothes. I tried to follow but was held back by Saitama. "No, let Genos fix him up, Mitchan." He insisted, holding onto my arm. I glanced back at him briefly before pulling my arm out of his grasp and wobbling back towards the front door.

"I need to go home." I whispered, using the wall to keep myself up.

"You are home, Mitchan." Saitama responded, trailing after me.

I shook my head and bit my lip hard enough to draw blood to keep myself from crying. 'I'm so sick of crying.' I lamented, straining to put my flats back on. My arms felt like noodles as I attempted to pull the door open, almost falling onto my ass when it finally gave way. Saitama caught me, wrapping his arms around me tightly and holding me close. I let him for a few seconds before wriggling out of his hold. "Stop." I begged, stepping outside.

"Why?" The bald man asked, hot on my trail. When I didn't answer him, he grabbed my arm again and whirled me around, pulling me flush up against him. "Why do I have to stop?" Saitama repeated his question, leaning in close so that his breath hit my lips. He didn't give me time to respond, instead kissing me fervently. I melted in his arms, grabbing onto his suit as my legs gave way underneath me.

'What are you doing?! Didn't he reject you?! Why are you kissing him, idiot?!' The small voice in the back of my mind yelled at him as Saitama licked my lips, asking for entrance. I suddenly stiffened and pulled away reluctantly, pushing the bald man away from me. Saitama cocked his head in confusion and reached for me again but I smacked his arms away. "No! You...You can't do this to me! You can't treat me like a damn play thing! You're so fucking confusing! One minute you're rejecting me and ignoring me and the next you're trying to make out with me!" I yelled at him. "Make up your fucking mind, you goddamn asshole!" I panted from the anger that pulsated throughout my body.

"I told you how I felt and it hasn't changed! I...I can't handle you playing with my emotions like this and I can't handle being around you and not being with you. I can't do it." With that, I left him standing there and walked away. Furiously wiping away stray tears, I hurried back to Airi's apartment and slammed the door shut.

"Hey." Airi walked out of her room slowly, bandages wrapped around parts of her arms and her face still slightly purple. "You alright?" She inquired, hobbling over to me.

"Airi-chan? They discharged you?" I murmured, meeting her halfway and gingerly touching her arms. "Why didn't you call me?" I asked, looking her over. She shrugged and smiled softly. "Did Fubuki-san drive you home?" I questioned.

"Yeah. I was just getting ready." Airi answered. I took a look at her clothes, noting that she was wearing a short black dress. Pink tinged her cheeks and she looked away from me. "Fubuki wants to go on a date." She said, fidgeting.

I forced a smile on my face and held Airi's hands. "That sounds like fun. Don't go too crazy, alright?" I told her, swinging her hands.

"You sure? I can stay in tonight instead." Airi suggested but I shook my head, insisting that she go. "Okay. Be safe." She gave me a hug before leaving right as a black limo pulled up outside the apartment.

I watched her leave, waving to her with a forced smile on my face until she was gone and I let it fade as the car disappeared. Sighing, I turned around and faced the empty apartment, feeling dejected. 'Maybe I should invite someone over.' The thought flitted through my mind and I pulled my phone out of my pocket, searching through my pockets. I stopped for a few seconds on Aiko's name, hesitating. We hadn't spoken since our blow up and now I was beginning to miss her. 'She started it. She needs to apologize first.' The voice huffed in my head and I scrolled past her name until it landed on Mumen Rider's.

"I guess I could invite him. I haven't seen him in a while. I just hope he's not doing hero work." I thought aloud and opened up a new text, asking him if he wanted to come over to hang out. Quickly getting a text back agreeing to it, Mumen stated that he wouldn't be able to come over until later due to hero work but asked for the address. A grin pulled at my lips as I text it to him and I let out a little squeal as we agreed on 8pm as the time since Airi had just let me know that she was spending the night at Fubuki's.

The closer it got to the allotted time, the more I began to fret and pace around the apartment. I constantly checked my hair and makeup in the mirror with the question of why I was doing so buzzing in the back of my brain. 'Maybe you could move on from him with Mumen Rider.' The voice pointed out with a teasing tone. 'After all, he is such a sweet man.' It said dreamily and I couldn't stop the blush that came over my cheeks. Eight rolled around and passed but he wasn't here, worrying me slightly. "He's always on time." I murmured, taking out my phone and sending him a text. "What's going on?" I asked myself when he didn't text back as fast he usually did.

"Maybe he just got caught up with hero work. I'm worrying for nothing." I assured myself, resuming my pacing. But the worry settled in my chest began to grow and worsen after an hour had passed since I text him. Tossing my phone onto the couch, I stood by the window in hopes of seeing him riding his bike up to the apartment. A buzzing captured my attention and I whirled around to see my phone going off, diving for it and scaring Mochi off of the top of the couch. "Sorry, Mochi-chan! Hello?! Mumen-san?!" I answered it frantically, almost dropping the phone in the process.

"Ah, no. Although this is his phone." Bang's voice answered on the other line and I instantly frowned. "Young one, listen. The reason I did what I did was to protect you from Garou. It was never to hurt you. Anyway, that's not the reason for this call. Ah...it would appear that Mumen Rider and some others, including Charanko, were caught up in Garou's tirade. We're heading to the hospital with them now. Mumen insisted on me calling you to let you know, mumbling something about having a date with you?" He mumbled off and my cheeks flared up.

"I-It wasn't a date. We were just supposed to hang out." I murmured, biting my nail. I shook my head, remembering what he said about them heading to the hospital. "Wait, you said you guys were headed to the hospital?! Tell me where!" I insisted, already headed straight for the door.

~At the hospital~

I sat beside Mumen Rider's bed as he slept, looking at the bandages around his head and the neck brace he was sporting. The monitor beeped steadily as I leaned my head into my hands, my eyes stinging from crying all night. Sunlight was already starting to shine through the windows, slowly crawling up the bed covers and towards Mumen's patched up face. He began to stir, furrowing his brows together and scrunching up his nose as well as groaning. I quickly looked up at him and scooted the chair closer, grabbing his hand.

"Mumen-san?" I whispered his name as I got up from the chair and sat on the bed, still holding his hand. His eyes fluttered open and focused on me, a wobbly smile gracing his lips. "Mumen-san." I repeated his name, my voice coming out as a sigh as I held his hand against my forehead.

"Mitsuki-san." He croaked out and squeezed my fingers feebly. A hiss escaped past his lips as he tried to sit up and I put a hand on his shoulder lightly. Our eyes met and I shook my head, pushing him back down onto the bed while lacing our fingers together. "I-I'm sorry about last night. I-I was...I was on my way to your apartment when...when I was attacked." Mumen explained, nibbling on his bottom lip and clenching the blanket with his free hand.

"I know. Bang-san told me everything." I murmured, tracing my fingers over the bandages. "You went up against Garou in order to protect Tank Top Master." I stated, looking up at the hero through my eyelashes. "You should have known better, Mumen-san. Garou...Garou is a monster! He could have killed you!" I yelled at him, squeezing his hand as tears built up in my eyes again. "You should have just ran to the apartment! Why did you try to fight him?! I could've lost you! How do you think that would've made me feel?! Stupid jerk!" I screamed at him, letting the tears stream down my face and sting my already sensitive eyes.

"Mitsuki-san." Mumen called my name and tugged my hands, beckoning me closer. I let him, my shoulders shaking as I sobbed, and he wrapped his arm around me. "I can't just run away. I'm a hero and heroes can't run when others need their help. You know this. The day I run is the day I stop calling myself a hero." He murmured into the top of my head as I laid against him. I huffed in response, sniffling while my tears dropped onto the blanket and soaked it. "I'm sorry for worrying you." Mumen placed his chin on the top of my head and I squeezed my eyes shut as I buried my face into the blanket.

The sound of the latch on the door jiggling made me pull away from the hero immediately and I scrambled off the bed, sitting back in the chair just as Saitama walked into the room. He glanced at me, his eyes lingering for a few seconds before turning towards Mumen Rider. "Hey, there. I brought bananas." He said, holding up a grocery bag full of them. Mumen Rider beamed at him as the bald hero stepped closer to the bed, occasionally looking at me out of his peripherals.

"Thank you for visiting me, Saitama-san. You really didn't have to but I'm glad you did." Mumen thanked him. Saitama placed the bananas on a nightstand next to the bed, taking one off and eating it. "Ah...those aren't for me?" Mumen asked, confused.

"No, they are. He's just eating one." I mumbled, still holding Mumen's hand. I felt Saitama's eyes land on our intertwined hands but I ignored him, playing with the bandages instead.

"I heard through the hero association news about what's going so I came to you. One monster took down a dozen heroes." Saitama commented, getting closer to the bed and chewing on the banana slowly. "I'm glad you're still alive after that. Here." He grabbed the bundle off the nightstand and ripped a banana off, handing it to Mumen Rider. "Have a banana." I sighed and took it from Saitama's grasp, peeling it and using a leftover knife from last night to cut it up.

"I don't know how you expect him to move. He's all bandaged up." I retorted, not looking up at the bald man.

"Oh. Right." Saitama spoke in a quiet tone and I paused briefly, biting my lip and pressing myself on.

Mumen stayed quiet during the exchange, glancing between us with a concerned expression before clearing his throat. "Um...Mitsuki-san?" He began but I looked up at him, cutting him off with a tight smile. "Ah...um...anyway...I know that the hero association ranked the suspect as a monster but he's completely human." Mumen revealed and Saitama raised his eyebrows, leaning over the hero. "He's definitely human but...he's carrying the name of monster." He explained.

"So it's not a monster?" He asked, cocking his head to the side then nodding. "Okay, I see. It's just some punk, then." Saitama concluded.

"No, he's not." Mumen corrected him, trying to shake his head. He smiled at me when I put the banana aside and placed my hand on his shoulder but it disappeared as he returned his attention back to Saitama. "He was strong. Scarily strong." The bespectacled hero added, his lips a thin line and his brows furrowed.

"Huh." Saitama replied, slightly distracted as he stared at me. He shook his head and refocused his attention. "So between that fish monster and him, which one is stronger?" He asked, toying with the bundle of bananas he still held.

Mumen paused, contemplating his answer. "The Deep Sea King was quite formidable but...something's different about this guy." He lowered his voice, casting his eyes down. "I could tell even though I was on the receiving end of it all. I'm not too sure how to put it but his strength was different." Mumen uttered, biting his lip.

"Mumen-san." I skimmed my fingers over the bandage on his left cheek softly. Fingers brushed up against my back and I stiffened, glancing at Saitama over my shoulder. His eyes held something akin to anger as his brown eyes flitted between my hand on Mumen's face and me. My fingers curled into a fist as I pulled away from the bedridden hero, gripping the skirt of my dress and twisting it between my hands. 'He shouldn't be doing this to me! I'm not his! He rejected me! I'm allowed to move on!' I thought to myself, sucking in my lips.

"Mitsuki-san?" Mumen whispered my name, concern in his voice. I shook my head, not wanting to say anything for fear of bursting out crying.

"It's the technique. The martial arts he practices is of the highest grade." A voice next to the bed of Mumen piped up, capturing our attention. Saitama reached over and yanked open the curtain separating the beds, revealing Tank Top Master. The blonde was sitting up in his bed, sporting a neck brace as well with his right arm sitting in a sling. "Silver Fang raised quite the demon there." He commented, staring straight in front of him.

Silence fell over us for a few seconds before Saitama leaned down towards Mumen and whispered, "That guy just barged into our conversation. Do you know him?" I noticed Tank Top Master's eye twitch in irritation at Saitama's question and he gritted his teeth.

"Oh, he's the S class hero, Tank Top Master." Mumen answered, a small smile on his face.

Saitama's face lit up and he pointed to the massive blonde with a large smile pulling at his lips. "Oh, yeah! You're the hero that got his ass handed to him the most! I heard it on the news!" He stated bluntly, furthering the muscular hero's anger.

"At least mention how I didn't go down without a fight!" Tank Top Master yelled at Saitama. He then put his hand against his head, cursing. "Why am I even talking about this with you?! That little shit caught me off guard completely. His martial arts style is going to be quite the issue. I couldn't even get one hit on the punk when I've taken out countless monsters with just one hit so far." The hero mumbled, grinding his teeth in anger.

I blinked at this and got up, walking over to Tank Top Master's bedside. "Martial art style?" I asked, my voice a whisper. The blonde looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "He can use the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, right?" I walked right up to the hero, staring down at him with wide eyes. Tank Top Master nodded, looking me up and down.

"Mitchan, what are you thinking?" Saitama's voice sounded far away as I went through every bit of information I had received about Garou. "Mitchan. Mitchan. Mitchan!" I was yanked out of my thoughts when Saitama grabbed my arm and whirled me around to face him, his eyes narrowed as he stared into my eyes. "Don't you dare go after him. Do you hear me?" He hissed at me, pulling me closer to him to where our noses touched. "I don't want you anywhere near him." Saitama demanded, dragging me away from Tank Top Master's bed.

I glared at him and attempted to wrestle my arm out of his grasp. "Let go! You can't tell me what to do!" I snapped at him, hitting his arm with my free hand. "Get off me!" My hits weren't registering with Saitama as he continued to drag me towards the door. "Stop it, Saitama!" I screamed at him as he opened the door and flung me outside, following after me.

"Stay out here." He commanded, pointing to the floor then turned around and headed back inside. I made a sound of indignation and went to pull the door open only to find that Saitama locked it.

"Are you serious?!" I hissed, tugging at the door. "Saitama! Unlock the door!" I shrieked, pounding on the door. "Saitama!" I growled, pulling at the latch one last time before giving up and walking off. "Asshole. Jerk. Douche bag!" I grumbled under my breath, stomping my foot. Releasing a sigh through my nose, I straightened my dress and glanced around. "Well, since I'm effectively locked out of Mumen-san's room, might as well visit Charanko-san." I sighed again and headed off towards his room, pushing my hair out of my face.