Whats up yall hows you doing today? I'm seriously running out of ideas for what to put here. Like, comment and subscribe if you like the chapter ig.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man. Obviously.
Chapter Six: Confusion
The next couple days passed very slowly for Tatsumaki. She avoided Amai Mask like the plague. When the three of them ate meals together, she rarely spoke, focusing on her food.
At night, Tatsumaki tossed and turned. It was becoming increasingly harder for her to sleep. Headaches pounded her skull harder and more often. She felt as if a thousand of Metal Knights rockets were exploding inside her head.
But by far the worst thing happening to Tatsumaki was the feeling of uncertainty. All her life she had been so sure of what she would do. She always had a plan. She always thought things through. But now, in less than two weeks, her entire life had been flipped on its head. Day and night a war waged in Tatsumaki's head. She had been wrong about Amai Mask. That begged the question, what else had she been wrong about?
Was Tatsumaki wrong to look down on other heroes? What was their reason to fight? Did they have the same drive and purpose as Amai Mask? Was the Hero Association doing it's best to help people? Was Fubuki right?
No, of course not. People should rely on themselves, and not need others. Independence was the root of society. People needed to learn to take care of themselves and never need anyone else.
…
Right?
Tatsumaki didn't know anymore. There was only one thing Tatsumaki was absolutely sure of. Everything, EVERYTHING, was his fault.
Saitama.
The bald bitch was the cornerstone for everything that had happened to her. She had heard it was him who defeated Garou. It was him who pushed her to go all out when she was recovering. It was his fault she was expelled from the Hero Association. He brought Amai Mask here. It was him who made him question everything she thought she knew. He was the sole reason for everything in her life had fallen to shit.
When she was back at a hundred percent she would pound him into the dirt. She would destroy him so utterly his little cyborg friend wouldn't even be able to find his atoms. She would rip his organs to shreds and burn his corpse and pluck his eyes out of his bald head. The few brain cells the hairless ape had would know nothing but complete agony for the last few minutes of his miserable life.
Tatsumaki sighed. It had been four days since the dinner with octo-head. The disaster that had been. But she couldn't get his words out of her head. Not just about Amai Mask. He was right about him. What if he was right about her?
No, that was a different story. Tatsumaki had her own reasons for being a hero. Ones she doubted that even the shaved head of Saitama could understand. Even his seemingly infinite wisdom had no knowledge of her true reasons.
Tatsumaki had no interest in making friends. She stayed at home when she wasn't killing monsters and yelled at anyone who tried to talk to her. She didn't need friends or anyone else to take care of her. She didn't need anyone.
At least, she didn't use to. Now, with no way to interact with society, she had no source of income, no job, no way to get any of the things she needed. She had returned to her ruined house a few days ago to retrieve her clothes, but other than that she had nothing. She had her phone but it was only a matter of time the Hero Association would track her to Bang's dojo and send people to get rid of her. It was a miracle Metal Knight hadn't already found her.
As Tatsumaki pondered this, a ripple formed in the pond she was sitting next to. This was where she spent most of her time now. It was peaceful and quiet, and unfortunately, great for thinking.
Tatsumaki looked up to see Bang walking towards her.
"Hello Tatsumaki," Bang said, standing over her.
"What do you want Bang? Is dinner done already?" Tatsumaki looked into the sky. The sun was close to setting, but not that close.
"
No. I simply wanted to ask about how you're doing," Bang asked.
"I'm fine," Tatsumaki growled.
"Tatsumaki," Bang said. "Anyone who's been around you as much as I have can tell you're not. You're quiet."
Tatsumaki stayed silent, trying to think of something to say, but failing, only proving his point further.
"Even Amai Mask is worried about you," Bang continued.
Now that was news to her. Amai Mask? Caring about her, much less anyone other than himself? Strange.
Bang sighed. "I can't force you to talk to me. I can't pretend to know what you're going through right now. But if you need me, I'll be here."
Bang turned around and walked away. Tatsumaki stared at his back. Need him? Who did he think he was?
Something wet rolled down Tatsumaki's face. Tatsumaki wiped it off with her hand. She stared at the drop of wetness on her hand. Another drop rolled down her face. Tatsumaki looked up to see if it was raining. It was not.
Finally Tatsumaki understood where the water was coming from. She wiped her eyes, trying to get rid of the tears threatening to moisturize her skin.
Why? Why was she crying? She has no reason to cry. She was fine.
Even as she said that, more tears fell down her face. Soon she was sobbing, her breaths coming in ragged choking sounds.
How dare he ask her if she needed his help? Who was he to help her? Who was he to care? Did he think he was better than Fubuki? Why did he care?
Why did he care?
When Tatsumaki glided into Bang's dojo for dinner that night she was feeling awful. Her head hurt, her stomach hurt, her face hurt, her throat was raw and her eyes were dry. She was in no mood to talk to or see anyone.
Both Amai Mask and Bang stared at her and shared a look when she sat down. If she wasn't feeling so bad she would yell at them but she didn't have the energy.
She had cried for over an hour by the pond. She didn't understand why. Tatsumaki didn't want to understand.
As she ate quietly, Tatsumaki could sense their stares. She didn't hear the scrape of their forks or the telltale signs they were eating. She ignored it, eating the squid in small bites. It took her a long time to eat it. She wasn't hungry and her stomach didn't seem to like having food in it. Granted, she was a small person, but it wasn't a big meal. Tatsumaki forced the food down her throat anyway. She wouldn't let the stupid squid beat her. It was so shiny and hairless, and definitely did NOT remind her of anyone.
Tatsumaki finished the last scrap of squid off her plate. She floated up and went to the kitchen. She washed off her plate and fork and returned them to where they needed to go. She left the kitchen and crossed the dojo, where Amai Mask and Bang still watched. As she passed them, one of them called out to her, but she ignored it. She went to her room and closed her door.
Tatsumaki needed a shower. She felt cold. She went to the bathroom Bang dedicated for her. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm. She turned to get a towel and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
She looked about as awful as she felt. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her hair was a mess. There were bags under her red eyes from her lack of sleep.
Tatsumaki looked down, ashamed of herself and stared at her hands. They were red as they always were.
Tatsumaki clecnhed her fists and glared at the reflection in the mirror. This was a piss poor state she'd let herself become.
After Tatsumaki got out of the shower, she retreated back to her room. Still no word from Fubuki. Tatsumaki sighed. She hoped she was alright and the Hero Association hadn't punished her. If they had, no hole they could crawl into would be deep enough to hide them from her wrath.
Just then there was a knock on her door. Tatsumaki sighed and telekinetically opened the door.
"What is it, Bang?" Tatsumaki called.
"Um, actually," a voice that certainly wasn't Bang's said. Tatsumaki tensed.
"Amai Mask. What do I owe the pleasure?" Tatsumaki asked through gritted teeth, crossing her arms.
"You seem…unwell."
"Being cooped up with your smell? Anyone would be queasy after a week with that. Do you ever shower?"
Amai Mask snorted a laugh. "Maybe not but at least I don't need a gallon of hair gel to get my hair to stay down."
"Hey! My hair's not that frizzy," Tatsumaki complained.
"Please. I've seen you in the morning. Your bedhead would make a porcupine jealous."
Tatsumaki growled. "Skunks follow you around cause they think you're some kind of god of smelling bad."
Amai Mask laughed for real this time. Tatsumaki had an odd feeling in her chest. It was strangely warm. Was this what a heart attack felt like?
As she expected to fall over dead any second, she could feel Amai Mask watching her. "Why are you really here, Amai?"
"Don't be so formal. My name's Beaut."
Tatsumaki chortled. "Seriously? Beaut? What did you do to piss off your parents-"
Tatsumaki stopped mid sentence. A series of flashbacks she tried to forget flashed through her mind.
Amai Mask-or Beaut-didn't seem to notice. "I don't know really. Maybe they wanted me to have it as a reminder of my ugliness."
"Yeah," Tatsumaki said, shivering slightly.
She felt Beaut's gaze on her grow more intense. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Fine. Just tired," Tatsumaki lied.
"Alright then. Goodnight Tatsumaki," Beaut said.
"Goodnight," Tatsumaki said. Tatsumaki heard the door close and footsteps leaving.
Tatsumaki collapsed onto her bed. She was shaking all over now. What was wrong with her? She didn't know.
Tatsumaki crawled into bed and closed her eyes. But it was a long time before she fell asleep.
Tatsumaki awoke late in the night. She checked her phone. It was 3:16. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Then she heard it. Voices. They came from the main dojo. Tatsumaki floated silently towards the noise.
Standing by the door was Bang. He was speaking to a robot.
Not just any robot. Metal Knight's robot. This was one hero not even Bang would invite to dinner.
"I told you, she is not here, Bofoi. You will have to search elsewhere," Bang said sternly.
"Do not test me Silverfang," the metallic voice of Bofoi said through the robot. "I know she is here. I have traced her phone signal here several times. I prevented the Hero Association from accessing it out of spite, but we came to an agreement. If I can take her off the playing field, I can keep her for research purposes."
Tatsumaki's heart stopped in her chest. Panic seized her. It strangled her and crushed her heart. Her breath hitched and she started to sweat heavily.
"Speaking of, the girl of the hour is here." The head of the robot turned to face her. "Good morning Tatsumaki."
Tatsumaki's rage flared. She summoned her power and prepared to crush the pathetic robot Metal Knight sent.
An ear splitting screech filled the room. Instantly her powers disappeared and Tatsumaki grabbed her head, sinking to the floor. Tatsumaki screamed. Bang winced and backed up, covering his ears.
"Don't try anything Bang. I made sure this bot is durable enough to withstand your strikes. No one else needs to be hurt tonight."
The bot walked towards Tatsumaki. Tatsumaki scrambled back, trying to use her powers, but her mind couldn't focus. Bang advanced on it and hit it multiple times, but as Metal Knight warned, they failed to hurt the bot. The bot pivoted on its waist and struck Bang in the chest. Caught off guard and being distracted by the noise, it hit Bang point blank, knocking through the wall of his dojo.
The robot stood over Tatsumaki. She tried one last time to summon her powers, but failed. The robot reached down and grabbed her by the arm. Using its other arm, it injected some kind of serum into her.
"Wha-" Tatsumaki began.
"Nothing. Just a little sleeping agent to make you a little more manageable on the flight to my testing facility. Calm down, it will only take a second. I wouldn't want you to know where I have you know would I?"
Tatsumaki struggled, but failed to break the metal grip.
"It's almost strange. First Bang, then Amai Mask, then you are fired, as am I, not to mention Child Emperor, Metal Bat and Superalloy Blackluster leaving for the Neo Heroes. It almost seems someone is intentionally weakening the Hero Association. Not that it matters to me. The Hero Association was never meant to be permanent. I've already found another employer."
"You're sick," Tatsumaki spat.
"Perhaps. But it's just business."
Suddenly a force collided with the side of the robot's head. It released her and shot across the dojo. Standing before her was Amai Mask.
"Amai Mask? Interesting," the robot said.
Those were its last words before the robot was reduced to a pile of scraps by a series of punches.
Bang entered the dojo only seconds later, a nasty cut on his chest. "Amai Mask? Good. I wasn't sure I could take that bot."
Amai Mask just nodded.
"You two need to leave. I'm sure Metal Knight will send more robots," Bang told them.
"What about you?" Amai Mask asked.
Bang chuckled and stood to his full height. "I will distract Metal Knight. Buy you some time. Anyways, I can't abandon my dojo. I will go down with it, if need be."
Amai Mask nodded solemnly. "Very well. Come on Tatsumaki. We need to go."
Tatsumaki tried to get to her feet and failed. Spots filled her vision as the world started to spin.
"Drugs," Tatsumaki said.
Amai Mask and Bang looked at each other. Tatsumaki tried to use her powers, but they also failed.
Amai Mask grabbed her and held her bridal style in his arms. She tried to protest but her vision started to go dark. Her arms felt like lead. Her tongue went numb.
With one last nod at Bang, Amai Mask sprinted out the door and into the night. Before they had even reached the bottom of Bang's stairs, Tatsumaki was unconscious.