You're dreaming. You must be.

There's your mom. There's your dad. Your little sister is sitting by the television watching another episode of Digimon. You've tried telling her that only season 1 is worth watching but she ignores you. It's calm, just like the calm before the storm.

You know that this isn't just any dream. It's a nightmare. From a time when your world was shattered. You're eating lunch with your family. You had skipped class that day because you hadn't felt well. You were having a fever, and your mom had told you to stay home that day. Just one day Genos, she had said. It won't kill you to miss a day of class!

Those words sting now. Because you know you would have died if you had gone to school that day. The mad cyborg had killed everyone had school first. The school was the closest to the mountains. Somehow the cyborg had found his way to civilization from the mountains. You have gone deep into the mountains to find the source but all you could find was a capsule embedded deep in the ground at the peak.

The ground had shook, and your mom and dad told you to get your sister and hide. They thought it was an earthquake, so they had pushed the cupboards to a side, forming a safety triangle. This kind of information can save lives, your dad had said, winking at you. He loved to read random articles on the internet, often quoting random things on several occasions. Knowledge is power, your dad would say. And till today you knew you would often update your information drive in your system.

At that time, there was no Hero Association. There were no loudspeakers to inform the citizens what they were facing. No one to save the day. No Saitama.

You hug your sister tight while your parents tried to form another safety triangle that they could hide in. Then the shaking stopped, and you thought that the earthquake had passed. You sigh in relief, and let go of the harsh grip you had held your sister with. She dances away, trying to watch the telly again.

We're safe now, your dad had said. He had been smiling at you and your sister, only to fall to his knees, his head blown away. The mad cyborg had reached your home. The mad cyborg had been shooting into houses, killing anything in his way. His eyes had scanned the streets for heat signals, body temperatures, and aimed his fire at all of them.

Your mother screams, before she too is shot. You tried pulling your little sister back but before you could, the cyborg had stomped over her when she ran over to your mother. All that is left of your mother and sister are just bloody imprints on the floor.

You scream, too terrified to do anything. You can't even run, your legs are wobbling, and your whole body is shaking. The cyborg slams you into the walls of your home and it crumbles onto you. Your body is pressed down by the weight of your two-storey house. The air whirred with the sound of helicopters. Someone is outside shooting at the cyborg. Someone is yelling at it, how it was a failed experiment. They are too late, too late!

You remember blacking out. You remember bleeding out. The pain intense, and yet not as strong as the pain from losing your whole family in seconds, minutes. You try to scream, but your voice is hoarse. The sky is dark, and night approaches fast.

There's a man with hair like a mushroom cap that hears you. He's scrambling to save you but as your vision starts to blur, you know you won't make it.

"I can help you," he says. "I'm Dr Kuseno."

You try to speak but you cannot. The words won't come. "I'm afraid all your organs are failing. Your body has been crushed beyond repair."

You know that, you can't feel your arms or legs anymore. Even breathing is hard, each breath trying to find lungs that just won't expand anymore. Your heart is beating slower and slower.

"I can save you," Dr Kuseno says again. "But you'll be a cyborg."

You start to thrash. You will not become something like the monster that has just wrecked your world. You won't.

"If I do that, you'll be alive. You'll be able to find that cyborg. I promise you," Dr Kuseno says, his eyes a burning fire. "I promise you that you will have your wits intact. You will not be mad like that cyborg. You will have all that you need to survive."

You say yes, because Dr Kuseno gives you a reason to keep on living. It's vengeance that spurs you. There's nothing else that matters anymore. At that point in time, there is nothing to keep you going except the thought of bringing that mad cyborg down.

Dr Kuseno did keep up to his promise. Except he didn't understand that humans required more than just all the necessary body parts to survive. You had been changed into something that was more machine than man. People avoided you for a while, before the concept of heroes was established. They only saw you as something foreign, something different. You were lonely. You hadn't realized it then, because you didn't know what it was like, being alone and lonely. It wasn't until you spent time with Saitama-sensei, and lost the closeness that you realized what it was like.

Saitama-sensei has become a new reason for you to keep on living. He had become the one thing that allowed you to live, to see past vengeance as the end. You're happy. For once, you are happy. There is something to look forward to, to everyday. Your family is long gone, but you have another person whom you can share life with.

You ruined it. Like the mad cyborg that ruined your life, you ruined Saitama-sensei's life. You told him words he didn't want to hear, and he hated it. You are a fool.

You couldn't stand the sight of sensei sighing everytime he saw you. You tried to shut down your emotions. You tried to isolate yourself from being human. It was better, not having anymore emotions. That way you wouldn't feel pain anymore. You wander around in memories, in dreams tangled up together.

Why are you dreaming? Why are you dreaming about a time so long ago? You open your eyes, and you see sensei sleeping in a chair beside your bed. His hand is gripping yours tightly, and you find that you don't want to let go.

"You're awake," Dr Kuseno says, and smiles at you.

You try to gesture to him to keep quiet, lest he wakes sensei up. Dr Kuseno only laughs. "He refuses to leave your side Genos," Dr Kuseno says. "I'm glad to finally meet him. He cares for you deeply and I'm glad."

Sensei hasn't left your side? Sensei… cares?

Dr Kuseno's eyes are soft as he leans over you to check your system. "I'm glad you found someone that loves you," he says.

Dr Kuseno must be mistaken, you think. There's no way… Saitama-sensei hates him, doesn't he? You turn to stare at Saitama-sensei again. You see the black rings under his eyes, and the exhaustion on his face. He must not have slept for days while Dr Kuseno repaired you up.

A sudden realization bubbles up in you.

Maybe Dr Kuseno's right. Maybe Saitama-sensei does care for you.

Maybe there's hope for you after all.

When Genos got hurt, Saitama came to the realization that life without Genos would only become a pitch black void. In the days after he had obtained fantastic powers just from strength training alone, Saitama had spiraled into an existence that wasn't really living at all. The days had all blurred together, meaningless. And that had changed when Genos entered his world.

Genos brought life back to Saitama. On days when Saitama was melancholy, Genos would be there. Genos was the one who had informed Saitama about the Hero Association as well, without which he wouldn't have registered into. Life was interesting now, with Genos around. The presence of Genos calmed him down as well. Saitama had started to rely on someone and that had been so strange. Saitama realized now that he had been shit scared. Scared of the prospect of Genos leaving.

And because he had turned Genos away, he had hurt Genos. Saitama hadn't wanted to do so but he inevitably caused his disciple to be more withdrawn.

Genos.. Genos really cared. And his words from that day, claiming that he loved Saitama.. It was true after all.

Saitama had turned him down, and broken his heart. Fuck, Saitama had really screwed up. Even if it took him the rest of his life, he would make it up to Genos. Saitama would never let Genos feel that way ever again.

He had barged into Dr Kuseno's laboratory. It turned out that Genos' core hadn't been damaged. He could be put back together. It would only take a few days and it was better if Genos was asleep for it.

So Saitama had stayed by his side, only moving away when Dr Kuseno insisted so that he could work around Genos better. Dr Kuseno had turned out to be a very calm gentle old man. He told Saitama how Genos had been like, losing his family at such a young age.

"You're his family now," Dr Kuseno had said, and Saitama felt his heart clench. And he had hurt him. "I'll take care of him," Saitama said firmly, looking at Dr Kuseno straight in the eye with determination.

"I know," the scientist said simply, before smiling kindly and patting Saitama on the shoulder.

Saitama kept vigil beside Genos' bed till he couldn't anymore and dozed off. His dreams were dark, of days without Genos. He stirred awake when he felt a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"Genos!" Saitama jumped, fully awake now. His dreams were chased away just by the sight of Genos looking at him with those beautiful eyes.

Genos was sitting up, his lips quirking to a small smile. "Sensei," he said, "I-" He interrupted Genos, he wanted to be the one to say it. He didn't want to hear the apologies that Genos would say when it wasn't his fault at all. That boy placed too much hurts on himself as well.

"Let's go home Genos," he said smiling. He got up, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. Saitama felt light, as if a weight had been taken off him.

"Come on Genos, we might even catch the new episode of Digimon Tri!" he said, as he smirked at Genos. Saitama would make it right. He would go back to his apartment, and he would tell Genos everything. He would finally confess. Ignoring was not an option anymore.

Well, this was one part of being a hero that he never had a problem with. Being brave and dealing with problems. It was just that life was much harder to battle with than monsters.

Saitama waved at Dr Kuseno whom mouthed back, 'good luck!' and he ran back, with Genos by his side as he should be. Saitama's thoughts were in a whirl. He wondered what it was he should say. The streets blurred as he ran faster, the words already forming in his mouth.

Ah, he would say it.

He would say I love you too.