AN: Welcome back! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my last chapter! Some of you really like Love, some of you didn't like her at all, and I completely understand either way.
About this chapter you're gonna read, it's another long one and I really debated about cutting some scenes out, but everything here is just too vital for the story, yet also not helpful enough to force into my next chapter which is partially written. Like I've said before, I do plan on trimming fat when the story's done, so that'll probably come to pass down the line. Hopefully, you like what you're about to read. Please review to let me know.
Also, this chapter has not had a proper run-through, so please excuse any grammatical errors for the time being. I'll get around to polishing, eventually.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Punch Man or any of the characters associated with the title. All rights belong to their respective owners.
(2 years ago)
The mid-day sun was unrelenting, beaming down on a group of five well-armed men, dressed in full combat attire, marching through the woods. They weren't alert, but they had their weapons at the ready.
"Damn, it's fuckin' hot today," one of them said from the back of the group. The others grumbled in agreeance. They all looked around with searching glances in every direction as if they were on the lookout for something hidden in the foliage around them.
"She sure did pick a good day for this shit, huh?" another asked, rhetorically. "What is this, the fifth time this month?"
"Sixth, actually. You were on leave for one of them."
"Shit!" one of them yelled, pulling his helmet off to wipe the sweat from his brow. "What the hell is with these fuckin' goggles? Do we really have to wear em? I can barely see..." He lifted his eyewear and wiped the sweat dripping down into his eyes before putting them back on. One of the others suddenly draped an arm around his neck.
"Heh, so, you're the new guy, huh? First time?"
"That's right," he said. "I'm-.."
"Yuji," he cut him off. "Yeah, we know everything about you, already. I'm guessing you didn't read the mission report before deploying, huh? You know who we're tracking?"
"y-.. Yeah, uh... one of the female patients, right?"
"Heh, not just any patient," one of the others said. "Love..."
"Wait, is that her actual name?" he asked.
"Yes, it is," another said. "And, if you had read the entire report, you'd know why the goggles are necessary... Keep 'em on, unless you're ready to lose that head of yours."
"... But how the hell are we supposed to find anything with these on?" he asked. "Everything's blurry."
"Just look for a pink smudge, brother," the guy around his neck said, finally letting him go. "Just look for the pink..."
As they searched around in every direction, they were oblivious to just how close they truly were to the target of their hunt. Love sat in a tree, high above them, slowly stirring awake at the sound of their chattering voices. She was dressed down in what looked like the garb of an insane asylum patient, a white shirt, and white pants. The left leg of those pants was torn from the knee down, and she was barefooted.
As soon as she heard those voices below, she was alert to her situation. 'No... I actually fell asleep...!' She had only stopped to rest after running for what felt like hours through these never-ending woods. It turned out to be a smart decision to scale this tree, at least... but now, what was she gonna do?
She looked down and watched as the group slowed to a stop, still idly chatting as if they weren't currently hunting her down. She was no expert on the subject, but seeing how she had a good few hours on them from the time she escaped, shouldn't they be a little more... urgent...?
"Alrighty," one of them said. "We're about a hundred meters from the wall. I think we've earned a little break."
'... Wall...?' She could still see the direction she was headed in through gaps in the thick foliage. There was no wall in sight. Only miles and miles of trees.
"What wall?" Yuji asked as he plopped down against the tree she was in.
"Tch, you didn't read a damn thing in that report, did you? It's an invisible barrier surrounding the facility on all sides. Nothin' gets in or out without Dr. Manchi knowin' about it."
Love's heart sunk into the pit of her stomach. '... an invisible wall...' How the hell was she gonna make it through something like that? All these times she had escaped in the past, she had never made it this far... and now that she has, it was starting to seem like escape was impossible the entire time...
"Well... what if she did make it out?" Yuji asked. "We got some way to pass through or are we stuck too?"
"You ask a lot of questions, new guy."
He shrugged. "I just like to be thorough. I've never failed a mission, and I don't plan on startin' now."
"That's what that hand scanner was in your initiation. It's got your prints. You put it on the barrier and it'll open up a passageway for you to pass through."
"Oh," Yuji uttered, looking at his hand. "I thought that was weird... Guess that's useful for us. Ya know, in case the doc ever went crazy and tried to lock us all in."
"Pfft, yeah," another said. "That ain't gonna happen. We've got paper trails leadin' right to the facility. As far as anyone else knows, we're just security guards for a pharmaceutical company. If we went missin', the police would show up askin' questions..."
"You ask me, the handprints ain't nothin' but a liability to our jobs. I thought the doc would do away with them after the first time she nearly escaped."
"What happened?" Yuji asked.
"Oh, it was years ago. Some bozo tried to help her. He nearly snuck her and her sister right out the front door before they were caught..."
"... Why?"
"Heh, heh-heh-hahaha!"
Yuji looked around curiously when they all started laughing as if he had asked something stupid. It seemed like a valid question, to him.
Love watched them from above, also waiting to hear their explanation. She knew what they were gonna say, but not how they were gonna say it. The truth was that guy was their friend... but she knew there was a different story that flooded the ranks of guards.
"You really don't know what we're up against, huh...?" Yuji shook his head, prompting him to continue. "Heh... Well... if it'll give you any indication, they used to call her a siren."
"... A siren?"
"You know what that is, right?"
"Uh... it's a mermaid, er... whatever, that sings and shit, right?"
"Heh, yeah. Somethin' like that... But, that's not exactly what she is... She doesn't sing or swim or... any of that... Love just has a way of changing your mind... making you do things you wouldn't normally do..."
Yuji thought about it a little more until he had an idea. "... So, she's a hypnotist or something."
Again a few chuckles circled around the other four until one of them spoke up. "Um... no... No, not really. She's just..."
"Look," another jumped in. "Just keep the goggles on, and you'll never have to find out, alright?"
Yuji gave up on understanding what they meant. "Tch, yeah alright." He pushed himself back to his feet and started walking.
"Where the hell are you goin'?"
"Take a leak," he said.
"Well, hurry back, and keep your radio on."
"Yeah-yeah," he waved them off.
Love watched him walk away from the group with a sense of hope slowly building. If she wanted to get out of there, it was clear she couldn't do it alone. This guy didn't seem friendly, but he was obviously new to the group so, he was potentially her best chance...
Yuji strolled away, far enough so he couldn't hear them anymore, keeping his eyes on his surroundings for any sign of a pink smudge. He thought more about what they were saying before.
What was the deal with this girl? Why did they make her out to seem so dangerous? He got the gist of it. She had some sort of ability that made you do things... yet, apparently, it wasn't mind control... That's what confused him. What else could it possibly be? Why the hell did these blurry goggles somehow make her ability useless? It just didn't make sense.
He'd been a mercenary for a number of years now, and he's run into a good number of supernatural beings, yet he had never heard of an ability like that. Though, the facility she broke out of definitely housed some... odd individuals. Yuji had his reservations about what they were doing there, but it wasn't in his job description to have morals. Especially when the job was paying as well as it did.
When he found himself in a good enough spot, he struggled with his belt buckle a bit until his frustration got the better of him. "God damn it." Without even really thinking about it, he pushed his goggles up to his forehead, as if it would help him complete his objective faster. Somehow, it did the trick and he was able to relieve himself with a satisfied sigh. "Ahhhh... It's so fuckin' hot..."
(snap)
At the sound of a breaking twig, he turned his head a bit to try and see who it was. "Yeah, I'm almost done over here," he called out. "Just gimme a sec..." It was suddenly a lot quieter when he didn't get a response. The only sound he could hear was his trickling stream, slowly dying out. "... hello-.." Suddenly, his handgun was pulled from the holster on his hip.
"Don't move, please..." Love held the weapon in two hands, clearly having never used one before, aiming right at his back.
Yuji slowly raised his hands, immediately understanding his predicament. 'Damn it...! I let my guard down...' He looked over just a bit.
"Don't move," she repeated, stopping him before he did anything.
"Okay... Okay," he said. "... Uh... I'm guessing you're Love, then...?"
"... y-... Yeah..."
"Alright... I'm Yuji..."
She didn't respond. Truthfully, she was trying to make sense of her plan, now that it was in action. What the hell was she supposed to do with him? "t-... Turn around..."
"Uh... Are you sure?" he asked. "I'm kind of uh... exposed, right now..."
"... What?"
"Heh," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm... I mean, my uh... my hose is out, ya know?"
"o-Oh... Um... p-Put it away... and then turn around..."
"Heh... alright... You're not gonna shoot me, are ya...?"
"n-... Not unless I have to..." Did that sound threatening enough?
"Heh, thanks," Yuji chuckled again before slowly complying. He zipped his pants and slowly turned around. "I don't know what you plan to d-.." He stopped speaking the very second their eyes met and before she even said anything, he immediately realized what his squad was talking about... Everything was suddenly given context... She was no siren singing a song to enchant men... or some expert hypnotist that could put you in a trance with a look... She was just, '... beautiful...' He was enchanted by those big brown eyes and the way her pink hair lightly swayed in the wind that shook the trees around them. "... Whoa..."
Love tried her best to look as intimidating as possible, but she couldn't tell if it was working or not. The look on this man's face was anything but terrified. "... d-.. Don't move," she said again, for no reason. "I... I have to get out of here... a-and... you're gonna help me..."
Yuji's hands slowly fell down to his sides as if he had completely forgotten about the gun she held, pointed right at his chest.
"I... I heard you talking about the wall... i-I need your handprint to get out, right...?"
"... Uh..."
"... You're gonna... you're gonna help me, or... or else I'll-.."
A sharp electronic crackle from the radio on his shoulder cut her off. 'Yuji?' one of the other soldiers called out to him.
He quickly fumbled with the device, flinching when she readjusted her grip on the gun with a worried look. "y-... Yeah, I'm here," he fumbled out.
'What the hell's takin' you so long?'
Love looked back over her shoulder in a panic, expecting to be swarmed at any moment. When she turned back to the man she held at gunpoint, there was a pleading look in her eyes, nearly brimming with unshed tears.
"... i-... I'm all good," he said, softly. "Just... i-I gotta shit, so... I might be a while..."
'Heh-ha! Well, hurry up, you idiot. We're movin' in five.'
"... got it," he said, still looking at the woman before him with an enchanted look in his eyes. Never in his life had he seen someone so... perfect...
Love released the breath she was holding. She looked at him with a confused expression, wondering why he didn't just call out and expose her. Maybe... she didn't even need the gun. She slowly let it drop away from him to see what he'd do. "... w-... Will you help me...?"
"... I..." Before he answered, a thought suddenly occurred to him. 'Wait... what the hell am I doing...? I... I should...' He couldn't think straight, anymore. What was happening here? Did she really not have some sort of mind control power? Was it just her unnatural beauty somehow forcing him to comply? If that was all it was, then he could resist... right? "y-... Yeah... I'll help y-.."
(BOOM!)
They both flinched when the ground around them suddenly shook at the sound of an impact, followed soon by the ring of gunfire from the direction of his squad.
"What the hell!?" Yuji shouted.
Again, the sound of his radio crackled in. 'CODE RED! CODE RED!'
"w-What!?"
'THERE'S A BREACH IN THE WALL! CODE RED!'
"a-.. A breach?" Love muttered, stepping back behind Yuji who took his gun back from her.
'I REPEAT! THERE'S A BREACH! IT'S A-..! IT'S A FUCKING MONST-.. AAAAAHHH!'
"Shit!" Yuji said, checking his ammo. He cocked his gun and nearly ran off to help before Love pulled him back.
"n-No! w-What are you doing?"
He turned back and looked at her, but he was greatly aware of the sounds of panic in the distance. "... i-I have to help them! I'm sorry!"
"n-No, please!" she shouted, grabbing his arm. "I need your help!"
"I'm sorry!" He dragged her a bit, trying to free himself, but she wouldn't let go. "I have to help them! I'm sorry!"
"I need you! Please, don't leave me!"
"I have t-..!" Yuji froze when she suddenly gasped and let go. He followed her line of sight up to the tree in front of them. Hanging from one of the branches was the monster in question. A mutated albino gorilla wearing the helmet of one of the soldiers he just slaughtered from the group of guards. Its white fur was stained red all over.
"Hergh-! I knew I smelled another slab-a meat somewhere!" With every word it spoke, there were sopping red chunks of flesh and innards spilling out the side of its flapping lips. "Interestin' little cage you humans have here. I almost couldn't get in, bu-..." Suddenly, it stopped talking when it spotted the pink-haired girl that peeked out from behind the last soldier. "... Oh..."
Love shrunk back in fear when its black eyes locked onto her.
"Well~well," the creature uttered, dropping down to the ground with a heavy thud. It stood to its full height, towering over the two of them by a good few feet. "What a beautiful flower."
"Love..." Yuji said in a low voice, stepping further in front of her to cut the monster's line of sight. In response, it smiled at him with a low growl. The terror on Yuji's face was palpable. Still, he readjusted his grip on the gun and addressed the girl behind him."Run..."
"RRRAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!" The beast jumped at him with a roar.
Love took off into the trees, fleeing from the sounds of the gunfire and disturbing screams. She could hear the monster tearing into flesh and bone behind her. As swift as a dancer, she jumped up into the trees and began leaping from the branches like a practiced trapeze artist. She had to make it to the wall. Somehow this monster was able to bust its way in, so she figured there had to be a way out. She just had to find it before that monster found her.
Taking a chance when the sounds of the butchering faded away, she turned back, mid-jump, to try and get a visual, but she couldn't see it. That little glance was all it took for her to lose sight of where she was going, and by the time she turned back, it was too late to avoid the tree in her path. She twisted her body enough to avoid smacking it head-first. Her shoulder clipped the side and she spun violently on her way to the ground where she quickly scrambled back to her butt and crawled backward, looking for any sign of the terrifying beast.
All around her, she could hear the trees cracking and shaking in what felt like every direction. The only real indication of a possible location was the leaves that trickled down, zigzagging along with the sounds of the rustling canopies. Then, all at once, everything stopped...
Love tried to calm her breathing to hear better, but there was suddenly no sound at all as if the entire world stopped moving in that one moment... Shaking in fear, she peeked around the tree she had her back to, and just a few feet away, she could see the bluish glimmer of the supposed invisible wall... So close... and yet-..
(Boom!)
With a gasp, she whipped her head back when the big blood-covered behemoth came crashing down right before her. Up close, it seemed so much bigger than it did before. She could smell the scent of death oozing from all over, and she watched with a terrified gaze as it chewed on the arm of Yuji that was still loosely gripping the gun she held just moments ago.
With a hard crunch, the beast snapped the arm in half, dropping it down to the ground, right by her feet. "Heeeerrrrggghhhh," it sighed in satisfaction. "Now, then... Love, was it...?"
She pushed herself back against the tree, almost hoping she could push hard enough to sink into it. The smell that came from its mouth was somehow a thousand times worse, and it hit her in the face like a speeding truck with every word it spoke. To make matters worse, the white-furred monster suddenly squatted down and got closer.
"That's an awfully beautiful name for such a-," leaning even closer, it took a big whiff of her scent, "-lovely girl, heh-heh-heh-heh-!"
She was finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open, either from the fear of the situation, or the smell that was pungent enough to tear her up. "p... Please, don't..."
"Hm...? Heh-heh-heh... Don't what...?"
"Please don't... kill me..."
"Hah-hah-hah!" it cackled for a moment. "Now, what do I look like? Some kinda animal...?"
She didn't respond. Obviously, that had to be a joke.
"Heh-heh...! No, no... I'm not gonna kill you, Lovey." The monster watched her flinch when it gently ran a bloody finger down the length of her face. "I'm gonna keep you."
"... Please," she begged, still shrinking away from its touch. "No."
"You're mine, now... I saw those bad men chasing you. I saved you, didn't I...? You owe me your life. That's how that works, Lovey... You're allll mine n-.."
(CRASSSSSHHHHH!)
Like glass shattering, they were both surprised when the invisible barrier suddenly exploded a few feet away, spitting out some sort of blue projectile that crashed through about three trees nearby before its momentum was stopped.
"Ergh-!" an unknown voice groaned from the wreckage. "Yup... that was a good move, heh-heh..."
Love wanted to call out, but she was still locked in fear at the beast that had its bloodied hands so close to her face. Still, both of their attention was dead-locked on the fading cloud of dust that slowly revealed Saitama, struggling back to his feet looking like he had been in one hell of a fight. He was rather thin with unkempt black hair and a torn and tattered tracksuit.
"What the heck did I hit, anyways...? Hm...?" Suddenly, he took note of the big white smudge in his peripheral... and then, the pink-haired woman. He looked back and forth between the two for a few seconds until the situation clicked in his mind when he locked eyes with Love. "... Um... you need some help?"
"... Heh," the big ape chuckled, climbing back to his feet. "Well~well... another meal just arrived by air, huh...?"
"... Meal...? What are you talking about...? And what the heck are you, anyway?"
"Heh, is it not obvious?" the monster asked, spreading its arms out as if presenting itself.
"... uh... No," he said flatly, watching the beast trudge toward him slowly. "Are you just like a really hairy guy or are you some kind of polar bear or something?"
"Heh-! A polar bear!? What are you, an idiot!?"
"Hm...? So you ARE just a hairy guy, then? My bad."
"It's not hair! It's fur! I'm clearly a gorilla!"
"... with white fur?" he asked, stupidly. "That... doesn't make sense. I guess I could see it if it was black or... brown, maybe but, I don't think gorillas have white fur."
"Shut your mouth! I'm KANG, King of the Primates! My fur is white because I was raised in a lab where doctors experimented on me! Their treatments bleached my fur white and gave me the gift of higher knowledge! With this knowledge, I've come to see the world of humanity as it truly is! A plague to the world of the animal kingdom! And, I've vowed to wipe every human from the face of the earth and reign supreme as the ultimate ruler! Kang is supreme! Kang is almighty! Kang is KIIIIING!" it roared.
Saitama reeled at the deafening sound that shook the trees all around them. "... Heh, that's a really cool backstory," he said. "Did that really happen or did you just make it up...? It feels like some of you guys just make it up."
"RAAARRGGHHH!" The white-furred ape suddenly lunged at him with a swiping paw.
Saitama jumped away and watched as it completely destroyed a tree with its wild attack. 'Whoa, that thing's fast...' He landed a few feet away with a giddy smile on his face. 'Heh... Alright! This makes three good fights in one day! I gotta keep an eye out for that bird thing. That was my toughest one yet...! But, I guess I can take this one on first, though.' He put his fists up, still smiling like a madman as the creature locked onto him again. "Alright...! Let's do it!"
Love sat on a cold metal chair across from Sitch who was listening to her story attentively. This was her first time recounting that memory from so long ago. She had thought about it nearly every day since it happened but actually telling it had her smiling so much it was starting to hurt her cheeks. "... Heh... I remember how hard he fought... He... struggled a bit, but it just seemed like that monster couldn't hurt him enough to keep him down. No matter what it did, he kept getting back up until he won..."
Her smile in turn had Sitch struggling to suppress his own grin. He wasn't usually a man easily flustered, but he too found her to be incredibly beautiful. "I... I see," he said. "... So... he saved you, then...?"
Love snapped out of her daze at the sound of his voice. "Um... n-... No, he... When he finally killed that gorilla monster, he... he came back to help me and I told him about the facility... I asked him if he would help me, but then I guess the monster that had flown him there came back around and he ran off to go fight it again... He said he would come back for me, but... another squad of guards showed up after he left and took me back..." Her smile slowly faded, replaced by an almost somber expression. "I... I thought he would come find me, but... I guess he just forgot..."
In Sitch's office, Saitama and Genos watched the live recording of their conversation along with Sekingar who was badgering the bald hero with questions.
"That true?"
"What?" Saitama asked.
"Any of that. Does it ring any bells...?"
The bald hero pinched his chin in thought. "Mmm... I don't really know... Maybe," he shrugged. "I used to save a lot of people. I can't really be expected to remember all of them, right?"
Sekingar looked back to the screen, particularly at the incredibly beautiful woman in the chair opposite his co-worker. "I suppose that's true..." Though, he found it hard to believe anyone could forget someone so... unforgettable...
(On the screen)
"And is this facility still in operation?" Sitch asked.
"It is," she replied. "After they caught me, I... I guess, in the back of my mind, I always thought he would be back for me, so I didn't even try breaking out again... As time went on and he never did... I started to think that maybe he was... dead..." She stared at a spot on the table with a beautiful smile slowly breaking through her expression again. "And then... I saw that press conference... I saw him... Even though he looked... different... I knew it was the same man that saved me that day..."
Behind Saitama and Sekingar, Genos's gaze shifted from the girl on the screen to his master. He had a view of Saitama's expression, but he didn't seem all that affected by what she was saying or how she was saying it. If her words weren't an obvious sign, the looks she had on her face when she was talking about Saitama were so telling it was almost like he was watching an actual scene from one of the romance films he'd been studying... Yet, his mentor didn't seem interested in the slightest.
With a yawn, the bald man rubbed at his eye before settling back into his cross-armed stance.
It was all so confusing to Genos. Looking back at the screen, he couldn't help but admire the pink-haired woman's physical appearance. He honestly couldn't remember if he was ever into things like that, but she was undeniably beautiful. There was a time when he wasn't partially a machine, and if a woman who looked like that had spoken about him in a similar manner would he have had the willpower to ignore it...?
He looked back to Saitama with a confused expression. '... Master...'
(On the screen)
"So, how did you end up escaping?" Sitch asked.
Love looked up at him with her smile faltering again. She seemed to ponder his question for a moment until she explained. "... There was a doctor there that was... my friend... When I was growing up he would always treat me differently than everyone else did... All my life it just felt like everyone did nice things for me just because I'm..." She let her statement hang in the air. "d-Dr. Konami was the first person that ever just treated me like a normal person... He was only ever interested in how my power worked and how I could use it to defend myself... Then, last week, one of those monsters attacked the facility and... Dr. Konami said Dr. Manchi was planning something terrible... He said that I had to get out of there. So, he helped me escape during the confusion... a-and they killed him..."
Sitch had to swallow the lump in his throat when he heard her voice crack. He needlessly looked down at the forms in front of him to avert her teary-eyed gaze. "I'm... sorry to hear that," he said.
Love gave him a sad nod of appreciation in return and wiped the stray tear that came trickling down her cheek.
Oddly enough, even Sekingar felt a bit choked up hearing her story. He was never really the overly sympathetic type, so it definitely came as a surprise.
He wasn't alone in his sentiment. Even Genos watched on with a downtrodden look.
The only one in the room not affected in the slightest was Saitama who was already thinking about dinner plans. That decision seemed to be a recurring issue now that money wasn't an obstacle. '... I guess I can just order room service, again... The food's alright, but it's kinda getting boring...' With a yawn and an exaggerated stretch, he drew the attention of Sekingar and Genos. "Urgh... So, is it cool if I head home, now? It's kinda supposed to be my day off and all."
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Sekingar said. "And, I apologize for that on behalf of the organization."
"Nah, it's cool," Saitama waved him off. "It... actually wasn't that bad, really."
Sekingar shrugged his shoulders with an uncertain look. "I wish I had your optimism, but... truth be told, today felt like a wake-up call." He sighed and tucked his arms over his chest with an intense look. "I can see why someone of your ability might not feel the shift, but... it's starting to feel like the threats are elevating by the day... and I'm starting to wonder if the rest of us can keep up..."
Saitama's blank expression eyed him down for a long while. That statement immediately had him reflecting on the conversation he had earlier that day. More specifically, the reaction he got when he said that was exactly what he wanted. '... I guess it's not just her that thinks that's a dumb idea, huh...?' Was it just another example of him wanting something that would ultimately suck when he got it, just like every other goal he's ever had?
"I don't know what the hell's goin' on these days," Sekingar added as he continued to watch the questioning session on the screen, "but... I'm sure glad we found you when we did... Who knows where we'd be otherwise..."
"... I think things would be fine," he said after a moment. "I mean, I'm really not that special... There's a ton of strong heroes around."
Sekingar considered his words for a moment until he chuckled lightly. "Heh... Yeah, there are, and I didn't mean to diminish their abilities, but... I guess you're just an answer to a question that's been asked for many years... When they really need it... who saves the heroes...?"
'... What does that mean...?' Saitama wondered, eyeing him down with a confused look. He shook his head and refocused on what he was trying to do... which was leave. "So... I guess everything's cool then? I can go?"
"a-... actually," Sekingar said, awkwardly coughing into his fist before he continued, "in light of these startling events, we're gathering every A-Class and S-Class hero available for a briefing on a new idea proposed by the board. I... am terribly sorry to disrupt your time off even further, but... I think having you there would definitely quell a lot of worries... If you don't mind, of course..."
Internally, he was immediately frustrated by this news, but he also had nothing to look forward to back at the apartment. "... Um... Sure, I guess, but... do I have time to eat? I'm kinda starving..."
"Master," Genos jumped in. "If you'd like, I can retrieve something from the cafeteria."
"No need, Demon Cyborg," Sekingar said. "That's not an issue at all. We've already hired a catering service as consolation for such a spontaneous event."
"A catering service?" Saitama mulled.
Sekingar nodded sharply. "They're set up in the dining hall, and they'll be serving Yakitori. We are awaiting a few of your fellow S-Class members to arrive before we begin. I'd say you have a good hour..."
Hearing that elicited a grumbled response from Saitama's stomach. "... Oh..."
"Well," Sitch muttered, tapping his stack of papers against the desk, "I guess the only real question now is... what do you plan to do...?"
Again, Love took a moment to consider his words. That was a question that Dr. Konami had asked her many years ago, and the truth was, back then, she had no idea. She had been so preoccupied with just trying to escape that what came next was always nothing more than an afterthought. The first time she ever considered it was after meeting Saitama, and even then, she only had a vague idea. '... I wanna be strong... I wanna be... like him...' Those thoughts slowly brought that smile of hers back to the surface, and with a sparkle in her eyes, she looked back up to Sitch and proudly made her decision. "I wanna be a hero...!"
'... You keep saying you're a monster, but... I think, what you really wanna be is... a hero...'
There was that voice again...
'... In the end, as long as I'm a hero, it doesn't matter what your goals are...'
'... You could try again if you want to...'
With his eyes shut, Garou heard it, not through his ears, but through his mind as if that voice had long since replaced his own thoughts.
'... You should just give up on doing it the easy way...'
He heard it just over the sound of wooshing waves, pushing and pulling his body in every direction.
'... Just be a hero...'
He heard it, loud and clear...
"Heh... It feels like I've been here for years," he muttered. "I've seen so much... Felt so much... and still," His eyes slowly creaked open and he found himself staring straight up at a clear blue sky, "I keep hearing his voice... When we fought, I thought I knew who I was and... who I was meant to be... I wanted to be the strongest monster. Strong enough that no one would ever step out of line. Strong enough to end this ugly, lopsided, game that just keeps going... It was all I ever wanted, and I was close... so damn close... and then, so fuckin' far, all at once..." With a heavy sigh, he shut his eyes again and reflected on his own words, hoping he wasn't misspeaking. "... and then, when I lost, I... thought I was ready..."
"... Ready for what?" a female voice asked.
"... to die..." Garou opened his eyes again, and his view of the sky was suddenly blocked by the inverted face of Yoru looming over him. His head rested on her crossed legs, and she was cupping the sides of his face with such a gentle grip. They were in shallow waters that swished all around them, yet the woosh made it sound like they were sitting in the middle of the ocean.
"... but you're not," she said, mindlessly rubbing her thumbs against his cheeks. "... right?"
His eyes flickered all around her face as if he were trying to look at everything all at once, yet he always came back to those dark eyes of hers. "... Right..." There was something so tired about her expression. She smiled, but it was hardly a smile. It was so very plain, and it didn't reach her eyes... yet it was still so very relieving to see. "I'm not ready... but, I don't know what to do..."
"Not wanting to do something and not knowing are two different things..."
Garou stared at her for a moment before he pushed himself up to a sitting position with a frustrated sigh. "I got it already. Stop remindin' me..."
"If I don't, you'll ignore me... and you'll stay here, even when you don't have to."
"And what the fuck is so wrong about that?" he asked, his tone spiking in anger.
"... Do I really have to answer that...? Or should I let him...?"
Without needing a visual indication, Garou's gaze shifted across the way to the plain-faced hero whose voice was stuck in his head. That image of Saitama was almost always around somewhere, watching over him like a looming statue, never blinking. "Tch," he scoffed and climbed back to his feet. "... Fuck you."
"Fuck you, too. You know I'm right." Yoru stared up at him as he came closer. He reached a hand down to her with a small grin on his face. She accepted the help and stood to her feet.
Now, standing face to face, Garou cupped both of her small hands in his own and momentarily lost himself admiring how tiny they felt in his palms.
Yoru was still locked in her own daze, staring just below his eye-line. She watched his lips almost waiting for him to disagree. "You know he was right... You're not a monster, and you never were... You just wanted to save the world."
"Not anymore," he quickly said, finally meeting her gaze again. "Now... I just wanna save you..."
She smiled again, but this time it was the one he really wished she would show more often... It was real...
Yoru pushed her cheek against his chest and they embraced each other. She listened to the beat of his heart, memorizing the exact rhythm as best she could. "You can't do that if you're still here... I know Code is planning something terrible. I don't know how you fit into that plan, but..."
Garou could feel her start to panic, and he already knew what she wanted to say. "You think I should play along..."
"Just for as long as you can," she said in a strained hushed tone. "i-... I know you want to help me, but... if you have to cut your losses before then, you have to do it... Don't become his monster for my sake because... I'm not worth that mu-.."
"Shut up," he cut her off. "... I'm gonna fuckin' save you... I swear."
"Garou... you know what he's capable of... You know how ruthless he is... He's a monster... and if you have the chance to take him down, you have to do it, regardless of what happens to me... You understand...?"
Garou's grimacing stare drifted out to the middle distance, slowly sweeping until he again locked eyes with the illusionary Saitama.
"Tell me you understand..."
'... Give up on doing it the easy way, huh...? Is this what you meant?' he wondered.
"Please, say you underst-.."
"I got it," he cut her off. "... I fuckin' got it..."
Back at the Hero Association HQ, most of the S-Class heroes were waiting for the others to arrive. They idled about on the second floor of the training room. Over the balcony, below them, was a sea of A-class heroes who stood around in groups chatting about what they thought was going on.
The only S-Class members missing now were SuperAlloy Darkshine (who was still recovering from his injuries), Pig God, Saitama, and Genos. Everyone else idled around in small groups, wondering why they were called out. Most of them were frustrated by the sudden demand for their presence so late in the day, but none of them more so than Tatsumaki who floated near the edge of the balcony with an angry scowl.
She, honestly, didn't give a damn about having to come in for a meeting. Her frustration was elsewhere entirely, and she didn't particularly want to think about it anymore, but it was all that was coming to mind. '... Who the fuck was that...? Why the hell did she just run up and hug him like that? Is that an old friend of his...? An old girlfr-..' With a grimace, she stopped that thought immediately and shook her head. Why did she even care? It was none of her business, to begin with. 'I was just there to do my job, and... the job was handled... That's why I left... No other reason...'
"Evening, Tatsumaki," a familiarly withered voice said.
She turned to see Bang walking up with his hands clasped behind his back with that friendly old-man smile of his. "... What do you want?" she demanded, turning her attention back to the groups of happily chatting heroes below.
Bang reeled at the unexpected tone of her voice. She was always pretty aggressive, but there was a different snap to her voice than usual. "Hm...? Nothing specific... Just wondering if you have any clue as to what we're doing here, is all."
"How the hell should I know?" she immediately snapped back. "I was on my way home when they called me."
"Ah... I see... Is there something troubling you, by chance?"
"No..."
"... Really? Forgive me for prying, but you seem a bit-.."
"I said, I'm fi-.."
"Saitama!" the small voice of Child Emperor shouted.
Tatsumaki turned back to the door to see him walking in alongside Pig God, both of them with sticks of skewered meat between their fingers, chewing away as they spoke.
Bang followed her line of sight and watched as Saitama was immediately surrounded by a few of the friendlier S-Class members-mainly those who hadn't yet gotten a chance to speak with him since his debut mission.
Tatsumaki turned back around and ignored the commotion. "I'm fine," she finished. "Let's just get this over with..."
Bang again watched her with a curious eye, internally wondering if that was something to take note of for King.
"One-Punch-Man!" Puri-Puri Prisoner shouted rambunctiously with a shine in his eyes.
"It's good to see you again," Tanktop Master added with a smile and a nod, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Saitama worked to chew a bite of his Yakitori so he could greet them. He was admittedly caught off guard by being suddenly surrounded. "Uh... hey... What's goin' on?"
"Tch," Metal Bat scoffed. "Nice of you to show up on time."
"Hm...? I've been here."
"Then, what's the hold-up?" Flashy Flash wondered.
"Hey, Saitama!" Child Emperor excitedly greeted him.
"Sup," he replied, acknowledging his young fan of equal status. "How's it goin'?"
"Good! I'm getting really close to synthesizing that energy I was showing you!"
"From the grenades?"
"Yeah! And once I do, I'm gonna make something really cool!"
"Nice," he replied. "Can't wait to see it."
"Hey," Metal Bat jumped in, drawing his attention. "Just so you know, I've been training day and night for our next match. So, don't think I'm goin' out as easily as last time!"
"Oh, uh... okay...?"
"Next match?" Atomic Samurai wondered. "You trainin' this brat too?"
"Uh... ye-.."
"Not yet," Metal Bat answered before he got the chance. "I've gotta pass his little initiation, first."
"Initiation, huh?" Atomic Samurai muttered. "What is it? Some kinda impossible workout?"
"Don't worry about it," Metal Bat snapped back. "It's not gonna matter by next week."
"You sound awfully confident," Flashy Flash stated. "Sounds like you failed the first time."
"Yeah!? And what of it!?"
"You're taking on disciples?" Tanktop Master asked, ignoring their ensuing argument.
"n-.. No," Saitama immediately fumbled out. "Not really. I'm not like... a free dojo or anything."
"So, there's a fee?" he asked.
"Nah, nothin' like that. I jus-.."
"What!?" Metal Bat shouted. "So, what the hell did I have to pay for!?"
"... oh yeah, heh-heh," Saitama chuckled. "I was actually just hungry..." He took another bite of his Yakitori.
"Heh-heh! I love this guy!" Atomic Samurai exclaimed, suddenly draping an arm around his neck. "Hey, what do ya say we grab a drink when this meeting lets out? I owe you one."
"Hm...?" Saitama hummed, raising a confused brow. "Me? For what?"
"For savin' my ass in that first mission. You also saved one of my disciples, so I guess I owe you two."
"By that logic, you owe him more than that," Zombieman interjected. "You're forgetting the Sea King and the invasion."
"Heh, damn," Atomic Samurai said with a shake of his head. "That's right. I almost died then too, huh...? Hey, how'd you do that with a pebble, anyways?"
"Hm...?" Saitama hummed, chewing another bite.
"He means the Sea-King," Zombieman clarified. "We were all there that day, and nothin' we did had any effect."
"He's right," Puri-puri prisoner said. "Even after we gave it our all, that monster only laughed at our attempts. So, how on earth did you defeat it with only a pebble?"
Again, Saitama worked to chew his food when the entire group tuned in on him awaiting an answer. It was like being on that podium at the press conference. "... Uh..." He shrugged and hummed I-don't-know. "I just... threw a rock..."
"Aha-!" Child Emperor exclaimed. "My theory was right! I knew it!"
"That's quite impressive," Tanktop Master complimented with a stern nod.
"It's incredible!" Puri-puri Prisoner exclaimed. "One-Punch-Man! I admittedly thought you were quite underwhelming when I first laid eyes on you. I've never had an interest in bald men. Now, I see you're actually incredibly exceptional! And quite handsome!"
"Uh... what?"
"Just ignore him," Flashy Flash said, suddenly stepping forward to address him directly. "They're all unelegant with their words, but I agree with their sentiment. My first impression of you was that you were a classless idiot who wormed his way into the top ranks... but I was wrong. I think I was most impressed by your defeat of Elder Centipede."
"... um... Thanks, I g-.."
"What!?" Child Emperor shouted incredulously. "No WAY was that cooler than his fight with the Hero Hunter! That was the best fight EVER!"
"Pfft! Yeah, right!" Metal Bat interjected. "It was cool, but he took the Sea-King down with a rock! Nothin' tops that!"
"Well, I'd say it was the invasion," Zombieman added. "We didn't see much, but based on the stakes..."
"Is the debate about which was more impactful or more impressive?" Tanktop Master asked.
Saitama quickly zoned out of their discussion when he saw Bang walk up to join them. Though the conversation revolved around himself, it seemed everyone forgot he was even there... And then, he caught a glimpse of that bright green somewhere in his peripheral...
Like tunnel vision, he zoned in on Tatsumaki through gaps in the crowd in front of him, and he suddenly remembered her words from earlier. 'Are you saying... you want the monsters to get stronger...? That's... so stupid...!'
It still kind of confused him why she got so mad, but after hearing what Sekingar thought about it, he somewhat understood. Like she said, lots of people almost died, including Genos... and her...
'I guess I never really thought about it,' he reasoned. He watched her hold strong in her arm-folded stance next to the railing. '... She still seems really mad about it... Should I apologize...?'
Bang quietly inserted himself into the crowd still arguing the rank of Saitama's victories. At first, he was still considering that look Tatsumaki gave Saitama when he first entered. It was definitely out of character for her, but was it anything note-worthy? Could he categorize it into any of the tropes they'd studied so far...?
His train of thought was suddenly derailed when he noticed movement in the crowd in front of him. Everyone else was so engrossed in their debate that they didn't notice the man they were talking about slip away... but Bang watched him with a keen eye... He first saw him silently step away before he traced his path with his eyes... all the way back to the green-haired esper, he just parted ways with. '... Oh-hoh,' he mentally chuckled. 'Saitama-boy...'
Tatsumaki's furrowed brow continued to sweep around the room, to no end. She could hear what they were debating in that little social circle behind her, and it only seemed to piss her off even more. Truth be told, she'd just had enough of Saitama for one day. She didn't want to see him, hear him, or think about him, right now... yet, everywhere she went, his name seemed inescapable. '... Whatever... I don't even know what I'm mad about anymore.'
Yes, she did.
'This actually works out better for me,' she lied. '... I wanted to forget that stupid crush anyways, so... I don't care who she is... I don't care about-..'
"Hey..."
Tatsumaki nearly jumped at the sound of his voice but held her composure. She peeked over her shoulder, and their eyes met for a split second before she looked away again. "... Hey..."
Saitama awkwardly stood a few feet behind her for a moment until he realized she wasn't turning around again. He hesitated for only a moment before strolling over and joining her at the railing. Immediately, his eyes swept around the lower level, filled with clumps of A-Class heroes he couldn't recognize. "Wow... there sure are a lot of em," he mindlessly muttered. "More than I thought, at least..."
Tatsumaki didn't say a word. Her gaze found its way to the other side of the room, far away from his as if she didn't even want to look in his general direction. 'What the hell does he want, now...?'
Saitama noted the cold shoulder and decided to power through it. It'd probably be more awkward if he just walked away at this point. "... Sooo... I guess today was kinda frustrating, huh...? Going all the way to City-J for nothing, and all that..."
Tatsumaki looked over at him, wondering what his motive was. That couldn't possibly be what he wanted to talk about. Still, she held her tongue and shrugged at his words. "... Yeah... guess so..."
Now, he was stumped. Was she just determined to shut him out, regardless of what he said? What could he possibly say to break the ice, here?
"There is no way you really believe One-Punch-Man's best fight is with that big, mindless, centipede," Zombieman said, directing his statement of disbelief at Flashy Flash who was still pleading his case.
"It was. Every other creature has been subpar in comparison."
"What!?" Child Emperor protested. "Come ON! I know you were passed out, but did you not see the highlights of his fight with the Hero Hunter!? It was AMAZING!"
"It was alright," Metal Bat said with an eye-roll.
This was the ongoing argument that Genos was met with when he stepped into the room. He had four Yakitori in his hands. Pig God got there before they did and more or less cleaned out the first serving, so he offered to stay behind to collect a few more for Saitama as they went ahead.
The conversation he walked in on was pleasing to hear. It reminded him of the fact that Saitama was no longer a secret. These were the top heroes the world had to offer, and they were all discussing the feats of the man he pledged his tutelage to. Their passion brought a smile to his face as he looked around for his mentor.
Through a gap in the crowd in front of him, he spotted his bald head and walked around to deliver his food.
"Oh, Genos," Bang stopped him before he got too far. He quickly flagged him over.
"Bang," the cyborg said with a friendly nod. "I have more food for Master Saitama."
The old man kept his eyes on the two top heroes from a distance. "You should hold off on delivering that," he suggested, nodding in their direction.
Genos followed his gaze and finally noted what was happening. They were talking again? "... Should we engage in the conversation?"
"I'm... not sure," Bang admitted. "... I think it's best we observe from a distance... Saitama-boy approached of his own volition..."
Genos watched them with an intense look on his face. "... What do you think it means...?"
"Hm-hm... I think it means there may be truth to King's theory..."
Before, that would've been a relief, but Genos wasn't sure about the target of their mission anymore. Not when he now suspected a much easier path to their goal. A path that, to him, made more sense...
"Hey," Saitama finally said, breaking the silence again, "isn't it kinda weird how these newer monsters don't really talk...?"
Tatsumaki looked over to him with a confused expression. "... What?"
"I mean, I don't really miss the opening speeches and all that, but... it's just a weird thing I noticed..."
"Oh," she uttered, turning away again. "Yeah... That is weird..."
Again, it wasn't much, but at least she didn't ignore him. "... I guess it makes the job easier when they don't have a whole monologue about destroying the world and all that, just to die in like five seconds..."
"... heh," she chuckled, turning away from him. "... They always want to destroy the world..."
"-or rule it, or something," he added. "... How come they never want to just like... open a restaurant or something?"
"Heh-heh," she chuckled again, shaking her head.
Saitama watched her in his peripheral in wonder. 'Whoa... Was that a laugh...?' His gaze locked onto the side of her face-or as much as he could see. She was clearly trying to hide her amusement.
"... That'd be a dumb reason to become a monster," she said after a moment.
"Yeah, I guess so... but I'm pretty sure I've heard dumber..."
"Dumber than just wanting to open a restaurant?" she asked as if she didn't believe him. "Like what?"
Saitama looked up and thought about his many encounters. There were so many to draw from, but he couldn't recall the exact details after a while. "... This one time, one of them said it was the uh... ruler of germs or something, and that it wanted to kill all humans for being dirty, which... really doesn't make sense if you think about it..."
Tatsumaki sneered at the air as she tried to figure out what felt so wrong about that. "That's... stupid. If it's the ruler of germs, it should love dirty things, right?"
"That's what I thought," he said with a shrug. "It got kinda mad when I said it, though."
Again, Tatsumaki chuckled lightly through her pursed lips as she turned away. Saitama caught sight of the side of her face again. Now that he thought about it, he's never seen her smile before. There was that one time when she made up with her sister during the mission, but it wasn't the same... It wasn't a smile of pride or anything like that. It was just her natural reaction. '... I almost thought she didn't know how to laugh...' What was weird was that it was tickling his cheeks just watching her. '... Am I staring too much?'
Before he could decide, she turned back a little too quickly. The moment their eyes met, he was suddenly lost on what to do so... he smiled...
Tatsumaki opened her mouth to speak, but she froze when she saw his expression. What was happening here? "... I... I remember one that said it wanted to destroy the world just to prove it was the strongest creature to ever live," she said with a questioning inflection in her tone as if she wasn't sure it was good enough.
Saitama turned back to the crowd of lower-ranked heroes below with a knowing nod. "Heh, yeah, that's pretty dumb..."
Tatsumaki's smile slowly faded as she examined his expression. There was a notable shift in his demeanor when she said that, and she already knew why. In truth, it was something she had been wondering about ever since she met him... but, was now the time to ask? "... Hey," she hesitantly got his attention.
"Yeah...?"
Immediately, she lost the exact wording she had thought up just a moment ago when he looked her way. It almost felt like a personal question, but it was technically related to their work. "... Why don't you like your strength...?"
Saitama stared at her with a blank expression as if he were thinking of a way to answer.
When she didn't get an initial response, Tatsumaki quickly thought of a way to elaborate on what she meant. "I... I get that you said it's boring and all that, but... Is that really all it is...?"
Saitama took a breath and turned his attention down to the floor below them. He thought about that conundrum from time to time. Sometimes he liked to believe he knew the answer, but it was never clear. How could he explain such an abstract concept to someone he already knew wasn't very receptive to his thought process? "... Have you ever had a dream before...?"
Tatsumaki furrowed her brow as if she didn't understand.
Saitama didn't see it but elaborated anyways. "Not like a dream-dream," he said, "... like... something you want, really bad..."
She stared at the side of his face for a long moment and thought of an answer. In truth, she already had something in mind, and it was making her blush. "y-.. Yeah... I guess..."
Saitama's eyes lazily shifted around the lower level, staring at the faces of heroes who all had their own dreams and aspirations. "... Do you ever feel like... when you get it, it won't be as great as you think it'll be...?"
"... Is that what happened?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "... I don't know... It feels like it... Maybe it was just a stupid dream, to begin with," he suggested.
"... What was it...?"
Saitama glanced over and saw her attentive look. "... to beat any monster with one punch..."
"That's not stupid," she said, turning her attention to the crowd again. "That's what a lot of heroes strive for... Everyone here would probably kill to be as strong as you... Even the S-Class heroes..."
Saitama chuckled lightly through his nose. That statement brought Genos and Metal Bat to mind, and he immediately saw her point. "Yeah... maybe... I guess I just thought it'd be... different... So, I've really just kinda given up on all that, you know...?"
"On what...?"
Saitama glanced over to her again and held her gaze. He didn't expect her to be so inquisitive after the day they'd had. All he's ever really seen of her is that angry scowl, so he was almost completely baffled by how... friendly she seemed, now. She was almost like a completely different person. "... On... wanting things..."
She immediately looked shocked by his words, and he waited for her to say something, but she never did. She turned away from him and thought hard about his words... and Saitama, for some reason, couldn't look away...
It felt like if he did, he'd miss something important, even though there was nothing happening. "... It just... kinda feels like every time I want something... It's never as great as I think it'll be..."
"... ssssooo... You don't-.." Again, she looked back at him and was shocked to see him staring right at her. There was no real expressiveness to his face, but it somehow felt different than his usual look of disinterest, she just couldn't put a finger on it. "... You don't... want anything...?"
Saitama almost looked confused for a second as he fixed his mouth to speak. "... I..."
"m-.. Master."
The two turned around to see Genos looking between them with his usual stern look... and behind him, the entirety of their S-Class co-workers, along with Sitch and Sekingar, were looking their way as if they had been watching for some time.
A few minutes later, the S-Class heroes were once again packed into their usual meeting room. After that awkward moment, Sitch and Sekingar got the initial meeting underway by explaining to all of the heroes present the current dilemma of an unknown enemy controlling the monsters from the recent attacks. They explained their plan of action for the A-class heroes was to develop specific specialty units that would undergo rigorous team-building training sessions to improve their effectiveness in a specific field. They also informed them that, for a classified reason, their workload was likely to increase in about a month as the S-Class heroes would be unavailable for a short time period. The rest, the A-Class heroes weren't privy to, so Sekingar stayed behind to assign their groups and Sitch and the S-Class members took their leave.
Now, they sat around their table, idly chatting amongst each other... Most of them, anyways. Tatsumaki was completely silent, blankly staring at a spot on the table in front of her. For some reason, she was embarrassed about that little incident. It felt like they were caught doing something shameful, even though they were only talking. She wiggled her way out of the awkward situation by yelling at Sitch and Sekingar for being late, but it felt like it wasn't enough to overshadow the weird tension that lingered after the fact. She was still noticing some odd looks coming her way from around the table, notably from Bang, Genos, and strangely enough, Child Emperor... It was like they were all trying to figure something out after what they saw...
And Tatsumaki wasn't the only one acting unusually quiet. Saitama hadn't spoken much since they entered the room, either, but it was for a slightly different reason. He didn't notice or care about the strange looks they were getting. The only thing on his mind was that conversation... and her question...
'You don't... want anything...?'
Before that very moment, his answer would've been an immediate no... but for some reason, he hesitated... and he didn't know why.
Now that the moment was over, he still couldn't think of anything, but it's been so long that he wasn't even sure if he knew what it felt like to want something... something other than a good fight, that is... So, why couldn't he answer...? That was surely a question he'd be asking himself for the next few days, but he put it aside when the door finally opened and Sitch came strolling back in with a paper in hand.
"Okay," he said over the low-level chatter still flooding around. "If I could please get your attention, I won't keep you for long..." Eventually, the last few mutters died out.
"Hey, what the hell was that about us bein' unavailable?" Metal Bat asked.
"And what knowledge do we have that says these creatures are being controlled?" Child Emperor followed.
"Hold on," Sitch said, patting his palms down in the air as if trying to calm them.
"You guys really put the A-Class on the buddy system?" Atomic Samurai lazily drawled out. "Seems a little harsh, doesn't it?"
"Is there any more Yakitori?" Pig God asked.
The questions suddenly started coming in like loud chatter again and Sitch did his best to hold things together. Tatsumaki, being at the back of the table was free to watch everyone else scramble about specifics, and as much as she tried to avoid it, the moment gave her a chance to look at him...
To her confusion, Saitama still seemed a little more out of it than usual. He was looking down the length of the table in the direction of the scrambling executive, but he clearly wasn't focused on anything in particular. He seemed miles away from everything... until he wasn't and his eyes quickly darted around, and before she was ready for it, their eyes met again.
Almost immediately, Tatsumaki looked away, but she looked back when she realized she was caught. For an awkward moment, they just stared at each other with the backdrop of ridiculous questions flying all around the room. Tatsumaki hesitantly flashed him a grin that read along the lines of can-you-believe-this. In response, Saitama chuckled lightly through his nostrils before slowly turning back when they could hear the others finally calming down.
"If you give me a chance," Sitch tried again, "I can explain everything that's goin' on."
Tatsumaki's eyes shifted back to Sitch when he got some control back, but like a nervous twitch, she kept looking over at the side of Saitama's face.
"You have a lot of questions, and I get that," Sitch began, "but I'm hoping to answer a few with my report alone... Anything unclear from there you're free to ask afterward..." He waited for a second to see if there were any protests. "... Okay, there are three things... First, for those that didn't know before, we suspect that there is someone out there controlling or... even creating these new creatures we have encountered over the past few days. This theory stems from today's event in which there were three simultaneous attacks from creatures accurately deemed Dragon-Level threats..."
There were a few shifting glances and muttered words shared around the table before they tuned back in.
"All three creatures were in pursuit of a woman..."
At the mention of that Tatsumaki's brow furrowed with a flash of rage remembering exactly who he was talking about. She peeked at Saitama again to see if he had any reaction, but he was already not listening.
"A woman?" Metal Bat asked. "What woman?"
"As far as we know currently, her name is Love, and she recently escaped from an unsanctioned facility for the study of supernatural beings..."
At the mention of that... Tatsumaki's eyes darted back to Sitch with a different feel to her expression.
"We don't yet know where it is, but when we find it, we will be swift in ending the unlawful business... Now... about you all being unavailable... This is actually something that was once unrelated to this current issue, but in light of recent events, we've decided to push it up a bit... A training retreat."
"Pfft, heh-hah-hah!" Metal Bat laughed along with a few others. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"
"A training retreat?" Atomic Samurai spoke up next. "Is this some kinda demotion?"
"It's not," Sitch said.
"It sounds ridiculous," Flashy Flash threw in his two cents.
"I think it sounds fun!" Puri-puri Prisoner exclaimed. Again, a small chatter kicked up around the table before Sitch brought them back.
"I understand your grievances and I realize this may seem degrading to heroes of your caliber, but... in case you haven't noticed, we truly have no idea what's headed our way... We've been lucky enough to have... a strong backbone," he said, subtly hinting at Saitama without saying it, "but that might not always be enough... There is nothing we here at the organization could possibly teach you about how to use your abilities, but... we can teach teamwork, which is something that has been severely lacking, in this group in particular... I'd like to express that this isn't mandatory... It is a voluntary experience, but we do hope we can have everyone there..."
Tatsumaki looked over at Saitama again as if to gauge his reaction. Again, he didn't look like he was listening at all.
"You're all strong, individually," Sitch continued, "but I truly believe that, together... you can be unbeatable..."
About two hours later, Tatsumaki sat on her couch, mindlessly watching TV until the front door swung open.
Fubuki walked in with a bottle of wine and two take-out containers of food. "Hey," she casually threw over her shoulder as she striped her fur coat along her way. "So, I got there kinda late, but own of my... group members... he works there, so he opened up and made us some dinner." She plopped down next to her sister and gave her a plate. "On the house..."
Tatsumaki kept her eyes on the news report from today's attack as she took her food. "... Thanks."
"Mhm," Fubuki chirped, digging into her own meal. Tatsumaki opened the container and stared at her food for a moment. There was an almost worried look on her face when she peeked back at her sister in a quick glance.
Fubuki noticed just before she looked away and quickly swallowed a bite of her food. "What is it...?"
"... i-I..." she tried, but failed.
"... wwwant some wine?" Fubuki guessed, grabbing two glasses from the cabinet in the kitchen behind them with her powers.
"Yes!" Tatsumaki suddenly exclaimed, snatching the bottle from her psychic grip.
"w-Whoa," Fubuki muttered, watching her take a gulp. "Uh... okay...?"
When she finished her first hefty drink, Tatsumaki took a quick breath before taking two more, baffling her sister, completely.
"... You wanna tell me what's going on...?"
Tatsumaki struggled a bit to swallow her last mouthful with a grimace. "ergh... I uh..." She looked over at her attentive little sister again before she took another big swig.
'Damn,' Fubuki mulled. 'She doesn't drink like this unless we're about to have a very uncomfortable talk... What the hell happened this time...?'
Tatsumaki grimaced at the taste lingering on her tongue as she finally felt the headrush kick in. She wasn't drunk yet, but she was going to be any minute now... so she had to say what she had to say. "... Fubuki..."
Her little sister was already staring at her expectantly, she only shifted in her seat to hear her better.
Tatsumaki looked over at her before looking away again. "... I... I want y-..."
"... What...?"
With a deep breath, she went again. "... I need your help..."
"... My help?" she asked. "... With what...?" Tatsumaki never said it, but the knowing look she sent her way was all Fubuki needed to see. For whatever reason, her stubbornness was done... she was finally ready to try...
That revelation put a smile on her sister's face that Tatsumaki was dreading almost immediately. 'Shit... what'd I just do...?'
AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you're ready for what's coming!