Title: Betrayal's Reward
Author name: Trugeta
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel Comics as well as many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story. Also, the OCs used in this story are a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is not intended and purely coincidental.
This story takes place after the failed wedding in Ranma Manga No. 38 and a few months prior to Venom's escape from Ryker's Island during which he spawned the Carnage symbiote. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.
Chapter 11: Aftermath
New York's skyline was shrouded in the blanketing darkness the night provided, yet the many bars, shops, dwellings and many other buildings of all kinds offered a duo of crime fighters more than enough light as they swung through the night, side by side.
Each of them were travelling via the use of webbing fired from nozzles embedded in their symbiote-covered backs of their hands, and were it not for their desire to remain as undetected as possible one of them would have yelled their excitement and joy to the heavens.
The said person was Felicia Hardy, better known under her alias of the Black Cat, and due to a freak occurrence she had been blessed with a symbiote that granted her upgraded versions of Spider-Man's powers.
Having worked closely with the spider-powered man in the past possessing powers similar to Peter Parker had always been a dream of her, and now, due to the involuntary help of her friend and partner Ranma, this dream had become reality. It was almost too good to be true.
Felicia knew she'd have to sit down in a quiet moment to fully comprehend just what had happened to her and Ranma today, but it hadn't really hit her yet. The whole affair had been almost too surreal, was still too surreal, and she knew that she'd have to come to terms with the consequences that her gaining a symbiote brought about, like sharing a body with an alien that was a symbiotic creature, but that she would do later.
That this alien symbiote also happened to be an exact copy of the one Ranma was wearing, and brought with it all the knowledge the other crime fighter possessed, especially in regards of martial arts, had not fully trickled into her mind just yet either, just like many other things.
The abstract knowledge that Ranma was both male and female and that she was the Japanese citizen—or make that ex-Japanese citizen—who had been convicted for fivefold murder as the Ronin Ranko had been hard to chew in and on itself, and for the time being Felicia had put anything else off her mind for later review. For now she just revelled in her new super powers as she swung side by side with Ranma.
-.-
A duo of crime-fighters in a very good mood descended from New York's skyline and landed nimble-footed in front of the same-self guard they had encountered hours ago, this fact prompting Felicia and Ranma to look at each other.
An amused glance was exchanged between the symbiote hosts as the man sputtered in confusion at seeing the two identical women, and their exhilaration grew. Weirding the man out—which seemed to work despite one of them carrying the replicator, suggesting nothing good for the man's mental health—was just payback for the way he had undressed them with his eyes a few hours ago.
"You think we broke him?" Ranma queried fake-curiously, tilting her head slightly as she surveyed the wide-eyed man in front of them.
"It sure seems so," Felicia mused in a voice that was a perfect replica of Ranma's.
The reaction this evoked on the man's part, namely the widening of his eyes and incoherent stuttering, caused even greater merriment, "Good man, if you'd be so kind to let us pass?" Felicia suggested, once more using Ranma's voice.
"There... There's two of you!" the confused man finally managed to utter, looking for all intents and purposes like he'd faint from shock any second.
Ranma and Felicia exchanged another look, "And?" both queried at the same time and in perfect stereo.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that it seems I forgot to take my pills, I think. Must be the explanation why I'm seeing and hearing double," the man mumbled, waving them through absently, "You may pass, lady."
Quiet chuckling emanated from both combat suit clad women as they exchanged yet another amused look, then, without another word or looking back they strutted onto the premises.
-.-
It was almost exactly three hours after Ranma had knocked on Silver Sable's office door last, and it was with a look of anticipation that the martial artist raised her fist and knocked anew. The round about twenty minutes their wild swing had taken should have given Sandman enough time to have made his return to base, that Ranma and Felicia had agreed upon.
Upon Sable's call to enter Ranma pushed the door open, and two identically dressed symbiote hosts strolled into the Symkarian mercenary's office. The redhead allowed Felicia to enter first, and the Black Cat reached behind her back, easily grasping the replicator which she deposited on the ground with an audible thunking sound.
A quick scan of the room revealed that Flint Marko was indeed already there, and the brief flicker that appeared in his eyes as he looked at them conveyed his amusement.
Not missing a beat Felicia and Ranma looked at each other and nodded at Flint and then Sable in perfect synchronisation, set themselves in motion with equal fluid grace and claimed the seats to Sandman's right, both women crossing their legs in perfect sync.
Sable's reaction was as Ranma and Felicia had expected. The platinum blonde woman's eyes widened comically and she just managed to keep her jaw from falling off its hinges by a narrow margin, and that she managed to paste a neutral look on her face was testament to her mental discipline, "Is there a reason there are two of you, Scarlet Widow? I am quite certain I am not seeing double, my last total blitzing was quite a while back."
"Yes, there is. And we can assure you, you're not seeing double," Felicia and Ranma answered in stereo and with identical voices, just as they had rehearsed beforehand.
"Ookay. That's just seriously freaky," Sandman spoke up to play his part, looking from one symbiote host to the other and back.
"I'm inclined to agree, Mr. Marko," Sable mused, steepling her fingers as she leant back in her office chair, "So what did the world do to deserve a clone of you, Scarlet Widow? And where's Miss Hardy?"
Ranma and Felicia looked at each other in visible bemusement, "It seems our little charade is working," Felicia mused, though no one aside from Ranma and her had a way of knowing that it had been her that had spoken.
"Didcha have any doubts?" Ranma queried in a fake-bored tone, well noting that Silver Sable was getting impatient.
"Not really, but I think our boss is a hairsbreadth away from leaping from her seat, and methinks she'll be inclined to grab one of us and demand an explanation," Felicia commented with an audible grin to her voice, "And so that that doesn't happen I'm going to take mercy on her, Scar." she added, and let her facemask slowly fade away, finally revealing her face.
Silver Sable let herself slump back in her chair and steepled her fingers anew, "How in the world did thathappen?"
-.-
Reciting the story of how Felicia had come to be a symbiote host had taken no more than ten minutes, that albeit only due to the fact that both symbiote hosts had asked Sable to hold back her questions until after their report.
Now that the said report had been given it was needless to say that Silver Sable was as keen as mustard to field a particular question that was literally lying on the tip of her tongue, "So you possess the same abilities as Scarlet Widow here, in essence. Mind undergoing a few tests in the training hall to gauge your new abilities?" she asked, her eyes having a speculative gleam to them.
"Not at all," Felicia replied, her tone an attempt to keep her voice level, yet she inwardly knew that her excitement had to have shown through; she was as keen as mustard to test out these new powers as well, for aside from webslinging and all kinds of artistic manoeuvres high above the streets of the Big Apple she hadn't really done much of anything yet.
"If you're planning on having us fight against each other, you can lay that idea to rest," Ranma spoke up calmly, drawing the others' attention, "While it's true that Felicia does possess the enhanced strength, speed, stamina and so on the symbiote provides, she doesn't possess the enhanced level of strength and the inherent abilities I naturally possess. I'd have an unfair advantage that'd be impossible to overcome."
"Hmm, is that so," Sable almost mused to herself, her tone pondering.
"After seeing what she did to Morrie, boss, I'd say that's a definite yes. I had to deliver the idiot to the next best police station in a plastic chest," Flint Marko piped up.
"Aww, Scar," Felicia whined, her face sporting a pout, "and here I was so looking forward to show you what I have on the ball. No fair!"
"I know, and you'll get your chance, promise. It's just that I'm a lot stronger than you, can throw blades of energy that cut through most o' anything, can become invisible at will, have more stamina, am more durable, and the list goes on. But if you wanna I'll put you through the training that'll allow you to catch up to me," Ranma soothed, having seen that her listing Felicia's shortcomings had not been appreciated.
"Promise?" Felicia asked suspiciously, hope creeping into her voice; Ranma's offer was better than she'd ever have dreamed of, and, all things considered almost too good to be true.
"Cross my heart, kittie," Ranma replied solemnly, "You're my friend, a damn good friend at that, and I want thatcha be able to defend yourself even without SD. At least long enough so that help can arrive."
"Ugh, I think my teeth are gonna rot," Flint mumbled quietly, "All that sugary sweetness… blech."
"Doncha think I hadn't heard that, Flint. Methinks I'm gonna do something very special to you in our next joint training session," Ranma mused in a sugary sweet voice, a mischievous, no, downright evil glint shining in her eyes as she fixated a now sweating Sandman.
Silver Sable snorted in amusement, "Before you start World War Three, may I suggest we adjourn to training room two? I'd like to have a comprehensive gauge of Felicia's abilities as quickly as possible. It goes without saying that if what I suspect is true, missions of a more… taxing calibre might be open to you."
"Taxing… as in better paid?" Ranma queried curiously.
"That is within the bounds of possibility, yet depends on the outcome of the test," Sable answered diplomatically.
"Good," Ranma and Felicia replied in unison. "Shall we?" the Black Cat asked, giving the Symkarian mercenary a cheeky grin.
"By all means," Silver Sable replied, and the Symkarian mercenary got out of her chair with all the grace and fluidity of a jungle cat, "I admit to being as curious as you, Miss Hardy."
-.-
Half an hour later the quartet was still in the process of finding out the extent of Felicia's symbiote granted powers. Standing in a semi-circle around the former cat burglar Ranma, Sable and Sandman watched as Felicia underwent the last test in a series of tests, that being her ability to form weapons.
Ranma watched in silence how the other woman circled through several different weapons ranging from swords to axes to hammers and many more, and the redhead felt inwardly glad that these powers had been given to someone who could and would wield them responsibly.
As lame as it sounded, it rang true that great responsibility came with great power. It was something she had been wised up to as soon as her own strength, speed, stamina and other physical attributes had slowly but surely grown until they had reached super-human level, and the aforementioned motto had been her chosen code of practice as well whenever she had dealt with other high-powered martial artists like Herb, and to a lesser degree, Shampoo and Ryoga.
Felicia seemed to be guided by the same moral concepts, which might just be part of the reason why it had clicked so easily between them. There was so much between them that seemed to draw them to the other, it was just as if the chemistry between them was consentaneous.
The redhead involuntarily smiled as she remembered how good it had felt to lean back into Felicia's warm, soft body; it had almost been enough to block out the pain, and to feel Felicia's soft fingers caress her own had sent shivers down her spine despite the mind-numbing agony that had raged through her being.
And then there was the fact that Felicia could now relate to her even better, now that she had, by a strange twist of fate, been blessed with her own symbiote. That her partner had reacted to her story as she had, open-minded, caring and even outraged on her behalf had been more than she could have hoped for in her keenest dreams. As excruciating as having Sym literally being sheared of her had been, she was very glad for the other woman that one of her biggest dreams had come true, glad that all the agony she had gone through had bestowed a symbiote upon 'kittie', her partner, friend, and if future developments between them allowed, even more.
Ranma shook herself out of her introspections and resumed to watch Felicia, and the symbiote host was not surprised to find that the rest of the tests confirmed what Sym and she had assumed. Like the original 'template' Spider-Man the symbiote enhanced Felicia possessed the same range of spider-powers as the arachnid hero, yet a much greater strength that enabled her to lift round about fifty tonnes without breaking a sweat and a speed that was probably greater than the hero's.
The new and improved Black Cat possessed the same weapons-forming capabilities as Ranma, and according to Sym, Felicia now had Ranma's quick healing and near prodigal learning curve at her disposal as well. Ranma's martial arts knowledge was there as well, yet due to the fact that Felicia's body was not as well trained as Ranma's she would remain unable to use the better part of the Anything Goes style for the foreseeable future.
Taking into account the super powers Felicia had just gained it was unsurprising that she did not really care about this being the case, yet Ranma planned to take full advantage of the fact that SD had her knowledge of the Anything Goes style stored in her genetic memory.
The redhead grinned in anticipation and mentally rubbed her hands, 'Oh yes, considering what I had confirmed just now I'll take Felicia firmly in hand.' she thought to herself.
— I am certain you will, Ranma, I am certain you will, — Sym piped up in a teasing voice that conveyed her intent easily.
'Oh shuddit, Sym. Everything will happen at its own pace. Whatever will be will be and all that, but now belt up.' Ranma shot back.
— For now, — Sym acquiesced, — But I will most certainly not miss out on future opportunities to tease you, Ranma. — she added and fell silent.
Ranma snorted inelegantly and muttered about ruddy interfering symbiotes, yet a small smile stole itself on her face nevertheless; Sym meant well, but she could go a bit overboard with her teasing comments. All that aside, she had meant what she had said: if a relationship with Felicia was possible she would carefully gauge the chances for a successful, open-minded relationship based on trust, respect and love and come to a decision if she was willing to trust again.
A frown entered her masked face as her thoughts strayed to the unknown perpetrator of her pain, but Ranma clamped down on the rising feelings of hate and anger before they had a chance to take root. Now was not the time to lose herself in dark emotions, now was a time to feel happy for her friend.
Her face settled into a neutral expression as her emotions returned to a balanced state, and Ranma turned her head to look at Sable, who was standing to her left, "I'd say a pay-raise is in order, Sable," she mused playfully, "Kittie's got almost the same range of abilities as li'l ole me."
Sable swivelled her head to look at Ranma for the briefest of moments before returning her attention to Felicia, who was just lifting a fifty tonne metal cube like it was nothing, the silver haired mercenary inclining her head, "That she has, and a pay-raise would indeed be in order, provided you complete more missions successfully first. Then there's the fact that we have to ensure a repeat of what happened on the last mission does not happen again. Never mind that the replicator was destroyed, our mission objectives clearly allowed for this possibility, no, I'm inferring to your now mutual weakness to sonics. Suggestions on how to negate this weakness?"
"I don't want to run off half-cocked, especially without having proof, but Sym told me that her resistance to sonics was greatly upped due to our massive exposure to the Wizard's apparatus," Ranma replied.
"Hmm, it might just be that we can open up an opportunity to combine business with pleasure and have Reed Richards take a few tests. I'm certain he wouldn't even charge us, seeing as it would be 'intriguing, scientifically fascinating' and whatnot." Sable suggested.
Ranma pondered this for a few moments before nodding, "Agreed. I'd like to know how much sonics we can take before becoming ineffective as well. I don't care for a repeat of today," she concluded darkly.
"That I can understand easily, Ranma," Flint piped up from her right, speaking up for the first time in minutes.
The redhead would have slapped her face and groaned in annoyance at Flint's slip up, yet she knew he hadn't done it wilfully. Schooling her features Ranma watched a calculating expression appear on Sable's face as she mulled this new information over, "So your real name's Ranma, eh?" she mused, her lips quirking into a small smile as Flint's groan reached her ears.
"Sorry, Ranma," the man of sand apologised, "I didn't think-"
Ranma turned her head to look at him and waved him off, "'S okay, Flint, I'm not mad at you. 'T was a honest mistake," she said with a shrug, her tone making clear that she meant every word.
Flint smiled sheepishly, "Err, thanks. I'm gonna go spar with Felicia for a bit," he muttered and toddled off.
Smiling amusedly behind her facemask the redhead swivelled her head to focus on Sable again, "Yeah, my name's Ranma, and to be honest, I don't mind the four of you knowing."
"Some say knowing someone's real name gives this person power over them," Sable said with a pondering expression as she surveyed Ranma, "You're really not concerned I might use this knowledge against you, say, to make investigations to find out who you really are?"
"Nope, not really," Ranma replied with an seemingly uncaring shrug, the redhead counting on her acquired ability to bluff to hide just how much this was really bothering her, "I live under the delusion that my secrets are mine to keep, and that my employer, you, won't butt into my business unless it's pertinent to my work. And frankly, I don't see how my real identity might be pertinent to my doing missions for you."
Sable outright laughed, "I find your attitude refreshing, Ranma. Rest assured, I know very well why heroes and villains wear masks and costumes, as I assume do you."
"We do it to conceal our real identities, to make it harder for would be assassins to target us, our friends, our loved ones." Ranma nodded, her voice getting almost unnoticeably softer as she finished the sentence.
"Indeed. And this is why I won't take steps to uncover your civilian identity, unless your behaviour makes it necessary," Sable replied solemnly.
"Understood," Ranma replied, inclining her head, "Now what about returning that replicator thingie? Isn't it too late already?" she queried, glancing at her wrist-watch.
Sable shrugged, "Why don't we ask our client?" she queried, and produced a cell-phone from her costume.
"Well, it's you bundling them outta bed at this late hour, not me. So go right ahead," Ranma commented with a shrug.
Sable surveyed her with a half-lidded stare, "I thank you for your apparent and oh so honest concern, Ranma," she said sarcastically, eliciting a snort of amusement from the redhead, "But I assure you it is completely unnecessary. Genius types like Dr. Richards are known to tend to their important little experiments until late into the night," she concluded, dialling a number.
"If you say so," Ranma replied with an uncaring shrug.
Sable just waved her off, "Hello, Dr. Richards, this is Silver Sable speaking. Yes, my team retrieved the replicator, but they encountered a lot more resistance than anticipated.
"Oh, nothing too serious," she continued after Dr. Richards apparent question pertaining to the nature of said resistance, Sable's words prompting Ranma to snort and mutter "Not serious my ass,", which Sable answered with a shrug before saying, "But much to my regret I must inform you that the replicator was damaged.
"The extent of the damage?" Sable repeated after another counter question courtesy of Reed Richards, and Ranma grimaced, "Well, according to my team it imploded after The Wizard tried to replicate something."
"You want to know if he was successful?" Sable queried, looking at Ranma as if asking her to give the go ahead, the redhead automatically nodding back, "Yes, he managed to replicate… something. What? Well, that'd best be explained by my team. Would it be okay if I sent two of my team over to your site? And would it be too much to ask for you to examine my team?
"Okay. Very good, Dr. Richards. My team will be over in a few. Good night," Sable concluded, ending the call.
"And, what did he say?" Ranma inquired casually.
"Let us walk over and join Mr. Flint and Ms. Hardy, Ranma. I don't feel like telling everything twice," the Symkarian mercenary replied and guided her steps to where Sandman and Felicia were engrossed in an intense sparring fight.
"Okay by me," Ranma returned with a nod and followed Silver Sable.
-.-
Ten minutes and an explanation later Ranma and Felicia—with the older woman once more carrying the replicator on her back—were on their way to 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, the location of the famous Four Freedoms Plaza, the home of the Fantastic Four.
The two mercenaries had chosen to travel in their combat suit forms—minus 'monster face'—to make a better impression on Reed Richards, but foremost to see if the genius scientist would put together the clues and come to the conclusion that they were symbiote hosts.
Ranma for her part was very much looking forward to the visit; she, just like Felicia and everybody else in town, knew everything about the four super heroes one could know, the redhead having done extensive research on other super heroes in the vicinity upon taking up quarters in New York City.
The building the four renowned heroes called their home had impressed Ranma right away. A tower made of concrete and glass, a hundred stories tall, with the top section built to show the numeral 'four' on each side it stood out, and in a melancholic moment Ranma had once thought of it as a 'beacon of light against the forces of dark'.
Usually Ranma didn't show much interest in anything pertaining to architecture, but she had to admit that she was immensely curious to find out if the building could deliver what it promised. The same was of course true for the team, Ranma mused with an inward chuckle.
Swinging side by side with Felicia the red-haired martial artist mused that she'd find out soon if building and team were as good as rumours led to believe.
-.-
Ranma and Felicia arrived at their destination a good five minutes later, the symbiote hosts touching down on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the Fantastic Four gracefully. The redhead martial artist scanned the vicinity as per usual, noting that few to none passers-by were on the way.
Nodding to herself Ranma turned her head to look at Felicia, and she smiled due to the fact that she could feel the joy and happiness still literally rolling off of her friend, "It's awe-inspiring, ain't it? To be able to rise above everyone else like that, to leave all of ones worries 'n' troubles behind, I mean. I find this feeling of freedom and peace… freeing. Exhilarating."
Felicia turned her head to look at her partner and friend, a satisfied sigh escaping her as she nodded, "That's fitting, your description, I mean. Using my grapnel line launchers as I've done in the past could never compare. It never gave me this same self feeling I experienced just now, the feeling of freedom, of power I was blessed to have experienced. Even on pain of repeating myself, it's a dream come true."
"Yep, you might have mentioned something pertaining to a 'dream come true' once, or twice, wait, let me think… ten times?" Ranma returned teasingly, chuckling good-naturedly when Felicia scratched the back of her head, "But in earnest, who could fault you? 'T was the same for me.
"Say, kittie, you up to coming with me for a coffee or something after we have finished this mission? I really don't feel like sleeping just yet, not… not after today's events," Ranma murmured, the redhead noticing with contrite that her query for a date—or something like it—almost sounded like the plea of someone who was afraid to sleep alone; she was about to add something to make it sound less pathetic, yet Felicia speaking up prevented that.
"I'd love to. But say, why don't we crash at my place, if that's okay for you? I'd really like to learn more about you," Felicia said in a warm tone.
"S-Sure. It'd be my pleasure," Ranma managed to utter, glad that her fierce blush couldn't be seen by her partner.
"Hah hah hah, ain't that cute?" a male teenager's voice piped up from a few metres behind them, "The chicks have a thing for each other! Dykes, dykes, ya chick's are dykes!"
Whirling around with fire in her eyes Ranma assumed her full monster form, long serrated war-blades forming on both arms, her 'eyes' falling on a rapidly paling raven-haired boy of round about thirteen dressed in skater garb who carried his deck slung over his right shoulder, "Care. To. Repeat. That. , Little. Boy?" she snarled in a tone that would have made demons quail in fear, it succeeding in driving away the few passers-by in the vicinity as well as reducing the boy to a quivering mess that stood rooted to the spot like the rabbit in front of the snake, his skateboard clattering to the ground from nerveless fingers.
"Aww, don't be too hard on him, sweetheart," Felicia whispered from behind, placed the replicator on the ground with a resounding thunk prior to walking up to the redhead and resting her chin on Ranma's right shoulder blade, the physical contact sending the redhead's heart-rate into overdrive, "The little guy probably doesn't know better than to insult and make fun of those with a… different persuasion. He's just an insecure little boy used to stereotypes, and there's no need to bite his head off. Not this time, please?"
"B-Bite my h-head off? T-This time?" the boy managed to ask in fear, backing away slowly as his survival instincts kicked in, allowing him to regain some motor control.
'Gotta give him that, he didn't faint or piss himself,' Ranma thought absently as she revelled in the prolonged physical contact.
Realising that she was supposed to say something she traced her sharp and pointy lower teeth with her right index finger, "Aww, why won'tcha let me? Wasn't I good this last week? I didn't spill blood on the carpet, didn't leave body parts in the bedroom and even ate all the... leftovers. And neither did I eat our new pet." she said in a contemplative tone, noting with glee the ever paling complexion of the boy, "So why ever not?" she asked, giving her voice a pouting note.
"Because I ask it of you with a pretty please, honey?" Felicia asked in a sugary sweet tone and pressed her body into Ranma's.
Ranma's higher brain functions would likely have short-circuited were it not for her measured use of the Soul of Ice, something that Felicia noted, 'She's using that cooling thing again. But why? We're not in a fight or anything.'
— What Ranma uses is called the 'Soul of Ice' technique. It can, as has been shown, be used for combat, but also to calm oneself. I am certain you can draw your own conclusions from the available data, Felicia. — SD spoke up.
'Now that's interesting. Thanks, SD, that gives things a new spin. Hmm, Ranma's reactions when I comforted her, her behaviour in general and the way she reacted just now... Not to mention her use of this Soul of Ice... Could it be she's attracted to me? Is there really more to her playfulness around me? And why am I not bothered if that were the case?' Felicia mused.
— Because of two reasons, Felicia. A) the two of you have a very high physiological compatibility. In layman's terms, it means that the chemistry between the two of you is harmonious. Before you say that you can not act on it due to the fact that the two of you are female, then there is reason B) Ranma is also a male half of the time, and I am quite certain that he is your kind of guy. But if you act on it or not is left to you. All I can say is that your streak of bad luck pertaining to your choice of a mate would end with a probability of ninety-nine point nine percent. — SD elaborated.
'Crickey. I almost forgot that Ranma's a guy as well. What does that make her? A heterosexual lesbian?' Felicia thought with a raised brow, 'You really think we'd be a good match, SD? Does he look good? Is he like Scar personality-wise? What do you know of him?'
— Male Ranma is indeed very good looking. Let me provide you with mental images of his part-Japanese birthform and his Caucasian form, — SD said, and the mental image of a naked part-Asian male Ranma in all his post-changes glory appeared before her mind's eye.
Not surprisingly Felicia's eyes glassed over and a hungry look appeared on her—luckily—masked face, 'Now that's definitely not a little pony, and damn, those shoulders seem to go on forever, and the way he's built... Yum!' she commented, licking her chops.
— Oops, I forgot to apply clothes to his form. My mistake, — SD said ever so innocently, noting the rise in hormonal levels in Felicia with satisfaction. — I will ensure that the same mistake does not happen with the image of his Caucasian form. —
'Don't bother on my account, SD,' Felicia replied a bit too quickly and innocently, 'I've seen a naked female Ranma and a naked male Ranma now. And don't think he or she were the first I'd seen in the buff,' she added, and tried to keep the tone of her mental voice as calm and neutral as possible.
— If you are certain, — SD replied with a mental shrug, and showed the mental image of a naked Caucasian Ranma, his features as impressive if not even more so.
Consequently Felicia was left almost drooling, 'I didn't think it could get any better than what I had just seen, but I like this Ranma even better. Damn, he's one hunk o' meat! But what about his character? I've had my fair share of good looking guys, but they were without fail real assholes or spoken for. Needless to say, it has made me cautious. Better safe than sorry and all that.'
— You have nothing to fear in that regard. Despite what happened to him, Ranma is honourable to a fault. He is what one would call a real boy scout around here, but he has been shaped by the hardships he endured. Despite his nearly twenty years of age, Ranma is wise beyond his years, mature, reliable and strong.
— The seven months he spent as a female did not break or twist him, rather the opposite. He has found his equilibrium, has accepted that he is both male and female and is able to draw strength from it. Ranma possesses a very strong sense of honour and tends to punish those that assault the weak harshly, but you have already born witness to that.
— He is a man who is a woman half the time, knowledgeable of all the hardships being females brings, tempered in steel by the experiences he made and laden with his own set of problems. In short, he is everything an open-minded woman could wish for. — SD concluded.
Felicia mulled this over for a few nanoseconds, 'It might just be that I'll give it a shot, SD. Maybe we would be good for each other.'
— As said, the final decision is up to you, but I am of the opinion that the both of you would benefit from a relationship. In case you are seriously considering to pursue a relationship with Ranma let me offer a piece of advice: remember that Ranma is Ranma, regardless of the gender. Should you win the heart of female Ranma you will have male Ranma's as well.
— It should also be of particular interest to you that your chances at a successful relationship would dramatically increase should you try to form the said relationship while Ranma is still female. I know for a fact that Ranma is very insecure where it comes to a potential mates' reaction to her female form, — SD replied, concluding the conversation that had taken up only a few seconds of real time.
'I'll... keep that in mind. Not that becoming bi would be that much of a sacrifice if it got me someone like Ranma, especially if he is the way you described him. I'll definitely think about it. Thanks, SD.' Felicia thought back.
— You are welcome, — SD replied.
Felicia then directed her attention back to the raven-haired teen that had insulted them, this coinciding with the boy's high-pitched scream as his nerves finally frayed, and he bolted like a bat out of hell, disappearing into the night.
Grinning amusedly she commented, "Nicely done, Scar. You laid it on a bit thick, but thanks for defending my honour," she purred and removed her chin from Ranma's shoulder.
"'T was my pleasure. How 'bout back to bizz now?" Ranma asked and let her monster visage fade away, still embracing the Soul of Ice to keep her cool.
"Sound idea. As much fun as this li'l interruption was," she gave a wink, "I'd like to wrap things up. I got a ton of questions for you."
"Fine by me," Ranma nodded, turned and walked the few metres over to the replicator and picked it up easily. "Let's go."
-.-
An uneventful ride to the 71st floor of the Four Freedom Plaza during which Ranma opted to assume the guise of Scarlet Widow while Felicia's symbiote formed a plain black costume so as to not appear too threatening later the crime fighters strolled into the reception area, both women noticing that the building, interior and everything, was as modern as they had suspected.
The receptionist, a robot by the name of Roberta, noticed their approach and turned her head to look their way, "Good evening and welcome to the Four Freedom Plaza. I am Roberta, and you must be the guests Dr. Richards is expecting, for he gave me clearance to wave you right through as soon as he noticed your arrival."
Ranma, who was easily balancing the replicator on the palm of her left hand, looked at Felicia in surprise, "He knows that we're here already?" she mouthed.
"Thanks, Roberta," Felicia replied politely, and mouthed back, "Yeah, probably due to his technological gadgets. Likely sensors or something, maybe even something as mundane as a surveillance system."
"That makes sense," Ranma mused and casually leant against the wall, the replicator still held in her left palm.
"It does indeed," a cultured voice spoke up from a few metres to Ranma's right, and both mercenaries turned their heads to see a middle-aged man of average height wearing a white lab-coat over his famous uniform walking towards them at a leisurely pace, a friendly expression on his face that was underlined by the expression in his eyes, "But the truth is far more complicated. You see, I used a photonic phase-variator that stimulates the emissions of-"
"Huh?" Ranma interrupted, scratching the back of her head in confusion.
"Terribly sorry that my friend here cut your explanation short, but the details would likely go over our heads, Mr. Fantastic," Felicia replied apologetically, "Add to that that we're in a bit of a hurry. The mission was quite taxing on us, you see."
Dr. Richards inclined his head, "I understand. Say, what exactly became of the replicator? Silver Sable mentioned that the Wizard had managed to make it operational, which is an astounding feat in and on itself, yet it ceased to function after he managed to replicate something. What was that something he replicated?"
"Ceased to function describes it well. Your tinker-toy imploded after he tried to replicate my symbiote." Ranma explained.
"Your symbiote, you say? Hmm, yes, that confirms my initial scans... seems to be related to the Venom symbiote, only more advanced, no doubt about that," Reed Richards mused after subjecting Ranma to intense visual scrutiny, his right index finger pressed to his chin in a thinking pose, "Truly intriguing."
"Tell me about it," Ranma agreed with a small smile to her voice, her demeanour becoming serious quickly however, "You have probably already heard of me, Dr. Richards, my being Scarlet Widow and all, but I assure you, I'm nothing like Venom. I live to protect the weak, and it might just be I overshoot the mark on occasion, but hey, I ain't perfect. Nobody is."
Reed Richards inclined his head, and Ranma thought she had seen belief flash in his eyes, "I admit to have taken notice of you indeed, Ms. Widow. Your defeats of Doctor Octavius and Venom were well documented in the press, yet it won't come as a surprise that new super-powered beings are without exception on approbation until they have proven themselves, and not to the press—whose credibility and accuracy are more often than not sorely lacking, I'm afraid—but to others heroes."
"What do you mean by that exactly, Dr. Richards?" Ranma asked, her head tilted to the left.
"He means that you'll have to prove to other heroes that you're not a loose canon who'd attack other heroes to attain your ends, Scar," Felicia explained, and turned to Dr. Richards, who nodded, "I can ease your worries in that regard, though."
"However applaudable it is to vouch for your teammate, I don't know you either, and even though you seem familiar you must understand that I can't take your word at face value," Reed Richards replied matter of factly.
"Be that as it is," interrupted Ranma just as Felicia wanted to open her mouth, "We're here to deliver that replicator thingie, and while we're at it, I'd like to ensure that everything's A-okay with her symbiote," Ranma elaborated, nodding her head at Felicia, "Yeah, she's got a symbiote as well, as I'm certain you know."
"Guilty," Mr. Fantastic admitted with a smile, "I knew about your nature the second you two entered the vicinity, and I also witnessed your—albeit harmless—altercation with that male teenager. Questionable but understandable."
"He had it coming," Ranma and Felicia retorted in unison after exchanging a look.
"That may be, but I'm certain you can imagine your... transformation worried me. The reasons I didn't take measures to apprehend you are that I realised you were playing a prank on the boy, and that you work for Silver Sable who usually knows what she's doing." Mr. Fantastic replied.
"Now that's really reassuring," commented Ranma sarcastically, causing Reed Richards to shrug non-comittically, "Would you mind conducting that check of her symbiote then?" she added politely.
"You worry too much, Scar," Felicia gently chided the redhead.
"Better too much than not enough. Believe me, I have experience with that," Ranma countered, thrusting her chin forward challengingly.
"Okay, okay, you may worry about me," Felicia relented, well knowing where Ranma was coming from.
Light chuckling reminded them that they were not alone, and both Ranma and Felicia were yet again glad to be blessed with facemasks, "Now that you have settled your minor dispute, how about we adjourn to my lab and I run the necessary tests to find out if both symbiotes are okay, as had already been agreed upon with your employer? I admit to being very curious myself," Mr. Fantastic admitted.
Ranma and Felicia exchanged a look, both nodding at almost the same time, "Okay," they chorused in stereo.
"If you'd follow me," Reed Richards said, holding out his right arm which he then stretched out to activate the sensor that opened the door.
"That's damn neat," Ranma commented as she, like Felicia, followed Dr. Richards.
— As you are likely already aware of, Mr. Fantastic can stretch any body part he so choses. Add to that that he is a genius level scientist and indisputably one of Earth's brightest, — Sym commented.
'Any body part, huh? His wife sure is lucky,' Ranma thought back with a light blush as she followed Felicia and Dr. Richards on the heel.
— Ranma, Ranma, I am detecting an increasingly intriguing thought pattern here. Whatever may be the reason? — Sym queried in a mock-clueless voice.
'Stop the teasing, Sym. I attribute the 'increasingly intriguing thought patterns', as you called them, to finally growing up in body and mind. I'm and adult now, so is it surprising that I have an adults thoughts, wants and desires?' she returned as she walked on, her body on autopilot. 'I like Felicia, and would it be so wrong if I wanted her to do... things to me, especially after the way she pressed herself into my body not five minutes ago? Excuse me for finally discovering my hormones. Besides, she now knows that I'm male as well, which means she might be interested as well. Maybe SD even told her some things about me.'
— I surely would have. And seeing that my 'daughter' is an exact copy of me you can be certain she has. She might even have shown her pictures of your male form. — Sym replied with a hint of amusement to her voice.
The colour momentarily drained from Ranma's face, yet a few nanoseconds later she gave a mental shrug, 'So what? Either she liked what she saw or not. I'll know for sure soon enough, and I want to know. There's no horde of competitive, destructive, territorial and whatever adjective one wants to attribute to the Nerima girls around to pester me, now I'm finally allowed to live, to express what I want without having to fear repercussions. And by every Kami, God or whatever, I'm gonna live and enjoy it, getting revenge and everything included. And woe unto those that get in my way.' Ranma concluded, determinedly narrowing her eyes.
— I would have expected nothing less from you, my host, — Sym replied, — But now return your attention back to the outside world, for we have arrived. —
Ranma shook her head almost imperceptibly to ease the transition and placed the replicator on the ground. Then she looked around, and a feeling of awe spread throughout her being as she surveyed the complex looking apparatuses that comprised Reed Richards lab. The redhead could not contain the low whistling that escaped her, and she absently noticed Reed Richards amused look, "Wow. Double wow. Now that's a bazillion times more impressive than what the armoured goatee had at his disposal. Way cool," Ranma commented with an admiring nod.
"Thank you. For me it's daily routine, so I often forget the effect my lab has on visitors. It's nice to be reminded that,"
"Hey Stretch," a deep bass rumbled from the door, "Finished my new weights yet?"
Reed, just as much as Felicia and Ranma, turned their heads to look at the newcomer, who turned out to be no one else but Benjamin Grimm, otherwise known as The Thing. "Almost, Ben. They're still undergoing the process of molecular hardening, but they'll be finished in an hour. You can use them safely by tomorrow. Now excuse me, I have guests," he said absently and turned back to the symbiote hosts. "Where were we? Oh yes, the scans."
"Reed, Reed, Reed," the Thing rumbled as he walked over, "as courteous as ever.
"I am Ben Grimm, but you ladies may call me Ben. Say, what brings two pretty girls to this boring lab?" the Thing asked conversationally.
Felicia and Ranma exchanged a look, "Business, Ben. We retrieved something for our client here," Ranma commented, nodding her head at Dr. Richards.
"Client?" Ben Grimm asked curiously, and would have raised a brow in incredulity—provided he had brows—due to the wide variety of meanings this could have.
"Beeen," Reed Richards complained and massaged his temples.
"I think it's time we ended this charade," Felicia exclaimed and gave SD the mental command to draw back into her body and form her usual Black Cat attire, which was slowly but surely becoming visible.
Ranma, having caught on to what Felicia had suggested, waited for her partner to finish, "We are the Black Cat and Scarlet Widow, mercenaries in the employment of Silver Sable. Our mission was to retrieve an apparatus called the replicator, something that could, as the name suggests, replicate stuff." Ranma explained to Ben.
"The Black Cat..." both Reed Richards and Ben Grimm said, and Mr. Fantastic added, "Now it makes sense."
"I'd never have guessed," the Thing mused, while Mr. Fantastic commented, "Intriguing."
"According to our client, Mr. Fantastic here, the machine was dysfunctional," Felicia said, picking up where Ranma had left off, "But the thief, the Wizard, had managed to make it operational. He lured us into a trap, managed to isolate Scar's symbiote and stuffed it into a cell secured by this sonics stuff that's so damned harmful to symbiotes.
"What we didn't know was that he also managed to scan Scar's symbiote, either before or during the fight that ensued after Scar here broke free, and only the fruck knows how, but he managed to make a copy of Sym."
"Sym?" Ben Grimm repeated.
"Likely an acronym for 'symbiote' and most probably Ms. Widows' chosen name for her symbiote," Mr. Fantastic mused.
— If I may offer a suggestion, Ranma, the Fantastic Four are in the know where Spiderman's civilian identity is concerned. A show of faith on your part might prove advantageous, if you catch my drift, — Sym suggested.
Minutely inclining her head to show her approval Ranma let her facemask fade away, revealing her face, "I'm Ranma, Dr. Richards, it's a pleasure to meet you, and you were absolutely right. Hello to you too, Ben."
-.-
Brief surprise showed on the faces of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, but that was nothing on Felicia's reaction, "Why the hell did you go and do that, Ranma? A secret identity is meant to be that, secret! That means one doesn't show ones face to others unless absolutely necessary, and that includes other heroes!" she exclaimed heatedly.
Ranma shrugged her shoulders and smiled disarmingly, "Thanks for worrying, 'licia, but I did it 'cause I trust the Fantastic Four to keep my secret. That, and I believe it'll make it easier to convince Dr. Richards and Ben I'm being honest. Besides, that's not how I really wanna look, Felicia, as you well know, and I do wanna change back as soon as possible." she concluded in a hard tone, eliciting an understanding nod from Felicia and suprised reactions from the other two meta-humans.
"What do you mean by that, Ranma?" Ben asked, his tone holding a distinct note of curiosity.
Ranma expelled a sigh, "This is what I originally looked like, Ben, Dr. Richards, but it's not the appearance I go by now. Which is why I want to change back to my chosen form."
"And how do you wanna do that? Are you some kinda shapeshifter like Mystique?" Ben Grimm asked.
"I don't know no Mystique, but yeah, it's some kinda shapeshifting alright," mused Ranma.
"I wonder if the symbiote's so integrated that it's able to exert influence on the genetic structure?" Dr. Richards mused out loud, a pondering expression on his face as he stood there in a classic thinking pose.
"That's your scientific answer, Ben," Ranma said with a smile and nodded towards the Thing's teammate.
"I shoulda known our resident genius would figure it out with next to no information," Ben Grimm exclaimed with a shake of his head, "So what didcha say, Reed?"
"That her symbiote is able to change her genetic structure to a certain degree. I assume that this includes physical features such as eye- and hair colour, the shape of the face as well as your height to a degree?" Reed Richards assumed.
"Right on the dot, Mr. Fantastic," Ranma nodded, "As a matter of fact, I'd like to change back to my chosen form now to feel like myself again, and you'll be able to witness what it's like."
"Regardless of what happens in the next minutes, do not interrupt her," Felicia warned, the silver-haired woman having calmed down after having reflected about Ranma's reasoning, "She told me the exact same thing, and believe me, the process is… hellacious." she concluded, Ranma nodding in silent agreement.
"I should think so," Mr. Fantastic mused, "The pain of these physical and metabolic changes ought to be enormous. And you say you manage to stay conscious during the process?"
"I didn't say it per se, but yes, I have no problems in pulling through," Ranma agreed, smiling mirthlessly.
"Imagine someone pulling out your teeth with a rusty pair of pliers and no anaesthetisation, Ben," Reed Richards clarified upon seeing his teammates' questioning look.
"Ruddy damnit," The Thing swore.
"That about covers it, yeah," Ranma agreed with a smile. "Okay now, here we go!" she exclaimed and grit her teeth, and Sym, having known beforehand what Ranma would ask of her, implemented yet another genetic change.
-.-
Round about two minutes later a fundamentally changed and strawberry blonde Ranma was standing in front of an astounded group of three, the two members of the Fantastic Four and one Black Cat's jaws hanging slightly agape.
"Damn it to hell and back, she's even prettier this way," Felicia muttered to herself, shaking her head in silent wonder.
"Gauging from your expression and from what my sensors told me you must have been in a phenomenal amount of pain," Reed Richards commented almost clinically. "I must admit I'm surprised you handled it that well."
"Damn right, Stretch. If that really hurt as much as it looked you've just gained my respect, sister," Ben Grimm commented, his facial expression conveying just how impressed he was.
"It hurt worse, Ben," Ranma replied with a slight smile, "And thanks. Having your respect means much."
"No prob, sis," The Thing waved her off, "What 'bout that piece of junk sitting on the ground, Reed? That a new invention or something?"
"Or something, Ben," Mr. Fantastic replied with a sigh, "That's what I chose to call the 'replicator'. I designed it to replicate, speak make a copy of anything it had scanned or that's in its database. Meaning-"
"If I wanted a second set of weights that thingie could've copied them for me?" Ben Grimm asked incredulous.
"In theory, yes, but my early design was still flawed by the time The Wizard managed to apprehend it," Dr. Richards admitted.
"That old goatee can't stop messing up other people's lives, can he?" The Thing asked out loud, smashing his right fist into his left palm with a resounding smack.
"No, the fucker can't," Ranma spat heatedly, and took a few calming breaths when she noticed Felicia looking at her with worry in her eyes, "To cut a long story short, he trapped us, literally sheared off my symbiote, which is one of the worst things anyone could do to Sym or me, and then he tried to make a copy of Sym for himself. Luckily his plan backfired, and Felicia here got a symbiote out of it."
"Yeah. Which is about almost the only good thing," Felicia commented, giving Ranma a side-long glance the other woman could not decipher, "Dr. Richards, this replicator has proven to be really dangerous. Wouldn't it be better to destroy it and any blueprints you have?"
"I can easily agree to that, Miss Hardy," Reed Richards replied after thinking it over for a few minutes, "The danger that Wittman might be able to reduplicate the design is marginal as it is. I used many secret technologies in the production process that Wittman can not have copied in the three days he has had the replicator."
"Good. That's one worry less," Ranma breathed, relieved, and Felicia nodded.
"And next time Stretch will lock away his precious gadgets so that idiots like Wittman ain't gonna use them against us, eh, Stretch?" rumbled Ben Grimm, clapping his teammate on the shoulder.
"Yes, Ben," Mr. Fantastic dutifully agreed, "I-"
"Reed, are you coming to bed?" a soft alto voice spoke up from the door, and naturally, everyone turned to look at the newcomer.
Clothed in a light blue dressing gown a beautiful blonde-haired woman of about 1.75 metres was standing in the door-frame, her blue eyes looking on in surprise as she noticed that her husband was not alone, "Oh, I hadn't realised we had guests."
"We were just on our way out, Mrs. Richards," Felicia spoke up, and turned to Ranma who nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah, we just delivered something your husband had tasked us to retrieve, and now that we've made an appointment for tomorrow 5 p.m. for the tests we discussed we wanted to leave. Right, Dr. Richards?" Ranma asked sweetly.
Mr. Fantastic, despite his genius intellect, took a few seconds to catch on, "Yes, Ms. Widow, indeed. We-"
"While what you wanted to do for us is a nice thing to do, Miss, I know my husband well enough to know that he's up to something," the Invisible Woman replied with a knowing smile, "And that guilty look he tries to hide tells me all I need. So, which test is it that's absolutely necessary for my husband to conduct so that he can fully concentrate on his wife afterwards?"
Now it was on Ranma and Felicia to share a guilty look while Ben Grimm simply chuckled, "Genius or not, Stretch, you couldn't lie to safe your life."
Reed simply sighed, "Sorry for taking so long in the lab, Sue. I promise to make it up to you," he said so earnestly that his wife had to smile, "As for the test, you already know Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat. This," he waved his hand at Ranma, "is her partner Ranma."
"Hello, Mrs. Richards," Felicia nodded.
"A pleasure," Ranma said at the same time.
After the pleasantries had been exchanged Reed nodded his head at Ranma, "Ranma here's a symbiote host much like Eddie Brock, but with the significant difference that she doesn't seem to be out to kill heroes."
"Ranma… you're Scarlet Widow, aren't you?" Susan Richards asked, and upon Ranma's neutral inclination of her head the Invisible Woman nodded, "I've read about your methods, and while I do not completely agree with them I understand where you're coming from. It's not always easy to remain in control when faced with examples of the human race that give a damn about others."
"You can say that again, Mrs. Richards," Ranma agreed easily.
"Please call me Sue. Now that that's out of the way," she gave Ranma a smile that the redhead reciprocated, "what kind of incredibly complex and important test does my dear husband want to subject you to?"
Ranma could not help but giggle lightly; now that the tension was fading she was feeling more welcome here, and she allowed herself to relax somewhat. "He wants to check if our symbiotes weathered out the stress they were subjected to A-okay.
"Yeah, our symbiotes," she clarified upon Sue's surprised look, "Felicia's got one as well 'cause of recent events. As for the background story, here goes…"
-.-
Five minutes later Ranma had given a comprehensive recap of the events that had led to Felicia acquiring a symbiote of her own, and even though the redhead had tried to downplay just how much pain Wittman's actions had caused she had clearly been able to see the empathy in Susan Richards's blue eyes.
Ranma had met Susan's gaze during the conversation and had silently communicated that her empathy was appreciated, and after interacting with Susan Richards the redhead could easily imagine a friendship with the Invisible Woman. Sue was friendly, understanding and easily likeable, and blessedly free of arrogance or prejudice. Sym had obviously been right on the money, the Fantastic Four—at least those members she had come to know in the last ten minutes—would make good friends indeed.
The only thing to be wary of, she had noticed, was Dr. Richards in genius—read, crazy—scientist mode. Then he seemed to be little better than that fictional character from the show Tenchi Muuyu, Washu, especially if he got carried away. Luckily—and in contrast to Washu—Reed Richards had someone to keep him in check, namely his wife.
Upon her gentle but insistent prodding Dr. Richards produced a futuristic looking scanning device that could be easily fitted into a palm and gave up on his plans to stuff them into his Scanotron, another futuristic device that vaguely resembled a CT-scanner. Due to Susan's interference Ranma and Felicia had the comfort of sitting in office chairs instead of lying half-naked in an oppressive tube while Mr. Fantastic scanned them—Ranma first so as to get a data base to have comparative data—with his whirring device.
"Fascinating," Reed Richards muttered as his scan of Ranma went on, "Your symbiote has integrated itself completely into your system and is enhancing every aspect. A symbiosis so close I have not witnessed to this day, and I would love to conduct more tests and-"
"Ahem," rang out from behind them as Susan Richards cleared her throat, her tapping her foot on the floor a clear indicator for Reed that he had overshot the mark.
"Err, I'll do that another day, then," Mr. Fantastic amended hastily, and continued to scan Ranma while his wife nodded, pleased. Ben, Felicia and Ranma on the other hand were hard pressed to keep a straight face; it was quite clear who was wearing the pants in the relationship.
"And? What's the verdict?" queried Felicia once Reed looked up from his scanner.
"The copying process hasn't had a detrimental effect on the symbiote, as far as I can tell," the genius scientist replied as he looked from Felicia to Ranma.
"That's good to hear," Ranma said with audible relief, "Sym already told me the same, but it's reassuring to have it confirmed by you. Thanks, doc."
"You're welcome," Reed replied with a smile, and looked at Felicia, "Now to confirm that your symbiote is doing alright, Miss Hardy."
That said Mr. Fantastic turned his body fully to Felicia, and seconds later the scan began.
-.-
The scan of SD had brought about nothing but good news. The copying process had worked as it had been intended to and had created a symbiote that was as healthy as its 'mother'. What more, the bond between SD and Felicia was surprisingly already almost as strong as the bond between Sym and Ranma.
Felicia's and Ranma's resistance to sonics had been tested as well, and the two symbiote hosts had been relieved and downright overjoyed to find that Sym's assumptions had been correct. It seemed that the adaptivity of the Venom spawn was much greater than its parents', which had resulted in a noticeable increase in natural resistance against sonics due to the massive exposure that would at least allow for an escape to recover and strike back.
Mr. Fantastic had been intrigued by the whole affair and had asked Ranma and Felicia if they would mind stopping by for regular check ups to ensure that hosts and symbiotes were doing alright, and the crime fighting duo had readily agreed.
Aside from the many benefits being in the Fantastic Fours' good graces brought, Ranma had taken an instant liking to Ben Grimm. She was convinced to have recognised a kindred spirit in The Thing, and she was really looking forward to the promised spar with him. Clobbering time indeed.
Ranma grinned to herself as she swung side by side with Felicia and towards the Black Cat's flat. The meeting with the Fantastic Four—or at least three quarters of the team—had gone over well. Not only had one of her major worries, namely that something might be wrong with SD that might affect Felicia, been alleviated, no, it also seemed that they had made a good impression.
Her grin widened a bit as she stole a glance at Felicia, who gracefully swung through the Big Apple's night sky like she had never done anything else. All things considered the day had gone over well despite the Wizard incident, and from what had transpired between them during the capture and afterwards Ranma felt that a lot was possible between her and the platinum blonde beauty.
'Really surprising,' the redhead mused to herself as she kept on following Felicia's course, 'Here I was ready to live celibate for the rest of my life, but I just had to happen upon a woman that could accept me as I am. And that without even knowing my male form. Life is seriously weird sometimes.'
Ranma kept on smiling as she continued to discreetly watch the smooth grace and elegance with which Felicia moved in that skin-tight plain black costume that so graciously emphasised her butt, her way of moving having something definitely alluring to it. The redhead's smile faded into nothingness, though, when she picked up a well-known ki-signature half a kilometre ahead of them.
'Sym?' queried Ranma, her intent clear.
— There is no mistaking him, Ranma, — Sym replied, and to the redhead the symbiote seemed to sigh.
"That ruddy, blasted idiot… dunderhead… stupid moron," Ranma cursed, and she knew immediately that Felicia had heard her when the Black Cat turned her head to look at her.
"Something the matter, Ranma? You cursed like a sailor,"
"Nothing much, just an old, perverted idiot who doesn't know better. You mind taking a detour so that we can pick him up? I have some bones to pick with him anyway," she said, already changing course.
"Nope. Just who is this 'pervert'?" Felicia wanted to know as she followed Ranma.
"My old Grandmaster," the redhead grumbled, "A superb martial artist matched by few and one of the few people to believe in my innocence, but he has a perverted streak a mile wide. Don't hesitate to clobber him into next week if he tries anything."
Felicia raised a brow, but nodded nevertheless; Ranma usually knew what she was talking about, "Okay. That him over there?" she asked then after she had turned her head and had noticed something salient, "The shrivelled old man clothed in black?"
Ranma needed a few seconds to recover from her surprise, and finally nodding she fired her webbing anew, "Yeah, that's him. Happosai, Grandmaster of the Anything Goes style. But I'm surprised that you can see him at all while he's moving at that speed. Must be 'cause SD's enhancing you."
"Probably. You want me to catch him?" Felicia asked a bit cockily.
Ranma shrugged, "Why not? Go ahead. But be careful-"
Felicia had already fired her webbing though and reeled the surprised Grandmaster in before Ranma could finish her sentence, and Happosai, being the martial artist that he is had already changed positions in mid-air to improve his chances in the upcoming conflict. Yet upon realising that his captor was female Happosai extended his hands and latched unerringly onto Felicia's bosom, a huge grin on his face.
"-to keep him away from your breasts," concluded Ranma dryly, but by then Felicia was already screaming indignantly for 'the gnome to let go of her' while she barely managed to fire her webbing to keep them up in the air.
"SWEE- ouch!"
"Letch, she's off limits," Ranma growled from deep within her throat before firing her own webbing, her right fist still balled from when she had hit him over the head.
"Ranma!" Happosai exclaimed happily as he looked from his captor to the woman swinging next to them, "Oh, what a wonderful surprise! And who is this pretty lady?"
"The one who will squeeze the life outta ya if ya try touching my breasts ever again," Felicia growled, and transferred Happosai to the crook of her left arm.
"You better take this threat seriously, old perv. She's got the same range of special abilities as me, she could do it easily," warned Ranma.
Happosai looked from Ranma to Felicia and back and quickly determined that neither was joking, "Okay, I'll be good. But could you let me go now if I'm not allowed to snuggle into your beautiful bosom, pretty lady? I have silky darlings to-"
"Not so fast, Happi," interrupted Ranma, "Change course and follow me, Felicia. It wouldn't do for the perv to find out where you live. We wouldn't hear the end of it. So we'll crash at my place instead."
Felicia nodded and did as Ranma had suggested, "I can see the logic in that," she commented dryly, the idea of waking up to that old pervert fondling her breasts was more than just a little unnerving.
"I knew you would," commented Ranma dryly before focussing her attention on the tiny Grandmaster, "Happi, gauging from our last talk I'm certain you know much more than you let on, and if you spill the beans you'll get another panty. Deal?"
"Two panties and two bras, one set lace, the other silk," countered Happosai from Felicia's crook of the arm with his arms crossed across his chest while the silver-haired woman watched the exchange in incredulty.
"One set, black lace. That's my last word," shot back Ranma.
"You drive a hard bargain, my dear Ranma-chan. Add one plain cotton panty and we have a deal," replied Happosai with a smile.
"Deal," nodded Ranma. "Now let's get to my flat. I'm damn thirsty, and curious as hell."
-.-
Ten minutes and one exhilarating swing through the night later the trio stood on the rooftop of Ranma's flat. The redhaired symbiote host had seen just how much attention Felicia had been paying to their surroundings and distinctive places in an obvious effort to commit the route to memory, but Ranma was not bothered by it. Felicia had offered that they could crash at her place after all, and Ranma knew that she had been serious in her offer, which meant she'd get to see where the Cat lived sooner or later as well.
"Get in already, Happi. You know the way," prompted Ranma.
The diminutive Grandmaster needn't be told twice, and almost faster than one could blink Happosai had disappeared into the guest bedroom down below via the skylight. Felicia looked at Ranma, the Black Cat silently asking for the redhead's permission, who nodded encouragingly.
Felicia jumped gracefully into the room below, following the old man's example, and Ranma quickly followed thereafter, closing the skylight after her. The redhead let her facemask fade away and Sym formed a collar below the neckline, and once her face was visible Ranma smiled at her guests and spread her arms, "Welcome to my humble abode, guests old and new. Happi, you know your way around here already, why don't you go to the kitchen, pour yourself something to drink, get something to eat or do whatever within the scope of normal human activity while I give Felicia the tour de house?"
"I'd much rather stay in the company of two so pretty ladies," Happosai declined.
Ranma's brows furrowed and her face darkened, her glare drilling into the tiny man, "Take a hint and scoot, old man," she growled.
"B-But-" Happosai began, his watery eyes round and huge.
"No buts," Ranma retorted adamantly, "Remember last time you ticked me off? That headache was nothing in comparison to the one waiting for you 'round the corner. Got me?"
"Okay, okay. The sacrifices one makes for two lovebirds…" the old man sighed as he walked out.
"Out!" bellowed Ranma heatedly, but her burst of temper didn't quite cover up her blush.
A blush Felicia noticed. 'The old man Happosai was obviously right on the money with his comment. Well, well, well, it seems my assumptions were correct,' she thought with a smile, and a thought transformed her combat suit into her Black Cat garb, which, so she noticed, Ranma eyed with great appreciation.
"Like what you see, Ranma?" Felicia teased lightly and posed.
"Yes… err… pooh," Ranma stuttered, blushing, while Felicia's smile widened, "Err, now to that tour," the redhead said in an effort to get a grip on herself and threw herself into the Soul of Ice, "This here's obviously the guest bedroom," she said and waved her hand at the room.
"Yep, I can see that. Nice bed, by the way. Looks to be quite stable," Felicia commented with a wiggle of her brows in an effort to get Ranma to blush again.
And blush the redhead did as she easily caught on to what Felicia had hinted at. Ranma quickly walked out of the room in hopes to maintain her control, an amused Black Cat following. "The room to the right," she said after Felicia had stepped to her side, "is the guest bathroom, and the room over there," she turned and pointed her arm at the room adjacent to the guest bedroom, "is my training room."
"A training room… how's it equipped?" Felicia wanted to know as she followed Ranma to take a look at the said room.
"Equipped?" repeated Ranma in confusion, before understanding dawned on her, "Oh, you mean training equipment and so on. Well, none. You see, our symbiotes are better than any training equipment on this planet. In fact, Sym developed a training method where she creates a counterforce to my motions. Effective as hell. Imagine doing a kata-"
"'Kata'?" queried Felicia, but quickly turned her focus inward when SD began to explain just what a kata was, "Oh, a shadow fight. Okay."
"Not quite, but close. Well, imagine yourself doing a kata, and your symbiote counters your every move," Ranma enthused with shining eyes, "It's pure genius."
"I can see that. The efficiency must be enormous," Felicia thought out loud, her eyes gleaming as well.
"Oh yeah," nodded Ranma enthusiastically and waved her hand for the other woman to follow her downstairs, "it is. And do you know what's even better?" she asked as she led Felicia down the spiral staircase.
"No idea, I give up," Felicia said the five seconds it had taken to descend the stairs later.
Ranma didn't answer immediately, though, as she was overcome by the sudden urge to yawn. Seeing as the redhead hadn't moved from her position in the doorframe that led to the living room Felicia had an unobstructed view on a Ranma who was ever so slowly arching her back. This normally innocent action stretched her spine in that special way only females seemed to be able to pull off, and Felicia's eyes went wide off their own volition. The icing on the cake, so to speak, was the languorous sigh that escaped Ranma, and when the redhead pushed her arms up and behind her it was all Felicia could do not to question her sexual preferences.
Slowly slipping out of her unconsciously seductive pose Ranma grinned sheepishly, "Sorry," she demurred, and was a bit surprised when Felicia just nodded absently with her eyes glazed over. Shrugging to herself and dismissing her partner's strange behaviour Ranma picked up the line of conversation from before, "Anyway, once our muscles adapt and grow they stay in that 'optimised state' for as long as we aren't separated from our symbiotes. In other words, no muscular degeneration. Isn't that great?"
"Downright hot," the Black Cat replied, but wasn't really sure if she meant the phenomenal display of Ranma stretching she had just witnessed or the symbiote-granted advantage.
"I knew you'd see it my way," smiled Ranma obliviously, which allowed Felicia to focus on what the younger woman had said.
"Even more so if what I believe is true… say, wouldn't our, let's call it 'basic strength', directly influence our symbiote enhanced strength when it grows?"
"And that's the real kicker… yeah. That's why I can lift over seventy tonnes whereas you're as of now 'only' able to lift round about fifty. I've trained all my life, so it shan't be a surprise I'm stronger," Ranma explained.
"I see," Felicia muttered, her expression a bit sulky.
"Hey, we'll get you up to speed in no time," Ranma purred with a smile, "You'll see, once I take you in hand you'll improve in leaps and bounds."
"Can hardly wait," breathed Felicia, who had to once again exert iron control to keep her emotions in check due to Ranma's choice of wording which had spawned a lot of interesting mental images, "And this," she pointed to behind Ranma, "is the living room?"
"Yeah," Ranma said and turned around, and as she entered the living room she unconsciously strutted which resulted in a dry-mouthed Black Cat who began to seriously doubt her sexual preferences until SD reminded her of Ranma's dual genderdedness which helped put things into perspective, "this," the redhead waved her arm in a wide arc, her smile showing off two rows of perfect white teeth, "is my living room. Bigger than anything I ever owned before combined, and all mine," she concluded proudly.
A low whistle escaped Felicia as she let her gaze travel over the appealingly decorated room, "Very nice, Ranma. I like it," she commented and meant it.
Ranma, who had carefully paid attention to Felicia's tone, beamed with pride, "Thank you. Now let's-"
A binging sound from the kitchen interrupted the redhead and she raised a scarlet brow, "-check what the letch's been up to," she concluded, and guided her steps out of the living room and towards the kitchen.
Felicia followed her on the heel, and upon entering the kitchen she found a scowling Ranma, "Figures you should go and snatch away the last lasagne," the redhead grumbled with her hands on her hips, and Felicia watched with interest as the old man simply shrugged, prompting Ranma to sigh instead of reacting violently, "Stupid me for giving you free reign in the first place, ne? I ain't hungry anyway."
"I always thought the day you admitted to not being hungry would be the day the world would end," chuckled Happosai.
A small smile made Ranma's lips twitch, "Me too, Happi. But decreased appetite and less need for food's part and parcel of being a symbiote host, which is something you'll notice soon as well, kittie. Or has SD already told you?"
"Told me what?" queried Felicia.
"So she hasn't. Well, our symbiotes optimise our bodies in a way that requires us to take in a lot less food than normal humans," Ranma explained, and smiled sheepishly, "Saves a lot of time for me. I used to eat more than a whole battalion put together, really."
"And that's understated," piped up Happosai, only to receive a glare from Ranma; but the glare soon gave way to a contemplative expression, and finally the redhead shrugged.
"Okay, that probably ain't too far from the truth, I'll give you that," she admitted with a slight grin, "What about you, want something to eat, Felicia? There's still plenty left in the fridge to choose from."
"Thank you, Ranma, but I'm not really hungry. A cocoa would be wonderful, though," Felicia said.
"One cocoa, one caffè latte, coming right up," replied Ranma with a nod, "What about you, Happi?"
"A cocoa would be nice, m'dear," Happosai mused amicably, "And now to that wonderful dish," he muttered to himself as he regarded his lasagne like a particularly nice panty, a dreamy sigh escaping his lips as he picked up his plate, "You Americans have so wonderful food."
"Happi, you can get lasagne in every other Italian restaurant, not to mention every supermarket, even in Japan," deadpanned Ranma from the espresso machine.
"True, but not at the Tendo dojo, and I'm too busy with more important activities to do either," the perverted Grandmaster replied, not noticing the narrowing of Ranma's eyes due to him daydreaming about silky darlings, "Besides, Kasumi would never strike on the idea to make anything but traditional Japanese dishes," replied the Grandmaster, and added an "Oops!" when he registered the darkening of Ranma's face. "I'll be in the living room, m'dear," he called over his shoulder and hurried out of the kitchen.
Ranma glared at a spot at the far wall for a few more moments, then the redhead closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to reign in her emotions, Felicia watching her silently. Then, once the redhead had reestablished her control she opened her eyes and managed a smile at her friend, "Sorry, the simple mentioning of them still makes my blood boil. But I'm working on it. I know I need a clear head and emotional distance if I want satisfying revenge."
"Yep," Felicia simply replied instead of giving an in-depth comment, "Now what about that cocoa I was promised? Seems the waitresses are a bit slow around here," she teased with a catty grin.
Ranma slowly let her combat suit morph into low-cut blue jeans that literally hugged her figure as well as a mid-riff baring white blouse, both articles of clothing leaving nothing to the imagination, "That may be, but therefore they're gorgeous," she teased back with a cocky flutter of her lashes.
Felicia just stared for a few moments before breaking out in giggles, Ranma soon joining her. Bantering with Felicia was fun, and if Ranma were honest to herself, that and the interaction as well as the growing feelings for her friend filled the void that had previously existed within her rather excellently.
-.-
A few minutes later the trio of two women and one man was lounging on Ranma's comfortable sofas, Felicia and Ranma having made themselves at home with cups full of cocoa and caffè latte respectively in hand.
Incidentally the two symbiote hosts had chosen the two-piece-sofa instead of one of them sitting with Happosai who was balancing the plateful of lasagne on his knees and munching away happily. Both women had folded their legs underneath their bodies and were holding their respective cups with both hands, Ranma and Felicia taking careful sips from time to time.
Happosai had thrown them a single knowing look that hadn't been noticed by either, and the Grandmaster was happy for his best student. Despite his deeds in the past, the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion incident being the worst example, he wished Ranma well. He was of the opinion that this young individual who appeared to be Fate's bitch more often than not deserved happiness. And happiness, he knew from experience, was often brought about by a stable, love-filled and happy relationship.
Now Happosai had seen many a relationship in his day, and he had to err gravely if those two were not attracted to each other, and strongly at that. What more, if this attraction was this strong while Ranma was female, just how strong would it be once this pretty thing by the name of Felicia saw male Ranma for the first time?
He had his suspicions as to that. Being a martial artist also meant knowing human physiology, and he had once read or heard that the phenomenon called 'love at first sight' was largely influenced by the immune systems of the partners. The more diverse, the better, and it seemed that Ranma's and Felicia's immune systems were diverse enough yet complimentary for the attraction between them to be this strong while Ranma was female.
Suppressing a grin at the thought that the Anything Goes style might just see worthy heirs in the future Happosai attacked his lasagne with renewed vigour, and thanks to a speed-eating technique the old man had polished his plate thirty seconds later.
Glancing over at the lovebirds brought a smile to his lips. Each woman seemed to be deeply in thought while occasionally sipping from their brew, and both were repeatedly stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. 'Just like love-struck teenagers,' Happosai mused,'Ahh, to be young and in love…'
Sipping his own cocoa which Ranma had placed in front of him Happosai continued to watch the antics of the redhead and the platinum blonde woman until their beating around the bush ceased to be entertaining, and leaning forward he cleared his throat.
Ranma's and Felicia's reactions were similar and amusing, and almost caused Happosai to erupt in laughter. Both caught themselves looking at each other, blushed in unison and looked away before looking at Happosai.
"Ladies, now that I have your attention I believe we should get down to business. Ranma, what we didn't discuss last time is what happened in Nerima after your conviction. And it may or may not come as a surprise to you, your fall began nowhere else but in Nerima," concluded Happosai seriously.
Silence reigned for a few seconds, and then Ranma turned chilling blue eyes on the Grandmaster, "So it was one of them after all. Do tell, Happi, and leave nothing out. I want to know everything."
to be continued…
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Some quick notes:
Not really much to say here. I know it took me damn long, but I had some darn difficult exams to get through, and then there was the fact that I kept on changing scenes for what seemed forever, and I still ain't completely satisfied. And that I ain't got a betareader at the moment – see my yahoo group for details – which translates into I had no one to kick my lazy ass didn't really help.
Anyway, more of my notes – the Q&A section, to be specific – can be found at my yahoo group. Peace out.
