I know it's been forever, but there's not much I can do about it. I want to get back to the small-scale stories I have going, but then I would be writing well over ten stories, and that's just not feasible. I'm afraid fics like this one just have to suffer slightly longer update times. The good news is that the plot of this fic is very loose, so it's not like you're left hanging on the edge of your seat at the end of every chapter, and I guess that makes the wait more bearable.

I'm afraid that this one is going to be pretty short, but it's just a fun little idea I had, and it won't require much to write. The next serious chapter I write (Ryo x King/Yuri x Kensou/etc.) will likely be longer.

Ikari Warriors

Ralf and Clark challenge each other to an arm wrestling match. Leona watches from the sidelines, but fails to see the purpose of such a contest. Nevertheless, she decides to try it, to appease her comrades if nothing else...

There was a lot of yelling, grunting, and screaming going on in the Ikari base at the moment. This tended to happen when two very strong men were arm wrestling each other, especially when neither of them seemed to be making any progress against the other. Ralf and Clark were seated at a table, their arms propped up against each other as they battled for dominance.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Leona and Whip watched this spectacle from the sidelines, leaning against the wall nearby. As usual, Leona was silent. Whip on the other hand, was more than happy to comment on the testosterone filled situation. "If Ralf screams much louder, he's gonna have spiky blond hair spilling out of his bandanna."

Not one to indulge in popular media, it was no surprise that Leona did not get the joke at all. She failed to acknowledge that Whip had said anything at all. She appeared to be completely enraptured with the arm wrestle before her, though Whip had no idea why she would be.

"Uh, Leona? You seem pretty into this..."

The pony-tailed fighter turned her blank gaze on the woman. "I simply do not understand the purpose of such a contest. All they are doing is hurting their arms, neither one is going to win."

"Well maybe one of them would do better if you rooted for them, Leona."

"The idea of gaining strength through verbal support is absurd."

Disappointed but not surprised, Whip simply sighed and turned her attention back to the two men in the room. Neither one of them had given an inch so far, but the pressure they were putting on the table was getting a little over the top. "Hey hey, you guys are breaking the damn table! Go do this somewhere else!"

Engrossed in their contest as they were, neither man heard the woman, who decided that a more noticeable action was required. Withdrawing her trademark tool of choice, Ralf and Clark soon found themselves smacked across the face with a whip. Clark, ever the calm individual, realized that Whip had stopped them because the table was cracking under their elbows. Ralf on the other hand, was naturally convinced that he had been about to win, and wasn't very happy to be interrupted.

"Whip, what are you doing!? I was about to win, I almost had him!"

"Ralf, you were about to pop a blood vessel in your brain. Besides, neither of you was close to winning, you would be in stalemate until your arms fell off."

Ralf didn't even realize that he was subconsciously massaging the arm he had used to wrestle Clark. "How would you know, you weren't even the one wrestling!"

Whip put a hand on Leona's back. "Oh really? I bet Leona here could beat you no sweat."

A slight look of alarm and confusion crossed Leona's face, but she managed to keep it under control. "I do not think I am strong enough for that."

Unfortunately for her, Ralf took a liking to Whip's suggestion all too quickly. "C'mon Leona, it's actually a great idea! I want to see how good you do."

Not one to offer resistance when it was unnecessary, Leona situated herself at the table across from Ralf, Clark taking her place on the wall next to Whip. She clapsed hands with Ralf, meeting his fiery gaze with an apathetic look of her own.

Ralf's muscles tensed as he prepared to battle Leona. "You ready?"

"Don't go easy on me."

"If you say so, it's your funeral!"

The two stared each other down as Whip made an obligatory countdown. "Three...two...one... go!"

There was a loud slam as Leona crushed Ralf's hand into the table within moments of the match's start, leaving everyone in the room stunned. Ralf stared at his hand as though he had never seen one before, Clark's sunglasses fell off of his face, and Whip was struggling to hold back a wave of laughter. Only Leona stayed completely calm and unfazed, almost as if she had not participated in the event at all.

Ralf's thoughts were a confused jumble. How did I... I mean, Leona is strong, but not... it's impossible! I've really grown soft!

Ralf dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups as fast he could possibly manage, tears streaming down his face. "Must...restore...honor!"

Leona rose from her chair and returned to Whip's side as Clark moved towards his buddy. "Wouldn't weights be more effective for building arm strength sir?"

Ralf didn't stop: he was already on his seventy-fifth push-up. "Life has many doors, Clark!"

Leading Leona out of the room, Whip whispered to her our of earshot of their male companions. "So, how did you...?"

"I simply used speed to push his arm down before he was ready to resist. His push-ups will not help him."

"So, are you gonna let him challenge you again? You'll just beat him a second time."

Leona nodded, a slight smile crossing her face. "It could be... fun."

"I'm not old! I'm still strong! I'm a man, a youthful man! I can't lose here!"

Whip peeked back into the room at Ralf as he sweated through his clothes in mere seconds. "Fun might be a bit of an understatement..."

It's short, yep. But the next one will be longer since it will be a relationship chapter. Later guys!