A Few More Levels
Chapter 10: His Disciple
Disclaimer: As said before I do not own anything at all and it is created by the wonderfully great One-sama
The heat of the sun bares down to the barren rocky land with a withering intensity. Amongst the heat of things two men are standing far apart from each other staring at one another, the other with an intense stare and other seemed rather bored out of his mind.
Well, he was actually thinking about what the blonde said earlier. Popularity, ranking and his hero name which he dearly hope wasn't about his appearance.
"Sensei, thank you for agreeing to this little bout." The blonde spoke intensely.
"Sure Genos, I'm your teacher aren't I and this isn't a real fight so I have no worries. After this we go get lunch alright?"
"Of course Sensei. But please take this seriously and fight me with all you've got."
Up in the air was a floating small person looking very much as excited as the other guy mentioned before. Which wasn't very much.
The amber eyed teen levitated lower, hovering from the ground between the two men. She stares from person to person as Haku raises her hand above them.
"Alright, at the count of three." As she blandly said that, the blonde cyborg readies for a stance as some parts of his body started glowing and the air around him started to simmer and hum with heat.
And the other yellow jumpsuit wearing bald man just stands on his place as his white cape blows dramatically from the nonexistent wind. His face also showed its default boredom but there was some hint of curiosity in them as he stares at the blonde.
The small raven head just sighs, wishing that she should have brought something to eat (it is nearing lunch) or to cool herself from the sweltering heat.
Until she got a bright idea.
"Wait a moment please." The teen says to the both of them as she lowers her hand.
Haku immediately removes the blue baggy long sleeved shirt over her shoulder to reveal a simple white tank top underneath.
And also her very obvious curves and chest area.
"Haku, put your clothes back on." The caped baldy told her with his brows furrowed.
"No, I would not. I don't want to bake myself in this heat. And I'm wearing something."
"Listen here you—"
"Three."
SCHWOOOMMM!
"Damn you chibi."
The blonde cyborg zooms quickly to Saitama with great speed aided by his new specs and the Saitama immediately tilts his head at the punch.
Genos stops his forward motion by using his hand repulsor to turn towards the baldy and moves again to attack him relentlessly.
Saitama merely stands there not moving an inch from his place only moving the necessary body part to dodge Genos' assault. He watches his new disciple with wonder in his eyes as the cyborg circles around him for an opening to attack.
All that action only happened in mere seconds after Haku decided to start the fight. She watches boredly as the two powerhouses go at it as she dodges oncoming debris.
She later notes that she would get back on her brother for the chibi comment.
But for now she'll just watch the show.
(With the help of her powers, she tripped the currently running Saitama to fall on his face)
"Damn you Haku!"
He quickly dodges an attack that could have incinerated him, it was so close only missing him by a hair.
(Though he doesn't have one)
"That was a close one. Could have burned my clothes." Saitama spoke with relief in his voice, only to get another kick flying towards him.
And as he was mid air Genos prepares for his destructive attack that could make his teacher fight him seriously. When he landed he placed his arms together and the metal pieces rearranged itself for his signature and improved attack.
"Incinerate!"
BOOOM!
Huge stream of flames came out of his palms easily disintegrating the part where the attack hit.
'Did I get him?'
Genos thought as he scanned the whole blasted area for a sign of the bald man.
"I win." A voice came from behind as a finger pokes his cheek.
Genos slightly surprised, whirled his head to turn around swiftly, his unusual eyes landing on his teacher who is a few feet away.
After recovering from the surprise Genos narrows his glowing amber eyes at his new teacher. "Sensei,"
"Ahn?"
Haku silently lands on the ground as she can tell that the fight would be over soon. It's clear that Genos is over estimating himself if he wants her brother to put more effort to their spar, if Saitama did that at the beginning then the spar would have been over.
"Have you forgotten the rules of this bout?"
"Huh?" Saitama inquired, because he was sure that he didn't break any of it.
Genos continued. "Dodge all the attacks that you can dodge. No fooling around and take the bout seriously." His mind flashed towards Saitama's playful poke in his cheek.
"Do not hold back and fight me until I can no longer fight."
He readies his stance as he thought of the displays of unbelievable strength the bald man had shown him the first time they met each other and the moment that not even Saitama could explain how he got so strong. This fight is his only chance to have a measure of how it happened and how strong the other man is, so he really needs Saitama to take it seriously.
"Show me no mercy."
With those uttered words, Saitama was quick to lessen the gap between them. Surprised, Genos reacted with a kick that Saitama swiftly dodged.
A shadow was casted on Saitama's eyes when he faced the blonde and Haku was faintly alarmed with the development.
At that very moment Genos felt something he had almost forgotten after being turned into a cyborg.
Becoming a cyborg blurred the lines when it comes to emotions and feelings, no matter how brilliant the old doctor is. No matter how much he tried to retain the Genos that was him from before he would never be the same again.
But this feeling, he remembers it well. Even if he was mostly mechanical he could still actually feel it.
It was a bit surprising.
The same feeling he felt when he can't do anything as he watch the people he knew since childhood got killed by the rouge robot. The same feeling he felt when that thing was getting closer towards them as they helplessly run and plea for someone to help them. The cold feeling of dread, helplessness, quick heartbeats and frozen nerves. The feeling of death staring right at you in the face.
Like the time, that he thought that he was going to die that day along with his friends and family. His inability to do anything with the situation, the feeling of undeniable fear.
Genos knew that he might die by the fist hurtling towards him.
No, that's a miscalculation.
He is going to die.
With wide eyes, Genos is unable to dodge the oncoming punch with how fast its moving. For him, the punch seemed like it was moving in slowmo despite the fact that it was actually pretty fast.
Haku was ready to teleport Genos out of the way but refrained to, after all this is her brother. She trusts him more than she trusts herself. Saitama wouldn't do something like that, and it is obvious to Haku of what he is about to do.
The punch didn't connect, stopping by a centimeter from the blonde's face but with the force the punch is packing, it created a great amount (an understatement) of wind pressure causing his hair to fly back as the whole area behind him burst into rubble and dust.
His sensitive ears was still ringing at the howling in the air when the punch abruptly stopped near his face.
It was terrifying.
Genos just couldn't wrap his head around how he was still whole and not blown to bits like all the other opponents Saitama have faced. He knew from the moment that he missed his kick and the bald man was already at his back that he messed up big time. The fear for his life still lingered but the crash of relief coupled by the soft tap on his forehead grounded him to reality.
He is still alive.
"Come on Genos, let's go get some udon." Saitama said with much enthusiasm as he walks away with a spring on his step.
Genos blinks at the sight of his new teacher's back as he thought about how he could've died at that time. Looking at the destruction left behind him, he was awed and frightened at the same time of how one man can be so strong.
The blonde looks ahead to catch the distant back of Saitama.
'He isn't even using his whole power, just how strong is Teacher?'
'Strong enough to kick our butts if you don't hurry up.'
Genos jolted at the sudden voice in his head and looked down at the young teen (that he defenitely knew that wasn't there before) beside him.
The raven head sighs and grabs a hold of his metallic risk not even flinching at the still hot metal. "Come on now, quit gaping at him like that. I'm hungry and this place is very hot." she pointedly eyed the huge burn patch on the ground and then at him.
"Haa, let's catch up to that baldie." With that said, the girl lets go of his arm and walked towards the direction her brother went to, expecting him to follow.
Genos quickly catches up to her after a daze moment a question springs from his mind.
"Haku-san, may I ask you a question?"
"What is it Genos-san?"
"How is it that you are able to use telepathy when you already exhibit psychokinetic abilities?"
There was silence and for a moment Genos thought that the other teen wouldn't deign him an answer.
"Let's just say that my abilities are... varied compared to other Espers." Her answer came out stilted and unsure something he wouldn't expect from someone so sure of herself.
The first time Genos met Haku he thought of her as someone rude and unfailingly polite at the same time.
Rude, because she had insulted his Sensei so easily (and with a straight face at that) and polite because he addresses Genos with politeness and maturity for someone her age.
The look in her eyes is something unusual too.
They aren't the eyes of a young teenager still in their puberty, they're all tired and old and cautious. He had observed that the younger teen would always survey her surroundings as if searching for any sign of danger. She would always watch the one talking to her closely for any tells of lies and deceit in their words. And not only that, her body language may scream relax and bored all the time but the blonde can clearly see the times when it stiffens at a sign of possible threat around them.
It shows just how... jaded the younger teen is, making him curious of what might have happened in the past.
Then there's his Saitama's obsessive adoration towards her. It was clear as day that the man clearly loves Haku, he even threatened Genos (this happened when Genos proposed to live in the apartment building with them and coincidentally the ravennette wasn't around) to, 'Never lay a finger on her, got it.' so since then the cyborg never made any sort of skin (not that he has any) contact with the girl (unless she initiates it) in respect to his teacher's wish.
But Genos was curious about the two so he investigated what are they trully made of, if they are wholesomely human with no genetic mutation.
So, he got a sample of their DNA from their saliva.
DNA itself is the blueprint of the genetic makeup so if anything is strange in there's he would be able to know.
What he found out was a surprise and at the same time not at all.
The both of them are completely human.
But that wasn't really the surprising part of it.
Haku and Saitama are not biologically related.
Genos even repeated the test numerous times just to make sure.
But the end result was the same every time. Negative.
And the next thing he knew he was scanning their facial feature for any sign of relation and differing them from one another.
Haku was fair skinned with a heart shaped face, high cheek bones that has a natural faint blush, an aristocratic nose and wide almond shaped amber eyes framed with thick lashes. She is petite with a mature body. Overall conclusion: Someone who is considered appealing to many.
Whereas Saitama was tanned skin with an oval shaped face, average cheekbones, a straight nose and narrow brown eyes. He is with average height and lean muscled. Overall conclusion: Someone who is considered average, with no outstanding feature.
The only thing the two shared is their hair color. According to the framed photo in the entrance of the apartment Saitama used to have spiky black hair and Haku used to have long wavy black hair.
Their eye color can be... considered, but that's by a long shot. The other was a rich amber color and the other was just plain brown.
Not incredibly alike but both of them are in the same color spectrum.
Aside from that, they don't have any further resemblance from each other.
But despite the truth of being biologically unrelated (Do they know or not? Genos is leaning towards the first one of the two) the bond between the two just screamed SIBLINGS.
From their interaction and to how they clearly know each other. The blonde might be 95% mechanical now but he can clearly tell the love and care the two shared one another. They are a family that are now consisted of two (The man told him that they moved away from their parents when Saitama went to college, but the man never mentioned where the couple lives).
Something he used to share to his long gone family.
A grab in his hand halted him from his train of thought. "Genos-san were already here." Haku's familiar voice entered his ears, it seems like he was so lost in thought that he lost track of their surrounding, a fatal mistake on his part.
"Oi you two, quit standing there already. I'm starving here." His Teacher spoke quite irritably as he peak at them from the doorway.
"Yes Sensei."
"Haa, its not like you're the only one."
"Yeah, yeah just get inside already. I saw a promo in there menu that if you get to finish a bucket of udon in 10 minutes you get it for free. So how about it?"
"Sounds great, but don't throw up midway." Haku said as they both entered the establishment.
"I'm not gonna throw up that would just be a waste, if anything you're the one who might throw up."
"Haa, are you challenging me?"
"What if I am?"
"Alright." Haku nods to her brother from across the table and looks at Genos beside her seriously.
"Genos-san, defeat Sai-nii for me and if you win I'll humor you in that proposed spar."
Genos perks up at this and narrows his eyes seriously at the other teen. "Very well." Its a chance to finally see what the young woman is capable of.
The bald man points at her accusingly. "Hey! That's cheating!"
A brow raises. "I never said that I would be the one taking the challenge."
"Tch. Smartass."
Haku rolls her eyes at this, not falling for the bait. "Sure am."
Genos watch their interaction with a keen eye and he could say that the two might antagonize one another it is only in jest and not a means to insult the other. He clearly read Miss Haku wrong when they first met.
The siblings (and yes they are, even if their Deoxyribonucleic Acid might say otherwise) are both shrowded in mystery, the younger more so.
And the blonde intends to solve the puzzle and find out the true meaning of their strength. But for now...
"Here you go, if the two of you finish it on time you'll get it for free and oh, here's your beef ramen little missy," Haku's brows twitches at this but the young waiter doesn't seem to notice, too busy at impressing her with a smile and staring at her curves.
Genos and Saitama gave him a death glare for his efforts. The smile faltered and his eyes went back to the brunette's face.
The guy clears his throat and continues "And since your cute and your companions are doing the challenge you'll be getting a discount according to the chef himself!"
Haku seems at lost with it. "... Cool."
"I shall leave you to it then. Enjoy your meal. " The young man left them with a wink and a charming smile.
"What a creep. That's why I told you to keep your jacket on."
"And bake myself on that heat? No way. That's just asking to get a heatstroke and by the way Genos-san is on the lead."
Hearing those words the man stared at Genos whose rapidly shoving noodles at his mouth with so much determination.
"Hey! That's cheating!"
"Haa, the competition started as that weird guy left. Didn't you notice the timer?" The girl pointed idly at the egg shaped timer that could only be mocking him.
Without further ado he started shoving noodles down his throat with as much speed he can as he swallow rather than chew.
But in the end he didn't really win and embarrassed himself by throwing up half way. Haku had to magically vanish the udon in his bucket despite her reluctance to do so, it was such a waste. They would be paying for it if she doesn't though and they happened to be in a tight budget and in due to pay their bills. Genos got the promised spar he was hoping for but before there peaceful night ended they got a visit from a certain model.
A/N: So... this story ain't dead yet. I just got a lot of things going on with my life. The graduation, getting my CAT result (not to brag or anything I got in with a 97% at that test.) and trying to stay alive from boredom, there's the event of my phone giving in to the clutches of disrepair and finally I lost my inspiration to keep writing this.
I don't really feel great with this chapter but I hope that I could get back to the swing of things. And then there's also my Seven Deadly Sins fanfic that I still haven't gotten around to write. Anyways this is all I got for now so bare with me till I got the time to write more.
See you guys next time~