THE SOLDIER AND THE SENSHI
Chapter 2 - New Clothes
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I do not own Captain America nor Grenadier. This is basically just a story I have done for my own personal amusement, as well as a shameless attempt at writing up something so that I can say I was the first to do so.
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"So this, Ultimate Battle Strategy, of yours..." Steve said as the pair walked along the dirt road.
"Yes, Stechan?" Rushuna asked.
"You just... smile?" he said, slightly confused.
She smiled again at him. "Yes. By removing the enemies will to fight, you achieve peace. And the best way to do that, is to start with a kind smile." she explained.
It was an odd way to prove a point, but when she smiled, Steve did in fact feel no desire to fight.
He wondered how many Nazis that would have worked on.
Not Kleiser that's for sure. He thought as he continued walking.
It had been nearly ten hours since Steve had landed at the hot springs where he met Rushuna Tendoh, and gained a unique and beautiful ally at the same time.
He wasn't all sure what had happened to bring him to this place, but what he did know is that he was unable to get home either. The best he could figure, is that when he jumped onto the Nazi rocket and caused it to explode, the explosion somehow tore a hole in the fabric of time and space and tossed him through it, landing him 80 years in the past. (And the only reason he had even considered that, was he had watched a new science fiction movie with Bucky about a year before the Norway Mission that dealt with that)
What's more, he was off the coast of Norway when the explosion occurred, yet now found himself in Japan. That didn't make any sense to him.
"Stechan?" the blond-haired, amber eyed woman said, knocking him out of his thoughts.
"Yes?" he replied back.
"You're upset again." she said.
His expression was one of mild shock and then embarrassment as he realized that he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had inadvertently started frowning, which upset his new friend.
If there was one thing he had learned about Rushuna in the few hours since he had met her, is that she was rather sensitive about how a person felt, which was clearly displayed in their expressions. He had tried not to be so down, but sometimes you couldn't help it.
"I didn't mean to upset you." he said.
"I'm more worried about you." she replied.
"Thanks, but I'm fine. Really."
As they walked, Steve looked over and noticed Rushuna's outfit. Though he was just glad she was wearing clothes now.
She wore a dark pink shirt with short sleeves and white overshirt, kinda like it was supposed to be a vest, which didn't cover her generous assets in front. The pink shirt did, the white vest didn't. Her long pink gloves covered her hands, wrists, and forearms, but had her trigger fingers and thumbs removed, with metal guards on the back palms of her hands. Her long skirt was white and went from her waist to her twirl around her ankles. The right side of her skirt had a huge split up it that went from her waist down to her boots. With the right movements and wind the skirt would reveal her shapely, well-built and flawless legs. A pink strap of cloth was tied high on her right leg, just above the brown holster where her gun, a modified .38 Revolver, hung. Her long boots were mostly leather it seemed, dark pink in color with metallic knee guards. The large straw hat with the pink ribbon around the head, with the long tail flowing behind her completed the outfit.
Together with her long flowing blond hair, sparkling golden eyes and flawless complexion, Rushuna was truly a sight to behold.
Especially next to his tattered and shredded red, white and mostly blue uniform. He had decided to forgo his mask, since Rushuna had seen him anyway. Heck, she had seen him totally naked when she stripped him bare and submerged his body in the hot spring.
He blushed at that thought a bit.
"So, where are we going now?" he asked his lovely companion.
"Don't know. I'm just walking, really." she replied.
Steve had to admit that wasn't much of a plan. He had been told that her original goal was to find a way to end war. But if one didn't know where to start, how could one save the world.
Or in this case, the country.
That actually brought a comforting thought to his mind. As Captain America he had been responsible for fighting the Nazi threat. Not only for his own country, but for the sake of the world, now that he thought about it. If he hadn't fought to stop the Nazis from winning the war, they would have just kept going until they had taken over the world.
But now that he was here, in Japan at this time, he figured he was just helping to end war here. Civil wars usually remained in-country. That's why it was comforting, because he wasn't fighting for the entire planet, just one country.
Rushuna hadn't said who the fighting factions were, but he got the sense that it wasn't just two groups.
And if it was true that there were several groups running rampant around the country, then he still had his work cut out for him.
Him and Rushuna.
"Look, there's a town." her voice brought him back to reality.
He looked down from the top of the hill they had stopped at and saw a fairly large town. Maybe thirty buildings, some of them houses. The town itself was surrounded by a six-foot rock wall.
"Come on. Maybe they have a place we can rest for the night." Rushuna said, taking Steve's hand and leading him down to the town. "Maybe even a bath house with hot water."
He mentally groaned at that. Is that all she thinks about?
The pair made their way down to the town. Rushuna just walked right in, but Steve paused at the entry way. From the top of the hill looking down there appeared to be only two ways into the town. The entrance that lead into the town and the exit at the opposite end.
But what was really strange, is that there was no one in sight. No people. Not even a guard dog by the town entrance.
Maybe it was his extensive time spent on the battlefield, or just paranoia from the era he lived in, but Steve couldn't help feeling wary.
"Something isn't right about this." he mumbled as he followed Rushuna into the town.
"Hello! Is Anyone Here?" the blond haired woman called out.
Steve just looked at her. He wondered if she felt the anxiety he was feeling and was just hiding it. He knew that she could feel his tension, if their conversation was any indication of this, but he had to wonder how she could act the way she did if her purpose was to end war.
He noticed several windows edging open and scared eyes peering out from them.
Someone or something has got these people scared. Are they simply afraid of strangers? Steve wondered.
A young tailor looked out of his shop and gasped.
He's here. He... he has actually come.
Steve continued to follow Rushuna through the empty-looking town,
"Something's very wrong here, I can feel it." Steve said.
"And I think I know why." Rushuna said, stopping in the middle of the town.
Steve stopped behind her and looked ahead. His muscles tensed as his 'game face' overlaid his features.
Before them both stood approximately eight men all dressed in virtually the same outfits. Nothing too extraordinary or stand-out-ish, but it was obvious they were a gang of some sort. Actually, they had a look of being like uniforms.
"Lookie here boys. Visitors." one of the men said.
"Do you like visitors in your town?" Rushuna asked, trying to remain polite.
"Of course. Visitors have to pay a hefty toll when they come to our village." a second man said.
"What if we have no money?" she asked, smiling at the men.
Steve looked at the men. Just from the way they were standing, they way they were dressed, they way they spoke and carried themselves, none of them seemed like the leader. In fact, they looked like they were expecting, or looking forward to causing, trouble.
"Who are you?" Steve asked.
"We're the senshi who protect this town. And strangers make us nervous, but money can help allay our fears."
"Like the lady said, what if we don't have any money?" he asked.
Rushuna looked at him, a lite tingling in her as he said that.
"Then we're going to have to ask you to leave." the men said as they aimed their guns at the pair.
Steve's mind went to work. If what Rushuna had told him about this country was right, then these people were abusing their powers as 'guardians' of this village. But what didn't make sense was that if these men were the senshi of this village, then where were the people?
"Ohhh, can't you make an exception, for little old us?" Rushuna smiled, the eight men suddenly lowering their guns as Steve noticed just how effective her strategy really was.
Suddenly, a large man with a strange haircut, dark clothes, and a strange cannon strapped to his back, stepped out of one of the houses.
"What the hell is going on here?" the large man asked.
When he noticed that his men were just standing around, and not doing their jobs, he shouted.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked Steve and Rushuna.
"We're travelers just looking for a place to spend the night. Though we have no money to do so." Rushuna said.
"This is our town, so you'll have to leave."
"Speaking of which, where are the people of this town?" Steve asked.
"That's not your concern."
"Wrong."
The man and Rushuna looked at him.
"You say your job is protecting people, but we haven't done anything to harm them." Steve said.
"And how do you..."
Suddenly, the towns tailor dared to step out of his house.
"Master Zandou, please. What if we just give them some supplies to make their journey more of a comfortable one. It wouldn't be any imposition to..."
SMACK!
"Know your place, peasant!" the leader Zandou said, backhanding the man.
While his attention was focused on the tailor, now lying on the ground, Zandou failed to notice the flying fist of one Steve Rogers slam into his face, knocking him down the street towards his men.
"Are you alright?" Steve asked the tailor as Rushuna helped the man up.
"I am fine. Thank the gods you've come." he said to both of them.
"Tell me the truth, what's happened here?" Steve asked the tailor as the thugs looked at their fallen leader, who was struggling to load his weapon.
"These senshi took over our village months ago. They say that they're here to protect us, but they've had us paying huge amounts of money for that protection. And if we don't pay, they beat us." he said to the super soldier.
"Occupation by force." he said.
"And not just the men. The women too, and every night, our children cower in fear of them." the tailor added.
His course now clear, he pushed the tailor back to his shop and turned to the men.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Take them!" Zandou cried out as he pulled his cannon off his back and started loading it.
"But, boss, she's so..." one of the thugs started protesting as he looked at the still
Zandou looked at him angrily for several seconds before, "ARGH!" he shouted as he pulled his large gun and aimed it at the blond young woman. "You'll be the first to die you golden-haired harlot! And your boyfriend will watch!"
Steve was about to react, until a single gunshot sounded behind him. The bullet flew from her gun barrel and struck the gun near the trigger, causing the leader to drop the gun, stunning everyone.
"You did that?" Steve asked.
"I know. I try not to resort to this, but I keep doing just that." Rushuna blushed.
Zandou growled as he pulled out what he considered to be his hand-to-hand weapon. The bullwhip snapped as he ran towards the pair, throwing the whip's tip out at Rushuna. However, it found it's way not to the woman, but to Steve's left wrist, wrapping tightly around it.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's not nice to hit a lady?" he said as he pulled hard on his end of the whip, jerking the leader off his feet, flying towards the super soldier and having his face slam hard into a gloved right fist.
"GET THEM!!!" one of the thugs cried as Zandou was tossed headfirst into a rock-base part of a nearby house, knocking him cold.
Quicker than Steve could see, Rushuna spun around and fired off her five other bullets. She was able to shoot out the guns from five of the men, then spun around as bullets flew out of her clothes. Steve didn't notice where from as she swished her gun through the bullets, catching them in their chambers and closing it to fire again. Three more shots and the last three were unarmed.
Steve was stunned by this. The quickness, the accuracy. It was almost inhuman.
Who is the this woman?
However, because of her skill, and her sworn oath, she didn't kill any of them. While not aware of this, the senshi thugs gained the opportunity to charge the pair, hoping to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, and took it.
"TAKE 'EM DOWN!" one of the thugs cried out as they charged the pair.
However, they had no way of knowing that this was Steve's arena.
One of the thugs had a back-up gun and pulled it, firing at the pair. Steve charged forward, unafraid of the bullets flying towards him, side-stepping each bullet with almost fluid efficiency. He leaped at the thugs like a human battering ram, the force of his attack taking the group by surprise as he let loose a volley of punches and kicks that everywhere he lashed out, found a target. Within only a few seconds, the thugs were sprawled out on the ground and Steve was standing over them.
The blond-haired young woman stood unblinking at the man as he dusted himself off lightly.
"Are you alright, Rushuna?" Steve turned and asked the woman.
The young woman gave him a glazed look before launching herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a big wet kiss on his cheek.
"Wha... what was that for?" he gasped as he looked at her.
"You called me a lady." she said with a dazzling smile. "What about you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." he said. "That was amazing, though. I've never seen marksmanship like that before."
"Thank you. I've never seen such athleticism before. You dodged those bullets effortlessly."
"I've spent a lot of time on the battlefield." he said with some indignation, like he wasn't proud of that fact, but it was fact nonetheless.
"I see." she said quietly.
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It took about an hour to get the group trussed up and appointing several of the villagers to be the new senshi. Though skittish, they accepted the job only to protect themselves and keep their former protectors in their jail. It wasn't steel and concrete, but it would do.
The town itself was so grateful to the pair they did their best to show them their gratitude.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" the village elder said.
"Well, we could use a few supplies. Food and such." Steve said, though it was clear he fairly uncomfortable asking.
"Of course." the old man smiled.
"And do you happen to have a hot spring or a bath? I could use one." Rushuna asked.
"Oh, certainly young lady." an elderly woman said. "This way."
"Yippie!"
Steve couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm for hot baths. Not that he objected to it himself.
"Excuse me, sir." the tailor said suddenly.
"Yes?" Steve replied to the man.
"Would you follow me, please? I have something for you." he said as he headed back to his shop.
"For me?" he asked in confusion, but followed anyway.
Steve followed the man into his tailor shop. He wondered if the man was going to volunteer to patch up his torn uniform. Instead, he pulled out a package from a secret hiding place in the floor and set it before him.
"What's this?" Steve asked.
"It's... for you."
"Huh?" he asked, clearly confused.
"Some years ago, my grandfather created this outfit using Adamantium cloth. He said he didn't know why he made it, just that, when the time was right, you would appear."
Now Steve was really confused. "Me?"
"He said, 'I will not live long enough to give this to the man who will help us. You must do so. You will know him by his tattered blue uniform and the white star on his chest. He will have short gold hair and blue eyes. This uniform is meant for him and him alone.' I don't really know what my grandfather meant by all this. Maybe he had a vision or something that our village would face some form of trouble, I don't really know. But after seeing you here now, I realize that he wasn't just being senile. So... here."
"Thank you." Steve said, not wanting offend the man or his grandfather.
He went behind the screen in the side of the shop and changed. Within a minute he had replaced his old tattered uniform with this new one. Looking at himself in the full length mirror, Steve realized that this outfit was a lot like his old uniform, though the differences were obvious.
It was red, white and mostly blue.
The upper torso was blue, with a white five-pointed star in the center of the chest surrounded by a black border. The lower torso had thick vertical alternating red and white stripes around the stomach area around the back. A black belt with several compartments on it for what he might need to carry. The gloves were red, stopping nearly at his elbows. From there the arms of the costume were white until they hit the edge of the shoulders which were blue. On the arm-part of both shoulders was a white five point star set against a red circle surrounded by a black boarder. The boots were red as well and came nearly to his knees, the pants themselves were all blue.
The costume also included a blue cowl that covered his head and most of his face. It had a large white 'A' on the forehead.
Furthermore, the costume fit him like a glove. As if it had been tailor-made just for him. He also noticed that the gloves and boots seemed sturdier than the rest of the outfit. That didn't seem unusual to him, until the man said that the entire outfit was made of adamantium cloth, and that the gloves and boots were triple layered for greater strength and durability.
That would actually prove useful in a fight he thought.
Rushuna actually commented on how nice the outfit looked on him, and at least it didn't look like he had been in an explosion.
Eventually, the pair were able to be on their way, after getting their supplies and Rushuna soaking in a nice hot bath.
"Thank you!"
"Come again!"
"You'll always be welcome here, my friends!"
The villagers all gave them a warm send off as the pair headed down the road.
"Mommy, who was that strange man?" one of the children asked.
"I'm not sure, sweetie." the mother said.
"He has a white 'A' on his forehead. Does that mean anything?" the kid asked.
"Uh... yes. I'm sure it does." she said, unsure how that was possible.
"What then?"
"Uh..."
"Avenger." the village elder said, stepping up behind them.
"What?" the woman asked in shock.
"It should stand for Avenger, as he had avenged the injustice of our village." the old man said.
"Then that is what we will call him. The blue Avenger!" the woman grinned, along with her child.
However, Steve was not so far away that he couldn't hear the whisper of the villagers. It actually made him smile.
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Authors Notes:
Hope everyone enjoyed that. I know it's been a long time since I updated this story.
It hasn't reached the mainstream story line of Grenadier yet. Probably by the next chapter. But right now Cap has his new uniform that he wore in Ultimate Avengers.
And before anyone starts getting on me for using Adamantium for his costume, keep in mind that this story takes place in an alternate universe where Adamantium cloth does exist and it used by the Senshi of this world. I am also playing up the part where a senile old man has a vision to make this new outfit for Steve because he knew that he was going to be sent to this world to help them.
Hope everyone enjoyed this and will send me reviews for it.