03: Longing for Home

Genos was going through a withdrawal.

It had only been three days since he moved out of his and his girlfriend's shared apartment, to chase the opportunity to become stronger and to be a better man for Kagome. And Genos was regretting it. The phone was in his grasp, his fingers couldn't stop twitching, longing to fly over keypad to produce loving messages to his girl. But he promised he would hold himself back from 'love-bombing' her, as Kagome had put it.

He must have made quite a sight for Saitama, who was staring at him with some concern from across the table with a manga in one hand. Genos had been into the exact same position for nearly two hours now, "Uhhh, are you okay dude?"

It wasn't the first time either. His moping had become steadily worse as the days passed. The first day Genos was stiff as a statue staring at that phone for maybe 15 minutes. Second day he had been living in his tiny apartment, it was 45 or so minutes. Now it had been almost two hours. Whenever the phone vibrated it seemed to snap him out of it and Genos could move on throughout the day, tackling chores for Saitama, saying he liked to do them and taking notes on whatever he thought was important to memorize of his teacher's habits.

At first Saitama passed this off as a cyborg thing, but now he was very positive that this was an abnormal behavior. It actually kind of reminded him of withdrawal symptoms he saw in drug-heavy anime and it was a little alarming.

Genos didn't reply, as if he had became deaf to everything, even the mentor he looked at as a god-like idol.

Saitama frowned, now waving a hand in between the phone and his face, "Dude! Do I need to knock you over your head or something?! Snap out of it!"

The hand breaking his stare seemed to work and Genos blinked, lifting his head to meet Saitama's worried grimace, "Oh, sensei. What do you need?" He placed down the phone on the shiny surface of the table next to his closed notebook and forced his hands away from it to place them on his lap.

"Dudeee...you've been very weird for past few days...are you okay?" Saitama glared at him, a bit annoyed at how easily he worried he was over his new and apparently dysfunctional roommate. He tapped few fingers on the wood, impatient and vexed at Genos' silence.

Genos blinked again, "I was? Forgive me sensei. I did not intend to alarm you..."

"Well, you did. At least explain yourself." Saitama ran a hand over his bald head, "Do you need to be charged at night or something? Like phones?" He really didn't know much about cyborgs, so he felt pretty ignorant. Still, he highly doubted that Genos' behavior was normal, even for a cyborg.

A frown tugged his lips, Genos fixated his gaze at his sensei. He was pretty sure that he had mentioned his girlfriend a copious amount of times, bordering on the obsessive side of how much a person could talk about another. Then again, he didn't think that his teacher heard much of his talk as Saitama didn't have much patience with his 'rambling'.

He opened his mouth, to launch into an explanation of his situation with Kagome, when his phone buzzed to life. Excited and not thinking twice Genos snatched the device and saw it actually ringing for his attention, instead of a text notification, "Excuse me sensei!" He stood up and took off to outside the apartment for some privacy.

Saitama's eyes followed his back, a mass confusion took over his entire being, "Well, okay?!" He threw his arms at Genos, before flopping down into a familiar position to resume his reading of the manga when Genos disappeared around the bend, "Well then." He muttered. Saitama didn't think more of Genos' oddness for a time being. Some things will come to revelation on their own time, he decided.

Genos pressed his back against the wall, having double-checked the door to be completely closed. He loathed whenever he was eavesdropped on his conversation with Kagome. The last incident didn't end so well for one nosy bystander. "Oh, you won't be home tonight?" He tried hard to not let his disappointment to seep into his voice, crossing his arm to an elbow, "...I see. So, when can I expect to see you again? It's already the third day after all, and I do believe we are overdue-" Genos felt his expression pinching with misery, when she gave her profound apology, "Yes, yes, I understand, you are bored and you want to put more into the savings. I could have helped fill that back up, you know..." He heaved, stopping himself from begging her to postpone her job, "But why did they request you farther out of the city in the first place?"

He frowned, "It was a rank S criminal? Kagome! You should've asked for me to go with you!" Genos palmed his face, "Yes, I know they bring in the high amount of cash, but they are ver-" A scowl screwed his expression, before dropping it with defeat, "Yes, I understand. I know you are capable. I'm just worried for you." The voice on the other end grew annoyed, sharpened with heightened notches, "I know, I know. I've promised to give you space, and I am doing that...doesn't mean I'm not worried, Kagome." He assured quickly, "Well, couldn't you call me in an hour so I can know of your progress on the bounty? It would rest my concerns and I'm always a call away if you need help." Genos nodded to the phone, "Yes, I will come and find you if you do not call by then, you do know that, right?"

The frown faded to a smile, "Yes, I know. Ah, I can text you? Keep it 20 texts or less per hour? I can definitely do that." He relaxed his posture, "Ah, you have to go then. I understand. Please do not forget to call back within an hour, okay? I'd appreciate it." Genos clenched his chest, the smile growing, "Yes, thank you. I love you too. Will hear from you soon." He hung up, the smile was dropped to that of bitter disappointment.

He fought the itch to slam his fists into a nearby building and level it in his irritation. Due to the stupidness of his decision he hadn't seen Kagome in three days.

Three. Whole. Days.

He spent his time mulling over his notes that he had taken over Saitama. Once he exhausted those resources he pulled out the ones he had taken of his girlfriend. Reading over those journals always brought a smile to his face as he could clearly picture the images he had described, but it wasn't quite like the real thing. He wanted her and he wanted her right. Now.

His growls brought Saitama out of his seclusion, "Dude, you okay? You were all growly and shit."

Genos shut up and immediately bowed at the waist, offering his sensei a sincere apology, "Forgive me sensei, I was just irritated."

"For...?" Saitama rose a brow.

He shook his head, "It is nothing, sensei, I've just landed myself into a personal dilemma is all."

Saitama didn't quite believe him, but let it drop, "Well, whatever, come on inside and watch TV or something. Take your mind off."

"Right." Genos followed his mentor inside and took his spot next to Saitama.

The news anchor rattled on. First it was Handsomely Masked Sweet Mask's new thriller film, Night of the Blood Lambs' success at the box office. Now it was about the 'friendly' competition between Sweet Mask and Genos. A report had followed the men and snapped pictures of them outside the restaurant. Rumors of a feud began to spread like wildfire. Saitama yawned at it. Man, he only invested in a TV to watch out for natural disasters, not to listen to some middle aged man with nothing better to do but prattle on about celebrities. Speaking of, his dark eyes turned towards Genos. He wondered how much of celebrity his "disciple" was now that he became S-Class.

"This is boring!" He complained, grabbing the remote control to surf to something else other than the news.

Genos frowned-if he was bored, he should be out filling his quota. Or perhaps he had forgotten? Biting back a sigh at Saitama's scatterbrained nature, "Sensei, will you be alright?"

Saitama quirked an eyebrow, "Huh?" He didn't intend to prompt Genos into one of his many tenacious speeches.

"I've noticed that you haven't done anything as of late. According to the seminar, a week of inactivity will drop you from the Hero Registry. All C-rank heroes have quotas that they must fill. You might not be aware because you're used to battling larger monsters and evil organizations, but C-ranked heroes mainly address purse-snatchers, robbers, and street assailants to keep and promote their ranks. Will you be alright? It'd be no good if you were to drop out suddenly because of inactivity. I have faith in you, sensei. As Kagome likes to say, there's nothing that a bit of elbow grease can't fix. Try your hardest and you'll find something before the deadline. Regardless I'll follow you no matter what path you choose. If you're forced out of the association then I'll leave with you…"

The first few sentences Genos said placed a screeching halt of his brain, and Saitama stared at Genos slack-jawed. His skin became a startling shade of white. Every word the cyborg spoke afterwards became muted and jumbled but a certain sentence he spoke refused to stop ringing in his ears.

A week of inactivity will drop you from the Hero Registry.

He had only two days left. He was going to be fired! For the first time in many years, Saitama felt the small jolt of fear push his body into action.

Saitama yelped, jumping up to his feet, "They said that!? If I don't meet my quota in a one week I'll be dropped?!"

"Yes." Genos tilted his head in confirmation, his eagle eyes watching as his teacher reached a new level of panic he had never seen before. He subtly recorded the event so as to properly note these new reactions. Although he wasn't fond of seeing his mentor in this state, it was definitely different. Perhaps throwing curve balls at Saitama would enable him to learn more about his strength?

Genos continued his ramble, "Because there's a large amount of C-Class heroes the bar was set low. With over 300 members the association council has to figure out a way to weed out the weak ones. In this case, they're divesting themselves of the garbage by judging them by their activity level." He wagged a finger, racking his memories for further details, "Most C-Class Heroes do not last long unless they're proactive about seeking such opportunities as purse snatchers and lost cats. Typically the heroes that only joined for fun grow discouraged and change jobs. If they cannot produce results then no one will pay them any attention. They will also never get a rank or class promotion."

This revelation made Saitama even more fretful. He threw on his yellow jumpsuit, "This is no time to be reading manga or watching TV!"

Genos followed suit. He was eager to plaster someone's face into a wall and make it shatter. To say that he was sexually frustrated was an understatement. Why had he been so damn foolish as to agree to this so suddenly? His body ached for his woman's touch and she…was not going to be back for a few more days. Genos felt the all too familiar pull of anger and need. Damn it all. "I'll come with you!" He attempted to plead with his teacher but Saitama had other ideas.

"No! You're in S-Class! You'll only get credit from everything I do!"

Genos started to feel desperate. He didn't want to be left behind again! He just wanted something to kill right now! "But I'm your pupil…" He wilted somewhat at the refusal. Couldn't a guy get a break?

"Genos!" Saitama halted his desperation, though he did have a hint of uncertainty in his suddenly serious expression, "My strong desire to be a hero had led me to train and get strong. You're a cyborg so physical training means nothing, a moot point." Genos bit back a frown at that but listened with attentive ears, "You might be able to get stronger simply with right attitude. So, train your spirit before worrying about strength via pure power or technology." Saitama sucked in a breath, his gaze becoming firmer, "Maybe try to aim to make the top ten of the Class S ranking and find your way to become stronger." He saluted to Genos with a small upturn of his lips, "That's your training for now."

It didn't take Genos long to rush to the table and streak the pen across a blank page into his notebook, to commemorate Saitama's wisdom, "Right, of course!"

"Good!" Saitama gave a serious nod, turning away to the door with a great sweep of his cape, "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to fulfill my quota." I totally pulled that outta my ass. He sweated at that thought, feeling like a liar to the extreme.

Before Genos could say even one word Saitama was gone, the door latching shut to signal his departure. Genos wilted again, and blew up with a string of curses, "God damn it I wanted to bust something!" He barely held himself back from breaking the table. His sensei wouldn't approve.

Genos growled under his breath. The low throb of need and frustration kept him from returning to his normal hobbies of stalking the Hero Association website and scouring the news for disasters. He stood up and calmly walked into the bathroom. He kicked the door closed and quietly locked it. His teacher would likely be gone a while and Kagome wasn't around so there was only one thing left to do. The sound of a zipper being undone echoed in the tiny apartment. For once, Genos was glad that no one was around. At least it'd grant him a bit of peace during this necessary time.

It took over a day lying in the wait for her targets, but it was totally worth the while, Kagome decided. Of course assuring her boyfriend that she was perfectly unharmed hourly was annoying enough, but understandably so. She really didn't understand how some criminals even gained the S rank in the first place, considering how easily they fell to her surprise attacks.

Well, no need to look the gift horse in its mouth. Kagome rolled her shoulders, feeling some kinks from sleeping in a super cramped space from last night, not minding the three men's miserable groans from behind her. All of the collars of their shirts pulled easily in one hand, Kagome hummed a song she heard the other day. It was a perfectly nice day this afternoon, with the happy sun floating across the sky, the birds were chirping, and the busybodies were staring slack-jawed at the sight of a tiny woman with three unconscious men dragging behind her.

Those men were scary looking, equipped with leather, spikes, white handlebar mustaches, and they were about as twice as big as Kagome was.

Oh, certainly not as big as her previous bounty, but altogether they would have probably reached his size easily.

For S-Class criminals, they were pretty pitiful.

Kagome stretched out an arm as she continued down her path. Her feet scuffled lightly as she trudged through the empty street. Due to her extra burden very few people were brave enough to come around. Kagome stepped up onto the sidewalk, dragging the posse of overgrown idiots behind her. There was a trio of painful grunts as her hand was jerked backwards. What? She threw a nasty glare at them, shifting back to her balance thinking that they might've been trying to escape again. However the sight that greeted her made her want to sigh in frustration.

The men's faces were plastered to the concrete. There was a thin trail of blood from their noses when they collided into the hard barrier of the curbside. With a huff Kagome effortlessly lifted them into the air and then plopped them back down on top of the sidewalk. They groaned their pain as she resumed dragging them, face first into the ground, towards the local police station that was still some distance away.

Damn idiots. Always getting in the way.

She didn't notice that those idiots were leaving behind a trail of blood on the concrete and brick path-not that it would matter much to her had she known.

The area where the poor fools cracked their noses against the curbside were slowly becoming lively again, when people became brave enough to trek back to their destinations. It was some minutes later when a familiar face emerged from the fretting crowd, his ears catching some murmurs and his eyes spotting the line of red.

"Did you see that girl? She, like, was totally owning these big dudes!" A schoolgirl shrieked, her voice meshed with awe and fear.

Her friend squawked, chortling, "I know right?! Those dudes must be totalllyyy weak!"

"Hm." He was intrigued. Ignoring some bystanders' warnings to not follow the blood trail, he did just that, keeping his chin up above the busybodies' heads to search for the one responsible for that scarlet stream.

Ah, there they are. Letting out an impressed whistle at the sight of the posse of unconscious men, he paused to admire their wounds. "Huh, direct hits too." These men were littered with bruises, though it could be the fact they had been dragged across hard grounds for quite some time. The darkest bruises were on their faces, around their eyes, but they weren't as telling much of how a mere little woman took them down as he'd hoped.

Damn, perhaps a direct confrontation was needed.

Before he could zip over to where she was, she stopped and turned, giving a glare. He paused, a bit impressed that she could detect him from among the lingering, nervous crowd.

"What is it that you want," her blue eyes lit up in recognition before they sharpened, "...ah hell you're that narutard!"

His expression darkened.

"What'd you just call me?" He flexed his hand to expose a set of deadly kunai knives, "I don't believe we've met."

He shifted into a battle stance. He originally just wanted to talk to her. But, the insult to his pride would not permit him to let her leave unscathed. He wouldn't kill her. At least not yet. He still had questions he wanted answered. Certainly with a bit of pain here and there though.

Kagome gave him a scowl, "Knock it off before I break your teeth." She pointed at him as she issued her threat. He nearly laughed at the image she made. Quite the fiery spirit, he would enjoy this.

"Tis only proper if we give out our names, no?" He twirled a kunai, light glinting dangerously from it.

She grimaced, "Why would I wanted to know somebody with broken balls' names?"

He paled, before darkening, "Now what do you mean by that? My balls are perfectly intact. Although," He suddenly appeared beside her, his warm breath brushing against the shell of her ear, "If you doubt me, I can show you." The smile slipped into something quite ominous.

On reflex Kagome jerked one man of her posse and swung him fast, surprising the nameless speedster. He streaked behind her, just as the wall of a building exploded upon the impact, eliciting a groan from Kagome's handpicked living weapon. The hit was clearly meant for him.

He gaped at the crater. His pale eyes glided to the groaning biker Kagome easily held up by his collar and then to her glare, "You wanna try that again? I have a boyfriend, so I'd prefer you to respect that." She lifted a finger to point at him, while dangling the poor bastard. His face was beyond recognizable with black bloody lumps.

Somehow the speedster scowled at that, "Oh? I think we can remedy that little aspect." He dove around her arms equipped with the unconscious men, he plowed his leg toward her defenseless back only to find himself be thrown back by the force of...something invisible. Flipping away to the ground before he could smash into the building, his face contorted into confusion. What in the hell did he just collide with? It was like smashing his foot into a steel wall!

Kagome's face turned cocky, "Keep it up dickless wonder. I've got plenty more where that came from!"

His blade sung when he released it from the sheath, "Just what kind of technique is this?!" He snarled, vanishing into blurs, streaking and circling around the berth Kagome created. This invisible… barrier hummed at every one of his slashes, arousing only colorful ripples of power to pulsate beneath his weight. His eyes narrowed. How strange. He slashed again only for a much brighter wave to push forward. The ninja dove to the opposite side and tried again to be met with the same response. So this was her power. She could manipulate whatever this source was as a malleable shield. It moved fluidly like water and rose up to protect her at the shift of a wind.

A small smirk spread across his lips. Now things were getting interesting.

Kagome grunted as she tossed the heaviest man of her posse at the speedster's head. She kept a firm grip on the bastard's greasy, white hair. Her fingers dug painfully into her bounty's scalp. Damn, where'd he go? Another flash of black darted around her. The ninja smirked as he realized that he was gaining the upper hand. Even with that barrier in place she couldn't land a hit on him.

He moved. Noticing the way that she was shifting the other two of the group, he lifted his hand just high enough to block against the barrage of attacks from her human punching bags. It was then that he realized that she had turned in the opposite direction. It was a fake out! His stormy eyes widened as he saw what part of her body he was about to come into contact with. There was a shock to his senses as a soft breast filled the palm of his hand. He fought the urge to blush.

Kagome on the other hand roared in fury. She threw her arms together and spun around quickly, swinging all three of her bounty together as an extended baseball bat. The speedster darted away, his hand still burning from the inappropriate, if not accidental, touch.

"You sleazy son of a bitch!" Kagome growled, "I'll get you back for that!"

It was then that a cloud of smoke blew past them. There was a glimmer of light that briefly blinded the slim man followed by a familiar masculine war cry. What the hell was that?

It was only after the dust settled that the image clicked in his head. It was that baldy! What was he wasting his time here for?

He huffed, sheathing his blade, "As much as I wanted to play with you, unfortunately I have other things to attend to." He straightened up his back, and the creepy smile slid back on his face, "My name is Sonic! Speed o' Sound Sonic! Tell me your name, woman, for we will fight again!"

Kagome glared, shaking a man threatening at Sonic, "You fucking pervert! I'm telling my boyfriend about you so he can kill you!"

Sonic shrugged, his smile widening, "I'll call you Tits then!"

"SON OF A BITCH, NO WAY IN HELL!" She brayed, ignoring how her bounties were wincing at her tightening grip or the fact that she was stomping a mini crater beneath her feet.

"Tits it is! See you around, Sugartits!" He slipped off into a black streak, zipping past Kagome. She shrieked when she felt him pressing a light kiss upon her mouth.

The wall of a building across the road exploded with a man she tried to get Sonic with, her lungs in full effect with her voice, "IT'S KAGOME YOU FUCKING PERVERT! JUST WAIT UNTIL MY MAN GETS HIS HANDS ON YOU! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT! YOU HEAR ME? DEAD. FUCKING. MEATTT!" She howled, offended by his nickname and that kiss he pressed upon her so quickly she was sure she imagined it.

Sonic crackled, now several streets away, "Oohh, she's got ffffire!" He clenched the palm he accidentally molested Kagome's breast with, not over how soft it was, and licked across his lips tasting remnants of Kagome's watermelon flavored balm, "I like that one. Perhaps I should find out who her man is and challenge him? It'd be fun to have her watch as I beat him to a pulp!"

Kagome swiftly deposited her bounties. Once the officers delivered her the promised reward, she stood outside the police station to open up her phone and called Genos. She normally preferred to text as it was much faster. But, this time an actual conversation was warranted. Kagome growled as the dial tone continued for what seemed like eternity. Finally, he picked up on the other end.

"Are you alright? How'd it go?" His breathy voice was nearly frantic.

She fought the urge to scream, "GO KILL HIM!" After the words left her mouth she clapped her lips, realizing that she lost against that whim.

Genos' brows shot up, "Him? Him who? Why do you want me to kill him?" His voice became harsh and threatening, now breathing heavily. Kagome warmed slightly at her boyfriend's protectiveness, hearing a hissing of his chest vents.

"Guy said his name was Sonic the Sugar Glider or something," She growled beneath her breath, "But that doesn't matter right now you just need to find him and beat his ass to death!"

Now he was concerned, "What'd he do?" The question came out much more harsh than he intended. The desire to kill was rising.

"HE FUCKING GROPED ME!" People scattered at her shriek, muttering how insane she was.

In the distance a building blew up.

"I'll be there shortly."

Unfortunately Genos never found the bastard his girlfriend begged him to kill. The frustration he felt earlier skyrocketed. He was finally given the chance to destroy something and he couldn't even find his target? What kind of S-Class Hero was he?

Genos had decided to call it a day after ravaging two full cities in search of this 'Sonic the Sugar Glider'. Such a strange name for one to have. It reminded him of one of those perverted types that walked around in a trench coat only to open it and flash themselves. Judging from Kagome's story, he believed that, that wouldn't be too far off from the truth with the suspect.

Not to mention the name was oddly familiar...Could that be the Speed o' Sound Sonic Saitama encountered some time ago, or was that a different Sonic? Genos would find out later, he was sure.

He spent that night back at Kagome's apartment. Not forgetting Saitama Genos quickly dropped a text to his sensei to let him know that he wouldn't return that night. Instead he spent the remainder of the evening back at her apartment. She'd been so busy fussing about the incident that he didn't get the chance to properly reassure her. The following morning Genos found himself narrowing his eyes in irritation. He was so damn frustrated! His girlfriend stomped to and fro, muttering curses as she went about. An image flashed in his mind. She was always quite the potty mouth in bed. A smirk spread across his lips. Perhaps he could convince her now?

Before he could make a move, his phone went off. He glared at it. Damn thing was becoming a cock blocker! The only reason he hadn't chucked it out the window was because he still needed it to contact his girlfriend when he returned to his teacher's apartment, the other was because it was the association calling. Genos sighed. Resigned to his fate of going yet another day without feeling the soft touch of his woman, he flipped open the phone.

"Genos, we need you to eliminate a threat." The voice on the other end was serious, indicating a dire problem.

His brows furrowed, "What kind of threat?"

Kagome stared at her phone, with the alarm blaring in the background. The sky was darkening with the comet approaching a city away. Genos hadn't stopped spamming her with texts, pleading with her to evacuate. Even when he was in the direct target of the alien object sure to end his life.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of him being gone. He was an utterly, miserable bolts and nuts sack of an idiot! Tears biting at her eyes, and she looked up, surprised to see how red the meteor was when it was tearing apart the sky for the earth. If Genos wouldn't leave, then she wouldn't either. She'd rather face the end with him together, even if at a distance.

And besides, her barrier was practically impenetrable, Kagome knew to have some confidence in it. The meteor would be a good way to test just how unbreakable the barrier truly was. Genos always seemed to forget that little fact, regardless of how much of a danger magnet she was.

A large whoosh of air fled her lips, she propped her rear onto a pillow and glared through the opened window at the ever-growing meteor. She ignored how the curtains were bellowing into her face and didn't bother fixing them into place, her hands twitching and twisting the skin of her elbows. A nervous habit long since pointed out by Genos but never was tamed.

Slamming her hands down to her lap where the phone was cradled and she forced her scrambling mind to calm. Kagome gathered her complete resolve and meditated, feeling her invisible barrier blossoming to protect her tiny apartment and the rest of the building her home resided in. It was a very strange sensation, one that gave her a fright when she first attempted experimenting with her un-nameable power few years ago, where it felt like spiders skittering and crawling all inside her body, invading her very soul with their thin, creepy legs.

Now the sensation was warm and familiar, where her mind could retreat into to silence the wavering, whispering words.

She refocused back to the meteor and blinked when she saw flashes of twisting lights exploding at it. Black smoke covered the sky.

Kagome frowned. Genos hardly used missiles, especially the much larger ones. He's a cyborg preferring the weapons that could fit inside his own body. This wasn't her idiot's work. It was someone else's, and clearly, after the smoke cleared, they didn't put a dent into the meteor at all.

Biting her lips at how extremely close the meteor was, Kagome forced herself to have some faith in Genos. The lithe hands were balling over the now-quiet phone in her lap, her shoulders board and straight.

If he survives, I will kill him! If he dies, I will find a way to revive and kill him dead twice! Kagome roared to herself, tears again biting at her cheeks, but she refused to let them fall.

Yet another blare of light boomed, this time it was a thick twirling light, a singular beam of burning hot laser, a telling sign that this was the work of Genos'. And he used his Core to perform it. Kagome stopped the sneer from touching her lips-that sort of thing was extremely risky, considering the Core is a cyborg version of the human heart.

After the light thinned out to nothingness, Genos failed also when it became apparent the meteor was refusing to stop. The air through her window became blistering hot, and she felt a tear dropping from an eye.

The phone pinged, and Kagome didn't dare not to look at it, a thumb unconsciously turning it on and took in what may be Genos' final message.

I'm sorry. Please be safe.

She choked a sob, but couldn't resist replying.

I'm not leaving. I love you.

When she pressed to send, the meteor suddenly fell apart and rained burning rocks and stones. And it rained far and wide, when few shattered at her barrier into gravels. The sky was red, but the city survived, if with repercussions. The alarm still whirred with evacuation warnings, but they seemed to be a bit quieter now.

Are you okay?!

It was Genos, and he was still alive enough to text her.

I'm going to kill you! Was a shocked Kagome's response. What happened?!

Genos didn't bray at her threat but continued on, Sensei saved us! He appeared when we needed him the most and he jumped and punched the meteor into pieces! Typical Genos went into a tirade again, but Kagome was never more relieved to see his rambling, even through the screen of her phone.

Where are you? I need to see you. Genos ended his praising of his teacher, and deflected himself back to his beloved. I love you too.

Kagome twitched a smile, ignoring how a piece of burning hot meteor exploded right in front of her face and momentarily blinded her, I'm still going to kill you, but I'm inside my apartment. Get your ass in here. Please. I need to see you.

Genos didn't text anymore after that, and she knew he was already on his way. Kagome clenched the phone to her chest, and finally allowed herself to have a very good cry.

By the time her boyfriend arrived, she was a blubbering mess. He quickly took her into his embrace. He was quick to brush her legs over his arms as he picked her up and carried her into the master bedroom. Kagome threaded one of her hands into his hair as his lips crashed onto hers. Genos slammed the door close with his foot as he showered his woman with his affection. Desperation and the fear of death egged them on. The rest of the night and the following day they spent in each other's naked arms.

He gripped Kagome's waist tighter. He wasn't going to let go. Not now, not ever.

It had been fulfilling three days spent well with Genos and also emotionally draining. In truth Kagome was both a little sad and glad to see him go, when he was due to return to his mentor. Sad that he was leaving her again, and glad that she could get a break to rest her tired body.

He kind of was beginning to disregard his vow to stay texting celibate though, when her phone saw an steady increase of messages over the week he was gone. Kagome huffed at it, tugging on her fingerless gloves.

A job request called to her attention, and her savings still were a long way to go before they were at a comfortable level she preferred it to be at. This lousy apartment took a huge chunk of it and the rent was far from cheap, more so when she became the recent sole resident. Ignoring yet another text notification she pulled away from her made bed, thrusting an arm inside an oversized hoodie.

Pulling her head out of the obnoxiously pink shirt and tugging it down to over her torso. Kagome turned her head to the television, where it was showing a live scene displaying a bank being robbed. It was local. And Kagome recognized the robbers.

"Ah, hell! These are my cash!" And they're going to make a run for it!

Without thinking twice Kagome rushed out, with her phone lying neglected on the mattress. It constantly lit up with notifications all in its lonesome even when the apartment became darker over time.

An ominous shadow fell over the dying phone through the window, in a shape of giant scythe that blotted out even the sun, and it swept.

A green blade-like limb smashed into the apartment. It cut through the bricks like a knife through butter. Mortar flew across the sky, landing into heaps of rubble on the ground below, denting craters. The small device was left defenseless against such a massive attack. With another swipe, it was shattered into several tiny pieces, among the rest of the building. The rampage went on for a few seconds. With only two or three more downswings of its limbs, the unknown creature had managed to level the entire complex into near nothingness. Insectuous eyes tilted and turned. It needed another nest. This one was too small.

"Attention all citizens. An immediate evacuation has been called. Please head to your nearest shelter. The Danger Level has been raised to Demon in this area. A large monster has appeared in the southernmost quarters. I repeat, please evacuate to the nearest shelter. The Danger Level is now Demon!"

Kagome's head snapped to the alarming announcement just as she stepped down to the final step of the local police station, the thick wad of cash pocketing into her dandy-handy yellow backpack, where in the southernmost quarter?!

She didn't pause, her feet floating across the concrete, pushing away the crowd that was rushing in the opposite direction of hers. A hand shot out and grasped her elbow, "You're going the wrong way, madam!"

The good Samaritan ended up slamming on his rear, baffled and sore, with Kagome still fleeing. He was quite fortunate she restrained herself.

Kagome ignored the screams demanding her to twist her feet and go with the mass panic behind her. She even ignored slurs at her apparent idiocy. What mattered right now was her apartment. Was it safe?

Her lungs burned when she arrived at the sight of the giant praying mantis slashing down the neighboring complexes. Several heroes laid across the ground, barely alive. With a single quick glance they were incredibly lucky they still had all of their limbs.

Hot rage overtook her at the sight of the former building that was once her residence, crumbled into pieces on the ground. The monster's feet crunched through it, a huge scythe was in a progress of swinging to down another complex.

She didn't think through her actions, familiar motions coursed through her body like a daily routine. Her feet zipped across between two buildings that were still standing, until she leapt upon the very height equaling to its head. The praying mantis twisted its head, noticing her presence with its bulbous eyes, and with a single hop Kagome landed on its ocellus.

It shrieked from confusion. Not one pest was able to get on its head! Before it could take a swipe at the unwelcomed invader perching on its skull, Kagome spread out one palm across the smooth green shell and reeled back another arm, now sparking with a rippling pink barrier. Her lips pulled back, showing her teeth. She gave an angry, dark scowl, "This is for my APARTMENTTTTT!"

-End Chapter 3

A/N: Well, to be totally honest, I'm not really sure how I felt about this chapter? :/ Still, next chapter should be more fun though!

A question for you good, wonderful readers-should I tag this in humor genre or no? I don't think it'll be as funny in later chapters to be honest. I'm just asking because a certain somebody wouldn't stop laughing at this chapter.

Yes I'm talking about you Limitless.

True, Genos and Kagome have a lot of antics they pulled each other into, but they both have good reasons for it. Genos more so. There's a good hint back in the prologue, if you looked carefully. It's at somewhere near the end. Ask yourself this: Why would he say specifically that? You'll have your clue, lol.

And yup, I did say this before, but yes, there are some differences between my Ordinary and Limitless' Simplicity. Don't lobby us with pitchforks, ahahah.

Anyways, as always, please leave me any feedback and let me know what you think. Reviews feed my soul!

PS. I'm intending to post this on A03 also, so if you prefer that website to this one, look forward to it! :)

Limitless Notes: *Raises hands* I fully admit to laughing like a damn idiot throughout most of this chapter (save for the meteor scene). Particularly the image of Sonic running around in a trench coat flashing people his broken eggs. Just for fun I looked up an image of a Sugar Glider mid "flight" and laughed at the picture. I'm a very strange cookie sometimes. Anyways, show Beautiful Phantom some love and let her know how much you adore her! She's the source of my muse! Bahahah XD