Alright guys we're back with some more Tatsumaki. Hopefully I didn't piss to many of you off with that cliffhanger, but based on the comments ya'll seemed fine with it. I just wanna say thanks here for following my story and leaving epic comments. Reading them is usually the highlight of my day so thanks. If this is to mushy for you, I feel that, but I do appreciate it.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Punch Man. I sincerely wish I did, but I wouldn't be nearly as good as the One Punch Man we've all grown to love.

Chapter Five: Alliance of Outcasts

The first person to notice her entrance was Flashy Flash. His gaze turned to her the moment she stepped into the light. When Tatsumaki saw his expression, she knew they were going to have a fight.

"Bang. Step aside. There is a threat behind you and I intend to remove it. Do not catch yourself in the crossfire," Flashy Flash warned.

At his words, all eyes turned towards her. Saitama glanced towards her for a moment then looked back towards Siilverfang. Was he…ignoring her? Rage surged within Tatsumaki, and her powers gathered as well.

"She is my guest here. There will be no fighting inside my dojo," Bang said evenly.

"He means piss off sonic the hedgehog," Tatsumaki added.

Saitama snorted a laugh. Tatsumaki glared at him, already thinking of a good place to hide his body.

"I agree with Flashy Flash," the Demon Cyborg added. "The Tornado of Terror was deemed a Dragon Level Threat, and is at the top of the Hero Association's most wanted list, even above Amai Mask. She must be eliminated."

"Do your worst tin man," Tatsumaki snarled.

"Hey Bang, where do you want-" Amai Mask began, coming into the room. He stopped when he realized who was in the room.

"Harboring monsters, are you Silverfang?" Flashy Flash demanded.

"Now hold on just a moment-"

I

t was too late. Flashy Flash drew his sword and crossed the room towards Tatsumaki. She sent a telekinetic blast at him, sending his flying. She saw the Demon Cyborg charge at Amai Mask only to end up being knocked back by a kick from Amai Mask.

Tatsumaki flew out the door into the open air. She flew high above the dojo, watching from above.

Flashy Flash studied her, perched atop a large rock. The Demon Cyborg came flying through a wall, quickly followed by Amai Mask. For a moment, all was still.

Flashy Flash struck at Amai Mask. Amai Mask dodged, but just barely. Flashy Flash followed up with three more slashes and a kick, which sent Amai Mask sprawling. Realizing he was outmatched, Amai Mask jumped up and tried to put some distance between them. Flashy Flash snorted in disapproval, and in an instant, appeared before Amai Mask. Surprised, Amai Mask punched at him. Flashy Flash dodged with ease and brought his sword down on Amai Mask's wrist, severing his hand. Amai Mask gasped and staggered back. Flashy Flash struck him in the chest again, lifting him square off the ground and sending him flying. Before Flashy Flash could finish him off however, Tatsumaki intervened. She telekinetically grabbed Flashy Flash and sent him several hundred feet in the air, and shooting him far off into the distance.

"Your welcome!" Tatsumaki shouted as Amai Mask went to retrieve his hand.

A burst of flame reminded Tatsumaki someone else was on the playing field. Several more blasts followed the first, none doing any damage to her whatsoever. She looked down at the cyborg.

"Is that the best you got? I feel like I'm getting hit by cool winter breezes," Tatsumaki taunted.

To his credit, the cyborg stayed quiet. Continuing to run in circles, shooting bursts of flame at her, the cyborg remained emotionless. Tatsumaki sighed. It had been amusing while it lasted.

With a flick of her wrists, all of the joints in the cyborg's body reversed themselves, like the time after the alien invasion. Even at the distance she was, Tatsumaki could hear metal grating and wires popping. The cyborg's face contorted in a strange way as he flopped uselessly to the ground.

Tatsumaki dusted off her hands in a dramatic show of victory. Now there was only one person she needed to pound into pulp. Before she could disintegrate the eggplant headed Class S idiot, a trail of dust in the distance caught her attention.

It was Flashy Flash. She couldn't see his face at this distance, but she could tell he was pissed. In seconds, he had traveled the many miles she had thrown him. As he approached the infamous steps leading up to Bang's dojo, a mischievous grin spread across Tatsumaki's face. She raised her hands and summoned her power. Dimly she was aware of Amai Mask taking up a stance below her, with both hands now.

Flashy Flash was halfway up the steps now, and approaching fast. It was time.

Tatsumaki flicked her hands upward, and every step on the staircase rotated 45 degrees so it was one massive slant.

Tatsumaki smiled. She was proud of that little trick. It reminded her of the traps so common of ancient Egyptians in movies.

But in an impressive show of agility, Flashy Flash didn't even falter. In fact, he seemed to speed up. He reached the top of the steps and with a single punch sent Amai Mask tumbling into Bang's dojo and out the other side.

Tatsumaki sent a barrage of rocks streaking towards him. Flashy Flash jumped and climbed the rocks, using them to get closer to her. Scowling, she reversed the direction of the rocks.

This caught Flashy Flash off guard, but not for long. He quickly regained his balance and simply rode the rocks upward.

But Tatsumaki expected this. She separated the rock he was on from the others, and used those to forge a wall between them. For a second, the air was still. The two of them, separated by a wall of stone. Tatsumaki could sense Flashy Flash preparing an attack on top of the stone she supported with her power. Tatsumaki summoned her power. It was time to end this.

WOOSH

A massive gust of wind knocked Tatsumaki off balance, sending her spiralling in midair. She felt her rock construct be destroyed by the same force, and she sensed Flashy Flash hit the ground. When she came to her senses, she heard a voice.

"Alright that's it! I came here cause Bang invited me and Genos over for dinner. I let you guys tag along cause I'm a fairly reasonable guy. But I did not sign up for all your fighting. Cut the bullshit and let me eat dinner in peace!"

"Hey octopus skull, no one asked for your opinion! Leave us to our business! This is no place for a small fry like you!" Tatsumaki yelled.

"I must agree with the angry midget," Flashy Flash said.

"What did you call me!" Tatsumaki shrieked.

"Watch disciple, as I show you how to eliminate targets with efficiency," Flashy Flash told Saitama.

"No! This squable has gone on far enough! My poor house cannot stand much more abuse," Bang added.

"Sorry Bang, but this faggot called me a midget. I will kill him," Tatsumaki said.

"Sensei has decreed his intentions! We will eat in peace or I will incinerate you all, likely destroying 48 percent of the mountain as well," the Demon Cyborg added.

"Not helping Genos," Saitama added.

"You? Ha! As if, toy soldier," Tatsumaki laughed.

Suddenly Tatsumaki heard a loud thumping, and felt a powerful pressure.

"Your fish smells excellently prepared, Bang. It would indeed be a shame if it was wasted," King said.

Tatsumaki and Flashy Flash looked at each other. He sheathed his sword and Tatsumaki floated down to the earth. King's threat was heard loud and clear.

Dinner was tense. Everyone except for Saitama was on guard. Eyes flicked back and forth, assessing everyone's every movement, feeling for hostility. Bang attempted to break the ice multiple times, but the tries fell on deaf ears.

King was right though. The fish was excellently cooked.

Tatsumaki sat next to Amai Mask and Bang. Bang sat at the head of the table with Tatsumaki to his left and Saitama to his right. Demon Cyborg sat next to Saitama, and Flashy Flash sat next to Demon Cyborg. King sat next to Amai Mask, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Bang and Saitama had the longest conversations. Most others were terse and blunt. Tatsumaki and Amai Mask didn't offer any words to Flashy Flash or Demon Cyborg, and they returned the courtesy.

Tatsumaki rarely spoke during dinner. She only responded to questions Bang asked out of politeness. Otherwise, she kept her gaze on her plate and focused on her meal, occasionally sneaking murderous glares at the bald man.

King may have stopped the battle, but the war was far from won.

Finally, an unspoken line was crossed by none other than the man who ignored them.

"So, Amai Mask, how long have you been a monster?"

All noise stopped. No scraping forks against the plates, no sound of chewing, no one even breathed, except for Saitama, not knowing what he had done. Bang looked like he was seconds away from a heart attack. For a few seconds, no one moved.

"How long have you been bald? Maybe you shouldn't ask such stupid questions you stupid bald freak!" Tatsumaki shouted. She blinked. Since when had she and Amai Mask been allies?

Amai Mask put up a mottled green hand. "No no, it's fine. I don't mind. I wasn't a monster when I joined the Hero Association a few years ago. Back then, I wore a mask to hide my identity. Not just that, but I was ashamed of my appearance. Back then, I didn't look like… this. But I didn't look like I have either. I was ugly. But I still wanted to do good. I became well known. Then one day, as some of you might know, I fought a monster who broke my mask and revealed my face. When that day came, I didn't realize I had become a monster. I thought my ugly human face would be shown to the world. No one was more surprised than I to see my new face then.

"With my new face covering my true self, I decided to keep the name "Sweet Mask". As a reminder that I would always be a fraud.

"You broke that mask Saitama. When you told me you were a hero for fun, and then that clown monster attacked, I had a serious introspection. When I started to lose, I seriously debated letting some civilians die in order to keep my mask on. But you made me realize it's not the outer mask that defines who we are. It isn't society that deems you a hero. You do. A hero is not defined by their beauty. They are defined by their own self worth. Their purpose.

"So I can't tell you when I became a monster. Because I honestly don't know. Maybe it was when that monster broke my mask. Maybe it was when I adopted the philosophy that Heroes needed to be beautiful. Maybe it was even when I gave up on being human and exposed myself."

Everyone was silent, staring at Amai Mask. Everyone looked at him in a new light. Even Flashy Flash seemed somewhat approving of Amai Mask now.

Tatsumaki wasn't sure what to think. But he was definitely not a monster in her eyes anymore.

"That was a few more than 20 words. But it's fine. Honestly, I kinda like it," Saitama said nonchalantly.

"What?" Amai Mask said.

"Yeah it's cool. When I first met you I thought you were a total dick. But now I get what you mean by your whole "a hero must be beautiful" thing. You don't mean that a hero needs to be pretty, literally. It's more like a hero must show no fear. You want heroes to inspire hope in the public eye. You're trying to make the public not simply safe, but actually feel safe from monsters, which a lot of heroes don't really do. You make sure the people don't lose confidence or hope in the Hero Association, so the world keeps spinning and people don't fall into fear and despair. It's pretty noble, really," Saitama said, picking his nose.

Now it was Saitama's turn to be gaped at by everyone.

"What, do I have a booger on my finger?"

Amai Mask smiled. "Of all people, I never thought you would understand that."

Saitama stuck his finger in his ear in response.

Tatsumaki stared at Amai Mask. Could she really believe that all the times he belittled her and the other S Class, he was actually trying to instill hope?

Surprisingly, Tatsumaki could completely believe that. When City A was destroyed by the alien ship, he had been disgusted by their weakness. Not simply because they failed to protect City A, but because the population had panicked. They had felt fear. It was a hero's job to protect humanity, and they had failed. Humanity had lost faith, if only for a moment. Heroes were supposed to be a pillar of hope.

And no matter what, Amai Mask had always inspired hope in the people. On his talk shows, he always talked up to the S Class. Despite what he told them in private, he always commended their strength, praised their feats, and never once said anything bad about them. On his shows, he always smiled, always had an air of confidence that reassured his listeners. People would flock to him to feel safe.

Tatsumaki's head throbbed. What the fuck was going on? Why was everything going wrong? Amai Mask was supposed to be the bad guy. He wasn't supposed to be the hero.

But now that the thought was in her head, it was impossible to stop. She could no longer look at him with her degrading stare. Amai Mask would forever be a symbol of hope in her eyes.

What was this baldy's problem? How dare he flip her world on its head? How dare he see truths no one else could even comprehend?

"Sensei…" the Demon Cyborg started.

"Hmm?" Saitama asked, looking at him. The cyborg's yellow eyes were filled with wonder and respect.

It disgusted Tatsumaki.

"Hey Iron Man, why don't you just propose already?" Tatsumaki said.

Everyone glared at her. She glared back, challenging them.

"Well, that was an…enlightening dinner. Why don't you all pass your plates this way and I'll put them away," Bang offered.

Plates were passed down, and Bang carried them into the kitchen. King followed Bang into the kitchen, leaving her, Saitama, Demon Cyborg, Amai Mask and Flashy Flash at the table.

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Most of them looked at their hands. Saitama stared blankly at the ceiling. Tatsumaki glared at Saitama, crossing her arms, waiting for him to make ONE false move. A moment later Bang came back into the room, a broad smile on his face.

"Who's ready for dessert?"