Late Night Bite

You meet the weirdest people when you're out late. But not even Solin could've predicted just who would turn up when she's tired, alone, and hungry...not to mention completely defenceless.

Or, the author can't wait until the new DLC pack comes out and had to write something to tide her over. This will most likely become very AU once the next batch of missions come in.

"Here you go, one traffic accident on a plate." Solin raised her head from her hands, taking in the mishmash of pasta, sauce and what might've been meatballs at some point. Sesa's description wasn't that far off the mark, but at the moment, Solin was more interested in the steam coming off it, and the gorgeous smell.

Reaching for her fork and giving it another quick stir, Solin gave the waitress a tired grin, "Sesa, I refuse to believe you're still single."

"That an offer?"

"Keep feeding me at three in the morning, and it will be." The majin just waved her off and headed back into the kitchen, leaving Solin to her early morning snack. She hadn't done this since basic training, but there she was, a hoodie thrown over the tank top and shorts she usually slept in, and unlaced tennis shoes on her feet. Sometimes, living right next door to what was usually the busiest place in the city had its perks.

Tonight though, it was just Solin, Sesa, and the giant pile of dishes that the majin was currently dealing with. She'd waved off the offer of help, claiming that Solin was likely to drop as many as she cleaned in her current state, something the blonde had grudgingly accepted, before setting her head down for a power nap. Once her stupid stomach had been appeased, she could just head back to her room and get another few hours, maybe more if she felt up to writing a quick note for her sister.

It was maybe about halfway into the pasta that the bell above the door tinkled, Sesa coming out to see who the newest customer was. After a second, Solin followed suit, her sluggish mind growing a little more alert at the unfamiliar face. It wasn't like she knew everyone in the city, but she'd definitely never seen anybody like this.

As if sharing the concern, Sesa's voice was more than little off as she asked the stranger if she could get him anything. He seemed to consider it before nodding, "I wouldn't say no to a sandwich. That is, if you're still serving."

"24 hour service here. Any particular filling?"

"Surprise me." The stranger kept the smile on his face, like he was completely unaware of the two women's suspicion of him. In fact, he probably was, if the way he moved closer to Solin's seat, hovering awkwardly was any indication. "May I?"

"Might as well." Turning back to her food, Solin made sure to get a good look as she did, mulling his appearance over. He had purple skin and white hair in a ponytail, but it wasn't that that drew Solin's eye, nor the sword he wore at the base of his spine (though she was smart enough to be wary of that). Even his glasses didn't raise much suspicion. No, her interest lay with something else entirely. "Do you have a name?" She asked mildly.

He seemed to hesitate before giving it. "Fu. And you're Solin Ward, right?"

"Not many people know the second name. Mind if I ask where you heard it?"

Fu put a hand to the back of his head in embarrassment, and Solin briefly wondered if she was imagining how his cheeks got a little darker. "Caught on the first hurdle. I'm not exactly from here, you see..."

"You're from the future," Solin shrugged, "So are a lot of people in Conton." A stubborn meatball that refused to go on her fork halted the exchange briefly, but it was soon speared, the blonde continuing as she brought it to her mouth, "How far forwards?"

"Enough that you and your sister have become somewhat legendary. And isn't that always the first thing you do when given the chance to time travel? Meet the legends?"

If that was what he had come here for, then he was damned good at hiding his disappointment, Solin decided. Still, if nothing else, it just proved how good a liar he actually was. Wondering how best to go about it, Solin eventually decided to go with the time honoured method of leaping now, looking later.

It hadn't killed her yet after all.

Fiddling with her fork like it was the most interesting thing on her mind, Solin went to ask the question, but Sesa's reappearance, chicken salad sandwich in hand made her pause, Fu similarly going quietly. "Are you sure this is all you want?" The majin asked, catching the look in Solin's eye. "We do a mean pasta. Just ask Big Mouth there."

"You've been talking to Grainy, I see." Solin playfully scowled, drawing a laugh from her friend as she went back to the kitchen, and out of the possible danger zone.

Ignoring Fu's slightly confused look, the blonde polished off the last of her pasta and pushed her plate away, sitting back to let it all go down while he started to pick at the sandwich. It wasn't until she heard the back door close with a quiet click, and she was certain that it was clear that she sighed. "No, it's not."

Having caught him with his mouth full, she was forced to wait until he swallowed, suddenly aware of how Grainy and Trunks must've felt every time they went to dinner together. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

"This isn't your first trip into the past. If anything, I'd say it has to be at least the third. First the tournament with Universe Six, and then the Zero Mortal Plan." Keeping her tone neutral, she turned her head towards him, already feeling her fingers twitching into fists. And then, her patience was rewarded.

The shift was gradual, but still very glaring, as the quiet smile switched to a dark, scheming smirk, as his posture straightened until the nervous young man from before was completely gone. One hand pushed away the sandwich, while the other adjusted his glasses. "Dare I ask what gave me away?" He scoffed when she refused to grace him with a response, but the brief flicker of her eyes was more than enough, "Ah, my ears of course. You've probably only seen Kais or Demons that look like me, and since I don't wear potara…" Even his voice had changed, becoming more confident, and just a little bit condescending.

"Am I wrong?"

"Of course you're not." Fu twisted the stool around so they were facing each other properly, leaning on the counter as he did, "The question is, what are you planning to do with that information, because with your intelligence, you must know that a fight is not on the cards?"

"And why not?" When her fingers twitched this time, Solin didn't stop them from curling properly.

Giving her hands a quick look, Fu raised an eyebrow, "Forgetting the fact that you just ate almost your weight in pasta and are likely running on adrenaline rather than any full rest? If you were your sister, I doubt I'd leave here without taking some damage. But you? You fight with no control, no care for your surroundings. Even the simplest technique in your hands could bring both this building down, and the one next door. Would you risk the safety of so many people just to get at me?" Firmly locking her jaw, Solin didn't vocally respond, which was just the answer Fu had been expecting. "Of course you could just punch me until I was laid out on the floor, but again, you're not Grainy. Whereas she has sacrificed her defence for speed, you prefer the opposite. By the time you threw the first punch, I'd be centuries away, far out of your grasp."

"So just like every other Demon who tries fucking with time, you're an arrogant coward who only shows himself when he knows he's safe." Solin shook her head, lips forming a bitter smirk. "I don't know why I was expecting anything else."

"On the contrary, I came here because I genuinely did want to meet the legends I have chosen as my opponents. Nola Pastel, the godkiller, and Solin Ward…" He slowly leaned closer, ignoring how she tensed up as he whispered in her ear, "The girl responsible for killing my parents."

As he pulled away, Fu took a small amount of pleasure in the utter shock on Solin's face. He was almost disappointed that she hadn't guessed everything, but then, he did admit that he didn't quite match the other denizens of the Demon Realm. Well, one couldn't have everything. "I hope you enjoyed our first few clashes, even if you didn't know who you were facing. Rest assured, that will be remedied very soon."

Giving his sandwich an almost longing look, Fu slowly rose from his seat, unsurprised when Solin rose to meet him, even if her small stature lessened the effect somewhat. "Until we meet again."

"That might be sooner than you think."

Snorting to himself, and turning on his heel, Fu walked towards the door with one hand on his sword hilt. He was almost halfway there when he suddenly whirled around, slicing the beam that Solin had launched neatly in two. The now separate streams were just weak enough that they left only small scorch marks on the wall behind him rather than decimating it. Looking at the marks with an amused smile, Fu gave her a careless shrug, completely ignorant to the hand that slowly came around the door to hold the bell. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Bringing her arm down, Solin gave a smirk before slowly moving her eyes past him, to a point above his shoulder. "You're bluffing." Fu accused, the arrogance vanishing when Grainy cracked her knuckles right behind him.

The next second flashed by, Fu just narrowly blocking the punch set for his head, his hand shaking with effort of keeping Grainy at bay. Without hesitating, Solin raced forwards, ducking into a slide to kick at his legs just as Grainy finally threw off his grip. Her hands came together to blast him while he struggled to keep his balance, even as Solin backed off to lunge again. Quickly flashing away, he took the second to breath, as both sisters dodged the other's attacks. "You might want to work on your teamwork." He huffed, trying hard to keep his breathlessness to himself.

With barely a look at each other, Solin flew at him again, while her sister stayed back to fire beam after beam, forcing him to split his attention. Only when Solin was inches away did she moved, vanishing to get him from behind again. Holding his nerve until the very last second, Fu warped away again, this time succeeding in his attempt to get away. He watched with a grimace as they collided.

Both sisters hit the ground, clutching their faces. A frantic search found their opponent in the corner, before he vanished through a small wormhole that opened at his feet, sending the furniture around him into a frenzy. Quickly throwing her arms over her head, Grainy waited until everything had clattered to the floor again before looking up, her fist smacking the ground in frustration. "Son of a-!"

"My sentiments exactly." Solin growled, sounding a lot less threatening than she might have if her nose wasn't pouring with blood. A quiet sniff just increased the flow, her hoodie sleeve doing a terrible job of soaking it up. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Sesa nearly broke the front door in knocking. She said you might be in trouble." Giving her lip a careful poke, Grainy glared at the blood on her finger tips. Unlike her sister, she kept it away from her dressing gown, grabbing a napkin off the floor instead. "So, I'm guessing that's our new friend?"

"Oh yeah. And guess who he has particular beef with?"

"Good." Grainy nodded, "It wouldn't be half as fun otherwise."