Chapter 12

For the rest of the day, Sweet Mask was cursing himself out. Muttering how he was foolish to speak aloud to Hunter, a son of Garou about how he felt, why he was so angry… But then again. The boy figured most of it out on his own, he didn't really say a word to him about Melee. Yet, he knew the truth now.

Amai Mask had always loved her. In the years she spent at his assistance, there was no one who could have held a candle to her and her abilities. He didn't think he was that rude to Melee, or that absorbed into himself. He made his intentions clear… didn't he?

After all, he was there for her after her family was killed…

Then again, if he remembered correctly, he gave her but a few days off before having her come back to work. Even in that time frame where she was suppose to be grieving; he called her to do work his schedule… he never let her grieve. When she returned, he never asked her how she felt, how she was doing. She was distant and quiet for months on end. All that mattered to him was that she was maintaining and kept to his agenda. Then, when she finally spoke like her old self again, he told her to lose weight.

"I have a standard, and you are part of that standard. You would look so much more beautiful if you lost weight." She didn't take kindly to the suggestion, until he insisted upon it. "Mimi, if you still want to work here. You need to look like you belong here." He warned. She got the message that time. In the months that followed he watched as she slimmed herself down. She lost the weight and became a far more slender and beautiful assistant, one finally worthy of him. In the time she lost the weight, she began to change. She would talk back to him, stand her ground a lot more than usual to the point they were arguing constantly. He thought she was merely asserting her dominance or Melee merely had too much energy to burn.

He realized her potential of being a hero during a monster attack. They were in the studio when one happened to have stormed in, aiming for him. Melee grabbed whatever she could get her hands on. It happened to have been a fist full of sharp pencils. With great accuracy, she threw them hard enough to break the monster flesh, and deep enough to hit vital organs. Before it could even make it to Sweet Mask, the monster collapsed and fell dead at his feet.

It was then he insisted on training her to be his bodyguard, not that he needed one. But it would keep Melee close to him at all times. She resented him for it. "Why can't I do what I want to do?" she questioned him one day. "Don't get me wrong, if this was a promotion, I would be paid more!"

"Mimi, it's for your best interests. I have heard you wish to become a hero. I can help you. I am one myself." He boosted.

"I know that, I am not stupid. But the question is, why do you have to be with me at all times? I can be a hero just fine without you."

"You don't understand how the system works, after all. I am the top of A Class, if you have the talent and skills to get into S Class. You have to surpass me. At the moment, you are just dipping your toes into this, you have no idea what lies ahead of you. But, I do. I can train, and show what is expected out of you!"

Her arms crossed. "First off, it's Melee. Second of all, I know what I can do. I am a Brawler for God's sakes!" she protested. "My family has been heroes to the cities for years, I know what is expected and what needs to be done. Don't say I am clueless to this whole process!" she snapped back.

He would place his hand on her shoulder. "Tsk, tsk. You are young and foolish, let me explain everything to you. And when you listen, you will understand why things are the way they are. Now, I want you to practice your throwing abilities…"

"I don't need projectiles. I can hit hard enough."

"You need to stand out, Mimi. You have short-range weapons, but long range will do you good. Trust me on this."

She sighed but agreed to do so. She trained long and hard and became good at throwing not just shurikens, but other small projectiles with great accuracy. It was impressive to say the least, but then Amai realized as good as she is, she may go into this full time. He could lose her as an assistant, and that he couldn't afford. He tried to convince her to stay on as a mere bodyguard for himself. Yet, she would go behind his back and complete heroic feats without his permission. She also trained in the chakra point blocking, he never agreed to allow her to learn such a thing, especially since she was suppose to be focused on him.

He took exception to it. "Mimi, this isn't a job for you!" he protested to her. "You could get hurt or killed like your family did, are you going to follow that path!" he demanded.

She defied him. "Yes!" she said. "It's what Brawlers do. And it's MELEE!" she roared. Her head shook with disbelief. "After all these years, you still won't call me by my name. I've had it. I quit!"

"You can't! Mimi!"

"MELEE!" she snapped. "And I just did!"

After that, she became a full time hero. Due to her connection with him, she made it into B Class right off the bat. She climbed the ranks fast, so much so that Amai stepped in every so often to check on her. But he knew if he made an appearance, he would get the credit and she wouldn't get as much notoriety for her actions. It kept her rank down for the most part, but she persevered. She managed to avoid the Fubuki group yet he lost track of her when the monster association and Garou came to the forefront.

He didn't see her again until it was announced that she was to be moved up to A Class. Of course, Amai put in his two cents worth and tried to keep her in the B Class to prove to her, he knew the system and how it worked. He wasn't in the final vote when he got word of Garou being in the Heroes Association in one of the medical labs. He immediately left and kept watch over hm rather than speak his last peace of Melee and her possible promotion.

Yet, he heard of it. They allowed her in A Class. He overlooked it for the time being until he heard the Tank Top army a few days later speak about their encounter with Garou and Shuriken Star. His blood ran cold when he learned that she was spending time with the human monster of all people! Amai went to the association and demanded that something be done about Garou, he was suppose to be under the watch of Silverfang and yet he was seen walking as a free man.

When he got word about other heroes confronting Garou, he assumed the human monster got the beating he deserved, and yet he somehow escaped from them with a smoke screen. Amai went to check out the incident for himself, and found her shuriken smoke stars. He was quick to confront Sitch about the incident and know Garou was not keeping to the rules nor was Bang watching him properly as he vowed he would.

Bang insulted him with the notion of Star being paired with Garou. The idea sickened him. He tried to talk her out of it, and yet she was too stubborn to listen. Still, he didn't want her to be paired with him. He tried countless times to interfere, to wrench her from the side of the human monster and keep her distance. Yet, the more he tried, the more she fought him and remained with Garou despite his protest of it all. Even the association saw fit to be his 'guardian' as it were.

Garou tainted her mind, he showed a side that no other has seen of him before. He helped her, saved her and she returned the favor. Somehow, she was making him into a hero!

He still thinks Garou deserved to die for all that he did. Yet, as the association saw fit, with her around him, he became a reluctant hero in a sense. She brought out the best in him, he used his power and strength to help the cities and its peoples. He wasn't hero hunting, but bounty hunting with her. The more time they spent together, the more he saw the spark between them. The look in Garou's eyes was one he has seen before. Melee even got the twinkle in hers…

"Hey…"

Snapping out of his daze, Amai looked up and saw Hunter lingering in the doorway. "Mind if I come in?"

"It's your house." He said.

Hunter eased himself into the room and closed the door. He kept his back to the wall until he slowly slid down against it and sat before Amai. I'm sorry about pushing you on the subject matter today." He said. "I didn't realize… how you really felt about my mom," he then laughed a little. "I didn't realize you were an emotional eater too…"

Sweet Mask gave but a brief smirk. "You think you know the full story, don't you? As for the eating, the monster was still alive. It gave me a chance to make it suffer as it should."

"You think I know the full story? No, I don't," Hunter paused as he stared out into space for a moment. "All I know is I hit a tender area of your with words rather than fists, and it hurt a lot. But, I promise, I won't say anything."

"What makes you think I give a damn if you say anything or not?" muttered Amai.

"Because, you want my mom to know… but you don't either." Said Hunter, he then snorted. "Do you think you would have had a son like me if you were the one who won her heart?"

"Ugh, that's disgusting. No" Amai said defiantly. "No, my son would be proper, handsome like me. He would have his mother's eyes and her brilliance…" he pause, realizing what he was saying he shook his head clear. "Quit asking such stupid questions!"

Hunter smiled for a moment, but then sighed. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say you are opening up to me."

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you don't know when to stop talking," said Amai. "You can leave now, I am done with you. I need to rest and sleep off this thing before the next patrol you will force me on. I don't wish to work on a full stomach."

Hunter smirked but he left without saying another word. It gave Sweet Mask a lot to think about. Perhaps it's true. Everything he's been doing, the anger and resentment against the M Class, it's all because he lost the woman he cared about.