Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to DC Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.
Chapter 4: A Rockhead and a Hot Place
Hikari couldn't remember ever feeling so good in her entire life.
As she sat back, feeling the wonderfully chill air of the arcade fill her lungs and ice cream melting through her body, Hikari could barely could bring herself to care about the horrendous transformation that was her reason for being there that day. Nor did she really care that Kodama had her and Nozomi there, had gone off to find Professor Ousugi and bring him there, so that Hikari could brought to his lab by car, rather than once again be forced to endure the blistering heat that lay just beyond the arcade doors.
At that moment, all Hikari could do was relax, feel her strength returning to her. And even though she knew it was likely that she was somewhat out of it, every moment that passed seem to give even greater energy to both her body and her spirits. A process that she had no doubt was greatly helped by the youthful high spirits of Nozomi. A girl that was largely unperturbed by the fact that her sister had turned green this morning, and was bouncing about in her chair with a large splotch of ice cream still clinging to her features.
"Hmmm…that was great, sister!" Nozomi smiled blissfully even as Hikari leaned back with a lazy smile. Their shared parfait a sweet memory that was settling nicely in their respective insides. "Do you think we have time for another one?"
Sighing deeply, Hikari dearly wanted to say yes. In fact, she wanted to find the arcade's freezer and lock herself in there, enjoying both the cold and the ice cream at the same time. But while her transformation had changed many things, her sense of responsibility had not been completely subverted. "Oh, I wish," the pigtailed girl finally admitted. "But we're not sure what's going on with me…and I know too much of this stuff isn't good for you."
Groaning loudly, Nozomi sat back and folded her arms in cute rebellion. "Aw, that's not fair…"
Laughing as this portion of normal life came to the fore, Hikari once again felt that strange background buzz in the back of her mind spike. Jumping slightly, she started looking about the arcade. "What is it, sister?" Nozomi wondered as Hikari frowned intently. A frown that deepened when she saw two people heading their way. One of which she recognized as Shiro, and the other was a girl of roughly Kodama's age. A long-haired beauty who knew exactly how to show every single curve she possessed, and she had a great many of those.
She kind of looks Misato-sama, Hikari decided, recalling Shinji's and Asuka's guardian. Then she frowned at the look of false sweetness she wore. Or maybe her evil twin.
"Well, hello, girls," the lady spoke, her voice dripping with the same sugarcoated nastiness that showed on her face. "Well, I don't think I've ever seen either of you around here before," she murmured appraisingly even as Hikari adjusted her sunglasses and hood. Making certain that neither her crimson eyes or hair were visible. "Watcha doing? Taking a break from all this heat?"
"We're just waiting for our sister," Nozomi answered innocently, causing Hikari to hiss in distress.
"Oh, really?" the woman smiled, leaning against the table as she folded her arms. Then she cocked her head over at her companion. "Shiro told me that he saw Kodama come in with you. That wouldn't happen to mean that…she's your sister, hmmm?"
"That's right," Nozomi got out, even as Hikari placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
While Nozomi was looking in confusion at Hikari, the woman was cocking her had, letting out a low chuckle. "Now, isn't that funny. Kodama bringing you two out here, and not even telling me about it," she mused thoughtfully.
"Oh! You mean you know our sister?" Nozomi piped up. Only to wince slightly as Hikari tightened her grip, letting out a slight noise of pain. "Sister, stop it! That hurts!"
"Nozomi…!" Hikari hissed, leaning forward and giving her an intense look. Then she pulled back, and looked at the newcomers with the same level of intensity. "I'm sorry. You see, our mother keeps telling us that we shouldn't talk to strangers."
This statement resulted in the woman's lips curling down somewhat. "Your mother? But I thought…" Before the woman could complete her sentence, however, her face lit up with comprehension, and then settled into a crafty smile. "Well, aren't we the clever little thing?"
"Huh?" Shiro muttered, giving his companion a glance that betrayed how little wattage there was operating in his upper stories. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it seems this little darlings aren't willing to trust the word of a complete stranger. Perfectly understandable, of course," the woman smiled, never once loosing that look of venomous sweetness. "But you see, I really do know Kodama, and she's told me all kinds of things about the two of you. And your family."
"Really?" Nozomi grinned, even as Hikari frowned that much more deeply. There was something wrong here. The disguised girl could sense an air of menace hovering about the fair stranger. It was like she could see or smell the danger she radiated.
"Of course. Kodama and I go back a long ways," the woman assured them. Then she brought her finger to her lips in, and tightened her smile. "Let's see...it's Hikari, and Nozomi, right?"
"That's right. But we already knew that part," Hikari muttered tersely. "So why don't you tell something you don't know? Like who you are?"
"Sister!" Nozomi chided, giving Hikari a scolding look. Then she smiled apologetically at the woman. "I'm sorry. She's had a…a rough day so far."
"Oh, I understand. After all, I've had more than a few of those myself now and then," the woman replied easily, dismissing Nozomi's concerns with a wave of her hand. Then she gave Hikari a thoughtful nod, and added, "But she does have a point, you know. I know your names, so it's only fair that I introduce myself as well."
"That would be appreciated," Hikari agreed, narrowing her eyes behind her sunglasses.
The woman nodded to this. "But first…" she cooed gingerly, just before her smiling visage melted away like cheap makeup. In its place was an expression of devious cruelty. Just as Hikari was processing this change, a change that mirrored what she sensed in the woman. Then with such speed that Hikari couldn't even see her move, she grabbed hold of Nozomi's wrist. The woman flashed them a dangerous grin, and hissed, "Why don't we go for a little ride?"
"Hey!" Hikari squawked in outrage as the woman pulled Nozomi out of her seat. Before she could move, the transformed girl felt a set of thick arms wrap about her shoulders. She instinctively tried to resist, but she lacked the strength and the leverage to break free of the steely muscles that restrained her. "What the – hey! Let me go!!"
"And while we're at it, you can tell me why you're all bundled up like that," the woman went on as Hikari was yanked out of her own chair. Before she knew what had happened, Shiro had scooped her under his arm, and was carrying her towards the door.
"Help! Let us go!!" Nozomi shrilled while Hikari looked about fearfully, searching the crowd for any sign that someone was going to help them. Unfortunately, while there were several concerned onlookers, no one seemed interested in coming to their aide. They probably thought this was just another dumb college stunt or hazing ritual, maybe even a fraternity initiation. All the people there complete unaware that she and Nozomi were very likely in real danger. More than they could even imagine.
Already, Hikari's mind was painting a thousand worst-case scenarios for her, with their abductors peeling off her disguise and makeup and revealing her transformation topping them all. And from there even more horrible possibilities loomed for her.
These horrors giving greater urgency to her, Hikari squirmed about in her abductor's grasp. "No, wait! Help!!" she cried out, grabbing hold of the meaty arm restraining her. Digging her fingers in, she struggled to wrench herself free of Shiro's grip.
"Hey, cut it out! Ouch!" Shiro groaned in pain, just as they exited the arcade. Hikari was then hit by the full power of the sun, and swooned from sudden wave of heat.
"Stop it! Let me go!" Nozomi was heard crying out. Grimacing as the heat started suffusing her disguise, Hikari looked up and saw the woman heading towards a red convertible with the top down. Her abductor keeping an iron-clad grasp on her wrist.
"Nozomi!" Hikari gasped out. Her face tightening into a deadly grimace, the young matriarch heaved in deep breath of the hideously warm air. Heat that didn't touch her quite as severely as it had before, and didn't stop her from squirming about that much more fiercely than before.
"Now, you just be quiet for a little while longer, and we'll go for that ride I promised you," the woman cooed, still using that sickly-sweet voice of hers. Then she swung her gaze over towards Shiro, and then she let more of the nastiness bubbling in her core peek out in the form of a deadly frown. "Hurry up, you idiot! We don't have all day!"
"Hey, give me a break!" Shiro groaned as Hikari continued to struggle against him. "This girl's stronger than she looks!"
"Just get her in the car!" the woman ordered, even as she opened the door and flung Nozomi inside. The tiny girl cried out in protest, and tried to recover the instant she was inside. But their abductor had already got into the driver's seat, and was perched so that she could hold Nozomi in place. "And don't you even think of running off now! Not when I've got so many things in mind for you!"
"Let her go, bitch!" Hikari snarled, digging her nails in even harder. When Shiro just grunted more at this, the pigtailed girl decided that stronger measures were called for. Craning her neck over her captor's thick arm, she opened her mouth and bit down on him as hard as she could.
"Ouch!!" Shiro shrieked, instinctively tightening his grip on her. Hikari just bit down harder, determined to make this brainless lug drop her. To get over to her sister and get her away from the cruel witch that was mistreating her.
What she got instead was a heavy thunk on the head, courtesy of Shiro's free hand. "Cut it out, you little brat!" the jerk growled. When Hikari failed to let go, he pounded her on the head again, and again. Until finally enough stars and comets were passing before her eyes to encourage her to pull her teeth out of his arm. "Geez! I'm bleeding all over the place! You stupid little…!"
While Shiro was giving Hikari another wrap on the head for good measure, the woman was staring at the both of them. "Would you mind moving just a bit faster? You know, before that slut Kodama shows up?"
While Nozomi was protesting the woman's language against her sister, Shiro let out a low whine. "Hey, come on, Yukari! This brat is stronger than she looks! And would you look at what she did to my throwing arm?!"
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to kiss it and make it all better later," Yukari sneered, somehow making this crude gesture look sinfully sexy. "Now hurry up and get her in the car!"
"Okay, okay! Sheesh!" Shiro grumbled, shaking his head as if wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve such ill treatment. Quickening his pace, the jock arrived at the side of his car. Eyeing Hikari distastefully, he unceremoniously dumped her in the back seat. "Now stay there," he shouted as the disguised girl practically bounced on top of her sibling.
"Hurry, you big ox!" Yukari shouted, waving for Shiro to get in even as she slid behind the wheel. "Now keep those two occupied!"
"Sister, are you okay?" Nozomi wondered, taking hold of the shaken Hikari.
"Ugh…!" Hikari returned, placing her hand to her forehead. As the disguised girl struggled to regain her bearings, her ears were filled with the sound of an engine turning over. A sound that was soon followed by the car lurching backwards, sending the two of them sprawling.
"Hey, what's the matter with you two?" Shiro giggled inanely. Though neither sister was able to look directly at him as they tumbled about, they caught quick glances of him leaning over his seat, grinning mindlessly at them. "Don't you know enough to buckle up? It's the rule of the road!"
"Perhaps they think rules are meant to be broken," Yukari chimed in, malevolent glee in her words as she guided her car to the open road. "In which case, we already have something in common!"
Both girls groaned in protest as they slowly regained themselves. "Hey! Let us go!" Nozomi cried out as she grabbed hold of the driver's seat. "This is kidnapping!!"
"Really?" Yukari smirked. Though Hikari couldn't see her face, could she easily imagine the dismissive smile she was surely wearing. "Aw, don't think you're making a bit too much of this? All we're doing is taking you for a little ride."
"A little ride?" Hikari muttered tensely. "And where exactly are you taking us, anyway?"
"Oh, nowhere special," Yukari returned casually as she sped up. She then glanced over her shoulder at the two of them, and beamed them a look of calculating malice. "Just this little place I happen to know where we can spend some time all to ourselves…not be disturbed…get to know each other better…"
A lump of bile formed in Hikari's throat at that. She already had a pretty good idea what exactly this woman meant by this, and it didn't conjure up pleasant images in her mind. "Why are you doing this to us, anyway?!"
"Yeah! We never did anything to you!" Nozomi added forcefully.
"And I never said that you did," Yukari replied, her superficially pleasant voice turning colder, more dangerous. "Now, don't get me wrong. I really don't have anything personal against either of you. And I'm sure you're both perfectly delightful little girls." Their abductor paused, letting out a low grunt before adding, "Not at all like your sister."
"Our sister?" Nozomi wondered.
"Kodama?" Hikari added, thrown by this revelation. Her voice sharpened with a fierce edge as she asked, "What do you have against Kodama, anyway?!"
"What do I have against her?" Yukari growled. Taking the car into a hairpin turn, she sent the Horaki sisters sprawling across their seat. "You mean, aside from the fact that she's a slut, a cheat, and the bane of my existence?"
"Hey! Don't you talk about her like that!" Nozomi shrilled.
"You want me to stop? Then make me," Yukari growled, a sound that was very much like a rattlesnake preparing to strike. "In any case, the fact remains that I have a large grievance that I want to settle with Kodama. And you two…you are going to help me."
As Hikari sat there, alternating between looking at her abductors and her sister, her gaze met with Nozomi's. And she saw all the fear, the confusion, the helplessness that her sister was wearing about her like a cloud of doom. She even could have sworn that she heard her sister within her own mind, pleading to her. Begging for her to help, to find a way out of this mess. To make things right again.
But…what can I do?! Hikari demanded, her mind badly thrown by everything that had been happening that day. So much insanity, and all in one day. One day, and everything had gone insane! How was she supposed to cope with this?
And yet, even as these things ran through her mind, another part of Hikari's mind was asserting itself. A part of herself that she relied on every single day in order to deal with every manner of minor calamity that arose in the Horaki household. A part that had been hardened into unyielding steel over the passage of time, as a result of another day that had cast her life into madness. And she had been forced by the necessity of the situation to take up the role that her mother had left behind.
Hikari had been forced to take control. To take charge of the situation.
Heaving a deep breath, Hikari tried to steady herself. Tried to ignore the way the car swerved wildly about, the fact that their lives were in the hands of this madwoman who had come seemingly out of nowhere. Tried to ignore the heat that was once again sapping her strength. And tried to place herself back in the role of the class representative, and she was just dealing with another idiot who was up to no good.
It's a good thing this whacko brought Ding-Dong here along for the ride! Hikari thought, doing her best to focus on Shiro. On his vacuous eyes, his idiot's grin, the way he so readily heeded his mistress's command. He's like Toji and Kensuke had been stuck in a food processor and blended into one big Stooge!
"Look, I really don't know what your problem with my sister is. And to be honest, I really don't care," Hikari informed her captors, invoking the tone of authority that left many an errant male trembling in the face of certain doom. "But kidnapping us isn't going to solve it."
"And there you go, using that ugly word again," Yukari cooed deviously, giving a sad little shake of her head. "Kidnapping. All we're doing is taking you for a little ride! That's all!"
"Yeah, a little ride!" Shiro chortled, nodding in agreement. "What's the big deal?"
"I don't care what you call it. It's still kidnapping in my book. And it's a very big deal," Hikari informed them flatly, folding her arms across her chest. "And I'm pretty sure the police will agree with me."
This caught Shiro's attention. The dumb jock's smile failed as his mouth fell open, forcing him to give his head a shake in order to reboot his brain. "Th-the police?!" he finally repeated, completely baffled by this. "But…hey, what are you talking about?!"
"What am I talking about?! I'm talking about the fact that the two of you forced to come along with you against our will!" Hikari informed them, not allowing herself of giving into fear. Not when her sister was depending on. "And don't try to deny it, because there must've been at least a dozen people back at the arcade who saw us, and you!" Watching as Shiro performed an incredible impression of a fish out of water, the Horaki matriarch smiled deviously, and prepared to hammer in the final nail of their coffin. "And I'm sure that the police would be able to find at least one person there to talk to."
"Huh?!" Shiro got out, his underutilized brain still trying to process the end result of this scenario. Finally, after blinking several times in rapid succession, a couple of lights turned back on in the upper stories. "But – hey! We're just taking you – I mean, we're gonna bring ya back, and - !"
"Maybe, maybe not," Hikari sneered, doing her best to look aloof and unimpressed when she was slowly withering away in her disguise. "But even if the police don't do us all a big favor and lock you two away, I'm sure that the university's dean could think of something to do with you. Just to make sure that you don't pull anything like this again."
Once again, Shiro's lack of intellectual capability showed as his brain slowly processed what Hikari had said. When it was finally done, the last of his smug superiority dissolved into worried confusion. Frowning worriedly, he sputtered out, "Say, Yukes…"
"Don't you pay any attention to her," Yukari replied instantly, unperturbed by Hikari's words. If anything, she sounded even more pleased than she had been earlier.
"But…what she said…about the cops…!" Shiro fumbled, alternating from looking to their captives to their driver. "Seriously, Yukes, I can't get mixed up with the cops! If my folks hear about this -!"
"Then you'd get into all kinds of trouble, wouldn't you?" Yukari oozed, turning a look of sympathy at him that was as false as any of her other sweet gestures. "And I wouldn't be too happy myself, for that matter." The driver then glanced over her shoulder at the girls, and it was all Hikari could do not to freeze. The sheer confidence this woman held was a frightening thing in and of itself. "It's good thing that they wouldn't actually do something like that, now, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Shiro got out, once again left trying to figure out what was going on. "They wouldn't?!"
"We wouldn't?" Nozomi asked perplexedly. She then looked at her sister, searching for answers. "Sister?"
Hikari didn't meet Nozomi's gaze. She's figured it out, she thought instead, angry and despondent that her bluff had been called. Dammit.
Yukari let out a low, cold chuckle, one that confirmed Hikari's suspicion. "Of course not. After all, if they wanted anything to stick with the police, then they'd have to file an official complaint," the scheming woman explained, giving her captives a sideways glance. "And considering the way this one is dressed, I'm guessing that the last thing they want…is any kind of attention." Unable to help herself, Hikari gulped as the one eye Yukari had turned towards her narrowed into a slit. "In fact, I'm sure they'd much rather that nobody found out they were out here at all."
Hikari didn't say anything to this. She just sat there, clenching her fists helplessly. Silently cursing her mutated body, Professor Ousugi's experiment, Kodama, God, and just about anything she could curse for the spot they were in. And knowing that there was absolutely nothing she could do to get them out of this mess.
"Oh…I get it!" Shiro grinning, finally grasping the situation. "They're up to something themselves, and they don't want anybody else knowing about, neither!"
"Correction. Kodama is up to something," Yukari gritted cruelly. "That sneaky slut has probably got another scheme in the works to humiliate me, just like she did before. But that's not going to happen."
"You're crazy!" Nozomi cried out, tears of fear rolling down her cheeks. "This has nothing to do with you! We never even heard about you before!"
"Maybe. Maybe not. But it's obvious that you're trying to keep something secret here. Something juicy…and that's just the sort of thing I love to hear all about," Yukari told them, punctuating her words with a cruel giggle. "And that's why we're going to spend some quality time together. So you can tell me all about it."
As Yukari's laughter filled the air, Shiro soon joining in, Hikari sat back in her seat. Once again feeling Nozomi's pleading eyes upon her. And knowing that she had no way of helping her sister…or herself.
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"I really do appreciate this, sensei," Kodama breathed wearily, her clothes and skin alike stained with sweat. And though she was as vulnerable to heat as Hikari had apparently become, she was as appreciative for the air conditioning of his car as she was sure her afflicted sister would be. "I know it can't be easy to break from your classes, and on such short notice…"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Kodama! Anything for my Number One Prized Pupil!" Ousugi replied with obvious pride. Then he gave her a conspiratorial look and added, "Besides, it's not like it's the first time I've left a recorded lecture for all the recorders my other so-called students decorate my lecture hall with!" When Kodama automatically laughed at his wit, the professor once again became serious. "But I will admit this much; if anybody else had come to me with a story like this, I'd have thought she had been sneaking off to a few too many frat parties."
This time, Kodama's mirth was somewhat more muted. "I know what you mean. When Nozomi tried to tell me what had happened, I thought she'd just had a bad dream," she admitted before giving a sad shake of her head. "But sensei, this is real. What's happening to Hikari…"
"Hey, I already said I believed you!" Ousugi responded quickly. Then he let go an unhappy sigh. "Too bad I wasn't listening to you when you suggested we should get her to a doctor. We'd probably have saved ourselves quite a bit of trouble."
"Sensei, c'mon. Nobody could have known that something like this would happen!" Kodama pleaded as they approached the arcade. "Let's just see what can we do for Hikari, and go from there. Okay?"
"Sounds like a workable plan to me," Ousugi conceded, his good humor returning as easily as ever. "Ah, Kodama. What would I do without you to keep my wild mind grounded in reality?"
Having been asked this particular question on more than one occasion, Kodama knew not to bother answering. Instead, she focused on the arcade as the professor pulled into the parking lot. Opening the door before they even came to a stop, the eldest Horaki sister yanked off her seatbelt and leapt from the car. Rushing straight towards the main door, she flung it open and marched in. "Hikari? Nozomi? I'm back!" she cried out, her eyes immediately settling on the table she had left them at.
They weren't there. In fact, there was nothing at all on the table. No ice cream dishes, no glasses, no napkins. Nothing but water left over from a recent cleaning.
Her jaw falling as a spark of immediate fear caused her heart to skip a beat, Kodama looked wildly about. For a moment, she was certain that she had been looking at the wrong table. Or that her sisters had simply gone to the bathroom, and the staff had cleaned up while they were gone. For a few moments, she even considered the insane possibility that someone had switched the entire arcade while she hadn't been looking.
It was certainly preferable to considering the alternatives, of which Kodama could only think of two. One was that they had wandered off someplace on their own, something that she could see Nozomi doing, but would never have thought her levelheaded middle sister capable of.
Unless Hikari's changed even more than we realized! Kodama thought, a bolt of panic ripping through her mind. Though she had seemed to be more-or-less her normal self mentally, her bizarre appetites still disturbed the eldest Horaki. Though not nearly as much as the second alternative; that some unknown party was responsible for her sisters' disappearance. In which case…
No! I can't let myself think of that! Kodama told herself, upending a mental bucket of water on her thought processes. I have to be calm, examine this from every angle. I have to think like a scientist.
A scientist. This very image was enough to help Kodama regain her cool, helping her order her thoughts, and detach herself from the situation, and boil it down to is basics. The problem? Hikari and Nozomi weren't where they were supposed to be. Therefore, she had to conduct research in order to learn where they were now. And the best way to do that would be to ask the right people the right questions.
Thinking quickly, Kodama went straight to the girl manning the cash register. "Excuse me?" she asked worriedly as she approached, waving for the girl's attention. Fortunately for the Horaki's sanity, the girl wasn't busy, unless a person counted reading a magazine and blowing bubbles with her gum busy. "Excuse me?" she tried again when the register girl didn't look up right away.
This second attempt got results. The girl's eyes rose from the magazine to Kodama, at which point she quickly sucked her gum into her mouth and set aside her reading material. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized, putting on her biggest, most helpful smile. "What can I do for you?"
"Listen, I need your help!" Kodama pleaded, turning to point at the table in question. "I left these two girls here earlier while I went on…an errand, and I told them to wait for me here! Did you see them?"
"Two girls?" the register attendant frowned, narrowing her eyes in thought. Then her frown turned upside down as she asked, "Was one of them, like, totally bundled up in sweats and shades?"
"That's them!" Kodama replied instantly, bobbing her head in relief. Feeling like she was already halfway to recovering her stray siblings. "Did you see where they went?"
"Uh, no. Actually…I was kind of busy at the time," the girl confessed sheepishly. While Kodama was experiencing a wave of disappointment and frustration, eyeing the magazine that she was certain this girl hadn't been doing her job, the attendant added, "But their friend did pay their bill."
This statement quickly cut into the line of hateful thoughts that was running through Kodama's mind. "Their friend?" she repeated querulously. "What friend?!"
"Oh, it was this big guy. Football jock, by the looks of him," the register attendant said, sounding out her thoughts. "I think he said his name was…Shino…Shozo…?"
"Shiro?" Kodama prompted, frowning as she said the name.
Snapping her fingers in agreement, the girl then pointed at Kodama. "Yeah, that's it!" she grinned, looking like a girl who had just grabbed the brass ring. "He said he was their friend, and that he'd take care of the bill for them. And he – hey what is it?" The girl frowned worriedly as Kodama's eyes fell to the floor. "Is something wrong?"
Kodama wasn't listening to the girl anymore. Her thoughts were elsewhere, speeding along at rates that she would never have been able to articulate, analyzing the situation. The question; why would Shiro, a total jerk and mindless lunk, decide to pay for two girls he didn't even know, and lie about why he was doing it? The answer was, of course, that he wouldn't. Not on his own, at least. Therefore, the only conclusion was that someone else had put him up to it.
Another moment's thought was all it took for Kodama to realize who that person was. A person who face resulted in her bringing her hands to her mouth, barely staving off an overwhelming torrent of profanity from escaping her lips.
"Oh, shit!!" was the only curse that got free from Kodama's mouth. Not wasting a moment, she turned on her heel and raced for the doors. Blowing back out into the afternoon sun, she practically slammed into the professor's car.
"Kodama?!" Ousugi jumped as she fumbled to open her door. "What's going on?! Where're -?!"
"They're not here! They're gone!" Kodama spat out, almost gagging on the very words she was speaking.
"G-gone?!" Ousugi sputtered. "But where -?!"
"It's Yukari!" Kodama heaved bitterly as she slid into the passenger's seat. As quickly as she could, with words tumbling out on top of one another, she explained what had happened. "She must've put him up to this! It's the only explanation!"
His face sagging with dismay, Ousugi stared at his student like she had just told him the sky was falling. "Are you trying to tell me that…Yukari Hanzaki has kidnapped your sisters?!"
"Don't tell me you don't think she wouldn't do something like that, sensei! We both know her too well for that!" Kodama got out, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Oh, God! What was I even thinking?! When I saw Shiro there, I should've known! I never should have left them alone!! If Hikari hadn't been so sick from the heat, I -!"
"Now, now, Kodama! We can't get all panicked! That's the absolute last thing we can afford right now!" Ousugi told her flatly, his tone ruining whatever calming influence his words were so supposed to carry for her. "But – blast it all! Are you sure about this?!"
"Who else could it have been?!" Kodama demanded, holding up her palms in emphasis. "You know her! Ever since I won the science award, she acts like every little thing I do is part of some plot against her! And Shiro -!"
"Okay, okay! You've made your point!" Ousugi pleaded in surrender, shaking his head in frustration. "Of course, that still leaves us with a little problem. Namely, what are we going to do about it?" Letting out his breath in a stream from his pursed lips, the professor gave his student a rueful smile. "Unfortunately, short of calling in the police, I'm afraid I'm out of ideas."
Kodama's first impulse was to say yes to this. She had been against trying to cover up Hikari's transformation right from the beginning, and this incident seemed to be proof positive that they should have simply taken her to the hospital and have gone from there. And worse yet was the fact that she knew Yukari, knew the kind of trouble she was capable of, and leaving her sisters in the hands of the egomaniacal sadist was an intolerable notion for her.
However, it wasn't long before Kodama's scientific mind once again kicked in, and began pointing out all the various problems with this idea. "No," the eldest Horaki muttered as these processes of logic poked holes in her plan. "There's not a lot we can tell the police right now, and Hikari can't be declared officially missing for at least twenty-four hours. And by the time they're able to actually start doing something, it'll be too late."
"Good point," Ousugi nodded grimly. "And I doubt that Yukari would actually want to hurt your sisters. She might not be the nicest of people, but even she's not crazy enough to do something that'll get her expelled or in some kind of legal trouble."
"True," Kodama concurred, taking some heart in this. But this silver lining was quickly overwhelmed by the thunderheads they were attached to. "Too bad that's the least of our problems." Ousugi didn't say anything to this. He didn't have to. The both of them knew the kind of trouble they would both be in if Yukari found out what had happened to Hikari, let alone how it happened.
"Tell me all about it! I can see the headlines on the campus paper already! 'Mad scientist turns girl into Martian!' 'College professor plays Frankenstein!'" Ousugi muttered, rolling his eyes at these images. "The dean will have my guts for garters! Not to mention the academic community! And if they found out that you were assisting me -!"
"They would. Yukari'd make sure of it. You can bet on that," Kodama grumbled bitterly. "At which point it'll be both our guts. And then…then Hikari…" The eldest Horaki was unable to complete her sentence. Unable to give voice to all the untold horrors her mind was already conjuring up as possible future for her afflicted sibling, each one worst than the one before. For although she at the possibility of Hikari winding up some form of science experiment before, having Yukari in the mix left her much more susceptible to the various worst-case scenarios Nozomi had concocted.
Giving a low whistle at the dilemma they were in, Ousugi muttered, "In which case, we have but two choices left to us. Either we get ready for our march to the gallows…or we can track down that scheming little witch before she finishes tying a set of nooses for us!"
"But where do we start looking?!" Kodama bleated despairingly. "They could be anywhere by now!"
"No, not anywhere," Ousugi countered, his brows knotted up in thought as he wagged his finger in Kodama's face. "Think about it, Kodama. As I said before, Yukari's not crazy enough to do something that'll get her personally in trouble. So she wouldn't take them someplace very far, simply because she'd want to get them out of sight as quickly as possible."
Her eyes widening as she saw the logic in her teacher's words, Kodama breathed, "So they're probably someplace nearby! Maybe even on the campus! And if they drove them someplace, then -!"
"Then if we drive around and look for either her or Shiro's car, then we should be able to find them!" Ousugi concluded with a triumphant nod. Then he shrugged in a sheepish fashion before adding, "Of course, there's still a lot of campus for us to search, but…"
"But nothing! Let's just get going already!" Kodama growled. The professor just nodded his assent before starting the engine. As he swung the car about and headed out of the parking lot, Kodama was completely silent. Caught between praying that her sisters were alright…and planning all kinds of evil things to do to their abductors if they weren't.
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"Do you have to carry me around like a sack of garbage?!" Hikari grumbled hatefully as she hauled about roughly on his shoulder. Pounding her fists impotently on Shiro's back while she took in her surroundings. "I do have legs, you know! I can walk!"
"Yeah, and I'm sure you can run, too!" Shiro grumbled as he carried Hikari into what looked like a gym locker room. "Now cut it out with the hitting already! That hurts, ya little brat!"
"Now, now, Shiro!" Yukari cooed. Though Hikari couldn't see her, she still felt as if she could somehow smell her air of malice, a stench that was even heavier than the mold and mildew, the sweat and chlorine that were already filling her nose. "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a lady? Please, find the little thing a seat."
"Huh?" Shiro got out. Once again, there was the customary pause as he tried to figure out what his mistress meant, after which he muttered. "Okay, Yukes. Whatever you say." Once again, Hikari felt the brainless lump walking, and soon he hefted her off of his shoulder and forcibly sat her down on what felt like a hard, wooden bench.
When Hikari grunted at the ill-treatment, she heard Yukari clicking her tongue scornfully. "Easy, now. We don't want to rough up the little thing," the cruel woman spoke. Drawn by her voice, Hikari looked in her direction, and locked onto the voice's owner. She was seated on another bench, with a bunch of lockers to her back, her hand still wrapped tightly about Nozomi's wrist, and a malicious smile tightening her lips. "At least…not just yet."
Snorting brusquely, Hikari gave her captor a sideways glance before focusing her attention on the woman responsible for their situation. "This isn't going to work, you know," she told her in a matter-of-fact fashion. "You can't hold us forever, and sooner or later, Kodama's going to come looking for us."
"Of course she is, dear," Yukari returned, her smile turning into a momentary sneer at Kodama's mentioning. "In fact, I'm sure she's on her way right now." Then her smile returned in full force, turning predatory as she leaned forward, her eyes seeming to bore through Hikari's sunglasses and into her brain. "But I doubt she'll be able to find us right away. Which gives us just enough time to have a little...heart-to-heart with each other."
"We're not gonna tell you nothing!" Nozomi declared, trying to wrench herself free. "So just let us go!"
Making a perfect wounded pout, Yukari shook her head in mock dismay. "Oh, but I'm sure you two have so many fascinating things to talk about," she muttered, her eyes never once looking away from Hikari. "Like why you're dressed up like that. Or how about why your face is slathered in makeup?"
A cold chill running down her spine, Hikari knew that she on a tightrope, and she had razor blades serving as her safety net. On the one hand, she knew that there was no way that she could just tell these people why they were there and what had happened to her. By the same token, she knew they couldn't afford to provoke them badly enough so that Yukari decided to just have Shiro beat her up and strip her of her disguise, or take her frustrations out on Nozomi.
"No big secret there," Hikari finally decided to say, shrugging casually. Knowing that their best chance was to stall for time, and hope that either by some miracle Kodama found them, or that some opportunity to either escape or call out for help presented itself. "I just felt like dressing up, that's all."
"Dressing up, huh?" Yukari murmured, still smiling. Still acting like she had an unbeatable hand. "That's all?" Hikari didn't bother saying anything to this. Not willing to push the situation any further than she safely could. "And why the makeup, hmm? Is there something wrong with that pretty little face of yours, hmm?"
"It's not that pretty," Hikari replied, already struggling for an explanation. "In fact, I…"
"It's acne!" Nozomi piped up, clearly catching on. "She had an acne attack!"
"An acne attack?!" Shiro guffawed, looking directly at the disguised girl. "Oh, come on! Just how dumb do you think we are, anyway?!"
Do you really want to know? Hikari wondered, indulging in a bit of internal humor as she studied Yukari. The mastermind behind their abduction wasn't laughing as Shiro was. She wasn't doing anything but sitting there, studying the middle sister with those piercing eyes of hers.
She had to know that time was against her, Hikari realized. As the brains of this duo, Yukari had to realize that every minute that passed before she got what she wanted from them was another minute in which something could wrong, everything from the things that Hikari hoped would happen, to perhaps a dozen different things that would work against them both. But at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to do something abusive to them. If this failed to get her what she wanted and they got away, then the sisters would have tangible evidence of their abduction, something they could potentially use against the two of them. Which came down to a question; how far was Yukari willing to push the situation before she finally gave it up as a bad job and let them go. And how far could Hikari go without setting her off to do something dangerous and very stupid.
All these things passed through Hikari's mind as she watched Yukari…and shivered when the woman just smiled. Her eyes lighting up with cruel inspiration.
"You know, I think I just realized why you're dressed like that," Yukari finally said, nodding with satisfaction.
"You do?" Shiro asked while both Horaki sisters just froze.
"Of course I do. Isn't it obvious?" Yukari demanded playfully. Then she looked predatorily at the disguised girl. "It's because she's trying to lose weight."
"Huh?" Shiro gasped. This time with the sisters echoing him.
"But of course! I mean, look at her! All dressed up that way? Why else would anybody do something like that…except to sweat off a few extra pounds?" Yukari asked incredulously, gesturing at the girl. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Unsure of what Yukari was playing at but not knowing what else to do, Hikari eventually just smiled nervously. "Uh, sure! Right! I mean…what else?"
"I knew it!" Yukari declared, snapping her fingers with a dramatic flourish. "Oh, and all this time, I thought you little things might actually be up to something sneaky." The woman gave a rueful shake of her head. "I guess that shows what I know. Isn't that right, Shiro?"
Clearly in the dark, Shiro rolled his eyes from one side to the other. "Well…whatever you say, Yukes."
"You know…I feel so stupid!" Yukari went on, throwing down of her hands. "Here I am, putting you two through all of this, and all for something so ridiculous." The woman then went on, making a show of shaking her head in dismay. A show that sent another chill rushing down Hikari's spine. "I'm sorry. I really must apologize."
Without a clue as to what Yukari was playing at, but already certain that she wouldn't like it, Hikari just shrugged helplessly. "It's no big deal," she murmured noncommittally. Then, with a faint hope, she asked, "So…does this mean we can go now?"
"What? You mean…you won't even let me make it up to you?" Yukari asked, once again with that wounded pout of hers. When the Horaki sisters just frowned their befuddlement, she once again smiled. "You wanted to lose some weight, right? Well, it just happens that I know the perfect way for you to do that. And it's right…over there."
Frowning as Yukari pointed, the disguised girl followed the outstretched finger with her eyes. What she saw down the way was a large, metal door, with some kind of gauges and controls at its side. "What is it?"
"Oh, it's this simply marvelous device the boys here use to keep loose and trim…called a steam room," Yukari explained. Hikari's sagged as her concerns developed into full-blown fears, fears that grew even larger as the woman grinned eagerly. "I figure…a few minutes in there should help you sweat off some of those ugly pounds. And I bet it works wonders with acne, too."
"A steam room?!" Nozomi gasped, her eyes rounding with horror. Eyes that found her sister's, and expanded her own terror.
Gulping loudly, Hikari gave their captors a crooked smile. Raising her hands in protest, she said, "Uh, that's okay. I mean – you don't have to…"
"But I insist!" Yukari smiled. A smiled that turned into a frown of cruelty as she looked towards her pet idiot. "Shiro! Why don't you help the little thing in?"
"No! You can't!" Nozomi shrieked as Shiro moved to pick Hikari up. She grabbed hold of Yukari's arm with her free hand and looked pleadingly at their captor. "The heat! It'll -!"
"It'll do what?" Yukari asked, her words dripping with sweet concern. "Is there something wrong with the poor thing that I should know about? Something…you wish to tell me?"
Letting out a tiny gasp, Nozomi froze up. She didn't move, didn't speak. She just sat there, paralyzed by Yukari's venomous gaze. Until finally, she looked over at her sister, asking with her eyes as to what she should do.
Hikari sat in silence, looking between the two of them, and quickly considered the situation. On the one hand, a trip to the steam room would be potentially disastrous for her. But at the same time, she was certain that Yukari couldn't push too hard, if for no other reason than to keep from putting her own head on the chopping block.
And more to the point, she needed to stall. Needed to buy as much time as possible in order to find some way out of this mess. No matter what it took, if for no other reason than telling these two the truth of her condition could never be an option. So after several seconds of rapidly considering the situation from the various angles, she gave a tiny shake of her head, a shake that left Nozomi to lower her gaze somberly.
With a shrug, Yukari sighed and looked at her boy toy. "Well, in that case…"
Quickly processing the look, Shiro grinned brightly. "Right!" the jock returned. Before she could say a word of protest, Hikari felt his hands about her waist and heaving her up on his shoulder.
"No! Stop it! Let her go!" Nozomi cried out while Hikari was carried away. The middles sister helpless to do anything but watch as Nozomi drifted further away from her. Her terrified face the focus of her entire world.
"Now, now! Don't worry about her! I'm sure a good steam bath is just the thing to help her relax," Yukari cooed poisonously. "And after she's done in there, we can all have a nice little…chat."
"Right!" Shiro grinned as he pulled the door open. "Now in ya go, brat!"
The world spun about Hikari as she flew through the air, before she crashed to the tiled floor with a sickening lurch. Stars and comets passing before her eyes, the middle Horaki sister groaned miserably as she struggled to her knees. Her ears filled with the sound of metal screeching, she looked up just in time to see the door slide close, followed by a clicking noise. Once Hikari had succeeded in struggling her way back to her feet, she staggered forward and crashed against the door. To her dismay but not her surprise, the huge door was solidly locked.
"Say, Yukes? What setting should I put this thing on?" Shiro's muffled voice wondered.
"Well, let's see. Fat can be such a stubborn thing. Not at all cooperative," Yukari murmured thoughtfully. "And with something like that, nothing short of maximum will do the job."
Gasping at this, as well as the muffled cry from Nozomi, Hikari's heart sank even more when she heard Shiro answer, "Heh heh! You got it!" Then another sound was heard, one that had Hikari jump back fearfully. When she looked about, she saw white mist begin flowing into the room. Mist that filled with the room with the most horrible heat…
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"There. That should do it," Yukari murmured, pure pleasure creasing her face. "A few minutes should be all it takes to loosen that little tongue of hers."
"Say, Yukes…are you sure about this?" Shiro commented, wearing a look of concern as he came back toward them. "I thought we didn't want to mess them up! I mean, the police…!"
"Of course I'm sure. That's the beauty of it," Yukari grinned in that calculated fashion of hers. "Torn up clothes, bruises, scrapes and scratches, that's the kind of thing that leads to trouble," she explained carelessly. Then she directed a knowing smile at the other Horaki sister. "But little girls do all kinds of stupid things. Especially where their figures are concerned."
"Hikari doesn't," Nozomi gritted, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "Please, just let her go! She isn't going to tell you anything, so why -?!"
"Oh, I'm sure she'll talk, sooner or later," Yukari broke in. "After all, there's nothing quite like a steam bath to leave a person feeling mellow…talkative." Then she leaned in and looked that much more intently at the little girl. "And I'm sure it'll work wonders on her face as well."
"Her face?" Shiro wondered, even as the full impact of what was happening slammed into Nozomi.
"Why sure. All that steam should do a simply marvelous job of cleaning up her face," Yukari beamed brightly. "And I have to admit that I'm looking forward to getting a good look at her." She then returned her attention to Nozomi, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Besides, all that makeup isn't good for acne, anyway."
Yukari began to chuckle beneath her breath. A low, cruel sound that began to eat away at Nozomi's hopes as the little girl turned her gaze towards the steam room that held her sister captive. All too capable of imagining the pain and misery Hikari was being forced to endure at that very moment.
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And I used to think that a steam bath might be nice?! Hikari grimaced, sweat pouring from every square millimeter of skin she possessed.
The Horaki family matriarch could barely see her hand in front of her face. Though it had only been just over a minute since the heated vapors had begun flowing in, they had already filled the steam room and Hikari's eyes, leaving her sweltering within its cruel embrace. Every breath she took filled her lungs with heated water, and her disguise was already soaked through. She had already shed her hood, letting her blazingly red hair spill out in matted clumps, but it didn't help. Nothing she could think of could ever have helped.
I didn't think it would be this bad! Hikari thought woefully as she felt at the door. Desperate to find any weakness, any way of forcing it back open. But no matter how she pushed against it, no matter how hard she pulled on the handle, it refused to budge so much as an inch for her. I…I have to get out of here! I can't take this much longer!
Her breaths coming out in ragged heaves, Hikari winced as her eyes were repeatedly stung with sweat. Raising her forearm, she groaned as she mopped off her brow, only to wince as even more salty liquid fell into her eyes. Blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to clear them, Hikari was once again gazing at the door that held her captive…and her own arm.
Unable to even think, Hikari just stood there, staring at the sleeve of her sweatshirt. A sleeve that was stained with sweat…and makeup. She stood there, and studied her arm, until she finally pulled back her sleeve, and examined herself. At the green skin that marked the change that she had undergone.
Of course… Hikari thought slowly, her mind going numb at the realization. I'd almost forgotten, but…maybe there's another way out of this! With this thought, Hikari's mind blazed into a kind of overdrive, trying to reconstruct everything that had been happening that day. All the changes she had been through, the bizarre capabilities she had displayed.
Okay, think! What can I do? Hikari demanded of herself, trying to divert her attention from the present to earlier this morning. To when her life had been thrown into chaos, and the way her new body had responded to that chaos. And how she had fallen through the floor of Nozomi's room, as well as the living room floor and a table, and how she had been able to change back to her own body, if only for a short time.
As disturbing as these memories were, Hikari forced herself to stay calm, to focus on the implications of these events, these hints of her new capabilities. All right. I was able to move through solid matter…and to change my shape. At least enough to look normal. So…how do I use these to get out of here?!
After a few moments' consideration, Hikari decided that shape shifting was of no use in this situation. Even if she could somehow squeeze herself through the seams in the between the door and its frame, which she wasn't willing to bet, she doubted that her disguise that could make that trip. And even if she could, all that would do was to put herself in full view of Yukari and Shiro while she was betraying the full extent of her transformation.
Still…if I can change back to myself…look normal again… Hikari frowned in consideration, only to shake her head at this. No, that won't help. I wasn't able to hold it very long this morning, and if we can't get away before I change back, then that'll be it! Then she gave another thought. But if…I could somehow change into something big and nasty…something to scare them away…
Hikari then frowned in consideration. Never minding the fact that she didn't know how to change her shape, even forgetting the fact that she had no idea what limitations that power might have, there was still a major problem. Namely, she would still have to go the one and only door the steam room had. Which would have the same result as if she tried to squeeze her way out.
So that just leaves me with this whole…moving through walls and whatever, Hikari finally decided, almost choking on the idea. Not only was the concept of doing something like that so impossible, so alien for her that it bordered on utter lunacy, but with it came a thousand different little fears. Was she even capable of doing it of her own will, and even if she did, what would happen then? Would she wander into a room full of people, would she start to fall until she sank to the very center of the earth, would she become trapped within a wall and slowly suffocate, would she…?
Wincing at this torrent of horrors, Hikari brought both her hands to her hand. Stop it, stop it, just stop it! she screamed at herself. You don't have any choice, remember?! If this damned steam doesn't cook you into submission, sooner or later, those creeps out there will open this thing up and see how you look without any war paint! She then backed up statement by running her hand along her cheek, and was rewarded by a large streak of overcooked makeup that was already dripping to the floor. And although she didn't have a mirror, Hikari could easily guess what her face looked like.
You see that? Hikari told herself, forcing herself to focus on the hand in question. Well, unless you want to land on every tabloid on the planet, you better find a way to make this crazy body of yours do what you want it to, and fast!
This image all the incentive she needed, Hikari looked about, trying to plan her next move. While she hadn't been able to make much sense of the layout while Shiro had carried her there, she figured that the best way to go would the back way, simply because the sides had too great a chance of forcing her back to the locker room, and she wasn't ready for that. Not just yet.
Placing her hands against the tiled wall, Hikari felt at it. It seemed depressingly solid, especially in the face of the fact that what she was planning to do seemed utterly impossible. Something that felt like it was out of a dream, rather than had actually happened.
But it did happen! You know that! Nozomi and Kodama, they both mentioned it, remember? Hikari told herself as she felt against the wall. All you have to do is find some way to make it happen again! Drawing back her hand, Hikari studied it before returning her eyes to the wall, and then back again. Then she remembered what had happened before, when she had changed shapes beneath her blankets. How she had pictured herself in her normal body. So maybe…if I concentrate on being less dense, on being ghostlike…would that do it?
The notion seemed impossible to Hikari. Completely ludicrous. But then another drop of sweat in her face, another weak breath as she realized that her strength was continuing to fail within this chamber of liquid heat, and she realized that she had no other choice.
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she gazed at her hand. Focused on it becoming lest substantial, picturing it be able to move through the wall before her like it was simple air. Breathing as evenly as she could, she slowly moved her hand towards the wall, awaiting the touch of the moist tiles…only to gasp as her forearm passed through without resistance.
"Whoa!" Hikari gasped, her face falling in shock as she looked at her arm, already halfway into the wall. Pulling it out as if she had been burned, she then held it up to her face and studied it. It looked the same; no sign of burns or injuries or anything of that nature.
Frowning, Hikari once again tried. Like before, her flesh met with no resistance, and she pushed it even further in. She encountered no problem until her sleeve met with the wall. Unlike her body, it stopped at the wall, and began running up her arm.
Great. It looks like I won't be able to bring my disguise with me, Hikari thought, recalling this happening before. How she had left her pajamas in Nozomi's room when she had fallen through the floor. Shaking her head disgustedly at this very real limitation, the green girl turned and looked at the room. A room that was becoming more and more unbearable with each passing second. I guess I'll just have to deal with that later! Unless I want the bitch and bozo to catch me without my face on!
Clenching her fists and sucking in breath after nervous breath, Hikari stepped back and forth, gathering up the courage to take the plunge. Finally, she focused on making herself as insubstantial as possible, on passing right through the wall before her, just before she leapt at it.
The instant she slammed into the wall, Hikari felt her clothes fall away…just before she found herself effectively blinded. Her eyes could still see, but it was sight that was so thoroughly distorted that she couldn't make process the information her eyes were providing. Adding to this was the fact that she couldn't make sense of up and down anymore, couldn't feel any currents of air, couldn't tell which way she was going, or anything of that nature.
Just as suddenly as Hikari was immersed in this madness, she was free of it. Once again light filled her eyes, she felt air against her skin. And to her delight, it was cool, clean air. Not even a trace of the steam that had been slowly cooking her alive.
I…I did it! Hikari grinned, unable to help herself. Her arms waving in the air, the mutated girl felt a wave of exultation overtake her. Not only was free of the cursed steam, but she had made the transition without incident. None of the horrid worst-case scenarios she had envisioned for herself had occurred. Instead, moving through the wall had been almost ridiculously easy. And perhaps best of all, the gym was empty. Nobody was there to catch her, undisguised and unclothed.
Okay, that's one problem down. Now to figure out where I am, Hikari told herself as she looked about. It wasn't long before she saw that she was in what could only have been a gym. Of course. What else would be right next to the guys' locker room? she asked herself, almost laughing at her own stupidity. Okay, now, let's see…where is the locker room from here?
Hikari once again began looking about, surveying her surroundings. A quick look to her left was all it took for her to find what she was looking for. Bingo! the green-skinned girl thought with delight as she spotted the sign that marked the door that she was looking for. Only to frown in confusion as she studied its position.
Wait a minute. That's pretty low to the ground, Hikari frowned as she looked more closely at the sign. Only to frown even more as she realized that the sign wasn't the only problem. The way her surroundings looked to her, the perspective was completely wrong. Unless… Hikari thought with widening eyes, eyes she quickly directed down at the floor. A floor that was a good five to six below her feet.
"What the -!?" Hikari screeched, her mind going completely empty. At which point whatever force that was holding her up decided to stop working, and she wound up crashing to the floor.
Stunned by both realization and the throbbing pain that was now shooting through her body, Hikari groaned miserably as she sat herself up. Giving a quick shake of her head to clear it, the mutated girl was soon struggling to her feet, once again desperate to get a handle on her situation.
What the…what was…?! Hikari thought, unable to comprehend what had happened. Then she once again shook her head, this time to free of it errant thoughts. Damn, I don't have time for this! Any second now, those two creeps could either open up the steam room or decide to hurt Nozomi! And I have to do something! I have to stop them!
Though her body was badly shaken, felt a certain amount of strain from having done what she had done, and her nerves rattled beyond anything Hikari could have ever imagined, the picture of her sister in the clutches of that maniac Yukari was enough to help her find her feet again. Feeling the cool wood beneath her feet, the mutated girl moved closer to the door, and cracked it open. As carefully as she could, she slowly craned her head in, trying to catch a glimpse of either her abductors or her sister. She saw nothing of them.
However, she could still feel that strange sensation she now associated with Yukari. That air of cruelty was like a scent guiding her. Completely unmistakable. And then Hikari heard something that clinched it for her. Shiro's voice echoing forth, asking, "So much longer do you think the brat's gonna need to cook before she finally gives up?"
"Don't know," Yukari replied easily. "To be honest, I'd have thought that the little thing would have been begging for mercy by now."
"No way! Not my sister!" piped up Nozomi.
While Hikari was smiling at her sibling's enthusiasm, Shiro was saying, "Hey, I'm not liking this! What if she's fainted in there?! Or maybe she's -?!"
"Please! More likely the little thing is faking it. Hoping we'll open up before she's…well done," Yukari decided. There was a pause before she finally said, "Give it another minute or so, then check on her."
Another minute, Hikari thought worriedly as she eased her way all the way through the door and carefully closed it behind her. She had roughly sixty seconds in which to take action, and she knew that she would have to make her next move count. And she already knew what that move would be. What it would have to be.
Okay, I gotta think! Gotta think of something! Hikari thought rapidly, knowing that she had to think of something that would scare or at least startle her adversaries into leaving the room. Something that would give her time to get Nozomi out of there, as well as retrieve her clothes without an audience. Something scary, something scary…!
Unfortunately for Hikari, she soon found herself hard-pressed to think of something that would do the job. About the only frightening things she could think of were monsters and aliens straight from horror movies, and in all honesty, she never found them very frightening to begin with. Not only did she not approve of slasher films on principle, but she also considered them as fodder for the intellectually deprived.
Besides, they'd probably think it was just some kid in a costume. Which wouldn't be that far off, Hikari frowned, giving a quick shake of her head. No, that won't do the job! But what else is there?!
Precious seconds ticked away, seconds that left Hikari in a nervous sweat as she culled up one monstrous image after another, only to banish it back to the depths of her mind. A mental search that was interrupted when Yukari's voice penetrated her thoughts. "This is taking too long, Shiro," the woman grumbled unhappily. "Why don't you knock on the door, see if she's still home."
Aw, damn! Hikari swore inwardly, bringing her hands to her temples. Gotta think! Something scary, something scary, something scary -!
At the very moment, an image occurred to Hikari. An image of something that had truly frightened her, of something other than some movie horror. A being that she herself had seen, on the day an Angel had invaded Tokyo-3.
The sun had been setting on the city that was her home, and Hikari had been going to school, acting on what she viewed as being part of her duties as class representative. She had heard several of the boys in her class talking about how they were planning on sneaking back up to the roof of their school later that day so they could catch sight of the massive Evangelions as they set forth to battle the latest Angel. And Hikari, knowing full well the potential of them coming to harm out there, had decided to walk to the school, and make sure they got out of there before any combat began.
So there Hikari had been walking along the streets with the immense form of the Angel off in the distance, when the earth began to tremble. And the pigtailed matron, startled by the sound and the shock, had looked about wildly in search for its source, and found it. A sight that was huge and terrible and emptied her mind of all thoughts.
It was huge. Gigantic beyond Hikari's ability to wrap her mind around it. A figure with armored skin that was shaded dark purple, with a horn sprouting from its head. And the hideous face the thing possessed, the feel of the very air coming off that hideous monster of humanity's creation…
Instantly seizing on the mental image, Hikari concentrated on it. Focusing on it as her own body. Picturing that dangerously powerful body as her own, green shifting to purple, flesh changing to armor, her eyes changing from red to white. And to her surprise, she felt her form immediately begin to change.
Of course, I have no idea if this is even going to work the way I want! Hikari thought ruefully, despite the fact that her body continued to flow about mercurially. I just hope that whatever I'm turning into, it looks freaky enough to do the job! Just as this thought ran its course, the girl felt something that she had not expected. A minor pain as her head clonked into something.
"Huh?!" Hikari grumbled aloud. Or at least, that was what she had tried to say. Instead, what came out of her throat was a guttural, metallic screech. One that startled her into trying to stand straight, only to wind up crashing her head again. Completely confused, she quickly knelt back down, and looked for whatever obstruction she was bonking into.
The ceiling. Her mouth falling open, Hikari stared at a ceiling that had once been several feet overhead, and was now an inch away. Maybe even less.
While Hikari was trying to figure out what happened and how much she had changed, another voice intruded. "Hey, what was that? Is there somebody there?!" came Shiro's loud voice, his equally loud footsteps echoing to the mutated girl's ears. She looked back down just in time to see the jock in question stride confidently into view. "Whoever you are, you better get out of here, if you know what's good for…"
Her mouth popping open, Hikari could only stand there, watching as Shiro looked up at her. To her astonishment, the jock looked smaller to her. Much smaller. And even more surprising, his once swaggering expression fell into one of astonished terror. The color faded from his features, leaving his face a ghostly white, even as eyes and mouth popped wide open.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Shiro finally screamed, his body going rigid.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Hikari screeched in response. A sound that sounded like various shards of metal scraping against each other, and one that made Shiro scream that much more.
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"Aahh! Ahhh!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Shiro, what are you doing?!" Yukari asked impatiently as Nozomi cringed in terror. "Who or what is in there?! And what the hell is that -?!"
The only answer Yukari got was Shiro running back into sight, looking as if the very hordes of hell were dogging his heels. A high-pitched keening of terror his only answer as he shot past them both. Once the jock was gone from sight, Yukari and Nozomi instinctively looked at each other, both their faces blank before they looked back in the direction the jock had come from. Just in time to see the thing that had terrified him stomp into view…and send their minds into chaos.
It was huge. Ten feet tall if it was an inch. So massive that it was forced to hunch over just to get into the locker room proper. Its appearance was humanoid, but seem distorted. Alien. Its body was covered in purple and green armor, and as for its face…
Nozomi could feel that hideous face burning into her young mind for all eternity. Two baleful yellow eyes leered from slits in its face, a single horn sprouted from the monster's forehead, and its mouth hung open, revealing hideous, metallic teeth. And it was moving, scrambling towards them, sometimes on its feet, and others on all fours.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Nozomi screamed, falling off the bench.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Yukari agreed. The cruel woman not wasting any further breath as she sprang from the bench and ran in the general direction Shiro had left in.
Do her best to recover so that she could follow her abductor's example, the youngest Horaki propped herself up just in time to see the monster stagger up to where she had crashed to the floor. "Nozomi…!" the thing muttered, its horrendous voice sending the little girl scooting back on the floor. "Arrre yooou all riiight…?"
"Get away from me!!!!" Nozomi screamed in response, scooting backwards on her butt. The monster than reached out and took hold of her shoulder, causing the girl to shield her face with her forearms. "No! Please don't kill me!!"
"Nozoomi, iit's ookay!" the monster rasped out, leveling its face so that it could look directly at her. "Iit's mee! Hiikari!!"
This final word penetrating Nozomi's consciousness, the little girl went rigid with surprise. Lowering her arms slightly, she could only sit there and watch as the monster gasped in surprise…and began to change. Its entire body began to ripple like liquid, the purple lightening into a green as the mercurial flesh swirled about, becoming smaller and softer. Until at last, it returned to the green-skinned entity that her sister had become this morning.
As Nozomi looked at Hikari's smiling face, so familiar despite the transformation, the little girl instantly leapt up and wrapped her arms about her. "Sister!!" Nozomi squealed happily, pressing her cheek to Hikari's own. Then she pulled back and stared at her sibling. "But…how'd you do that?! And…where are your clothes?!"
"I kinda had to leave them behind," Hikari grumbled, rolling her crimson eyes. "C'mon! We have to get out of here before those two come back!" At this, she started helping Nozomi to her feet, then she looked over towards the steam room. "We better get my clothes, though. We can't leave anything behind!"
"Right!" Nozomi agreed as Hikari started towards the dreaded steam room. Following close behind, she watched as her mutated sibling worked the controls, turning off the steam and heat. Once this was done, Hikari unlocked and pulled the door open. She then visibly winced as a wave of steam poured out from the door.
"Ugh!" Hikari moaned, backing away from the heated mist.
Immediately seeing the problem, Nozomi came forward. "Don't worry, I'll get them!" she told her, holding up her hands to the green girl before darting into the room that had been Hikari's prison before she could protest. With the steam fading away, it didn't take Nozomi long before she found the pile of sodden fabric against the far wall. Hefting the pile up, the youngest Horaki quickly dashed back and looked her sister in the face.
"Here's your clothes, sister," she murmured apologetically. When Hikari groaned unhappily, Nozomi shrugged in a sheepish manner. "I don't think you'll be able to wear them for a while, though."
"Great. Just great," Hikari muttered, looking down at herself.
"What's wrong?" Nozomi asked, genuinely confused by this. "It looks like you've figured out how to do the shape-changing bit! So what's…?"
"It's like happened before. I just couldn't…hold the change any longer!" Hikari explained, shaking her head ruefully. "And the way I'm feeling now…I don't think I can do that again."
"Then what are you going to do?" Nozomi wondered, looking down at the misshapen lump of cloth in her hands.
Hikari frowned in thought for a moment, then looked at Nozomi with the air of command which she always wore in the house. "Do you have your cell phone with you?" she asked, to which Nozomi promptly nodded. "Then call Kodama! Let her know where we are, and ask if there's any place close by where we can meet her!"
"Okay!" Nozomi nodded. Reaching into her pocket, the little girl brought forth her cell, but then she frowned intently. "But what about you? If you can't change for very long, then how…?"
This had Hikari frowning herself. "I don't know. I know I don't have enough energy to try another big change like that," she admitted, looking down at her transformed self. Then her eyes narrowed with thought. "But…maybe…"
"Maybe what?" Nozomi asked. Hikari didn't answer this. Instead, she closed her eyes in concentration, and once again, her body rippled. Small patches of flesh stretched out from her skin, shifting from green to red as they covered her breasts and nether regions. Her legs from the thighs down also shifted, and soon it looked like Hikari was wearing a set of red thigh-high boots and a swimsuit with a diamond-shaped hole revealing her abdomen.
As Nozomi looked on in awe, Hikari opened her eyes and studied the results. "Well, this doesn't feel too bad. I think I can hold this without too much trouble," she finally stated. "And at least I don't look naked." Apparently satisfied with this, the green girl looked at her sister, only to frown when she saw Nozomi smiling deeply at her. "What? What is it?"
"You know something, sister?" Nozomi grinned, a few snickers escaping her lips. "I bet a cape would look great with that!"
Rolling her eyes at this, Hikari let go an irritated growl before she said, "We don't have time for this, Nozomi! Just make the call before those two come back and cause even more trouble!"
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Author's Notes: Ugh. The chapters just keep getting longer, and that much harder to crank out. Still, I hope everyone will read and review. And maybe check out my other stories.
Now, I'm sure that people who are familiar with J'onn Jon'zz's powers will be confused by Hikari's frequent power failures. Well, I won't get it into now, but I will tell you that there is a very valid reason for why she's having so much trouble right now. And not just because she's inexperienced with them.
Mike313, this is where I once again have to admit that I am not the most familiar with DC characters and their powers. That's one of the reasons I decided on Martian Manhunter for Hikari, simply because his powers have been so varied and so rewritten that it leaves me with a fair amount of room to play with, including his weaknesses. But given the fact that Tokyo-3's temperatures regularly hit the eighties and nineties, and Hikari was wearing sweats for her disguise, it wouldn't take much time for her to start cooking.
animefan29, what can I say? When you're right, you're right! Hikari's going to be finding out a lot about herself before she gets done with this mess. And I have to admit, I like the idea of some comedy relief in my stories.
And speaking of which…
Omake
"Aahh! Ahhh!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Shiro, what are you doing?!" Yukari asked impatiently as Nozomi cringed in terror. "Who or what is in there?! And what the hell is that -?!"
The only answer Yukari got was Shiro running back into sight, looking as if the very hordes of hell were dogging his heels. A high-pitched keening of terror his only answer as he shot past them both. Once the jock was gone from sight, Yukari and Nozomi instinctively looked at each other, both their faces blank before they looked back in the direction the jock had come from. Just in time to see the thing that had terrified him stomp into view…and send their minds into chaos.
"She-Hulk smash!!" roared a gigantic, green woman that stomped her way into the locker room. The immense nude female stomped her way up to Yukari, who was jabbering in fear. Without hesitation, the monster reared back an enormous green fist, and sent it flying straight into the cruel woman's face.
"Oh, shit!" Yukari cried out as she was sent flying through the ceiling. Her flight leaving a large, gaping hole behind. Something that resulted in a vicious chuckle erupting from the green woman's throat.
As soon as she recovered, Nozomi gave her rescuer a look of confusion. "Sister, what do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. "This is a DC Superwoman story! You're not supposed to be going around as She-Hulk!"
"Hey, gimme a break, Nozomi!" Hikari grumbled, a big smile plastered on her face. "I was just having a little fun!" Then the gamma mutated girl placed her hands to her shapely hips and added, "And considering the pounding my SOE counterpart got from She-Hulk in "Emerald Fury", I thought it might be interesting to give this kind of muscle a try myself."
"Uh-huh," Nozomi grumbled, rolling her eyes.
"And besides, who wouldn't love to have a body like this?" Hikari asked, flexing a mountainous muscle and smiling at the result. "Oh, yeah…"
"I don't believe this! Why do you all get to have all the fun being a superwoman?!" Nozomi whined grumpily. "Me and Kodama never even got to appear in the show!"