"Okay! Center the main table right...there!" Tacki said when the staff moved the elaborately decorated table at the top of the main stairway overlooking the valley beyond. Large, elegant vases of white with gold rims were set on either side of it and filled with beautiful white roses. A red velvet runner was already placed with golden thread embroidery. Seats were set up alongside it for heroes and monsters to sit in after the important couple arrived.
Wind Crane easily kept the wind back neatly, and Fire Flight ensured no one got too cold while they worked. They were already standing on either side of the main table, too, to overlook everything. Zenchu was now marking where the main family was to stand and sit. Garou was working with Lily on decorations. Various heroes were able to point out where things could go and get fixed up. Tacki had already made the wedding clothes for everyone, and the colors were ranged from soft white to light blues. She had everyone dressed to be ready to go.
"Do they plan to arrive?" Okada asked from where she was sitting with her husband on the main stage. "I mean...oh! I hope Mitsumi is okay!"
"She's well. She's actually getting ready right now. Tacki finished her dress, and I sent it directly to her. Hmm. Ah. They will arrive when it is time to appear. Tacki, did you need anything else?" Inichi asked in his hovering form. Fubuki and Tatsumaki were helping with specialty seating and setting markers for people to stand. Rendor was moving to the table, but he was going to wait to take out the precious document when it was time.
"Where's the food?" Pig God asked when he lurched over.
"It shall be served after the event," Inichi said calmly.
"I could go for something, too," Garou frowned.
"We just had lunch," Lily said. At his small smile, she sighed in remembrance. "Right. You eat a ton."
"Yep!" Garou grinned and let her squeeze him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and glanced over to see Bane walking over with Bomb.
"I requested to arrive for this. I can help keep things calm," Bomb nodded.
"Okay," Garou shrugged. He looked over again to see Sweet Mask walking over with Tajima and Daiki. Kiyoshi appeared soon after to clasp hands with his nephew. They were all dressed properly for the event now, and even Himiko and Zombieman joined them to greet them.
"Daiki, has there been any information on who plans to arrive?" Kiyoshi asked and leaned on his cane. "I know that this is to be a live broadcast."
"None have been called yet," Daiki nodded.
"Good. I'll make the calls. I know who can report this fairly," Kiyoshi said. Sweet Mask nodded and looked over when Okada and Kodama walked over to introduce themselves. As they chatted pleasantly now, Kianna was working on the finishing touches with Mitsumi's nails. When the elegant dress was brought over in a folded manner, Kamiko cleared her throat to get Saitama's attention.
"We know you cannot let her leave your side. She needs your touch. However, we don't want you to see this dress, either. So, you will hold her, but she will be covered with a heavy veil of lace," Kamiko chuckled.
"What?!" Saitama gaped.
"We figured that Daiki can walk her up the steps to you. Then you can remove the veil to reveal her before the signing," Kianna smiled.
"Come on...!" Saitama grimaced.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Mitsumi beamed.
"Seriously?" he frowned.
"Well...it makes me happy to think about it..." she said with a small blush.
"Ah..." he started and sighed. Overgrown Rover huffed and grumbled at him. "What?"
It huffed again and ran in small circles of excitement. Blue Ripple snorted and said, "It will stay in her arms the whole time until you reveal her."
"Hmm. Okay. See, doggy? With Blue Ripple, I can understand you," Saitama said. Now Overgrown Rover rumbled and yapped at him. "Nope. I don't know what you just said."
The argument battle began to get Mitsumi laughing at the whole thing. Then she sighed and said, "I can't have his touch off me for more than five minutes. Please be quick."
"Yes, Lady Mitsumi," Kianna nodded and worked swiftly with Kamiko to slip the elegant dress on her. "Saitama, you'll need to have your gloves off for now. She needs your direct touch."
"Ah. Right. Okay," Saitama said and removed the gloves. "I can put them on later after we get there."
"I think if he kissed my forehead now and then...that may help. If it gets bad, though..." Mitsumi thought aloud.
"We'll see what happens. Does she at least have a spot I can put my hand on her directly? Other than her shoulders?" he asked.
"Her mid-section is bare. Tacki ensured that," Kamiko said. Once the heavy, beautiful veil of silvery white lace was set over Mitsumi, Saitama had his hand guided to rest on her belly directly.
"Ah...!" Mitsumi hissed out with relief.
"Crap. No. This won't work. She needs my direct touch all the time. Daiki can walk her up the stairs with me. No other way around it," he said flatly.
"I should be okay. It was just hitting five minutes without you," Mitsumi said softly. "When it gets to ten minutes..."
"Okay. He'll have thirty seconds to give you to me," he said and squeezed her cloaked form to him. "Are we ready?"
"Just about. Inichi is aware that you're ready. Fumio and Black Sperm are waiting down below. The reporters are being called in by your uncle, Lady Mitsumi. Other heroes are also coming in and tuning into the live stream. Genos is ready to go live the moment all is ready," Kamiko nodded. "So is Child Emperor and Metal Knight. Siren is watching with him, of course."
"Let's go. Ready or not," Saitama said.
"Tangled Vine..." Blue Ripple whispered.
"Hmm?" the plant monster glanced over at him from where he was on the bed. "Something wrong?"
"An idea..." Blue Ripple grinned and pulled all the strong monsters into a small mental group chat. With a nice surprise now set up, the powerful monsters were ready to escort Saitama and Mitsumi to the main entrance way. Tangled Vine and Overgrown Rover were picked up by Kianna and Kamiko to get carried.
An elaborately carved oak chair with red velvet cushioning was set up for Saitama to sit in. Mitsumi was soon in his lap, and the carried monster pets were given over to settle with them. Stable Rock moved under the chair and grew large enough to lift up the chair easily. Blue Ripple grew larger now to walk with them. Bright Bolt did the same and snorted to show he was ready.
"Five minutes!" Tacki said when she waved at them.
"I'm actually nervous..." Mitsumi chuckled.
"Mhmm. Yeah. It's a neat feeling," Saitama nodded. He sighed at the sight of the news crew doing a quick setup, but he knew why it was happening, too.
"Hello! We're here now to witness the long-awaited marriage of Fan Dancer and Caped Baldy!" a cheerful reporter said in the news camera just outside the entry point. "In just a few minutes, we will witness them live coming down the red carpet and up to the marriage document to sign it! Oh!"
She gasped at the sight of Wind Crane and Fire Flight becoming their true monster selves. Wind Crane warbled out a chuckle and tilted her head at Zenchu. Then she pecked at his tail to get various onlookers to laugh softly.
"Such a beautiful event!" Puri-Puri Prisoner sighed from where he sat on a balcony seat with Pete next to him.
"Yeah. It's pretty swanky. We should go down there and-" he started.
"No. We have to stay up here. I promised to keep you away from the others for now. Tacki is down there. She still despises you. I heard you hurt her really badly. Tell me what happened in your words?" the large man asked.
"Well..." Pete sighed. Inichi caught wind of the thoughts and was quick to listen in. "I met her while I was jogging a couple years back. I was keeping in shape with some good cardio, and a rose bush caught on my sleeve. I was told that my clothes would never tear! But my sleeve did. Tacki walked up to me from where she was gathering flowers and offered to fix it. I agreed and she did.
"I noticed she was rather cute, and I asked if she had a boyfriend. When she said she didn't, I said I was her boyfriend now."
"You just...muscled in on her without letting her fully agree?" Puri-Puri Prisoner frowned. "That's rather brash..."
"Well...technically...she was my first girlfriend. I didn't really know how to start up a conversation, but it worked. Even then, I felt that I wasn't good enough for her! I did all I could to impress her, but I noticed she felt that I was getting in the way. I mean...I knew I was! I just wanted her to notice me. She always worked! She never relaxed. The only time she did rest was when she had me leave for the day.
"Near the end of that week, I felt...that we could do more. So...I asked if she ever had a relationship. She said she never did and that I was her first one. But I saw she was getting ready to break things off. So, I asked if she would let me sleep with her for the night.
"Of course, right away she declined. I couldn't take that answer. For the rest of the day, all I could do was call her and ask her. Let her know that I'd treat her right and fairly. In the end...I suppose she was fed up with me and agreed. With the notion that the constant calls would stop. And protection would be needed. I agreed to that. And, yes...we went to a hotel that night.
"As much as I enjoyed it, I could see that she was miserable. I did all I could to try and make things better, but she said no. That it was all a mistake. Even being with me! I raged at her and left after that. I hadn't seen her since. Even when I tried to text her hello, I was blocked off."
"Atomic Samurai said you raped her. In a way...you did," Puri-Puri Prisoner frowned. "It reminds me of how I am with my men. But...not very often do I ask for consent. I just do it. I would have every man out there if I could!"
"Even the one getting married?" Pete asked.
"Oh, no!" Puri-Puri Prisoner said quickly. "I saw how that one punches! Now, if things were different, maybe. But now? There's no way. Inichi quickly showed me that truth. He warned me to steer clear. Caped Baldy is also completely in love with Fan Dancer and going to be a father now. And I saw him when he was glowing red! He was ready to kill me! Of course, that was after I barged into their bedroom. I deserved that glare, as well as Zenchu's berating after the fact. Either way, I want to be his ally.
"I see him purely as a baby brother now. It's a very interesting concept to me. But...it was what Zenchu said to me that really hit home. You see...you're the first man I actually asked to be my date. Of course, it was more of an offer, but I didn't force you or coerce you at all. You agreed of your own accord to be my date. I didn't have to bully you into it."
"Really?!" Pete blinked.
"Yes. Granted, I wanted you to leave to keep things peaceful with Tacki. But...well...after you told me why you showed up, it made me realize I could try and do things differently. I could try another path to share my love in full. I can help you out if you disciple from me and learn how to be a better hero. Of course, tonight is very different. But after this night? If something continues, which I hope it will, I can still teach you and be with you. If not, well...I'll still teach you as we agreed. It would just be a lonely road to walk on for me," the large man sighed sadly.
"Now, if you take on another disciple, would you do the same thing?" Pete asked and leaned back in the chair. "As in, be with them in a relationship and teach them?"
"Ah, well...it's highly possible. I was never one to keep my love to a single person. Such is not how I did things. I wouldn't know what to expect," Puri-Puri Prisoner admitted. Pete now looked at him and sighed with a small grimace.
"If...tonight is good...well...I can try and show you how to be in a one-on-one relationship. If you want that. I may not be very good at it, but I know it's what I always wanted. So, I could show you what it's like. But...only if you want that," Pete gave a small shrug. "I've never been with another man before. I still cringe at the thought of it! But, if you change my mind, then I'll see what happens with you. As you said before, I can't mock what I haven't tried."
"Oh! I would so adore this chance!" Puri-Puri Prisoner gushed out. "Yes. I am willing to see how this works. We can help each other this way. I so look forward to this! Thank you, Pete. Let's watch this beautiful event together."
"Yeah," Pete smiled softly and turned his attention to the wedding setup. He saw a bunch of reporters now flooding the main way, and Kiyoshi was quick to jump in to spook them all.
"I did not invite you all here!" he snapped at them. "Only a select few!"
"But..." a young man frowned.
"No. You will ask questions that will piss off everyone. I pay your boss to pay you. You were told to not be here. That means you disobeyed orders. Want to show forgiveness? Leave. Now," Kiyoshi growled.
"Mr. Daiki! It's been some time since we saw your mother! Any answers on where she is?!" another reporter asked.
"No comment," Daiki said calmly and looked at his uncle.
"Any questions about family matters will get you evicted from here immediately!" Kiyoshi snapped. "You are done!"
"But..." the man started before looking up at Tsuruga's hulking form.
"This is a day of joy. Not a day of drama. If you keep this up, then Saitama, himself, will slap you straight out into the valley beyond. Do you want that?" Tsuruga growled in warning. Tanktop Girl was riding on his shoulders to show he was an ally, and even she had her arms crossed over her chest.
"Lady Mitsumi is in such a state that any stress will make her incredibly sick," Zenchu said when he shadow phased right behind the faulty reporter. "You want to take the chance and get a lawsuit filed against you? Also, we are part of the Heroic Monster Association. The two giant monsters up at the main table are GOD monsters. They protect us and our allies. Please. Keep running your mouth. I insist on it."
Fire Flight narrowed her glowing red eyes on the reporter and flicked out her forked tongue. Wind Crane clapped her beak with complete disapproval. When she strode over, many of the reporters scattered. She eyed him with a brilliant blue gaze and looked at Kiyoshi. "Hmm? Oh! Ah, well, no, he was not invited."
Wind Crane warbled softly and tilted her head at Zenchu. He said, "She wants a list of those uninvited. She will send them home. Or just bring up the faces of those meant to be here."
"Wait!" the reporter said before vanishing away with a gust of wind. All of the uninvited reporters were quickly removed. After that, she gave a small warning glare at the ones meant to stay. She ruffled her feathers after that and moved to stand in place again by the table.
"I truly do wish I could do that," Inichi chuckled. At Wind Crane's soft warble, he held up his hands. "Please, do not gift me with such power. You have done enough with a human form. I shall become it shortly, too."
She clapped her beak and bobbed her head at him. Now he blinked at the idea to gain that power to move others away while in his human form. A definite conversation was going to happen later to work this in. He returned his attention to other reporters trying to gain entry, and Imai quickly worked with her husband on a specific guest listing for reporters.
"Hello. What is your name?" Imai asked.
"I just want to get into the party to ask questions. You don't need my name," the brash reporter said.
"Then I cannot allow you entry. Please leave the way you came in. This is a private event. Have a nice day!" Imai smiled sweetly.
"I have a job to do!" the man snapped. Then he paled at the sight of Kiyoshi walking over with a scowl on his face.
"I know who you are! This is the second time you went against direct orders! Your job was not to be here! Once again, you undermined my orders!" Kiyoshi growled out angrily. "This is a FAMILY event! You were supposed to go to City B to check on the new construction for luxury celebrity homes! You came here thinking I wouldn't be here?!"
"Ah..." the man paled even more.
"This is strike two for you," Kiyoshi warned. "If I see you out of your job posting again, I will have you cleaning your desk out!"
"I need to cover this!" the man argued.
"If you did, you'd ask outrageous and slanderous questions that would piss off everyone. Including me. Hmm. I do want to know, though, now that I'm thinking about it. Would any of your questions have to do with the murder of my brother, Etsuji?" Kiyoshi now asked curiously from Inichi's mental poke.
"Ah...no..." the reporter said cautiously.
"Did you know how he died? And did you help to cover up such an act of murder by withholding evidence?" Kiyoshi now asked with an edge in his tone.
"I think...I need to go now..." the man swallowed.
"No. You will be interrogated for what you know," Sweet Mask now said when he showed up behind Kiyoshi. "You were paid by the late Miu Takashi to keep quiet and slander the family name. Any reporter that arrives unannounced will be asked these specific questions and transported into a holding cell for questioning. Anyone that leaves now will show they are guilty."
"What?!" another man gaped.
"Ah...shit..." a young reporter said a bit more down the line.
"I shall help you," Inichi mused and several bubbles lifted around the guilty men. "Your thoughts are very informative. You have my thanks."
"We need a holding place for now," Kiyoshi sighed. Then he gaped when a large pit suddenly appeared half a mile away in the distance. Large, nasty, thorny vines lined the rim of the pit to make it impossible to climb out of. Then an electrical static shield was mildly seen to shock any that tried to gain help to climb out. A nice, thick fog also appeared to hide the place away if it was searched for.
"The GOD monsters are aware. And highly amused at the chance to help," Inichi snickered softly and dropped the guilty men into the pit gently. "When we are ready to transport them, just let me know."
"How will they get food and water?" Kiyoshi frowned.
"Blue Ripple set up a small series of fountain streams inside the pit. Tangled Vine, a newly befriended GOD monster over plants, has set up small fruit trees of various types. They will be fine. It could be a small, tropical utopia within it, if you look at it that way," Inichi nodded. "We could leave that there, actually. In case this happens again."
"Can you?!" Imai asked with delight.
"Done," Inichi nodded. "We are ready to start the event. Close the doors here. Any that try to sneak in will get dropped into the pit."
"Good," Kiyoshi nodded and watched the staff seal the doors and set up a sign that a special event was taking place. Inichi was able to watch Metal Knight pull up a large television to help Genos know where to look to ensure everything would be caught neatly. Inichi also felt that Atsuko was now watching the live stream from her containment cell with intense shock that the will was going to be fulfilled in full. She's not happy and may wish to plea-bargain. I shall consult this with Sweet Mask later. I need to find Fubuki and change into my human form.
"Sorry for the delay! We're ready!" Tacki said and handed over a bundle of beautifully made silk flowers with several of the special white ones mixed in. "We had to get rid of a bunch of reporters."
"Really?" Mitsumi frowned. Then she heard the monster pets snickering and giggling. Stable Rock gave her a mental image of what was done to get her bursting out with laughter. Saitama grinned at this and squeezed Mitsumi close.
"I definitely approve," he nodded and gave a good head scratching to Stable Rock when he leaned up to get it.
"Let's...go..." Stable Rock rumbled and enhanced the glittery shine on all of the gems in his shell. Blue Ripple focused on his scales to make them far more iridescent. Even Bright Bolt made himself look less scraggly in looks and far more sleekly built. All of Mitsumi's current fans now separated out into their respective circular sets of ten to hover over them with the controlling set in her belt. The moment Stable Rock started to move, the wedding music began to play. Everyone there was in shock at the monster entourage, and Fumio was quick to start walking ahead of them with Black Sperm.
"Here we go," Daiki said with a small smile. He watched Stable Rock approach the stairway, and Blue Ripple snorted to show he was on alert. Tangled Vine was given over to Fumio to hold for now, and Overgrown Rover jumped down to grow larger. Bright Bolt nickered and watched intently on how Daiki walked down the stairs to take Mitsumi from Saitama's arms.
"You have thirty seconds to give her back. If you don't, I will slap you. Her body goes into intense pain without my touch," Saitama said in a growling mutter. "Courtesy of your growing nephew in her."
"I'm going to be an uncle?!" Daiki blinked and coughed. "Ah, okay. We'll talk later! Come on."
"Easy," Blue Ripple mumbled and watched protectively over the crowd. He did spot Sonic and Hirata darting through the buildings to ensure no one would try anything from the windows. Daiki escorted Mitsumi to the other side of the massive, beautifully set up table and gave her over to Saitama. They took turns picking up the quill to dip in ink and sign the document. After that, they both looked at each other.
"I take you as my wife," he said solemnly.
"I accept you as my husband," she said a bit timidly. He pulled the veil away to reveal her in a stunning fan dancing gown of shimmering, silvery white silk. It flowed down her figure in two parts to enhance her slim, fit figure even more. Her jewelry was all white gold, diamonds and various shades of blue sapphires. This included crystal pins for her hair, her necklace, earrings and bracelets. Saitama wasted no time to pull her close to plant a long, loving kiss on her mouth to get everyone cheering. Then they stood together in their glittering attire with him in his performance suit for photographs.
"I'm here for the document," a man in a suit said and walked up briskly.
"Not so fast," Rendor said and stepped in front of him. "Who are you?"
"Hmm..." Tatsumaki frowned and hovered over Rendor protectively.
"A lawyer of the Takashi family," the man said.
"No you're not," Kiyoshi said and walked over. "How did you get in here?"
"Do I get to slap someone already?" Saitama asked.
"I know him. He was Mother's lawyer. He was charged to take over the legal document once it was done. I have no idea what he plans to do with it, but I'm sure he won't give it over to the correct people. He may even hide it away. No matter how many documents are signed, he'll be right there to claim them all to keep them hidden," Mitsumi said softly. "Who let you in?"
"I can't disclose that," the man swallowed. Wind Crane now looked over to glare with Fire Flight. Bright Bolt tilted his horse-like head and snorted. A small zapping sound was given to make the man jump. "Hey! That's uncalled for!"
"You're not a guest. You're here to upset Mitsumi. I'm her pet. Pets protect their owners. Can I zap him again?" Bright Bolt asked. She smiled and gestured for him to approach her to get a loving snuggle in her arms.
"If he doesn't talk, zap him harder," Saitama nodded.
"I can soak him in cold water," Blue Ripple grinned.
"No. Put him...in...the pit..." Stable Rock snickered.
"Oh! So the other ones can question him for us?" Tangled Vine asked and got taken from Fumio to get held by Mitsumi.
"A lawyer questioned by rogue reporters..." Kiyoshi mused.
"Don't you dare put me with that rabble!" the man growled.
"Really? Or is it a job well done that you got here on your own?" Inichi now asked from where he stood with Fubuki. Now the man's jaw dropped. Sweet Mask's eyes widened. The other S class heroes there were quick to get ready to attack. Wind Crane flared out her feathers and hissed with intense warning.
"Do we have a flea jar?" Saitama asked Genos.
"I have one, Master Saitama," Genos nodded.
"What do you want me to do?" Suiryu asked. He was helping serve out appetizers, but he was quick to set the tray down and ready himself in a fighting stance. Bane and Bomb nodded to each other to show they were ready.
"Keep an eye on him. Heh. Funny how a Secret Skins is here on my public wedding day. I'll take that as a nice little gift. Wipe another one of you out of existence while we're here," Saitama said with a shrug.
"Miu would have strengthened us! She would have led us to a better way of life! Not hounded and bowing down to an old, insignificant thing!" the man spat. Then he paused and felt the flea in his arm. He shrieked in pain at the sharp biting that was given now. The others there backed away in shock on seeing the man's skin suddenly dry out while the monster within it got consumed alive.
"What's...?" Mitsumi blinked.
"The GOD...monster...it served..." Stable Rock snorted. "Not pleased...at all...you see..."
"So...the fleas can become vessels for...?!" Iwasaki gasped. Flashy Flash frowned hard and let her press into him. Deep Sea Prince was also standing close by with Akiyama with sheer surprise at this. Worried looks were given all around, but Stable Rock grunted to keep them all calm.
"You...don't slander...but...not touched. This one...was touched...with teleportation..." Stable Rock said on catching the scent of the flea. "Once touched...they become...vessels...directly. You...are safe..."
"Teleportation?! That's how the guy got in!" Kamikaze said.
"Can it become an egg? Like the other one?" Tacki asked.
"The flesh...is eaten..." Stable Rock sighed. "It is...gone..."
"So the one flea we have at home. Can it call on the GOD monster?" Saitama asked. "Or is that impossible?"
"Only...if the...situation...is dire..." Stable Rock explained. "It is...sleeping...right now. It does...not...know..."
"Does it know now?" Zenchu asked.
"No..." Stable Rock said calmly. "There is...no care...unless...contacted. Keep it...sleeping...until we...are ready. This one...called out. All attention...is directed...to show...displeasure. We should...catch it. It will...sleep...in the...skin."
"Even if the inside is eaten? Wouldn't it look for a new host?" Garou asked. Just as he said that, the large flea emerged from the dead skin and jumped right at Mitsumi. Blue Ripple caught it before it could land on her.
"Wrong choice of prey!" Blue Ripple snarled. When Genos showed the jar, he said, "No. It is too strong for normal glass."
"Allow...me..." Stable Rock said. "Fire Flight...?"
"I shall assist with making specialized glass," she nodded. "I am ready."
Stable Rock focused to bring some fine sand to the surface. Fire Flight set it into a molten mass with her mental thought. Stable Rock took over again to form it into the jar it had to be in with Wind Crane blowing the wind into it to widen it. Then the wind was used to gently cool it down. Tangled Vine had a small cork branch grow from the ground to harvest a stopper. Blue Ripple set the flea into this specialized glass, and Bright Bolt zapped it to stun it into slumber.
"I am not pissing any of you off!" Zenchu said to get them all laughing. Wind Crane simply reached over and pecked at him to get him yelping.
"Now, a question," Garou said. "With this flea, it was touched with teleportation. Can we get another to have it take over, cut the flea out and kill the monster to make an egg?"
"Ah...hmm..." Stable Rock mused at the idea.
"We could make a bunch of GOD monsters with those abilities..." Mitsumi blinked with realization. Saitama looked at her and back at Stable Rock.
"Those reporters in the pit. Are any of them Secret Skins?" Saitama asked.
"What's this?" Kiyoshi frowned.
"I can find out," Inichi said and focused. "They are close enough that I can glean thoughts. Ah...we do have one..."
"Who?!" Kiyoshi demanded.
"Who do you think? The one that defied you a second time. The first one we threw into the pit," Inichi sighed and shook his head.
"That would explain much," Kiyoshi grimaced.
"He's fine where he is right now?" Saitama asked.
"Yes," Inichi nodded.
"Good. I want to eat first. Then I want to celebrate my wedding night. In the morning, we'll look at him. I may be in my new house with Mitsumi, though. Also, Stable Rock, I want the way in to only be able to be done by flight with Wind Crane, Inichi or any others that can fly safely. Can we do that?" Saitama asked and grinned at Stable Rock's snorting laugh.
"We shall...plan...when we...get there..." Stable Rock agreed.
"Good. Let's have dinner. Or snacks before dinner if dinner isn't ready," Saitama said. Pig God was already looking at the dried skin, but Genos was quick to follow where it was taken to incinerate it. Child Emperor did request a sample of it for study, too. Watchdog found himself curious on everything he was witnessing, and Overgrown Rover huffed at him. Then it looked at Saitama when it was called to lope over to him and jump up to lick at him.
"I'm still figuring things out," Sneck chuckled at Watchdog.
"Oh," Watchdog said and got up to follow where there others were going to the dining room.
"It was so good to be here! It's so rare I get to appear at events like this," Mumen Rider sighed. He paused at Overgrown Rover trotting over to him to sniff curiously. When Saitama walked over with Mitsumi, he got its attention.
"He's a good guy. He helped us in the beginning," Saitama said. Overgrown Rover snorted and jumped onto Mumen Rider to tackle him down. At first he shrieked. Now he was dying with laughter at the happy licks given to his face. Saitama finally had to set Mitsumi aside to quickly grab his monster dog. "Enough, doggy! Yes, he's okay. But that's enough."
It huffed and squirmed happily to snuggle into him before getting set down. Saitama was quick to pull Mitsumi back into his arms and kiss her forehead before helping his friend up off the ground. Tacki handed him a towel and chuckled. Imai was quick to announce that refreshments were being served right after that. Rendor rolled up the parchment after Genos and Metal Knight made digital copies. The precious document was going to be sent directly to the ones that needed it.
Saitama kept Mitsumi close to his side, and he found Bright Bolt moving in front of them. The electrical monster blinked his electric blue eyes and said, "Get on! I'll carry you!"
"Eh...we're just walking down the way...?" Saitama said. Bright Bolt stomped his clawed foot. "Okay! Geez..."
Mitsumi laughed softly and got lifted onto his back first. Then Saitama lightly jumped up to hold her. Overgrown Rover huffed, became tiny and jumped up to settle with them. Fumio was given Tangled Vine to hold for now. Now Bright Bolt regally strode down the red velvet aisle and nodded to the other GOD monsters. It was time for them to show that they were all allies.
Tangled Vine focused to have large, beautiful bushes sprout up bearing intense blossoms of fantastic colors and scents when they passed by. Stable Rock focused on the ground to make it polished white marble with golden flecks through it. Then he sent in streaks of silver veins to further enhance it. Wind Crane sent in a refreshing breeze to carry the scents of the flowers around them. Fire Flight kept the air warm and wonderful to be in.
"Wow..." Mitsumi said softly.
"Can you answer a few questions?" the cheery lady reporter asked.
"Maybe. It depends on the questions," Saitama said and had Bright Bolt stop to let him talk. "What are they?"
"How long have you known Fan Dancer?" she asked.
"A couple months. I rescued her and fell in love with her. She's having my baby now. I didn't want to let her be unmarried while pregnant with my child. This was something we planned on. Despite other things that come with marriage to her. I didn't care about that," he said flatly.
"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known of my talent with fans. Much less realized that I am the last Wind Crane Clan assassin, too. I can freely say that now. So, not only am I an S class hero, I am also a very deadly person. But I vowed to never hurt people. I let him do that for me," Mitsumi chuckled and leaned into his embrace. Overgrown Rover huffed and blinked all six eyes at the reporter curiously.
"You're a Wind Crane Clan assassin?!" the reporter gaped.
"Yes. My fans are from the clan, after all. Aside from the new ones from my scaled kitty," she beamed and got a loving snuggle from Blue Ripple. "Also, the large bird monster is Wind Crane, herself. She was and is the clan creator."
"It's time for us to eat. Come now," Fire Flight said in her human form. Shenjou was now walking with her to escort her. Wind Crane was now escorted by Zenchu in her human form.
"Just one more question!" the reporter said.
"Fine. What is it?" Saitama asked with boredom.
"How do you feel about your wife now being the wealthiest girl alive?" the reporter asked. Saitama gave her a blank stare. Then he looked at Mitsumi before kissing her in an intensely loving way. Then he looked back at the reporter.
"I don't care about her money. I care about her. If she loses her money tomorrow, I wouldn't care at all. It's when she's threatened. Then I care. Yeah, the money is nice. But if you knew everything she went through to get to this point, I'm sure even you wouldn't care about her money. So, I need to ask you a question. Her father. Etsuji Takashi. Did you know he was murdered?"
"What? I thought he killed himself!" the reporter admitted.
"No. Her fake mother did it. Poisoned him with tea. But she strangled him first, apparently. She was a monster living in the skin of her mother. A Secret Skins. I'm sure you saw what happened with that lawyer just now, right? He was also a Secret Skins. Anyways, I'm done talking about it. It stresses out my wife, and that just pisses me off. Have a nice day. And all that. I guess," Saitama shrugged and had Bright Bolt continue walking. Sweet Mask walked over to show he would continue to talk to the reporter to distract her.
"Be prepared for a lot of crap," Mitsumi winced. Overgrown Rover whined and rose up to lick her cheek to get a loving squeeze in return.
"That's why I'm here. To handle that crap," he grounded out lightly. Then Bright Bolt backed up quickly when Daiki and Himiko moved in front of them to stop them from proceeding further. Mitsumi frowned at this, but saw that her brother and sister were facing an elegantly dressed elderly couple that had just walked out to the event area.
"What's going on?" Zombieman asked.
"Stay with Saitama and Mitsumi," Himiko said softly. "It's our grandparents from Mother's side. Daiki told them things, but I don't know why they showed up. Mitsumi never met them. We know them."
"I see..." Saitama frowned and had Mitsumi press into him. Overgrown Rover gave a small warning growl, but he rested his hand on its back to calm it.
"I didn't know that Miu had another child," the woman frowned.
"I told you about this, Grandmother. There is no need for you to be here," Daiki said calmly. "Why did you come here?"
"To see if it was true. We saw the live stream and had to find out. We saw you all standing there! So we knew this was clearly a family event. Once the doors opened back up, we were right here to see this. We had to wait, so we missed the wedding. I know, Daiki, you told us much. But Miu only told us about the four of you. With Atsuko and Fumio, of course. Not about Mitsumi at all. In fact, whenever we saw Etsuji with a young girl, we were told it was Himiko. But it made no sense! Surely we can all sit down and talk?" the elderly man asked.
"Inichi?" Mitsumi asked softly. He was soon walking over with Fubuki on his arm and studied the thoughts of the old couple.
"They are lying. They knew about you. They are hoping to, ah, sweet talk you into some funding for an illegitimate business that their daughter helped with now and then. They know exactly who you are. They bribed a new staff member here to get in to see you. She will be lightly reprimanded for this," Inichi said.
"Ah...well..." the old woman blinked.
"You would dare to come here on my day of joy with my wife to ask her for money?! What kind of people are you?! And for a bad business on top of that?!" Saitama hissed out with disgust. Then he looked at Mitsumi. "You never met them at all?"
"No," Mitsumi frowned.
"So, they are strangers to you?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded. The old couple just gaped with shock.
"I would slap them, but I might hurt them. So, I'm going to ask this to both of you. If you knew of Mitsumi and what all her mother was doing to her...why didn't you help her?!" Saitama snapped out. Overgrown Rover hissed and snarled before Saitama calmed it again. "Doggy, no. I'm mad. Not you. Stop."
"Ah...well...um..." the old man frowned.
"Miu told us she had things under control..." the old woman cringed.
"Your daughter was feeding Mitsumi pet food for six months after she killed her husband!" Saitama spat out. "She gave Mitsumi to a cousin for experiments! Did you know this?!"
"What?!" the old woman gaped.
"She wanted Mitsumi to die!" Saitama growled out. "You are not getting a single coin from us! You have enough money. You don't need anymore. Bright Bolt, we need to get away from here for a bit. We can come back when food's ready. This is going to keep pissing me off and stressing Mitsumi out."
"On it!" Bright Bolt snorted and gave the coordinates to Wind Crane to show where he was going. A flash of static electricity soon came out to show he was quickly gone with his riders.
"You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Kiyoshi said when he walked over and leaned on his cane with exhaustion. "Now they're both gone from here! I told you to leave them alone!"
"How are we to know everything?!" the old woman argued.
"I am curious of this business you have on the side," Sweet Mask said to get the older couple pausing now. "Care to elaborate?"
"No need. Illegitimate pharmaceutical practices. Wait. You were the ones supplying Ajito with the very drugs needed to poison Lady Mitsumi?!" Inichi's jaw dropped at the discovery. "This means you knew of her intense torment!"
"We...wouldn't know..." the older man swallowed.
"If they ate her insides, I'm killing them," Zenchu said.
"What?!" the older woman blinked.
"Yes. Ajito was harvesting parts from Lady Mitsumi and delivering them out as parcels. And you got a crate of her to use for your own experiments?!" Inichi found himself in complete shock.
"We don't have anything of her!" the older woman said.
"You do. It's back in your medical lab. Your thoughts are telling me everything. Sweet Mask, we need to do a raid on their laboratory. As quickly as possible. I don't know if we should tell Mr. Saitama about this..." Inichi winced.
"I just did," Wind Crane said lightly. "His rage knows no bounds."
"Shit..." Garou grimaced. "Do I even want to know their names?"
"At this point, it's not important. They stole parts of Lady Mitsumi to experiment on as they pleased. They should join their oldest granddaughter for questioning. Anyways, I'm going to see what needs to be done to ensure of Lady Mitsumi's return," Zenchu grounded out and snapped his tail with irritation. Wind Crane sighed and found herself hugged by her mate now. "Today wasn't supposed to be like this. We need to end it right."
"My daughter knew this was going to happen. We will be more vigilant," Wind Crane nodded. He kissed her gently and watched the other GOD monster pets disappear to join up with Bright Bolt. Fumio was clearly upset, but Black Sperm was helping him feel better with funny faces. Sweet Mask gestured for Tajima to stay with the others while escorting the guilty elderly couple away and making phone calls now.
"I hope they really didn't do this..." Kamiko frowned.
"Inichi heard their thoughts. We shall do what we can to make things right," Genos nodded and let her press into him for comfort.
"She's not dead. But, yeah. This sucks," Kamikaze grunted.
"I got the game downloaded and ready for tonight. Let's go inside and wait," King said and walked Kianna in. Puri-Puri Prisoner and Pete had watched the whole thing with shocked silence. They looked at each other and decided to stay out of the way until things were better. Puri-Puri Prisoner decided right away that room service was best. I'm sure things will get better, but this way we can all make sure the night ends properly. I don't want Pete to get uncomfortable. Oh! Maybe we can both watch that scary game in our room! I shall ask and see if we can!
*Author's Note - Huzzah! The wedding happened! And a new plot twist! I seriously have no idea how any of my chapters turn out, but thank you all for reading and following along. If anyone has ideas to bring up, feel free to DM me! Thanks again for continuing to read!*