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"Hm… I think she looks familiar. Hard to tell, though. Can I see the picture a little closer?"
Flashy Flash leaned forward, gingerly bringing the handmade poster towards what he hoped was the monster's face—it was so difficult to tell with Mysterious Creatures. This particular creature resembled a small, cylindrical trash can (and it wasn't much larger than one, either). It seemed to "see" things by opening and closing its gray metallic lid… squinting, in a way, just like a human would.
"That's not any better," the monster said. "Do you have a light, or anything?"
The creature was almost certainly harmless. Small and guileless and childlike, Flash suspected it actually was a child, or whatever the monster equivalent would be… Several yards away, a large, ornery-looking dumpster conferred with a larger, ferocious-looking recycling bin. Flash suspected that these were the parents, and he was disinclined to do anything to provoke them. As an S-Class hero, he could almost certainly best them in a fight… but he didn't want to.
He was on a search and rescue mission, after all.
"Unfortunately I don't have a light," Flash said, "so I'll just describe who I'm looking for—a short, round creature, about this big. Two horns, one eye, arms and legs—"
"I know who you're talking about!" the monster replied. "That's Manako! She went that way, into the forest…" The monster hopped towards a cluster of trees, showing Flash where the underbrush thinned out and became easier to navigate.
"I appreciate your cooperation," Flash murmured. "Manako may have information that is vital to my organization. I don't know how I can ever thank you."
"What about that?" the monster said, peering at the plastic bag in Flash's hands. "Is that slime?"
"It's curry."
"It looks like slime," the monster said. "Can I have it? I love slime."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Flash said. And with that, he vanished into the trees.
The wind howled, the temperature dropped, and the day grew dim.
Flash had been walking a long time. He’d managed to make it all the way through the forest, searching every nook and cranny, and now he had reached the base of a large hill. As he climbed (still looking carefully, still taking his time, trying to remember what it felt like like to go slowly, the vegetation gave way to a barren, rocky landscape and steep, unsteady ground.
Flashy Flash became increasingly worried. How might Manako fare under these conditions? In spite of his occupation, he knew very little about monster biology. Were they warm-blooded, like humans—capable of maintaining homeostasis, to a point? Or were they more like reptiles—cold-blooded and adaptable?
Manako didn't seem cold-blooded in any sense. Perhaps that's why Flash hated to think of her all alone in the wilderness. Helpless, above ground, far away from the only home she'd ever known…
Flash shivered and held himself tightly against the cold, and the snow fell like stars all around him.
Flash found the belt a few minutes before sunset. It was in bad shape.
He examined the leather in the dying light… were those tooth marks? What could have happened? Was she hurt, or worse…?
"Maybe it's true what they say," Flash said to himself. "Heroes always arrive too late."
But Flash wasn't alone; he had company. He sensed a familiar presence nearby. It wasn't Manako, but it wasn't entirely unfriendly. Unfortunately for Flash, it wasn't entirely friendly, either.
In the shadows, something cackled. That something sounded a lot like Sonic.
"Really? Have you forgotten everything you learned in the village?" Sonic's voice drifted in on the winter wind. "I thought better of your survival skills… although in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have."
"Is that you, Sonic?" Flash said.
The unseen speaker simply ignored him.
Fair enough, Flash thought. I should have known better than to ask.
"Nevermind," Flash lied tiredly. "I have no idea who you are. Sorry for interrupting."
A gust of wind blew Flash's hair back. He clutched the takeout bag close to his chest; it had gone cold long ago, but that was probably for the best. At least it would stay fresh this way.
"There's no blood, no sign of a struggle," Definitely-Not-Sonic went on.
"But the belt has bite marks," Flash protested.
"Maybe she tried to eat it."
Flash made a disgusted face.
"What, like you've never been that hungry?" Not-Sonic said. "It's almost like you've forgotten where you came from."
And then the stranger vanished just as quickly as he had come, leaving Flash alone in the dark.
Manako was shivering and barely conscious.
Flash found her in the nick of time—she was hiding in a cave of her own making. The surrounding land was rocky and flat. Judging from the fresh indentations in the ground, and the trail of footprints in the snow, she had repositioned several large boulders into the shape of a shelter. A smart move on her part, and a fortunate coincidence for Flash—the snow was blinding, and he had lost his way.
Flash wrapped Manako in his cape and held her close to him, doing his best to keep her warm. He hadn't planned to be away this long. He had no supplies, no extra clothing… nothing.
What to do, then? Stay here? Head back to the city? He might get lost, but so what? He was impossibly fast… he could lose his way a hundred times and still make it home in, well, a flash.
That wasn't the problem, Flash realized. It wasn't a question of getting home; the issue was who Flash might encounter along the way. Threat Level God was a job for S-Class, sure. But acts of God? That was a job for the municipal government. Everyone at the Hero Association was likely waiting out the bad weather, sheltering in place.
Which meant Flash's apartment would be crawling with people. Heroes. Higher-ups. Fans with cameras… Any one of those things would put Manako in grave danger.
"Maybe it's safer out here," Flash murmured.
At that moment, a menacing, spiky-haired silhouette appeared in Flash's view.
"Famous last words," the shadow said, flashing the hero a split-faced grin.
…the Big Scary Shadow actually wasn't so scary at all. Flash figured that out pretty quickly.
"Let me get this straight," said the hero. "You, the Former Hero Hunter, decided to go for a walk—"
"—for my health—"
"—in the middle of a blizzard—"
"—because it's fucking peaceful—"
"—and you just happened to bring a Thermos full of curry?"
"What else would I do with it?" Garou shrugged. He looked nonchalant—apathetic, practically. Flash regarded him with stubborn suspicion.
"Were you planning to give it to someone, maybe?" Flash pressed.
Garou glanced at Manako, and went a little pale.
"Hey man, I've never seen that monster before in my life…"
Flash narrowed his eyes. "I never said you did."
"Hmph." Garou crossed his arms, stuck up his nose, and turned abruptly away from Flash. "So maybe I've met a monster or two, so what. I have no way of knowing whether Manako likes curry—"
"Ah hah!" Flash jumped up and immediately began pointing fingers. "How did you know her name?"
"How do you know she's a her?"
They silently stared daggers at each other, listening as the wind whistled outside. Manako stirred in her sleep. As she rolled over, Flash noticed that she seemed more relaxed, and most of her color had come back.
"I suppose it is warmer with the two of us," Flash admitted. "I may as well let you stay."
"With you?" Garou huffed. "I'm probably safer outside." He stood up, accidentally-on-purpose leaving his jacket and his curry. "...or not."
Garou shrunk back and instinctively guarded his face. He was less than eager to pick a fight with The Strongest Man on Earth… he had learned that lesson the first time.
"The weather's not letting up any time soon." Flash said, gesturing to the wailing wind outside the shelter. It was dark and it was cold, and there was absolutely no visibility.
In the warmest corner of the shelter, Manako snored softly as her stomach growled. Although her condition had improved, she hardly seemed healthy or comfortable. Swaddled in Flash's cape and Garou's modest jacket, she hugged the fabric tight to her body as she constantly shivered and occasionally sneezed.
"You'll have to do something about the snow," Flash said.
"W-what, me?" King said, momentarily flustered. He quickly calmed himself, responding with the usual gravitas: "The elements bend for no man."
"Oh, come on. You've done all kinds of things," Flash replied. "Parted water. Raised the dead. Bilocated… haven't you? This is nothing. Sure you can manage one little blizzard."
"Did somebody say Blizzard?" Saitama said, popping his head into the shelter (and giving everyone a good fright). "Because I am currently hiding from Fubuki. Nobody tell her I'm here."
"Get in, and give me your jacket," Flash said, dragging Saitama inside by his ears. He tumbled forward onto the stone floor, nearly spilling the contents of his plastic takeout container (which were almost certainly curry.)
"Oww—what jacket? I don't have one!" Clad only in crocs, shorts, and a stained Hawaiian shirt, Saitama rubbed the side of his head and pouted.
Garou studied him with wonder. "Aren't you cold?"
"No," Saitama replied. "Should I be?"
Everyone else nodded.
"Huh." Saitama scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "I guess it's easy for me to forget. Maybe because I live with a literal space heater?" He put his fingers to his lips and whistled—in an instant, Genos stood beside him.
The cyborg eyed the Human Monster on his left, then the smaller monster at his right, and all the heroes in between. He turned to his Sensei with a nervous expression.
"It's okay, Gen," Saitama reassured him. "They're cool."
Nodding slowly, Genos removed his jacket, folded it into a square and slid it beneath Manako's head to create a makeshift pillow. His face started to flush as his metal components began to glow, radiating a gentle heat and quickly bringing the stone structure to a comfortable 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Manako flopped over contentedly and tossed a layer of makeshift blankets.
"Nifty, right?" said Saitama proudly. "Even his incineration canons are adjustable… you can use 'em to reheat leftovers and stuff. Oi, Genos, go ahead and heat up the curry we brought. It's like having a built-in microwave!"
"—what about a built-in GPS?" Garou interjected.
"...pardon?"
"So that we can get back to town?" Garou continued, arching a brow. "You've been out there, the visibility is shit. But if we had a GPS, we could keep moving."
"Inadvisable." Genos shook his head. "The surrounding terrain is both uneven and unsteady. If it were only the five of us, I would not hesitate to lead you. But given our companion's delicate condition—" he said, glancing in Manako's direction, "—I would not risk it."
"...Plus it's pretty cozy in here, isn't it?" Saitama said aloud. And if we hide out here, Fubuki will never find us, he added silently, only to himself.
His four companions murmured in agreement. It was nice and toasty inside the shelter, and strangely peaceful.
A little while later, Manako woke up safe and sound—surrounded by lots of friends, and plenty of curry.