Breaking the Barrier (Saitama x Tatsumaki)

Villains

Yes, I know, I'm an S-Class hero. Kinda comes with the job, when you think about it. I can deliver, of course. Who else can be killed thousands of times over and then get up like it was nothing?

But this guy kinda pisses me off. Where the hell do you get bombs that explode like that out of nowhere?

And I'm not a huge fan of how he acts so...pretentious. It's not a big issue, especially compared to how...he's rather fond of shooting me with those explosive bursts of energy.

But despite how my hand's on his shoulder like I'd actually die if I let go?

I'm really not a combat type.

Which is why...this confuses me so much. I've been, for the sake of simplicity, a detective for the majority of my..."hero" career, though the title of being a hero's more just means to the ends I want to get to.

I've come across my fair share of religious...lunatics? That's not the right word, I don't think. The religious...fanatics. That. I've even had to calm them down, since they keep going on and on about how I'm an offense to God's process of life, or something. Which could be true. I don't know.

But seeing one that can literally blast you to the end of the Earth like it was nothing? That's...new.

The problem was that, really, for the life of me, he seemed to be a normal guy. His backstory was all about that, too, if I'm not mistaken. This dude just...up and got powers that could probably take out at least a fourth of the S-Class...from God, of all things? Like, a palpable, visible figure?

I must be in over my head here.

So I spit out, "You guys...really just don't know how to quit...you have the hero hunter on your side, too?"

My breath is ragged, and it sounds nothing like how composed I'd usually sound, but it gets the job done.

Not enough though, since he returns with some attitude, definitely not fitting that of that sort of Emperor appearance he was shooting for.

"Are you...just planning on staying like this...forever?" He rasps, fatigue clearly setting into his body. "You forget...I'm a bigger threat than Black Sperm right now...give me enough time...and I'll make you regret giving me this reprieve."

The thing is, I'd like to say that I feel threatened right now, but hearing that just brings me back to watching those goddamn cops shows. Hate to admit it, but those detective shows like Law and Order are my guilty pleasure.

I do what I can to repress a smirk at the unusually relaxed thought, the reality of the situation getting back to me, "You want me to kill you now, though? I still have lots of questions I've gotta ask you right now."

I whistle quietly, looking at how Garou seems to have ignored us for the time being; I guess he was really honest about how the Homeless Emperor didn't seem to be a threat to him. That's pretty goddamn ominous for what he might have in store, but I've got some other fish to fry right now.

"Questions to ask?" He gasps out, and I almost forget how hard I'm pressing his head against the rubble. Can't imagine a normal body's gonna be able to enjoy that, especially with all the dust settling around.

"About your power," I succinctly explain with a sigh, resisting the urge to look for a cigarette in a pocket that doesn't exist anymore. "If your story about...God..." It sounds so...weird to say; I'm not one to really interact with fanatics, really. "Then we need to be prepared for him, or whoever's pulling the strings."

There's a brief moment of silence between the two of us. Definitely not everywhere else, though, that's pretty loud, but between the two of us?

It's like he's trying to decide what he wants to know.