Two Sides to Every Coin (OPM Garou x OC)

Chapter 6: Memories

Things can change in a heartbeat. It can take a matter of seconds, to a matter of years. How people handle that change, is entirely up to them.
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~
They were back up in the mountains. It was a couple of weeks into the snowstorm.
Garou had just returned from trying to find some food, holding a dead animal. Kaana was keeping the fire going when she looked to see the silver haired man close the door shut. The snow covering him was now melting.
"Welcome back," Kaana looked at him, "Come sit."
"Mm," Garou hummed as he put the kill down and sat next to her, "You gonna skin it?"
Kaana nodded, "Yeah. Wait a minute."
She stopped when she noticed that the kill looked like it had been torn up some. Kaana face palmed, "Garou, please don't tell me you wrestled this from another predator?"
"It was the only thing that was out there. I wasn't going to let some wolf take my kill," Garou huffed.
Kaana growled in frustration, "Garou, we can't eat this if another predator ripped into it, first. We can risk getting sick from whatever that predator had. I've told you this!"
"If we cook it, it'll be fine! Stop being dramatic!" Garou snapped at her.
Kaana just sighed, shaking her head, "Eat it if you want, but I'm not getting sick."
"You'd rather starve?" Garou pointed out. Kaana just scowled at him, but didn't say anything.
She knew he was right, "Fine, but you're cooking it."
"Fine," Garou proceeded to skin, and prep the kill, himself.
While the meat was cooking, Garou kept his eye on it, but noticed Kaana sorting out dried leaves and herbs. He knew that she was putting together some of the medical herbs and herbs for teas. She used the medical herbs for either medicine or a paste for wounds. She'd used it on him a few times when he came back with injuries. It had him wonder how she knew so much about them.
"How do you know so much about herbs?" Garou wondered. Kaana stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.
Kaana suddenly looked away, "Um, my mother taught me, she was a bit of an herbalist."
Garou noticed the hesitancy in her tone, "Why herbs?"
"I..." Kaana paused, then breathed a sigh, "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? Talking about my mother is difficult."
"Your dad?" he inquired.
"Him, too," Kaana replied quietly and quickly.
Garou looked back into the fire pit, feeling guilty for bringing up a sensitive subject, "Sorry if I upset you."
"No, it's not your fault," Kaana brushed it off. After she was done putting the herbs in some wooden bowls, she took her place next to Garou again.
They didn't speak, the tension from the conversation still over their heads. Garou actually felt that he needed to say something, but didn't know if it'd change the atmosphere. He tried to play it off as he turned the meat over the fire.
"The meat should be done soon," Garou said. Suddenly, Kaana slumped against his shoulder, making Garou tense up. His wide eyes traveled down to her, she was gazing deeply into the fire.
"Kaana?" Garou questioned.
"Sorry if I came off as defensive," Kaana continued to gaze into the fire, "I really had no friends when I was little, I was bullied quite a bit. It's strange for someone to ask me about how I'm feeling. I've only had my sister."
"You mentioned having a sister," Garou then turned his head to look down at her.
"Yeah," Kaana nodded against him, "You see, my parents died at the hand of a monster right in front of her, they were picking her up. I guess, after that...I blamed their deaths on her. It wasn't her fault, though. They were just...at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Garou set his jaw, feeling sympathetic towards her, but he can also empathize. He didn't have the best upbringing, but he knew about not having parents around anymore, "I'm sorry. I get it."
"The reason my mother knew so much about herbs is because she didn't trust doctors," Kaana explained, closing her eyes, thinking back, "Not after what they did to me."
"Why? What happened?" Garou had to ask, now that he was getting something out of her.
Kaana grew silent for a moment, before finally speaking through a lump in her throat, "When I was born...the staff that was assigned to take care of me, mishandled me. I suffered a head injury, that the doctor tried to cover up. My father found out, but the damage was already done. I...wound up going blind."
Garou sat up more, making Kaana sit up and away from him. He looked at her in bewilderment, "Blind??"
Kaana said nothing, but she turned her back to him, parting her hair. Garou's eyes widened when she revealed a long, horizontal scar going across the back of her head, "I was blind up until I was ten years old. My father saved up enough money for surgery, but it took years of convincing my mother to bring me back to another hospital."
"Was that man held responsible?" Garou questioned, finding himself angry at this injustice.
Kaana let her hair go and turned back around to face him, "My father was a lawyer, so he sued the whole hospital for neglect and their attempt to cover it up, as well as filing criminal charges. That staff and that doctor lost their licenses and served prison time."
"Good," Garou felt the relief, the conversation falling quiet for a moment, "You know, I'm surprised you're telling me all of this. Why?"
"I just...felt that you'd understand," Kaana scooted closer to him, "I think the one thing that came out of being blind for so long, is that you can read people better blind than as a person who can see."
Garou raised a brow at her, "Better than how you figured out why I did all that shit?" his voice held a level of skepticism.
"Do you want me to prove it?" Kaana raised both of her hands, "You might not like what I have to say."
Garou decided to humor her, "Go ahead. Try me."
Kaana then scooted even closer to where her knees were touching his legs. As she moved her hands close to his face, Garou jolted away, confused, "What are you doing?"
"This was how I was able to tell what a person looked like. Overtime, I learned how to read them from the grooves in their faces," Kaana told him.
Garou rolled his eyes, "Fine, just do it."
Garou closed his eyes as Kaana moved her hands and caressed his face. She started at the his jawline, slowly working her way up to his cheeks, to the ridges of his nose, along his eyes, brows and forehead.
Garou wouldn't admit this out loud, but the feeling of her hands caressing his face felt incredibly calming. Her hands were surprisingly soft, her thumbs and fingers moving along every groove and frown line he had.
He was so engrossed in the tenderness of her caress, that he didn't register that she had stopped. After a moment, he came out of that trance and calmly opened his eyes.
When he looked at her, she had this blank expression, almost speechless as her mouth was slightly agape.
"So? What's your assessment?" he asked, raising a brow at her expression.
Kaana just seemed to stare right into him, not at him. Garou thought this was strange, he waited for her answer.
Then, she spoke in the softest tone, "You're in so much pain..."
Garou's eyes widened at her, not expecting this reply, "What?" he questioned, just barely above a whisper.
"I haven't seen this kind of pain, since..." Kaana trailed off, then coming to a realization, "Your mother wasn't in the picture, was she? And your father wasn't kind to you."
Garou felt his blood run cold, every nerve in his body screamed for escape, right then. He was beyond bewildered and he was beyond angry.
Rattled by her statements, Garou scrambled to his feet and turned away from her, quickly moving to the other side of the cave.
Kaana was quick to stand up and try to console him, "Garou--"
"How the fuck can you possibly know that?" Garou growled lowly, stunning Kaana in her place.
Kaana knew that he'd react harshly, "Your emotional scars are written on your face, Garou. Just like everyone else's. Every groove, ridge, frown line, wrinkle: They all come from experiences in our lives. The only other person I know of, that had that much pain engrave into their face was someone who was horribly mistreated by everyone. Ostracized. "
Garou, for lack of a better term, felt naked. Absolutely stripped of any mask or wall he could put up. Walls that he had built layers upon layers on, had been completely obliterated from the inside out. He hadn't felt this weak since being beaten by Saitama. He felt vulnerable. This enraged him, but he felt glued to the spot, unable to react in anyway he had taught himself to.
"...Are you going to pity me, too?" Garou found himself saying, his voice was now hoarse. That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he froze. Kaana slowly walked around to face him properly, her expression was soft and solemn.
Then, Kaana slowly brought her arms to drape over his shoulders and pulled him close. Garou, confused by this, didn't resist in any way as Kaana pulled him into the warmest hug he'd ever received. He didn't know how to react, he wasn't sure if she was hugging him because she felt sorry for him or if she was apologizing.
Then, she whispered in his ear comfortingly, words that he did not expect, "You're not a bad person."
Garou didn't know how to respond to that, but those words hit him in a way that he'd never felt before. She didn't say monster, she called him a person. That was more comfort than he'd ever gotten from anyone. He felt...warm. Cherished. Important.
Human.
He didn't fight the hug, in the end. Instead, he slowly melted into it, wrapping his arms around her frame.
He buried his face into the crook of her neck, feeling this overwhelming calm settle within him.
"Thanks."
~
And that was the start to a long road. One filled with trust, love and heartache.
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PRESENT DAY
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'I'm getting too old for hero work and I cannot run this dojo forever. I have no other family. My brother is passing his dojo down soon, as well,' Bang told him.
'Why not Charanko? He was your only student that stayed,' Garou suggested, still not wanting to accept this responsibility.
Bang sighed, 'I hold much respect for Charanko. He has spirit, but lacks the motivation to carry this dojo for the next generations. He understands and accepts this fact. He even said that he would prefer that the dojo was passed to you.'
Garou raised a brow, mildly surprised, but his voice filled with skepticism 'Really? Charanko hates me, you know that. Why would he say that?'
'He saw a change in you, Garou. Although, Charanko can hold a grudge, even he couldn't dispute it. I want you to think about it, Garou.'
Garou looked away, wrapping his head around this whole thing, but he looked back at him and asked, 'Why me?'
'You were my top disciple, Garou. You've mastered my and my brother's fighting styles. Over those years, I've even considered you to be like a son to me. And not only that,' Bang stepped closer to him, 'You showed me how much you've wanted to change, Garou. Your reform proved this. I couldn't be more proud of the man you've grown into. I trust you with this responsibility. I want you to carry on this dojo, Garou.'
~
The days would blend sometimes for Garou. Not that he didn't enjoy teaching at the dojo, it's something he grew to enjoy. Being the new master, it was never a dull day. In the beginning, when people heard that the Hero Hunter was taking over, there were mixed responses to it all. The Martial Arts Association threw a fit, but given Bang's reputation, they gave the old master the benefit of the doubt. Plus, Bang still technically lived at the dojo, so he oversaw Garou's classes as the Grand Master.
Then, came the other issues. Some parents of the kids had debated pulling their children from the dojo all together, not comfortable with a criminal around them. The other thing, thugs and punks who were looking for power to cause harm had started showing up, thinking Garou was the person to teach them just that.
Before Bang could step in to rectify the issues, he was surprised when Garou took care of it first. Garou spoke with the families, himself. Aside from throwing in some crude language when the kids weren't around, he had convinced the parents to let the children stay. As for hoodlums that were looking for an edge to hurt people, Garou threw them out with a hell of a beating to take with them.
Standing up for the dojo's belief system had anyone who'd come there, hold a new respect for the man. Garou didn't care much for how people saw him anymore, but if he was going to run this dojo, he knew he had to set a good example.
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It was a beautiful day and this day, Garou had more children than adults. To rectify the issue, he had split the class in four groups. There were three adults, all just a few belts away from black, so Garou decided to have them give simple instruction to some of the higher ranked kids while he worked with the new students. This system of training was a bit different from how Bang used to teach, but he saw this as giving the older students some confidence in their leadership skills, so he let Garou run the class as he saw fit.
They were all outside, training in the courtyard.
"Keep your fist straight. If you don't, you could break your wrist when fighting," Garou gently straightened a little boy's fist.
"Thank you, Master," the boy smiled. Garou gave the boy a nod. Even after four years, he was still getting used to being called 'Master'.
Just then, Bang had started his way over to Garou, "Garou."
Garou stood from his kneeling position, "Yes?"
"There is someone at the entrance and would like a word with you," Bang had a near playful smirk under his mustache, "I will handle these students until you return."
Garou raised a brow at the old man, then took a glance towards the compound. Waiting at the entrance doors of the dojo was a familiar redhead and Garou's eyes widened.
It was Kaana.
She was standing there, waiting patiently and from Garou's perspective, it seemed she noticed that she had eyes on her. She glanced his way, smiled excitedly and shot him a wave.
Garou went rigid, his nerves getting the better of him as he hastily turned away. From Kaana's perspective, she saw Garou grow still when they made eye contact. She waved at him, hoping he'd, at least, smile her way and come to speak with her. When she saw that he barely acknowledged her and turned to walk away, her smile disappeared into a frown of disappointment. Her hand lowered to her side as she turned to leave, disheartened.
Bang saw this whole interaction and turned quickly to question Garou. Before he could, the young man simply said, "I ain't got time to chat."
This left Bang to frown in thought. Since Garou's release from the program, there seemed to be a slight rift between the two youngsters. The morning after the festival, when Garou came in, Bang can see the light in Garou's eyes had dimmed greatly. He didn't press the boy for information, he left it alone.
But Bang knew. He knew that Garou had his heart broken. There's no ill will towards either of them, though. Things were just tense, and had been for the last four years. The two hadn't spoken about it and Garou didn't want to.
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Later that day, the last student had left for the day. Garou saw the last one go and shut the door, "Garou," the man turned and saw Bang standing a few feet away from him, "Going home?"
"Yeah," Garou was about to turn and leave, but Bang's voice stopped him, "We need to talk."
Garou quickly answered, "No, we don't--"
"Why are you torturing yourself? It's clear you're still in love with Kaana," those words made Garou's form still, his heart dropping from that familiar pain.
Bang waited for him to answer, but when he got no response, he continued, "Does she mean so much to you? Or so little if you're deliberately ignoring her?"
Garou felt rooted to the floor, his thoughts from that day putting him in a daze. Finally, he found his voice. His shoulders slumped as his head almost lulled back, "Life has always dealt me a shitty hand and my love for Kaana is one sided. I don't want to destroy our friendship. She doesn't love me, I gotta deal," his tone was dejected, monotone.
"You're living a good life, Garou. You have a home, a job where you can encourage youth to do good. Have you even tried to confess to her?" Bang questioned, "The worst she can say is no."
"And then, what? Act like nothing ever happened? She's the only person that saw through every bad thing that I've done and saw who I really am. I can't lose her," Garou had turned to glance at this old man.
Bang had nothing to counter that. It was clear that Garou need to sort this out by himself.
He decided to turn the conversation a different route, "Do you know why she was here? She's entering this year's Super Fight. She wanted you to come by, show your support."
There was a moment as Garou seemed to mull over this new information, then asked, "Any good fighters?"
"Only her. If you ask me, she'll tear through the competition. Prize is 10,000,000 yen,"
"That's even bigger than before. Why so much?" Garou wondered, but looked very disinterested.
"Martial Artists have been refusing to partake in the Super Fights for a few years now, ever since the Monster Association fiasco. They managed to boost the prize money to entice fighters," Bang explained.
"Hm," Garou hummed, looking away. He seemed uninterested, but internally, he was hatching a plan. Normally, he wouldn't be interested in a meathead brawl. However, Kaana was participating.
'We haven't sparred in years. Maybe she got new tricks up her sleeves,' Garou rubbed at his chin, then looked back at the old man, "Are there spots left?"
Bang's eyes widened, not anticipating such response, "You're not planning on--"
"Yes. I think it'll be fun for the both of us. Besides, if she could win so easily, then she won't be having any fun, right?" Garou gave that old wolfish grin.
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"I'm home," Kaana said to no one in particular. Her small apartment was empty, dark and cold. She sighed to herself, wishing a particular someone was there to greet her back. That wasn't the case.
Kicking off her shoes, she waltzed into her home, eating some left over curry and got ready to go to bed.
She threw herself into the bed, lying on her stomach as she thought about what had happened earlier that day.
'Why didn't he want to see me? Is he that uncomfortable around me, now? Damn, I wish I can get him to talk to me! I thought, if I can get him to come to the Super Fight, maybe I can reconnect with him,' Kaana went back and remembered the first time Garou had goaded her into fighting, 'It was a dirty trick, but it worked.'
~
It was the morning. Garou had awoken Kaana at an ungodly hour to give her her first lesson.
They stood in a clearing as the break of dawn just started to peak through.
Kaana stood there, impatient as Garou seemed to size her up. He walked around her, looking her over, she followed his gaze with annoyance.
She exasperated, 'Why are you just staring? I didn't give you shelter to ogle me. What's the first lesson?'
Suddenly, Garou spoke, "You've never been in a real fight, before. I can tell just by how off guard you are.'
'I have powers. Of course, I'm not worried,' Kaana scoffed, crossing her arms. That's when Garou had shot a hand out and twisted her arm behind her back.
Kaana shouted in pain collapsed to her knees. Kaana's mind started race at any possible ways she can try to escape the sudden pain, then froze when she heard a chilling voice, 'Powers don't mean shit in a real fight...if you don't know how to use them.'
He forced his grip, making an audible click and Kaana yelled, gritting her teeth. Suddenly, he let her go, throwing her to the ground on all fours. Kaana panted, the throbbing in her right arm remained.
Garou sneered, 'You've never fought anyone. That tells me you either don't have the guts to, or someone else fought for you.'
Kaana huffed as she lifted her head to glare at him, 'So what? I couldn't fight, I--'
She was silenced by a kick to the face, making her fall onto her back as she held her nose. She groaned and whimpered at the feeling of pain.
Garou just scoffed, 'You're scared to fight, so you had someone else fight your battles. You're not only pathetic, you're weak. Can't even take a kick to the face.'
Kaana sat up, holding her nose and grimacing. When she pulled her hand away, she saw blood on her palm. Upon seeing this, she was reminded of all of those times that she had been knocked down, beaten, taunted by her school bully and her posse. She had no way to defend herself, then. But being helpless was the last thing she ever wanted to be, ever again.
She clenched her hand, her knuckles popping. With a yell, Kaana sprang to to her feet and charged at Garou in a rage. She swung at him, all throws missing him as he just took a few side steps and leaned away. This angered her even more as she stepped in closer and aimed a fist close to his face. This punch was weak, so Garou easily caught her fist.
Kaana was breathing hard from anger, glaring hard at him.
'Good.'
'Huh?' Kaana took a moment to register what he just said, now confused. Garou released her fist and was smirking at her.
Garou then went on to explain, 'It's obvious that you do have a backbone, I just needed to see if you were willing to cross that line and fight for yourself.'
'You goaded me?!' Kaana snarled at him, 'Just to see if I would stand up for myself?! What's that suppose to prove?!'
'This is what most people don't understand. You can't rely on others to always save your ass. When that time comes, it's kill or be killed,' Garou stepped closer to her, 'What side do you want to be on? The hunter? Or prey?'
~
That day, Kaana understood two things:
One, you need to watch out for yourself because if you rely too much on others to fight your battles, you'll never survive.
And two, something about Garou. He had no one and only depended on himself, hence his unfortunate way of thinking. That day, she wanted to be the one that he can rely on.
And that was what paved her path to fall for him and the event following that first lesson is what cemented it.

Only now, it seems that Garou doesn't feel the need to rely on her, anymore. Kaana snivelled and buried her face in her pillow, a lone tear streaked down her cheek. Despite the heartache, Kaana was never going to give up.