NeonHorizon: Who's ready for some more misunderstandings and friendship?

Ayano had only a few years of experience when it came to fighting, but she could immediately sense that this stranger was a lot stronger than her. It was enough to make her take a step back when she turned to face him. To her surprise, he looked to be around her age.

Taller than her. Toned. Wearing a simple pair of white pants and a black shirt with long sleeves that fit snugly. His hair was pale and stuck up wildly, matching the vicious and almost inhuman look in his eyes. He looked her up and down as she examined him. While she half-frowned, he grinned and leaned down to be at eye level with her.

"You know what? You don't have to explain yourself. I get it."

"Get…what?" Ayano blinked in alarm as he slung an arm around her shoulders and started walking; guiding her to walk alongside him.

"You wanna get strong to beat a hero. I heard what you said about a "fake hero" and stuff being unfair. I get that."

Does he understand? I know that some people don't really like heroes. Some people say they steal jobs from police officers. Is he one of those people? She wanted to ask him, but he was still talking as he led her in the direction of the populated area. His grin was reminding her of a wolf's snarl and she had to wonder if he might actually be a bad guy of some sort.

"The villains never win, no matter how hard they try. You see it my way though, don't you? How do you even define what a villain is? And, anyway, why shouldn't the villain win once in a while, am I right?"

She gave a small nod, reading into his words a little too much. My motives probably seem evil to other people because they don't understand, she thought. So, to other people, I probably seem like a villain. What he's saying is that I shouldn't let someone else tell me that what I'm doing is wrong. Right?

"What's your name?"

The girl was about to give her hero name, but decided against it after remembering that he seemed to dislike heroes. "Ayano."

"Garou." He paused at the edge of the ghost town, staring out at the populated streets beyond. "It's been a while since I've had something to eat. Treat me to some food and I'll show you some moves you can use the next time you fight that hero you hate."

Why was he in the ghost town? He must be strong if he was just wandering around in there. She watched him devour his second bowl of udon as their third plate of dumplings was brought to the table. Ayano pushed up her glasses and attempted to focus on her meal, but she was bothered now.

He was eating like he really had gone days without food. She suspected he might be a traveler or possibly a vagabond. Still, he seemed nice enough. Nice to her, anyway. Every time the employee came to ask if they needed anything else, he would glare at them like a territorial beast and they would hurry to get out of his line of sight.

I can't stay out for much longer or Sonic will start looking for me. I really want to learn those moves, though. If they can help me beat Amai Mask and Samurai Catgirl, then I'll do whatever it takes. She gulped down her broth and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, earning a smirk from her new acquaintance.

"That was pretty good," he commented when they left. "So what hero do you wanna beat?"

Since Samurai Catgirl's whereabouts was supposed to be a secret, she decided not to mention her. "I…want to beat Amai Mask."

Garou's eyebrows raised and he grinned. "That's a big goal. He must've done something to piss you off. What was it?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It's just…really important that I kill him."

"Kill, huh?" He leaned down and set a hand on top of her head, ruffling her chocolate-colored hair. "Alright; I'm in. And if you can't do it yourself, I'll do it for you. That guy's the top of Class A, right?"

Why is he treating me like I'm his little sister or something? I know I'm probably younger than him, but still. She frowned a little. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Why? Well 'cause you're like me. I can tell by that look in your eye. You hate them, don't you?" He straightened his back and tilted his head, giving her a curious look. Clearly, he was under the wrong impression. Clearly, he thought that she was either some sort of assassin or she wanted to become a monster. Whatever he thought she was, he seemed to like it enough to want to befriend her.

"Hate is a strong word, but…I just want to see Amai Mask suffer for what he did." Her hands curled into fists at her sides and she lowered her gaze to the sidewalk.

"So we'll make him suffer."

Ayano nodded. "Yeah. Okay." She jumped a little when he put his arm around her shoulders and started leading her off again. "Where are we going?"

"We're gonna find somewhere for me to show you those moves. I promised, right? Let's go. It'll be dark soon and I've got some stuff to do tonight."

What he ended up showing her were some basic self-defense sort of moves, but they were still greatly appreciated. Anything helped. Her experience with hand to hand combat was pretty limited since she mostly fought with her swords.

He knows martial arts. So what is he doing? Are we the same? Is he trying to get revenge on a hero, too? Ayano watched his facial expressions and movements, but there was something "off" about him.

They were in a park and, since it was getting kind of late, there were few people around there. When he was looking at her, he seemed generally normal. Acting how someone around their age would when they were hanging out with a friend. When he looked at the other adults in the area, he changed. His expression became cold and he seemed almost vicious.

It was unnerving, even if he was trying to help her. When she got a call from Sonic, she did not answer it; worrying it would irritate her new acquaintance. However, she did tell him that she needed to go home soon. "Thank you for helping me today, Garou. I appreciate-"

"I don't have a phone, but I'll find you when I've got some free time again. Try to practice that stuff I taught you. See you around, kid."

She watched him go and frowned to herself. I can't be that much younger than him. Ayano checked the time on her phone and realized that she had now missed two calls from Sonic. She quietly swore and sprinted down the sidewalk to try to get back to the ghost town.

A metallic glint at the edge of her vision caused Ayano to turn her head in time to see Genos rushing along the street beside the one she was on. He seemed to be in a hurry and she began following him at a distance. If this was somehow related to her new enemy, Ayano wanted to know. He might lead her to the catgirl's location or to the underground organization the Class A hero worked for.

She had been following him for a little while before Ayano found herself tumbling over the ground and into an alley. The fall had been caused by an impact to her right side and when the shock wore off, she was lying on her back on the concrete with Sonic sitting on her waist.

The hero blinked and felt warmth rushing to her cheeks. "S-Sonic, I was-"

"Where were you? I've been trying to call. Was this your way of trying to make me look for you?" A hand caressed her cheek for a moment before moving up and tangling his fingers in her hair. Leaning down to her ear, he hissed, "Maybe I need to punish you. Is that what you want?"

"Were you…worried about me?"

The question seemed to throw him off. Leaning back so his grey eyes met her honey-colored ones, he raised an eyebrow and then grinned. "So this was a game. Well, who's the winner? I'm pretty sure it's me. What's my prize, Ayano? Do you have something or can I just take what I want?"

Ayano stared up at him for a long moment, silent. The pressure of the day had been steadily wearing down on her. Saitama's lecture. Her inability to defeat the monster. The frustration of not finding another one to fight. Reminders of how weak she was. Encountering that weird stranger and sort of making friends with him. It was all just a little too much for one day.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled Sonic down on top of her so his chest was against hers. Closing her eyes, the girl buried her face in the side of his neck and basked in the warmth radiating off of him. It helped her to calm down a little. It was soothing, reassuring.

Seeming to sense what she really wanted, and needed, his grin faded. The ninja turned them so she was lying on top of him and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What is it? You had a rough day?"

She nodded against him, but refused to look up. "I…couldn't beat the monster I fought. And then I couldn't find another monster to fight. I just…hate feeling so weak."

"If you think you're weak, you're going to like what I have planned then." Sonic moved a hand up along her back and she finally lifted her face to look at him. The man's grin was back full-force now. "Tomorrow. We're going to go into the mountains to train. I've never taken you there before, but tomorrow I'm going to start putting you through more rigorous training."

"A-alright," she agreed. Ayano had traveled through mountainous areas before and had a little bit of wilderness training, but he seemed to be talking about something more official. Something that would help her immensely. She just hoped she could become strong enough to beat Samurai Catgirl. If she could beat her, she felt like she would stand a better chance against Amai Mask.

The ninja's hand moved further up her back to thread into her hair and pull her face to his. Sonic's lips met hers in a warm kiss that started off gentle before easing into something more passionate. He grinned into the kiss and the arm still wrapped around her tightened. His hips rolled against hers and he earned a surprised yelp from Ayano.

Lying on top of him, on the ground, she remembered what Saitama had said about her ending up like Sonic. There's nothing wrong with Sonic, she thought as she let him move her knees to either side of his hips. I love him. I know him. He isn't the way Saitama wants me to see him. He doesn't fixate or obsess.

The kiss broke and Sonic trailed his fingers through her hair. "After this training, you'll be closer to beating Genos and I'll be closer to defeating Saitama."