One Punch Man: Neutral Grounds

Chapter 8

They had just reached the main pathway that led to the main stairs when Saitama paused. He turned his head and glared at the shadow of a tree. "I see you. You suck at hiding. Is this your first time doing this?"

"What?!" Zenchu hissed out. "No!"

"How did you see him?!" Mitsumi gasped.

"I just can," Saitama said. Then he rose up his arm to block an attacking swipe. He quickly turned to pull Mitsumi into his chest to wrap himself around her to keep back the attacks. Zenchu was getting madder and madder that Saitama wasn't getting hurt. He started to try hitting even harder with his claws now, but the hero didn't budge at all. All he did was simply move when he sensed Zenchu moving around him to protect Mitsumi. He was moving far too fast for Saitama to get Mitsumi to safety. Something's not right with Zenchu! I'll just focus on protecting Mitsumi for now!

"Zenchu!" Kianna hissed.

"Did he lose himself?!" Rendor winced.

"If he does anything more, I'll pull him away!" Inichi vowed.

"Zenchu..." Mitsumi whispered and rose up the white silken flower.

"What?! Wait...I...!" Zenchu paused in mid-swipe at it. "No...no...what did I do...?! What have I done?!"

"I'm fine," Saitama said. "Not a scratch on me. I kinda stopped getting hurt after I started to punch things out. Even my clothes are fine unless it's something really intense."

"Zenchu!" Mitsumi said and moved from Saitama's arms to pull Zenchu's shivering form into her arms. "It's okay! It's okay now..."

"He was...protecting you...from me..." he whimpered and fell to his knees with complete shock. "I...I shouldn't..."

"Hush, Zenchu. You saw the flower. You remembered. You are fine now," she soothed and gently rocked him while his tears fell. Only after he was able to hug her back with relief did everyone start to settle down again.

"Can you tell me the story about the flower?" Saitama asked and sat on the ground now. "Why you all seem to respond to it?"

"Yes," Zenchu nodded and continued to let Mitsumi comfort him. "It was a few months after she got that snake. I've been a monster for close to eighty years. I transformed into one in my mid-twenties. I forget...what I did to become this form...maybe in time I'll remember what happened. But...the first thing I remember on becoming a monster was to take a life a day. It didn't matter who's it was. What it was. I just had to kill something every day. And I did."

"Wow," Saitama blinked. "That's dedication."

"I always struck at night. Easiest way to get things done. No one ever saw me or knew what happened until it was done. When I discovered my abilities...I made use of them. I rarely hold memories of what I did then. But I know that...some deaths...I left horrible scenes behind me. I reveled in the chaos. Of the pain to inflict on those that saw what happened. The aftermath of the bloodshed I did. It brought me...a sick sense of joy. I'm so...disgusted with myself now!

"On that night that I met Lady Mitsumi...I heard soft humming in a field of white flowers. I stalked the sound...and when I struck out...I saw her...and she smiled at me. I was stunned. I couldn't even move. I didn't know what was coming over me just then. When she saw that I was just watching her, she held a flower out to me...and I realized..."

"He couldn't attack me," Mitsumi smiled softly.

"Yeah. The flower...it's a symbol of complete purity and gentle reflection. I realized...what I did for all those years. The waste of life I did! I...fell to my knees...beside myself with tears! And I promised to protect her and care for her from that point forward. To never kill again unless it was to protect her. It was then...that she was able to tell me her story. Show me things on her phone. Let me see her transformation. I already know that I won't hold back on Ajito. The flower will help me remember myself when it's over. But he's already marked for death by me," Zenchu grunted.