Chapter 5

Everyone stared.

Their mouths slack jawed as many couldn't bring themselves to look away.

"You…. You monster! You ate her!" Brant yelled. His eyes shifted about, but he found a hero who carried a sword. He was quick to take it and aim for Pac "HOLD ON ZENKO!" he yelled and raised the blade.

Pac however was quick to catch the sword between the palms of his hands. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You are going to hurt her!" he yelled.

He managed to wrench the sword out of Brant's hands and kicked him away. "YOU ATE HER!" he roared.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Suddenly, every head turned and saw Metal Bat. He wasn't the least bit happy. "Where the hell is my sister?"

Brant pointed to Pac. "He ate her! The monster ate her!"

Metal Bat turned and stared at Pac who began to tremble. He was clenching his left side of his body. "It… it was an accident… I didn't mean…"

"He confessed!"

However, Metal Bat turned to Brant, glaring at him with anger. "I told you once, and I ain't telling you again. Stay the HELL away from ZENKO!"

Brant was stunned. "But… Bad, you're my older brother's best friend. Why would you yell at me like that?"

"Why? Do you really want me to tell you why? Okay, let the world know why. When we were young, you wouldn't leave Zenko alone! You kept stalking her, following her. You even as far as walking in on her using the bathroom at school, and not once either!" Bad got into his face. "You refuse to leave her alone when she has told you time and time again. You apparently don't take no for an answer from her and you damn well should have taken the first hint she ain't interested!"

The room began to feel disgusted with this guy. Pac did too. "Yeah, I know, she told me everything. I didn't do anything about it because you were my best friend's brother. And she was there watching me warn you to never come near her again! But apparently that ain't good enough! You still ain't getting the message! Now… Now you creep" Metal Bat suddenly hesitated as he turned away for a moment. "Pac… you have my sister right?" he asked.

"Yes…"

"Can she see anything?"

"No…"

"Good." A single punch was thrown right into the face of Brant! He broke the guy's nose! Bad however didn't stop there, with Brant down he got on top of him and continued to beat the hell out of him! Brant however managed to slink out and was forced to retreat. "DON'T EVER COME NEAR HER AGAIN!" Bad roared.

"Whoa… didn't think he had it in him." Muttered Garou. "Next time, let me do it!" he called to Metal Bat.

"Nah, I've wanted to do that to him for years!" he paused and turned to Pac. He stared at Pac's distended side. "About my sis…"

"I got this." Said Garou. "Pac, third eye, and tell her the creep is gone."

Pac's third eye opened, he connected with Zenko and told her it was safe once more. Suddenly he began to unravel, Zenko emerged once more and was placed gently on her feet. When he adjusted and went back to normal, Pac began to apologize his head off. "I am SO SORRY!" he said. "I didn't mean it…"

Zenko however embraced him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"I didn't think I could!"

"What the hell did he do?" asked Bat.

Garou smirked. "Little thing I did when he was young. Whenever he was sick, scared, tried, I could wrap him and his sibling into my own body to keep them safe and sound. I think he reacted to her fear and did so out of instinct, he knew she was scared and kept her safe the only way he could without throwing a punch. Not to mention if that asshole wanted to get to her, he had to go through Pac."

"Whoa, nice trick!"

Pac gave a nervous smile to it all, but then he noticed the two new faces in his parents' arms. "Mom… dad…"

"Oh… right. Come say hi to your new little brothers!" said Garou.

Zenko gushed over them as she took the one in Garou's arms. "Oh look at you! You are so cute!"

"We need to get them fed!" said Melee.

"Let me help you with that!" Zenko and Melee went to get the kids something to eat. Pac was embarrassed but began to pick up the pieces of his torn skin off the ground. Garou helped him and explained it wasn't something to be ashamed of. "You had no control over it, don't worry about what happened."

"I'll try not to." He whispered.

With the mess cleaned up, Pac managed to find a bag and place the discarded skin into it. No doubt his sister would be interested in it. But just as she thought of her did Alley storm into the cafeteria with Hunter behind her. "They can't do that! Can they?"

"NO, NO they can't!" she protested. Then, she saw Garou. Tears welded in her eyes as she rushed into his arms sobbing. "Dad!" she cried. "They are taking everything,"

"What?"

"Everything I have worked on the cure, I got kicked off of it. They are taking all my research and they want my notes and samples. They are taking Snek, Max and Suiryu too!"

"Who is?" demanded Pac.

She shook her head. "I don't know, a genetics company of some sort…" Alley paused when she noticed Pac's new appearance. "Pac…"

"I'm okay. What is happening to all your work?"

She trembled, shaking at the thought and fear of it all. "I don't know, but I am more worried for Snek, Max and Suiryu."

"Don't be!"

The three came into the cafeteria; they were silent at first until they gave a nod to Suiryu. "We not going. We're refusing treatment!" he said.

"What…" whispered Alley.

"We are not going to some research facility and be injected! No, we rather see if you can still come up with something. If not..."

"But, they will make you go. What if they threaten your ranks?" she asked.

"They already took them, after we refused them the second time," explained Lightning Max. "We are no longer in A Class. Suiryu is no longer eligible to take the hero association test."

Alley was stunned. She shook her head to it all. "I can't believe this. What do we do now? They are taking all my research and samples. They want my notes… which I don't write! So they are on their own."

"I just don't know what we're going to do now. We're no longer heroes. If we're no longer heroes, then what are we? Where do we go from here?" said Max.

There was an intrigued look on the face of Garou. "No longer in A Class or able to take the test huh?" he muttered. Garou began walking around them oddly, sizing them up. It was a strange sight since they know that he knows what they look like! What was he looking for thought? He gave a satisfied nod. "Well, you know what it means if you don't fit in or want you as heroes?" he said. The three shook their heads to him. "You become Dragons!"

They froze to the news. "Really? You want us in the M Class?" asked Lightning Max.

"I don't exactly want you… but there is always room. Quite frankly, you three have done well under the circumstances. Your growth is very impressive. Also, being under the M Class, they can't make you do jack shit."

Snek was the most shocked out of the three. "I'm no dragon…" he said.

"You don't have to be a dragon threat to be one. I've seen you take down demon level monsters. It would have been impossible for the old Snek to accomplish. Now… you are very capable. I would like you on as a dragon if you accept."

Snek was still a little speechless, but said. "I guess I got no other ranks to go to."

"I'm in!" said Suiryu.

"Me too!" announced Max.

"Good, I was going easy on you before! Also I am no longer carrying twins… the real training begins," warned Garou. But them the smirk came over his face.