*Huff huff huff* Yumiko panted heavily. She was running for almost half an hour now. "Garou, I don't think this is necessary.."

Physical Training. The one thing Yumiko is the worst at.

"I don't know how your powers work, but I know one thing. You need better stamina for fighting in battles. And I'm guessing that you'll need it to endure long hours of using your ability."

Yumiko, now wearing a white turtleneck shirt and black loose pants that matched with him, is sweating like crazy. Her curly hair was everywhere despite the fact she was braided. She bent down, holding her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Besides, it's your warm up before I teach you how to deftly incapacitate people."

"You mean, self defense?" She asked, perturbed.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you'd call it." He motioned a wave in on his hand. But mostly beating them up.

.

They are currently standing a few feet from each other.

"Listen well. I heard from the organization that they want you unharmed."

"Unharmed? Really, after that?"

"Hell if I know, but that's a good thing, they'll just want to capture you with no intention to kill."

"Then that's much worse Garou. After that mansion event, I have an idea what they want to do to me. I would prefer to be dead."

That's why I'm here. I won't let that happen. "Don't think like that. As long as you're alive you can do something. It's better than death." But just to prove I can teach the most hopeless person of course.

"Not for me, I don't want to be a plaything." He winced at the thought.

"Which is why you should take this very seriously. I would be here for now, but there may be a time you need to deal with this yourself."

"You need to be strong. Don't wait for other people to rescue you, because chances are, no one will." He continued.

Yumiko just nodded. She felt a twinge of sadness over to him. "Hey.."

He didn't notice it and proceeded to speak. "You were just lucky I was nearby that night."

"I'll give you situations, and you'll try to respond accordingly. Pretend that I'm the enemy, trying to capture you. I wouldn't be lenient anymore, Yumiko." His eyes turned serious.

In an instant, he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her quite roughly towards him.

"Ah!" She was slightly lifted up by Garou's strong pull. Her face a few inches from his. He was awfully close for comfort. She was beginning to turn red.

"This is how it usually happens." He looked at her intensely. "If you're caught in a situation like this. Just hit them in any crucial points. Kick the groin, poke the eye or hit the neck, anything to stun the enemy. If you hit them where it hurts, they'll release their hold on you. And when they do take that chance to give a death blow and run."

"Two hits. It's that easy?" She breathed out, unknowingly holding her breath.

"That's just the simplest attack. You have a long way to go."

He twirled her around. He let go of her arms and encircled his around her stomach, his other hand on her mouth. Right now, her back is tightly pressed against his muscular body, locking her in.

She yelped, surprised. She suddenly felt a little nervous.

"They'll take you in, in any way." He spoke so near her ear. "Tell me Yumiko, what will you do?"

"I-Ihmmp" Speaking through his hand. It was hard to think with him so close to her. She began to struggle in his grip, trying to free herself from his arm. She tried scratching out his hand on her face.

"You can't take them on like that. I told you to hit the enemy where it hurts."

She closed her eyes, pretended Garou was not the one holding her. She elbowed him in the neck, swung herself up and kicked him near his groin from behind. He released her immediately.

Not bad. He smirked.

"Sorry Garou! I had to pretend it wasn't you."

Garou, thinking that it's much better that she is in this mood replied, "What are you talking about? I'm still the attacker."

He wasted no time rushing towards her again. "Wait!"

With one hand he grabbed her neck, not too tight to restrict her breathing. "Ugh!" He pushed her to the outside wall of the bunkhouse.

"You can't have any timeouts in reality, Yumiko. You know that better than anyone."

She was trying to pull his hand away. "You can't win over by fighting me on strength. Think carefully. Find a weakness. The blind spot. You don't necessarily need brute strength."

Where would I- wait! She pivoted her whole body and pushed his elbow to break his hold. In a second she created a force field and hit it towards him. He stumbled back.

Garou gave a half smile, This pumps up my adrenaline. "What else can you do?"

She held her two hands up. "Garou!"

Big mistake. He thought, as he held both her arms and pushed her down. He sat, towering over her. Realizing their position, she blushed and tried to find a way to counter.

She was breathing shakily now, unsure whether she's nervous or something else. She's trapped, his weight fixes her in this position and her hands locked in a deathgrip. She then moved her fingertips trying to release the same force as before.

He caught up on her plan and moved his large hands to interlock with hers to stop it. Ehh? How could he have noticed that?

He was intensely looking at her. Like a wolf to its prey. She struggled for a few more minutes, trying ways to escape him but to no avail. She was completely at his mercy. Seeing her like this, he suddenly felt the same craving to taste her as the night before.

With no other way, she stopped moving. Her eyes staring back at him was making him feel things he shouldn't think of right now. The tension was all out in the open. The skin contact felt like fire. "Garou?" She said almost inaudibly.

Shit. This is driving me crazy.

He's moving closely on dangerous territory. He went in, closer and closer...

Zap! Garou felt a small electric shock stung him on his hands.

"What the hell was that?" He let go and stood up breathless as well as her. He's kinda grateful for the distraction.

"Ehh? You felt that?" She asked, her face completely red.

"That's enough for today, take a rest."

As they were sitting in the grass, Garou just explained to her what to do and what not to do, trying his best to teach her considering that she's not a physical fighter.

"Your fight style is long range. You should avoid close combat as much as you can. The things you learn here are just for emergencies, got it?"

She began thinking about the different scenarios that could happen.

"What will I do, if they have tranquilizers, or sedatives?

"Good question. Just hit them with your forcefield before they do." He answered confidently.

She scratched her head. "But what if.."

He sighed. "Your last resort would be to prick or cut yourself deep. Anything to produce enough pain to wake you up will counter the effect of the drug."

"I see.."

They sat in silence, enjoying the breeze.

"You're so much different from them." Yumiko told him out of the blue.

"Ha?"

"I was able to escape monsters and killers from the mansion by outsmarting them through weak counters and use of my ability. But you're different. You're not someone that would falter in petty attacks and tricks."

"Heh! Of course not. I told you I'm a lot stronger than anyone else." He said, welcoming all her praises.

"How did you get this strong?"

"Observing then application. Training to death. Fighting with stronger opponents." He simply said.

"Did someone teach you these things too?"

"Yeah." He responded quietly. He thinks back to the time he was training under the Silver Fang, the S-Class hero he once looked up to. The who saw his potential.

"Must be nice.."

"Meh." He admits though, a huge part of his strength came from the teachings of that old man. If only he wasn't a 'righteous hero' maybe he was still his mentor. If only Bang let him grow more.

It's all a bitter memory now. The next time I'll see him will be the day I finally defeat him.

She looks at him adoringly. Garou is a complex person. Yumiko tried to study him. She felt a faint swirl of emotions running through him. Rage. Anger. Longing. Sadness.

But one thing that stands out the most from him is determination. There is something in him that attracts her like a moth to a flame. Fighting Spirit? Strength? Dedication?

All things that she is not.

"I admire you." She told him frankly.

Taken aback by her sudden declaration, he sneered. "You're an idiot." He playfully flicked her forehead.

.

.

Garou was never a social person. He prefers a solitary arrangement- a lone wolf. Most of the time the people he was with in the dojo from before were just plainly annoying and weak. He never felt the need or want belongingness but right now he felt different.

A company like hers isn't so bad at all.

Author's Notes:

Hello again! This might be quite late, but for some of you who are curious on the main character's appearance, I actually based her from an artwork, Little Sunshine by Vacuum. I would draw it myself but I don't have an ounce of talent for it, so nevermind.. If you want to know, you can search it up on google or twitter.

And again, if you got here, thank you and have a happy holiday!