Chapter 8: Technicalities and Healing

One Naru Uzumaki-Namikaze had gone to many different schools over the years under different names. If she were honest with herself, she would say that her favorite was kindergarten. No one got mad at you when you took naps in class, you got to make a mess during art time and eat in class without getting scolded, none of the teachers ever found out that one of their pint-sized students were behind the little pranks that abounded in school and the homework was easy. For example, she could recall one of the questions her last kindergarten teacher asked: what is your favorite weather? Her answer then was rainy days.

Right now though, Megami absolutely despised the rain. Oh, don't get her wrong. She knew that rain was important to the entire world's ecosystem. Perhaps she was simply blaming the rain when she should really be mad because of the fact that there were several incredibly stupid people still out and about during the worst hurricane Beach City has ever experienced in the last five years. The city had issued hurricane warnings all week and still some people decided to brave the elements. The kunoichi would have understood if they were getting last minute supplies like food, water and batteries but they weren't! One lady looked like she was only out for a walk in a nice fur-lined coat and expensive-looking high heels. No woman would ever be caught dead in the middle of a storm wearing those unless she wanted them to be ruined beyond repair. Then, there was Bernie. He owned a newspaper stand and didn't think that anything would go wrong until his little kiosk and all his merchandise were literally blown away! It was only luck that he went out before the walls caved in and possibly hit him. Megami and her clone quickly saved them from being flattened or stabbed by more flying debris. As soon as they were somewhere safe, the two profusely thanked Megami. She accepted their gratitude when all she wanted to do was yell at them for being complete and utter morons for disregarding the storm warnings until they were huddled into little balls crying for their mothers. It was mostly because of people like them that she was chilled and soaked to the bone.

All the water was making her think back on what happened with Orm, Brak and the other soldiers. Despite how heartless she acted as the King of Atlantis' executioner, Kazumi hated herself for what she had to do. It was necessary and the law to do so to those guilty of treason but Orm, Brak and the others who betrayed the kingdom were people she had helped trained. Not only that but Brak had killed himself and she herself had made sure that Orm would never be able to return to Atlantis. Between fighting and punishing the people you trained with and doing the same with people you trained, the kunoichi had to say that the former hurt a lot more. She had been the one who watched them grow from capable and semi-capable recruits of the army to strong soldiers and had been the one to make sure they became that way. All her teachings about loyalty and combat were either forgotten or used against the very city she had trained them to protect. 'Maybe the rain isn't so bad after all,' she thought as she wiped her face. Even if she told herself that it was just the rain, Megami knew it was partially a lie.

Kazumi mentally shook her head at her thoughts. 'Ignore them. There might be more people to save.' She did and began searching the southern sector of the city while the rest of the League was doing what they can to help. Her family was assisting in the search and rescue efforts eastern area while J'onn was responsible for the western sector. Superman had Diana in the north of the city until the Amazon was told to take some time off before her homesickness got her hurt. Thankfully, the storm was already somewhat weakening by the time she left so the other heroes could handle things in Beach City while she prepared for her trip home. Flash, on the other hand, was doing what he could to help those he would come across as he ran around the city.

'I hope he's okay,' she thought. Flash was fast and much smarter than most people give him credit for but there were times when he didn't look where he was going. As if by magic, he appeared before her in a flash of red.

"Hey, Meg," he said with a carefree smile. "Miss me?"

Despite her previous dark thoughts, Megami found herself smiling at Flash. "Only if you're up for some hot chocolate since we're more or less done here," she replied. She did a quick once over and was happy that he didn't look injured. 'The wet suit does outline his toned muscles quite nicely though,' she silently thought.

He zipped up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Make it ten and I'm there."

That was when he noticed that she raised an eyebrow at him. At first he thought it was because she was surprised at the number of cups he wanted. Then the fastest man alive remembered that she flipped him over her shoulder when he wrapped an arm around her when they first met. Flash slowly let go and chuckled uneasily. "Sorry..."

"You're learning," Megami said, obviously pleased. "Remember that not every girl is a hormone-crazed fan who would fall for smooth moves and pick-up lines." She gave him a little smirk. "I don't mind as much when it's you though~ Keep that in mind and it's a date~ Head back home and change into a dry suit. I'll meet you in the café across Central City Park in about fifteen minutes, all right?" Kazumi blew him a little kiss before she used Hiraishin to get back to her condo in Metropolis.

Flash simply stood there for about two minutes. Despite his accelerated metabolism allowing his brain to process information at incredible speeds, Flash was frozen, gaping at where the woman he had a crush on used to be standing. As if someone flipped a switch, he gathered his wits and ran around the city until he spotted the three demons who were Megami's family.

Sekkou promptly put away a cellphone. "Jou-chan said that yes, it's a date. Go home, change into a dry suit and meet her at the café. Don't be late."

"Now, I don't think we have to tell you but if you ever intentionally hurt Jou-chan, the three of us can and will make your life a living hell," Keigo added like the protective father figure he was.

Kosshi smiled at him. "You have twelve minutes to get ready, Flash. Better hurry." And just like that, Flash was gone.

"Think he'll act like a lovesick young man with his first crush?" the former carriage driver asked.

Sekkou laughed. "I think he already is. With how fast he could go, it still took him about three minutes to get his butt over here so I'm thinking he stood in the rain with his mouth open for a minute or two before coming to find us."

Kosshi slyly smiled. "Just like you when I gave you permission to court me." Her husband of many times blushed hard. "You were also more than a little clumsy the weeks before you finally gathered the nerve to ask and kept stuttering the first time you proposed." The fire demon smiled happily as Kosshi kept teasing her husband and hoped that his young mistress and Flash would have a happy relationship.

At the same time Sekkou was being teased by his wife, Flash stepped into the shower and started getting ready for his date. It wasn't his first date, not by a long shot. His first date was back in high school and he had gone on several dates with other women after graduating as well. There were even times when he'd get a date as Flash and get to tell said date about his adventures. Still, there was just something about Kazumi that made her different from every other girl he ever dated. (And that's with discounting all her powers and helping save the world with her.)

There really was no difference between Wally West and Flash aside for the mask, the speed and a very slight difference in the ego. As Flash, he got offers for dates almost every week and he would regale his date with his best moments. Like any young man, having many female fans made his ego swell but it soon began to lose its luster. At times, they would make polite comments or simply listen to him talk. Other times, his ego and stories would completely annoy or bore them. It wasn't his fault as there was very little he could really talk about seeing as how no one could make the connection between Wally and Flash without consequences on his part. As Wally, he did manage to make dates more enjoyable but he would never settle down with one girl even before getting his powers. Even on the few casual dates he went on afterwards, the forensic scientist had to be careful or he'd let something slip, which made dating rather tedious because he needed to eat almost constantly throughout the date. Any idiot could possibly figure out he was the Flash if people notice how much he ate because he wasn't careful. In other words, his dating life was on the rocks.

With Megami though, he could be himself without all the secrecy and vague answers. He didn't have to hide the amount of food he ate or ramble about his superhero adventures. He could be an average everyday guy on a date just like before despite the mask and suit. It helped that he also really liked Megami.

He raced through the city and reached the café within minutes. Soon enough, he saw Megami as she turned the corner. She wasn't wearing her kunoichi clothes right now, just a simple dark red V-neck sweater and black pants. Her signature long silver hair freely danced in the wind while her violet eyes twinkled gaily. Still, Megami somehow made the simple outfit look like it had come out of the cover of a fashion magazine. Flash could also honestly say she stopped traffic with how good she looked. "Hey, Flash," she greeted. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"I just got here myself." He opened the door for her. There weren't many people as they reached the cashier so they chatted with the barista. Despite the stutters and the blushes, they had a fairly enjoyable short conversation and then the boy shyly asked for her autograph. She wrote him a quick note.

Dear Mike,

Never let anyone take away your smile,

Megami

They sat in a quiet corner as they waited for their orders. "That was a nice thing you did for Mike," Flash commented. "He hasn't been that well since his girlfriend broke up with him. Not many people would talk with a barista who keep stuttering either."

Megami giggled. "I think it's only natural he was a bit nervous. Flash coming into the café is probably normal for him since this is your city. On the other hand, I mostly only show up as Megami when there's a citywide, international or extraterrestrial crisis. Besides, I think we also shocked everyone since we're on a date." She gave him a playful smile, which he returned with a big grin.

The two superheroes didn't talk much about their adventures in their careers. They wanted to get to know each other without that part of their lives being the focus. They talked about their favorite movies, which one would have the best action scenes and which chick flick had put them to sleep the fastest. They gave a few details of the jokes and pranks they pulled of before and were planning. Flash's favorite was the time when she switched the coffeemakers of the Hokage Tower and Iruka's apartment. None of the so-called elite of Konoha could figure out why the previously divine coffee supplied in the shinobi lounge suddenly started giving them paint flavored coffee. If Iruka had taken to bringing his own coffee for his shifts in the mission room and hiding a smile behind his cup, no one noticed and he hadn't told anyone.

They spent a lot of time in the café. It had been a late July afternoon when they came in and they were still there when the stars came out. They both lost count on how many cups of coffee and hot chocolate they had. Megami jokingly commented that they ate enough cake to empty out a bakery while Flash was positive that they had enough sandwiches to triple the amount of bread the café usually bought. Megami noticed the staff staring at their little corner. "I think we made yet another scene."

"I think it's just you this time. They're used to seeing me eat. I think they're just surprised that you could eat almost as much as I do and still look so hot. We did order a lot after all." They split the bill between them and left the café.

Flash was just about to suggest a quick run around Central City before escorting her back to Metropolis when Superman called through the communicators. For some reason, Diana had practically demolished the Ancient Greek exhibit of the Museum of Natural History in Oxford (1). "Any idea what that's about," he asked his date.

"No clue. Diana must have a good reason for breaking into and trashing the museum though. All I can say is that our date either ended at almost the right time or that it's about to get really interesting and/or weird."

Flash almost winced at that. He hoped that their date ended at almost the right time. If their first date became really interesting and/or weird, there was a chance that they might not have a second date. "Is it becoming interesting and/or weird a bad thing?" he cautiously asked.

"Hmm... Weird isn't really all that bad. After all, what other couple can say that they spent part of their first date saving the world?" At Flash's amazed look, Megami smiled. "You go ahead, Hot Shot. I have to make a detour to Metropolis and change into my clothes." With that, she was gone again.

Flash ran across the ocean and said to himself. "Definitely not like other girls."

"So let's get this straight. While Megami and Flash were on a date and the rest of us were doing our own thing after dealing with Hurricane Gardner, you went back to Themyscira, found that it had been attacked and your sisters and mother had been petrified by a sorcerer. In exchange for freeing your people, this Faust person wants you to travel around the world looking for the scattered pieces of an artifact that could be anywhere in the world within 24 hours or they'll be left like that. Meanwhile, Batman is doing what he can to get as much information on this sorcerer as he can," Kosshi summarized. Megami glared at her as if asking why she just had to mention the fact that she had been on a date with Flash.

The Amazon princess nodded sadly. She knew that what she had done to the museum was wrong... maybe even illegal. It would probably be reason enough to be kicked out of the Justice League. Still, she had to continue on her quest for her home and her people. "I understand if you wish for me to leave the Justice League."

"I believe you once told Superman that it was not his fault that Carter tricked him into disarming the world's nuclear weaponry. You are in roughly the same situation," Keigo said sagely. "Also, no one could have anticipated that a guardian would be there to prevent someone taking the relic."

"I hope you realize that Faust can't be trusted though."

"Of course I don't trust this Faust," Diana said. "But what can I do?"

"I say we go there and kick that wimpy sorcerer's butt!" Flash said angrily as he ran to Diana's side.

"No. Men are forbidden to set foot on Themyscira. Besides, I gave my word that I would find these relics."

Kazumi had a determined look on her face. "Then let's find the other two relics, use the rest of the time to find out why this guy wants them and how to stop him. Then, you, Kosshi, Hawkgirl if she shows up in time, and I will go there and kick that wimpy warlock wannabe's butt and reverse the spell he has on your people." She turned to Sekkou who had been silent ever since they arrived at the museum. "Sekkou."

"Aside from the big holes in the walls and ceiling, the building is structurally sound. That wing will have to be off limits until the damage us repaired though. As for the exhibits, there's a lot of damage to the cases and duplicates. They either have to be extensively repaired or replaced altogether but luckily, all the actual artifacts are undamaged except for the vase an the stone guardian. I also checked the area and saw the police on their way here. They should get here in about five minutes."

J'onn's frown deepened. "The Thames Valley Police isn't as trusting of the Justice League as the Metropolis Police Department. It could take some time to explain the situation to them."

Megami quickly turned to their friend. "Okay. Diana, I need to know a few things. Did Faust mention anything at all on how to find the artifacts or if there were traps or guardians?"

"All he said was that the gems would react to the magic within the relics. I assume there are two others as he had given me three gems. He made no mention of guardians or traps though."

The kunoichi smirked. "That's all I need to know. Given that he gave you a time limit, we have to assume that the artifacts are either a danger to the rest of the world or he's impatient. But before we help you, we need this mess cleaned up first. All it would take is a few pulled strings, a little bit of storytelling and some cash." Diana wondered what thread had to do with explaining the situation but decided to ask another time.

"You're going to bribe the police?!"

Keigo rolled his eyes from behind his helmet. "No, Superman."

Megami chose that time to walked between Flash and Diana. She jumped off the roof of the building in time to greet the arriving officers. "Good evening to you, Inspector," she said with a perfect accent. "As I'm sure you've been informed by the night guard, Wonder Woman had some business in the museum after hours. Unfortunately, this is the result. Earlier this evening, Wonder Woman encountered a sorcerer who claimed that three artifacts that were hidden centuries ago needed to be found. He made no mention of why they should be retrieved or how they were protected but the League was in agreement that they must be a danger to the public and have the potential to change modern civilization as we know it owing to the fact that the sorcerer was quite desperate. Diana was the first to find one but she unknowingly woke a giant stone guardian. The ensuing fight caused much damage to the building but we have determined that none of the museum's ancient artifacts were damaged save for the guardian and the vase the relic was kept in. The League shall, of course, reimburse the museum for all the damage that was done."

The inspector was young; he had just gotten his rank just two weeks ago. As such, he had never had close contact with superheroes as most unnatural crises occurred across the pond. Still, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to allow the insanity that usually followed American superheroes stop him. "How are you to locate these artifacts? I believe the museum board would want to speak with Wonder Woman and the Justice League as a whole concerning the damage to the museum."

Megami took out the crystal Diana had with her as well as the piece of the relic. The princess awkwardly patted the pouch she brought with her to carry the crystal and the relic only to find it empty. "The sorcerer said that the crystals would lead us to the relics, which it did. The artifacts contain ancient magic that makes the crystal react to it. The Justice League only has a few more hours to find the other two crystals so we cannot stay. However, I shall vouch for Wonder Woman that there shall be no similar incident in the future and that the damages shall be paid for. If it is not enough, then please contact Lord Arthur Kirkland and your superior regarding this incident."

A few minutes and two phone calls later, the League was allowed to go on their way. If they weren't running or flying at breakneck speed to the Javelin, Megami would have been strutting like a peacock. Superman flew close to her. "Why did you-"

"I didn't lie to the police, Superman. I knew that lying to the police would get your knickers in a twist. Everything I said was the truth... or a version of the truth that wouldn't land Diana in the clink for breaking and entering, vandalism, theft and god knows what else the English Government would pin on her. The United Kingdom gets cranky when someone messes with their oldest university, after all. Besides, this gets Diana out of any legal trouble with the government and we get to leave on a technicality. My only problem with what I said was that I made Faust sound more like a concerned citizen rather than a sleazy, blackmailing pain in the-"

"Megami!"

She rolled her eyes. "I was going to say 'neck.' Really, Supes, you've got to lighten up a little. Oh, and Diana, you owe me for getting you out of trouble and making Faust seem like a nice guy. I still have a bad taste in my mouth for that..."

"You have my thanks, Kazumi." For some reason, the next few words made her feel as if she were walking up to an untamed chimera without any weapons or her magic armor. "How may I repay you?"

A smile bloomed on the kunoichi's face. "I'm taking you shopping. Now, on to more important matters, I can probably amplify the reactions of the crystals using some seals but it's going to take time since we're basically making two completely different arts work in tandem. If it were mortal magic, it would be so much easier since it's slightly more flexible but magic that the Greek gods use is more..."

"Sensitive?"

"Unyielding?"

"Resistant?"

Kazumi smiled at her family' suggestions. "Thanks, I was going to say 'bitchy' but your words were much nicer." She ignored the way Diana paled as they reached the Javelin.

Sekkou went into the Javelin to get the other two crystals while Keigo ordered the others to give her some room. "We're a bit pressed for time so we have to take drastic measures." She took off her gloves and handed them to Kosshi. Then, her hands became a blur that only Superman and Flash could see her making hand seals. Odd squiggles started to appear on her hands as she went through hand seal after hand seal. They almost looked like the seals she used for her fūinjutsu but they looked incomplete somehow. Only when she slammed her closed fists did something happen. A ball of swirling purple chakra formed before her hands, which she promptly sent flying to the top of a nearby wall. Instead of destroying it like they thought, the ball made a loud splat as if it had been a water balloon. The chakra oozed down the wall until it reached the ground. The chakra seemed to seep into the wall rather than drip down it and revealed an elaborate shōji door depicting grains of sand swirling in a wind.

"I just need twenty minutes or so to work on the crystals," she said distractedly. She gathered the other two crystals from Sekkou with a distracted air about her. "I'll leave the three of you to explain everything so I can get to work." The kunoichi stepped up to the doors, which opened up to reveal nothing than a bright world of white. J'onn had no idea where those doors led. It felt empty but alive somehow. It wasn't malicious but it was ominous. Their friend and ally disappeared as soon as she stepped into the light.

"What is that?" he asked the three demons.

"When Kazumi-chan first came to this world, she received an extremely huge boost in terms of power and knowledge. While her brain was able to process all the information during the time she was unconscious, she didn't have an opportunity to properly train in controlling her chakra until she left the village she was found in," the spy said.

Kosshi continued, "Because she had to regain her control as fast as possible, she used a forbidden jutsu. It would create a small pocket dimension where the flow of time is much slower than out here. A day could pass by out here but inside would be an entire year. It's great for training, catching up on paperwork or homework and generally slacking around but there's a catch. In the Hidden Continents, it was ranked as a forbidden jutsu because your body ages at the same rate as the flow of time inside. For example, if a baby were to be placed inside for a week, he would come out as a seven-year-old."

"There is also another reason why it is forbidden," Keigo said. "Other than the things you bring in, there is nothing else there. Nothing makes a sound, moves, or exists inside. Within a few minutes, sensory depravation sets in. Unless you have the necessary training or something to occupy all your time inside, it's very dangerous to enter the dimension. Also, twenty minutes out here is five days inside... Needless to say, Jou-chan is taking big risks."

Flash' brow furrowed as he warily stared at the gateway. "She'd go that far?"

Keigo sadly smiled. "It's Jou-chan. If there's a way she could make someone she cares about happy, she'd do it even if it ends up killing her. She did so when Sakura asked her to bring the Uchiha back 800 years ago and she'd work for roughly five straight days inside to help Diana-hime now."

"That's how she is."

"Don't worry so much though. She has had training to endure her time inside and something to work on. We just need to wait for her."

The next few minutes were torture for the rest of the League. They knew Kazumi was selfless to a fault but to jeopardize herself was pushing the limit. Yes, they were desperate but not so much that they were willing to risk their friend's fragile psyche. Even her family was worried despite their confident words as the minutes ticked by agonizingly. Flash, however, was obviously the most worried of all if the trench he was attempting to pace into the concrete was an indication.

Thankfully, Megami appeared from the door. She was a little worse for wear, smelled suspiciously of gunpowder, sweat and ashes and looked as if she hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Flash had her in his arms the moment she was clear from the quickly disappearing doors. "You okay, Meg?"

"Fine," she mumbled tiredly. She snuggled deeper into Flash's arms and breathed in deeply as if to remind herself that he was real. "I'm fine... Tired..." she almost dropped the relic and the now paler crystals when she tried to give them to Diana. "They'll act up... in a few minutes..."

"We'll bring her home to rest," Kosshi said as she eased Kazumi out of Flash's arms. She met a little resistance from both of them but gently persisted until Megami attached herself to her sister. "Meet at our home when you have the other artifacts. Hopefully, Batman will have something on Faust."

Even if they all agreed, the rest of the League couldn't help but worry about Kazumi.

Flash watched as the Atlantic Ocean zoomed past. Normally, he would be running across it but he needed to think. "We all worry for Kazumi, Flash."

The young hero frowned. "Don't look in my head without my say-so..."

Despite the somber atmosphere, J'onn's lips lifted to form a tiny smile. "One doesn't need to be a telepath to know where your thoughts lay."

Flash was frustrated. "I know we need all the time we can get and whatever she did to these crystals help a lot. I just wish I could do more than help her after something bad happens. We all know she used to blame herself for what happened to her world. She could have died when the Imperium tried to invade Earth but was up and about after only a few hours to fight and heal those who were injured. She was almost completely out of it when GL got in trouble in Ajuris-5 and I know she blames herself for Aquaman's lost hand, the kid's assassination attempt and that general's suicide but all I can make her feel better when the worst is over!" He seemed to deflate in his seat. "I just feel so useless..."

J'onn was quiet for a while and Flash almost went back to his thoughts when he spoke. "I talk with Kazumi often about losing my home. Unlike Superman, she knows exactly what it feels like to lose everything you have yet still have the strength to keep fighting. With how long we've lived, memories start to act against you. The good and bad times remind you of what you've lost and that there is no way to get them back without crossing a line you cannot cross without losing your humanity. However, whenever you, Sekkou or Kazumi do something amusing, I am able to remind myself that I have gained something as well. It cannot replace what I have lost but it is a welcome comfort nonetheless. Kazumi feels the same way whenever she is with you."

"...You really think I help just by being with her?"

The Martian placed a comforting hand on Flash' shoulder. "When Kosshi tried to take Kazumi from you, you weren't the only one who resisted. Even when she knew she was safe with her family, she felt the most comforted when she was with you. Just by being with her, you help more than words can describe."

(1) The exact locations of two of the artifacts were never given. Just Museum of Natural History and Metro Mall so I'm giving them locations.